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Introduction
Heathen's Toolkit for Steamworks enables the full-featured Steamworks SDK and extends that with tried and true tools, system and quality-of-life improvements forged over a decade plus of continuous development and support.
Unlike our contemporaries, we work with Unreal Engine's plugins, tools and systems to extend and empower. This means your existing work, tools and assets you may already own, samples and guides you found along the way and years of forum posts and code snippets will all just work.
No limits
it's no secret that Online Subsystem Steam is out-of-date and feature-limited. Updating it is simple and what Epic Games intended you to do. We can help make that less painful.
Extending the native Steamworks integration is where we shine. Exposing every feature of Steamworks SDK making it easy to work with in C++ or Blueprint, integrating it deeply with the engine enabling the full feature set in the editor (not just standalone runs) and extending that further with Unreal-specific systems, tools and widgets like Steam Save Game and our Steam Game Instance.
We help you Do More with Toolkit for Steamworks SDK
Features
Knowledge Base
The single most valuable resource we offer is completely free and you are reading it right now. Our Knowledge Base is a huge repository of invaluable information not limited to the support of our tools but covering every aspect of the Steam platform and Steamworks SDK and dipping into general game design, development and operation.
Full-Featured Steamworks SDK
Leverage the full feature set of Steamworks SDK in C++ or Blueprint. We have created a rich blueprint library that covers every API and function of Steamworks SDK with additional quality-of-life nodes to further accelerate your project.
More than just an API wrapper
Deeply integrated with Unreal we bridge the gap between Unreal and Steamworks. Work in the editor with the full Steamworks API integrated into the Unreal Game Instance. We expose every Steam API callback as an Unreal delegate (event). We extend Save Game to integrate it tightly with Steam Remote Storage (aka Steam Cloud) and provide a fully functional example of major features like friends, leaderboards, lobby and multiplayer.
Unreal Capability
We work with Unreal Engine's built-in plugins, tools and systems taking them further and enabling you to take advantage of everything Steamworks and the Steam platform offers. This means all of your existing tools, knowledge, experience, guides and community sources will continue to work for you enhanced by Heathen's Toolkit for Steamworks SDK.
Free from Multiplayer Limits
Finding Online Subsystem limiting? let us fix that for you. You can of course use OSS Steam, Sessions, Advanced Session or any other Unreal tool alongside Toolkit for Steamworks. You can also forgo them completely leveraging Steam Lobby, Steam Game Sever, Rich Presence, Remote Play and much more to deliver a rich user experience leveraging every feature Valve's Steam platform has to offer.
Work Your Way
Proved Reliability
We have developed and maintained Heathen's Toolkit for Steamworks for more than a decade. In that time we have learned a lot, not just about Steam and the engines we support but what a developer needs to deliver a successful project. Heathen's Toolkit for Steamworks is trusted by thousands of developers big and small and drives hundreds of games from small passion projects to major professional titles.
Peerless Support
This is our day job, we are always here and we support our tools and our community. The community we have fostered is rich, diverse and supportive. Whether you are a passionate hobbyist looking to publish your first game on Steam or an industry veteran with years of experience Heathen's dedication and experience and the wider Heathen community will enable you to Do More!
Comparison
| Features | Online Subsystem Steam | Toolkit for Steamworks |
|---|---|---|
License | ||
Documentation | Rich Knowledge Base & Examples | |
Support | Community | Dedicated + Community |
UI Widgets (friends, user, lobby, leaderboard, etc.) | ✔ | |
Remote Storage Steam Cloud Save | ✔ | |
Initialize in the editor, in any play mode (Not limited to Standalone) | ✔ | |
Application | - Partial | Full in C++ & Bluprint |
Authentication | - Partial | Full in C++ & Bluprint |
Big Picture | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
Groups / Clans | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
User / Friends | - Partial | Full in C++ & Bluprint |
Steam Input | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
Inventory | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
Leaderboard | - Partial | Full in C++ & Bluprint |
Matchmaking | - Partial | Full in C++ & Bluprint |
Overlay | - Full ? | Full in C++ & Bluprint |
Parties | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
Remote Play | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
Remote Storage (cloud) | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
Screenshots | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
Stats & Achievements | - Partial | Full in C++ & Bluprint |
UGC (Workshop) | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
Utilities | Full in C++ & Bluprint | |
Voice | - Full ? | Full in C++ & Bluprint |
But Online Subsystem Steam?
Online Subsystems (Steam or otherwise) are not platform integrations, they do not attempt to leverage the platform features fully or even in the way intended by the platform. Online Subsystems such as Online Subsystem Steam reduces the power of Steamworks to its bare bones to conform with the Online Subsystem structure and the concept of Sessions.
The advantage to Online Subsystems is that you could theoretically swap them out as in switch from Steam to Facebook to anything else and all your logic would remain unchanged.
The disadvantage is that you cannot avail of any of the platform-specific features. This is particularly tragic with Steam which offers hands down the best services, tools and features in the industry for no additional charge.
Steamworks is far more than a multiplayer tool set, it includes rich social features, support for modding, inventory which itself supports microtransactions, crafting, player economy and itemization. Steam allows for 10,000 leaderboards per app (game) each can have a limitless number of users and includes file attachments enabling replay features and more. Steam Workshop is the gold standard for easy-to-use mods and community-created content and Steam Remote play lets your local multiplayer game be online-multiplayer with no additional work on your part.
In addition of course Steam has many multiplayer features that are industry-leading if not defining, Steam Lobby, Steam Game Server Browser, Beacon, Party, Remote Play, Rich Presence, etc. We make it all available and easy to use.
Why not just use Online Subsystem Steam?
Because you are missing 99% of what Steam has to offer. Valve will be taking their 30% rather you use none or all of Steam's features, you might as well make them work for it and leverage the industry-leading Steamworks SDK to its fullest.
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