I use Steam for all my games, none of which are multiplayer. Why?

1) Ease of use. No discs required, so no worries about discs being damaged/lost, reduces clutter with manuals and discs and disc cases, etc. Also, super easy to get a game. No hassle with checking if your game store has it in stock, or whatever. Just pop on Steam, buy it and download it.

2) Although I don't have multiplayer games, I do like Steam for its community aspect. Easy and fun to take and share screenshots, and talk to your friends through it and such.

3) $$. Yes, most games when they come out will cost the same on Steam as the retail price. But I've found a lot of games 2 or more years old for just a few bucks on Steam that would be a) hard to find and B ) much more expensive in stores.

It's like the Netflix of games (except you keep the games). Never will go back to buying game discs. I used to be a Steam hater, but once I gave in and tried it I realized it's actually very handy. I guess some people have issues. svcks to be them, I guess.

I didn't go 'out into the country to play video games'. I work nights and my sleep schedule is always jacked up, so I take something to do while everyone else is sleeping so that I don't sit around twiddling my thumbs waiting for them to wake up. See what happens when you assume? You make yourself look like a dumba**.

Sadly for pc users games will be on a cloud more and more.

No actually on the retail DVD package it says " Internet connection required to activate " Not Internet connection required to play the game - so once the game is activated you should not need an internet connection if you go by what was written on the Packaging for the product -- And when it was released this was the case - it was only the second stealth patch that changed it and made it require that Steam be running to launch the game ! (so it is very doubtful that he would have been made aware of it since at the time he purchased there was no such limitation !!

I don`t know how you are pulling this off. To even start steam in offline for me steam has to log me into my account and if you have no internet connection you get the connection error and it won`t run.

Do you use graveard shift and video gaming as an excuse to sneak naps during work hours?

All the OP needed to do was restart steam in offline mode before packing up his laptop for the trip.

Then there'd be no reason to come on here and complain.

I think it's funny that you have nothing useful to add. Flame much?

QQ some more people, Steam is fine and only a few people have problem with it's offline mode, but guess what, not everything has to be perfect. Learn to live life and don't complain about every little thing or a lot of problems will be awaiting you in the future.

You use many words to say nothing. As to the OP, yes, Steam is idiotic when it tries to force you to play a stand alone game in online mode, it may be a great resource in which to buy games but it should not be a forced service in which to launch the games.

Steam is legal. Legally using Steam is not criminal.

Maybe immoral... which would be an interesting accusation to make from such a capitalist point of view such as OP. Because, you know, unless there is some form of coercion or deceit going on, it's hard to bring in morality into capitalism, especially when it deals with superfluous market like VIDEO GAME.

Definitely not criminal though. No sir.

Learn to use steam in offline mode...i do this since 11.11. now and will do until they have patched the patches that patch the patched game. The game has been almost bug-free out-of-the-box so i don't need the patches right now.

That's why I buy on X-Box 360... no worries about that kind of crap. Just pop and play, no baggage.

Well that is one benefit of the Xbox I suppose, but there are many TES players who love TES for the creation kit and how you can change the game from semi mundane into epic for the PC version.

So what's the problem here? I've played single player games in Steam while in offline mode loads of times.

Is Skyrim refusing to start without being online?

If you wanna start Steam purely in offline mode without starting it up first, disconnect your PC from the internet, fire up Steam, and when it says it can't connect, click START IN OFFLINE MODE.

If you STILL can't play Skyrim after that, then yeah there's a legitimate problem. One, it should have no idea there's a patch required since your PC is offline, and two, it has no reason to refuse starting up if it can't check.

There is a bug, or perhaps a feature, with Steam that won't allow you to use the offline mode unless you went offline mode while having online connection.

So say internet went out in your area... if you didn't put your Steam into offline mode while you had your internet connection, you could be sooo out of luck.

. You may have never had problems with Steam, but your reading comprehension seems problematic.



I also expect that the game's manufacturer would be more responsible then this, as their reputation is being tarnished by the failure of a company outside of their control.

Maybe in the future you should READ and UNDERSTAND the issue before making ignorant statements. --------

Quoted from the OP. before you start insulting people on their reading ability, maybe you yourself should learn the difference between THEN, and THAN!

Back on topic, you've come here ranting that a program hasn't held your hand, knowing that you were going to be offline. How about you read through the 'HELP' section of Steam BEFORE! you try to take an ONLINE program to the country.

I seriously fear for the immediate future of this planet, when every idiot yells and screams and cries because they can't think for themselves!

Let them have their fun.

I've never needed mods to get hundreds of hours out of Elder Scrolls games for them to be my favorite games of all time.

What a refreshing comment, and so true. I already stated this elsewhere in the unofficial steam discussion threads, it's exactly what I am doing as well. If it is mandatory to use steam, then no Skyrim for me. And gamesas won't get my money.

I also stated (and many others as well) that gamesas could have chosen to give us the option, buying it via steam or on disc, then those who love steam could go that way, and those who prefer not to use steam could do so as well. But there is more involved in that decision to exclusively using Steam.

For example - eliminating of 2nd hand market for example, which could be quite important now, as this game is obviously so buggy, I bet there would be many who might sell their Skyrim copy out of frustration, which is not possible anymore due to Steam.

Before Skyrim was out, it was a tough decision for me not planning to buy it, as a long-time fan of gamesass RPGs on PC (since Arena).

Now, after it has been released for some time, I am almost content not having bought or pre-ordered it. Of course I would love to play it one day, but giving up on my personal beliefs just because of a video game is a bad trade-off for me. The so massively hyped Skyrim is not like a religion to me. As Sky_Rune said, we all still have choices. I made mine.

And after having learned of the various bugs, problems (and many of them steam-related), crashes, and issues on the PC version of the game... there is almost no regret anymore that my choice was to not buy Skyrim. If they ever release a Non-Steam-Version, I will buy it, because I just love the Elder Scrolls Games and Universe. And if that ever happens, most game breaking bugs might be fixed (sometimes I am dreaming, yes...)

There will always be nice games running without DRM crap like steam, and if one day every game might require Steam or something similar, I will quit buying new games for PC and instead replaying some older loved titles, or focussing on different things in my life... yes, I have got a life beyond PC gaming.

So you are not buying a superb game because of whingers? That is your choice at the end of the day but there are lots of people playing happily with Steam and no technical issues. A few fans not buying Skyrim because of Steam will not change anything as Steam itself will bring in more customers than a standalone release would have.

Get with the times, the future of PC gaming is not shop bought hard copies.

For the record I have not seen a game breaking bug yet. Even the elemental damage bug is not game breaking but it does make it harder

No, I won't buy this game (or any other "superb" game) as long as they are forcing me to install such a software like Steam on my machine.

It's fine you haven't seen a game breaking bug yet. Bugs would not have made me not buying it, to clearly state that. I am an experienced PC gamer, and bugs in PC games are something that is, well, inevitable. Some companies do better than others, but it is something I got used to.

And I agree with you, that the future of PC gaming is not shop bought hard copies.

But that does not automatically mean, I have to live with Steam, or Origin, or such things. Not at all.

I have already bought many games digitally. Downloaded them, got a serial number via E-mail. None of them required Steam, or any other DRM crap. And now I can install, deinstall, reinstall, whenever I want, no "offline" mode, no DRM software running in the background wasting resources or collecting data like Origin does.

So, clearly, no, I won't ever support titles that require Steam, Origin, or whatever else companies might try to force us to use in the future. Call me old-fashioned, that's fine by me. But agreeing to the Steam Subscribers Agreement is a no-go for me, ever, even if the game was 10 times more superb than Skyrim is.

Well said and I agree.

And I'm surprised that no one has considered making a legal case out of this for false advertizing as well. Stated clearly that internet was only needed for activation and not for playing. And gamesas states Here in the pinned thread for Skyrim and Steam FAQ:

"Do I need to be connected to the internet to play Skyrim?
No. Steam is able to run in offline mode, meaning that you need to get online only once to activate Skyrim and install any required updates/patches, and don't need to be connected to the internet to play it. See here for the official guide, and the last entry in this FAQ for more detailed instructions on how to set the Steam client to offline mode so that it can stay offline for a long time. The Steam client is often updated, and the offline mode is known to be still a little buggy nowadays, hence it is advisable follow the latter instructions to set the client in permanent offline mode once you have activated Skyrim if you need extended offline time, and regardless of any further Steam client updates."

Not sure I would call it old-fashioned. Just sounds like you have a problem with authority, like Steam is forcing you to go a specific and controlled way and you are not willing to follow constraint. I respect your decision but I do not see what the big deal is personally.

Steam runs fine, is fairly efficient on my PC (uses little resource) and is convenient for buying games and updating them. Yes it has some bugs currently such as offline mode failing and updating settings reverting back to default, but it is a great product. Once they fix those bugs I think it will be seemless on high spec PCs.