OS X Steam won't recognise installed game

[saturnotaku]

Absolutely no other software has been installed and no backups restored. Simply OSX, Steam & Steam Games.

What is the build date of your Steam client? It's in the "about" menu. Mine is still Oct. 22 and doesn't have any of the problems you describe. I know there's a more recent version (dated Nov. 11-12) and I'm wondering if that release hasn't caused the additional problems you're experiencing.

I tried to update my client, but the "patch" wouldn't download, so I'm wondering if perhaps Valve pulled it for the Mac because of the issues.

 

[Janichsan]

Mine is still Oct. 22 and doesn't have any of the problems you describe. I know there's a more recent version (dated Nov. 11-12) and I'm wondering if that release hasn't caused the additional problems you're experiencing.

The issue with the vanishing games came definitely with the November 11 version.

 

[xSinghx]

Unless you move them to a new machine or freshly installed system. Then you have to authenticate them again.

Which is outside the scope of what he was saying and misses his point completely.

BTW if there is some hidden method of authentication outside of simply installing from the MAS I'd like to know.

As a test, I installed Bioshock last night on my desktop as I've previously bought and played it on my laptop. Here was the process:

1) Open MAS, simply clicked install on Bioshock.
2) Once finished I unplugged my internet connection
3) Launched Bioshock for the first time and played it - the end.

No request for authentication, no difficulty playing the game. All you are really saying is that if you move to a new system, you will need an internet connection to download it again from the MAS and if the MAS doesn't exist you won't have the ability to do so.

Big deal - nothing is future proof - and the original post was accurate:

"MAS you download the whole game, no interface etc required to play, I have the whole game to do with what I will, if I choose to never use the MAS again I can still play my games"

 

[Huntn]

You mentioned you are running Mavericks, but what other apps have you installed on your Mac? I ask because about a year ago, I had some performance problems with my iMac - stuttering, delaying, beach ball while playing games or browsing. I thought it was Steam, too, so I uninstalled it and reinstalled it, losing all my save games in the process, because I didn't know how to save them at the time.

I also ended up reinstalling OSX in the end, because the problem was some little app downloaded from the web that was incompatible with my system.

Just my two cents.

PS - I am having the pop up issue everyone else is having, so Steam isn't perfect for me.

Of note, delays and lots of spinning beach balls can indicate a bad hard drive.

 

[roadbloc]

Which is outside the scope of what he was saying and misses his point completely.

BTW if there is some hidden method of authentication outside of simply installing from the MAS I'd like to know.

As a test, I installed Bioshock last night on my desktop as I've previously bought and played it on my laptop. Here was the process:

1) Open MAS, simply clicked install on Bioshock.
2) Once finished I unplugged my internet connection
3) Launched Bioshock for the first time and played it - the end.

No request for authentication, no difficulty playing the game. All you are really saying is that if you move to a new system, you will need an internet connection to download it again from the MAS and if the MAS doesn't exist you won't have the ability to do so.

You are aware that Steam is exactly the same right? Add switch to Offline Mode to step 2 and you're away. Granted, you still need Steam running, but the change of a few settings Steam can be nothing but an icon in the system tray that is there when you're running a game.

 

[Janichsan]

1) Open MAS, simply clicked install on Bioshock.
2) Once finished I unplugged my internet connection
3) Launched Bioshock for the first time and played it - the end.

No request for authentication, no difficulty playing the game. All you are really saying is that if you move to a new system, you will need an internet connection to download it again from the MAS and if the MAS doesn't exist you won't have the ability to do so.

No, I'm explicitly not talking about the download. Download != authentication. Authentication also happens offline when you have an active MAS account on your computer – which requires logging in to the MAS beforehand via an online connection.

You should be able to see what I mean by doing one of two things with your Bioshock from the MAS:
a) Deinstall it completely, redownload it, log out of the MAS, and then run it.
b) Move your game to an external drive, take that to another Mac that is not yours, try to run it.

This is what you'll see:

The MAS DRM is relatively unobtrusive and lenient, but it's not so lenient that it wouldn't check if you are allowed to run an app at some point.

 

[bmac89]

What is the build date of your Steam client? It's in the "about" menu. Mine is still Oct. 22 and doesn't have any of the problems you describe. I know there's a more recent version (dated Nov. 11-12) and I'm wondering if that release hasn't caused the additional problems you're experiencing.

I tried to update my client, but the "patch" wouldn't download, so I'm wondering if perhaps Valve pulled it for the Mac because of the issues.

Build: Nov 11

 

[xSinghx]

Granted, you still need Steam running...

Exactly and given Steam is trash on a mac = the point of this thread.

 

[xSinghx]

No, I'm explicitly not talking about the download. Download != authentication...

The MAS DRM is relatively unobtrusive and lenient, but it's not so lenient that it wouldn't check if you are allowed to run an app at some point.

Right so back to the original post you're raising all this fuss about:

"MAS you download the whole game, no interface etc required to play, I have the whole game to do with what I will, if I choose to never use the MAS again I can still play my games"

Nothing you've said contradicts his statement above and the objecting was unnecessary from the beginning.

 

[Janichsan]

Right so back to the original post you're raising all this fuss about:
…
Nothing you've said contradicts his statement above and the objecting was unnecessary from the beginning.

Except that this part is plain wrong:

… I have the whole game to do with what I will, if I choose to never use the MAS again I can still play my games, that was my point.

Is that really so difficult to get into your head? You can not do what you will with the game and you can not choose to never use the MAS again. Sooner or later you will have to re-authenticate it and to do that you will have to use the MAS.

 

[roadbloc]

Exactly and given Steam is trash on a mac = the point of this thread.

Only this current update. It isn't as if Valve are just going to leave it broken are they? Valve have updated their stuff pretty much on a weekly basis for as long as I can remember.

OP: Does opting into the Steam Client Beta solve any issues?

 

[Janichsan]

Only this current update. It isn't as if Valve are just going to leave it broken are they? Valve have updated their stuff pretty much on a weekly basis for as long as I can remember.

There was an update today and fixes for Mac regarding Universal Access and the firewall were mentioned, and this seems to be the case. I can't say for sure yet whether this update fixes the other problems I had as well.

 

[N19h7m4r3]

I must be the most fortunate Steam user around. I've never had issues, since using it on Windows from the Half-Life 2 release, and since I got my first Mac in 2012.

Never had an issue, and I have no issues with Steam DRM at all. Hell even buying a boxed game from Feral directly only gives you a limited number of installs. I'd rather deal with Steam in that regard, along with the world's largest games library, and extremely competitive pricing.

I've had more issues with games through the MAS, and GameAgent than anything else. So bad that Aspyr's support were completely stumped for a while as to the issue.

In the end all services have issues, I'd rather work through it, and figure things out than go on a rant each time something happens( even if it happens to someone else ).

In fact I've had far more issues with Blizzard lately, where I couldn't even login or use their Battle.net Launcher to play something.

 

[saturnotaku]

There was an update today and fixes for Mac regarding Universal Access and the firewall were mentioned, and this seems to be the case. I can't say for sure yet whether this update fixes the other problems I had as well.

I can confirm the firewall and universal access problems have been fixed in the build dated Nov. 19. This is on my MBP running 10.9.5. The client also seems to load a bit faster, too, which is a nice bonus. It took long enough, but good on Valve for addressing these issues.

 

[Irishman]

Exactly and given Steam is trash on a mac = the point of this thread.

Except it's not. You're generalizing.

 

[xSinghx]

Except that this part is plain wrong:

Is that really so difficult to get into your head? You can not do what you will with the game and you can not choose to never use the MAS again. Sooner or later you will have to re-authenticate it and to do that you will have to use the MAS.

Jesus the guy wasn't writing a legal document. He was making a general statement - and generally he's correct. As you've already agreed to:

"The MAS DRM is relatively unobtrusive and lenient..."

All of your noise on the issue is just trivial one-upmanship that's not even within the scope of the general discussion and also presumptuous to the end user's experience. I've had Bioshock on my Macbook for years (when I first bought the computer) and don't use the MAS or sign in etc (since buying it at the start) - no problems running it and I've never been asked to re-authenticate. Any authentication that you could argue about is invisible to my experience and therefore largely irrelevant. To the author's point - this is not the case with other clients like Steam, Uplay, Orgin etc.

You're just quibbling over a distinction you're not willing to make.

 

[Alrescha]

Except it's not. You're generalizing.

This.

Innocent user that I am, I downloaded and installed Steam on my Mac not knowing what terrible things would happen. And, amazingly, none of them did. It is not perfect - few things are - but any problems it has are in the noise. I play my games and all is right in the world.

A.

 

[xSinghx]

Except it's not. You're generalizing.

You're right I am - based on my experience with both the mac client and the pc client. I have experienced substantially more issues (more often) on the mac side than running it on windows with bootcamp. I've also had experience using it since 2004 and have a ridiculous amount of games on it so my scope in dealing with it may be outside the average user's range.

But in addition to that Steam has a regressive no money back policy, if you should download a game and run into problems you don't want to deal with. It also has a terrible reputation for its customer support when issues arise which of course this thread validates. All of this is what leads me to say Steam is trash on a Mac. The fact is if you value customer support, no or minimal DRM intrusion, or being refunded your money on a game that has issues - then there are better options.

As for your affirmation that it's not, you've said the same in many other threads. You clearly act as white knight for them without much of a critical eye from what I'm reading so lets just call it a day and say we disagree.

 

[erayser]

I must be the most fortunate Steam user around. I've never had issues, since using it on Windows from the Half-Life 2 release, and since I got my first Mac in 2012.

You're not a fortunate Steam user... you just know how to deal with issues (Quote below in bold).

In the end all services have issues, I'd rather work through it, and figure things out than go on a rant each time something happens( even if it happens to someone else ).

 

[N19h7m4r3]

You're not a fortunate Steam user... you just know how to deal with issues (Quote below in bold).

Even so I've never had an issue that made me go and rant on a forum, or endlessly bash one service.

The only one I would stay way from and tell others to do the same is Uplay until they really work on it.Then again I now boycott Ubisoft anyway.

 

[bmac89]

You're not a fortunate Steam user... you just know how to deal with issues (Quote below in bold).

I am glad that you and others have not had any issues. Hopefully you won't have your Steam library totally in-accessible.

So it appears I don't know how to deal with issues.... so maybe you could positively contribute to helping find solutions to the problems me and many other users are facing.

I have spent 2 whole days plus a lot of extra time during the week trying to sort it out. Bare in mind I have no access to my Steam library. I have done 2 brand new clean installs of OSX. Re-downloaded my library 7 times, restored from backup multiple times. Tried on other mac computers with different OSX. Tried to update game cache files. The very odd occasion that a game loaded it said "damaged content" and quit so I re-download only to find the same. I searched the internet to find a lot of other people experiencing the same and tried to find solutions that worked. I then discovered some friends were experiencing many of the same issues too. I have tried contacting technical support but it won't let me log in - same with the forum.

I am not looking for a 'perfect' game client - however I am looking for one that actually lets me use the purchased content. This is not a matter of a few irritating bugs.

I can appreciate that the new Steam update appears to have improved some things. Including Steam now loads without freezing up every single time. This is a great step forward, however I still can't access my library and on the very odd occasion that I can... the game loads and then says damaged content > Quit. I also still can't access tech support or forums.

Thanks

 

[erayser]

I am glad that you and others have not had any issues. Hopefully you won't have your Steam library totally in-accessible.

So it appears I don't know how to deal with issues.... so maybe you could positively contribute to helping find solutions to the problems me and many other users are facing.

I have spent 2 whole days plus a lot of extra time during the week trying to sort it out. Bare in mind I have no access to my Steam library. I have done 2 brand new clean installs of OSX. Re-downloaded my library 7 times, restored from backup multiple times. Tried on other mac computers with different OSX. Tried to update game cache files. The very odd occasion that a game loaded it said "damaged content" and quit so I re-download only to find the same. I searched the internet to find a lot of other people experiencing the same and tried to find solutions that worked. I then discovered some friends were experiencing many of the same issues too. I have tried contacting technical support but it won't let me log in - same with the forum.

I am not looking for a 'perfect' game client - however I am looking for one that actually lets me use the purchased content. This is not a matter of a few irritating bugs.

I can appreciate that the new Steam update appears to have improved some things. Including Steam now loads without freezing up every single time. This is a great step forward, however I still can't access my library and on the very odd occasion that I can... the game loads and then says damaged content > Quit. I also still can't access tech support or forums.

Thanks

Hey bro... sorry if my post gave you a bad impression. I was just giving N19h7m4r3 a little friendly ribbing on saying he is fortunate... but then says he works through his issues. It was just a little friendly jab on him... and nothing against you and troubles your are going through. I don't game on macs... so there isn't much I can contribute in helping you on your issue. If I could contribute positively, I would. Sorry again you took my post to a friend in a negative way... that wasn't my intention. I do hope you are able to resolve your Steam library issue and start gaming again.

 

[antonis]

The problem is not with the client A, or the client B. The issue is more generic, based to the very popular policy that says: "You don't own the game, you just buy the permission to use it as long as I (the service) consider it proper, and I can revoke it from you if I feel like".

So the various clients try to implement this policy; some achieve this better than others. I don't mind the "defenders" or "attackers", as these clients vary from working good to not working at all, depending on the system, internet connection, other services running (firewalls, antivirus etc).

It would be hopelessly naive, though, for someone to defend the policy itself. Things used to be much better in the past, and surely don't have to remain the way they are now. GoG is an example of how much better things could be (and probably other game seller sites that I'm not aware of).

 

[bmac89]

Hey bro... sorry if my post gave you a bad impression. I was just giving N19h7m4r3 a little friendly ribbing on saying he is fortunate... but then says he works through his issues. It was just a little friendly jab on him... and nothing against you and troubles your are going through. I don't game on macs... so there isn't much I can contribute in helping you on your issue. If I could contribute positively, I would. Sorry again you took my post to a friend in a negative way... that wasn't my intention. I do hope you are able to resolve your Steam library issue and start gaming again.

Thanks for responding, I appreciate it.

I probably should have responded to N19h7m4r3. I am understandably very frustrated that I am completely unable to use my Steam purchases and it isn't exactly helpful when someone appears to be suggesting you are ranting everytime something goes wrong and not trying or capable of working through the issues like them.

I have absolutely no desire to 'rant', I simply want to get down to the bottom of these issues. I would not have even posted a thread here if I could actually contact Steam technical support.

Thanks

 

[Janichsan]

Any authentication that you could argue about is invisible to my experience and therefore largely irrelevant. To the author's point - this is not the case with other clients like Steam, Uplay, Orgin etc.

You're just quibbling over a distinction you're not willing to make.

I might to have to remind that the whole starting point of the discussion was not how much of a hassle the corresponding clients are to use, but whether or not you can lose "ownership" and the ability to play the games if you stop using the service by canceling or simply not using your account again:

The biggest downside on all this is in the fact that if you want to stop using their service because of these type of ongoing issues they will NOT hand over any of the games that YOU have supposedly PAID for

Neither will the MAS or Origin. WE buy licenses from these services, not the games themselves.