Getting Steamed

[Luddite]

Can anyone tell me if there is a way of getting Steam activation for an installation on a machine not internet connected?

Connection, even temporary, for my games machine is not an option. My internet access is through a work machine where I lack permission for installing programs.

Without a work round I think this is going to be the end of a long and beautifully blood thirsty relationship with the total war series.

[Sir Beane]

As far as I know there is absolutely no legal way of activating a Steam game without an internet connection.

[Luddite]

Thanks Sir Beane, what I thought no other options.

One other question if I installed the game on a third party machine with an active connection getting the activation code from steam. Then copied the installed files to my machine and edited the registry settings to account for the activation (I assume the activation is stored somewhere there), and then deleted the installation from the third party machine to avoid a requirement to buy the game twice, would such an approach:

1. be legal (most important!);
2. be technically possible;
3. and would any further connection be required if not re-installing and only playing sp off-line?

Any advice appreciated.

[Monk]

Ask a buddy to use his comp. Boot up steam and put Empire Total war on your steam account. Click on the games tab and go to the "activate product with steam" option, you'll need Online mode to do this but I don't think you need to install anything, just punch in a CD key. After the verification process, head on home.

At home, put steam in "offline" mode and log in. You will be on your steam account, but not on the net. In this way you will have access to all your steam games but still not net connected. Does this help?

This is all based on the belief that Empire does not need constant net connection, and only needs that first verification mind you. However if that is the case then this should work. Steam doesn't tie games to your comp, it ties them to your account. Therefore as long as you can log into your account, online or offline, you should have access to your games.

edit: I've clarified the first step a bit.

Oh and btw: Welcome to the .Org Luddite!

[Luddite]

Cheers Monk.

Never used Steam before so on a learning curve, but sounds like ETW might not be racked up as a recession saving after all.

[Sir Beane]

I can't believe I didn't think of Monk's solution! I was just assuming that Empire would require being constantly connected to the internet, but I realise that hasn't been mentioned anywhere just yet.

It's great you may actually be able to play the game Luddite!

[SirRethcir]

Ask a buddy to use his comp. Boot up steam and put Empire Total war on your steam account. Click on the games tab and go to the "activate product with steam" option, you'll need Online mode to do this but I don't think you need to install anything, just punch in a CD key. After the verification process, head on home.

At home, put steam in "offline" mode and log in. You will be on your steam account, but not on the net. In this way you will have access to all your steam games but still not net connected. Does this help?

This is all based on the belief that Empire does not need constant net connection, and only needs that first verification mind you. However if that is the case then this should work. Steam doesn't tie games to your comp, it ties them to your account. Therefore as long as you can log into your account, online or offline, you should have access to your games.

Pirates are welcome!

Seriously, I don't think that's possible. Otherwise CA/SEGA can drop the online activation altogether.

[Monk]

Pirates are welcome!

Seriously, I don't think that's possible. Otherwise CA/SEGA can drop the online activation altogether.

How is it pirating? He's buying the game and obtaining a CD key. That is the entire point of the CD key activation, to tie the key to THAT steam account so it cannot be used on another.

[Haxorsist]

Ask a buddy to use his comp. Boot up steam and put Empire Total war on your steam account. Click on the games tab and go to the "activate product with steam" option, you'll need Online mode to do this but I don't think you need to install anything, just punch in a CD key. After the verification process, head on home.

At home, put steam in "offline" mode and log in. You will be on your steam account, but not on the net. In this way you will have access to all your steam games but still not net connected. Does this help?

This is all based on the belief that Empire does not need constant net connection, and only needs that first verification mind you. However if that is the case then this should work. Steam doesn't tie games to your comp, it ties them to your account. Therefore as long as you can log into your account, online or offline, you should have access to your games.

edit: I've clarified the first step a bit.

Oh and btw: Welcome to the .Org Luddite!

I think he would have to connect to the internet once he's home anyway. If not, how would Steam know that he had validated the game on another PC if he never connects to the internet on his own PC? His Steam account on his own PC wouldn't be updated.

[Polemists]

Usually the internet activation creates a program file, let's call it X.

So when you activate it under Client name A you now have file XA. Now, you do not need to activate everytime you log in to play the game, you only need to do it once, during installation.

So you put file XA on a cd or floppy, put it in the proper folder, then when you get home and you install it does a check offline. Does the folder for X have a file for account A, it dosn't need to go online, only see that a file was created (which previously had to be done online). Then it says okay, you install, you play.


Only the installation requires you to get online once, there's no need to keep getting on. It was the same thing for spore, lots of people put the file on a cd/dvd, on comp, then activated installed and played.