Suggestion: Add an option to launch a game without checking for updates to the base game or Workshop mods

[blue_lue]

Apologies for any potential machine translation errors.

Hi everyone, I’ve noticed that every time I launch a game through Steam, it automatically checks for and downloads the latest updates for both the base game and any Workshop mods. Some games offer a “beta” option to opt out of updates (though not all do, and betas don’t always cover every version), but there’s no equivalent for Workshop mods. For heavily modded games (for example, games from Paradox Interactive or RimWorld), these automatic updates can easily break existing save files or introduce bugs—especially since many of us only have one or two precious hours to play after a full day of work, and can’t finish a session before an update kicks in.

Sometimes I try using Steam’s offline mode or loading local copies of mods, but offline mode doesn’t record my playtime or achievements, and some games don’t work well with locally installed mods. Adding a simple “launch without checking for updates” option seems like a straightforward feature. I hope the Steam developers will consider implementing it.

[VaLiuM]

There are dozens of threads about it, if you had searched before posting.

Steam offers the latest versions for games and mods, always has been this way, except for mods which were introduced later but same goes for them.

You'll have to ask the devs or publisher to make a beta for older game versions.

Mods are UGC (User Generated Content) and if they are not being updated with the current game version, so it is.

Then you'll have to ask the modders in question to update their mod(s).

[William Shakesman]

Been a badly needed feature for some time but Valve has not implemented yet. Workshop mod versioning would probably require some rework of some sort as I am not aware of any user-friendly, or even user-unfriendly way to stay on older versions of workshop mods within Steam. Steam always fetches the newest workshop mod instantly even if you haven't touched the game in ages, which is the typical wasteful decision Valve prefers.

As a workaround, I have not tested this myself, you should probably talk within the game forums and see if anyone else has similar issues and similar success, when you start one of these games that you need the version locked for, copy the entire install folder out and paste it somewhere else and launch that through a shortcut rather than double clicking in Steam. Steam can update the main game folder all day, but you should be able to freeze a version of a game in that manner... totally theoretically. I have not tested.

Originally posted by VaLiuM:

There are dozens of threads about it, if you had searched before posting.

Steam offers the latest versions for games and mods, always has been this way, except for mods which were introduced later but same goes for them.

You'll have to ask the devs or publisher to make a beta for older game versions.

Mods are UGC (User Generated Content) and if they are not being updated with the current game version, so it is.

Then you'll have to ask the modders in question to update their mod(s).

And not a one of them has an official answer. Also, had you read the OP, he also doesn't want the mods to update either.

[VaLiuM]

Originally posted by William Shakesman:

As a workaround, I have not tested this myself, you should probably talk within the game forums and see if anyone else has similar issues and similar success, when you start one of these games that you need the version locked for, copy the entire install folder out and paste it somewhere else and launch that through a shortcut rather than double clicking in Steam. Steam can update the main game folder all day, but you should be able to freeze a version of a game in that manner... totally theoretically. I have not tested.

That is the way to go. Set the game to update only at launch, make a copy of the old game folder once a update comes in, update the game, delete the updated folder, copy the old one back. Repeat every time a update comes in.

Originally posted by William Shakesman:

And not a one of them has an official answer. Also, had you read the OP, he also doesn't want the mods to update either.

Then ask yourself why, Steam doesn't want to get flooded with technical support asking why this and that game doesn't work anymore as it should. I also read about mods and the same goes for them. If i hadn't read about them, i wouldn't have addressed them.

Also mods are completely optional and no matter how you twist it, they aren't developed at the same time, some will always be outdated while some are always up to date. A do not update feature would be useless there as well. Except if you could get them elsewhere too.

Game updates are sometimes crucial and not having them can lead to lots of problems and issues like flooded hub discussions about already solved issues with the game, support tickets and other side-effects.

There are multiple ways to play a specific game version even with mods.

And for that a "do not update anything feature" isn't required really.

Devs already have the beta feature, them not utilizing it is their problem.

It would make things easier but it's not mandatory.

[William Shakesman]

Originally posted by VaLiuM:

Then ask yourself why, Steam doesn't want to get flooded with technical support asking why this and that game doesn't work anymore as it should. I also read about mods and the same goes for them.

Game updates are sometimes crucial and not having them can lead to lots of problems and issues like flooded hub discussions about solved issues, support tickets and other side-effects.

There are multiple ways to play a specific game version even with mods.

And for that a "do not update anything feature" isn't required really.

It would make things easier but it's not mandatory.

I don't have to ask myself why or invent answers for that question. The majority of software and software distribution systems throughout history did not include auto-updates and boards were not permanently flooded then. A more likely answer is Steam is scaled upward from a distribution platform of three games where always up to date made perfect sense: HL2, TF2, and CS2, as all three are primarily multiplayer, and only much later took on these bloated modfest strategy games. Steam wasn't a mod distribution center either until one day it was. But if there is one thing you can count on out of Steam, it is inertia. And Valve Time if you want to make it two.

[VaLiuM]

I've added more than you quoted, sorry about that, haha.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by William Shakesman:

Steam always fetches the newest workshop mod instantly even if you haven't touched the game in ages, which is the typical wasteful decision Valve prefers.

Wrong seeing as how i have an old version of Hearts of Iron IV with modes compatible with the game version. Neither the mods nor game update because i am on a beta branch.

[VaLiuM]

Originally posted by Nx Machina:

Wrong seeing as how i have an old version of Hearts of Iron IV with modes compatible with the game version. Neither the mods nor game update because i am on a beta branch.

I haven't tested myself but that would mean that the beta branch disables ALL updates, be it game or mods. That is what i concluded for Euro Truck Simulator 2 as well. Beta's have a influence on the state of the game and available mods.

[William Shakesman]

Originally posted by VaLiuM:

I've added more than you quoted, sorry about that, haha.

Oh no need to apologize at all. It is perfectly fine. I do it all the time. No need to go line by line, it is not a deathmatch. I would only add in light of your addition that most features of games are as technically unnecessary as mods. But they are still important to users. The primary use case of Rimworld is with mods. Workshop can work against itself in these precise use cases, but this is also one of those weird edge cases "one size fits all systems" inevitably run into. In most cases for workshop the auto update paradigm is perfectly appropriate, except for this nontrivial but rare one. It is a tough question, especially for a system that serves mods, custom maps, custom chars, and many other things all with one button. I do not know if you can square that circle easily in a system like this.

[VaLiuM]

Well, if a beta participation solves both issues, games and mods, there wouldn't be anything left.

For Skyrim i also did the copy folder, update and copy back trick and it always worked (in the past).

I doubt VALVe will ever implement this, considering beta branches are a thing already but not having this feature still allows for different workarounds.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by VaLiuM:

I haven't tested myself but that would mean that the beta branch disables ALL updates, be it game or mods. That is what i concluded for Euro Truck Simulator 2 as well. Beta's have a influence on the state of the game and available mods.

For Hearts of Iron IV you get an incompatible message regarding any mods if you update the game. The beta version allows you to roll back the game to the mod compatible version and in turn it turns off both mod and game updates.