[section]Eligibility Requirements[/section] To be eligible to appear on the Personal Calendar, your game needs a visible [url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/coming_soon]Coming Soon page[/url] with a [b]specific release date[/b]. This applies whether you are launching a full release or moving from [url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/earlyaccess]Early Access[/url] to 1.0. Once your game becomes eligible, it can start appearing on the calendar within about a day. …

[subsection]Changing Your Release Date[/subsection] You can still change your release date after your game has appeared on the calendar, whether it's a full release or an Early Access to 1.0 launch. [b]However, if you delay your release date by more than 24 hours once your game is within two weeks of launch your game will be removed from the calendar. …

The Steam Frame runs on SteamOS, which is a gaming focused Linux distribution based on Arch. This means you have a full computer available to clearly debug what's going on with your application. [section]Developer Mode[/section] To connect to the headset via [b]ssh[/b], [b]adb[/b], or [b]rdp[/b] you first need to enable [b]Developer Mode[/b] as described in the [doclink=steamframe/setup][/doclink]. …

That means after connecting over adb you have access to: [list] [*][b]adb logcat [/b]- Realtime steam of logs from the device [*][b]adb shell[/b] - access the android instance's command line [*][b]adb bugreport[/b] - Downloads a zip full of crash dumps and logs [/list] [subsection]RenderDoc with Lepton Development over adb[/subsection] If you’re developing an Android application the standard Android workflow should be fine with the exception of connecting over adb first. …

[/list] [subsection]Non-VR Compatibility[/subsection] When playing Non-VR titles locally or via streaming the Frame Controllers take full advantage of [doclink=features/steam_controller][/doclink]. Depending on the game and the configured bindings it will show up as a generic gamepad or keyboard/mouse. …

Its [b]controller_type[/b] is [code-inline]"frame_controller"[/code-inline]. They support finger tracking via the [url=https://github.com/ValveSoftware/openvr/wiki/SteamVR-Skeletal-Input/4db5b685942e4b84f16bb3796143e292ad9226e6]Skeletal Input API[/url] and all of the controls listed above. …

Within each app's details page on the Sales & Activation Reports Portal, you'll find a section for "Wishlists", which links to a full report and history of wishlist activity for your game. This page tracks additions, purchases, and deletions by users that have your game on their wishlist. …

[/td][/tr] [/table] These settings are specific to certain activation types: [table] [tr][th]Name[/th][th]Values[/th][th]Activation Type[/th][th]Description[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Interruptable[/td][td]Off, On[/td][td]Regular Press, Release Press[/td][td]Interruptable activators can be paused or stopped by other activators. For example, a long press activator can interrupt a full press activator so the full press only fires if the long press doesn't. If not interruptable, it ignores the other activator in regards to behavior.…

Check out the [doclink=features/playtest][/doclink] documentation for the full set-up instructions, configuration scenarios, best practices and FAQs. [subsection]Release Override Keys[/subsection] While Steam Playtest is the preferred method of enabling closed betas on Steam, release override keys are available if you want to manage your playtest off your main game's App ID and have things like NDAs in place. …

By default, new accounts are limited in how they can participate in the Steam Community (for more details, please see [url=https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3330-IAGK-7663]Limited User Accounts[/url]). This will prevent you from sending friend requests from a new Steam account. …

[olist] [*]Select the "Description" tab [*]Scroll down to "Special Announcement Section" and add a new section [*]Select from the pre-defined string drop-down for "Roadmap" to give the section the title of Roadmap [*]Drag your roadmap image into the text field [*]Save and publish your store page [/olist] [docimg=roadmapsection.png]roadmapsection.png[/docimg] [section]Best Practices[/section] [list] [*]Upload an image that is at least 1600px wide. This will allow customers to click the asset to view the full-size image with greater detail. [*]Try to avoid making specific promises unless you are confident that you can deliver, regardless of sales performance or player feedback. …

Unlike a [doclink=/store/application/demos]Demo[/doclink], which offers a separate demo build of your game via a separate demo app ID, Free Weekends grant players full access to your base game via its current app ID, albeit for a limited time. Free Weekends also differ from [doclink=store/freetoplay]Free to Play games[/doclink], which are always available at no cost. …

Players who participated will still see your game listed in their Steam libraries, but they’ll only be able to uninstall it - continued play requires purchasing the full version. [docimg=FreeWeekend_Packages.jpg]FreeWeekend_Packages.jpg[/docimg] [section]Timing [/section] Free Weekends typically run from [b]Thursday at 10 AM Pacific[/b] to [b]Monday at 10 AM Pacific[/b]. …

[subsection]Cross-Platform Saves[/subsection] If your game is supported on multiple platforms - or even if you plan to support this in the future - you should consider this when setting up Steam Cloud for your game. …

If your game already supports cross-platform saves, or at the time when you begin adding support for this, you will then need to define [code-inline]Root Overrides[/code-inline] for the other supported platforms. …

To start a round: [olist] [*] Select your product from your Steamworks home page to go to that product's landing page [*] On the product landing page in Steamworks, click "Marketing & Visibility" [*] There, you will see a section for "Product Update Visibility Rounds" where you can start an update round [/olist] [subsection]Five Rounds to Start[/subsection] Each product will start with five rounds that can be used for this visibility. These five rounds are shared between Early Access and full release, so if you use them all during Early Access, you won't have any available for major updates after your product has fully launched. …

[callout] [list] [h3][b]Recommended Setup[/b][/h3] [*][b][u]PC Cafés - Patrons log in with their personal Steam account for the full Steam experience[/u][/b] This setup lets users experience Steam at your location in exactly the same way as they would at home. …

Where it makes sense, there are options on Steam to sell additional content as [doclink=store/application/dlc]DLC or expansions[/doclink] but the core game should be a full experience without requiring an additional purchase. [h4]User Generated Content[/h4] The PC brings some great opportunities for integrating user-generated content into the gameplay experience. …

In addition to in-game purchasing, the system will provide additional functionality that your accounting and support systems can use: [olist] [*] You can receive notification if customers fail to pay. [*] You can issue refunds and query transaction status through the web service. [*] You will have access to detailed reports on our steamstats partner site showing live sales of items and games. …

To launch the browser use the Steamworks API call [api]ISteamFriends::ActivateGameOverlayToWebPage[/api] Full details on using the game overlay can be found [doclink=features/overlay]here[/doclink]. [*] [b]Step 5[/b] When the user returns to your site, issue an [webapi]ISteamMicroTxn/QueryTxn[/webapi] API call to get the results. …

The number of results is limited, so multiple requests should be made to obtain the full list. The results are returned in order of [code-inline]appid[/code-inline], subsequent requests should pass the last appid returned by the previous request as the [code-inline]last_appid[/code-inline] parameter. …

[subsection]Product Launches (Release or Early Access)[/subsection] When your game releases, either in Early Access or as Full Release, any user that has the game on their wishlist at that time will receive an e-mail and/or mobile push notification about the game being available. If your game has released in Early Access and then transitions to Full Release, another e-mail will be sent to users with the game on their wishlist at that time. For more information on preparing for release, please see the [doclink=store/releasing][/doclink] documentation. …

Also known as MTX, in-app purchases, or IAP. [section]Overview[/section] Steam provides world class support for in game purchases, whether that is items, in-game currency, or anything else that you can think up, you can use the Steam Microtransaction APIs to provide customers with more choices. …

[/olist] Overall, being a slave to metrics like revenue-per-day or per-user can drive short-term decisions that harm your players and the longevity of your product. Watch the full Steam Dev Days talk above for specific examples and additional insights. [section]Getting The Most From Updates[/section] Updates are an important part of your product's lifecycle and a critical form of communication with customers. …

If you have any questions on how to use any of these features, please contact [url=https://partner.steamgames.com/home/contact]Steamworks Support[/url]. [docimg=communityhub_header_1.JPG]communityhub_header_1.JPG[/docimg] [section]Community Hubs[/section] Every product on Steam has it's own unique hub. …

[/b] A: In the game you ship via Steam, and in communications on Steam, you may only promote the Steam version and its availability via Steam, and not other distribution outlets. This applies both to full versions of your game and to content patches that change the existing version.…

[section]Setting Up: Linked App List[/section] If your sale contains more than about 20 games, you may want to use the Linked App List to define the full set of games to include on your page. Once you have done that, you can then use specific filter criteria within each "Apps and Bundles" section to display different sets of games. …

The developer/publisher is able to [list][*]Engage the target audience[/list] [list][*]Expand the fan base[/list] [list][*]Help existing players explore the full game[/list] [list][*]Infuse excitement into the community around updates[/list] [subsection]Steam Broadcast Features[/subsection] Broadcast is a complimentary service and is available to all partners at no additional cost. …

For general information about communicating with customers, see our [doclink=marketing/community_moderation]Moderation Best Practices documentation[/doclink] and watch [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwv1G3WFSfI]Robin Walker’s full presentation[/url] from Steam Dev Days. [callout][b]Note[/b]: Customers expect to be able to download your game and future updates within the Steam client. …

It does mean, however, that reading feedback and being responsible for the community should be part of the dev team’s role, rather than delegated out to community managers or a separate PR team. Watch the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwv1G3WFSfI]full Dev Days talk[/url] for specific examples and additional insights. [subsection]DLC or part of the base game?[/subsection] When you release new content for your game, you have a few options for how you can provide that content to players. …