Steam has taken my games hostage and I can't play them (off-line mode sucks)

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Their offline mode works if you set it up ahead of time. Otherwise it's a little hit or miss.

On the otherhand I have AC: Brotherhood and I never had to set up offline mode. When you start the game without a connection there's a button that says play in offline mode. It's more convienant IMHO.

They should automatically set up offline mode for you when you first start a game up in Steam. Or maybe have an option that you can tick to auto setup offline mode every time you install a new game that supports offline.

 

[Phynaz]

There should be no offline authentication system at all.

Oh, so when your online it should authenticate, but not when your offline?

There's a security system for you! I wonder how many publishers would sell on Steam if the way to overcome the DRM to just not go online, since there wouldn't be any local authentication?

 

[Occ]

It should also be pointed that in my experience you have to do this every time you download a new game if you wish to play that game offline.

 

[Phynaz]

I thought all of the keys were already stored on your PC.

Maybe setting up offline triggers some sort of switch that disables the program if you try to stay offline indefintely?

The games keys sure. But you are talking about offline authentication. Basically you are logging in to steam locally instead of across the internet. To do so would require the authentication keys that Steam uses to be placed on your machine. That's what steam does the first time you go offline - it configures your Steam install to authenticate you locally.

I've never been offline for any long period of time myself, but I image the authentication keys are time limited. Probably Steam will tell you that you have to go online if you have been off for months.

 

[greenhawk]

When I've lost my internet, I just click go offline and it restarts steam into it no issues.

The first time you do it though, you need to be on line. The rest of the time is should generally be good to go. A bit hard learning this lessen the hard way (ie: when already forced offline). I was not a happy camper that hoilday season.

Though IIRC it still wants to hope on line from time to time just to check everything is still good (ie: you are not cheating the system).

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

The first time you do it though, you need to be on line. The rest of the time is should generally be good to go. A bit hard learning this lessen the hard way (ie: when already forced offline). I was not a happy camper that hoilday season.

Though IIRC it still wants to hope on line from time to time just to check everything is still good (ie: you are not cheating the system).

I can't remember ever doing it while online, but I probably just lucked into doing it or something.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Oh, so when your online it should authenticate, but not when your offline?

There's a security system for you! I wonder how many publishers would sell on Steam if the way to overcome the DRM to just not go online, since there wouldn't be any local authentication?

Presumably you installed the games while online so they should be authentic. Going any further isn't going to make it more secure. It's not like there's no way to crack steam games.

 

[greenhawk]

Just out of curiosity - what exactly does Steam do to your PC when you set up offline mode?

exactly? no idea. I suspect it does a check of versions (ie: software up to date), records a setting to allow offline mode to work and proberly tells steam that you have enabled the feature.

Side note IIRC, if you go online and it starts a update of a program, no way to get that program working in offline mode again I have found until the update is complete. A rather enoying feature when on limited bandwidth/dial up. Of course, setting most programs you do not use to "do not update" takes care of this. Just wish steam had the option to quickly change the update flag on each installed game. Going though each, tabing to the needed section and checking is tedious when you have a few dozen games installed.

 

[NTAC]

Wait. OP can't access the internet to get Steam to work, but can access Google to read about the problem and access AT to bitch about it?

Was this reply really necessary?

 

[arredondo]

Oh, so when your online it should authenticate, but not when your offline?

There's a security system for you! I wonder how many publishers would sell on Steam if the way to overcome the DRM to just not go online, since there wouldn't be any local authentication?

Fail.

Publishers sell games on the PSN network and I am playing games offline on my PS3 just fine. Besides, I have been authenticated up the wazoo on Steam already:

- All my games are legit and have a Steam purchase history on their servers. Authenticated.

- My Steam account says I am a member "in good standing". Authenticated.

- I just built a new gaming rig, and to I had to enter my logname/password to access my Steam account AND THEN enter a special code they sent me via e-mail for permission to download and play my already-purchased Steam games on it. Authenticated.

So Steam on this machine should have zero issues letting me play offline at any given time due to all of the hoops I've jumped through already on this particular machine.

Even if they allowed offline access for, say, one week max for authenticated accounts on a verified machine before requiring an online re-validation signal, it would be better than the stupid way it works right now. :thumbsdown:

 

[Phynaz]

I suggest you grab a dictionary and look up the word authentication. None of the examples you state make you authenticated.

Whatever, if you just want to rant to feel better instead of gaining some knowledge then have at it.

 

[arredondo]

I stand by my acknowledgement of your failed post.

All my purchases have been authenticated by Steam as well as the PC that I play them on. They say my account is in good standing. Since they have chosen to have an off-line mode at all it should work when a legit user is, you know, offline. I mean the question literally pops up in a window... Steam can't log-in, would you like to go into off-line mode? When I click "yes", it should work!

 

[lupi]

you are complaining about steam, you are obviously an uneducated hate monger to trash the greatest thing since the birth of tebow.

 

[Nebor]

I feel about as much sympathy for you as I do for people that don't prepare for natural disasters. All you had to do was go into offline mode one time.

 

[Rifter]

I feel about as much sympathy for you as I do for people that don't prepare for natural disasters. All you had to do was go into offline mode one time.

100% this, dont bitch about it if you didnt take 10 seconds to set it up in the first place.

I game both on my desktop and laptop, and 90% of the time my laptop does not have net access.

All i did to set it up was uncheck the auto login to friends box, make sure the password was saved and the dont save credentials box is unticked. And then click go offline.

Been 3 years and i have never had an issue gaming offline with the laptop, played over 50 different games on it over the years not one issue with steam.

Just take the 10 seconds when your internet goes back up to set it up and you will never have this issue again.

 

[vshah]

you could try pdanet tethering. activating offline mode doesn't download any data...you won't fill up your 200mb cap.

http://junefabrics.com/index.php

 

[KaOTiK]

Steam beat my sister and raped my dog.

 

[Aikouka]

If all you had to do was be authenticated once, everyone would just load the same account on multiple machines and play them in offline mode. Consoles are also locked down. For example, the 360 will only register downloaded content for the machine and account that received it. Not on the original machine and can't connect? Too bad.

 

[KaOTiK]

If all you had to do was be authenticated once, everyone would just load the same account on multiple machines and play them in offline mode. Consoles are also locked down. For example, the 360 will only register downloaded content for the machine and account that received it. Not on the original machine and can't connect? Too bad.

I do have Steam installed on 2 computers that are in offline mode with my account and have the vast majority of my 350+ games installed on them. I keep myself logged in all the time on my main/work PC.

 

[arredondo]

It defies all logic to say that a person should've randomly activated offline mode early on so that it would work in an emergency. How in the world would someone even know that???

The fact that the internet is filled with stories like mine shows that there is nothing intuitive about that ignorant suggestion. Gamers don't switch on offline mode for no reason, and THIS particular reason is impossible to anticipate before it happens.
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Epilogue:

The cable company kicked in access today. Right away I went through the absolutely idiotic task of having to go online before turning on offline. I then unplugged my internet cable and the process worked. Hopefully this means it'll still be working if I am forced off again.

I should say that I think that Steam is the best thing to happen to PC gaming in eons. I absolutely love the service and I am not happy to see other companies open up similar services that will split up my library (Origin). The deals are awesome, the update system works very well, and I never have to step in a gaming store to get my fix ever again.

This has the only blemish I've come across since I signed up. Sorry if I sounded like a random Steam hater, but I do think that other than this I really, really, really love it.

 

[Craig234]

IMO Steam should do whatever it needs that you need to click 'go offline' when online for automatically, so you don't need to. A lot of people would get bit by this.

This is like calling 911 and having it say "sorry, you needed to call once when there isn't an emergency to prepare the 911 feature."

 

[Throckmorton]

People have no common sense. If offline mode worked when offline, it would be really easy to pirate games. You could let 1000 people use your account to download Steam games, then they all disconnect from the internet and "go offline". Voila, free games for 1000 people.

 

[Rifter]

People have no common sense. If offline mode worked when offline, it would be really easy to pirate games. You could let 1000 people use your account to download Steam games, then they all disconnect from the internet and "go offline". Voila, free games for 1000 people.

100% this, which is why the poster above you obvisouly didnt engage his brain before posting that.

 

[oasis789]

THanks for sharing OP. I'll set up offline mode asap.

 

[frozentundra123456]

This x 1,000

You must go offline one time while you are online.

This is one of my biggest complaints about steam. Why would you set up an offline mode that has to be set up when you are online?? Talk about the mother of all catch 22s.

I know you should set up offline mode first thing, but this is not really clear what you have to do, (or that you cannot use offline mode until you set it up properly), until you have a problem and start searching around that you have to set up offline mode while logged in.