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General discussionFYI: Ashen on the Epic Games Store has no DRM(98 posts)(98 posts)
(98 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted December 11, 2018
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Mawthra: ... Ashen was a literal "right click, copy, paste" and it will run on any machine without doing anything else... and you can also do that for every GOG game you install... in the root of a GOG install for, say, Darksiders III (see attached)... the majority of files are 100% not necessary for the game to run, they're just the install remnants from GOG... the ones highlighted (in the screenshot) are ALL you need to run the game... copy those to any machine and you'll be on your way without even knowing what a registry is...
I see. That sounds very promising. However, I'm not sure that really works on every machine. I heard of Visual C++ runtimes that might be required or DX11 drivers and I really like these desktop shortcuts or uninstall entries. I wonder if really everyone can do that. Is there a guarantee that this will always work, maybe an official OK from the devs/publishers?

I know I set the bar relatively high, but as a paying customer with potentially not much computer knowledge I just want some reassurances that this method really works.

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amok: ... I have done it couple of times... it was no trouble at all, quite straight forward... anyway, most DRM free games on steam do not need any regediting at all, just copy-paste the folder. I zip them for storage, personally.
Okay, I agree they are DRM free then, if this really reliably works. Zipping or copy-and-past a folder is also easy enough that I would trust anyone can do that.

There seem to be really DRM free games on Steam and Epic (not just ones that do not need the client to run) which can be "installed" on new computers.
Post edited December 11, 2018 by Trilarion
Posted December 11, 2018
The problem with unofficially DRM-free games is that should a later patch add DRM, it would be rather unlikely that I would be able to get my money back. Even assuming that no major bugs or improvements would have been left by then, I would have to keep the game installed and check for updates daily and test each version for DRM before archiving the installation folder to be sure that I didn't miss the last DRM-free version.

With officially DRM-free games the only major risks of not making daily checks for updates are to forget to download the installers at all before the store is shutdown and needing to download the full installers for latest versions if the chain of delta patches does not extend from my archived installer versions to the current versions.

GOG's support might even be able to provide some older missed installer for me if I need it for old abandoned mods or just to have fun with unbalanced skills etc, whereas an online store that doesn't host offline installers might not have any means to help me even if the publisher has not yet added DRM on later versions of that game.
Post edited December 11, 2018 by JAAHAS
Posted December 12, 2018
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Mawthra: I was able to launch the game without the Epic Games Launcher open and the game didn't try to launch the Epic Games Launcher when launching the game from the install folder's main EXE... this is good and bad, I guess... because if they're releasing into the wild with no DRM and Annapurna has released games here on GOG before, yet nothing... could be a timed exclusive there or a forever Epic Games Store and Windows Store exclusive which would suck for GOG :(

Just throwing this info out there in case anyone wants to play it, but doesn't want a DRM-laced version... even the multiplayer worked with just launching the game by itself
Can you still play Ashen, even after you uninstalled the Epic launcher?
Posted December 13, 2018
GOG Games aren't fully DRM free, because I don't have the source code for the firmware in my cable modem or router as they're proprietary software, as is the BIOS in my computer.

Kappa
Posted December 13, 2018
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FreakOramaXD: Can you still play Ashen, even after you uninstalled the Epic launcher?
100% Yes. Game got its first update a day or so ago and I tested it and there’s still no DRM in it... I launch it direct from the EXE because launching through the Epic Launcher nets you nothing... doesn’t have an Overlay, achievements, screenshot function, cloud saves, etc., so it’s pointless to start the Epic Launcher first.
Posted December 14, 2018
And according to your definition of DRM-free, Subnautica, which is now free until Christmas on the Epic Games Store has no DRM in the game itself... can launch the game without needing to have the Epic Games Launcher open nor does it try to launch the Epic Games Launcher if you start the game from the game's main EXE
Posted December 14, 2018
I'm so old I remember when DRM meant things like "You can only download this 5 times" or "you can only ever install this on one machine EVER." The idea was that you didn't really own what you bought. You couldn't, say, burn it onto a CD and then dust it off and copy the files back onto your computer 20 years later. Now, I hear if you have to download it through something other than a browser, that's DRM? You kids don't know how good you have it!
Posted December 14, 2018
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Mailanka: Now, I hear if you have to download it through something other than a browser, that's DRM? You kids don't know how good you have it!
I think the problem is, if it isn't sold specifically as being DRM-Free, then for a brand new service with a lot of potential unknowns, you need to do a lot of time-consuming testing. Eg, if a game had no online component and yet contained some offline CEG-like protection where the original .EXE was locked to your CPU / motherboard (may be possible with an offline check), that's something that's only detectable if you have and test on a second PC with different hardware. Simply disconnecting from the net and testing on the same PC isn't enough.

I own a few games on Steam which are technically DRM-Free like Portal and Half-Life. To me it's "good enough" if after the first download, I can zip them up and unzip & play them in future on a different PC without any client / online checks / restrictions. That is after all what's already necessary for old disc based games that aren't on GOG. But unlike GOG's offline guarantee, I did need to test them, and not everyone has the time / inclination to do that, hence why some form of "guarantee" is highly desirable for many.
Post edited December 14, 2018 by AB2012
Posted December 18, 2018
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Mailanka: Now, I hear if you have to download it through something other than a browser, that's DRM? You kids don't know how good you have it!
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AB2012: I think the problem is, if it isn't sold specifically as being DRM-Free, then for a brand new service with a lot of potential unknowns, you need to do a lot of time-consuming testing. Eg, if a game had no online component and yet contained some offline CEG-like protection where the original .EXE was locked to your CPU / motherboard (may be possible with an offline check), that's something that's only detectable if you have and test on a second PC with different hardware. Simply disconnecting from the net and testing on the same PC isn't enough.

I own a few games on Steam which are technically DRM-Free like Portal and Half-Life. To me it's "good enough" if after the first download, I can zip them up and unzip & play them in future on a different PC without any client / online checks / restrictions. That is after all what's already necessary for old disc based games that aren't on GOG. But unlike GOG's offline guarantee, I did need to test them, and not everyone has the time / inclination to do that, hence why some form of "guarantee" is highly desirable for many.
FWIW, every game I've bought on the Epic Store has no DRM... again, we can argue the logistics of what constitutes DRM... yes, you have to INITIALLY download through the Epic Games Launcher (a glorified web app)... but after that, the games THEMSELVES, have zero restrictions on them (as of this posting, yes... who knows what may come)... that goes for Ashen, Hades and Subnautica... all of those you can copy/paste the game folder to another machine that's never had the Epic Games Launcher on it and they will play as expected... Ashen even supporting online.
Posted December 18, 2018
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Mawthra: after that, the games THEMSELVES, have zero restrictions on them (as of this posting,
Incorrect. Shadow Complex starts the client up and there's no offline mode as far as I can make out.
Posted December 18, 2018
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Mawthra: after that, the games THEMSELVES, have zero restrictions on them (as of this posting,
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SirPrimalform: Incorrect. Shadow Complex starts the client up and there's no offline mode as far as I can make out.
Wasn't incorrect, because I said "every game I've bought" and listed them and Shadow Complex wasn't one of them
Posted December 18, 2018
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Mawthra: Wasn't incorrect, because I said "every game I've bought" and listed them and Shadow Complex wasn't one of them
I assumed you were talking in a more generalised sense by that point in the post, sorry.
Posted December 18, 2018
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Mawthra: Wasn't incorrect, because I said "every game I've bought" and listed them and Shadow Complex wasn't one of them
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SirPrimalform: I assumed you were talking in a more generalised sense by that point in the post, sorry.
No worries... things on the Internet get misunderstood all the time, have done it more times than I can count ;)
Posted December 24, 2018
Can you download an installer client on Epic Games Store like on GoG and not use their launcher (similarly like ignoring GoG Galaxy)?
Post edited December 24, 2018 by Crusism
Posted January 14, 2019
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Mawthra: And according to your definition of DRM-free, Subnautica, which is now free until Christmas on the Epic Games Store has no DRM in the game itself... can launch the game without needing to have the Epic Games Launcher open nor does it try to launch the Epic Games Launcher if you start the game from the game's main EXE
I've downloaded Subnautica today (couldn't before as I'm on a metered mobile connection for some time unfortunately) and it won't start without Epic client running in background connected online. Only way to play it offline is launching the game from the play button inside the client library but from desktop shortcut or game exe is a no go.

If your version works as you described it seems it has been patched with DRM.. which sucks.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionFYI: Ashen on the Epic Games Store has no DRM(98 posts)(98 posts)
(98 posts)