Found This
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081214051233AAiM5DU
play Left 4 Dead over LAN without installing STEAM
OK, i have been able to resolve this a while ago, by using Hamachi. But i wonder if others have been as lucky as me in figuring this out. Unfortunately there is no clear guide on how to configure the L4D PC game without having to install Steam, so i have made an attempt here. I hope this proves useful to all those like me who got the game with mainly co-op intention Wink
There is NO need for Steam to play LAN. I know this as i have downloaded Steam's HUGE ~2gb setup files and it still didn't work for me, so i went along with a program called Hamachi (freeware for personal use) less than 1 MB in size!! and i use it almost everyday playing L4D on LAN. Great lil app!
Here is what you need to do:
1. Install Left 4 Dead retail/cracked game.
2. Forget about installing/downloading Steam.
3. Install Hamachi (just google for it. It's small and free!)
4. Follow the instructions below once you have installed the game on your computer and other computers connected to yours, via crosswire cable or router.
Example of setup for running lan play via hamachi...
Create a Hamachi room/channel and have your friends to join it. You will see their Hamachi usernames and IPs in the window list. You can even chat with them via Hamachi and guide them along or let them know how you're doing with the game setup or whenever you're ready to start so the others can connect to your computer, which will act as the server, if you are hosting the game.
For the Hoster - when you are in the menu of the game, press the ~ button (normally found above the Tab button on your keyboard). This will open up a console menu, which will have a text area at the bottom, where you can type in.
1. Type: ip [insert here Your Hamachi ip]. for example ip 5.200.200.1 (you will see yours in big and bold white numbers at the top of the Hamachi window. Type this in. Note that this IP is only for use in Hamachi.)
2. Type: sv_allow_lobby_connect_only 0
3. Type: net_start
4. Type: map [press space and then select the map you want to play from the drop down list].
Don't forget to forward port 27015 if you have any software firewall. You will have to add this port to your exception list.
For the clients, that is, others waiting to connect to your computer to play. Just tell them to type connect [press space and then type in the Hamachi ip of the host, that is, your Hamachi IP]
example: connect 5.200.200.1
All set! have fun!
Then later when you are in game, you can change difficulty by voting, if you want.
<abbr title="2008-12-15 10:39:25">2 weeks ago</abbr>
Source(s):
http://fresh-warez.blogspot.com/2008/12/... (http://fresh-warez.blogspot.com/2008/12/left-4-dead-how-to-play-lan-without.html)