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upupwe May 24, 2021 @ 1:52pm
Steam family sharing is broken.
My shared Library can't be accessed by the only person I shared it with when I play any game. Even if the other person is playing a SINGLE PLAYER ONLY GAME steam will still shut down the game if I access anything in my library.

EDIT: A lot these replies just keep spouting the same old "rent prevention argument". Offline mode completely negates all the restrictions that are supposedly there to negate renting out single player games.
Last edited by upupwe; May 27, 2021 @ 2:24am
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Originally posted by Quint the Alligator Snapper:
I'm going to largely copypaste a recent reply I wrote up to a thread on pretty much the same problem.

Originally posted by upupwe:
My shared Library can't be accessed by the only person I shared it with when I play any game. Even if the other person is playing a SINGLE PLAYER ONLY GAME steam will still shut down the game if I access anything in my library.
OP, you've just discovered the problem with having games attached to an account that is linked to a DRM launcher such as Steam.

The idea behind the restriction is that it makes it so that people can't easily sharing their accounts to people who aren't actually family members. Alternatively or in addition, it could be as Kargor explained, which is that you can do Family Sharing but the feature is intentionally hobbled so as to annoy you into buying another copy of the game.

Originally posted by upupwe:
Regardless, two accounts from the same IP address should be able to access the library at the same time without being in offline mode
One could use various means to spoof one's IP address shown to Steam.

That said, you've highlighted yet another problem with how Steam works. You can't even play two games on two computers both signed into your same Steam account sitting next to each other right in front of you.

As for what you can do...

Well, for the games that you have on your account right now, you can play games using Steam's offline mode (as brian9824 mentioned), or try to run the games without Steam running. Some games will let you play while offline or even outright be DRM-free (i.e. they'll let you play without Steam running); others may not. It's inconsistent, and there's no indication on Steam for which games are such, so you'll need to use trial and error.

But as for games you'll get in the future...well, you could get each game on a different account, so they can be played in any combination. But that's a hassle, and so the best bet is to get your games from DRM-free sources, which will let you actually handle your digital games the way you'd handle physical media -- i.e., treating every game as a separate thing, rather than arbitrarily gluing everything to one account.


Originally posted by upupwe:
Correct but locking one out of a shared library, just because 2 different games are being accessed, completely misses the point of anti-piracy practices.
Yep, you're seeing in action the problem of DRM hobbling honest paying customers.
(And Tyrian Mollusk mentioned an even nastier version of this, when both accounts own the same game.)
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Showing 1-15 of 30 comments
Brian9824 May 24, 2021 @ 1:57pm 
That is working as intended. Its a compromise to stop people from renting out their libraries. They only option is for one person to play the game in offline mode.
#1
Seretti May 24, 2021 @ 2:02pm 
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3784-QLBM-5731&l=#simultaneous
#2
upupwe May 24, 2021 @ 2:09pm 
Figures. Regardless, two accounts from the same IP address should be able to access the library at the same time without being in offline mode, just not the same multiplayer game (Depending on the game, the developer would have to decide.) to prevent cheating. Further more, if local shops are allowed to rent out games on discs why not some ordinary gamers (Pun intended.)? I appreciate your comment BTW.
#3
nullable May 24, 2021 @ 2:28pm 
What shops do you rent PC games from? I never saw one.

But let's pretend there is.... well they have physical discs to rent. Valve doesn't sell physical discs. If you want to swap physical discs around, sounds like you should buy physical discs and games that don't require a launcher.

Valve is a store, not a rental shop, and they don't need facilitate renting or features that would enable renting because they'd be convenient for you.

Family sharing is a compromise to give you some functionality, but not free reign to run amok. And at the end of the day it's not there to save you money or give you a way to avoid buying games. The kind of flexibility you want requires multiple licenses. That's not going to change.
#4
upupwe May 24, 2021 @ 2:50pm 
Originally posted by Snakub Plissken:
What shops do you rent PC games from? I never saw one.

But let's pretend there is.... well they have physical discs to rent. Valve doesn't sell physical discs. If you want to swap physical discs around, sounds like you should buy physical discs and games that don't require a launcher.

Valve is a store, not a rental shop, and they don't need facilitate renting or features that would enable renting because they'd be convenient for you.

Family sharing is a compromise to give you some functionality, but not free reign to run amok. And at the end of the day it's not there to save you money or give you a way to avoid buying games. The kind of flexibility you want requires multiple licenses. That's not going to change.
First off, renting isn't even the core of my argument, rather more of an added on question. Second off, this "compromise" you speak of is very one sided and does away with the vast majority of the functionality you speak so generously of. Third off, bold of you to assume I'm avoiding buying games. Fourth off, what single player game has a license? Not one by a good publisher that's for sure. Your entire reply seems like an attack on a strawman character to me. "bUt Not FrEE ReIgn tO Run Amok" LMAO, where did I ask to make piracy legal? Where?
#5
Seretti May 24, 2021 @ 2:52pm 
Originally posted by upupwe:
Fourth off, what single player game has a license? Not one by a good publisher that's for sure.

Umm, how about ever single game sold on Steam, Origin, Uplay and other sites. You pay for a license to play the game, each and every time.
#6
upupwe May 24, 2021 @ 2:56pm 
Originally posted by Seretti:
Originally posted by upupwe:
Fourth off, what single player game has a license? Not one by a good publisher that's for sure.

Umm, how about ever single game sold on Steam, Origin, Uplay and other sites. You pay for a license to play the game, each and every time.
Sure but you get to download all the files to run it, which is just the same as owning a physical copy.
#7
Seretti May 24, 2021 @ 2:59pm 
No difference between physical and digital copies except you get a piece of plastic and some paper with your physical copy
Last edited by Seretti; May 24, 2021 @ 2:59pm
#8
upupwe May 24, 2021 @ 3:01pm 
Originally posted by Seretti:
No difference between physical and digital copies except you get a piece of plastic and some paper with your physical copy
Right on the mark, good sir.
#9
Kargor May 24, 2021 @ 3:08pm 
Originally posted by brian9824:
That is working as intended. Its a compromise to stop people from renting out their libraries.

Actually, that's not the reason. There are plenty of ways to accomplish that without ditching the "sharing" from the "family sharing".

The real reason is much simpler: publishers don't like people sharing their games, and Steam is dead without publishers putting the games there. Family sharing is pretty much the same as account sharing (you can't play on two computers using the same account), so it's not that much of a change to cause a major problem with publishers.
Last edited by Kargor; May 24, 2021 @ 3:08pm
#10
upupwe May 24, 2021 @ 3:11pm 
Originally posted by Kargor:
Originally posted by brian9824:
That is working as intended. Its a compromise to stop people from renting out their libraries.

Actually, that's not the reason. There are plenty of ways to accomplish that without ditching the "sharing" from the "family sharing".

The real reason is much simpler: publishers don't like people sharing their games, and Steam is dead without publishers putting the games there. Family sharing is pretty much the same as account sharing (you can't play on two computers using the same account), so it's not that much of a change to cause a major problem with publishers.
This.
#11
Crazy Tiger May 24, 2021 @ 3:11pm 
Originally posted by upupwe:
Second off, this "compromise" you speak of is very one sided and does away with the vast majority of the functionality you speak so generously of.
Ownership of software is one sided as well. Simply put, you merely have a license to access the software, it's technically not yours to do with what you want.

Originally posted by upupwe:
Fourth off, what single player game has a license?
Every one of them and has been for decades, even the ones on cartridge, cd and dvd. The mere difference being that with digital it can actually be enforced.
#12
Tyrian Mollusk May 24, 2021 @ 3:18pm 
Even worse, if you both own a game, you're forced to lock your library and kick the other person out when you play it, even though you could have shared their copy while they played a game from your library, if you had not paid for a second copy

It's a particularly perverse implementation when paying more to buy another copy actually reduces your options. Valve could easily fix that one.
#13
upupwe May 24, 2021 @ 4:18pm 
Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:
Originally posted by upupwe:
Second off, this "compromise" you speak of is very one sided and does away with the vast majority of the functionality you speak so generously of.
Ownership of software is one sided as well. Simply put, you merely have a license to access the software, it's technically not yours to do with what you want.

Originally posted by upupwe:
Fourth off, what single player game has a license?
Every one of them and has been for decades, even the ones on cartridge, cd and dvd. The mere difference being that with digital it can actually be enforced.
Correct but locking one out of a shared library, just because 2 different games are being accessed, completely misses the point of anti-piracy practices. I appreciate your input BTW.
#14
upupwe May 24, 2021 @ 4:22pm 
Originally posted by Tyrian Mollusk:
Even worse, if you both own a game, you're forced to lock your library and kick the other person out when you play it, even though you could have shared their copy while they played a game from your library, if you had not paid for a second copy

It's a particularly perverse implementation when paying more to buy another copy actually reduces your options. Valve could easily fix that one.
That means its worse than I thought. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM (imagine the HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM continues for all of eternity).
#15
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Date Posted: May 24, 2021 @ 1:52pm
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