14 DAY TRIAL // The Steam client has just been updated to include a variety of solutions to different crashes and bugs, but also the new Family Sharing system which should make it easier for parents to let their kids play games on Steam.
Valve has seen a whirlwind of new features and announcements appear in recent months, from the SteamOS to the Steam Machines and Controller, or the Winter Sale.
Now, after making some big reveals at the CES 2014 expo earlier this week, it's now rolled out a fresh client update for Steam that adds the Family Sharing system.
In case you forgot, the new mechanic makes it easier for parents to allow their children to access games from their library as well as curate the things they have access to.
Besides the new option, plenty of bug and crash fixes are also included in the new update, alongside improvements for the Big Picture mode. Check out the changelog below, via the official website.
General
- Introducing Steam Family Options , a new way for parents and families to establish access to the Steam features and content they choose. - Added global setting to allow downloads during gameplay, and change the per-app settings to be global/allow/deny. - Added UI for Family Sharing to specify which accounts may play games on authorized computers - Add disk-activity indicator to downloads page, will light up if updates are slowed because Steam is waiting for the local disk to write data - Simplify application name displayed for Steam executable in Windows firewall and crash dialogs - Fixed a crash that could occur when quitting the Steam Client - Fixed canceled recurring subscriptions to remain valid until expired - Fixed current download rate display when downloads are paused/stopped - Fixed regression with downloading optional DLC while the app is running - Fixed crash in game backup code if a user didn't own a mounted depot - Fixed estimated download-time staying blank in the Downloads page - Fixes for Asian text input in the Steam overlay affecting the input state of the game
Big
Picture
- Add control of per-game update settings under "Links and More" in the Library - Fixed download progress indicator to correctly start at 0%, not 100% - Fixed smooth scrolling in some panels to not jitter backwards before continuing to correct scroll offset - Fixed Steam Controller bindings left browse column to scroll correctly as focus moves off screen - Most notification toasts should now respond to pressing the guide button or clicking on the notification - Modal dialogs should now close when clicking outside of the dialog - Fix estimated download time remaining string getting cut off
The new update is already available for download and will be applied automatically by Steam when you start it up and are connected to the Internet.