I have no problem with the idea of steam but...

I run a LAN and have a machine as proxy server to allow my other two PCs to access the internet. I have access the internet via mobile internet so this is the only reliable way to access the internet on multiple PCs. Steam will not accept that I have an internet connection without connecting my PC directly to the internet. Because of this I have to plug my mobile internet dongle into the PC I want to load the game onto which means I am constantly having to reset the IP settings on my computers so I can access the internet from the other systems.

I can appreciate why several other ports may be needed for online functionality but why can't the online verification be done through standard HTTP so I can do it without dismantling my proxy setup. This is a modern trend that is becoming more common, this is not the only game that this is happening with.

Please allow game to be installed if you are connected via a proxy server (or even if you have no internet connection). My proxy does not block any ports and turning off all firewalls does not help. I do not even use the online functionality apart from game updates which could also be done via HTTP, so I find this a real pain as all I want to do is play the game. I know steam has an offline mode but it periodically requires a connection to update and play the game so same problem.

I like the no CD requirement but this is a real pain. I want to play the game without having to mess up my LAN/internet setup simply because Steam assumes I have no internet connection unless it is directly through my games machine. Especially when I have a connection that could quite easily handle a verification through standard HTTP or even secure HTTP.

I would rather ruin a CD through leaving it in the drive (or get a no CD patch) to play the game than have to mess up my internet connection continually for limited features I don't even use. This is a stand alone game with no online game play so the online requirement is ridiculous.

I DON'T WANT STEAM I WANT TO PLAY THE GAME WHICH I PAID FOR

Sick of running around plugging a dongle in and out of my systems.

Have you already talked to Valve about this issue ??

Steam works with proxies. Steam shouldnt even need to know the proxy is there. I have a NAT router (which is like a auto proxy) and steam works fine.
I agree with Apprentice that you should prbably post this on steams support if your having issues getting the game to work.

What kind of proxy are you using? Steam will not function if the proxy works by re-mapping required ports to HTTP. I think you may need to use a combination of TCP proxy and UDP tunelling if you want it to work.



They're not the same- they're often confused with each other but they have some important differences. The most important are probably that the presence of NAT is invisible to Steam and works at a more basic layer.



The software proxy is probably not set up for the required ports and is not handling UDP traffic.

I will when I get round to it but I still do not see the point of steam. I use cc proxy which has all ports open but has no transparent proxy service. I used to use winproxy which probably would have worked but my mobile internet connection is incomparable with it.

I simply object to having an online program preventing me from installing and playing a standalone game because it can't use ports that have no function in the game. All it has to do is use http to check if I am online and get on with a simple verification check. Diablo II managed to update online without additional ports and that was over ten years ago .

I have been through this before with EA games all they did was give me a list of ports which were already free, I found my own workaround in that case.

I will put some effort into a solution at the weekend.

Yeah it is a shame- steam (not nescessarily multiplayer gaming but at least the rest of the service) used to work with proxies but after a patch a while back it stopped working.

Steam's official statement is that proxies will not work and are not supported- although you can probably get a software proxy service to work with it but it would require quite a bit of effort and customization on your part. To clarify though - proxies are not disallowed they are just not supported and I don't know of any that will work out of the box so to speak. I think part of the issue is primarily that proxies do not support all the required protocols and that something lost in remapping, that not all ports are being mapped to the proxy service, and that most proxy suites will not offer services for UDP transactions.

I think it's just game manufacturers trying to piss me off