No longer able to log into Steam version with my non-Steam account. Why do this SE?

Hello, I was really disappointed to find that upon logging into the game on Steam with my regular Windows account tonight I am now greeted with this message:

"FINAL FANTASY XIV has not yet been registered with this service account or your subscription has expired. To play the game, you must first complete the registration process using the registration code included with your purchase."

I am saddened that this harmless feature was removed. I bought the game a second time on Steam just so I could have it there in my Steam library, with all the community features that entails. I log in with my regular Windows account so that I am not subject to the restrictions of the Steam version, like not being able to buy expansions outside of Steam. But I like how Steam still tracks my playtime even if I wipe my computer or install the game on multiple computers. I like how I can feature the game on my Steam profile as my favorite game, showing how many hours I've played, and easily share screenshots to my friends.

YES, I know that you can add the regular Windows version to Steam as a non-Steam game, but I don't have any desire to do that because I lose out on some of those features above. No profile support, playtime tracking is lost if you reinstall Windows, etc.

Some people might consider this a really silly issue, but as an avid Steam user, I am actually more likely to play a game if it is officially part of my Steam library. I tend to forget about games I don't own on Steam. For example, I own ESO but not on Steam and I often forget about playing it or even downloading it. There are so many games in the world nowadays.

But the real point here is that I shouldn't have to justify my reasons. Being able to log into the Steam version with a regular Windows account has worked since the beginning, and I really cannot fathom why suddenly this harmless feature has been removed. I would really like an explanation, but most of all I would like the ability to use the Steam version again, which I purchased with real money, the way that I've always been able to.

Right now I kinda feel like Square Enix stole back a game I bought from them and won't let me launch it the way I always could. :mad:

It wasn't really harmless though, people were using it as a way to exploit the game for fraudulent purposes. Sorry that you feel this way, but people were getting hurt because of it.

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Originally Posted by Connie-

It wasn't really harmless though, people were using it as a way to exploit the game for fraudulent purposes. Sorry that you feel this way, but people were getting hurt because of it.

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They were launching steam accounts through non-steam launched XIV is what it seemed like from the post about this, there's no reason to not let windows accounts log in through the same launcher just with a steam launch attached to it.

EDIT:
Also SE why weren't we told that windows accounts would be effected by it also? It clearly sates STEAM ACCOUNTS will be effected but nothing about the other way around.

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Originally Posted by Relynia

They were launching steam accounts through non-steam launched XIV is what it seemed like from the post about this, there's no reason to not let windows accounts log in through the same launcher just with a steam launch attached to it.

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It goes both ways. I'm plenty annoyed about having to disable the Steam overlay every time I want to play FFXIV and re-enable when I want to play something else with my Steam friends. It's just for security, I'm sure they have very good reasons and really it's only a pretty *minor* inconvenience to the players.

im not a computer person had someone set this game up for me and been playing it hard out now this happens. for the average joe how the hek do i get in to playt his game jesus christ couldnt they just leave it alone

Confirming this, no longer able to login when launching with Steam on my Windows account, very annoying since i really like the hours tracking, Steam overlay and screenshot uploading, undo this please

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Originally Posted by Connie-

It goes both ways. I'm plenty annoyed about having to disable the Steam overlay every time I want to play FFXIV and re-enable when I want to play something else with my Steam friends. It's just for security, I'm sure they have very good reasons and really it's only a pretty *minor* inconvenience to the players.

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you can disable the overlay on a game-by-game basis, it's in the config when you rclick a game in your library.
Two aren't related in the slightest.

I bought an extra copy of the game purely so I could track my Steam playtime, back in 2014 or whatever. Locking people out after the fact is like why even? Seems like a half-assed bandaid fix for a real problem that simultaneously shafts the people on the reverse. Nvm that you can STILL bypass the steam launcher, so this "fix" doesn't even address the problem, just screws actual customers.

can someonw please tell me how to play this game . im not the best with computers

Are there sources to back up those claims about players using it in a way for exploits?

I too, am quite annoyed the decision made by SE with this.

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Originally Posted by LTeel

Are there sources to back up those claims about players using it in a way for exploits?

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https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...727afe494a3b81

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As part of our fraud prevention measures, we plan to implement a restricted login check process for Steam service account users. An implementation time-frame for the change has been decided and has been detailed below.

[Affected]
FINAL FANTASY XIV Steam Version

[Changes]
Current:
FINAL FANTASY XIV Steam version clients can currently be opened directly without going through the Steam application and is possible to use the regular Windows version client application for Steam version service accounts.

After the change:
For Steam version service accounts, the FINAL FANTASY XIV client application will need to be started up from the Steam application's Play button. Any other method of direct startup will no longer be available.

[Time and Date of Implementation]
Aug. 29, 2019

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Spoilers: It only stops people from doing the opposite.

Imagine having to go into your Steam folder and add a Steam game as a non-Steam game just to get the stupid thing to launch, only now without any of the advantages of actually having bought a license. Thanks, SE.

I don't get what they plan to accomplish by shafting people that bought the game a second time just to get steam hour tracking, overlay, and some QoL stuff. Other than annoying all of us of course.

I used to always use the Steam Client with the Windows Account to track my hours, now I have to resort back to using the normal client because it seems SE doesn't want us to have the freedom to choose which launchers we use. Even though we bought it with money, yes I know there are multiple reasons why: To try and stop exploiting and to prevent harm to players. But they originally stated that this would only affect STEAM accounts. This shouldn't be affecting Windows accounts as well! If we make enough noise, hopefully SE will fix this or roll it back until they can implement a fix that benefits everyone! I worked hard to get FFXIV up to the top of my hours list on Steam, and I want to continue that! I love this game a lot and I don't see a point in locking Windows users out of FFXIV Steam Client! I talk to all my friends over steam normally, so having the steam overlay was perfect for me!


Please fix this SE! Listen to what some of your community wants!

Square Enix seems to have forgotten that they allow people to have Steam and non-Steam as separate service accounts on the same master account. I have both.

The announcement only said about affecting Steam accounts/forcing those to go through Steam. It said nothing about stopping non-Steam users from playing via Steam.

So now if I want to change accounts I can no longer do it via the "Data Center" menu option, I now have to exit the game completely and either launcher the game via Steam or the same executable from a directory on the disk... what?

Or were they seriously expecting us to install the game twice? I will definitely be contacting support shortly about this and suggest you all do too!

Tip: to track the play time of the game with any version, type "/playtime" on chat window.

The fraud they're trying to avoid is this: people with bot accounts would buy the game on Steam to run with the bots. They would run the game outside of Steam while leveling the bots, making gil, getting banned, etc. Then they would ask for a refund on Steam by saying they didn't play the game. Since Steam wasn't used to run the game, it won't have tracked the time they spent and the refund would go through.

To avoid this refund scam, they're gonna force Steam versions to run through Steam. Makes sense, right?

There seems to be a workaround though. You can run a Steam account either from non-Steam installation or from Steam folder but without Steam by running a shortcut to "ffxivboot.exe -issteam". Not sure for how long it's gonna work, as it seems to be a temporary solution while they settle everyone to their respective installers.

I imagine that they might have a similar shortcut allowing non-Steam accounts to run on Steam. Contact the customer support and see what they can do for you.

The simple question is "How do I log onto FFXIV now?

I have tried going into the system files but could not find any way to launch the game from there. Any suggestions?

I'm faced with the same issue. I originally purchased the Windows version of XIV via the SE store, but after some time I decided to buy the game on Steam for the purpose of tracking hours. I know that only the Windows version is officially tied to my SE account, but I was willing to pay the additional price of purchasing the game again on Steam in order to feature the game on my Steam profile.

After this change, I'm no longer able to acess the game via the Steam version, which sucks, considering I willingly gave SE money in repurchasing the game...

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Originally Posted by Alenonimo

The fraud they're trying to avoid is this: people with bot accounts would buy the game on Steam to run with the bots. They would run the game outside of Steam while leveling the bots, making gil, getting banned, etc. Then they would ask for a refund on Steam by saying they didn't play the game. Since Steam wasn't used to run the game, it won't have tracked the time they spent and the refund would go through.

To avoid this refund scam, they're gonna force Steam versions to run through Steam. Makes sense, right?.

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I see that people keep saying this, but this is completely false! Final Fantasy XIV is not eligible for a refund on Steam. Please stop spreading misinformation.

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Originally Posted by Trybal24

The simple question is "How do I log onto FFXIV now?

I have tried going into the system files but could not find any way to launch the game from there. Any suggestions?

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C: > Program Files (x86) > Steam > Steamapps > Common > Final Fantasy XIV Online > boot > ffxivboot64

the ffxiv_dx11.exe file doesn't actually start the launcher which you need to use to launch the game.

Hope that helps. You won't have access to any Steam features though.

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Originally Posted by Rhomagus

C: > Program Files (x86) > Steam > Steamapps > Common > Final Fantasy XIV Online > boot > ffxivboot64

the ffxiv_dx11.exe file doesn't actually start the launcher which you need to use to launch the game.

Hope that helps. You won't have access to any Steam features though.

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Thank you for this! Saves many of us from re-downloading the non-Steam version just to play again. Unfortunate that Steam hours won't be tracked, but I suppose it's nothing idling on the launcher can't fix.

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Originally Posted by tsima

Thank you for this! Saves many of us from re-downloading the non-Steam version just to play again. Unfortunate that Steam hours won't be tracked, but I suppose it's nothing idling on the launcher can't fix.

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Ya, all my Steam Controller profiles will be gone. Also, my Steam broadcasts won't show up on the community page. There's a lot that this messed with other than tracking hours but I'm glad your situation is reconcilable.

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Originally Posted by Rhomagus

Ya, all my Steam Controller profiles will be gone. Also, my Steam broadcasts won't show up on the community page. There's a lot that this messed with other than tracking hours but I'm glad your situation is reconcilable.

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I hadn't even given a thought to Steam controller settings, geez. That's so unfortunate. 300 IQ move from SE here screwing over those of us who gave extra support through repurchasing the game.

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Originally Posted by tsima

I hadn't even given a thought to Steam controller settings, geez. That's so unfortunate. 300 IQ move from SE here screwing over those of us who gave extra support through repurchasing the game.

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Aye. It's a real bummer. SE can fix it. We'll see if they do. If not I'm out.

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Originally Posted by Aelithice

I don't get what they plan to accomplish by shafting people that bought the game a second time just to get steam hour tracking, overlay, and some QoL stuff. Other than annoying all of us of course.

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This is literally the only people actually harmed by this. Legitimate customers who supported SE twice. Steam users can still launch the game outside of Steam, and hackers have already found a workaround.

Really bad move.

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Originally Posted by Rhomagus

This is literally the only people actually harmed by this. Legitimate customers who supported SE twice. Steam users can still launch the game outside of Steam, and hackers have already found a workaround.

Really bad move.

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"hackers" is over-selling it, they just changed the boot up properties of the exe file...

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Originally Posted by Nora_of_Mira

"hackers" is over-selling it, they just changed the boot up properties of the exe file...

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I'm not saying all people who use that method are hackers. I am saying though, that hackers can use that method, as that is the assumption for the whole change in the first place. Here's an outline below of the old functionality and this changes supposed solution to combat said functionality.

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[Important]Regarding FINAL FANTASY XIV Steam Version (Mar. 8) (Updated: Mar. 13 11:05 p.m. PDT)

As part of our fraud prevention measures, we plan to implement a restricted login check process for Steam service account users.

[Affected]
FINAL FANTASY XIV Steam Version

[Changes]
Current:
FINAL FANTASY XIV Steam version clients can currently be opened directly without going through the Steam application and is possible to use the regular Windows version client application for Steam version service accounts.

After the change:
For Steam version service accounts, the FINAL FANTASY XIV client application will need to be started up from the Steam application's Play button. Any other method of direct startup will no longer be available.

[Time and Date of Implementation]
Late March 2019 (tentative)

*Update Mar. 13, 2019 11:05 p.m. (PDT):
Due to a confirmed bug, implementation that was tentatively scheduled for late March will now be delayed until April or after. We will let you know as soon as a date is confirmed.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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The intended audience for the change is unaffected. i.e. fraudulent users or hackers.

Steam users aren't hackers. I'm not trying to oversell it, just highlighting that the "hackers" already utilizing whatever fraudulent method have already got a workaround.

In order to prevent dvd piracy, customers who have legitimately bought this dvd will now have it self destruct in 15 minutes.
Pirated dvds will not have this feature.

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Originally Posted by hqdm

In order to prevent dvd piracy, customers who have legitimately bought this dvd will now have it self destruct in 15 minutes.
Pirated dvds will not have this feature.

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That certainly sums it up in a nutshell.

I bought the game on steam years ago and somehow my account got nuked and I couldn't recover it even though it was still in my library. Spent a lot of time with support getting nowhere. The friend that got me back in the game bought the base game for me and I got the expansion, more or less a new account. I know most PC users go WTF when I say this, but I play using a gamepad because my favorite DPS classes feel better on one (MNK, SAM, NIN, DNC), though I'm sure my healing and tank game suffer for it, but it's the method I've learned the game on. If the gamepad won't work without the steam launcher they are going to lose my patronage over this. The friend who got me back in hasn't played in a couple months and the two friends I brought along will probably quit after I leave.

If this crap is really about gold sellers using bots or whatever then it's a shame. Gold sellers only exist because of idiots who support them....

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Originally Posted by MordethKai

I bought the game on steam years ago and somehow my account got nuked and I couldn't recover it even though it was still in my library. Spent a lot of time with support getting nowhere. The friend that got me back in the game bought the base game for me and I got the expansion, more or less a new account. I know most PC users go WTF when I say this, but I play using a gamepad because my favorite DPS classes feel better on one (MNK, SAM, NIN, DNC), though I'm sure my healing and tank game suffer for it, but it's the method I've learned the game on. If the gamepad won't work without the steam launcher they are going to lose my patronage over this. The friend who got me back in hasn't played in a couple months and the two friends I brought along will probably quit after I leave.

If this crap is really about gold sellers using bots or whatever then it's a shame. Gold sellers only exist because of idiots who support them....

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Same here. I utilize multiple methods to interact with the game but my preferred method is with the Steam controller. I have all my profiles saved through steam. I broadcast with steam. I read the community guides and chat occasionally in the Steam XIV community. I even bought two Steam keys, for both of my accounts, so that I can launch Steam retaining all of that functionality. Since I purchased the Windows version first I'm arbitrarily locked out of registering my Steam keys. I haven't given them away, they're just sitting there unused. That was fine with me until today where now I can no longer launch my Windows account via the Steam launcher and have access to all my Steam features for which I paid the licenses to access.

Besides, this change doesn't even effect the intended demographic as there is already a workaround, within 3 hours, for Steam users to launch the game outside of Steam.

I also bought the base game on steam, just so I can use all the steam features. I understand that they want steam version users to actually have steam open when playing, but please let windows users login when the client is launched over steam. :<

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Originally Posted by Rhomagus

Same here. I utilize multiple methods to interact with the game but my preferred method is with the Steam controller. I have all my profiles saved through steam. I broadcast with steam. I read the community guides and chat occasionally in the Steam XIV community. I even bought two Steam keys, for both of my accounts, so that I can launch Steam retaining all of that functionality. Since I purchased the Windows version first I'm arbitrarily locked out of registering my Steam keys. I haven't given them away, they're just sitting there unused. That was fine with me until today where now I can no longer launch my Windows account via the Steam launcher and have access to all my Steam features for which I paid the licenses to access.

Besides, this change doesn't even effect the intended demographic as there is already a workaround, within 3 hours, for Steam users to launch the game outside of Steam.

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based on the lack of warning, I'm going to assume its an actual bug to not let the windows version openable via Steam. while your situation is unique and sort of strange, I cant see why SE would prevent this.

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Originally Posted by Nora_of_Mira

based on the lack of warning, I'm going to assume its an actual bug to not let the windows version openable via Steam. while your situation is unique and sort of strange, I cant see why SE would prevent this.

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Unfortunately not. They've updated the very front page of the XIV support site to reflect this:

https://i.imgur.com/DmW8md8.png

https://support.eu.square-enix.com/m...p?id=5383&la=2

(The Lodestone link simply points to the article from 31st July which still says about how only the Steam version is affected)

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Originally Posted by worldofneil

Unfortunately not. They've updated the very front page of the XIV support site to reflect this:

https://i.imgur.com/DmW8md8.png

https://support.eu.square-enix.com/m...p?id=5383&la=2

(The Lodestone link simply points to the article from 31st July which still says about how only the Steam version is affected)

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Woooooooow, okay.

Where were all of you angry people the past few months they've been talking about this? If you had made a stink then, it might not have been implemented, and yet you just ignored it. Typical.

Also to the genius who... apparently bought a second account to play his windows version with the steam controller, you can simply add the game as an external program and it works fine. I literally just did it. And no, I do not nor have I ever owned XIV on Steam. I logged in with my Windows account.
How to add non-steam game: https://i.imgur.com/fTIBgZf.png
What it looks like in library: https://i.imgur.com/IIFWvba.png
Proof and overlay and controller settings work: https://i.imgur.com/U49POXW.png

Geez you guys... a second of trying instead of hours of raging.

How bout you install some reading comprehension?
Adding as a non-steam game doesn't give any of the tracking capability.

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Originally Posted by hqdm

How bout you install some reading comprehension?
Adding as a non-steam game doesn't give any of the tracking capability.

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Who cares. That wasn't what is being complained about. Also there is this fancy dancy thing called /playtime.

Annnoying move from SE...

They don't have the ressources to do many things in the game, but annoying players is always top priority it seems.

Now i have to lose my evening installing the steam version because i bought that thing there years ago.

:(

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Originally Posted by Endeleon

Who cares. That wasn't what is being complained about. Also there is this fancy dancy thing called /playtime.

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That's literally why many people including myself bought it.
/playtime is character based.

10/10 useless post.

Will have to work on some work around. Shouldn't be too much of a problem but having to rely on user made content for such stupid change is not the way to go.

I know several players that literally couldn't play the game today because they were using the STEAM version with NON-STEAM account (free trial steam download) and they are not very good with computers and the error the game gives is quite missleasing.

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Originally Posted by Endeleon

Where were all of you angry people the past few months they've been talking about this? If you had made a stink then, it might not have been implemented, and yet you just ignored it. Typical.

Also to the genius who... apparently bought a second account to play his windows version with the steam controller, you can simply add the game as an external program and it works fine. I literally just did it. And no, I do not nor have I ever owned XIV on Steam. I logged in with my Windows account.
How to add non-steam game: https://i.imgur.com/fTIBgZf.png
What it looks like in library: https://i.imgur.com/IIFWvba.png
Proof and overlay and controller settings work: https://i.imgur.com/U49POXW.png

Geez you guys... a second of trying instead of hours of raging.

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That files everything under "ffxiv_dx11.exe" not "Final Fantasy XIV Online". If you didn't notice, "genius" there are steam controller profiles available for "both communities", while there is no Steam community for "Final Fantasy XIV" or "FFXIV: ARR" or "ffxiv_dx11.exe" but only "Final Fantasy XIV Online". Meaning broadcasts are managed differently. What it looks like in the library is managed differently. Big Picture overlay is managed differently.

The point is to have everything streamlined and located in the same place, not to do arbitrary workarounds for the exact same game on the exact same platform. Needless to say that Steam users can still launch outside of steam, making this intended change dead on arrival.