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General discussion (archive)Steam "offline mode" not really offline anymore?(427 posts)(427 posts)
(427 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted July 01, 2013
high rated
I don't use Steam much and have always kept it in offline mode which worked fine so far. Yesterday I put it online for the first time in months to install a new game. As always, there was some kind of client update. One change that I noticed was that even when I put it back in offline mode, the store and community stuff was still working. Clearly the client was now connected even in offline mode. Since there didn't seem to be an option anymore to truly keep it offline, I just used my firewall to block Steam and to my satisfaction anything but my library section stopped working.

Today, when I start Steam it tells me:
"Steam - Error. Unable to connect to the Steam network. 'Offline Mode' is unavailable because there is no Steam login information stored on this computer. You will not be able to use Steam until you can connect to the Steam network again."

WTF? I never had login information stored because it wasn't neccesary for offline mode and I have no idea why it should be. Does anyone know of any reason for that kind of change, or better yet, how to get around it? Do you have the same problem? Should I just stop using this "service"? (don't answer the last one)

Sorry to ask about this here but I don't use the Steam forum and my chance getting a competent answer is probably better here anyway.
Posted July 01, 2013
...and when you say something bad about steam here, you instantly get -1, nevermind.

"you won't go offline anymore, 'cause we want to spy on you!"
Post edited July 01, 2013 by SpikyGOG
Posted July 01, 2013
Not sure what to tell you.... If you enable SteamGuard and have it save your credentials, that might be a temporary work around to playing in offline mode. I don't use offline mode, so I couldn't say.

Good luck!
Post edited July 01, 2013 by CymTyr
Posted July 01, 2013
low rated
I love Steam games, I get them all the time from TPB
Posted July 01, 2013
avatar
isis12: I don't use Steam much and have always kept it in offline mode which worked fine so far. Yesterday I put it online for the first time in months to install a new game. As always, there was some kind of client update. One change that I noticed was that even when I put it back in offline mode, the store and community stuff was still working. Clearly the client was now connected even in offline mode. Since there didn't seem to be an option anymore to truly keep it offline, I just used my firewall to block Steam and to my satisfaction anything but my library section stopped working.

Today, when I start Steam it tells me:
"Steam - Error. Unable to connect to the Steam network. 'Offline Mode' is unavailable because there is no Steam login information stored on this computer. You will not be able to use Steam until you can connect to the Steam network again."

WTF? I never had login information stored because it wasn't neccesary for offline mode and I have no idea why it should be. Does anyone know of any reason for that kind of change, or better yet, how to get around it? Do you have the same problem? Should I just stop using this "service"? (don't answer the last one)

Sorry to ask about this here but I don't use the Steam forum and my chance getting a competent answer is probably better here anyway.
My understand of offline on Steam, is that its always had to store your credentials to allow you to play games offline. At random occassion's (in some cases months and months), you had to go back online restored credentials then go offline again. Not sure thats changed. Havent used offline mode for a while.
Posted July 01, 2013
avatar
isis12: Today, when I start Steam it tells me:
"Steam - Error. Unable to connect to the Steam network. 'Offline Mode' is unavailable because there is no Steam login information stored on this computer. You will not be able to use Steam until you can connect to the Steam network again."

WTF? I never had login information stored because it wasn't neccesary for offline mode and I have no idea why it should be. Does anyone know of any reason for that kind of change, or better yet, how to get around it? Do you have the same problem?
That is no 'new feature' - it is been there forever.

The credentials are timed to run out so that you'll have to login in irregular intervals (I think it is something around every 14-30 days).

Ask the support they will confirm that it is working as intended.

Happened to me too on different occasions with my laptop. I only use it rarely and it is pretty frustrating if you go to a friend to play a little LAN session (Borderlands for example) and Steam screws you up.
Post edited July 01, 2013 by Asturaetus
Posted July 01, 2013
A. It never has been, regardless of anything VLAVe's fanbase bleats to the contrary.

B. As far as I'm aware you've always had to save your login information/account credentials to get "Offline Mode" to semi function.

C. Like Spiky said, say anything negative about Steam around here, (or on most parts of the intrawebs for that matter), and you'll be downrepped for it.
Posted July 01, 2013
high rated
The so-called "offline mode" never was a real offline mode to begin with. Steam still needed occasional logins to keep your games working. Also updates to the client will result in you having to login to the Steam servers before offline mode is available again.
Posted July 01, 2013
low rated
avatar
Misanthropic: C. Like Spiky said, say anything negative about Steam around here, (or on most parts of the intrawebs for that matter), and you'll be downrepped for it.
It's because the GOG forums are full of retarded contrarians who feel that they are special unique snowflakes, so they defend Steam simply because it's DRM and this is a site for selling DRM-free games.

Silly children.
Posted July 01, 2013
Its two weeks now. I verified this myself by making a temporary virtual machine, installing steam, then moving the date forward a week, loading it again, then again another week.

Valve has always been vague with how long offline mode was supposed to work. Before either they let it keep going, or it was bugged and never expired. Now sometime over the last few months they changed/fixed it to two weeks.
Posted July 01, 2013
avatar
Fictionvision: Its two weeks now. I verified this myself by making a temporary virtual machine, installing steam, then moving the date forward a week, loading it again, then again another week.

Valve has always been vague with how long offline mode was supposed to work. Before either they let it keep going, or it was bugged and never expired. Now sometime over the last few months they changed/fixed it to two weeks.
It's because Valve are under enormous pressure from publishers to minimize offline mode, they are terrified of losing publishers and big releases so they make sure offline mode is ambiguous.
Posted July 01, 2013
avatar
isis12: Today, when I start Steam it tells me:
"Steam - Error. Unable to connect to the Steam network. 'Offline Mode' is unavailable because there is no Steam login information stored on this computer. You will not be able to use Steam until you can connect to the Steam network again."

WTF? I never had login information stored because it wasn't neccesary for offline mode and I have no idea why it should be. Does anyone know of any reason for that kind of change, or better yet, how to get around it? Do you have the same problem?
avatar
Asturaetus: That is no 'new feature' - it is been there forever.

The credentials are timed to run out so that you'll have to login in irregular intervals (I think it is something around every 14-30 days).

Ask the support they will confirm that it is working as intended.

Happened to me too on different occasions with my laptop. I only use it rarely and it is pretty frustrating if you go to a friend to play a little LAN session (Borderlands for example) and Steam screws you up.
That's odd. I have always had it in offline mode for ages (more than 6 months at a time probably) and that has never happened before. And even if that was just a bug that has persisted for several years on my machine, it would still not explain why I get this error today since I have logged in yesterday.
Posted July 01, 2013
avatar
isis12: That's odd. I have always had it in offline mode for ages (more than 6 months at a time probably) and that has never happened before. And even if that was just a bug that has persisted for several years on my machine, it would still not explain why I get this error today since I have logged in yesterday.
It might have to do with the way you logged out. try going online, then restart it offline, and then get the firewall in place.
Posted July 01, 2013
avatar
isis12: That's odd. I have always had it in offline mode for ages (more than 6 months at a time probably) and that has never happened before. And even if that was just a bug that has persisted for several years on my machine, it would still not explain why I get this error today since I have logged in yesterday.
You should go into offline mode whilst you're online for the smallest chance it doesn't work.
The only time I've had a problem using offline mode that I can recall was when the client had downloaded an update and I went offline before it could be installed.
Posted July 01, 2013
you have to log in when u have access to the internet and before u do that u have to tick the option to remember your password, if u can't do that because u have no internet access at the moment you can just take your laptop to free wifi hotspot and login from there, thats what i have been doing
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussion (archive)Steam "offline mode" not really offline anymore?(427 posts)(427 posts)
(427 posts)