Suggestion: Universal Offline Mode - Steam Deck Necessity

[Quackzilla]

So I'm a again a PC gamer after many years of console, mainly handheld gaming. I just got a Steam Deck and had the displeasure of realizing that Steam's "offline mode", a feature I used extensively on laptops and when I had poor internet, is no longer universally supported by single player games.

Red Dead Redemption 2 requires a login on boot.

This means that when I take my Steam Deck on an airplane, or to a place without internet, I can't play this single-player game.

Allowing this type of DRM fundamentally breaks the Steam Deck and other handheld PCs that are out now or will be released in the future.

As an older Valve customer, I'm shocked and disappointed that the company would betray user trust by allowing 3rd party launchers, and especially 3rd party launchers that have DRM requiring an internet connection to boot or play.

My feature request is simple:

Bring back the old feature of games being able to boot in offline mode.

[Satoru]

Games can have legitimate reasons for not allowing offline mode and thus cannot be a 'requirement' given how games may behave

[nintendude794]

Instead, as I've seen some YouTubers suggest, there should be a category ABOVE 'Steam Deck Verified' like 'Steam Deck Perfect' or something, which would (among other things) require games to perform at their fullest whether the Deck is currently online or offline.

[Gwarsbane]

If you want games to be able to boot in offline mode contact the game developers to remove/change their DRM/launchers. Valve doesn't stop companies from using their own DRM/launchers.

They are not going to force companies to stop doing that as much as I wish they would. Why do they allow it? Because then the companies will just take their games to some other platform that allows it.

So my suggestion would be to look up what games you have don't need to log into the internet to be played and install those ones on the deck only.

Also the being able to boot in offline bode was never a thing, so nothing to bring back. They either needed an internet connect for their DRM/launcher or didn't... it was all up to the developer of the game.

[Aachen]

引用自 nintendude794：

Instead, as I've seen some YouTubers suggest, there should be a category ABOVE 'Steam Deck Verified' like 'Steam Deck Perfect' or something, which would (among other things) require games to perform at their fullest whether the Deck is currently online or offline.

“Deck anywhere?”

[Nx Machina]

引用自 Quackzilla：

Red Dead Redemption 2 requires a login on boot.

Because it requires verification of ownership via a Rockstar account linked to Steam.

[Satoru]

note that RDR2 has not been assessed by Valve for SteamDeck

When it does it will already give 'playable' with various warnings

Warnings which ALREADY INCLUDE things like

requires_internet_for_setup:
requires_internet_for_singleplayer:

Entry for GTAV

https://steamdb.info/app/271590/info/

This game's launcher/setup tool may require the touchscreen or virtual keyboard, or have difficult to read text
This game has minor graphics/display issues on Steam Deck
All functionality is accessible when using the default controller configuration
This game shows Steam Deck controller icons
In-game interface text is legible on Steam Deck
This game's default graphics configuration performs well on Steam Deck

Note: This game's first-time setup requires an active Internet connection
Note: Singleplayer gameplay requires an active Internet connection


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2790308219

[Quackzilla]

引用自 Nx Machina：

引用自 Quackzilla：

Red Dead Redemption 2 requires a login on boot.

Because it requires verification of ownership via a Rockstar account linked to Steam.

Why would that need to happen more than once? And why the redundant layer? Steam already does this.

[Quackzilla]

引用自 Satoru：

Games can have legitimate reasons for not allowing offline mode and thus cannot be a 'requirement' given how games may behave

Gonna need more details on the specific reason that Red Dead Redemption 2 singleplayer needing to be logged in to a social media account to play by yourself is a legitimate reason to require online.

[nullable]

引用自 Quackzilla：

As an older Valve customer, I'm shocked and disappointed that the company would betray user trust by allowing 3rd party launchers, and especially 3rd party launchers that have DRM requiring an internet connection to boot or play.

Not old enough to remember the fuss over Half-Life 2's launch then are you?

Also, for non-Valve games, Steam is the 3rd party launcher. If you have a problem with 3rd party launchers buy games directly from the publisher and so you only have to use their first party launcher.

引用自 Quackzilla：

My feature request is simple:

Bring back the old feature of games being able to boot in offline mode.

Most games can, there's always been exceptions. If in-ability to function offline hurts game sales enough publishers will support it. And if it doesn't, progress continues. Steam doesn't exist to force your values upon others.

Steam is not gaming's mom. They don't control the industry. And if you think Valve can use Steam's relative dominance to start making demands and controlling publishers and developers it seems like being older hasn't made you wise. And you've missed how Steam became so popular, not just among gamers, but developers/publishers too. It wasn't by Valve using Steam as a club to control other businesses...

[my new friend]

引用自 Quackzilla：

引用自 Satoru：

Games can have legitimate reasons for not allowing offline mode and thus cannot be a 'requirement' given how games may behave

Gonna need more details on the specific reason that Red Dead Redemption 2 singleplayer needing to be logged in to a social media account to play by yourself is a legitimate reason to require online.

Ask Rockstar.

[Satoru]

引用自 Quackzilla：

引用自 Satoru：

Games can have legitimate reasons for not allowing offline mode and thus cannot be a 'requirement' given how games may behave

Gonna need more details on the specific reason that Red Dead Redemption 2 singleplayer needing to be logged in to a social media account to play by yourself is a legitimate reason to require online.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2790308219

[Mad Scientist]

引用自 Quackzilla：

引用自 Satoru：

Games can have legitimate reasons for not allowing offline mode and thus cannot be a 'requirement' given how games may behave

Gonna need more details on the specific reason that Red Dead Redemption 2 singleplayer needing to be logged in to a social media account to play by yourself is a legitimate reason to require online.

Maybe ask the Developer/Publisher of the game instead of thinking Valve or users will have the answer?

[Nx Machina]

引用自 Quackzilla：

Why would that need to happen more than once? And why the redundant layer? Steam already does this.

Because Steam is the 3rd party launcher in this scenario and Rockstar Launcher boots in order for you to access the game via Steam.

Secondly RDR2 does not have an offline mode.

And finally for your info:

If you own RDR2 on Rockstar Launcher and your internet is down you cannot play RDR2.

[Brian9824]

引用自 Quackzilla：

引用自 Satoru：

Games can have legitimate reasons for not allowing offline mode and thus cannot be a 'requirement' given how games may behave

Gonna need more details on the specific reason that Red Dead Redemption 2 singleplayer needing to be logged in to a social media account to play by yourself is a legitimate reason to require online.

Ask Rockstar, its their game. Steam doesn't tell them how to design their games, so if that is their requirement then you have to live with it or complain to the developer.

Steam can't force developers to design their games around what you want. Neither did they ever promise you can play every game in off line mode.

[Quackzilla]

I'm just saying here, there needs to be a push against this. Responses that "this is how it is" or "there are legitimate reasons" are missing my point. This IS how it is. But there's not legitimate reason for single-player to require and internet connection and this is something bad about the industry that needs to change.