I like 9.C of the Steam Subscriber Agreement that you all agreed to:

I agreed to nothing, nor did I even have to read the EULA.

They can't take that agreement and shove it up their posterior.

Console(idation)

Thanks for the offer to help, Fishysticks, but I really have tried all these and more and without any success, why I finally tried uninstalling and re-installing Steam in the hopes it would fix itself (which it didn't.) I have Win7 and there was no need to check off anything in the program's compatibility tab since nothing was checked.

All I need is for Steam to realize is that my internet is still online and working just fine without any changes or tampering on my part between the last time I played my game till the next morning 8 hours later.

This is what I get after Steam tries to update itself:

Steam Message # 1: Steam - Udate - 0% complete
Cannot contact Steam network, please try later.

Steam Message # 2: ERROR
Steam exe. (main exception): To run Steam you must connect to the Internet.

Same here... WHY? as I said in my subject line. Why do I have to have Steam and 'like' it too?
I want to buy my single player games the way I use to, pop it into my computer and register it with whatever makes the game company happy so long as that's the end of the relationship between my game and the internet. What was wrong with the way we use to be able to buy/install/register/play our games before Steam? I want to 'not' have to turn on my internet to start the game if In need to uninstall/re-install it or download the game from the disc I paid so much for or patch the game via a 3rd party program that watches over the way I play my game, let alone stop working and messing up my my ability to play my game when ever I want.

Honestly, I hate this setup and want to have my choice given back to me to 'not' to have Steam in my computers if I so choose. I don't use any of their perks or community stuff anyway, I just want to play my Skyrim... please.

When I was last without internet Steam gave me the option to go in offline mode. I clicked it and it said this activity is not available offline and closed. I asked for help and apparently I was supposed to porperly log off and set to offline mode before the problem arose. I don't see why I can't just go in offline mode when I am offline. And if you're off for too long it won't let you play anyway because it needs to check if there's any updates or some crap.

You're obviously doing something wrong.

Nothing can go wrong in Offline mode, it alone is justification for every aspect of DRM's everywhere.

/sarcasm

I think the main reason why Steam is used is to prevent reselling of the game (or lending it to friends). Reselling is likely going to be prevented on next gen consoles too.


I've never had problems with Steam. Good internet connections and no download caps in my area.

I used Steam offline for more than a month once while moving to a new house. Never once did it tell me I couldn't play because it had to check for updates. Every time I started it up it said it couldn't connect and asked to start in Offline Mode, and every time it worked without a hitch.

If you're having problems playing in offline mode, maybe you should try actually being offline first.

I had been playing offline from Steam for several days, in fact, having checked 'Offline' mode within Steam itself. I only went back online when I wanted to get the latest patch for Skyrim. It was the following day that Steam stopped working for me, saying I had no internet connection. After Steam decided not to open my game 'offline' as it had been I have been forced to try everything to fix this by searching high and low for all the legitimate suggestions out there from all the legitimate sites offering help. Still without any fix and still without any Skyrim game to play

My only issue with Steam is that I have no use for it and so don't like being saddled with things I'll never use. And am one of those weird people who don't like buying digital copies of games. There's no promise that ten years from now Steam or any of the other current digital sales providers will still be around to keep your digital copy playable, but I can look back at all those MS-DOS games that because I have a hard copy of only need an emulator/whatsis to play again.

The difference between playing Oblivion's DLC, FO3's DLC, and FO:NV's DLC is night and day. Steam is just a superior means for a game to distribute DLC. Any game that intends to market DLC should be using Steam.

I'm sorry it annoys the rest of you, but I feel like it's huge improvement.

Non of us were against using steam as a store. We are against being forced to have it on while playing the game. Read the posts before making statements plz.

At this point, there is no real point in conversing further. The two camps: "Well I had issues" and "Well I didn't" can't seemingly comingle. One day perhaps long from now, two star-crossed lovers will join together in a tragic affair which will end in their death, at which point perhaps both sides will begin to see the error in their own ways and cooperate towards a better tomorrow... it's sad really.

It seems to provide benefit to Beth, it's likely the main platform from which they sell units to PC Gamers, so it's in Beth's best interests to allow Steam to manage the updates and whatnot. Is it 100% necessary for Singleplayer: Not really, but w/e right? Not really, apparently.

Other than that, I'm out. It's been said this whole issue is beating a dead horse, and I'm not going to condone animal desecration any further.

You don't need Steam for DRM. When I installed Office I had to put in my keycode and activate it. One contact with the Microsoft site and no further internet access needed. Office just runs. Requiring any further contact with Steam is just a marketing ploy to get more people on their site where they can flog their products. I won't buy from them for the same reason I despise product popups I don't like having unwanted sales pitches pushed in my face.

+1

I get endless error message after error message, it's not always as simple as "put steam in offline mode"

Wish I was running the cracked version sometimes!

If Steam suddenly quits working for you, and you can't get it to work again, I suspect you will find it is not a small problem any longer.

I was listing the benefits of steam, as I see them. As far as DRM goes: I've had far worse experiences with such things. Steam is relatively unintrusive compared to some of the blunders various companies have attached to their products over the last couple of years. Is it perfect? No, but as far as it goes it seems fine to me. Unless you're someone who's arguing against any form of DRM (which is a fine argument, but let's be clear what we're arguing about) I don't see what the big deal is.

We have a thread for discussing Steam, use that:

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1331715-unofficial-steamdrm-discussion-26/