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Activation-lock and play-lock are the same thing?!

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AlexFreez

Omg, this Steam Support is tearing me apart, having a 2 week long discussion about regional restrictions and still they can't describe anything clear.

"We did not implement any additional regional restrictions recently. It was always impossible to both install and launch games with regional restrictions outside of the region they were intended for." - it's a quote from the support's letter.

So did I get it right? Them mean that it was always like this: you can't play any games outside your region even if it was just activation-locked? I always thought that you can activate regional restricted gift in specific country but then you can still move to another country and be able to launch the game there. But then there was play-lock implemented like several months ago. And now the support is telling me that this is the same lock and I was wrong about it all?!

10 years ago

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26 Comments
Shad0WeN

My understanding is that there are actually 2 different settings in the Steam database for activation/purchase lock and play lock, and that they are not the same thing. In theory they should be set the same to enforce any regional restrictions though, but I don't think this is always the case.

10 years ago*
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AlexFreez

Then why do they say like implementing play-lock recently wasn't even a deal? In that quote thay say it directly: "It was always impossible to both install and launch games with regional restrictions outside of the region they were intended for." Like this 2 things were always the same, both locks.

10 years ago
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Shad0WeN

I don't know but that wasn't always true in the past. Some people used VPN to activate games that were only activation/purchase locked and not play locked. Steam certainly made significant changes on their end with the new region-locking mechanisms that they put in place a few months ago though, so I don't know about now.

10 years ago*
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AlexFreez

I can definitely say I have play-lock on some few games because of that red banner on its store page telling me that. But it's only for a few games, most of that doesn;'t have a banner like that; it only have activation-lock when I'm buing it as a gift, but again, no mention of a play-lock.

10 years ago
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AJIam

How did you activate the play-locked games?

10 years ago
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Newton

YOU must be wrong !

LORD GABEN NEVER LIES!

10 years ago
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madjoki

All gift purchases are play-locked. Even if it's ont in SteamDB.

But apparently self-purchases are not.

Only activation locked are still installable from me.

10 years ago
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AlexFreez

As I was telling before, when I'm buying any game as a gift it has only activation lock, no mention of a play lock.

So as far as I can see your first and the third statements are inconsistent.

10 years ago
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madjoki

CD-keys can still be only activation lock.

But gifts are always play-locked since few months ago, to deter VPN activations.

10 years ago
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AlexFreez

Then why are they telling me "We did not implement any additional regional restrictions recently."?

And I remember, few months ago, as you say, when they implemented play-lock, there was the message on all my gifts about it, but soon it was deeleted. How can you describe that?

10 years ago
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madjoki

No idea. (I haven't activated with VPN, expect when testing the new one on my alt account)

10 years ago
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AlexFreez

I'm living in one of the countries the games are restricted to. So no need for me to use VPN. Why are you keep talking about VPN activition?

10 years ago
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madjoki

Some users abused pricing from cheaper countries using VPN, which is why additional restrictions was added.

10 years ago
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AlexFreez

So the play lock is automatically enabling with the activation lock, that's what you mean? Even when I don't have a message about it in the description of the gift, only about activation lock?

10 years ago
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AJIam

Because the restriction against playing games not for your region was already in place, has been for years. It's only recently that they have implemented the technology to enforce it.

10 years ago
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Sugar66

Check the gifts in my inventory and see the discriptions they have. "Can only be added to your library in these countries..." and "Can only be played in these countries..." are obviously two different things.

10 years ago
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AlexFreez

Do you think I'm that dumb and couldn't see that? Read the whole discussion. SUpport is telling me something like "it was always like this that regional locked games were only playable in those regiones (activation-lock+play-lock always were together)."

10 years ago
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Sugar66

Maybe you should read your own post yourself? You're asked the question - I answered it

10 years ago
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AlexFreez

Yeah, whatever, you didnt halp at all.

10 years ago
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Sugar66

Maybe you should learn how to formulate the question correctly then?

10 years ago
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AlexFreez

Maybe you should open your eyes and read the whole thread? Cos I'm busy communicating with other members who are really trying to help me and not wasting my time talking who's the king of the hill here like you're doing now. Go play in the other garden, bully.

10 years ago
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Deleted

This comment was deleted 5 years ago.

10 years ago
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Khalaq
(Senior Moderator)

+1

10 years ago
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jomarcenter

True, Fix what is broken before you do something new. Kinda like this. with so much complain about steam support inside and outside of steam IDK why Gabe is not doing his job as a founder and CEO of valve.

10 years ago
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MarineSloth

Volvo screwed the Baltic States over even better, Borderlands 2 for example is play locked even though we pay the full euro price ._.
In my country there's about 25% of Russians, but Russian isn't an official language, Volvo thinks we want Russian games for some reason...

10 years ago
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Lugum

If they just answer with standard replies why don't they let bots do it or trained monkeys?

10 years ago
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