Offline Mode

[Narcolepsy]

I find that Half-Life 2 runs slightly more smoothly in offline mode, and I need all the help I can get. However, it's just annoying to have to unplug and replug my modem everytime I want to play the game.

I realize that Valve has not made an official way to use offline mode without removing internet access, but does anyone know of any shortcut extensions, batch files, or text files that could be modified that would allow steam to start up in offline mode without messing with my internet connection?

Thanks.

EDIT: Whoa, this post is a haven for advertisements.

 

[^Ben]

Firewall.

 

[Narcolepsy]

Firewall.

Can you use a firewall to set up separate shortcuts? I have Norton Personal Firewall 2004. I know I could just block steam, but sometimes I actually don't want to block steam. What I'm trying to do is eliminate hassle, and that would be just as hard as unplugging my modem.

 

[^Ben]

Maybe, I would have no idea about seperate firewall packages.