Steam macOS 10.13 and 10.14 Support

[TheOrangeBox]

So STEAM decided to lock you out of your house 'cause they couldn't be bother to keep the game launcher supported for the game you purchased.

What a bunch of ludicrous policy when they're keep selling 32bit games on their store and now they've decided to lock you out.

Criminal Mobster

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EDIT: Below is a summary of some alternative after Feb 2024:

Alternative 1.
Look at some of the solutions suggested in the STEAM client survival kit found here:
https://blog.lightwo.net/steam-client-downgrades-survival-kit.html

Alternative 2.
Use terminal command without loading the built-in browser and instead use STEAM Small Mode, info found here:
https://garden.alessandrocuzzocrea.com/launch-steam-no-browser

Alternative 3.
Upgrade to Catalina and use Play on Mac (www.playonmac.com) as emulator to run 32bit games. Video tutorial found here:
https://youtu.be/DYom6i2CDec

Alternative 4.
Use SteamCMD in terminal for installing games checking steamdb.info for the package (game) IDs, info found here:
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD
https://steamdb.info/
Do note that using SteamCMD to install games will only work for DRM-free games.

Alternative 5.
Upgrade to Catalina and then install the free mac emulator 'The Porting Kit'. It allows to install STEAM using Wineskin and then be able to play 32bit games.
www.portingkit.com

[artmakersworlds]

Ok, so did they change their tune now? Just saying they don't know if games will work?
Seriously I only really love ONE GAME on steam. Governor of Poker 3. Does anyone know if this will continue to function? OR if I can even turn steam ON with my old mac running high sierra?

I was planning on blowing all my chips, make as many points for the team before I have to say goodbye and leave. BUT if there is a chance this one game will still work, HEY! Great.

Anyone know?


And please don't go off about security risks. The best security is not keeping anything on the computer you can't afford to lose and nothing critically important. I don't. so don't really worry about security. (Since the mid 90s, it's NEVER been a problem)

[TheOrangeBox]

Origineel geplaatst door emberfrost8:

Your suggestion for Steam to disable certain features like the shopping cart and retain launcher functionality could be a viable solution. Perhaps it would allow users to continue accessing their games while bypassing the limitations imposed by the outdated browser component.
Still, I think that this approach would require Steam to develop and maintain separate versions of their client for different macOS versions, which involves additional development and support resources.

You can purchase on STEAM via a normal web browser, so the shopping functionality can be accessible outside the STEAM application.

STEAM needs to resolve the issue of allowing older games to be accessible if you've the system to run them especially when you already purchased the product. GOG has a superior experience and consumer ethics in this regards. It doesn't lock out clients from their products.

STEAM first and foremost is a digital retail store, they sell third party products, imposing a de facto time based lock on the product is not a well thought legal stand.

A basic STEAM Launcher would resolve the issue as such functionality is already been developed and working on a wider of OS. If they deployed STEAM Link they can certainly deploy a STEAM Launch.

[Beetroot Bertie]

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/743F-2E0E-C9A5-C375

From their article, it looks like they will cease updates for Steam clients on High Sierra and Mojave from mid Feb. This, I would hope, should mean that you can still launch existing games from Steam on those versions of MacOS (at least for the time being).

At least they're not doing what they did when Snow Leopard was dropped and issuing a Steam update that simply refuses to open anymore.

Just before that date might be a good time to add the steam.cfg file mentioned earlier in the guide on page 1, to ensure no further updates could brick it.

[TheOrangeBox]

Origineel geplaatst door Beetroot Bertie:

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/743F-2E0E-C9A5-C375

From their article, it looks like they will cease updates for Steam clients on High Sierra and Mojave from mid Feb. This, I would hope, should mean that you can still launch existing games from Steam on those versions of MacOS (at least for the time being).

At least they're not doing what they did when Snow Leopard was dropped and issuing a Steam update that simply refuses to open anymore.

Just before that date might be a good time to add the steam.cfg file mentioned earlier in the guide on page 1, to ensure no further updates could brick it.

Yes we've read that but what they placed in a red UI label on your client side is "Steam will stop running on MacOS 10.14 in 72 days".

We should expect a more clear and cohesive communication instead of guessing what will happened after Feb 2024 or presuming that you can still run Mojave for the game that requires 32bit as STEAM support indicated.

I think people wants to know with clarity if STEAM will not launch as you mentioned it happened with Snow Leopard.

[artmakersworlds]

"Just before that date might be a good time to add the steam.cfg file mentioned earlier in the guide on page 1, to ensure no further updates could brick it."


Ok, unless your a computer programer, I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THAT MEANS OR HOW TO DO IT!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I think people wants to know with clarity if STEAM will not launch as you mentioned it happened with Snow Leopard."


YES EXACTLY. Will I still be able to play the games I have? Or do I need to say goodbye to my team and be sad.

[Beetroot Bertie]

Origineel geplaatst door artmakersworlds:

Ok, unless your a computer programer, I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THAT MEANS OR HOW TO DO IT.

You just have to create a text file with a single line of text in it and put it in a folder. If you check the guide section about preventing updates, it's all there.

@TheOrangeBox
I've not seen this red notification in Steam (High Sierra). I agree, some greater clarification from Steam would be ideal at this point. Noone wants to lose access to the things they've already purchased, on an OS that can still run them.

[TheOrangeBox]

Origineel geplaatst door Beetroot Bertie:

@TheOrangeBox
I've not seen this red notification in Steam (High Sierra). I agree, some greater clarification from Steam would be ideal at this point. Noone wants to lose access to the things they've already purchased, on an OS that can still run them.

I'm on Mojave and it shows on STEAM client - https://freeimage.host/i/JIFL2pa

Yes no good having community notice that leaves more questions than answers.
With Win 7 it appears that you'll still able to launch STEAM as they rephrased the notice, but that hasn't happened equally with OSX.

[Beetroot Bertie]

Just had an update with the included red notice. It does seem at odds with the wording in the support post which is pretty clear about it not getting further updates, rather than it ceasing to work.

Hopefully the Mac notice will get reworded to help clarify us 2nd class gaming citizens.

[emberfrost8]

Well, I agree with what you said about GoG. But are they going to update the list of the games and add more games that you can play?

[artmakersworlds]

When I launch a game, steam opens first. THIS is what I see. https://freeimage.host/i/JIBM7OF


"You just have to create a text file with a single line of text in it and put it in a folder. If you check the guide section about preventing updates, it's all there."

Pretty sure such a file would have to go through terminal and I''m not into that. Too easy to foul things up when one doesn't know what one is doing.

TO "prevent updates?????" I already do that. I UNchecked updates in the computer. And my daughter installed a version of firefox and fixed that to not automatically update. I just get one annoying pop up I have to dismiss once a day. Until my version stops working in too many places I'm leaving it alone.

Another browser I have to use for GOP3 is Brave and that one gives me a notice now that they cannot update, I need to update my browser. That goes away as soon as I start using it.
SCREW THE NON STOP UPDATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If it aint broke don't fix it.



Side note, I have to laugh. Youtube just started this thing where if you have adblock they won't run. So I heard. Seems to me their adblock detection only works on newer browsers so mine still works. HAHAHAHA. NO ads for me thank you.

[Beetroot Bertie]

I'm not saying any of this needs to be done as it's going to depend of whether Valve just stops updating Steam on High Sierra/Mojave or updates it in a manner that bricks it. It's simply a method to stop Steam updating itself if anyone is worried about that come any mid-Feb updates.

The file I'm referring to prevents Steam from updating itself, not other apps or MacOS or anything else from updating. This hopefully would prevent it from potentially locking you out with an update that won't open on your version of MacOS (like what happened with Steam and Snow Leopard). The file does not require any terminal use.

You create a text file in TextEdit, paste in the 1 line below and save it as "steam.cfg"

BootStrapperInhibitAll=enable

When you're ready to, this should be placed here:
~/Library/Application Support/Steam

The tilde ~ in the file path refers to your home directory which can be accessed quickly in the finder via the sidebar or by pressing CMD+Shift+H.

In the Snow Leopard days, it had to placed elsewhere by right-clicking the Steam app and selecting "Show Package Contents". It would have then been placed in Contents > MacOS but I'm not sure if that is necessary in High Sierra/Mojave given the other location mentioned.

I've contacted Steam support to ask for clarification about the issue of whether Steam will cease to work and will see what comes back from them.

[artmakersworlds]

copy; "When you're ready to, this should be placed here:
~/Library/Application Support/Steam"


RIght here we have a problem. I do not HAVE "library/Application".....

I have Library/Application Support and in there absolutely NOTHING with Steam on it.

Backed up, I do have Applications and the steam app is in there but NO folders saying steam support.


THIS is why I do not consider myself a computer teck.
I created the text file. (hope rich text is ok). Saved it on my desktop until I know where to put it.

[Beetroot Bertie]

I'm not sure about using rich text for this sort of thing, I know plain text worked in Snow Leopard though. It might be a safer bet to convert to plain text instead.

I forgot to remember (my apologies) that this Library folder is hidden by default. If you open a finder window and navigate to the "Go" menu at the top with alt pressed, it should reveal the library folder in your home directory temporarily.

You could alternatively select the "Go > Go to Folder" option and paste this:

~/Library

If you'd like to make this Library permanently visible, after you press CMD+Shift+H to open the home directory, press CMD+J (or select View > Show View Options from the top menu) and check the "Show Library Folder" box in the window that pops up.

[TheOrangeBox]

Origineel geplaatst door Beetroot Bertie:

. . .

You create a text file in TextEdit, paste in the 1 line below and save it as "steam.cfg"

BootStrapperInhibitAll=enable

. . .

I was looking at that too but I think you need to append the # before the line to be effective, passage from the guide with the note:

Origineel geplaatst door Guide:

Paste this in:

BootStrapperInhibitAll=enable

This can be disabled by prepending the line with a # so that it is commented out (ignored) until needed."

So my understanding is that the code should read:

# BootStrapperInhibitAll=enable

What do you think?

[Beetroot Bertie]

It's the other way around. The line without the # should disable the updates. The hash sign just turns the line into a comment (like notes programmers leave in to help), and will disable the function as it's understood as a comment rather than a command.

They're suggesting you could add it as a comment then remove the hashtag when you're ready for the command to be active.