I have to disagree with you about Steam's DRM model. The whole reason confirmation codes are used is so that Steam doesn't end up in the same position that PSN ended up in. Security and Usability are on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Usability sacrificed by Steam for Security is far more palatable compared to the always on DRM that doesn't even allow the game to launch or for the save function to work.

By the way, are your Steam account settings wrong or something? In the account settings, there is an Offline Mode if you let Steam save your account credentials. My Internet connection is flaky from time-to-time and that's what I have set on my Steam client. I don't seem to be having the same problems you are.

Guys, why would they sit here and adamantly say "We're not releasing game with DRM" and then go release games with DRM? "newer games" is a pretty broad brush to paint with and in terms of GoG.com I take it to mean anything newer than the average antiquity of their existing catalog (not counting The Witcher series). Yet for some reason people hear "newer games" and they immediately start to wonder how GoG.com is going to release Steamworks titles when they say they're not going to use DRM... they must be lying!

Think, McFly, think. If it requires a DRM scheme which cannot be removed then it probably won't end up on GoG.com, simple as that. I'm not sure why there ended up being twenty pages of theorycraft on this issue but hey, that's the internet.

Wait... what? Why do you need to enter a confirmation code everytime you launch the client? I've had Steam for years and the only time I've needed to do that is if I'm logging in from a computer it doesn't recognize. Once I've let Steam know I'm me (and not someone attempting to steal my account), it doesn't ask anymore.

That's a security function and as someone else said already, usability and security are often at odds with each other. Part of the reason Steam is so security-minded is because ALL of your games are tied to your account. If someone were to illegally gain access to your account, they could change the password on you and lock you out of the games you legally purchased.

Look, I don't want to come off as a "Steam Fanboy." Valve's digital distribution program has had its fair share of issues and it does some things I find incredibly annoying (like constantly updating TF2 or L4D2, even if I turn auto-updates off).

However, Steam's DRM model is, by and large, benign. It's not invasive (all it really wants is an email address), can be run in offline mode and it doesn't affect your computer negatively, unlike some other DRM schemes. As far as DRM goes, I can deal with Steam.

Would I like all games, new and old, to be DRM free? You bet! That won't happen, though, so for new games, I'm happy with Steam. Of course, if GOG could somehow convince the AAA publishers to release their new games on here without DRM, I'd switch in an instant..

You missed my point. How important do you think being DRM free is to people outside of GoG's primary user-base? I don't think DRM-free is an angle that will attract significant numbers of new customers (exclusive titles and bonuses are GoG's best option imo).

I think you have rose-tinted glasses when it comes to DRM. I've dealt with DRM for PC games ever since I've been gaming. Don't tell me that entering a CD key isn't DRM. If I have to guard a printed copy of a CD key or else be unable to reinstall my game, it is absolutely DRM.

If I digitally download a game, a one-time online activation is perfectly reasonable to me-if I have to be online to download a game, then I see it as simple and easy to enter a code online as well. It's no different from entering a code offline.

Now, when it comes to limited activations or permanent online status, I fully agree that they should not exist.

Refusing to buy any game that comes with DRM just seems silly to me. That's nearly every PC game released. Why deny yourself a fun experience? Is the 10 seconds it takes to copy and paste an activation key really that bad? Is that really any different from offline activations?

Agreed. While this is a solid community, anyone pretending that it is somehow miles above any other forum in existence is just patently wrong.

Suggestion for future upgrade of GOG. Please allow the customer a choice after purchasing a game like GamersGate. As long as the buyer doesn't click on Download, please let us keep it as a gift so if we dont want to play the game, then we can gift or trade it. Speaking of trading, GOG should have a trade option to make it easier and safer to trade.

I haven't the foggiest. Maybe it doesn't like my IP changing so much.


They could instead just send me a confirmation email to approve account changes. Oh wait, THEY DO! It's a totally unnecessary security measure.

This. You should get the GNG.com for this bullshit. No harm opening a second website. Seeing the classics releases competing with newer titles every week won't be pretty.

I hope it's for the best, but I'm not holding my breath.

Nice news, but why not introduce a connected sister site? Good New Games? GNG.com?

Hrmm,

Not when you don't have DRM. This kind of "security" is for DRM enforcing purposes. You like it, fine, but me and some other people decided to take their money elsewhere.

If GOG can manage to keep to those three values then atleast in my case, GOG is going to leave STEAM in its dust. That's coming from someone who mostly likes steam too (you should see the massive list of games i have on it).

I've been getting quite sick of watching game prices DOUBLE once whoever (and i don't care who) realises they're selling to Australians. This has been happening way too often recently on steam.

No DRM is a no-brainer. How those DRM companies have managed to sucker game companies into punishing their legitimate customers while those breaking the law don't have to bother with it is a feat that amazes me. Those guys could sell ice to eskimo's.

And extra's are always good. Especially if they aren't just items for a game that i'll never play *eyes steams many TF2 'extras'*.

So yeah, bring on the good new games! (and mediocre new game and passable new games, and crappy new games) :P

Well, it's not mandatory. You can turn the security check off.

Go into your Steam settings and under the Account tab, choose "Manage Steam Guard Account Security." From there, click "disable Steam guard."

You shouldn't have to deal with Steam's security measures after that.

No, it's not. It is absolutely within your control rather than that of the publisher. Copy protection is not DRM (tho it can be bad if invasive or a significant hassle, of course). And unlike many forms of online activation, copy protection is not a barrier to resale: You can sell your copy and key if desired. Yes, see above. And obviously, you must have an Internet connection to your gaming machine. Not a problem for many, obviously, but there's no good reason to require an Internet connection for a single-player game (even one with optional multiplayer).

Guess what, you MUST have an internet connection to digitally download a game. You noticed (that is, ignored) that I specified digital downloads for online activations. I see no reason that they should be required for physical copies of games.

Why is a single online activation so onerous? If your fear is that the 10 second activation process is out of your control, then would you not concede that receiving a CD key on the back of the manual is also out of your control? Surely printing errors can and do happen, and if the printed CD key is invalid you can't play your games. I get the distinction, I just don't see how it matters in any practical sense.

I don't care how you differentiate between copy protection and DRM. You seem to concede that 'copy protection' can be invasive or a significant hassle. I see little difference in terms of hassle or burden on the consumer between the two. Help me out here-how is my experience meaningfully different?


Some forms of DRM are clearly a large hassle that consumers don't deserve, but there are plenty out there that are non-invasive and transfer full ownership to me instantly.

CD keys/DRM, whatever you want to call them, only make a slight difference to piracy, if any. I don't think anyone would miss DRM if it went away. However, the few seconds it takes to enter a code-whether offline or online- is such a minor inconvenience to me that I can only wonder why it's so important to you.

All I'm defending is one-time activations for digital purchases, but you would refuse to buy even that. Seems....kind of sad. Heck, I'm even right with you in saying that many types of DRM are unreasonable. I buy from Steam, Amazon, D2D, even GreenManGaming once. You would refuse to buy most of what they sell.

What do you think about all the people who buy and (hopefully) enjoy all these titles that you won't pay for? Do these places continue to grow because consumers are dissatisfied with their experiences? Why should I care about being DRM free if it's impact on me is inconsequential when done right?

Years ago about 4 or so, the DRM of online Activations was considered by the vast majority of PC gamers as a terrible Copy Protection scheme. In time people got used to it, to the point where they were saying that it is better than the old Copyright protection or at least "no big deal"...Now Ubisoft has their little Constant Internet Connection DRM and people act the same towards that as they did the Internet activation DRM...If more and more companies though start requiring people to have always connectd DRM pretty soon, people will start going, well, that's not so bad, I don't even notice it anyways! Then the next DRM will become popular, where the game files are no longer even on your computer but on a remote system, where the companies have truly total control over your purchase.

Whatever one may think will happen, I will tell people this, if you give corporations power over you, they will take that power and use it to maximize their profits, that is really what they care about afterall. Maybe it doesn't matter to some people, but, I grew up in an age where when you bought a game it was yours forever...Yours. I have watched over the years as these game companies have slowly taken OUR rights to OUR purchases away from us, and gained control of them for themselves. I don't care how minor the nusciance may be for some, for me, it is outrageous. Though I too have caved in and use STEAM sometimes, though only when I have little other choice. I just hope everyone wakes up a little and doesn't let these companies get even more control...Look at just about everything else you can buy on this planet. Once you buy it it is YOURS...That is not the case with Games any more, and I hope I have explained to some why some of us may indeed have a problem with DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT. Makes me sick even typing it. lol Anyways that's my two cents about DRM and why I wish I could put it where the sun don't shine.