Ok, so how do i migrate my copy of STO into steam now that it's installed? I bought the retail copy and did it in, normally in steam for any steam compatible game you'd just chuck the CD key in there and you're on your bike, this didnt happen for STO, it refused the key. I've seen people playing STO directly thru steam as opposed to as a "non steam game" connection. How do i do that or is that _only_ for steam users?
Ok, so how do i migrate my copy of STO into steam now that it's installed? I bought the retail copy and did it in, normally in steam for any steam compatible game you'd just chuck the CD key in there and you're on your bike, this didnt happen for STO, it refused the key. I've seen people playing STO directly thru steam as opposed to as a "non steam game" connection. How do i do that or is that _only_ for steam users?
The best you can do is add a shortcut to the STO exe so it appears in your game list. Friends will see "<name> is playing a non-steam game Star Trek Online"
That's the best you can do. Very few games allow you to enter in a key from a retail copy and add it to your steam account.
You should be able to add it to the non steam games list, but this would just be pretty much a shortcut to the launcher and wouldn't show up as part of your steam network, least according to my 1 year + information. I haven't frequented steam in ages. Other games that you have mentioned have steam prebuilt in either as a requirement (which generally is the case) or as an optional feature. Such is the case with Empire Total War, um, can't quite recall any others off the top of my head, I've been avoiding steam for a bit but I'm certain there are others. These games were integrated with steam ahead of time.
In short, yes you can add it as a shortcut into my games, but that's all it'll ever be, a shortcut to the launcher no different from one on the desktop. To have any sort of linked functionality with steam, you'll need to buy it through steam, though I suppose you could always send an e-mail to steam's support requesting that they add it onto your games list, which I would doubt would work but you can always try.
More info, when you add a shortcut to the game in Steam and launch it through Steam you will get the Steam Overlay. You're really only missing two things anyways, Steam keeping track of your game time and Steam having the retail copy on hand for you to download from them. That second one is pretty pointless for an MMO anyways, since a few months in you'll probably have multi-gigabyte patches over the retail.
A game has to be registered (not just shortcutted) with Steam and, additionally, have Steamworks features worked into it to use features like achievements and global keybinds.
Not yet, but it is planned. We do have support for Steam achievements just like in CO, there just aren't any in the system. There is no reason it can't work even as a non-native, just not sure if they set up the API to recognize it.
Not yet, but it is planned. We do have support for Steam achievements just like in CO, there just aren't any in the system. There is no reason it can't work even as a non-native, just not sure if they set up the API to recognize it.
Thats great news (the first part). Though shouldn't you be in bed?
One of the many reasons why I think Xfire is better I'd just really like to see more companies take advantage of xfires profile system like Blizzard did with world of warcraft characters.
One of the many reasons why I think Xfire is better I'd just really like to see more companies take advantage of xfires profile system like Blizzard did with world of warcraft characters.
I have to say I agree. I purchased through steam also and I was not about to re-download the game when all I had to do was patch the beta client. Xfire just picked it up and I kept moving. Also I love the in-game overlays with xfire. The browser saves me from having to tab out of game.
One of the many reasons why I think Xfire is better I'd just really like to see more companies take advantage of xfires profile system like Blizzard did with world of warcraft characters.
Should be pretty easy to add. I'll look into it when I get back.
I'd also love to be able to add my retail STO properly to Steam, so I get a nice icon and it tracks stuff. And the achievements, of course. At the very least I'd like a nice image for the new UI's grid view.
Any chance we'll be able to convert our retail keys into Steam keys? Pretty please?
it's very easy, Steam is the #1 program game developers use to sell games these days, it puts the ability to advertise there game right on the users desktop.
I'd also love to be able to add my retail STO properly to Steam, so I get a nice icon and it tracks stuff. And the achievements, of course. At the very least I'd like a nice image for the new UI's grid view.
Any chance we'll be able to convert our retail keys into Steam keys? Pretty please?
Unfortunately there isn't a way to do it at this time without exposing more customer data than we are comfortable with to Valve :-/
I have to say I agree. I purchased through steam also and I was not about to re-download the game when all I had to do was patch the beta client. Xfire just picked it up and I kept moving. Also I love the in-game overlays with xfire. The browser saves me from having to tab out of game.
One-time mistake. I've got a dozen games from Steam, including a couple that I pre-ordered through them, none of them did that. Also, Steam has had an in-game browser for years. The new Steam update (in public beta now) is upgrading that too.
Plus there's the fact that no one I know even runs Xfire anymore. Everyone's moved to Steam.
Unfortunately there isn't a way to do it at this time without exposing more customer data than we are comfortable with to Valve :-/
Someone +1ed this, i'll -1 this. I am quite comfortable with having my customer data given to valve so i can run this game. I mean obviously if you dont have a steam account then why bother, but if you have a steam account then any customer details cryptic has then steam has already (Steam has my CC number, billing address and the like, no different then cryptic).
And no offence, i do tend to trust valve more because they dont use a web page for sending and retreiving confidential information from a server
True enough, xfires only advantage is it tracks tme played in what game without having to start it via it, wherase Steam you do need to do that, and I don't think it records stats for shortcutted games. BUt yeah, most people are on steam nowdays.
Could this possibly be an opt-in option down the track, with the default being no ?
I'm actaully kinda bummed now, i forked out for the game at EB because of the DS9/TNG uniforms (and cause i dont have a CC), when i could haev bought it on steam for half the price i paid in store, steam integration adn achivements + the chromodynamic armor and the TOS connie, WTF was i paying twice the price for at EB if i get half the functionality the steam version had?
The only functionality that is added by having it as Steam-native is having your achievements (when we have any) show up in Steam. Not sure I call that "half the functionality" given that the game still tracks them just fine without Steam.
as you said, achivements are there, global keybindings through steamworks, the ability to schedule patch updates at my leisure, downloading teh content from local "free" sources. There is a lot more to steam integration then simply achivements. I had to download 2 gigs of patch material when i first installed STO, and i couldn't pick a quota free location to download it from, cryptic's launcher just pulled it down, at a very SLOW speed from whoever the hell it defaults to as a mirror. Now in america that may not seem like much of an issue, but in Austraila, Singapore, New Zealand, most countries in the pacific where we pay up the TRIBBLE for miniscule quota, it's a frakload.
And the other gripe is still that i buy it in store fore 80 bucks and get a fraction of the "bonus" free content from the steam store which was again, half the price.
This may not make you feel better, but Steam doesn't update STO patches. It simply downloads the Launcher, which we have to use to grab the patches, just like anybody else.
but that just brings up the new point, will cryptic launch "regional" download locations, so australians, new zealanders and the like can get their patches faster and "freer" then we do now?
As mentioned, patching is not done via Steam. Even if we issue an update to Steam, because the same is tagged as an MMO the client knows to ignore it. We do not honor global keybinds as far as I know, mostly because I haven't gotten to it (and because the system doesn't mesh super well with MMOs anyway). As for PO bonus items, you certainly wouldn't get those just because we allowed registering the game with Steam.
Not even remotely. I do a lot of FOSS work, or at least I used to, STO launch has been taking most of my time as you might have guessed ;-) At Pycon I was talking with a bunch of people about how great achievements are at getting people to do things they would never otherwise think of, so its an experiment at applying that to FOSS.
Comments
The best you can do is add a shortcut to the STO exe so it appears in your game list. Friends will see "<name> is playing a non-steam game Star Trek Online"
That's the best you can do. Very few games allow you to enter in a key from a retail copy and add it to your steam account.
In short, yes you can add it as a shortcut into my games, but that's all it'll ever be, a shortcut to the launcher no different from one on the desktop. To have any sort of linked functionality with steam, you'll need to buy it through steam, though I suppose you could always send an e-mail to steam's support requesting that they add it onto your games list, which I would doubt would work but you can always try.
Wait, are the STO Steam achievements working?
A game has to be registered (not just shortcutted) with Steam and, additionally, have Steamworks features worked into it to use features like achievements and global keybinds.
Thats great news (the first part). Though shouldn't you be in bed?
If he slept, who would take the chair out for a walk?
They do not
I have to say I agree. I purchased through steam also and I was not about to re-download the game when all I had to do was patch the beta client. Xfire just picked it up and I kept moving. Also I love the in-game overlays with xfire. The browser saves me from having to tab out of game.
Any chance we'll be able to convert our retail keys into Steam keys? Pretty please?
One-time mistake. I've got a dozen games from Steam, including a couple that I pre-ordered through them, none of them did that. Also, Steam has had an in-game browser for years. The new Steam update (in public beta now) is upgrading that too.
Plus there's the fact that no one I know even runs Xfire anymore. Everyone's moved to Steam.
Someone +1ed this, i'll -1 this. I am quite comfortable with having my customer data given to valve so i can run this game. I mean obviously if you dont have a steam account then why bother, but if you have a steam account then any customer details cryptic has then steam has already (Steam has my CC number, billing address and the like, no different then cryptic).
And no offence, i do tend to trust valve more because they dont use a web page for sending and retreiving confidential information from a server
Could this possibly be an opt-in option down the track, with the default being no ?
as you said, achivements are there, global keybindings through steamworks, the ability to schedule patch updates at my leisure, downloading teh content from local "free" sources. There is a lot more to steam integration then simply achivements. I had to download 2 gigs of patch material when i first installed STO, and i couldn't pick a quota free location to download it from, cryptic's launcher just pulled it down, at a very SLOW speed from whoever the hell it defaults to as a mirror. Now in america that may not seem like much of an issue, but in Austraila, Singapore, New Zealand, most countries in the pacific where we pay up the TRIBBLE for miniscule quota, it's a frakload.
And the other gripe is still that i buy it in store fore 80 bucks and get a fraction of the "bonus" free content from the steam store which was again, half the price.
but that just brings up the new point, will cryptic launch "regional" download locations, so australians, new zealanders and the like can get their patches faster and "freer" then we do now?
CSS, Java, and API? Is this work related?
No this is something else.....gonna have to investigate...:p