How can I hide the game I'm playing? [solved]

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solaris32 Sep 1, 2018 @ 12:20pm

It seems the problem is archi steam farm, for card idling games. I guess it forces you to be visible for some reason. When I play an installed game myself appearing offline works.

Used to I could appear offline while playing a game people would look on my profile and see me as offline. Now even with my friends list being offline everyone can still see the game I'm playing and that I really am online. Do they even know I'm offline if they try to message me? Sometimes I like to game in peace so I don't get messages.

Last edited by solaris32; Sep 1, 2018 @ 1:21pm

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Showing 1-14 of 14 comments

The Giving One Sep 1, 2018 @ 12:27pm

You should be able to go to your friends list settings and now the setting is called "invisible", pretty sure, to appear off line.

If that answers your question.

solaris32 Sep 1, 2018 @ 12:32pm

Originally posted by The Giving One:
You should be able to go to your friends list settings and now the setting is called "invisible", pretty sure, to appear off line.

If that answers your question.

Nope I'm appearing offline right now, but if you hover over my avatar here or go to my profile you can see I'm in fact online and playing a game.

The Giving One Sep 1, 2018 @ 12:35pm

Click "friends" in the top of Steam. What does it say there ?

solaris32 Sep 1, 2018 @ 12:41pm

Originally posted by The Giving One:
Click "friends" in the top of Steam. What does it say there ?

Says invisible. As does my friends list window.

The Giving One Sep 1, 2018 @ 12:42pm

Originally posted by solaris32:
Says invisible. As does my friends list window.

Have you tried logging out and restarting Steam, fully closing the login window and everything ?

I know I have a situation here where when I delete the Web Browser Cache, it makes me appear online also, so I have to reset the setting to 'invisible'. That always works for me.

solaris32 Sep 1, 2018 @ 12:47pm

Originally posted by The Giving One:
Originally posted by solaris32:
Says invisible. As does my friends list window.
Have you tried logging out and restarting Steam, fully closing the login window and everything ?

I know I have a situation here where when I delete the Web Browser Cache, it makes me appear online also, so I have to reset the setting to 'invisible'. That always works for me.

This has been an ongoing thing for weeks, possibly ever since the new chat was introduced. I've been hoping they'd fix it.

The Giving One Sep 1, 2018 @ 12:50pm

Click "friends" again in the top of Steam. Then "View friends list". See the gear icon in the top right of that new window that pops up ? Click that.

Now, check your settings there.

solaris32 Sep 1, 2018 @ 12:59pm

Originally posted by The Giving One:
Click "friends" again in the top of Steam. Then "View friends list". See the gear icon in the top right of that new window that pops up ? Click that.

Now, check your settings there.

Already did, nothing related to this issue.

The Giving One Sep 1, 2018 @ 1:01pm

Originally posted by solaris32:
Already did, nothing related to this issue.

"Sign into friends when Steam starts" is there at the bottom, and does relate to this. If you have Steam set to launch automatically on boot, and you had that set to "on", it would always put you online right off the bat, on boot.

But from your reply, that seems to not be set incorrectly.

solaris32 Sep 1, 2018 @ 1:07pm

Originally posted by The Giving One:
Originally posted by solaris32:
Already did, nothing related to this issue.
"Sign into friends when Steam starts" is there at the bottom, and does relate to this. If you have Steam set to launch automatically on boot, and you had that set to "on", it would always put you online right off the bat, on boot.

But from your reply, that seems to not be set incorrectly.

I have sign into friends when steam starts to on, and steam is NOT set to launch on boot; I always start it manually.

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The Giving One Sep 1, 2018 @ 1:12pm

Originally posted by solaris32:
I have sign into friends when steam starts to on, and steam is NOT set to launch on boot; I always start it manually.

Then shouldn't that be set to off instead ? You do want to appear not online to those friends, right ?

Did I misunderstand your OP above ?

Originally posted by solaris32:
Used to I could appear offline while playing a game people would look on my profile and see me as offline. Now even with my friends list being offline everyone can still see the game I'm playing and that I really am online. Do they even know I'm offline if they try to message me? Sometimes I like to game in peace so I don't get messages.

You even mentioned "friends" here in the OP, as seeing you online and that might bother you with messages.

#11

solaris32 Sep 1, 2018 @ 1:20pm

Thanks a lot for your attempted help.

It seems the problem is archi steam farm, for card idling games. I guess it forces you to be visible for some reason. When I play an installed game myself appearing offline works.

I only ever checked when I was idling.

Last edited by solaris32; Sep 1, 2018 @ 1:22pm

#12