Seriously Steam...

[Dr Jones]

You can start offline mode easily if you are online, but if Steam can't connect to the internet you get this:

"Retry Connection" or "Launch in Offline Mode"

Naturally you press "Launch in Offline Mode" if you know your internet is dead. Guess what:
"Your computer has to be online to perform this action".
Just.. What? And when I did get online and try to go offline it says "Your account credentials are not stored on this computer, so you cannot go in offline mode".

That's funny, when I hit that button, Steam launches in offline mode...
What I'm trying to say is that your post is as anecdotal as the one you were criticising.

Congratulations Steam Offline mode works as it should for you. What does it have to do with my issue? When you press the button, it works, huzzah, when I do it, it doesen't. Makes it a pretty big damn flaw in my opinion.

 

[Vigormortis]

All I hear is whine, log in once a month, play offline.

That is entirely an untruth, way to go chastising OP and showing you know nothing of Steam's "offline mode".

Explain.

And when I did get online and try to go offline it says "Your account credentials are not stored on this computer, so you cannot go in offline mode". I log off and on, and it gives me the same message.

Sounds like you need to disable the "Don't store account credentials on this computer" option from Steam's settings.

By this point I don't even bother with offline mode, I just turn my laptop on, start Steam online, and whenever I have to go somewhere with no internet, I just have Steam open.

Ok, I'm confused..

1. Says all OP is doing is "whining" when OP has legit points.

2. Might be the case, but makes no sense to me I should disable it, when it is asking me to have it enabled.

3. Fixed it.

The OP only has legitimate points because he is ill-informed on exactly how Offline Mode works. If he'd take the time to learn how it works, or in the very least, learn what he needs to do to make it work, he'd not have those issues at all.

A little bit of knowledge goes a long way.

For example, your only (apparent) issue with getting Offline Mode to start up is the fact that you have Steam NOT store you account credentials locally. Maybe you didn't notice, but in that options menu, just below the check box, it says and I quote,
"This option is recommened for public computers.
Note that this will disable 'Offline Mode'."

Notice the "will disable offline mode" part? That's almost assuredly your...well, in the immortal words of Adam Savage, "Well there's your problem."

So, unless your computer is a "public computer", there's no reason to have that box checked. Just allow Steam to store your account credentials locally, make sure your games are always up-to-date with your current version of the Steam client, and always make sure that when you log off you allow Steam to completely close down and sync your files. You follow those rather simple procedures and I can all but promise you Offline Mode will ALWAYS work.

 

[Plazmatic]

All I hear is whine, log in once a month, play offline.

That is entirely an untruth, way to go chastising OP and showing you know nothing of Steam's "offline mode".

Explain.

And when I did get online and try to go offline it says "Your account credentials are not stored on this computer, so you cannot go in offline mode". I log off and on, and it gives me the same message.

Sounds like you need to disable the "Don't store account credentials on this computer" option from Steam's settings.

By this point I don't even bother with offline mode, I just turn my laptop on, start Steam online, and whenever I have to go somewhere with no internet, I just have Steam open.

Ok, I'm confused..

1. Says all OP is doing is "whining" when OP has legit points.

2. Might be the case, but makes no sense to me I should disable it, when it is asking me to have it enabled.

3. Fixed it.

The OP only has legitimate points because he is ill-informed on exactly how Offline Mode works. If he'd take the time to learn how it works, or in the very least, learn what he needs to do to make it work, he'd not have those issues at all.

A little bit of knowledge goes a long way.

For example, your only (apparent) issue with getting Offline Mode to start up is the fact that you have Steam NOT store you account credentials locally. Maybe you didn't notice, but in that options menu, just below the check box, it says and I quote,
"This option is recommened for public computers.
Note that this will disable 'Offline Mode'."

Notice the "will disable offline mode" part? That's almost assuredly your...well, in the immortal words of Adam Savage, "Well there's your problem."

So, unless your computer is a "public computer", there's no reason to have that box checked. Just allow Steam to store your account credentials locally, make sure your games are always up-to-date with your current version of the Steam client, and always make sure that when you log off you allow Steam to completely close down and sync your files. You follow those rather simple procedures and I can all but promise you Offline Mode will ALWAYS work.

It's really annoying when OP doesn't know how to google something, comes to a forum, asks about it, is told about it, and never reads his own thread any way trying to confirm his beliefs that steam is a "the most horrible DRM out there!" yet he could have easily done what you said or had read this guys post

When steam failed to connect online, it used to ask if you'd like to start in offline mode.

Due to reasons, they got rid of it. either because of hacking (using a third party to run through steam to download any game on steam. A real thing.) or account theft/piracy (In offline mode, you can play other accounts games, even if they're logged on.) So now you have to verify it by logging in, then going offline. Which I guess doesn't help a whole lot, but..you know...whatever.

Anyway, you can still start steam in offline mode, it's just a little more advanced now than it was before.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2641233

Its disgusting how some escapist users act. Even AFTER this method had been posted all the Steam haters ignored it and started spamming this thread, instead of, you know, doing a simple Google search or actually reading the thread or even *GASP* actually contributing to the topic and answering the question instead of spewing their worthless, duly uneducated opinions.

 

[ThirtySilver]

All I hear is whine, log in once a month, play offline.

That is entirely an untruth, way to go chastising OP and showing you know nothing of Steam's "offline mode".

Explain.

And when I did get online and try to go offline it says "Your account credentials are not stored on this computer, so you cannot go in offline mode". I log off and on, and it gives me the same message.

Sounds like you need to disable the "Don't store account credentials on this computer" option from Steam's settings.

By this point I don't even bother with offline mode, I just turn my laptop on, start Steam online, and whenever I have to go somewhere with no internet, I just have Steam open.

Ok, I'm confused..

1. Says all OP is doing is "whining" when OP has legit points.

2. Might be the case, but makes no sense to me I should disable it, when it is asking me to have it enabled.

3. Fixed it.

The OP only has legitimate points because he is ill-informed on exactly how Offline Mode works. If he'd take the time to learn how it works, or in the very least, learn what he needs to do to make it work, he'd not have those issues at all.

A little bit of knowledge goes a long way.

For example, your only (apparent) issue with getting Offline Mode to start up is the fact that you have Steam NOT store you account credentials locally. Maybe you didn't notice, but in that options menu, just below the check box, it says and I quote,
"This option is recommened for public computers.
Note that this will disable 'Offline Mode'."

Notice the "will disable offline mode" part? That's almost assuredly your...well, in the immortal words of Adam Savage, "Well there's your problem."

So, unless your computer is a "public computer", there's no reason to have that box checked. Just allow Steam to store your account credentials locally, make sure your games are always up-to-date with your current version of the Steam client, and always make sure that when you log off you allow Steam to completely close down and sync your files. You follow those rather simple procedures and I can all but promise you Offline Mode will ALWAYS work.

It's really annoying when OP doesn't know how to google something, comes to a forum, asks about it, is told about it, and never reads his own thread any way trying to confirm his beliefs that steam is a "the most horrible DRM out there!" yet he could have easily done what you said or had read this guys post

When steam failed to connect online, it used to ask if you'd like to start in offline mode.

Due to reasons, they got rid of it. either because of hacking (using a third party to run through steam to download any game on steam. A real thing.) or account theft/piracy (In offline mode, you can play other accounts games, even if they're logged on.) So now you have to verify it by logging in, then going offline. Which I guess doesn't help a whole lot, but..you know...whatever.

Anyway, you can still start steam in offline mode, it's just a little more advanced now than it was before.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2641233

Its disgusting how some escapist users act. Even AFTER this method had been posted all the Steam haters ignored it and started spamming this thread, instead of, you know, doing a simple Google search or actually reading the thread or even *GASP* actually contributing to the topic and answering the question instead of spewing their worthless, duly uneducated opinions.

We should stop bothering, you can lead a donkey to water but you can't make him drink it.

 

[Dr Jones]

All I hear is whine, log in once a month, play offline.

That is entirely an untruth, way to go chastising OP and showing you know nothing of Steam's "offline mode".

Explain.

And when I did get online and try to go offline it says "Your account credentials are not stored on this computer, so you cannot go in offline mode". I log off and on, and it gives me the same message.

Sounds like you need to disable the "Don't store account credentials on this computer" option from Steam's settings.

By this point I don't even bother with offline mode, I just turn my laptop on, start Steam online, and whenever I have to go somewhere with no internet, I just have Steam open.

Ok, I'm confused..

1. Says all OP is doing is "whining" when OP has legit points.

2. Might be the case, but makes no sense to me I should disable it, when it is asking me to have it enabled.

3. Fixed it.

The OP only has legitimate points because he is ill-informed on exactly how Offline Mode works. If he'd take the time to learn how it works, or in the very least, learn what he needs to do to make it work, he'd not have those issues at all.

A little bit of knowledge goes a long way.

For example, your only (apparent) issue with getting Offline Mode to start up is the fact that you have Steam NOT store you account credentials locally. Maybe you didn't notice, but in that options menu, just below the check box, it says and I quote,
"This option is recommened for public computers.
Note that this will disable 'Offline Mode'."

Notice the "will disable offline mode" part? That's almost assuredly your...well, in the immortal words of Adam Savage, "Well there's your problem."

So, unless your computer is a "public computer", there's no reason to have that box checked. Just allow Steam to store your account credentials locally, make sure your games are always up-to-date with your current version of the Steam client, and always make sure that when you log off you allow Steam to completely close down and sync your files. You follow those rather simple procedures and I can all but promise you Offline Mode will ALWAYS work.

I just checked, and that box is unchecked.. I think my problem is with the Steam mobile app, I still have a "Steam Guard" mail floating around to it (when I try to log into it I have to use Steamguard, is there a way to avoid that? Cause it is fucking annoying to have to check my mail and write it in, and it's a pain on a phone). I guess I should just try to write in that Steam Guard code into my phone (I never bothered to do it), as I think that is my problem.

But is is just better and easier not to go into offline mode, and just make sure that your computer is already on Steam when you have no internet. Some games cant play with offline mode.

 

[Vigormortis]

I just checked, and that box is unchecked.. I think my problem is with the Steam mobile app, I still have a "Steam Guard" mail floating around to it (when I try to log into it I have to use Steamguard, is there a way to avoid that? Cause it is fucking annoying to have to check my mail and write it in, and it's a pain on a phone). I guess I should just try to write in that Steam Guard code into my phone (I never bothered to do it), as I think that is my problem.

But is is just better and easier not to go into offline mode, and just make sure that your computer is already on Steam when you have no internet. Some games cant play with offline mode.

Steam Guard is a security feature (the likes of which I think MORE companies, especially Blizzard, should start utilizing) that basically links your Steam account with a specific hardware profile. That way, should someone try to log into your account from a different computer, they will be blocked unless they enter your account name, password, and Steam Guard code (which is sent to your e-mail account whenever a new login from a different computer is detected)

Do you regularly log into your Steam account on other machines? If so, then offline mode will only work on your primary computer if it's been offline since your last login on another computer or if you've resynched your account to your primary computer, using a Steam Guard code.

I'm not 100% sure how the mobile app operates, but I'm under the assumption that it doesn't directly synch with your Steam Guard account settings. As in, it doesn't count as a separate system install. I'll have to look into it further.

As for the e-mail from Steam Guard, I'd check it. It's likely an access code.

However, and I'm sure this goes without saying, if you get an e-mail asking you for your Steam account info, even if it's labeled Steam Guard in some way, ignore it.

If the e-mail is a Steam Guard code, just make sure your account is synched to your primary computer; using the code. Then, if you follow the other procedures I listed in my last post, you should no longer have any issues with Offline Mode.

If you need any other help with it, feel free to PM me.

[edit]
You can think of Steam Guard as a authenticator, much like what Blizzard uses for World of Warcraft or Diablo 3.

Except that, in this case, Steam Guard actually works and protects more than just one or two games.

 

[Dr Jones]

snip

Oh, I have a well-good understanding of Steam and Steamguard, but I appreciate your helpfulness
When I tried to log in with the app it sent me a Steam Guard mail which I never really did anything about as I couldn't be arsed. I think I need to use the code and log into my cell with the app, then log back in on my computer, but that is more than I can be bothered to do for the moment.
Thanks again for the helpfulness

 

[Vigormortis]

snip

Oh, I have a well-good understanding of Steam and Steamguard, but I appreciate your helpfulness
When I tried to log in with the app it sent me a Steam Guard mail which I never really did anything about as I couldn't be arsed. I think I need to use the code and log into my cell with the app, then log back in on my computer, but that is more than I can be bothered to do for the moment.
Thanks again for the helpfulness

You're welcome. Even if I didn't actually (apparently) offer any helpful info.

 

[Spitfire]

All I hear is whine, log in once a month, play offline.

That is entirely an untruth, way to go chastising OP and showing you know nothing of Steam's "offline mode".

Explain.

And when I did get online and try to go offline it says "Your account credentials are not stored on this computer, so you cannot go in offline mode". I log off and on, and it gives me the same message.

Sounds like you need to disable the "Don't store account credentials on this computer" option from Steam's settings.

By this point I don't even bother with offline mode, I just turn my laptop on, start Steam online, and whenever I have to go somewhere with no internet, I just have Steam open.

Ok, I'm confused..

1. Says all OP is doing is "whining" when OP has legit points.

The OP does have legit points, but I was more interested to know why you think that the notion of logging in to Steam once a month, and then playing the rest of the time in offline mode, is untrue. In fact, when I read your reply to "GenericAmerican", I decided to put this to the test. I restarted Steam in offline mode, disabled my internet connection (just to be sure), and then restarted my PC, and with my internet connection still disabled, I managed to start Steam in offline mode, with no problems whatsoever. I did found a couple of games that didn't work, because they weren't properly updated before going into offline mode, but other than that, everything seemed to work fine.
Unless I'm missing something here, it should be perfectly possible to use Steam in offline mode for a month, as "GenericAmerican" claimed, and probably much much longer than that.

2. Might be the case, but makes no sense to me I should disable it, when it is asking me to have it enabled.

When does Steam ask you to have that option enabled? That's odd.

 

[GenericAmerican]

That is entirely an untruth, way to go chastising OP and showing you know nothing of Steam's "offline mode".

The pure retardedness of this "offline mode" makes me think if VALVe even thought of it. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Steam and VALVe, they are huge chunks of my childhood and day-to-day life. But their offline mode is so fucking retarded I cant get over it.

You can start offline mode easily if you are online, but if Steam can't connect to the internet you get this:

"Retry Connection" or "Launch in Offline Mode"

Naturally you press "Launch in Offline Mode" if you know your internet is dead. Guess what:
"Your computer has to be online to perform this action".
Just.. What? And when I did get online and try to go offline it says "Your account credentials are not stored on this computer, so you cannot go in offline mode". I log off and on, and it gives me the same message. By this point I don't even bother with offline mode, I just turn my laptop on, start Steam offline, and whenever I have to go somewhere with no internet, I just have Steam open. For as long as you are in online mode offline, you can still play... Doesn't really make sense to me..

Or am I just missing a bigger picture of this?

Don't call me a liar, there's no easier way to get on my bad side.

And I know steam offline mode entirely too well, from '07 to about a year and a half ago I lived without internet. Playing through steam was inconveniencing but that's it.

I had to borrow a friends broadband adapter, log in, maybe let things update if I had the time and go offline and play. I could stay logged in like that for near a month before it decided I needed to log back in.

If I wanted to play a game online I could do so at about 500ms ping, but I dealt with it.

But even more surprising to people who complain, when I first ever used steam it was for the Orange box. At that time, I had NO internet. At all, not even dial up. I still got HL2 to install and play. . . un-patched wasn't fun though, couldn't see any of the HUD.

The truth is, yes, it can be an inconvenience; but it's a damn sight easier than some alternatives. And acting like it's the worse thing ever, and that it's impossible to play just makes you look like a child.

If you want to play, you'll find a way; so stop complaining about it, and get working.

 

[GenericAmerican]

snip

Thank you for exhibiting common sense, and the ability to test things for yourself.

You now stand head and shoulders above most people here.

I award you +1 internet.

EDIT: just another tidbit. As far as I remember, you can only restart your computer within a certain time frame *a week maybe* before it forgets you were logged into steam. To go beyond that, just put the computer to sleep or hibernate. And it should remember for much longer.

Losing power usually kills offline mode too.

 

[Dr Jones]

If you want to play, you'll find a way; so stop complaining about it, and get working.

Uhm.. Steam is a product that is used by many, many games on PC. Really in some cases you can't get a game unless you use Steam. Me having to work around it to play offline properly shouldn't be a thing. When I want to go to offline mode, Steam doesn't let me. Doesn't matter whether I am offline or online at the moment, it wont let me. People come with stories to me of "oh you suck, it works for me!!11!", well that may be all well and good, but it doesn't work for me, which is why I have a problem with it. And if I wanted to "find a way" so bad I would probably just resort to pirating the games I have already bought (but as you would see if you read my posts, I did find a way, just be online when you lose the internet connection. Though that shouldn't be necessary).

All I hear is whine, log in once a month, play offline.

That is entirely an untruth, way to go chastising OP and showing you know nothing of Steam's "offline mode".

Explain.

And when I did get online and try to go offline it says "Your account credentials are not stored on this computer, so you cannot go in offline mode". I log off and on, and it gives me the same message.

Sounds like you need to disable the "Don't store account credentials on this computer" option from Steam's settings.

By this point I don't even bother with offline mode, I just turn my laptop on, start Steam online, and whenever I have to go somewhere with no internet, I just have Steam open.

Ok, I'm confused..

1. Says all OP is doing is "whining" when OP has legit points.

The OP does have legit points, but I was more interested to know why you think that the notion of logging in to Steam once a month, and then playing the rest of the time in offline mode, is untrue. In fact, when I read your reply to "GenericAmerican", I decided to put this to the test. I restarted Steam in offline mode, disabled my internet connection (just to be sure), and then restarted my PC, and with my internet connection still disabled, I managed to start Steam in offline mode, with no problems whatsoever. I did found a couple of games that didn't work, because they weren't properly updated before going into offline mode, but other than that, everything seemed to work fine.
Unless I'm missing something here, it should be perfectly possible to use Steam in offline mode for a month, as "GenericAmerican" claimed, and probably much much longer than that.

2. Might be the case, but makes no sense to me I should disable it, when it is asking me to have it enabled.

When does Steam ask you to have that option enabled? That's odd.

Still doesen't work for me. I am on Steam every moment on my computer. It starts automatically on my computer. I have not once heard the "once a month" thing ever in my life. Either that is because it is (as I thought) and untruth, or Steam is just piss-poor at explaining offline mode (which I have found they are).

And about the option, I meant disable as in: disabling my computer from saving my credentials, should have worded it better, sorry.

I think my problem with Steam stems from Steam Guard, which I support, but in this case is a bit of a pain.

You're welcome. Even if I didn't actually (apparently) offer any helpful info.

It's the thought that counts

 

[GenericAmerican]

snip snap snippity snip

I'm sorry, but if you have internet. . .why play offline? If you don't want your friends bothering you just set your community status to offline.

Unless you're on a laptop, if so, shame on you those things never work and have been nothing but a money sink for me.

And quit calling it an "untruth" just because you can't get it to work.

I have 3 separate people playing on my account in offline mode. Because sharing is caring, and for some reason it seems I'm the only person on this planet capable of figuring out how to make it work.

I guess that makes me valuable, or more knowledgeable with this stuff.

 

[Something Amyss]

This right here is why I hate Steam: it's one of the most intrusive forms of DRM on the market. The sale that's going on right now is an example of why I love it -- the whole lifetime rental aspect hurts less when you pay what would be a weekend rental anywhere else. But yeah, Steamworks sucks. People give the DRM a free pass, apparently because they've never had to use offline mode -- or at least, never had to use it without time to plan ahead, like going to a LAN party someplace with crappy internet or something.

People give it a free pass because the games are cheap. And then yes, only complain when something bad happens to them.

People don't care about a loss of freedom or rights as long as it looks like it doesn't apply to them. And a good way to do that is to have 75% off sales.

 

[BodomBeachChild]

Sunshine in england? I sense sarcasm. =p
You can play Steam offline. Sometimes it likes to ***** at you but just slap the ho and it should work eventually.

 

[Denamic]

Steam is an online distribution platform with online credentials as DRM.
This is kind of the point of steam, and something you agree to when you sign up.
The offline mode is a luxury that they don't even have to provide in the first place.

 

[Dr Jones]

snip snap snippity snip

I'm sorry, but if you have internet. . .why play offline? If you don't want your friends bothering you just set your community status to offline.

Unless you're on a laptop, if so, shame on you those things never work and have been nothing but a money sink for me.

And quit calling it an "untruth" just because you can't get it to work.

I have 3 separate people playing on my account in offline mode. Because sharing is caring, and for some reason it seems I'm the only person on this planet capable of figuring out how to make it work.

I guess that makes me valuable, or more knowledgeable with this stuff.

Did you notice the part where I said that what you said wasn't necessarily an untruth, and I actually said (as I thought), which means "As I thought in the moment I wrote the post". I am on a laptop, as I believe I have already said before. And even if I did have a desktop, that does not excuse the horrible UI of the offline mode. Never have I seen the things that many in here claim have to be done to access offline mode. If my internet was to die right now, and I wasn't on Steam, I wouldn't be able to play my games or launch Steam in offline mode. Which is why it is a problem for me.

It really is that simple, I can't understand why people are so quick to attack me for being an idiot, when really my gripe with Steam is just that offline mode does not work, even after I have done all you suggested, if you read my other post, you would also see I blame the problem for something entirely else, Steamguard.

 

[Something Amyss]

Sunshine in england? I sense sarcasm. =p
You can play Steam offline. Sometimes it likes to ***** at you but just slap the ho and it should work eventually.

God, I love it. When Origin has problems, it's fine to ***** at them. But when Steam has problems, "it should work eventually."

Assassin's Creed 2 has always-on DRM that can potentially ruin your gameplay experience? BOO! Steam has DRM that if you're not already running in offline mode can potentially ruin access to all your games? Meh!

EA or THQ or Ubisoft or Activision strengthens DRM because "piracy?" Damn them! Valve strengthens DRM, making it harder to use their offline mode due to piracy? Well, that's just understandable.

 

[NotALiberal]

Everyone in the thread, please read this [http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=29406104&postcount=27] thread.

It shows how, no, it isn't DRM. It is in fact, a bug caused by Steam not shutting down properly the last time the PC was closed.

Good DRM: A Disc check, a CD Key, or at the absolute most, an online validation that only occurs once per installation. Not once per time you log into the internet, once per installation. Really good DRM: None at all.

If what you're saying about offline mode is correct (which, by the way, it's not. I did some research and it turns out that the issue we're discussing is actually a bug with a highly non-intuitive workaround. It involves making a backup copy of a .GCF file, and otherwise never shutting down your computer without first shutting down steam separately. It's discussed <link=http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2569938>here and explained <link=http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=29406104&postcount=27>here),
how is it /not/ intrusive DRM? On the contrary, it makes it highly intrusive. It means that you have to keep re-validating your games. And don't feed me that BS about being able to log into offline mode after buying the game and never logging into online mode again. Even if that were possible (and it's not, you have to re-validate everything once a month or so), you'd be crippling your games intentionally. Offline mode is meant to be used when something has gone wrong. It's not meant to be the default setting for Steam.

How I just described to you is how offline mode is designed to and how it NORMALLY works, and funny enough how it has worked every time I have used it. If it isn't presently working that say due to a bug that is an entirely separate issue and why in the world are we bothering to discuss it.

Also the re-validating after a a month or 2 is and has been for as long as I can remember a myth. I have heard of a bunch of people staying in offline mode for months on end, sometimes a year or more and some people have reported it cuts out after a day. If you have any kind of official report that says otherwise, or states that you cannot remain in Offline mode indefintly, feel free to enlighten me but I have never heard of one.

And really overall, lets say I concede to these problems..what else would you suggest as an alternative. There are very very few other large scale services like Steam that exist and none of the others worth noting have no DRM. On top of that, none of the other services offer anywhere near a comparable service to Steam. You can say what you like about Origin, but it doesn't have the game selection, it doesn't have the sales and cheap prices and it lacks basic features we are all used to. Retail has bad prices and most games have their own DRM systems anyway, OR are connected to Steam or another service. DRM free is basically limited now to isolated games, and those games are now starting to appear on services like Steam ANYWAY. And funny enoguh, I would rather have The Witcher 2 on Steam than a standalone copy even it its DRM free. Arguing about the issue is fine, but it seems like arguing for arguing sake when you offer no alternative or solution to the problem.

Impulse, Gamer's Gate, GoG, Desura, and Capsule are all direct competitors to Steam, and they all have one thing in common: No platform specific DRM. In fact, Steam and Origin are the only two DD stores that have heavy DRM. DRM is unnecessary. It only punishes paying customers, never pirates. Heavy handed DRM is even worse.

As for the bug: the functionality you're describing is the bug. The workaround I found gets it to work in the situations you're saying it shouldn't.

This thread is for you. You need to chill a bit, I'm by no means a Valve "fanboy", but I think you're being a bit overzealous there, almost like you're an anti-fan or something.

 

[Daveman]

It's not that bad a system. It's only preventing you from playing if the internet is going to be down when you don't know about it. That's one scenario. In your case steam isn't stopping you, it's just 1) you didn't prepare for the internet to be down by switching to offline mode beforehand and 2) you have to move your computer to connect it to the internet temporarily.

If you're so used to playing offline one wonders why you were online at all. Was it perchance to take advantage of the steam sales?

Yeah. Anyone who goes on, say, a cabin trip and wants to play Steam games on their laptop during the trip should obviously turn on Offline Mode when they're at home, then bring the laptop with them and not turn the laptop off for the next week. I mean, that's entirely reasonable, right?

Ok, yeah, I thought this was puzzling so I tried it out. I turned off my computer and internet then restarted and ran steam. It said would I like to start in offline mode. I said yes. It started.

Remind me... what's the issue here?