Steam Overlay - Working on win7

[mystikraven]

It worked, thanks! And I saw some misinformation in another thread related to this, so I thought I'd correct it.

 

The Steam overlay DOES in fact work with Battlefield 3. Someone claimed it hadn't and falsely accused the person who claimed that fact, to be an idiot.

[WackyMatty]

Ok, I'm stumped. I'm having the same issue as a lot of others are reporting. Here's what happens:

 

1. The first cscript.exe window opens.
   
2. UAC asks permission to open the second cscript.exe (the elevated one).
   
3. Upon selecting yes: Second cscript.exe opens.
   
4. UAC asks permission to open the launcher.
   
5. Upon selecting yes: Launcher opens.
   
6. Upon logging into the launcher and selecting play: Launcher closes, both cspcript.exe windows close, and the game launches.
   
7. Steam does not report as being in game and the Steam Overlay is not available.
   

 

 

I commented out the line where the script deletes the temp file so that I can see what command line it contains:

 

• -set username *** -set password *** -set platform gamepad.swtor.com:443 -set environment swtor -set lang en-us -set torsets main,en-us @swtor_dual.icb
  

 

 

Obviously, I commented out my username and password. The weird thing is that is it displays my password as a long jumble of 388 characters, numbers, and symbols. Is that what it's supposed to show?

 

Also, I tried putting an additional echo command that displays the command line as it parses through the instance list and I noticed that it finds TWO instances of swtor.exe that contain "username" in their command line string. Could be a red herring but I'm just trying to get as much info out there as I can.

 

By the way, I have Windows 7 Home Premium X64. Also, for what it's worth, I do have Steam Guard enabled and a Security Key on my Star Wars account.

 

Thanks for all the great work!

[Demoriar]

This took about an hour of fiddling, but it absolutely worked. Im running windows 7 Ultimate 64, running off an separate HDD. Just had to make sure the file path was absolutely correct. Running steam in Admin mode is also a must (or was for me at least) but after triple checking everything, and restarting steam in admin this worked perfectly. Thank you so much!!

[Final]

Got it to work the first try in Vista 64bit. Thanks, man!

[Pendertuga]

Runs the script, launcher starts, I sign in and the game loads, but I can't access the overlay D:

 

So close!

 

Edit: Also no longer classed as being in game on Steam D:

Yeah, this happens to me too. Works up 'till the launcher then Steam says I'm no longer IG

[Monthigos]

Woo! OP you are awesome! Worked on the first try in Win7 64. Wish I could sticky this.

[Emencie]

Nice Job OP

[Gixxerdude]

For those having issues where only 1 window pops up but the launcher does not start, there is an extra space in the line command. You should use this instead.

Target:

"C:\Windows\System32\cscript.exe" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\BioWare\Star Wars-The Old Republic\Steam.vbs"

 

My brother linked me directions from

http://disdaingaming.com/swtor/how-use-the-steam-overlay-with-the-old-republic

 

I don't see a register here option but someone that knows them should email them to edit their directions so that the extra space is removed.

 

If someone already posted the fix, sorry! I checked the first two pages and didn't bother reading the last two haha

[Mironov]

So i had a chat with my programming savvy friend and he helped me to narrow down a problem. apparently a script itself works as intended. There is something wrong with how a steam handle it.

 

Here is a cope paste of our chat (all nicks was replaced)

 

Friend:

Find

objShell.ShellExecute "swtor.exe", swtorCommandLine, swtorExecutablePath

 

Replace with:

WScript.Echo "FOUND SWTOR EXE"

objShell.ShellExecute "swtor.exe", swtorCommandLine, swtorExecutablePath

3:55 - Friend: there that last attempt is somewhat clear

3:55 - Mironov: ok let me try it..

3:56 - Friend: that won;t change anything about how the script functions, it just gives a message when it should be working

3:56 - Friend: so you could see if it thinks it succeded before it closes

3:57 - Mironov: ok

4:02 - Mironov: so basically i add WScript.Echo "FOUND SWTOR EXE"

t the beginning of the found line, right? i did tha and now a script window opens and quickly closes and nothing happens

4:03 - Friend: yes, you just add, put an enter there so its on it's own line

4:04 - Mironov: ah

4:04 - Mironov: E:\games\Star Wars-The Old Republic\steamswtor.vbs(36, 33) Microsoft VBScript co

mpilation error: Expected end of statement

4:04 - Mironov: got so far

4:04 - Mironov: lemme move it to it's own line

4:04 - Friend: yup its complaining you put 2 things on the same line, now it's confused

4:06 - Mironov: i lunched it. 1st script window "C:\windows\System32\cscript.exe"

4:07 - Mironov: Second "C:\windows\SysWOW64\cscript.exe"

4:07 - Friend: it should only print FOUND SWTOR EXE after you click the play button

4:08 - Mironov: 1st has a "Waiting for other script to finish.. " line and second - "Waiting for launcher to start swtor .. " line

4:08 - Friend: pay close attention it closes shortly after printing it

4:08 - Mironov: 1st or second? The one that waits for swtor?

4:09 - Friend: the window that says "Waiting for other script to finish..."

4:09 - Mironov: ok

4:09 - Mironov: clicking play..

4:09 - Mironov: yup was something there

4:10 - Mironov: with a capital letters

4:10 - Friend: ok, the script seems to be working, its steam taht is the problem

4:10 - Friend: it is not handeling the thing the script gives it correctly or it does not accept it.

4:11 - Friend: unfortunately I have no way to fix your steam

4:11 - Friend: you could try asking on the forums as to why steam is not accepting or dropping the handle for swtor.exe

 

So apparently something is not right with a steam.

I have it updated. i have a steam guard turned on. I use a "Larger Text" skin (because a default skin has too small letters for 1920x1080 resolution), steam community and all options there are enabled. Interface - English, with Enable direct Write . .option ticked off.

 

I also Turned off UAC, so in order to run swtor properly i had to turn a compatibility option set to "Windows XP SP3", otherwise i get "Process not elevated" error.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Mironov

[Magnificrab]

Worked like a charm for me, very good work, upvote

[aliasalpha]

I have gotten the steam overlay to work on my computer.

And on mine, I bloody love you mate! No more tabbing out for me (apart from this time when I tabbed out to write this)

[OniRyo]

After using the double space between the 2 files it worked, thanks a lot for this!. Edited December 30, 2011 by OniRyo

[Mironov]

I found out, thanks for a tip above, that running swtor.exe -set username **your username here** -set password **your encrypted long line password here** -set platform gamepad.swtor.com:443 -set environment swtor -set lang en-us -set torsets main,en-us @swtor_dual.icb

Enables me to log into the game and play.

 

Still there is a problem of how to feed that long line to an exe, as a Target field has some serious limitation.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Mironov

[nezroy]

Works for me (Win7 64-bit). More importantly, I can confirm that this VBS script is not doing anything hinky or malicious, for those who might be concerned. What it does:

 

 

• fires up the launcher and creates a tempfile for the swtor.exe command line to get dumped (background info here: the regular swtor launcher fires up a swtor.exe instance with command line parameters like username, hashed password/nonce, and all other info necessary to connect swtor.exe to your logged in session... none of this is sensitive or secret, it can all be seen easily enough in your running windows programs... presumably a nonce included in the password hash restricts this to only being valid to connect swtor.exe to your active session once)
  
• launches an elevated (admin privs) version of itself that waits around for the launcher to launch swtor.exe (this is why you see TWO command prompts sitting there waiting initially)
  
• the 2nd elevated instance waits for the launcher to launch swtor.exe
  
• the 1st regular instance waits for the 2nd instance to update the tempfile with the command line params
  
• when swtor.exe is launched, the 2nd instance copies its command line to the tempfile
• the 2nd instance then KILLS THE swtor.exe that was launched by the launcher, then exits
  
• the 1st instance then re-launches swtor.exe with the same command line parameters dumped into the tempfile; because it's launched from this VBS, Steam appears to then be able to track/overlay the swtor.exe instance properly
  

 

 

If this isn't working for you, one thing to try might be to reduce the very last "WScript.Sleep" time to a smaller value. 500 or 250 might work. This will "catch" the swtor.exe that the launcher is running more quickly, which could be a source of problems for some people if the initial swtor.exe launch is getting too far in before being caught and killed (i.e. if the swtor.exe actually connects before being killed, I'm pretty sure it will "use up" your password/nonce hash for that session, making it invalid).

Edited December 30, 2011 by nezroy

[nezroy]

I found out, thanks for a tip above, that running swtor.exe -set username **your username here** -set password **your encrypted long line password here** -set platform gamepad.swtor.com:443 -set environment swtor -set lang en-us -set torsets main,en-us @swtor_dual.icb

Enables me to log into the game and play.

 

From my limited testing, this won't work anyway because the password hash includes a time/nonce value that restricts its applicability (which, I mean, I would hope so, otherwise it would be trivial for a malicious program to sniff out this string and then allow anyone to log into your account elsewhere). So the password hash value changes on each launch...

[Mironov]

It doesn't change on each launch. I have tried that several times already, and so far it launches. Maybe it changes once per day or something...

 

The problem with an overlay still exists for me.

I put up side by side a launcher window and friends list of a steam to see a changes in my status. It goes green during a launcher, after a launcher goes away along with the both script windows, my status goes back to blue and after that swtor client starts.

 

Changing WScript.Sleep to anything even 1 , won't help.

I changed the one at the end of a file, i believe it is the one responding for swtor.exe check . I have also tried to set both Sleep to 10 and still get no needed effect.

 

Funny thing is: i sent this link to my two friends and they both were able to lunch the thing flawlessly from the 1st go. One friend uses Vista another one win7

Edited December 30, 2011 by Mironov

[nizchetus]

Works perfectly. Now only if I can get sound to continue playing while the game isn't focused, I'll be set. Thanks OP.

[renegadelink]

Thanks all for the responses. I've put a better solution in another thread and updated the original post.

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=104668

[sithlordal]

Big thank you for this

[SethraLavode]

 

Hopefully this works for people. If not, I'll try something else. I know it is possible to get steam overlay working with swtor though which is good.

 

Enjoy.

 

Thank you very much. This is working on my system (running Win 7 64-bit) and this has solved endless frustration of steam overlay working with SWTOR.

 

Kudos to you, and Happy New Year!

[GlopGlopWater]

I followed the directions perfectly, and the two command prompts open, launch the game, I see the loading screen, then crashes to desktop with no error message

[svzurich]

I followed the directions perfectly, and the two command prompts open, launch the game, I see the loading screen, then crashes to desktop with no error message

 

This just happened to me as well after working perfectly for the last few days. Odd.

[GlopGlopWater]

This just happened to me as well after working perfectly for the last few days. Odd.

 

I fixed it by exiting Steam and running it as administrator.

[Redcap]

Works for me also. I'm using the 32 bit version of 7 so I had to change the directories a bit, thank you very much

[badTasteee]

works like a charm. thanks!