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General discussion (archive)Steam EULA(33 posts)(33 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted September 15, 2012
This is NOT a hate on Steam post, it is a genuine question about Steam and I can't get on the Steam forums for some reason.

I have three computers that I use all the time. A desktop at my desk, a laptop that I move around with, and another desktop out in the den. All three are hooked up to a network and to the internet.

But I've read the fine print and still don't understand in PLAIN ENGLISH what I'm allowed and not allowed to do reference my Steam games. Do I have to uninstall Steam from each computer every time I switch to another to play a Steam game?? Can two computers play a Steam game simultaneously as long as they aren't the same game? If the answer to the first question is yes then the answer to the second is obviously no.

I just want to be able to play my Steam games on all three (at a minimum on the two desktops) with relative ease and without setting off some red flags to STeam that might get me banned.

Any help is very much appreciated. If none that's OK too, I understand.
Posted September 15, 2012
You can not be logged in on two computers at the same time, but you can install steam (and the games) on as many computers you want to.

If you want to have steam running on two machines at the same time, log into steam on one machine, restart in offline mode, then you can log into another.
Post edited September 15, 2012 by amok
Posted September 15, 2012
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amok: You can not be logged in on two computers at the same time, but you can install steam (and the games) on as many computers you want to.

If you want to have steam running on two machines at the same time, log into steam on one machine, restart in offline mode, then you can log into another.
Thank you. I thought of that as a way to do it, but wasn't sure if it would allow that and was very very unsure if Steam frowned upon that. I will give that a try when my nephew is here next week and out on the computer in the den.
Post edited September 15, 2012 by OldFatGuy
Posted September 15, 2012
You just can't play the games at the same time on two or more PCs.

(well, you can, if you put the other PCs into offline mode)
Posted September 15, 2012
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Elenarie: You just can't play the games at the same time on two or more PCs.

(well, you can, if you put the other PCs into offline mode)
Thank you very much. This is apparently the correct answer since I got it twice, and I will give this a try.
Post edited September 15, 2012 by OldFatGuy
Posted September 15, 2012
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OldFatGuy: Thank you. I thought of that as a way to do it, but wasn't sure if it would allow that and was very very unsure if Steam frowned upon that. I will give that a try when my nephew is here next week and out on the computer in the den.
As long as you are offline and don't tell anyone, it is not possible to find out if anyone is playing on whichever computer. It is only frowned upon if go and tell them, and then the only thing they can do is tell you that you should not really share your account. In other words, just as well you did not post this question on SPUF.
Post edited September 15, 2012 by amok
Posted September 15, 2012
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OldFatGuy: This is NOT a hate on Steam post, it is a genuine question about Steam and I can't get on the Steam forums for some reason.

I have three computers that I use all the time. A desktop at my desk, a laptop that I move around with, and another desktop out in the den. All three are hooked up to a network and to the internet.

But I've read the fine print and still don't understand in PLAIN ENGLISH what I'm allowed and not allowed to do reference my Steam games. Do I have to uninstall Steam from each computer every time I switch to another to play a Steam game?? Can two computers play a Steam game simultaneously as long as they aren't the same game? If the answer to the first question is yes then the answer to the second is obviously no.

I just want to be able to play my Steam games on all three (at a minimum on the two desktops) with relative ease and without setting off some red flags to STeam that might get me banned.

Any help is very much appreciated. If none that's OK too, I understand.
You're too honest of a man. Most of us would just do with Steam and those three computers what we wanted and then sue for privacy invasion if any complaints were challenged to us.
Posted September 15, 2012
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OldFatGuy: Thank you. I thought of that as a way to do it, but wasn't sure if it would allow that and was very very unsure if Steam frowned upon that. I will give that a try when my nephew is here next week and out on the computer in the den.
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amok: As long as you are offline and don't tell anyone, it is not possible to find out if anyone is playing on whichever computer. It is only frowned upon if go and tell them, and then the only thing they can do is tell you that you should not really share your account. In other words, just as well you did not post this question on SPUF.
I'm not sure that's true. As soon as the computer goes back online, wouldn't the client want to synchronize with the cloud?
Posted September 15, 2012
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hedwards: I'm not sure that's true. As soon as the computer goes back online, wouldn't the client want to synchronize with the cloud?
yes, but it will not say that it was not the legitimate user who used it or not, or when, just that the savegames are out of synch. For all they know....
Posted September 15, 2012
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hedwards: I'm not sure that's true. As soon as the computer goes back online, wouldn't the client want to synchronize with the cloud?
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amok: yes, but it will not say that it was not the legitimate user who used it or not, or when, just that the savegames are out of synch. For all they know....
That's true and at any rate, it's not desirable to play the same game on different computers in that way anyways as you lose your new saves.
Posted September 15, 2012
Thanks for all of the replies, I'll post back next week and let you know if this works.

I don't want to do anything "dishonest" but at the same time, I feel there's nothing wrong with me desiring to have a family member play one of MY games that I bought on MY compter that I bought while I'm playing one MY games that I bought.

I do get that playing the same game at the same time is/may be a violation of the EULA, and I do and will honor that gladly, I won't play the same game he's playing in the den at the same time. But I should be able to share my stuff with a live in family member. It's not like I'm giving him my password, I just want to set it up where he can play Fallout New Vegas out in the den (he's a huge FNV fan who has never finished it yet) and I want to be able to play my other games on Steam. That shouldn't be an out of bounds desire.
Post edited September 15, 2012 by OldFatGuy
Posted September 15, 2012
If steam connects and there is data from another PC in the steam cloud it will say there is a sync conflict and ask if you want to sync from the cloud to that pc, from that pc to the cloud or do nothing.

If you want to be sure the PC can run without issues, you can disable the network adapter or use a firewall to temporarily block steam when booting it in offline mode. Even in offline mode steam will check for client updates and if it finds one, download it and force steam to re-validate on install.
Posted September 16, 2012
You can of course completely avoid the problem of cloud saves overwriting local ones, by turning off cloud saves (check the game properties from the right click menu).
Posted September 16, 2012
I put a ton of casual games on my girl's laptop, put it on offline mode and sent her on her way. No problems.

Just installed Steam the other day on my host-family's computer here on my volunteer trip in Georgia and haven't had a problem there either. All good!
Posted September 16, 2012
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amok: If you want to have steam running on two machines at the same time, log into steam on one machine, restart in offline mode, then you can log into another.
But still, is that allowed? E.g. if the Steam client which is in offline mode decides to switch to online mode for any reason, and at that point Valve sees that the same account is active on two different PCs, even if they are not playing exactly the same game simultaneously?
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This is my favourite topic
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General discussion (archive)Steam EULA(33 posts)(33 posts)
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