Steam: Newest Update = How To Be In "Offline" Mode In The Friends List (Like It Used To Be) Is it Gone? [Notification, Tutorial]

Update 2018.08.01: Steam has recently been Updated to include "Do Not Disturb" and "Offline" settings, which coincides with many of the below concepts [as users have asked for them - wtg Valve!]. More details at the Official Steam News Posting, here.

For those using Steam (the gaming/client/launcher interface by Valve - creators of games like the Half-Life, Team Fortress 2 and DOTA 2), you may have had an update recently that made your Friends List appear without you asking it to - and where you seemed to be immediately ONLINE - a virtual version of waking up in a classroom with no clothes on [not ready for it, as in a bad dream..].

Within minutes, I saw a Discussion Thread in the Steam Forums asking how to "be in offline mode" - which is how it used to be; you could set in the Options/Settings, "Appear In Offline Mode" when starting the Friends portion of the Steam client [I was going to the forum to ask myself, as I have an illness that makes me tired easily, preventing me from chatting with friends as much as I would like - and I don't want to appear cold or ignoring of them, so I usually utilize any 'Offline Mode' options in Friends clients].

I looked around in the Settings and configuration of the new Friends List and quickly figured out how to make the Friends portion of the interface 'act' like it used to - that is, how to 'appear offline' to friends in the list, when running Steam [and not get gameplay interrupted with any notifications, that is found further below]. Here is all you have to do:

» Set to INVISIBLE (pull-down menu "v" next to name)

[Stays through Steam restart, when restarting your PC/Steam, it will start up in Invisible Mode]

[Tutorial GIF] Showing where and how to use the pull-down menu option in the new Friends List
in Steam to appear 'offline' (termed "Invisible" in the new Friends List version)

That's it!

Now you can still enjoy your games and 'not be forced to interact' with your Friends on your List [no matter what your personal reason(s) may be..]. HTH



Addendum I:
I wanted to add that although the terminology has changed, the functionality remains the same; that is, you can still 'hide' yourself from everyone and not see any messages or notifications, until you specifically want to, opening the Friends portion of the Steam Client, and looking at your Messages. Here, for example, is the Notification Settings to apply, if you do NOT want to be notified when Friends come Online or send you Messages - combined with the above "Invisible" setting, it will function exactly as before - you will be 'greyed out' on their end(s) and it will just show when you were "Last Online", and if they send you Messages, they will be kept on your end but nothing will pop-up/sound to let you know that the Message arrived:

Example of the settings for the Notifications, where with the settings above, you will not have anything interrupting you as you play (no sounds, no pop-ups, nothing). Together with setting yourself as "Invisible", it is functionally the same as "Offline Mode" before, in the older Steam Client. Access the Friends List Settings by clicking on the Gear icon in the main Friends List window (Click to see Full Size)

Addendum II:
Doing some further testing, I wanted to add that the Website/Browser functionality operates in the same manner as the stand-alone Steam client. That is, you can set yourself to "Invisible" and it will act as "Offline" did in the past (you will be 'greyed out' on your Friends' Lists). You have the same Notification options as the above example image as well (minus the Steam-Client-specific 'window flashing' buttons) - the interface even looks the same (colour and button/link locations), which is always good for user-friendliness...

Note: You will be set to "Online" the very first time that you open the Web/Browser version of the Friends List (eg. clicking on the Envelope>XunreadChatMessage at a Steam webpage) - but once you set yourself to "Invisible" in the Browser portion/window, it remains that way if you close the Friends window and open it up again. I even tested closing the browser (Chrome) entirely, waiting a while, then opening up a Steam website, then the browser-based Friends List - although I remained 'logged in', I was still 'Invisible' in the Friends List window/page when I restarted Chrome.





I want to say a quick Thank You to Steam/Valve for allowing those that don't wish to be Visible all the time [and/or those that have illnesses that prevent them from using this portion of the client well/properly/astheydesireto], to still remain "offline" to Friends - not all companies would maintain this level of user option/satisfaction.
I realize it is more difficult these days, as studies have shown that if customers/players can have multiple facets of interaction (text, chat, voice, etc) it 'solidifies' them as players/customers, maintaining them longer [than if there were not these channels of interaction]. This correlation is so pervasive, that Live Voice Chat seems to be 'making a comeback' from the abandoned, garbage-filled-alleyways of the 1990's, with Stand-Alone clients and chat-only options popping up recently [as of the time of this post].
Anyway, Thank You, Valve. Thank you for continuing to allow these options to your users/players.
~T

It's Not Just You™ - Paladins (Beta), Having Issues Not Starting or Not Running In 64-bit Mode, Battlegrounds [Notification, Updated As Encountered]

[Currently, this post is mostly in Text-Only Mode, to speed up the ability to publish it... 

I may return to add some Images and/or Screenshots in the future.

This post will be Updated for the next few days, as I encounter new related information.]

If you are trying to play the newest addition to Paladins, Battlegrounds, which is being released in Alpha Testing Stage in their Latest Update - and you are having issues with either (1) the game not launching/starting or (2) the game running in 32-bit mode [which stops you from being able to enter the Battlegrounds, which requires 64-bit mode] - just letting you know, It's Not Just You™...

For the past little while, I have been trying to get into Paladins and try out this new Game Mode, and take a look at any new changes; but I have been running into multiple issues with the game itself. If related Paladins Forums 'everywhere' (Steam, Reddit, Official Forums, etc) are any indication, many, many others are having issues as well.

I wanted to take a moment to make this posting because, even though it seems there are a few people that have 'gotten it running', there are many others, like me, that have not. I wanted to share this experience and related information, so that others may know that, well... It's Not Just Them.

Since I have run into multiple issues and have tries multiple steps so far, I will share them here in Point Form as a list:


Issues Seen/Encountered:

• Game not starting [Launcher will start, but game itself will not show up]
• Game not stopping [Game will not Terminate, Steam says it is Running still, but it is not, or has not started]
• Game not running in 64-bit mode [Game starts in 32-bit Mode and therefore The Battlegrounds can not be tested/run, as it states in-game "64-bit Mode Required"]
• Cannot Verify Integrity Of Game Files, via Steam [Steam states to 'exit any game files or tools' related to the game, but none are running]

Steps Taken/Tried:

• Put "-Use64" [without quotes] into Optional Game Command Line Parameters (Options/Commands) in Launcher
• Put "-dx11" [without quotes] into Optional Game Command Line Parameters (Options/Commands) in Launcher
• Checked "Use 64 bit Client" in Launcher Options [this has never been 'unchecked' by me]
• Verified Cache ['double-checked' the game files through Steam, to see if they are what they are supposed to be]

Unfortunately, since I cannot make the game 'run in 64-bit Mode and enter The Battlegrounds' in a repeated a reliable manner - I cannot make a section containing a 'Fix' at this time... I will continue to observe various Forums and Support Responses, try various Suggested Steps (from the Developers and other helpful Paladin Players (there are a lot of them out there!)), and see if I can make any progress that results in stable and repeatable game launching and gameplay. If I do, I will return here and add it as a 'Fix' section. 

For now, despite them not working for me/on my system, there are a few isolated people that have had success with some of the Steps listed. If you are experiencing any of these issues with Paladins at this time, try some or all of them above. Perhaps one of them will work for you, too. 

Good Luck with it - and try to stay positive, remembering - It's Not Just You™!

Raptr - Closing Down This September 30th, The Blog Here Says 'Goodbye Old Friend' To The Once-Useful Program

Just a notification that the 'Graphic-Configurator, Game-Installer, Gameplay-Recorder and
Social Media client that tried to tie it all together' - Raptr - will be no more, as of September 30th, 2017

A few days ago, I received an email stating that Raptr was ending the program/client which at one time was tied-in with AMD's Graphic Drivers as "AMD Gaming Evolved". Now that both NVIDIA and AMD have their own 'game configuration utilities' and 'game recording capabilities' (via Crimson for AMD and GeForce Experience for NVIDIA), "there is no need for such a separate utility", as Raptr's 'Farewell Letter' basically states:

"We are sad to announce that we will be closing Raptr on September 30th, 2017. We want to start by thanking you for your support over the past 10 years.

The world is different today than when we first launched Raptr. Many companies offer game optimization tools. Having an independent platform to do this is no longer necessary.

On September 30, we will start the process of shutting off access to your Raptr account and disabling features. If you'd like to export your tracked game play history, you can do so immediately using the instructions below:

• Go to Raptr.com
• Sign in to your Raptr account
• Click to get your gameplay data

If you have any other questions, please send us feedback.

We are proud of the service we built and the community who helped grow Raptr.  Thank you, once again, for your support.

Dennis “Thresh” Fong
Co-founder and CEO"

Mr. Fong Qin, known worldwide as "'Thresh' Fong" for his 1990's Quake and Doom tournament career, was also the co-founder of Xfire (which itself was acquired by Viacom in 2006). While the Raptr/Gaming Evolved client was useful, it seemed to have challenges from close to the start [or at least, noticeable in hindsight, from when I first started using it].

The Press Release - the notification that Raptr was closing down - as it looked on the Raptr website, September 2017
(Click to see Full Size)

At one time, Raptr offered Rewards for playing (and letting it track your Hours or Record your Gameplay); 'Reward Points' that you could collect, every time you Optimized a Game (let the utility auto-configure your in-game options/settings for you), or viewed/contributed to a game Forum (similar to Steam's Game Forums [forii?]). You could also earn Raptr Reward Points just by playing a game and having it running (it gave a running total of your Hours Played).

The Raptr/Gaming Evolved Client, as it looked in 2014, showing the Reward Points collected at one time
(from the Gaming Evolved/Raptr Press Kit, Click to see Full Size)

Prizes to spend your Points on were Draws for, or outright purchases of, Full Games and game tie-in material, such as Character Costumes or Vehicles (Mounts). Just before it was taken away, I even saw some Computer Hardware in there (some dated GPUs mind you, but still, it was neat to see some computer parts you could earn 'with time played' only). I never did win a Draw for a Retail Game, but I heard from a couple of people who did. There were many, many upset users, who had been saving for years (literally), at the loss of the points system. Some noted at the time that perhaps it was an early bell, tolling for the end of Raptr, even then...

The Raptr/Gaming Evolved Client, as it looked in 2015, showing Plays.Tv in its 'built-in' Beta phase and Graphic Drivers being kept up-to-date [I owned an AMD/ATi GPU at the time], the client still showing Reward Points being tabulated, and the Twitch Broadcast implementation
(Click to see Full Size)

There was a Forum interface built-in to the Raptr client (directly-accessible within it) that was similar to Steam's Game Forums [too similar?], where people could discuss games, talk about upcoming releases, and share Screenshots; but there wasn't too much going on in them [that I could see, personally]. There were some helpful and contributive posts, but they were always few in number:

Example of Raptr/Gaming Evolved Game Forums, showing Guild Wars 2, circa 2016
(Click to see Full Size)

As 'the end' neared, the Forums became overrun slowly by Spammers and non-English posts talking about other websites (not that there's anything wrong with speaking other languages, I know a bit of a handful of languages myself, but it was an English forum and much of these posts were clearly Spam of one sort or another). People started asking why things weren't getting 'cleaned up', near the end.

The Raptr/Gaming Evolved Official Raptr Forum, shown in the client, displaying the number of users of the forum
(Click to see Full Size)

While many felt it was 'just like Steam' or 'not needed' even back then, it still boasted over 100 Million registered users at one point (as evidenced by the number of users within the main Raptr discussion group, above) - and it was even 'targeted by hackers' in 2015 - infiltrated in an attempt to gain access to the many users' data and potentially personal information. A notice went out in January of that year, notifying users to change their password, as a result of the recent security breach:

Raptr Forum Notification, urging users to change their Passwords, after a recent security breach, circa January 2015
(Click to see Full Size)

Personally, I feel sorry that I couldn't spend more time with Raptr/GamingEvolved, as I only discovered it a couple of years ago.. Over the entire time, my own illness prevented me from posting more, sharing Screenshots more, and talking more about Releases and Reviews [as it does here in this blog!]. I feel like it could have been 'the next Steam with bonus game configuration' perhaps - but alas, it simply had too many challenges going against it... People started asking for Chat interface (a la Skype) and Voice Chat, but the Voice part never came. People wanted a GVR (Game Video Recorder) and while that arrived, in the form of Plays.tv - first in the app itself and as a stand-alone utility - perhaps it was too late to save Raptr, as both NVIDIA then AMD, came out with their own 'built-in' gameplay recording capabilities about the same time. For example, in 2013, NVIDIA's Shadowplay became part of their Settings Optimization client, GeForce Experience, which allowed high-performance gameplay recording. Eventually, AMD's ReLive, part of their Crimson GPU Driver update, also allowed high-quality gameplay recording as well. Both of these essentially negated the game recording aspect of Raptr (Plays.tv, which continues onward today as its' own stand-alone recorder):

Information Panel about Plays.TV, the gameplay recording utility that was once included with Raptr/Gaming Evolved
(Click to see Full Size)

Although many didn't use Raptr, or even like it, there were those that used the client to at least keep track of their Hours Played, used it a light social-media app, or just enjoyed the semi-automated Graphic Configuration within. As a former user - that wished he used it more - I myself say a sad 'Goodbye' to Raptr. So long, old friend, I wish I got to know you better...

It's Not Just You™ - Battle.Net Issues with Logging In Today [Notification]

Just a quick post to let others know that if you are having logging in to Battle.Net today (August 1st) that lots of people have been having problems as of this morning. Blizzard has addressed this with a quick note via their twitter, seen at:

https://twitter.com/BlizzardCS/status/760100687111938048

Retry or Go Back To Bed? Hmmm....

For those playing Blizzard/Battle.Net games this weekend, hopefully it will be up soon - just letting you know, It's Not Just You™ !

And More: AMD Gaming Evolved App (Raptr) Slider Not Staying On Quality Setting, Reverting To Balanced [Explained]

Yesterday, I posted on the Raptr Support Forums, talking about an issue where I saw that the configurator [I think that's a word, I'm going to use it anyway, in regards to "the main slider that sets the quality setting in the Client"]  would not stay on "Quality", if set for games in the AMD Gaming Evolved Client (which I have begun to use slowly over the past few months).

What I saw was, is that if I changed the configurator to "Quality" for a game, then temporarily selected a different game for a while from the Library list, then went back to the previous game, the configurator would not remain on "Quality" for the previous game but would revert back to "Balanced". Here is an example, using Battlefield:Hardline in the Client App, below:

Animation showing how the Gaming Evolved client does not stay on the desired Quality preference/setting, using Battlefield:Hardline as an example. Click to see Full Size

I asked about this occurrence in the Raptr Forums here, and was told by a Rep there that a Ticket would be opened on my behalf [a 'Trouble Ticket' is a Support mechanism for tracking issues (I was Technical Support for a few companies in my past)]. I received an email from Raptr Support quickly and worked back and forth with them over a short period, testing some games out and how the configurator worked with those - finding that for games such as Hitman:Absolution, Tomb Raider (2013) and Max Payne 3, the slider worked just fine, remaining on the desired "Quality" setting - however, for other games, it 'reverted' back to "Balanced" every time.

It was explained to me by Raptr Support, that for the games where 'the slider reverted back to Balanced after setting the slider to Quality' [my phrasing], it was because there were no actual differences in the settings between "Balanced" and "Quality", for those games where that occurred.

The AMD Gaming Evolved client (Raptr) showing that the configurator indeed remains on the desired Quality setting,
for some games, such as Hitman:Absolution, Tomb Raider (2013) and more. Click to see Full Size

Although the slider may be slightly confusing then (they stated they are working on that), this was mostly my own fault, in my mind, since I was fixating on the seemingly-rebellious slider and I wasn't looking at the settings below (where I would have seen that there were no real differences between Balanced and Quality for those games).

So in the end, as far as the slider 'not staying on the "Quality" setting and reverting to "Balanced" all the time', all was eventually figured out (with the helpfulness of Raptr Support); and even if it wasn't entirely "fixed", I wanted to share these experiences and explanations with you all, especially for those that have run into this exact issue.


See You In The Games!

Origin - In Offline Mode, Online Login Is Currently Unavailable (It's Not Just You)

Update (11:11 UTC/Zulu): EA is investigating the issue(s) - way to go EA!
Update (11:34 UTC/Zulu): Everything Is Coming Up Roses here now (in Canada, eh). I hope it does soon for you too, my friends.

Just a quick post to let you know, if you are experiencing this around 10:00-11:00 hours UTC/Zulu Time on February 14th, 2015 - it's not just you. Origin (EA) seems to be having problems for everybody... I guess I won't be seeing you in the game right now /sadface