Access to download and install my Steam games to Tablet

[HazardHawk]

Just like it says! I already own the games and can play them on any device to which they will download and install, but you have andriod blocked!

I have Starcraft, Heroes 3 with all expansions, Homeworld, Empire Earth, and more games than are easily listed playing on Android from disk, but Steam will not allow access to the ones I own through Steam on Andriod. When will you fix this?

[fluxtorrent]

Steam does not support mobile device versions at this time, hence it's not actually broken. The publishers would have to work with steam to allow for this. Technically your steam liscence does not cover any platforms not listed on the store page.

[HazardHawk]

I know they do not support it. That is why I am suggesting. DirectX 9.0b and before is easy to run on Android as most devics are more powerful than full blown computers back then. It only takes an active api that tells the exe it is in appropriate environment to make the component parts active as well to launch the game. Most people do not realize, only the exe is an action starter and the remainder of everything is data so it is only the exe that needs changing to remove the fooling portion of the activation of the exe.

Of course there would be a limit to what games were available, but we are talking games better than 10 years old do work perfectly so why not?

[fluxtorrent]

Largely because again it's something the publishers have to agree to, unless steam gets enough publishers saying "let's do this" the players wanting it won't matter. Many publishers won't agree because it will mean "less" sales due to steams "buy it for one platform, have it for all supported" policy.

[HazardHawk]

Alrighty then except I do not see Microsoft objecting to Age of Empires, Age of Empires 2, Age of Mythology, etc... or Sierra (or whoever currently owns the titles)) objecting to Homeworld one or two or any other company objecting because each curent sale is free money and it would spark sales through the roof making sure everyone had a copy for Android they would not be caught dead trying to install to their big fancy gaming rig! The argument doesnt hold up.

[fluxtorrent]

Except it would cut into sales for the versions they do put out for mobile already to let steam in on that market. Again this is something you have to convince the publisher of, not Valve. It's the same reason they wouldn't let steam NEAR their consoles to allow a single purchase for all platforms.

[aiusepsi]

You can't just run games designed for Windows on Android.

For one thing, Windows is x86 and Android is usually on ARM. At minimum, you're looking at a recompile, and a port over to that platform.

In general, yes, Steam could start distributing Android games. But it would be a very small number that had been specifically ported to Android.

[HazardHawk]

Originally posted by aiusepsi:

You can't just run games designed for Windows on Android.

For one thing, Windows is x86 and Android is usually on ARM. At minimum, you're looking at a recompile, and a port over to that platform.

In general, yes, Steam could start distributing Android games. But it would be a very small number that had been specifically ported to Android.

Actually, they do just run once you create an api that tells the exe it is in windows environment. There is a free version app and two paid version apps that do some games made specifically for directX 8 games. This is where I got the idea and started playing. I have already managed to get 2 dozen DirectX 9.01b and before games running n Android perfectly.

If I think about it this weekend I will take some pictures with my phone of the Tablet running Windows games installed from disk with the working windows folder simply copied over to Android and activated by an API and post it on Facebook to share the link back.

ONLY DirectX 9.01c games and after have multithread capabilities that Android does not support.

[Tito Shivan]

That's not how game licensing works. Same reason why I can't get my xbox CoD into my PC.

[HazardHawk]

No Offense Moderator, but that is exactly how game licensing works except through Steam where the consumer only pays to be allowed to play as long as Steam decides they will allow. How do you think we got games working in linux to begin with or in Apple software? I am doing absolutely no different and starting the conversations no differently.

It is easy to make work for the disk versions so it will eventually come down to people buying disks again rather than digital downloads or Steam will give in just like the did with Linux.

We are not talking about new games. We are talking about games that would surge in sales again to the profit of Steam and the Copyright owners. It is also only a matter of time before myself or someone else cracks the multithreading issue that disallows DirectX 9.01C and later games playing in Android. Soon as that happens there really will be no stopping the evolution.

[Tito Shivan]

Originally posted by HazardHawk:

How do you think we got games working in linux to begin with or in Apple software? I am doing absolutely no different and starting the conversations no differently.

A game working on different platforms and the same license working on both are very different subjects.
CoD BO works on Windows and MacOs. Yet you have to purchase it twice [on Steam] if you want to play it on both platforms.

It's the publisher's call, not Steam's

[TorMazila]

Originally posted by HazardHawk:

I know they do not support it. That is why I am suggesting. DirectX 9.0b and before is easy to run on Android as most devics are more powerful than full blown computers back then. It only takes

"It only takes" porting a game to android platform, essentially to Java/OpenGL or running a intel+windows pc emulator on your android device (go launch steam inside it and don't complain ). Even "Linux support" is limited to certain linux versions/flavours and hardware configurations.

And PC's "back then" still had more powerful CPU's than most android devices now - we've reached 3GHz CPU's over 5 years ago (you could OC Core2Duo 2.13GHz to 3.2GHz easily and Pentium4 had 3.4GHz stock clocks) and those GHz could do way more than ARM's 3GHz now. Tablets can watch mp4&etc. due to hardware decoders which computers didn't have. Videocards
outperformed most modern ARM chips at that time as well (surely, they consumed way more power).

There's no steam support on Android/iOS devices so far - and we desperately wish to get it. And not some "text messaging/shopping app".

Originally posted by HazardHawk:

Actually, they do just run once you create an api that tells the exe it is in windows environment. There is a free version app and two paid version apps that do some games made specifically for directX 8 games. This is where I got the idea and started playing. I have already managed to get 2 dozen DirectX 9.01b and before games running n Android perfectly.

ONLY DirectX 9.01c games and after have multithread capabilities that Android does not support.

What you're talking about is called "emulation" and running intel executables on ARM platform is definitely a "hardware emulation". Android on Intel is still a "single drop in the sea", like FreeBSD OS in gaming (not a big deal to compile anything running on linux - but rarely anyone even tries that).

Running anything inside the emulator means you could run steam client inside it and I see no issues about it except, maybe, licensing (Can't I run windows inside virtualbox/vmware and run steam there?). But any technical issues in such case are responsibility of the emulator developers.

[HazardHawk]

Thank you, I had not thought about an emulator. You just gave me a kind of side idea though and a new path to explore! It might take a while, but I will let you know!

[wuddih]

Originally posted by HazardHawk:

Actually, they do just run once you create an api that tells the exe it is in windows environment.

that is not how it works, that is not how any of this works.

[aiusepsi]

Android does support multi-threading. I've written code for Android that uses multiple threads. What are you talking about?

Originally posted by wuddih:

Originally posted by HazardHawk:

Actually, they do just run once you create an api that tells the exe it is in windows environment.

that is not how it works, that is not how any of this works.

Yeah.

[HazardHawk]

Originally posted by aiusepsi:

Android does support multi-threading. I've written code for Android that uses multiple threads. What are you talking about?

Originally posted by wuddih:

that is not how it works, that is not how any of this works.

Yeah.

I am completely self taught so I have no idea on some of the proper terminology. I have no shame in this! The fact of the matter is, it is not but a matter of time before Steam does port the gaming ability to Android. When they do, they will change the way all games work and challenge Google as Android Game sellers.

Originally posted by Tito Shivan:

Originally posted by HazardHawk:

How do you think we got games working in linux to begin with or in Apple software? I am doing absolutely no different and starting the conversations no differently.

A game working on different platforms and the same license working on both are very different subjects.
CoD BO works on Windows and MacOs. Yet you have to purchase it twice [on Steam] if you want to play it on both platforms.

It's the publisher's call, not Steam's

Tito, thank you for your efforts here in this forum, this is off topic, but this is the most recent place I have seen a Steam Employee Admin. In the Rome Total War Gold Forum we desperately need a sticky and while I know that is CA administrated, they have abandoned us.

Who would I contact to get this post made a sticky?
http://steamcommunity.com/app/4760/discussions/0/523898291502250484/