Product Key Issues

[squrrox1]

I downloaded & installed Cities: Skylines for Mac today.

When the game started, there were no *intelligible* instructions on where to enter the product key. The Paradox forum sign-up was displayed at screen botton centre, and at screen bottom right a panel with an incomplete instruction:

"This Steam game requires a special product key, shown below. When the..."

THis text is followed by my product key & the instruction to press shift + tab to remove the instruction.

I didn't enter the key into the Paradox forum sign up, as I gather I was supposed to.

Now when I open the game, the incomplete message described remains over the bottom right hand corner of the screen, blocking access to the bulldozer. Pressing shift + tab does not remove it.

The game is almost, but not quite playable.

Not a happy camper. How do I fix this?

If I don't get it fixed I will be writing off the money I spent on the game to experience. And I'm sure you'll have a good idea what I'll be saying about my experience when the conversation turns to on-line gaming.

[Tinedmovie4062]

You can also press B for bulldozer instead of using the button.

[fidelio]

right click on the game in your steam library and choose properties then uncheck the box that says 'enable steam overlay while in game' and hit close.

that should get rid of the message, and you shouldn't have any need to enter the key anywhere in the future, it's already registered to your steam account.

enjoy the game. :)

... and should the conversation turn toward 'on-line gaming' you be sure and tell 'em you don't know a the first thing about it and to take any comments with a heavy grain of salt.

[squrrox1]

fidello,

Yes, that last comment oof mine was written in a mood of anger & frustration.

And maybe I know little about on--line gaming, having come to it late in life.

But I do know one or two things about software development & user interfaces - having worked as an in house developer before I retired. And the issue I had with the product key was an example of bad user interface design. The sort of thing that would have managers pounding on desks, demanding a fix.

Finally, you comment reinforces one strong impression I've gained from my, admittedly limited, on-line gaming experience - expect people to communicate with you from a position of arrogance and, like it or not, deal with them likewise.

Cheers,

squrrox1

[fidelio]

what you perceived as arrogance is naught but a mirror of an argumentative position of ignorance.

seeking help while threatening slanderous retribution for non-participation to an open community, gaming or knitting, development or management, just isn't an approach to inspire assistance.

that key box would have disappeared by itself after a few launches but instead you came here full of impatience and fury, so provided was a way for you to remove it, instantly.

... and when someone does help you might say, you know ... thanks.

[xoligy]

Some developers give you a key so that it maybe used to either get additional items for the game (by signing up to paradox you get a plaza) or to give you access to restriced areas on their own forum or an icon to show you brought the game and took time to register that on there servers.

Also just so you know for future referance the game developer has no control on how the key is displayed to you it is steam that give you that box and say it is needed when it is not. Also if you had looked at that box there was a button/check box that said "Dont display again" or something to that variation. Not exactly rocket sience for someone who claims to know something about software development.

[Orion Nipp]

Originally posted by fidelio:

that key box would have disappeared by itself after a few launches ...

Pardon me for intruding, but in this case, or rather, my case, it did not.

For me, I had to select the "Do not show this message again" when first entering the game, then shift-tab whilst in the game, and click on the "Do not show this message again" a second time before the Steam culprit went away. This was after many starts.

Meanwhile, it is something the devs need to get worked out with Steam, as Steam insists that the player will need the key for "the game", and it has nothing to do with the game I am told. It has to do with the Paradox forum and getting access to support, or so I am told.

Either way, rather annoying.

[Nosh2O]

Originally posted by Orion Nipp:

Originally posted by fidelio:

that key box would have disappeared by itself after a few launches ...

Pardon me for intruding, but in this case, or rather, my case, it did not.

For me, I had to select the "Do not show this message again" when first entering the game, then shift-tab whilst in the game, and click on the "Do not show this message again" a second time before the Steam culprit went away. This was after many starts.

Meanwhile, it is something the devs need to get worked out with Steam, as Steam insists that the player will need the key for the game, and it has nothing to do with the game I am told. It has to do with the Paradox forum and getting access to support, or so I am told.

Either way, rather annoying.

This is a normal and frequent occurrance with any game that has a "product key". This is an issue with Steam and has not one iota of blame to lay on the devs of Cities: Skylines.

[Blue13rain]

I've had this with most games I've played, usually you need to check the box that saids don't show me this again (not really that hard) so you don't need to disable steam overlay or anything (unless in your case it's bugged, then take it up with valve). I suppose it's just in case the game requires the product key at some other point to be entered (I think I might have needed it once). We should note that this is part of the steam interface, not cities skylines so i don't quite understand why you're going at them about it

[Orion Nipp]

Originally posted by Oakshios:

Originally posted by Orion Nipp:

Pardon me for intruding, but in this case, or rather, my case, it did not.

For me, I had to select the "Do not show this message again" when first entering the game, then shift-tab whilst in the game, and click on the "Do not show this message again" a second time before the Steam culprit went away. This was after many starts.

Meanwhile, it is something the devs need to get worked out with Steam, as Steam insists that the player will need the key for the game, and it has nothing to do with the game I am told. It has to do with the Paradox forum and getting access to support, or so I am told.

Either way, rather annoying.

This is a normal and frequent occurrance with any game that has a "product key". This is an issue with Steam and has not one iota of blame to lay on the devs of Cities: Skylines.

Yes, I know these things.
But, it is the devs game, and if there are things Steam is doing wrong that are adding to frustration it is up to the devs to decide if they should just let it continue or try to get Steam to pull their head out of their ass.
Unless they are those entitlement freaks that think nobody should be responsible for anything?

[Blue13rain]

Originally posted by Orion Nipp:

Originally posted by Oakshios:

This is a normal and frequent occurrance with any game that has a "product key". This is an issue with Steam and has not one iota of blame to lay on the devs of Cities: Skylines.

Yes, I know these things.
But, it is the devs game, and if there are things Steam is doing wrong that are adding to frustration it is up to the devs to decide if they should just let it continue or try to get Steam to pull their head out of their ass.
Unless they are those entitlement freaks that think nobody should be responsible for anything?

In this case it's a user error though, there's a simple solution to getting rid of it. just press shift+tab for steam overlay when the message has popped up and then tick don't show this message again in the product key box that shows up. Also individual developers have little to no sway over how steam is developed or managed, beyond pulling their game from steam.

[Orion Nipp]

Originally posted by rklapp:

Originally posted by Orion Nipp:

Yes, I know these things.
But, it is the devs game, and if there are things Steam is doing wrong that are adding to frustration it is up to the devs to decide if they should just let it continue or try to get Steam to pull their head out of their ass.
Unless they are those entitlement freaks that think nobody should be responsible for anything?

In this case it's a user error though, there's a simple solution to getting rid of it. just press shift+tab for steam overlay when the message has popped up and then tick don't show this message again in the product key box that shows up. Also individual developers have little to no sway over how steam is developed or managed, beyond pulling their game from steam.

True enough, but if the devs have little or no sway then the players have even less than that. People recommending that we the players should butt heads with Steam seam to want to ignore this.

Anyway, my original post was to say pretty much the same thing that you said, except I had to do it twice. And if it persists for OP then he might also need to do it twice.

And to be clear, as it is easy to get misunderstood in type, I cannot say I have any real butt rash over the whole thing. Steam gave me the option to copy it to the clipboard, I copied it to a text file incase some Hogswatch Eve I might be required to produce it, and went on to build mass transportation.

Anyway, it is late, I bid you fun gaming.

[Nosh2O]

Originally posted by Orion Nipp:

Originally posted by rklapp:

In this case it's a user error though, there's a simple solution to getting rid of it. just press shift+tab for steam overlay when the message has popped up and then tick don't show this message again in the product key box that shows up. Also individual developers have little to no sway over how steam is developed or managed, beyond pulling their game from steam.

True enough, but if the devs have little or no sway then the players have even less than that. People recommending that we the players should butt heads with Steam seam to want to ignore this.

Anyway, my original post was to say pretty much the same thing that you said, except I had to do it twice. And if it persists for OP then he might also need to do it twice.

And to be clear, as it is easy to get misunderstood in type, I cannot say I have any real butt rash over the whole thing. Steam gave me the option to copy it to the clipboard, I copied it to a text file incase some Hogswatch Eve I might be required to produce it, and went on to build mass transportation.

Anyway, it is late, I bid you fun gaming.

No need to copy it to text really. Right click the game in your Steam Library and the second option is "View CD key" or similar.

I still stand by my previous comment that it is a Steam issue. You shouldn't have to click it twice and it is annoying as hell if you ask me. The "CD key" boxes are actually two separate boxes. I did wish they shared the toggle so it wouldn't show once the game is launched if so chosen.

To my point though. The CO team is at a max of 13 people, working on this game. Pretty damn sure that if the AAA titles have this happen all the time, there is nothing they can do, except, not using product keys. There is really zero reason to blame CO for Steam's error.

No malice here, just my opinion. :D

[Whilyam]

Can I use that key to redeem a non-steam version of the game? I guess I don't really see the point of the key.