Steam Q&A and FAQ - Page 19

Guiwhiz · Jan 28, 2012, 03:23 PM

By the way I've been to forums and even read Steam's little 'oh by the way we know our software totally SUCKS so here is how you work around the fact our bosses want you as a captive audience for our little social media experiment to play the game you actually purchased. oO.. wait did we say that out loud... we meant our modern and sophisticated software download manager that is going to be such a wonderful 'free' service offered to our customers/fans! Right.. that's what we meant to say. *sigh* You can keep the $50.00 or whatever I paid for the game since apparently it will be the last time I spend money on any products with Steam or Impulse requirements.

PieceOfMind · Jan 28, 2012, 08:46 PM

Guiwhiz, if you're here looking for help, just ask what it is you need help with. Probably no one here is interested in your ranting, but if you're prepared to listen and put in a bit of effort you can probably get the game working in offline mode as you want. Have you tried the steps outlined in the Steam support article I mentioned in the other thread?

Aldor · Mar 18, 2012, 02:11 AM

I've got a problem with Steam, which seems to have started yesterday. When I start steam, it asks me for login data, I enter it and click login.

Then the info window "Trying to login.." appears, and then after a few moments, another dialog pops up saying "Could not connect blah blah".

So I thought, "Ok then I'll play in offline mode, fine". Disabled my internet connection, and started steam again. It opened as expected, giving the option to start in offline mode which I clicked. However, again after a moment the other dialog poped up with "Could not connect ...".

Wtf? Why does it even try to connect if I just clicked "start in offline mode"??

Does anyone have an idea what I can do? Steam worked for me so far, but this is getting annoying. I would prefer not having to re-install Steam, so if anyone has a suggestion that rather involves doing some config file changes or something, I'd be thankful!

Carl5872 · Mar 18, 2012, 10:17 AM

This is why steam BLOWS!

The only remedy is to first start in online mode. Then while still in online mode switch to offline mode and turn off your computer. Then when you go to use it w/o internet youll be able to.

Why steam forces you to log in is rediculous.

FeiLing · Mar 18, 2012, 12:46 PM

As far as I know you are 'forced' to set up offline play once, while being online. When you did that, you'll never ever have to be online again. So if you plan to use offline mode, set it up before your internet starts to fail.

Maniacal · Mar 19, 2012, 06:03 PM

To prepare Steam for offline mode all you have to do with make sure the option to remember your account credentials on this computer is checked in the settings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aldor

I've got a problem with Steam, which seems to have started yesterday. When I start steam, it asks me for login data, I enter it and click login.

Then the info window "Trying to login.." appears, and then after a few moments, another dialog pops up saying "Could not connect blah blah".

So I thought, "Ok then I'll play in offline mode, fine". Disabled my internet connection, and started steam again. It opened as expected, giving the option to start in offline mode which I clicked. However, again after a moment the other dialog poped up with "Could not connect ...".

Try deleting ClientRegistry.blob in the Steam folder and then connecting to Steam again (online).

Quote:

Wtf? Why does it even try to connect if I just clicked "start in offline mode"??

Because Valve hasn't bothered updating the offline mode log in in several years. Hopefully they improve it soon.

Quote:

, so if anyone has a suggestion

Always try this first:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_cat.php?id=14

Aldor · Mar 20, 2012, 08:23 AM

Thank you, will give that a try today.

Btw. in the meantime I went and deleted pretty much everything "cached" I could find in the steam folders. Also deleted all files from the config folder. When I started steam, it asked me to verify that I started from a new computer...that step worked fine, but then on startup, again..."could not connect".

Ohh well, lets hope your suggestion works

EDIT/Update: unfortunately, the suggestion didn't help

I'll try a complete re-install now, and if that doesn't help, create a support account with steam and hope they can help.

PieceOfMind · Mar 23, 2012, 01:43 AM

This may be useful to those having trouble with offline mode.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...ient=firefox-a

Quote:

Forcing Steam's Offline Mode

Posting this here because I've seen users mention it as a troubleshooting solution, but never clearly explaining 'how' for those who don't know.

NOTE: This is instruction for Windows 7
NOTE 2: You will need your account credentials saved to the computer.
NOTE 2.5:This may not work for every single user.

Okay so we know that Steam's offline mode is not meant to work without switching to it from an online state, which is totally bogus. What we need to do, then, is to change the config to force offline mode. Here's what you do.

First, make sure you exit Steam completely

1. Open up a new notepad document
2. Copy and paste the following lines into the document:

BootStrapperInhibitAll=enable
ForceOfflineMode=enable

3. Go to File > Save As...
- Under the "Save as type:" dropdown, select "All Files"
- Under "File Name" name the document "steam.cfg" (WITHOUT QUOTATIONS)
- Select file location as desktop
4. Right click the newly created file, select "Properties" and select the check-box for "Read-only" under the "General" tab (should be the first tab that comes up under "Properties")
5. Now move the config file into the same folder as the "steam.exe" file (By Default: C: > Program Files (x86) > Steam).
6. Now, Steam should force itself into offline mode every time it starts (you will have to select "START IN OFFLINE MODE" when you start Steam). When you want to go back online, simply exit Steam, then remove the file from the Steam directory, and restart online.
TIP: Leave the config file on your desktop so you can move it to your Steam folder whenever you must force offline mode.

gps · Apr 18, 2012, 02:48 AM

Quick question in this context: Amazon.de is right now offering Civ V for 7,97 EUR - which is so absolutely cheap I am willing to give this game a try in spite of all the negative comments I hear about it. They offer it on a new Amazon-specific download platfrom, but it's not clear to me whether I only need my Amazon-sign up or whether I need an additional sign up to Steam to actually be able to play this game. Registering to Steam is a no-go for me, so this issue really decides whether to buy or not. Any input would be highly apreciated! Thanks a lot in advance!!!

And please don't try to convince me about all the benefits of Steam. My decision not to sign up to Steam is definite...

The_J · Apr 18, 2012, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gps

but it's not clear to me whether I only need my Amazon-sign up or whether I need an additional sign up to Steam to actually be able to play this game. Registering to Steam is a no-go for me

Every Civ5 version (besides the Mac Appstore version) will need a Steam account, no matter where you purchase it.

gps · Apr 18, 2012, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_J

Every Civ5 version (besides the Mac Appstore version) will need a Steam account, no matter where you purchase it.

OK, understood. Thanks a lot!

stroypa · May 02, 2012, 02:10 PM

Ok so I've previously purchased all the actual civ DLC's apart from Korea, as well as the explorers map pack and a couple of the craddle of civilisation map packs. I'd purchased these months ago and everthing was fine. But today when I just tried to load up one of my games it says I can't play because I don't have the required DLC.

The last time I played was about 2-3 weeks ago, and I've never had this happen before. How do I redownload the DLC I've already bought, assuming it's as simple as that?

I'm not very experienced with steam so it's probably quite simple and obvious, thanks in advance for any help or advice it would be really appreciated.

claestw · May 07, 2012, 10:20 PM

Maybe that savegame uses certain mods? You may need to go into MODS and enable those mods, then load the game via the MODS > Single Player menu.

Certain mods affect savegames, although I've never tried loading a MOD savegame using vanilla, not sure if that is indeed what's happening to you.

If that's not, you can right click on Civ5 in the game library and View DLC, which should list all those you've bought. If it didn't, maybe you're playing on a wrong steam account?

euskeron · May 22, 2012, 07:37 AM

Hi,

I live in China. According to Steam, Civ 5 is unavailable in China. Any idea why or when that might change? How do I play civ 5?

Thanks

thadian · Jun 15, 2012, 11:50 PM

Heya, you should add to your FAQ the obvious information that one should NEVER click a scrupulous link and a reminder that modders can delete these posts.

nokmirt · Jun 16, 2012, 10:13 AM

Does anyone know if there will be a pre download period for people who pre ordered Gods and Kings via Steam?

Maniacal · Jun 23, 2012, 02:11 PM

I found something that should help people having problems with Offline mode or don't want to go online at all. I do not know how well this works to stop the update process.

http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Steam#A...e_Offline_Mode

Always Force Offline Mode

Forcing Offline Mode will make Steam to always open in Offline Mode, even with a working internet connection. A prompt will appear and the options Retry and Offline Mode will show up. Retry will simply restart Steam and cause the same menu options to come up, whereas Offline Mode will take one into the Steam game library.

This step still requires the authentication to be carried out.

Create or edit the

Code:

steam.cfg

in this folder (the same folder as the steam.exe):

Code:

C:\Program Files\Steam\

Enter the following and save:

Code:

BootStrapperInhibitAll=enable

Code:

ForceOfflineMode=enable

Carl5872 · Jun 23, 2012, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maniacal

I found something that should help people having problems with Offline mode or don't want to go online at all. I do not know how well this works to stop the update process.

http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Steam#A...e_Offline_Mode

Always Force Offline Mode

Forcing Offline Mode will make Steam to always open in Offline Mode, even with a working internet connection. A prompt will appear and the options Retry and Offline Mode will show up. Retry will simply restart Steam and cause the same menu options to come up, whereas Offline Mode will take one into the Steam game library.

This step still requires the authentication to be carried out.

Create or edit the

Code:

steam.cfg

in this folder (the same folder as the steam.exe):

Code:

C:\Program Files\Steam\

Enter the following and save:

Code:

BootStrapperInhibitAll=enable

Code:

ForceOfflineMode=enable

How do i find the steam.exe file?

Maniacal · Jun 23, 2012, 09:13 PM

In the Steam folder under Program Files or wherever you installed Steam.

Carl5872 · Jun 24, 2012, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maniacal

In the Steam folder under Program Files or wherever you installed Steam.

Thats the problem I dont know where the steam folder is. Do you know where the default path would be?

Jan 28, 2012, 08:46 PM	#362
PieceOfMind Drill IV Defender Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 9,142	Guiwhiz, if you're here looking for help, just ask what it is you need help with. Probably no one here is interested in your ranting, but if you're prepared to listen and put in a bit of effort you can probably get the game working in offline mode as you want. Have you tried the steps outlined in the Steam support article I mentioned in the other thread? __________________ Tip: Forcing Steam's Offline Mode Civ4 Mods: Advanced Combat Odds, PIG Mod(discontinued), HEX Mod(discontinued) Suggestion: Try karadoc's K-Mod: Far Beyond the Sword Read if bored: Zoom-To-Cursor, Good advice from Kaell for DX11 users, Nvidia beats AMD in Civ V

Mar 18, 2012, 12:46 PM	#365
FeiLing Emperor Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 1,261 Images: 1	As far as I know you are 'forced' to set up offline play once, while being online. When you did that, you'll never ever have to be online again. So if you plan to use offline mode, set it up before your internet starts to fail. __________________ CiV Hall of Fame \| Techtree \| AI Personalities \| Units \| Achievements

Mar 20, 2012, 08:23 AM	#367
Aldor Prince Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Germany Posts: 471	Thank you, will give that a try today. Btw. in the meantime I went and deleted pretty much everything "cached" I could find in the steam folders. Also deleted all files from the config folder. When I started steam, it asked me to verify that I started from a new computer...that step worked fine, but then on startup, again..."could not connect". Ohh well, lets hope your suggestion works EDIT/Update: unfortunately, the suggestion didn't help I'll try a complete re-install now, and if that doesn't help, create a support account with steam and hope they can help. Last edited by Aldor; Mar 21, 2012 at 02:45 AM.

Apr 18, 2012, 02:48 AM	#369
gps Prince Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 524	Quick question in this context: Amazon.de is right now offering Civ V for 7,97 EUR - which is so absolutely cheap I am willing to give this game a try in spite of all the negative comments I hear about it. They offer it on a new Amazon-specific download platfrom, but it's not clear to me whether I only need my Amazon-sign up or whether I need an additional sign up to Steam to actually be able to play this game. Registering to Steam is a no-go for me, so this issue really decides whether to buy or not. Any input would be highly apreciated! Thanks a lot in advance!!! And please don't try to convince me about all the benefits of Steam. My decision not to sign up to Steam is definite... __________________

May 22, 2012, 07:37 AM	#374
euskeron Chieftain Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2	Steam in China Hi, I live in China. According to Steam, Civ 5 is unavailable in China. Any idea why or when that might change? How do I play civ 5? Thanks

Jan 28, 2012, 03:23 PM	#361
Guiwhiz Chieftain Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 3	By the way I've been to forums and even read Steam's little 'oh by the way we know our software totally SUCKS so here is how you work around the fact our bosses want you as a captive audience for our little social media experiment to play the game you actually purchased. oO.. wait did we say that out loud... we meant our modern and sophisticated software download manager that is going to be such a wonderful 'free' service offered to our customers/fans! Right.. that's what we meant to say. sigh You can keep the $50.00 or whatever I paid for the game since apparently it will be the last time I spend money on any products with Steam or Impulse requirements.

Mar 18, 2012, 02:11 AM	#363
Aldor Prince Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Germany Posts: 471	I've got a problem with Steam, which seems to have started yesterday. When I start steam, it asks me for login data, I enter it and click login. Then the info window "Trying to login.." appears, and then after a few moments, another dialog pops up saying "Could not connect blah blah". So I thought, "Ok then I'll play in offline mode, fine". Disabled my internet connection, and started steam again. It opened as expected, giving the option to start in offline mode which I clicked. However, again after a moment the other dialog poped up with "Could not connect ...". Wtf? Why does it even try to connect if I just clicked "start in offline mode"?? Does anyone have an idea what I can do? Steam worked for me so far, but this is getting annoying. I would prefer not having to re-install Steam, so if anyone has a suggestion that rather involves doing some config file changes or something, I'd be thankful!

Mar 18, 2012, 10:17 AM	#364
Carl5872 Prince Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mentor, Ohio Posts: 473	This is why steam BLOWS! The only remedy is to first start in online mode. Then while still in online mode switch to offline mode and turn off your computer. Then when you go to use it w/o internet youll be able to. Why steam forces you to log in is rediculous.

May 02, 2012, 02:10 PM	#372
stroypa Chieftain Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: England Posts: 32	Ok so I've previously purchased all the actual civ DLC's apart from Korea, as well as the explorers map pack and a couple of the craddle of civilisation map packs. I'd purchased these months ago and everthing was fine. But today when I just tried to load up one of my games it says I can't play because I don't have the required DLC. The last time I played was about 2-3 weeks ago, and I've never had this happen before. How do I redownload the DLC I've already bought, assuming it's as simple as that? I'm not very experienced with steam so it's probably quite simple and obvious, thanks in advance for any help or advice it would be really appreciated.

May 07, 2012, 10:20 PM	#373
claestw Chieftain Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 58	Maybe that savegame uses certain mods? You may need to go into MODS and enable those mods, then load the game via the MODS > Single Player menu. Certain mods affect savegames, although I've never tried loading a MOD savegame using vanilla, not sure if that is indeed what's happening to you. If that's not, you can right click on Civ5 in the game library and View DLC, which should list all those you've bought. If it didn't, maybe you're playing on a wrong steam account?

Jun 15, 2012, 11:50 PM	#375
thadian Kami of Awakened Dreamers Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Indiana, USA Posts: 2,288	Heya, you should add to your FAQ the obvious information that one should NEVER click a scrupulous link and a reminder that modders can delete these posts. __________________ The Modiquette The best post ever. Proud member of Religion and Revolution! Colonization will never be the same again! Check it out, the time is coming...

Jun 16, 2012, 10:13 AM	#376
nokmirt Emperor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Iowa USA Posts: 4,228	Does anyone know if there will be a pre download period for people who pre ordered Gods and Kings via Steam? __________________ "All science trembles at the searing logic of your fiery intellect. " Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Armistead

Jun 23, 2012, 02:11 PM	#377
Maniacal the green Napoleon Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 17,201	I found something that should help people having problems with Offline mode or don't want to go online at all. I do not know how well this works to stop the update process. http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Steam#A...e_Offline_Mode Always Force Offline Mode Forcing Offline Mode will make Steam to always open in Offline Mode, even with a working internet connection. A prompt will appear and the options Retry and Offline Mode will show up. Retry will simply restart Steam and cause the same menu options to come up, whereas Offline Mode will take one into the Steam game library. This step still requires the authentication to be carried out. Create or edit the Code: steam.cfg in this folder (the same folder as the steam.exe): Code: C:\Program Files\Steam\ Enter the following and save: Code: BootStrapperInhibitAll=enable Code: ForceOfflineMode=enable __________________ Civilization Fanatics Steam Usergroup (I am) Fresh Prince of Buckingham \| Game Sales & Bargains Thread Insults are the last refuge of the out-argued. Last edited by Maniacal; Jun 23, 2012 at 02:15 PM.

Jun 23, 2012, 09:13 PM	#379
Maniacal the green Napoleon Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: British Columbia, Canada Posts: 17,201	In the Steam folder under Program Files or wherever you installed Steam. __________________ Civilization Fanatics Steam Usergroup (I am) Fresh Prince of Buckingham \| Game Sales & Bargains Thread Insults are the last refuge of the out-argued.

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