Appear as Invisible option for Steam chat

[Mutated Plush]

Steam has four modes:
- Online
- Away
- Busy
- Offline
Almost every other platform like Steam have options to go offline or appear invisible, but why doesn't Steam?
Just a thought.

EDIT: People seem to be misunderstanding. What I mean is I want a feature that allows me to appear as offline but not have the disadvantage of being unable to message my friends.
For anyone who has used Discord, it has an invisible mode where no one knows you're online but you can still message your friends, use voice chat, etc.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Publicado originalmente por an lol mellow:

block it from ppl that arent logged in to?

Alt account, as I said. They can be logged in, as well as not on your friends, list and still see your account. You wouldn't even know it.

Publicado originalmente por Plush:

Thank you. It may not be as easy to access as it is on Discord or Origin, but I can't really sit here and complain about making an already implimented feature easier. Thank you :)

Welcome.

Feel free to suggest making it easier. I just wanted to make sure you knew it was possible to do already.

[Black Blade]

Publicado originalmente por an lol mellow:

block it from ppl that arent logged in to?

They used to have that, but users was thinking there safe as of it, when there where not as the user that wants to view just needs to make a new free account

Edit: Was too slow for the Ninja @Spawn of Totoro it seems

[HEART]

Publicado originalmente por Plush:

Publicado originalmente por Spawn of Totoro:

Go to your friends on you profile and click on a friend. There is an option on their profile to send a message. That opens a chat window where you can still message eachother and stay in off-line status.

Thank you. It may not be as easy to access as it is on Discord or Origin, but I can't really sit here and complain about making an already implimented feature easier. Thank you :)

Now go eat your cake :)

[Arax]

Publicado originalmente por Spawn of Totoro:

I am constantly in offline status and I can message my friends just fine as well as they can message me.

Doing exactly the same, but every time I open chat window or my internet connection disconnects+reconnects steam automatically changes my status form "offline" to "online" and I need to change it back to stay offline but last visit time updates... is there any settings to prevent that?
In other service I use the permanent invisible mode to appear offline without this problem.

[Black Blade]

Publicado originalmente por Arax:

Doing exactly the same, but every time I open chat window or my internet connection disconnects+reconnects steam automatically changes my status form "offline" to "online" and I need to change it back to stay offline but last visit time updates... is there any settings to prevent that?
In other service I use the permanent invisible mode to appear offline without this problem.

Steam -> Settings -> Friends -> unmark automaticliy log me in friends...
Something like that
Sadly for now when Steam loses the network it dose what ever its start up online/offline settings

[Ruinae Retroque Rursus]

Publicado originalmente por Spawn of Totoro:

Go to your friends on you profile and click on a friend. There is an option on their profile to send a message. That opens a chat window where you can still message eachother and stay in off-line status.

Did not know that. Hmm, could be useful - will be useful.


I do think that an extra "Invisible" would just make things a bit easier to use, but I have *no idea* how much hassle that would be to implement. Nooby me thinks it's relatively little, but such a status whereby you appear offline but still have the full functionality of the Friends sidebar (that little bar is a genius idea BTW - detachable, resizeable, search, everything you need on one drop-down menu. It's amazing).

[Mutated Plush]

Publicado originalmente por aidenpons:

Publicado originalmente por Spawn of Totoro:

Go to your friends on you profile and click on a friend. There is an option on their profile to send a message. That opens a chat window where you can still message eachother and stay in off-line status.

Did not know that. Hmm, could be useful - will be useful.


I do think that an extra "Invisible" would just make things a bit easier to use, but I have *no idea* how much hassle that would be to implement. Nooby me thinks it's relatively little, but such a status whereby you appear offline but still have the full functionality of the Friends sidebar (that little bar is a genius idea BTW - detachable, resizeable, search, everything you need on one drop-down menu. It's amazing).

Maybe they should just tweak Offline mode so you can still see your friends, but they all appear offline or at least have all their profile images set to greyscale so you can remember "oh yeah I'm set to offline mode".

[Ruinae Retroque Rursus]

Publicado originalmente por Plush:

Maybe they should just tweak Offline mode so you can still see your friends, but they all appear offline or at least have all their profile images set to greyscale so you can remember "oh yeah I'm set to offline mode".

Is this Steam running in Offline Mode or when you appear offline to your friends?

[Mutated Plush]

Publicado originalmente por aidenpons:

Publicado originalmente por Plush:

Maybe they should just tweak Offline mode so you can still see your friends, but they all appear offline or at least have all their profile images set to greyscale so you can remember "oh yeah I'm set to offline mode".

Is this Steam running in Offline Mode or when you appear offline to your friends?

When you set yourself to appear offline. Offline mode is fine how it is.

[Arax]

Publicado originalmente por Black Blade:

Steam -> Settings -> Friends -> unmark automaticliy log me in friends...
Something like that
Sadly for now when Steam loses the network it dose what ever its start up online/offline settings

Thanks for the hint!
Yes, unfortunately, Steam still have other occasions to change status by itself. Happens pretty often, so this "offline" status turns out to be not a static parameter, which can be changed only by demand, but something which depends on connection stability and maybe something else, idk.
Can't go for a "invisible mode" with this type of behaviour.

[Zalfir]

I'm the type that doesn't like being interrupted by social pressure when it's time to game. We just lost Offline mode and gained Invisible mode. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
So I'm necroing this thread to see what you all think.
Does this seem like a bonus, a malus, or a mix of both?

[Zekiran]

Publicado originalmente por Zalfir:

I'm the type that doesn't like being interrupted by social pressure when it's time to game. We just lost Offline mode and gained Invisible mode. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
So I'm necroing this thread to see what you all think.
Does this seem like a bonus, a malus, or a mix of both?

A loss. Fewer options is absolutely worse than adding invisible.

[Akweh]

Publicado originalmente por Zekiran:

Publicado originalmente por Zalfir:

I'm the type that doesn't like being interrupted by social pressure when it's time to game. We just lost Offline mode and gained Invisible mode. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
So I'm necroing this thread to see what you all think.
Does this seem like a bonus, a malus, or a mix of both?

A loss. Fewer options is absolutely worse than adding invisible.

I strongly agree with you both. We lost the "busy" status and the "appear as offline" got switched with "invisible". While "appear as offline" takes you away from the chat (and don't let you talk), it also "protects" you from all sorts of notifications that could disrupt your game (that can be simple toggled on and off); and "invisible" status, on the other hand, allow us to talk and lurk, but you also get all the notifications bumping on your screen, needing you to deactivate them by Steam>Settings and reactivating them all again after you exit your game.
C'mon, Valve! Lets have the best of both!

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Publicado originalmente por Arax:

Yes, unfortunately, Steam still have other occasions to change status by itself. Happens pretty often, so this "offline" status turns out to be not a static parameter, which can be changed only by demand, but something which depends on connection stability and maybe something else, idk.
Can't go for a "invisible mode" with this type of behaviour.

Publicado originalmente por Zalfir:

I'm the type that doesn't like being interrupted by social pressure when it's time to game. We just lost Offline mode and gained Invisible mode. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
So I'm necroing this thread to see what you all think.
Does this seem like a bonus, a malus, or a mix of both?

Publicado originalmente por Akaiyro:

I strongly agree with you both. We lost the "busy" status and the "appear as offline" got switched with "invisible". While "appear as offline" takes you away from the chat (and don't let you talk), it also "protects" you from all sorts of notifications that could disrupt your game (that can be simple toggled on and off); and "invisible" status, on the other hand, allow us to talk and lurk, but you also get all the notifications bumping on your screen, needing you to deactivate them by Steam>Settings and reactivating them all again after you exit your game.
C'mon, Valve! Lets have the best of both!

Publicado originalmente por *Locke*:

Why does the chat start permanently? I want to have this chat offline again! Where is the offline function? i want play online games without chat ! Dear Dampffteam please think about it! (i dont like--> forced chat start)
invisible good and beautiful, but the offline fashion must be back!

Many Thanks!

You all can stop replying to a year old thread now.

Offline mode is currently in the beta. They will push it to the release version when they can.

• Added 'Do Not Disturb' mode. When selected, the user will receive no notifications from friends or groups, incoming chat messages will not open new chat windows or play an incoming message sound.
  
• Added 'Offline' as a selectable status. This will log the user's client out of Steam Friends and the user will appear as offline to their friends.

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/SteamClientBeta#announcements/detail/1721949565424431614

[Zalfir]

Ich möchte auch offline gehen, aber nicht schlecht genug, um Valve zu stören.