How to get the Steam Overlay on FTB! (Any ModPack)

[Succubism]

Just to prove it works.​

​

So since I got steam a few years ago, I've been curious how to get the steam overlay on it. It used to be as simple as adding the non-steam game to your library, however now, it's not so simple. But there is a way. And there's a way to do it for FTB! That's what I'll be showing first.

First off, go into your steam library directory in your Browser. (Typically c:/program files (x86)/steam/steamapps/common)
Make a new folder called Minecraft and copy your FTB Launcher.exe there.

Now you'll need to add the game to your library, but you won't add the launcher directly!
Go to C:/Program Files/Java/jre7/bin and look for a javaw.exe file. You'll want to add this to your stream library by adding a non-steam supported game.
DON'T RUN IT.

Now you'll need to right-click javaw.exe in your library and select properties.
Go into your browser again and SHIFT-right click your FTB launcher and click "Copy as path"
In the 'Target' text field you should have "C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin\javaw.exe" in quotes. Type in " -jar " at the end and then paste in the path you just copied. If done right, you should have this in your 'Target' text field:

"C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin\javaw.exe" -jar "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Minecraft\FTB_Launcher.exe"

Change the Icon if you like.

You're done! Running FTB off your steam launcher should allow the steam overlay to kick in!

The process for adding Minecraft or any other modpack launcher (tekkit, void's wrath, etc) is very similar. Just replacing the steps with FTB with your desired launcher.

Here's a video that explains things pretty well too if you need it. (Thanks to DrRedAxel)

Spoiler

 

[ewsmith]

Exactly how do you figure out all this stuff? It seems like you have a new tutorial every week. .-.

 

[Succubism]

Exactly how do you figure out all this stuff? It seems like you have a new tutorial every week. .-.

I usually just come across these things as I get curious, like I played MagicFarm and found MineFantasy and Thaumic Tinkerer, then it was Flan when the Yogscast installed it, and now it was the steam overlay.
Thing is when i do look these things up, especially with lesser known or obscure mods, there aren't many tutorials about it. So I figure well someone's gonna make them eventually, I might as well do it so I have reference for the future.

So I ask people for help, I figure stuff out on my own and I watch foreign videos.

 

[Darth Sith]

Thanks this helped a lot!

 

[Succubism]

No problem~.

 

[TheN1K0L4Z]

It's barely working, there's a problem getting the overlay to close. If I try to close with SHIFT+TAB it won't close, and then there's the problem clicking a button to close the overlay from there. But I minimized the game window and restored it, back to normal.

 

[Succubism]

Such is the curse of putting the overlay on a game that doesn't support it.

 

[Malexion]

The file path also changes if you are not using Java 7

 

[Succubism]

I'm not including separate instructions for a different file path. If you can't find Java's file directory on your own you have no business messing with it.

 

[Malexion]

Well yeah, sometimes its just a nice thing to notify people about so they check their version of java first.

 

[Succubism]

Should I also tell them to make sure they're using a 64bit OS instead of an 86bit?
Or that they're using a PC and not a Mac?

Look, I'm all for being as comprehensive and helpful as possible but I've got my own stuff to do, I simply don't have the time to hand hold.
I'm sure other people can tell them what they need to know if they don't know how to do or get whatever.

 

[DeathGoth]

He is saying that when you say something like this you have to treat everyone as if they were in third grade, my experience in helping people is everyone is stupid unless proven otherwise...

That is what tutorials and things are supposed to be like.. Easy to read, understand and learn from... That is why it is good to treat everyone as if they were in 3rd grade because then everyone would understand what you are saying unless they were completely stupid then there would be no help for them..

 

[Succubism]

He is saying that when you say something like this you have to treat everyone as if they were in third grade, my experience in helping people is everyone is stupid unless proven otherwise...

No. I respectfully disagree.

That argument does not work. Not here. If you were talking, educating or informing just one person then fine, you'd have to treat them as if they know nothing about anything, however I'm on a site with well over thousands of people, a good chunk of which have the intellige- no, the common sense to know if you don't see your java in the right place then you probably need to update or re-evaluate your java.
There is more involved in this circumstance than just who you're talking to. Much more.

I don't care if some or most may have to be babied but the fact of the matter is a great deal of you guys don't and if someone asks the question then it falls to either me or someone else to fill them in, however I don't feel that in this instance it's something I have to include in the OP.

That is what tutorials and things are supposed to be like.. Easy to read, understand and learn from...

Was my tutorial not easy to read and or understand? Because I've had no complaints yet.
In fact this didn't even start with a complaint it started with a suggestion or a critique, a suggestion which yes, I appreciate but I just don't agree with.
Go anywhere in the support threads, java is usually the first thing people ask for, if people can't do a damn google search to find out what they need to know then I repeat what I have just said.

They have no business messing with it.

 

[DeathGoth]

No that is where you are wrong, you are on a site on which it helps a lot of people who have no clue on how to mods anything be able to play mods..

The FTB pack in most cases are here for people who don't know crap about modding, they cant figure out how to change this ID config because some other ID isn't letting the game load, don't believe me goto MCF and look at the mods area check random mods and see.. My game wont load because bla.. well gee ID conflict...

Meh, not sure..

 

[Succubism]

No that is where you are wrong, you are on a site on which it helps a lot of people who have no clue on how to mods anything be able to play mods..

... No? The site I'm on is a hub for FTB related activity with the purpose of creating sociability and occasionally support that revolves around the FTB modpacks. Support is a small, SMALL part of the website. A part which you my friend aren't even on right now.

The FTB pack in most cases are here for people who don't know crap about modding,

FTB exists because people don't know how to... What?!
No. No. That's not it at all. FTB's mission statement is to provide a modpack that does it "right".
It keeps as up-to-date with Minecraft itself as it possibly can.
It provides updates for bugs, balances and mod updates.
It provides simplicity. It prov-

Ugh, forget it. It just isn't alright?

they cant figure out how to change this ID config because some other ID isn't letting the game load, don't believe me goto MCF and look at the mods area check random mods and see.. My game wont load because bla.. well gee ID conflict...

Do you know why this problem exists? I'll tell you exactly why. Try to understand this...
MODS ARE NOT BUILT WITH OTHER MODS IN MIND.
There are few, FEW exceptions to this general rule in which mods are optimized to work with mods during a partnership with their respective modders in which case ID's will be fixed as default.
Regardless, modders are not expected to and will not provide instructions on how to get their mods to work with others because it's not their responsibility.
Any google search will tell you anything you need to know.
Any person you ask will tell you to check the config files if the mod, which it usually is nowadays, is installed with FML, in which case if it isn't then you should expect problems.

Meh, not sure..

Clearly.

 

[Vauthil]

There's a case to be made for mod packs and their launchers needing to be built for lower common denominators than resources for folks who put together their own mod packs.

That doesn't impose a duty on people writing gratis information on the forum to be forced to only write to that level. Otherwise I'd have to stop inserting random five dollar words like gratis in my posts. It just makes the information useful to more people. If somebody feels the need to provide a more remedial guide on the process, nobody's stopping them from starting up their own thread. =)

 

[Succubism]

(post deleted)
That was a misplaced post, my bad.

 

[Warwooby22]

Thank you sooooo much for this post, i found a fairly outdated video on YouTube for vanilla, but that did not even work, also i love your posts, they are always helpful, like your thatumcraft 4 research one! thank you so much!

 

[Siigari]

Despite the thread necromancy I guess now is a good time to ask a question wondering for a while: why do people want an app that doesn't involve steam have steam on it? This just takes the user out of their game, whether it be a pause or what have you. Bring the people to your game and chat with them in the in-game interface, especially if it's a multiplayer game.

 

[Succubism]

Despite the thread necromancy I guess now is a good time to ask a question wondering for a while: why do people want an app that doesn't involve steam have steam on it? This just takes the user out of their game, whether it be a pause or what have you. Bring the people to your game and chat with them in the in-game interface, especially if it's a multiplayer game.

So they can go full screen and talk to their steam friends without having to alt-tab out or whatever, I guess.