Is there a trick to starting steam in offline mode?
DiscoZombie
Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
in Off-Topic
So, hurricane irene knocked out my internet for 4 days and counting. Steam is holding my entire game library hostage. I used to be one of their biggest proponents, But now I'm starting to wish I could just get my games out of their grasp. I try to start it up, And it asks whether I want to start in offline mode, And when I say yes, It tells me I can't do that in offline mode. If you ironically Can't start offline mode in offline mode, what good is it? As is the eternal joke on the games industry and drm, The only games I can get to start are "unauthorized demo copies " I have laying around.
I doubt anyone will have a magic bullet for me. I mostly wanted to vent my frustrations. A very special shout out to comcast, The worst little monopoly in all of pennsylvania. Horrible service in 4 separate apartments over a span of 8 years. Sorry for the awkward capitalization - Posting via phone. If only verizon didn't charge 20 dollars a month for tethering...
I doubt anyone will have a magic bullet for me. I mostly wanted to vent my frustrations. A very special shout out to comcast, The worst little monopoly in all of pennsylvania. Horrible service in 4 separate apartments over a span of 8 years. Sorry for the awkward capitalization - Posting via phone. If only verizon didn't charge 20 dollars a month for tethering...
Comments
But alas Steam can only go "offline" when it was online for the initial connection. It has to check for updates for each game before it can set those game to be used in offline mode. So yeah, it will keep your games hostage without internet, I'm afraid...
But I've never tried it myself. Last time I lost nets I didn't have my password saved and couldn't get in.
Its never been a problem for me since no one else uses my home pc and i can just save the login info anyway, but i could see that as a problem for people who have to share their computers with other people and would be less willing to have their login information be saved and allowing anyone who happens to hop on your computer the ability to play your games. As i recall however they still have to know your original password in order to change your password or anything that can cause real trouble like that.
<!--quoteo(post=1872384:date=Aug 31 2011, 06:10 PM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DiscoZombie @ Aug 31 2011, 06:10 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1872384"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Sorry for the awkward capitalization - Posting via phone. If only verizon didn't charge 20 dollars a month for tethering...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think that might be why...
Most people don't have their phones rooted so that they can get around the horrible prices their provider charges for tethering. On top of that, it's generally hard to root a phone with out a computer with internet access :P
That said, it might be worth a trip lugging the computer to some wifi place (Starbucks will not kick you out even if you have a massive computer).
Then again, he could always call VZW and ask for tethering to be turned on for a month, and explain that the hurricane (tropical storm) knocked out his regular connection. Might be worth a PR-gimme.
Though that would be about equivalent to a sob story about how the 'earthquake' knocked over a book.
Anyone else finding it amusing how overblown the press for the recent 'natural disasters' hitting the east coast are, compared to the actual events?
No, they are about on par with how the press covers all natural 'disasters' (be they real disasters or not). Hype the hell out of them before hand, and then cover as much damage and sob/human interest stories after the fact. It's what the news does.
Though I'm with you, on the bit about calling VZW, it's worth a shot.
I've had Steam offline mode work for me before, but I guess when the program gets it in its head that it needs an update, there's no way around it. You're screwed if your internet outage is unexpected. I've always had it remember my password and it still didn't help this week.
I see it as just another option; I rarely use it myself, but when I *need* it, it's good to have it there.
Alternate firmwares (CyanogenMod especially) open up quite a few other nice features... automatic quiet-hours, power control in the notifications menu (which I use daily, no need to take up space on a homescreen with a widget, or the memory usage it incurs), ability to DELETE junkware that your provided pre-loaded, and access to do whatever <i>you</i> want with your phone rather than what your carrier wants you to do with it. Plus with Cyanogen, I can turn my phone into a locked-down (or open, though never use that) wireless AP if I'm somewhere that I need it... essentially an even easier method of tethering than traditional 'install as modem device' tether.
Not to mention being able to run the latest and greatest without waiting for the provider to port their junkware over... was running Gingerbread on my G2 for a few weeks before friends with the Nexus One got the OTA update. I'm also using an updated radio module which gets faster GPS lock, gets better signal AND draws less power. General system response is MUCH faster, and I can use an overclockable kernel replacement if I want it to run with even less lag. Also get access to things like Titanium Backup, allowing version control.. roll back an update if the new version crashes on your phone, or (more often for me) if they tossed in larger/more obnoxious ads in the newest version, compared to what you had before.
It's also generally ridiculously easy to actually do with a little bit of research.
Cons being that you lose your warranty (unless you flash it back to stock before any claims, similarly just as easy), and CAN brick it if you don't follow the instructions, or mis-type the wrong command during the process, or while in a terminal emulator running su'd to root.