OA "failed to contact key server"

[Gnarkill1129 1]

Just got the steam version of Arma2 and Arma2 OA today. Regular Arma works fine, but every time I try and launch OA, I get a window that says "failed to contact key server". I tried running steam as administrator, uninstalled and reinstalled OA, and verified the integrity of game cache twice (both times I've done this, it has had to reacquire 1 file). Still nothing. Help please?

[vtransient 1]

I'm also having this problem. Apparently it's reoccurring. Happens when Steam runs out of keys and BI has to send them more. Hopefully they'll have it fixed soon. Looks like it has taken anywhere from a few hours to a few days to fix in the past.

[Placebo 29]

I searched the support system and see three such reports, in those instances advice handed out is as follows which I'd suggest you try:

Please run the Steam application as Administrator:

1. Exit Steam.

2. Right-click on Steam icon.

3. Left-click on "Run As Administrator".

4. If the problem persists, reboot your computer and try the procedure

again.

If this doesn't work, please try verifying OA's game cache:

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335

take a look on Steam's knowledge base concerning

this problem:

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2204-OPGC-4862

(If the above doesn't work)

Please try the procedures listed after "Using an Incompatible Operating

System".

(If that also doesn't work)

take a look on Steam's knowledge base concerning this error,

especially router and steam update sections:

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2204-OPGC-4862

If that doesn't get you anywhere, try Steam reinstallation:

1. Go to Steam's installation folder.

2. Delete everything there except "steam.exe" and "steamapps" folder.

3. Run "steam.exe" - Steam will reinstall itself automatically.

[razorlord 1]

Im sorry but the above is a waste of time.

Bohemia Needs to give steam more keys. Steam has run out of keys..thats why you get that message after you try to run the game after you have installed it

I bought ArmaII: operation arrowhead today (9 aug) and when i run it i get failed to contact key server..which means they have no more keys

Publisher needs to give more keys to steam.. in this case Bohemia

[[frl]myke 14]

Im sorry but the above is a waste of time.

Bohemia Needs to give steam more keys. Steam has run out of keys..thats why you get that message after you try to run the game after you have installed it

I bought ArmaII: operation arrowhead today (9 aug) and when i run it i get failed to contact key server..which means they have no more keys

Publisher needs to give more keys to steam.. in this case Bohemia

And this is based on what info? Any source you can provide? Did you tried what Placebo wrote?

Anyway, even if your assumption is correct, then it is rather a Steam problem if they,re selling copies without having keys left.

[razorlord 1]

Euh placebo already gave the source in his thread...

and yes i tried thats why i said its waste of time

the problem is this "While we do our best to anticipate demand from our users, occasionally we may run out of keys to provide for your purchase. When we are out of keys, this error will appear. You will be issued a key as soon as we have been given more by the game's publisher."

steam is out of keys at the moment..waiting for Bohemia to give them more keys..

just trying to be helpfull here :butbut:

[SkeptiicaL 1]

I searched the support system and see three such reports, in those instances advice handed out is as follows which I'd suggest you try:

Please run the Steam application as Administrator:

1. Exit Steam.

2. Right-click on Steam icon.

3. Left-click on "Run As Administrator".

4. If the problem persists, reboot your computer and try the procedure

again.

If this doesn't work, please try verifying OA's game cache:

take a look on Steam's knowledge base concerning

this problem:

(If the above doesn't work)

Please try the procedures listed after "Using an Incompatible Operating

System".

(If that also doesn't work)

take a look on Steam's knowledge base concerning this error,

especially router and steam update sections:

If that doesn't get you anywhere, try Steam reinstallation:

1. Go to Steam's installation folder.

2. Delete everything there except "steam.exe" and "steamapps" folder.

3. Run "steam.exe" - Steam will reinstall itself automatically.

Im having the same problem and none of this work pissing me off i bought the game to play i want to play damnit!

[needsumfood 1]

Im having the same problem and none of this work pissing me off i bought the game to play i want to play damnit!

Same here ....

pretty sure steam ran out of keys a tried and tried i just want to play ....

[Placebo 29]

Im sorry but the above is a waste of time.

Bohemia Needs to give steam more keys. Steam has run out of keys..thats why you get that message after you try to run the game after you have installed it

I bought ArmaII: operation arrowhead today (9 aug) and when i run it i get failed to contact key server..which means they have no more keys

Publisher needs to give more keys to steam.. in this case Bohemia

Maybe for some people it's a waste of time and the answer is as you wrote, however as we're getting reports from some people that had Steam OA working perfectly fine for months and then yesterday they started to get the same error your answer does not make sense.

[Ganji 1]

i too have just started to get this message. its a right pain as it was working fine yesterday. before reading this thread i had verified the game cache, reinstalled, ran as admin but nothing worked. if it is to do with steam not getting keys it should'nt affect me as id already had it installed for a few months.

tis a strange one.

[aengel1987 1]

Since my thread was closed, saying i need to rant to valve and not bohemia, im going to repost. The moderator telling me its steams fault, BUT BOHEMIA IS THE ONE WHO GIVES OUT THE CD-KEYS TO VALVE. so that moderator should really know this information before closing the thread and being rude. And you wonder why no one bought this game before DAYZ mod was out..... I have bought plenty of games through steam with no problems what so ever, until your company. So how can you says its a steam problem?

I purchased this game off steam, and OA has no cd key that came along with it. If I get this right, you are selling a game without a working cd-key. How is this not illegal. To not even put a disclaimer saying you have run out of cd-keys is dishonest and wrong. Who do I even contact to get a refund for the game I cant even play? Is bohemia aware of this issue? I see no posts about it on this fourm, are you taking them down? Because on the steam forums I see TONS of people having the same issue who bought this game recently. I would like a response from an admin ASAP, this is terrible business ethics. We should all get refunds from YOUR company since YOUR the one who cant produce the cd-keys. Its funny how before just your game wasnt selling well so you had enough keys, but since a popular mod comes along you cant keep up with demand. I know its not steams fault, i have bought alot of games from them without a hitch. This is really sad and needs to be fixed asap before we go to the better business bureau, popular gaming web sites, or even the news to show people how you run your business and what is happening. If it gets fixed today, it would be no problem really, but i have read that it took 14 days to fix last time this happened?!?! Just give me my refund please, which I know will not happen. You don't even have a phone number for me to call, which is another terrible business move. :mad:

[dm 9]

The moderator telling me

Might wanna re-read the forum rules ;)

If I get this right, you are selling a game without a working cd-key.

No, you get this wrong. Valve is selling you the game, via Steam. Valve are the ones selling you a game "without a cd key", not BI.

If you'd bought from Sproket, that would be a different matter.

I know its not steams fault

See above. IF they have run out of legal cd-keys, then they should prevent that game from being sold. Thats Valves problem, not Bohemias.

Also, this thread just got the chance to become epic lol material. Ragers gonna rage.

[aengel1987 1]

Wrong again. You sure your not a moderator also? You seem as mis-informed..... this is taken from valve web site.

If the game is a recent release, or was purchased during a sale

While we do our best to anticipate demand from our users, occasionally we may run out of keys to provide for your purchase. When we are out of keys, this error will appear. You will be issued a key as soon as we have been given more by the game's publisher.

You will be issued a key as soon as we have been given more by the game's publisher.

You will be issued a key as soon as we have been given more by the game's publisher.

You will be issued a key as soon as we have been given more by the game's publisher.

I dont know if thats clear enough for you. So i made it bold. Your welcome.

[dm 9]

You will be issued a key as soon as we have been given more by the game's publisher.[/b]

I dont know if thats clear enough for you. So i made it bold. Your welcome.

IF they have run out of legal cd-keys, then they should prevent that game from being sold. Thats Valves problem, not Bohemias

So, you'll get a key when they're available, why the rage?

If I get this right, you are selling a game without a working cd-key. How is this not illegal. To not even put a disclaimer saying you have run out of cd-keys is dishonest and wrong.

Again, it is Valve who have run out of keys, not Bohemia.

Just because Valve put a disclaimer on their site doesnt make it BI's fault. Valve knows how many keys they have remaining, Valve should request more keys (it wouldnt be hard to automate) when that number runs low.

[TotenMaske 1]

Aengel1987, I am currently in the same boat as you - purchased ArmaII last night and OA is "failing to contact key server" - going through steam forums this is not the first time this instance has happened. Personally I am just as upset as you about the situation, but really there is a proper way to discuss this issue. Like you I filed a support request for Steam, and they responded with: 'You will be issued a key as soon as we have been given more by the game's publisher.' I saw your original post here, demanding your money back. Well technically you could do a charge back with your credit card or open a ticket with Steam about a refund, since it is with them that you purchased the game from (like going into Bestbuy, or what have you, you will want your refund from the place you purchased a product).

We can tell Bohemia Interactive that yes we are currently having this problem again, and in this way alert them that Steam is dropping the ball (once again by the looks of the previous reports on steam's forums). And that's what I was about to do. But really you need to tone down your anger. I'm in the same boat. Literally, was going to play some DayZ that my friends have been talking about all this week - in hopes during this weekend sometime. So spending 29.99 for the package is annoying when it just doesn't seem to work. But something tells me we just need to be patient. And again, its Steam's duty to go to Bohemia and request more keys. We can just help things along by bugging the crap out of Steam to move that request along.

[emilyydear 1]

Ordered and downloaded Arma II Free and OA yesterday. Was able to download and play no problem... until about 11pm when I stopped being able to get into the server I was using and received a "Waiting for Host" message on the screen....repeatedly. I looked up the issue, which many people seem to be having, and followed their directions to downgrade to the correct patch, etc. Didn't work. Stayed up til 4 trying to fix it. So .. I decide that I'm going to start again today...by deleting the game files and all that jazz. Well, the two games are re-downloaded and I am receiving a "failed to connect to key server message". I'm in the process of contacting steam, but any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Edit :: Playing for DayZ, not Arma II

[Zader 1]

So I bought a game without a CD-key wich mean's I can,t play ... why don't they advertise this before we buy the game ? That's totally a rip-off

[WCAdam 1]

No, you get this wrong. Valve is selling you the game, via Steam. Valve are the ones selling you a game "without a cd key", not BI.

See above. IF they have run out of legal cd-keys, then they should prevent that game from being sold. Thats Valves problem, not Bohemias.

I brought directly from the Bohemia store, the Steam version, I still have this problem.

[razorlord 1]

Steam has keys again.. you can now start the game and it attaches a key to your account and arma2: arrowhead (or combined operations) starts up..

[Placebo 29]

This is resolved as I understand it.

It's interesting that the venom is sent our way and not at a retailer who won't show "out of stock"...