FM12 wont start without internet....

I try starting FM12 on my noteook by using FM.exe shortcut on my desktop and Steam says "could not connect to the Steam Network." bla bla... I get this option and have RETRY CONNECTION and START IN OFFLINE mode so I choose offline mode but all I get is: "Could not connect to Steam network. This could be due to a problem with your internet connect, or with the Steam network. Please visit www.steampowered.com for more info."

So I try fm.exe from the directory in C:/Program Files(x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/football manager 2012 demo/fm.exe and the game starts up, but before the main screen it just crashes. On other tries I've even got errors stating sometimes about could not start copy protection or something like that...

How the heck am I supposes to play FM without an internet connection?

This is why I've always hated Steam. It's a steaming pile of crap if you ask me

is this the full game

because the demo works for me after i turn off my internet

You should only need the internet to activate the game, so you should be able to play it in offline mode - hell, I used to do it all the time on trains on the way to see family/friends. Sod doing coursework!!

my internet died yesterday,i got same issue then,i couldn´t even play fm11

I'd suggest reinstalling the demo - it sounds like it's corrupted to me which is why it's looking for Steam.

If it's crashing I'd suggest making sure your PC is up to spec both in terms of hardware and drivers. Have a look through here.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/277955-Football-Manager-2012-Demo-FAQ-Technical-and-STEAM-Issues

This happened to me on steam the other day. I just restarted my whole computer and it worked fine.

Note that there are some things you need to have set correctly before using offline mode, such as saving your account credentials locally. See this page:

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3160-AGCB-2555

I'll try doing what Scab said see if it helps, if not I'll reinstall the game.

I have an MSI CX640 so I'm sure I'm good. I can play it when I did have internet connection, but when trying to start the game offline I can't.

I'll get back to you all with the results

lol @ bigredletterday, so cliche

I might be stupid but after entering Scabs link I have no idea what that crap is saying. :/

Just make sure that "Don't save account credentials on this computer" is not checked in the settings and that "Remember my password" is checked when you log in in online mode, and that the game launches without problem in online mode, and you shouldn't have any problem restarting and playing in offline mode.

Yeah that was all done and it still didn't work. I restarted my PC an tried again and it worked without any problems.

I don't get it :S Steam sucks a$$ :/

I had the same problem when my internet stopped unexpectedly. The offline mode is not reliable at all.

You have to set up offline mode when you are online, its not so good if your net suddenly drops out, if you have it properly set up you should not have a problem, mines has been in offline mode since the day they announced FM12 would be steam only, not had to do anything at all make it work since.

I set it up, switch it to offline, and only change it when I know there's a patch available. You can do all of this before the game comes out so it's not particularly tricky.

I had the same problem as the OP. Lightening blew up my router when I wasn't on the computer, tried to load the demo but because Steam couldn't go online, I couldn't play it in offline mode. I even Tweeted Miles asking if there was a way to get it working without the internet. His reply, 'Get your internet working again...'

I had the same problem as the OP. Lightening blew up my router when I wasn't on the computer, tried to load the demo but because Steam couldn't go online, I couldn't play it in offline mode. I even Tweeted Miles asking if there was a way to get it working without the internet. His reply, 'Get your internet working again...'

If your steam client isnt upto date, or you dont let it save credentials, you wont be able to go offline.

OK so now it's working again, how do I exactly 'save my credentials' for offline mode? I dont it it playing up on me again when I dont have internet access

If you had the "Remember my password" box ticked when you logged in and local credentials are not disabled in the settings, they are saved.

Yup, remember my password is ticked and account credentials is unticked, still a problem...

I set it up, switch it to offline, and only change it when I know there's a patch available. You can do all of this before the game comes out so it's not particularly tricky.

Yeah, if FM2012 is the only game you play with Steam that wouldn't be a hassle at all...

I don't think anyone's arguing against Steam being an inconvenience if FM is the only game you play - that makes it a rather heavy payload - but it is becoming the go-to platform for publishers for PC games to house everything from sales to communities to easier patching to driver updates. It's the PC answer to Xbox Live and PSN, if you will, aiming to collect everything under one umbrella for easier management. Undeniably this limits choice, but it's where things are going long-term for purely practical reasons. If you're just a casual gamer I sympathise, but trends follow the big crowd. On the upside Steam has grown quite mature by now and works well for the vast majority. It is designed as an online platform though and the more one tries to fight this and use it as something else the less well it's bound to work. Offline mode for instance is meant as a temporary solution during outages, not a semi-permanent state. That kills most of Steam's features and then yes, it becomes this useless thing idling in the background just so you can play this one game.

For what it's worth I think last year's model of choice was preferably for a game with as large a casual audience as FM, but eh, we're straying off topic.

lawstraljan11 did you get it working eventually?

For what it's worth I think last year's model of choice was preferably for a game with as large a casual audience as FM, but eh, we're straying off topic.

lawstraljan11 did you get it working eventually?

No. Worked once and that's it. Annoying as hell.

No. Worked once and that's it. Annoying as hell.

did you check for the latest steam update?

I'd suggest contacting SEGA Customer Services if you're still struggling, they should see you right.

Reinstall the game and make sure the game is working before you turn on offline mode.

I might be stupid but after entering Scabs link I have no idea what that crap is saying. :/

I'd perhaps look at the user instead of steam then, there are straight forward instructions saying do this, do that. If you can't do that I'd suggest going back to farmville.

Using Offline Mode on a PC.

Please follow the instructions below to configure Offline Mode on your PC:

Start Steam online - make sure the Remember my password box on the login window is checked

Verify that all game files are completely updated - you can see the update status for a game under the Library section (when the game shows as 100% - Ready it is ready to be played in Offline Mode)

Launch the game you would like to play offline to verify that there are no further updates to download - shut down the game and return to Steam once you have confirmed that the game can be played

Go to Steam > Settings to ensure the Don't save account credentials on this computer option is not selected

From the main Steam window, go to the Steam menu and select Go Offline

Click Restart in Offline Mode to restart Steam in Offline Mode

Follow that and identify where it doesn't work.

Shouldnt need to go online to ask questions about an offline game though

Shouldnt need to go online to ask questions about an offline game though

agreed. I will see how I go with the full-game, won't get too uptight about a demo.

PS: ms998 thanks for that smart-ass comment you made about farmville, very very un-needed.

But anyway, how do I reinstall the game? Do I have to re-download it? Oh, have I mentioned how much I hate Steam?

Steam's interface is a nightmare of convolutedness

There really should be only ONE tickbox: "I want to play in offline mode and adjust ALL the settings accordingly".

ah people who never learn....