The publishers can do it via uploading beta branches, but there’s also a way to tell the Steam client to fetch old versions independently of that. I remember it coming up specifically with Skyrim, because updates broke a lot of mods environments, and it takes a long time for a lot of mods to be updated (during which time people couldn’t play their modded installs).
searches
steamcommunity.com/app/…/4032473829603430509/
The download_depot Steam console command.
The linked (non-Skyrim-specific) guide talks about how to obtain manifest IDs for versions of other games.
But, yeah. It’s really not how Steam’s intended to be used, and I imagine that hypothetically, one day, it could stop working.
There are also IIRC some ways to block Steam from updating individual games, but again, not intended functionality.
searches
steamcommunity.com/…/3205995441631274440/
If you specifically want control over game updates for some game, then GOG can be a major benefit for that.
Hawke@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Not using Kagi anymore? What have you moved on to?
tal@lemmy.today 1 day ago
DDG mostly. I’m not unhappy with Kagi on any particular technical aspect, but I’m not happy about the fact that I learned that it was operating out of Serbia (it was often listed as being based in the San Francisco Bay Area; this appears to actually be a residence of the founder). I’d be much more comfortable about them getting in practical legal trouble if they wound up retaining data if they were operating in a US or EU or something legal jurisdiction. I posted about it to !kagi@programming.dev a while back.
If they moved operations to the US or somewhere like that, I’d have no problem using them.
Hawke@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Thanks, good to know. I split between DDG and Kagi, not entirely happy with either.
I miss the old google.