GUIDE (Steam): How not to apply/install Patches for Pillars of Eternity.

[Voltron]

Since I was surprised that a lot of people have no idea that they don't have to patch any non-MMO games, I decided to write this small guide.

 

Nobody force you to patch. If you do not like it- do not install it. Simple

 

GUIDE: HOW NOT TO PATCH YOUR Pillars of Eternity AND PLAY WITHOUT PATCH (For Steam):

 

1. You start Steam

2. Go to Library, right click on Pillars of Eternity, go to Updates/Actualization (I have Polish version so I don't know how its in English) and change updates to "Only Update when I launch it",

3. then you start Steam- it wont patch since you didn't start game.

4. You click on "Steam", choose "Go Offline Mode" and from now on your Steam will start in Offline mod- which means no updates. and no patches.

5. If you want to play other game with Steam on, just start Steam, go Online and it still won't patch PoE since you have "Only Update when I launch it" .

 

Simple. It is your game so you will decide if you want to patch it or not.

 

Also, even if Steam is Online with "Only Update when I launch it" box checked- you should have pop message with two buttons wen you want to Start PoE: 1. Update 2. Start Game. And you can start game without patching it. But I don't remember right now if that is 100% correct and I can't check so first solution with Offline mod is 100%, this one you have to test .

 

Cheers!

[Raven Darkholme]

How does this belong in the strategy subforum?

[Voltron]

How does this belong in the strategy subforum?

 

I posted it here since I got 3 PMs with question about it from people who mainly use this sub-forum so I posted it here. If mods won't like it, they will move it <shrug>

 

And it is strategy!- Strategy how not to patch game and gimp your builds :D

Edited May 1, 2015 by Voltron

[LadyCrimson]

5. If you want to play other game with Steam on, just start Steam, go Online and it still won't patch PoE since you have "Only Update when I launch it" .

The problem with this is for a lot of people, it doesn't work.

As soon as you go Steam-online, even if the patch is not downloaded, Steam knows "a patch is required" and disables being able to play the game until you do patch it. eg, the game won't start (you'll get a "game needs an update!" msg instead).

 

Now, as I've stated in other threads on this topic, this may not apply to/occur with every single Steam game, but it's often enough that relying on the "don't patch" checkbox option as a way not to patch is (still) a crapshoot.

[Voltron]

 

5. If you want to play other game with Steam on, just start Steam, go Online and it still won't patch PoE since you have "Only Update when I launch it" .

The problem with this is for a lot of people, it doesn't work.

As soon as you go Steam-online, even if the patch is not downloaded, Steam knows "a patch is required" and disables being able to play the game until you do patch it. eg, the game won't start (you'll get a "game needs an update!" msg instead).

 

Now, as I've stated in other threads on this topic, this may not apply to/occur with every single Steam game, but it's often enough that relying on the "don't patch" checkbox option as a way not to patch is (still) a crapshoot.

 

 

Hey I tested it, if I have "Only Update when I launch it", when I go onlin Pillars just state that there is update avaiable but do not start downloading it. Maybe it is different for others- work for me . And if I go offline again- I can start game just fine.

 

Message pop up and you can choose- Update or Start Game. So you just click Start Game and it Starts Game.

 

But as you said- I can only tested here. Still if you are offline- you won't get patch notes.

 

Another TIP: copy your whole Pillars of Eternity game folder to some drive or another place in your computer. You will have back up for older version in case anything won't work. PoE is not big so that is not a problem, but if somehow patch will download- you can just copy and paste older folder- override everything and you always have this old version folder as backup

Edited May 1, 2015 by Voltron

[LadyCrimson]

Yeah, I do the copy entire game folder elsewhere thing sometimes ... it's just a pita if a game is patched a lot and you end up with 10 different versions...heh.

 

As to Steam - yes it doesn't download the patch at all if you have that setting checked. That wasn't my point. The point was if you go back offline, some games will not run, afterwards until you DO patch it.

 

I haven't tested Pillars so it's possible it will start even if not patched when you go online. Like I said, some games may/will. But I've had plenty of Steam-games where they would not, once you went online/then offline again. So if you want to be sure, do the backup copy of the game route the first time you try, just in case.

[Voltron]

Yeah, I do the copy entire game folder elsewhere thing sometimes ... it's just a pita if a game is patched a lot and you end up with 10 different versions...heh.

 

As to Steam - yes it doesn't download the patch at all if you have that setting checked. That wasn't my point. The point was if you go back offline, some games will not run, afterwards until you DO patch it.

 

I haven't tested Pillars so it's possible it will start even if not patched when you go online. Like I said, some games may/will. But I've had plenty of Steam-games where they would not, once you went online/then offline again. So if you want to be sure, do the backup copy of the game route the first time you try, just in case.

 

I told you it is- you got message pop where you have to click one of two options to update or to start a game. At least that is what I had when I did what you wrote since I was holding off with updating to 1.04 and I could still run game in older version despite being once or twice online.