It has been mentioned on the game screen since I think the begining:

Thanks. I added it to the list.

This isa copy paste message.
Technically, to be sure if it is DRM you should try to add the game without own it to GOG Galaxy and launch it, many games user launcher solutions for their multiplayer, is the modern solution, implement a multiplayer without launcher takes a tremendus amount of work and they won't do it for the sake of release it on a DRM Free store that actually has a launcher, try to do that, risk your account, get the game install it and manually add it to GOG Galaxy, if it launch without own it, then is full DRM Free.
You can give it a try too!

Nevertheless, if it there then it is probably fair to assume it is true.

Firstly, I don't own the game, so I am not able to try it. Secondly, I also use Linux, so even if I had the game I wouldn't be able to try MP with Galaxy (which is the main complaint the OP has in that other thread).

If the game is dependent on Galaxy (or any launcher) for MP then it is DRMed. If one day Galaxy is scrapped, GOG goes under, whatever, then the MP game will be unplayable, therefore it is not preservable.

I don't agree with you that making LAN/direct IP multiplayer with no launcher is a prohibitive amount of work. MP games have been using those methods since the dawn of gaming. It is old tech and there is nothing that should make it inherently more difficult to code than a connection to a remote server. In fact, it should be far less work, since they don't have to code a server! :-P

It's quite some work actually, it can take month of work if you put a cuople of developers to do it, code it, test it, see if work, support it, and is like wasted work if you already have a working solution that use a launcher, and like I said, I'm not sure if it is DRMed because if you still are able to launch the game without own it, then is just a client server, not a DRM, the problem is that you can be banned and is too much to risk to be sure. I can agree that is DRM on games that requires a key but not too sure on case like this :/

It would surely be less work, if the game was designed to use those direct methods for MP in the first place. Another option is that, if they are going to be coding a MP server anyway, why not package that with the game and allow users to set up and run their own servers? That would be far better for preservation and how much additional coding work would that require?

As far as I am concerned, any dependency on a remote server for multiplayer is DRM, because the developer is effectively retaining a 'kill switch' for the game. The moment they decide to turn off the server, the MP game is instantly unplayable for anyone that has bought it. The only reason they are unwilling to allow users to set up their own servers is that they want control. And it seems developers have done a good job of 'normalizing' the viewpoint that multiplayer games require the use of remote servers (which they do not).

1000% agree with you (yes, thousands, I can't agree more), direct methods for MP are always better, and like you said would be far better for preservation, I also hate remote servers, that's why barely play modern MP games (prefer the classics like Quake Arena I play to this day), but for younger audiences the lonely concept of use an IP to connect in a MP game cause them severe brain damage, that's why developers choose adapt their game to remote servers like Steam.

That's a good point about convenience and it may be part of the reason developers choose to use remote servers for MP. However, it being done for the convenience of modern casual gamers doesn't stop it being DRM.

The thing is: why can't they do both? With the client-server model, the developer could have their own instance of the MP server running for gamer convenience (with a handy link built in to the game) and also provide the server application along with the game, for future preservation, once the remote server gets turned off.

Imo, we need to be pushing for and encouraging this.

Yes, imo too, is a good practice a fortunately many indie developers are introducing classic multiplayer servers, specially the retro shooter sub genre, with hope and time maybe more developers in the industry will do this too. Fingers crossed!

That’s of course wrong, youngsters today are not more stupid than we were at their age, and they are usually more tech-savvy than we were. They could setup TCP/IP multiplayer easily, if the developers were not robbing us of this option in favour of DRM everywhere.

It's not a question of being tech savvy or not, it's a question of convenience, most peoples today when they want to play online they want to start the game, select a friend(s) from their friend list, or have a matchmaking system select other players for them, and play in a matter of seconds.

They don't want to open port in their firewall, exchange IP address, troubleshoot why despite opening ports on both side it's still not working, etc... While I would love for all games to include the option for direct IPs, the reason why it's so rare nowadays is not because of DRM, not because of laziness or incompetence, simply because it would require a sizable amount of extra works on top of the "standard" multiplayer implementation (i.e. using a client or some third party MP manager) and the majority of peoples playing online wouldn't go through the hassle of using it anyway.

I get the convenience argument. But, it doesn't change the fact that when the day comes (not if) that the remote server is terminated, then the only option to play those games MP is going to be some sort of direct connection anyway (whether gamers like it or not).

They are not more "tech-savvy", technology become more and more accessible every day, imagine that for use the first computers you required a degree, now every person in the world even kids can use a computer with no problem, the work of the developers is to make the programs more accessible, 7/10 people don't even know what is an IP is, and if you try to make them abandon their confort zone, aka the modern day launchers, where they with a simple click invite their friends without any problem to their sesions, to make them manually open their firewalls, input the IP direction and cross their fingers to see if works in all ends (always one memeber will have some problem to connect) it's easy to see which solution the customers will choose, it's not the ideal one, we all agree with that, because eventually close and is a go "f*ck yourself" for the customers, like Time4Tea said :/

As a parent I can simply say "not true". ;-)

Not just from my own kids.

You are right, that's why I also would prefer if there was some alternate MP implemented, but I was just explaining why that it was more complicated than just saying that the Devs were "pro-DRM".