Zer_: There are a few steps that you must take to ensure that Offline Mode works. The best way to do it is to run your games at least once before trying to run them in Offline Mode. It's also important that Steam remains updated. Personally, I've never had serious problems with Offline Mode. You must also ensure that account credentials are saved locally in the Steam options!
Yes, yes, I'm aware of all that. But the last step is switching to offline mode deliberately before you're disconnected. They treat offline mode as a "lifestyle choice" that you make ahead of time rather than as a fallback if your Internet goes down unexpectedly, and which will not work if it does.
Actually, if you've followed the steps and used Offline mode at least once, it will always work afterwards, exceptions can arise if you download a new game or a game gets updated.
I hate steam to the utmost extreme. Why? I'll tell you why. Steam is just such a bitch with it's automatic updating. What you think it's a good thing? Not for people who only get 5GB worth of internet a month. I don't have uncapped internet like the rest (or majority) of you guys. That's why I can't give two shits of what kind of deals or what kind of game I can buy on steam because I simply don't have the luxury of downloading it. Also another thing that pisses me of from steam is I can't play my games without updating it first. Do you know how annoying that is? For example: I recently bought shogun 2(retail) and when I wanted to play it steam slapped me in the face with a 10GB update. I don't have 10GB to download your stupid update steam. And eventually I had to pay for the extra Data to download so I end up paying more than the actual game cost just to fucking play it.
All of you can say all you want about steam but here in South Africa It is the worst thing for gaming. And it's the same with all my friends who also have to use steam to play their games. Hell my one friend doesn't even have internet access so he can't use steam or play any of the games he want to that uses steam and he end up asking this one guy know for cracked and pirated games.
If steam just gave you an option to play your game without downloading an update first then perhaps I could look more favourably upon it but as it stands now it's just a great big inconvenience.
PS: If I came of like a dick for the post I'm sorry I'm just still mad because of that 10GB update.
ResonanceGames: I love how the OP even tries to twist the amazing sales into a bad thing.
It's fair enough to not like Steam, but don't pretend its mild annoyances aren't completely overshadowed by multiple advantages, including cheap prices, automatic updates, built-in community features, infinite downloads, a huge selection, and indie-friendly advertising that doesn't just focus on AAA games.
People generally don't rag on Steam because Steam is generally a good service. There isn't a whole lot else to read into it.
And don't forget that it wasn't always that way. Steam was almost universally hated for at least its first two years. Valve had to earn the goodwill, it wasn't there from day one.
When you buy 10 games at once, how many do you end up finishing? Probably just the one you specifically wanted in the first place, im willing to bet 80% of the games hardly get touched. Its just a cheap gimmick to create the illusion of value when in reality it costs them nothing to throw in a bunch of third rate or 10 yr old games that no one will ever buy on their own
Well, first off, I rarely buy ten games at once, and Steam never forces you to do that. It might incentivize it, sure, but if you aren't going to play them don't buy them. (I also tend to play them all. Eventually. I'm often too poor to buy a new game, so I get bored and check the library.)
Also, if you think the old games suck, don't buy them. Nobody's forcing you to, and it's not like they aren't old enough that everyone in the world has a review, a walkthrough, and screenshots out for them... you should have a very good idea of what you're buying if you care to.
However, I will say one thing for Steam... I can get high quality games there, for under ten bucks a pop, that are mine forever. When they're NOT on riduculous degrees of sale. If my computer dies and I have to replace them, I download my games again for free. With no hassle, without going to seventyfive different indie developers and scrounging through my email hoping to find the code to get it back. When I want to free up some space I delete them, knowing I can get them again next year when I feel like playing KOTOR again.
Moreover, I don't have to worry about whether these games will still run on my machine, or whether they've got viruses, or whether the indie developer with his five dollar firewall has a hacker looking over his shoulder and taking down my credit card info.
As for the invasive nature of it, the fact that it can't be uninstalled or stopped or anything like that, I've never experienced any of that. When I tell Steam to go away (not just close the window, but tell it to shut down like you would for a virus scanner, or Skype, or any program that has a reason to stick around) it shuts down. It always responds to Control-Alt-Delete for me. As for uninstalling it... well, I've never tried, and I'm not inclined to, but I'm sure it works just fine there too.
All in all, it's obedient, it's legal, it's incredibly DRM light and it's cheap.
XSTALKERX: I hate steam to the utmost extreme. Why? I'll tell you why. Steam is just such a bitch with it's automatic updating. What you think it's a good thing? Not for people who only get 5GB worth of internet a month.
Oh ouch... that's... really quite unworkable. I remember the throttled internet I had over in Afghanistan, and that was unbelievably frustrating.
You CAN tell it not to update (for each game individually, at least) but getting the game onto your computer in the first place is a problem at that point. I mean, it's online and you want it, so you're gonna have to download it.
To be fair, this is 100% your internet situation screwing you, rather than Steam. It's clearly not built for the sort of streamlined gaming you folks need there until your internet companies shape up but... nothing is, any more. It used to be that people could do wonders with a couple lines of code because they HAD to... they pored over their work for efficiency like they were writing haikus because that was really all they could store. However, as resources have gotten cheaper and more plentiful everybody, I mean everybody, has gotten sloppier, preferring to finish the project in time and on budget to spending hours editing out every scrap of stuff they don't need for efficiency. With more computing power in my watch than there was in the first computers, they can afford to be sloppy, they can't afford to be late (well, except for Valve. :-P)
But really, if the unlimited internet plans over there are prohibitively expensive, you're going to have to look to programmers who are laboring under the same constraints that you are. Programmers who still have to write that brilliantly efficient code, who can still motivate themselves to parse things down because they have to get those updates as small as humanly possible. No mainstream American company is going to work that hard for such things, because it's a non-issue for the vast majority of their customer base.
Nigh Invulnerable: A buddy of mine had a similar problem. He didn't use the email account he'd originally logged into Steam with any more and was therefore unable to get in and reset his Steam password when he forgot it. They basically just said, "Sorry, not our problem, dude." now he refuses to buy anything from them.
So... he couldn't prove to them that he was who he said he was, couldn't prove to his old email company that he was who he said he was (or didn't bother to try it), forgot both passwords and couldn't guess either one of them, and asked them to please give him access to an account that someone (not necessarily him) paid into and possibly left financial information attached to? It sounds like either company could have solved this problem for him, and apparently, neither of them did because he either didn't push hard enough or has an atrocious memory.
That's not a company screwing you over. That's a company protecting your stuff and your identity, and any bank, school, medical facility, or employer worth its salt will do the same. This is a legal obligation they take on when they take your vital information, and holding it against them (especially just one of the two companies involved) is just... silly.
People DO bitch about steam and rightly so. The bitches the OP presents are mostly invalid as it seems if it is related mostly to PEBCAK errors.
However, The OP does bring up one specific point that while worded just as weakly as the rest of the post IS in fact a valid point.
Valid but poorly worded 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
Now there ARE plenty of reasons to bitch about steam. Public indoctrination, wanting data they have no reason to want/have, the lack of ownership, The damage that the precedents steam created does to the industry. Some of which have been roughly touched on. But most of the OPs points fall flat due to the perception of lacking in tech savvy.
viranimus: Ok. However, The OP does bring up one specific point that while worded just as weakly as the rest of the post IS in fact a valid point.
Valid but poorly worded 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
Now there ARE plenty of reasons to bitch about steam. Public indoctrination, wanting data they have no reason to want/have, the lack of ownership, The damage that the precedents steam created does to the industry. Some of which have been roughly touched on. But most of the OPs points fall flat due to the perception of lacking in tech savvy.
I know it's improper manners to hijack the thread like this, but I'm actually intrigued by this. You said some of these points have been roughly touched on, is there any chance you have links to any sources (articles and such) that have talked about this?
Stilt: Origin is one of the most butt fucking invasive programs out there, it starts up everytime you turn your computer on, and hides in the background like a little shit. And even when you try to exit the thing, it still runs in the background being a pain in the ass. Finally, they make it a bitch to uninstall.
Fixed.
Steam doesn't force you to load it on startup, that's in the options. It runs in the background merely to track game updates and friends lists, and does so at a mere 15MB of RAM, compared to Origin doing it at 90MB+ of RAM. And how, pray tell, does it make it a bitch to uninstall?
People defend Steam because it's a good digital distrobution platform, and one of the best. (Along with GoG) They defend it because Valve works with companies to do stuff like the aforementioned sales and special events. And Valve puts powerful features into it that is never required to use by companies, but greatly enhances the experience if they do, like SteamWorkshop (Skyrim); SteamWorks for solid, reliable netcode (more games than you can count); or SteamInventory (Spiral Knights, and supposedly Dungeon Defenders soon).
Steam works, which is more than Origin can boast, plus it's run by the most benevolent video game company out there, they promote indie games, and their servers are the best in the business. If you don't like it, go back to XBLA and paying 50$ a year for earfuls of foul language.
Stilt: Steam is one of the most butt fucking invasive programs out there, it starts up everytime you turn your computer on, and hides in the background like a little shit. And even when you try to exit the thing, it still runs in the background being a pain in the ass. Finally, they make it a bitch to uninstall.
So am I the only one who cares about any of this, or is everyone too busy buying 800 games for 10 dollars and then never playing any of them? Or forcing themselves to play them to feel like they got their money's worth?
You can easily change it so it doesn't load up on start up like k7avenger said.
Not quite sure how something running in the background is a pain in the ass, when its in the backgrounds.
Uninstalling it requires clicking the uninstall button and using CCleaner...that isn't any different to any other program.
Pretty sure you're just trolling but I'm bored so Ill answer,
I rag on steam all the time, I fucking hate with a passion anything that can interfere with my gaming and steam made The Witcher 2 not even able to work somehow, the graphics didn't render properly. No such problems with the GOG version I ended up... acquiring.
I'm just good at picking my battles and pointless ranting without context is not constructive.
People DO bitch about steam and rightly so. The bitches the OP presents are mostly invalid as it seems if it is related mostly to PEBCAK errors.
However, The OP does bring up one specific point that while worded just as weakly as the rest of the post IS in fact a valid point.
Valid but poorly worded 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
Now there ARE plenty of reasons to bitch about steam. Public indoctrination, wanting data they have no reason to want/have, the lack of ownership, The damage that the precedents steam created does to the industry. Some of which have been roughly touched on. But most of the OPs points fall flat due to the perception of lacking in tech savvy.
I wrote it in about 5 seconds, most of the problems Im having are because Im running, lets say a STEEPLY discounted version of windows 7.
XSTALKERX: Not for people who only get 5GB worth of internet a month. I don't have uncapped internet like the rest (or majority) of you guys. That's why I can't give two shits of what kind of deals or what kind of game I can buy on steam because I simply don't have the luxury of downloading it.
I see what your getting at, but I think your problem is that your mixing faults with suitability. Since Steam is a digital distributor, it's kind of a prerequisite to have good internet access. It's like hating ovens because you don't have the money to pay for all the electricity one of them uses. Digital distributional hasn't taken over completely, I'm sure you can still buy physical copies.
Now I realise that it could alleviate some your problems if they changed steam a bit, but it's likely that that would cause problems for the rest of the users. Maybe it's a bit more complicated for people who need to limit steams capabilities, but remember that Steam's main consumer base does have access to lots of internet, and they tend to use that as a given in order to give simplicity to that majority. All I'm saying is that your taking it rather personally, not having the requirements to use something properly is not a justified reason for outright hating it.
Because Valve makes a particular noisy bunch of gamers wet their pants. By all means it's the lesser of two evils when it comes to digital distribution but that doesn't necessarily make it good, especially considering their outrageous prices, the pointless invasive application that you have to installand the fact that your games are tied to a specific account, though the added security measure help.
I'm not exactly sure what about that qualifies as "invasive," but you do realize that when you install it, you can uncheck that little box that says "run on startup" right?
and by right clicking the steam logo to the far right on the taskbar, you can exit steam entirely?
People DO bitch about steam and rightly so. The bitches the OP presents are mostly invalid as it seems if it is related mostly to PEBCAK errors.
However, The OP does bring up one specific point that while worded just as weakly as the rest of the post IS in fact a valid point.
Valid but poorly worded 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
Now there ARE plenty of reasons to bitch about steam. Public indoctrination, wanting data they have no reason to want/have, the lack of ownership, The damage that the precedents steam created does to the industry. Some of which have been roughly touched on. But most of the OPs points fall flat due to the perception of lacking in tech savvy.
I wrote it in about 5 seconds, most of the problems Im having are because Im running, lets say a STEEPLY discounted version of windows 7.
Your haste and failure to properly use grammar and logic does not constitute a worthy excuse for losing. Your arguement is flawed, people have revealed the flaws, and judging by your excuse, you have a hacked copy of Windows 7, so really anything you say about what people do with their money looses all credibility.
Nouw: Honestly the only problem I have is the fact that you have to be online to do offline mode. What the fuck? Otherwise, it's great.
Not necessarily. You just have to have logged in previously. I've had my connection die, or moved into a new apartment with no connection, and when Steam started, it would attempt to log in, fail and ask if I wanted to start offline mode, which has worked every time for me with no issues.
I'm sure there's more than a few stories out there of people having issues with it, but I know for a fact that you don't have to have an internet connection to get into offline mode.
People DO bitch about steam and rightly so. The bitches the OP presents are mostly invalid as it seems if it is related mostly to PEBCAK errors.
However, The OP does bring up one specific point that while worded just as weakly as the rest of the post IS in fact a valid point.
Valid but poorly worded 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
Now there ARE plenty of reasons to bitch about steam. Public indoctrination, wanting data they have no reason to want/have, the lack of ownership, The damage that the precedents steam created does to the industry. Some of which have been roughly touched on. But most of the OPs points fall flat due to the perception of lacking in tech savvy.
I wrote it in about 5 seconds, most of the problems Im having are because Im running, lets say a STEEPLY discounted version of windows 7.
Your haste and failure to properly use grammar and logic does not constitute a worthy excuse for losing. Your arguement is flawed, people have revealed the flaws, and judging by your excuse, you have a hacked copy of Windows 7, so really anything you say about what people do with their money looses all credibility.
I never said I had a hacked copy of windows 7, but I will say that I purchased windows vista at full price when it came out, so Im pretty fucking angry about that.
I wrote it in about 5 seconds, most of the problems Im having are because Im running, lets say a STEEPLY discounted version of windows 7.
Your haste and failure to properly use grammar and logic does not constitute a worthy excuse for losing. Your arguement is flawed, people have revealed the flaws, and judging by your excuse, you have a hacked copy of Windows 7, so really anything you say about what people do with their money looses all credibility.
I never said I had a hacked copy of windows 7, but I will say that I purchased windows vista at full price when it came out, so Im pretty fucking angry about that.
So you bought it full price, or did you buy it at a STEEP discount? Judging by the emphasis on the discount, it's logical to infer that you did not obtain your current copy legally, or at the very least at the amount normally charged.
Your haste and failure to properly use grammar and logic does not constitute a worthy excuse for losing. Your arguement is flawed, people have revealed the flaws, and judging by your excuse, you have a hacked copy of Windows 7, so really anything you say about what people do with their money looses all credibility.
I never said I had a hacked copy of windows 7, but I will say that I purchased windows vista at full price when it came out, so Im pretty fucking angry about that.
So you bought it full price, or did you buy it at a STEEP discount? Judging by the emphasis on the discount, it's logical to infer that you did not obtain your current copy legally, or at the very least at the amount normally charged.
Stilt: Steam is one of the most butt fucking invasive programs out there, it starts up everytime you turn your computer on, and hides in the background like a little shit. And even when you try to exit the thing, it still runs in the background being a pain in the ass. Finally, they make it a bitch to uninstall.
So am I the only one who cares about any of this, or is everyone too busy buying 800 games for 10 dollars and then never playing any of them? Or forcing themselves to play them to feel like they got their money's worth?
You do realize you can make it so Steam doesn't boot up automatically on start up? By looking through the settings?
XSTALKERX: Not for people who only get 5GB worth of internet a month. I don't have uncapped internet like the rest (or majority) of you guys. That's why I can't give two shits of what kind of deals or what kind of game I can buy on steam because I simply don't have the luxury of downloading it.
I see what your getting at, but I think your problem is that your mixing faults with suitability. Since Steam is a digital distributor, it's kind of a prerequisite to have good internet access. It's like hating ovens because you don't have the money to pay for all the electricity one of them uses. Digital distributional hasn't taken over completely, I'm sure you can still buy physical copies.
Now I realise that it could alleviate some your problems if they changed steam a bit, but it's likely that that would cause problems for the rest of the users. Maybe it's a bit more complicated for people who need to limit steams capabilities, but remember that Steam's main consumer base does have access to lots of internet, and they tend to use that as a given in order to give simplicity to that majority. All I'm saying is that your taking it rather personally, not having the requirements to use something properly is not a justified reason for outright hating it.
Alright I see your point but all I'm really asking is having the option to play my games without updating them first because that is my main gripe with steam.
Actually, if you've followed the steps and used Offline mode at least once, it will always work afterwards, exceptions can arise if you download a new game or a game gets updated.