Steam's offline mode still requires you to be online ?

[Elixer]

I was downloading a game, at about the 4GB mark, when all of the sudden had no net access. So, I thought it would be the perfect time to do a offline backup of the computer. Fast forward a hour & 30 mins, and I tried to run a different game that was on Steam, and I couldn't. Still had no net access.
I tried going into offline, but I need to be online to be offline.
That locked me out of all those games.
I had to wait for the ISP to fix whatever issues they had to be able to play games again.

This is what pisses me off about Steam's DRM. I bought the bloody games, but I can't play any of them.

Just for the heck of it, I tried doing the same thing on origin, started to download a game, I pulled the CAT-5, stopped the download, and exited out of origin. I then reran it, and went to offline mode, and it actually allowed me to access the other games I had available.
On origin, it seems to store the user+password in some cache locally on the machine.
On steam, they don't have that, and it needs some kind of confirmation signal from steam's DRM servers to 'activate' offline mode.

 

[KaOTiK]

To go into offline mode for Steam there are 2 things that need to be done. First, save credentials to the computer and second, you have to one time go into offline mode while online. I'm not 100% sure why, but I think it has something to do with verification of some type. After you do that you can go offline with no problems at all.

It is silly and annoying. And yes, the most comment complaint is, when I first want to use offline mode I can't because I have to be online.

I use my laptop almost exclusively in offline mode due to it not having a connection most of the time when I do use it to game.

 

[Hacp]

Offline mode requires authentication before you can use it! The good thing is that once you enter offline mode, you have a month's time before you're required to re-authenticate.

I always refresh my offline mode authentication every week or two in case I need it for when my internet goes bad. You should make it a habit of yours.

 

[Elixer]

Offline mode requires authentication before you can use it! The good thing is that once you enter offline mode, you have a month's time before you're required to re-authenticate.

I always refresh my offline mode authentication every week or two in case I need it for when my internet goes bad. You should make it a habit of yours.

There is a time limit on offline mode as well ? That, I didn't know. :thumbsdown:

Curious, how do the guys that get deployed deal with this kind of crap ?

KaOTiK, I was in offline mode before I went online to get the game. Then I tried to go back into offline, and it was no dice.

 

[MarkLuvsCS]

There is a time limit on offline mode as well ? That, I didn't know. :thumbsdown:

Curious, how do the guys that get deployed deal with this kind of crap ?

KaOTiK, I was in offline mode before I went online to get the game. Then I tried to go back into offline, and it was no dice.

My brother in Kuwait was able to get internet access (semi-regularly it seemed) at their USO IIRC, but my friend in Iraq had really no communication. This was about ~1.5 years ago, but the posting matters the most I think. Computers are still heavily used over there, and a lot seem to have a few externals that ultimately get passed around.

 

[finglobes]

I was offline for a few months last winter. Offline mode is ok but given enough time you grow to appreciate the old charms of hard copies that don't need internet (Fallout 3 and Oblivion worked that way for me).

 

[lavaheadache]

I only had to set up offline mode once a long time ago. I don't recall ever having to do it again

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

It doesn't make sense to me how simply being online in online mode doesn't meet whatever requirement that being offline in online mode apparently meets to get offline mode to actually work offline.

 

[Chiropteran]

This thread seems to pop up every 3 months.

Steam offline mode is a PITA. It's largely convinced me to buy games from gog.com rather then steam given the choice.

 

[zokudu]

Laptop has been running offline for months here. Maybe it has something to do with it verifying when I turn it on and DO have internet?

 

[gorcorps]

I'm still surprised at all the people with problems with this. I didn't do anything special and I've had to use it several times with no issues. Just last week my internet went down and I wanted on something, and when steam booted it said it couldn't connect to the network and asked if I wanted to boot in offline mode. I did and it worked fine.

Not saying they don't have problems, but it just seems odd that I've had none of the issues others have complained of. It's worked as well as I could expect when I needed it.

 

[Red Storm]

The only time I'm offline is when we happen to lose power, and I don't particularly care to game at that time.

 

[KeithTalent]

I'm still surprised at all the people with problems with this. I didn't do anything special and I've had to use it several times with no issues. Just last week my internet went down and I wanted on something, and when steam booted it said it couldn't connect to the network and asked if I wanted to boot in offline mode. I did and it worked fine.

Not saying they don't have problems, but it just seems odd that I've had none of the issues others have complained of. It's worked as well as I could expect when I needed it.

Yeah, same here. /shrug

KT

 

[Bateluer]

This thread seems to pop up every 3 months.

And yet, few seem to learn the 5 second method to resolve it.

 

[arredondo]

Last year I complained about Steam's crappy offline mode before they finally "fixed" it. I'll try to reproduce the OP's situation to see if there are still issues with it.

 

[netarangi]

It's not that hard..

It needs to authenticate that you actually own the games and stuff when you go into offline mode, or it would be too easy to pirate games if you can just go "offline" mode.

 

[Annisman*]

Steam is so convienent in every other aspect that it is ok for me to look past the quirky offline mode. Steam is still better in every other way than physical copies of disks and most other digital retailers.

 

[Bateluer]

Last year I complained about Steam's crappy offline mode before they finally "fixed" it. I'll try to reproduce the OP's situation to see if there are still issues with it.

It wasn't actually broken in your case either. You just didn't set up Offline mode prior to your Internet provider taking a dump. Same issue that everyone complains about in Offline Mode here every couple months, and its almost always the same thing.

 

[Elixer]

It wasn't actually broken in your case either. You just didn't set up Offline mode prior to your Internet provider taking a dump. Same issue that everyone complains about in Offline Mode here every couple months, and its almost always the same thing.

How is it not broken, if I was in offline mode prior to going online to get the game I wanted ?
It should have allowed me to go back to offline mode, but that wasn't the case.

 

[frozentundra123456]

There is a time limit on offline mode as well ? That, I didn't know. :thumbsdown:

Curious, how do the guys that get deployed deal with this kind of crap ?

KaOTiK, I was in offline mode before I went online to get the game. Then I tried to go back into offline, and it was no dice.

That is perversely how it works. If you go online you have to select "go offline" while online to go into offline mode. I really like offline mode, but it does seem the mother of all catch 22s that you have to be online to go into offline mode. I actually play in offline most of the time, so that if my internet goes out I can still play.

 

[arredondo]

It wasn't actually broken in your case either. You just didn't set up Offline mode prior to your Internet provider taking a dump. Same issue that everyone complains about in Offline Mode here every couple months, and its almost always the same thing.

It was broken, and then Valve fixed it:

Fixed broken offline mode if Steam process didn't shutdown correctly

My emphasis, but that's from the patch notes. Before this fix, even after I got back online and went through offline authorization steps posted around the net, it still didn't work.

I checked right now by unplugging the my modem and resetting my computer. Offline mode works like a charm even though it has been at least six months or so since I tried it.

 

[Elixer]

It was broken, and then Valve fixed it:



My emphasis, but that's from the patch notes. Before this fix, even after I got back online and went through offline authorization steps posted around the net, it still didn't work.

I checked right now by unplugging the my modem and resetting my computer. Offline mode works like a charm even though it has been at least six months or so since I tried it.

I am also using the beta client, is that the one you used as well ?

 

[thespyder]

I was downloading a game, at about the 4GB mark, when all of the sudden had no net access. So, I thought it would be the perfect time to do a offline backup of the computer. Fast forward a hour & 30 mins, and I tried to run a different game that was on Steam, and I couldn't. Still had no net access.
I tried going into offline, but I need to be online to be offline.
That locked me out of all those games.
I had to wait for the ISP to fix whatever issues they had to be able to play games again.

This is what pisses me off about Steam's DRM. I bought the bloody games, but I can't play any of them.

Just for the heck of it, I tried doing the same thing on origin, started to download a game, I pulled the CAT-5, stopped the download, and exited out of origin. I then reran it, and went to offline mode, and it actually allowed me to access the other games I had available.
On origin, it seems to store the user+password in some cache locally on the machine.
On steam, they don't have that, and it needs some kind of confirmation signal from steam's DRM servers to 'activate' offline mode.

According to most of the Big Developers/distributors, No one plays off line. At least no one of any importance.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I was downloading a game, at about the 4GB mark, when all of the sudden had no net access. So, I thought it would be the perfect time to do a offline backup of the computer. Fast forward a hour & 30 mins, and I tried to run a different game that was on Steam, and I couldn't. Still had no net access.
I tried going into offline, but I need to be online to be offline.
That locked me out of all those games.
I had to wait for the ISP to fix whatever issues they had to be able to play games again.

This is what pisses me off about Steam's DRM. I bought the bloody games, but I can't play any of them.

Just for the heck of it, I tried doing the same thing on origin, started to download a game, I pulled the CAT-5, stopped the download, and exited out of origin. I then reran it, and went to offline mode, and it actually allowed me to access the other games I had available.
On origin, it seems to store the user+password in some cache locally on the machine.
On steam, they don't have that, and it needs some kind of confirmation signal from steam's DRM servers to 'activate' offline mode.

I agree with you that the idea of having to go on-line to authenticate off-line mode is a ridiculous concept and the mother of all catch 22's. However, at least steam does allow off-line mode. Not like Blizzard in which I cant play Diablo 3 or Starcraft 2, because I have to be online to play and they somehow (mistakenly I assure you) think I tried to sell my account and I dont have the patience to sit on hold forever to talk to them and try to straighten it out.

 

[Elixer]

Here we go again...


Was playing a game in offline mode, when done, exited out of steam.
Shutdown computer.
Next day, tried to run the game again, and I see:

Steam's offline mode is sure buggy.
Sure, this time I happen to have net access, and I could fix it... and mind you, when I did go online, I didn't have to enter anything, it knew who I was.