How do I launch Sid Meiers Civilization 5 to play in offline mode?

Question

I have just installed Civ 5 from Steam. Is it possible to play it offline (without connecting to the Internet?) If yes, How?

Asked by GeoStrike

Answer

OK. I intalled the game myself and did a bit of testing. First of, you'll need to run the game once while the connection is still on, to complete all the installations and such. You don't need to play the actual game. Just exit once you reach the menu. (You might even be able to get out during the cutscene by pressing Alt+F4.)

After this, open the Steam window, go to File (upper left corner) and choose "Go Offline...". Steam will restart in offline mode (or at least shut down and be in offline mode once you start it again) that allows you to play the game offline. The game itself doesn't seem to have any additional need for internet connection.

However, this might come a bit late, since the free weekend is about to end. The game will most likely disable itself once the event is over, wether you're online or not.

Answered by DJ Pirtu

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How to launch Sid Mayers Civilization 5 to play in offline mode

Question

I have just installed Civ 5 from Steam. Is it possible to play it offline (without conne? If yes, How?

Asked by GeoStrike

Answer

OK. I intalled the game myself and did a bit of testing. First of, you'll need to run the game once while the connection is still on, to complete all the installations and such. You don't need to play the actual game. Just exit once you reach the menu. (You might even be able to get out during the cutscene by pressing Alt+F4.)

After this, open the Steam window, go to File (upper left corner) and choose "Go Offline...". Steam will restart in offline mode (or at least shut down and be in offline mode once you start it again) that allows you to play the game offline. The game itself doesn't seem to have any additional need for internet connection.

However, this might come a bit late, since the free weekend is about to end. The game will most likely disable itself once the event is over, wether you're online or not.

Answered by DJ Pirtu

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What are the dangers of accepting gifts from unknown accounts on Steam?

Question

A user named 'steamfairy1' gifted me a game on Steam. I don't know this user, his profile shows no games, no friends and zero hours played. The profile was created the day I received the gift.

It very much looks like a scam, but I can't figure out how the scam is supposed to work. What's the worst thing that could happen if I accept the gift? Any idea what the trick here is? It could be just a random act of kindness and I'm just paranoid…

I contacted the Steam support, but they were unhelpful as usual: responding in the wrong language and with a canned one-liner that didn't make a whole lot of sense or had much to do with my question.

Keywords (not really tags, but I want this to be searchable): steamfairy, steam fairy

Asked by Cort

Answer

I dug through the relevant support pages and found some information for you.

Short version: Don't accept things you weren't expecting from people you don't know.

---

Long version:

The Steam Support page on trading and gifts says...

[...] a gift sent to your account has been revoked. The most common reasons this will occur are:

• There has been a purchase error with the game you were gifted
• The purchaser has filed a dispute over the purchase
• The gift purchase was made using a fraudulent payment method

If you believe there has been an error, please contact the person who sent this gift.

The subscription to the gifted game is no longer valid. If you wish to continue playing the game without losing any game progress, you will need to purchase the game through Steam.

Warning: Never accept a gift from someone you do not know.

Meanwhile, a few pages away...

Redeeming Fraudulent Gifts

Never accept a gift from an unknown user. Any accounts tied to a redeemed gift from a fraudulent source may be suspended.

In summary: You can either lose the game you were gifted, or possibly your account, depending on the whim of the Steam Gods handling your case. Expect the worst, because they tell you clearly in both areas don't accept things you weren't expecting from people you don't know.

Ask the person trying to gift or trade you the game to identify themselves, and reject the gift if anything seems suspicious. Better to lose a "free" game than your account, ne? If it turns out to be a friend or just someone who feels like gifting you stuff, ask them to send it through their real account, instead.

Answered by Xkeeper

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I've subscribed to an item on Steam Workshop - how do I download it?

Question

Now that the Portal 2 Perpetual Testing Initiative is out, I've been looking at some of the available maps, but I'm not sure how to actually download them.

I've gone into an author's or collection's page, where I can subscribe to an item. I've clicked the Subscribe button and the subscriptions have been added successfully, but nothing else happens - no downloads begin, no download buttons appear.

How do I actually download the maps I've subscribed to? I hope it doesn't involve going into the actual Portal 2 game, as it's a bit of an inconvenience to have to start it up just to download the maps.

N.B. I've left the Portal 2 tag out because I assume all Steam workshop pages work in the same way, and answers will apply to other games as well.

Asked by Alex

Answer

You do not do anything. The content should download automatically. In the case of Portal 2, the map will download when you try to start it for the first time

Answered by Jupotter

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2 Steam Accounts on 1 computer, installing games in 2 different locations…possible?

Question

I recently gifted my sister some Steam games and right now the only PC capable of running them is my computer.

I know that is no big deal to have 2 accounts sharing a PC, but the problem is that she would be installing the games on her external hard drive, while I have my own games in the machine's hard drive.

Is it OK to install the new games there (on the external HDD) and just plug it in every time she wants to play, or do we have to share the same location to our own games no matter what?

Asked by Jotamide

Answer

Very, very simple answer if you have the time to do this, and an NTFS file system*.

*Don't know what this is? Easy: Do you have Windows Vista or 7? If yes, then yes. If not, then "maybe", and you'll have to poke around to see. Disclaimer: This works on XP systems as well, but I haven't done it for a little while. Process for XP is different.

1. Keep Steam as it is. That's right, completely as it is.
2. Cut and paste your sister's games from your STEAMAPPS folder (in your X:\Program Files\Steam folder) to her portable drive.
3. Now open a command prompt. This can be found usually in the "Accessories" tab of your start menu, or some computers can just RUN a command called "cmd".

4. Enter the command "mklink", and press enter. It'll tell you that you can run a command like:

   mklink /d "x:\program files\steam\steamapps\sister's game 1\" "s:\sister's game 1\"
   

5. Work out the appropriate file placement, then if it's all lined up right and you've filled in all the info as it should be according to where your Steam is installed, and where your sister's games are, press enter.

6. Enjoy knowing that your sister's games are no longer taking room on your own hard drive.

---

Surprise Bonus Round!

Hey kids! Tired of your portable drive that you never unplug from having "performance issues"? This is because Windows tends to prevent disc write cache on any drive it's concerned may be unplugged without warning. By default, all USB drives count as this.

Want to milk better performance from it? Here's some easy steps*:

*Disclaimer: Though this process works on Windows Vista and Windows XP systems, it is slightly different to what is described below. Always use adult supervision when playing with your hardware settings!

1. Make sure your drive is connected to a high-speed USB port. It's not worth doing this on an old USB-1
2. Go to "My computer"
3. Right-click the drive you have plugged in. Click "Properties"
4. Go to "Hardware", and click on the drive you need to alter, and go to "Properties" again.
5. Under "Policies", turn to "Better Performance".

This now means that Windows will start using your USB drive as a high-performance drive, like the ones inside the case. This also means that "bad things" can happen if you pull the drive out, without using the built-in Windows "Safely Remove Hardware" button, found conveniently near your clock, in your System Tray.

Thanks for watching, kids! And remember:

Spyware no spying!

Answered by user10884

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How do I fix missing text strings after applying the “tag not found” bug fix?

Question

Yesterday, I bought Titan Quest Gold via Steam and installed it with the German language files. After starting the Immortal Throne add-on, it imported my old characters from an old profile. After that, I faced the generally known "tag not found"-bug and fixed it with an update of the Text_DE.arc (211KB).

But there are still many missing tags which seem only to refer to the new features which were included with the add-on. The enchantment window, for example, is completely unusable. I've also tried to repatch the game to English but the add-on content texts were still missing.

I have searched for a solution, but I only found fixes for the general "tag not found" bug. How can I fix this bug?

Asked by Demnogonis

Answer

I solved the problem. I made the mistake to overwrite the Text_DE.arc in the IT folder with the one, which was downloaded by the patch program. This file does NOT go to the resources folder of Immortal Throne. It must be placed in the resources folder of the normal Titan Quest installation, because TQ cascades it's resources. After I placed it in the normal TQ resources folder it worked.

Thanks anyway :)

Answered by Demnogonis

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What is steam app 210890?

Question

I just browsed through my steam games library and saw 'Steam App 210890' as something I could install. When I tried to install it, to see what it was, steam told me that it would be downloading now, yet nothing happened.

Now I'm just wondering, what is that?

Asked by Timothy Roy

Answer

According to the situation described in this post and a reply to a similar question to which that user confirmed the same situation, this seems to be a Steam bug related to the newest patch of Crusader Kings II.

Answered by skovacs1

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Removing Skyrim's HD texture pack before finishing the entire download

Question

I saw the HD texture pack for Skyrim on Steam, so I went ahead and clicked install. One thing I forgot to check is the download size, which is important since my connection speeds are throttled if I exceed 9GB of bandwidth before the end of the month. Is there any way I can cancel the download?

Asked by Ben

Answer

In the Steam Library Downloads page, you can pause and cancel active downloads. Also by right clicking on an entry in your Steam Library, you can do the same.

Unfortunately, because steam binds this form of DLC to your account, your options are limited. As long as Steam has the DLC bound to the game, it will try to install it. You can turn off Steam's automatic updates for Skyrim, but this means that you won't get any of the updates to Skyrim and even manual updating will try to install the DLC so this is not a long-term solution. Your only real solution is to contact Steam Support and have them remove the DLC from your account.

Answered by skovacs1

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Where are the save files for the Steam edition of Assassins Creed II located?

Question

Where are the Assassins Creed II save files? I found a few locations in Google, but most of them do not exist on my system. I also found an article that Ubisoft patched AC2 to save locally. Are the save files for the Steam version located in the Steam cloud?

Asked by Maciej Piechotka

Answer

I finally found the folder:

[User HOME Directory]/AppData/Local/Ubisoft Game Launcher/<RANDOM NAME>/4

Answered by Maciej Piechotka

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How can I use an Xbox 360 controller to play Steam games?

Question

I bought BioShock 2 on Steam in the sale a couple of weeks ago, but I'm better at playing FPSs with an Xbox 360 controller than with mouse and keyboard.

Is there any way for me to use an Xbox 360 controller to play Steam games?

Asked by Chris Salij

Answer

In the Store page of every Steam Game you can check that this symbol is available.

Controller enabled

Usually in all recent games (2-3 years), if a controller is enabled, there are high possibility that Microsoft XBox 360 works and is well supported.

But to be sure I always suggest to take a look to that game specific forum. Most of times there are users that already asked for XBox 360 compatibility.

Answered by Drake

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If I play Fallout 3 via Steam, will I still be able to obtain Live achievements?

Question

Since Steam usually has it's own achievements system and there is no mention of it on the page of the game, is it still possible to obtain Live achievements, or are they not availble in the steam version?

If you still can get them, how do you enable it to get them?

Asked by alexanderpas

Answer

My best guess would be that you can still get Live achievements, that is, if you're logged in to GFWL (Games for Windows Live).

It depends what version of Fallout 3 you have (i.e. if it's the Game of the Year edition). Some people on Steam's forums are reporting that they haven't been asked to log in to GFWL.

Answered by happy_soil

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Does Brink use GFWL or Steamworks?

Question

I heard in some previews that Brink would have used Steamworks but today I went on an online store and the PC cover shows the logo Game For Windows Live.

Can you clarify which is the truth? I am asking this because I am not a big fan of GWFL (to say it softly) and I would buy probably only if it use Steam infrastructure for matchmaking, ladders, server browsing and so on.

Asked by Drake

Answer

See the Brink FAQ being maintained on the Steam forums:

Q. Is BRINK a GFWL title?

Nope. BRINK is a Steamworks title. BRINK carries the 'Games for Windows' moniker, which is different to GFWL. For a game to be certified for GFW, it has to meet the following requirements:

• An "Easy Install" option that installs the title on a PC in the fewest possible steps and mouse clicks
• Compatibility with the Windows Vista/ 7 Games Explorer
• Installs and runs properly on x64 versions of Windows Vista/ 7 and is compatible with 64-bit processors (though the game itself can be 32-bit)
• Supports normal and widescreen resolutions, such as 4:3 aspect ratio (800 x 600, 1024 x 768), 16:9 aspect ratio (1280 x 720, 1920 x 1080), and 16:10 aspect ratio (1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200)
• Supports parental controls and family settings features in Windows Vista/ 7
• Supports launching from Windows Media Center

Q. Can I activate a retail copy through Steam?

BRINK uses Steamworks so retail copies can be activated through Steam.

Answered by DMA57361

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What are the differences between Civilization V and Civilization V: Game of the Year Edition?

Question

I am looking to purchase Civilization V, and I see two different versions on Steam:

• Civilization V
• Civilization V Game of the Year Edition

What are the differences between them? Does the Game of the Year edition include an expansion pack or DLC?

Asked by Foxtrot

Answer

No offense, but... have you tried looking at its store page?

Game of the Year Edition includes:

• Sid Meier's Civilization® V
• All 4 Cradle of Civilization Map Packs (Mediterranean, Asia, Americas, Mesopotamia)
• Civilization Pack: Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar II)
• Double Civilization and Scenario Pack: Spain and Inca
• Civilization and Scenario Pack: Polynesia
• Civilization and Scenario Pack: Denmark - The Vikings
• Explorer’s Map Pack
• Official Digital Soundtrack

Answered by lunboks

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What are the differences between Civiliazation V and Civilization V: Game of the Year Edition?

Question

I am looking to purchase Civ. V finally, and I see two different ones on steam.

• Civ. V
• Civ. V GOTY

What are the differences between them? Does Civ. V GOTY include an expansion pack or DLC?

There is $20.00 difference and I am wondering if it is worth it. (IMO GOTY editions are worth it)

Asked by Foxtrot

Answer

No offense, but... have you tried looking at its store page?

Game of the Year Edition includes:

• Sid Meier's Civilization® V
• All 4 Cradle of Civilization Map Packs (Mediterranean, Asia, Americas, Mesopotamia)
• Civilization Pack: Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar II)
• Double Civilization and Scenario Pack: Spain and Inca
• Civilization and Scenario Pack: Polynesia
• Civilization and Scenario Pack: Denmark - The Vikings
• Explorer’s Map Pack
• Official Digital Soundtrack

Answered by lunboks

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Will Diablo 3 use Steam?

Question

I'd like to use Steam to play Diablo III and track achievements. WIll it use Steam, and will it be available for download through Steam?

Asked by Coomie

Answer

Diablo 3 will not use Steam or Steamworks: like all Blizzard games, it will use Battle.net. And while Blizzard has stopped short of saying it's a Battle.net digital exclusive sale, the press release for the Diablo III release date states (emphasis mine):

Starting that day, gamers with a thirst for fast-paced action and adventure will be able to purchase Diablo III at retailers throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. In addition, gamers in the regions above as well as in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil will be able to buy Diablo III digitally via Blizzard’s Battle.net® website.

Given that Starcraft 2, Warcraft 3, and World of Warcraft are all Battle.net digital exclusives and are not available for purchase on Steam, it's unlikely Blizzard will offer Diablo 3 there.

Answered by Mark Trapp

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Both Fallout 3: Game of the Year and Fallout: New Vegas crash when I try to create a new game

Question

I have a problem with Fallout 3 GOTY and with Fallout : New Vegas, both Steam version. Fallout 3 GOTY crashes as soon as I try to create a New game, while Fallout : New Vegas crashes immediately after first video. No other messages than the generic Windows 'Application stops working' dialog.

I have tried many things:

• Check game steam cache
• Re-downloaded the whole game content two times(!)
• Set lowest/highest default settings
• Start in window/full screen mode
• Change different resolutions

I have no mods installed.

My config: AMD X3 720 - XFX ATI HD 4770 - 4 GB RAM - Windows 7 32-bit

UPDATE: I tried also the following things but STILL no result

• Updated drivers to latest 10.10 from ATI/AMD
• Re-installed DirectX
• Set Compatibility Mode to Fallout3.exe and FalloutLauncher.exe both Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP2
• Changed Fallout3.exe and FalloutLauncher.exe to disable Visual Themes, Desktop Composition, DPI settings and Run as Administrator
• Game for Windows LIVE Disabler

more updates

• Disabled all 3rd parties services and aborted most of Windows processes
• Checked GPU BIOS version, is the last

FIRST BOUNTY Bounty ended without a working solution. Bounty points have been assigned to Oak, that suggested to install Windows XP in dual boot. Question remains open, because I would prefer playing it in Windows 7 in the future, if possible.

UPDATE I cannot believe it! I bought Fallout:New Vegas on Steam sales and SAME problem!

Asked by Drake

Answer

Yes, yes, yes! Due to the addition of the Fallout New Vegas issue, I was able to Google that and find this .dll, which proved to be helpful in solving the issue.

Just download the d3d9.dll linked here: Alternate D3D9 Fix for ATI.

Thanks a ton to the author of this .dll. I can confirm that it fixed the problem with both Fallout games and hope it can solve the same problem for other gamers too.

Now I can jump into the Fallout world again.

Answered by Drake

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Where are the save files stored?

Question

Well, pretty much everything is in the title. Since the game doesn't use Steam Cloud, where can I find back the save files (containing my character's level, etc) ?

The smrconfig file located in C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Demiurge Studios\Shoot Many Robots\SOMEWEIRDINTEGER\ contains the player's configuration, but that's not exactly what I'm looking for. There's also a slot() file in the same folder, but the content isn't human readable.

Note that I've got the PC version, and bought it from Steam.

Asked by Anto

Answer

After a few tests, it seems that the slot() file mentionned hereabove contains the character's data (level, equipment, unlocks, etc.)

So if you play on two different computers, you just have to copy/paste this file at the right location: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Demiurge Studios\Shoot Many Robots\SOMEWEIRDINTEGER\

Answered by Anto

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Is it possible to gift Steam games to a locale in which they are not (yet) offered?

Question

Is it possible to gift a Steam game to a user who is in a locale where the game is not being offered?

For instance, this game has a different release date in different countries. Could I get this game on the 1st day of its release by having someone from an "early" country gift it to me?

This question is similar to (How) Is it possible to get the full version of a game if I can only buy its low violence version?, and indeed I hope there is a similar answer.

Asked by Oak

Answer

General:

The one who is getting the present, is always getting the version of the country the buyer lives in.

Censorship:

So yes, it is possible to circumvent low violence with trading AND gifting. However, a Publisher might have decided to prevent someone from installing the game when the IP is in a country where the game is blocked. So far this is only true for 1 game from Capcom so far, where I know about. The Game was Dead Rising 2 : Off the Record. That one for example is not installable in Germany, even if you get it gifted or traded, but the store gives me a warning if I visit it via cc=us.

It is also possible to gift it to someone where it is not available in the store at all. For example, I gave Space Marine to a British friend on Steam, because it was not available in his country on Steam store before release and a while after. ( wave @ Game )

Release Date:

That is still governed where you live at. For example, a friend gifted me Deus Ex HR Preorder. While the game was already out in the US where he lives, I had to wait the 3 extra days to play it.

Answered by scorcher24

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Steam Client is not listing my game

Question

For the first time I bought a game from steam Age of Empires Online : All in wonder. The transaction was successful and I got the game listed under my account in the steam website but when I download the latest steam client and install it, there are 0 games listed under the library tab. I also raised a steam support ticket three days ago, but no response from them till now. Does anyone know how to resolve this issue? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Asked by Vivek

Answer

Age of Empires Online is a free-to-play game with optional pay-to-play DLC. The All in Wonder bundle is a bundle of this DLC for the base game. This might seem like a minor distinction, but it's an important to understand what's happening here.

As with other free-to-play games in Steam, the base Age of Empires Online game will not appear in the "All games" list like a normal purchased game would, even if have purchased DLC for it. However, if you go to the steam store and search for the game there, you will be able to install the game client through Steam as normal.

As your paid-for DLC is associated with your Steam account it should still be available when you log into AoE Online through Steam.

Answered by raveturned

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Why does my profile consist of numbers instead of my username?

Question

On Steam, my profile is the following:

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197964085566/

Notice the numbers at the tail end of the URL. While other users also have numbers for a profile like mine, I've seen many others users with their usernames in their profile instead. It makes it a lot easier to link and remember your profile page based on a short username instead of a couple dozen integers.

Why do some users have a username in their profile instead of numbers and vice versa? Is there a way to change this?

I originally thought it was based on the age of the account since I was a pretty early adopter back on January 24, 2004, but I've seen new and old accounts with numbers and usernames.

---

Update: I've since updated my profile URL so clicking the above link will renavigate to the following:

http://steamcommunity.com/id/johnjon

Asked by johnjon

Answer

Yes, you can change this in your community profile - change the "Custom URL" field to whatever you wish the URL to end with.

Here's the step by step breakdown:

• Load the Steam Community website
• Login, if you aren't already, and make sure you're on the "Home" tab
• On the right side, under "Actions" choose "Edit my Profile"
• Click the "Profile" tab if it is not already highlighted
• Change the value for "Custom URL" - the "http://steamcommunity.com/id/" part cannot be changed.
• Click the bright green "Save" button at the bottom

Answered by agent86

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