Steam - Game content conversion

[nireth]

I tried playing P:BP today and received this message:

Steam needs to convert the game content for "Penumbra: Black Plague" to a new, more efficient format. This will require an internet connection and a few minutes' time.

So I give it a few minutes during which it attempts to reconfigure new content, but after that I always get the error message

Conversion failed (Connection timeout)

According to posts on the Steam forums I'm not the only one either, but they don't seem to have a solution so far, so I thought I'd try my luck asking here.

[Statyk]

You haven't tried uninstalling from steam and re-installing? If it doesn't work, perhaps going into Program Files/Steam/steamapps/common and deleting the whole Penumbra folder, then installing again? NOTE: I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WILL DO. Try at your own risk, though if it still tells you Penumbra is installed, right click>Properties. Pick Local Files and Verify Integrity of Game Cache.

[nireth]

I haven't tried it myself yet, but according to the Steam forum neither re-installing the game nor re-installing Steam helped.

[Statyk]

Perhaps it's just your connection? Is your internet strong?

[nireth]

It is. Everything else works perfectly & fast as usual.

[Aya]

I'm having the same issue, along with everyone else on Steam. Not to say that it's Frictional Games' fault, but I'd really like to be able to play Black Plague. My internet is working perfectly, yet the conversion to "a more efficient format" keeps timing out. Steam forced the same overhaul for Overture, and it worked perfectly.

[cricketin3d]

So i downloaded P:BP the other day, it worked fine all the way till tuesday/wednesday of this week (its now sunday) i got the same conversion notification. and it would never convert, same for Penumbra:Requiem. after multiple tries for both, resetting my internet, and restarting my computer nothing worked.
i completely deleted steam and all files related files.
i re-installed steam. TF2 and Amnesia reinstalled fine with no problems both fully operational. but both penumbra black plague and requiem would asked to be installed, id accept, and when it was going to install it was stuck on verifying local game cache or something like that.
i did the whole verifying the cache through properties, changed my server, changed ClientRegistry.Blob it ClientRegistryOld.blob and just about every trick i could find.
i even went and purchased the Penumbra Collecters Pack with Overture BlackPlague and Requiem. Overture downloaded fine and is completely operational. but the other two are stuck in Converting to a more effeicent format
Ive sent multiple emails to steams support page requesting either help with the problem or a refund but they havent contacted me back.

i just really want to play these games

[Statyk]

This problem sounds so sudden and large. Perhaps it's a problem with Steam itself. I'm sorry everyone. If I knew a solution, I'd give it to you =[ I would say wait it out and hope Steam makes an update fixing it. Have you contacted them?

[Aya]

(10-07-2012 08:07 PM)Statyk Wrote:  This problem sounds so sudden and large. Perhaps it's a problem with Steam itself. I'm sorry everyone. If I knew a solution, I'd give it to you =[ I would say wait it out and hope Steam makes an update fixing it. Have you contacted them?

The issue is most definitely with Steam itself. They've forced a format update, and fucked the games up in the process. It's not surprising really; Steam breaks shit all the time. I'm confident they'll fix it EVENTUALLY, but until then everyone is getting kind of antsy. I've personally contacted them, to no avail. I also see threads all over the Steam forums about it.