Steam Tools Store

[zaphodikus]

How do people navigate the "Tools" available on Steam, I'm struggling to understand how to find and classify what tools do what since there does not seem to be any kind of grouping or tagging. Like a way to look only for games writting tools or only for graphics tools?

Or am I just thinking too far ahead?

[Mad Scientist]

"Tools" is more meant to be in your Library (click "Games" and enable ie check "tools"); things such as dedicated servers, sdk for any game(s) you have where they allow access to such etc.

Anything not a game on the Steam Store is usually just soundtrack or software. Then you click the appropriate tag when you're in the Software category.

[zaphodikus]

Not my library, the store. :-)

I guess I'm asking, is there a way to browse for tools in the store. It's possible to filter for DLC, but does not seem to be a place in the UI that says "Software", unless it has been obscured in the store UI somehow. How do I browse just software?

[Crazy Tiger]

Tools often are editors, servers and the like, they get added to the library if you purchase the game. You don't acquire them on their own.

General software can be searched via the regular store search (the magnifying glass top right) and then filtering on Software. For example: https://store.steampowered.com/search/?category1=994&supportedlang=english&ndl=1

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by zaphodikus:

Not my library, the store. :-) :ai_fuel:

Already covered that;

Originally posted by Mad Scientist:

Anything not a game on the Steam Store is usually just soundtrack or software. Then you click the appropriate tag when you're in the Software category.

Originally posted by zaphodikus:

does not seem to be a place in the UI that says "Software", unless it has been obscured in the store UI somehow. How do I browse just software?

It's on the front page of the store when you hover over "categories"; software is on the left side.

Software
https://store.steampowered.com/software/

Utilities
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Utilities

Design & Illustration
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Design%20&%20Illustration

Animation & Modeling
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Animation%20&%20Modeling

Game Development
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Game%20Development

Game writing tool:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/570090/articydraft_3/

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Tools are listed in every Steam account library but they are not accessible until you own the game the tools are from.

[cinedine]

Originally posted by zaphodikus:

How do I browse just software?

Not on Steam.
Software works the same as games for all Steam cares. So when you have a video editor processing something, you cannot at the same time play a game on another machine with both being online.

"Software" aren't games. They serve a purpose. You rarely browse through text processors, IDEs or vector graphic programs unless you know you need one. If you do, just use Google to find one, compare them to alternatives and find reviews and opinions about them.
Absolutely no need to have Steam involved. Worst case, you even get an inferior version here.

Otherwise, there are some specific tags:
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Video%20Production
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Animation%20&%20Modeling
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Game%20Development
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Design%20&%20Illustration

They ARE Steam tags, though. So they are borderline useless.

[zaphodikus]

How did you find the magic https://store.steampowered.com/search/?category1=994&supportedlang=english&ndl=1 link?

When I open the store I cannot get to that screen - how did you get that link?

I don't see any links to the "categories" Mad Scientist describes and links either. I've configured my interface differently or "wrong", hence the question. I'm clearly on the wrong page somehow in a parallel universe that does not meet up.


Oh OK, kinda - I managed to find the "tags" button and if I know what tags to choose, then I can get those filtered by tag lists. That was just so mind bendingly well hidden because if you don't know the few relevant tags, you don't get much of a nudge. I also managed to find the your-store ==> Categories screen, but it navigates me to a different page but similar enough to find stuff in. Still a bit of a lame filter, but that's community tagging for you. :-)

Cheers.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by zaphodikus:

How did you find the magic https://store.steampowered.com/search/?category1=994&supportedlang=english&ndl=1 link?

When I open the store I cannot get to that screen - how did you get that link?

You go to the search (click the magnifying glass): https://imgur.com/a/tTRTWb6
Then add Software to the filters: https://imgur.com/a/G1CGpdq

Originally posted by zaphodikus:

I don't see any links to the "categories" Mad Scientist describes and links either.

This: https://imgur.com/a/lPSDAvi
Then scroll down to further filter: https://imgur.com/a/1hVbhqR

[zaphodikus]

Yeah I remember seeing the screens change and seeing that layout, but they have gone the way of twitter, where you have to start searching before you can filter, but if you filter by tag first or by category first, then you get the slightly different looking screens. I feel like I'm in an AB test half of the time.

All those screens smack of messy and mostly "flat" design. It suffers from vertical design problems still and we are in 2020. Web browsers and device screens just do not work in vertical layouts anymore. I mean is there any logic at all to the menu with "Your Store/New and Noteworthy/Categories/Points shop/News/Labs" It just eats my patience. I just have to be far more patient that I am and keep clicking on randomly positioned menus.