Problem SOLVED, just look there:

https://www.gog.com/forum/life_is_strange_series/wont_launch_possible_fix/post1

Hi all, I got the same support message reply from GoG as Cesarwalls.Didn't get around to trying it yet (although I already have reinstalled a bunch of VC++ runtimes), but since he said it doesn't work, I suppose it's irrelevant.

BUT HOWEVER, I CAN CONFIRM THAT GAZDI'S FIX HE DESCRIBED IN HIS THREAD HE LINKED IS WORKING!

Seems to me the problem is not solved but rather circumvented. You're treating the symptoms instead of the disease. We still don't know what's causing the problem. So instead of fixing it this may simply ignore the fact that something's wrong. And given that the files mustn't be altered to run the game (under working conditions) it might be the case.

If it works and you're fine with that, ok. But it's not solved.

Well, you are quite right, the problem will be really solved when GOG provides a common.dll library that has not been compiled with advanced instructions set that my old pre-haswell intel processor doesn't understand !!!

GOG Support just sent me the following recommendations, however the game still crashes for me after trying everything listed here:

"1) Please add Galaxy folders:
C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG GALAXY
to your security software exceptions list. If the game is installed outside of Galaxy folder, then please add game's installation folder to security software exceptions list as well. Once above is done, please select the game in GOG GALAXY, click on Customize -> Manage Installation -> Verify/Repair.
https://imgur.com/mPXqg0n

2) Reinstall the June 2010 DirectX runtime package. You can find the archive file containing the 2010 package installation files here:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109
You will have to extract the files into some folder, then open that folder and launch the DXSETUP.exe file in order to proceed with the installation.

Please have in mind that this will only add DirectX 9.0c to available pool of DirectX libraries, and it will not overwrite your other versions. Some games are not able to utilize newer DirectX libraries, and they require DirectX 9.0c.

3) The game requires multiple Visual C++ redistributable packages installed. Please make sure to install both versions (x86 and x64) of each package:
- Please reinstall both Visual C++ 2015-2019 Redistributable Packages:
x64: https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/vc_redist.x64.exe
x86: https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/vc_redist.x86.exe

4) Using an unusual DPI setting has been known to cause problems for some games. Please follow these steps to reset it to the default value and let me know if it helped:
I) Right-click an empty section of your desktop and go to “Personalize”,
II) Click “Display” in the bottom-left corner
III) Change your DPI setting to '100% (Default) and confirm by clicking “Apply”.

5) Please set a more standard refresh rate (60 Hz). To do this right-click an empty space on your desktop, select Display Settings > Advanced Display Settings > Monitor tab > change the Screen refresh rate to 60 Hertz.

6) Please navigate to the game installation folder:
- If the game was installed via Galaxy, please select the game in Galaxy, click on Customize -> Manage Installation -> Show Folder
https://i.imgur.com/S2YvO4V.png
Once in there find game's "Launch" shortcut, right-click on it, and select Properties. In properties window switch to Compatibility tab, and here enable "Disable full screen optimization", as well as "Run as administrator". Press Ok to apply settings. Right-click on the game's "Launch" shortcut and select "Run as administrator"."

gog support useless on this, I dont think theyre aware that the game is just broken and doesn't work. wait for official patch and tell them their fix doesn't work and that the game is just broken on download. in the mean time try the suggestions editing the common.dll, it worked for me, just make sure you use the search feature to find all three occurrences.

i got the dr cat support message too after submitting a support request, and followed the whole procedure, without any success so far

i also remembered the steam version of the game installed physics software component for first time on the machine i had steaam installed on, so i tried to install the two physix redist installers that were in my steam install, on the gog computer, but i couldnt install them as the installer told me the physix drivers on my system were already higher version than the ones i tried to install

i too tried a crack (basically i used the real genuine steam exe of my steam computer installation of the game, and the patched/cracked steamapi.dll and related file, in my gog folder, and the game worked without any surprise, but with a scrollign text on game's opening menu about me not being connected to steam account, for obvious reason...)
It is obviously not a viable or reliable workaround for me, especially as i would like to stream/showcase the game and use it as a true drm-free version

but it also makes be very doubtful that my computers and systems would be the ones at fault in this matter, as on one computer, the steam versions of both games work but the gog version dont; and on the main computer, the gog only steamless one, the gog versions dont work, but once i use a crack, the computer can run the game all fine...

what is frustrating is that we are only a minority for which the game is malfunctionning in such blatant way, and seems many people bought it and could play it; tonite Before the Storm is actually being streamed live on gog's twitch channel. So what is happening ?

also i understand/hear the whole "gpu drivers" thing that is a possibility, but why then the cracked version or the steam version work ?
also i checked game exe's version number on my steam installand for gog build: they both are 1.0.8263.0

Have the same problem with the prequel (steam_api64.dll caused an Access Violation (0xc0000005)
Everything is perfect with the Steam version of the game.
Try to disable "Deluxe Upgrade" DLC in Galaxy. I did it and the game works just fine, but without deluxe content(such as deluxe outfits, bonus episode and a mixtape mode

That's interesting. Checking both steam_api64.dll and Galaxy64.dll right now. And I came across this very weird yet funny string in the Galaxy64.dll:

Presence of DLC not confirmed: it is not a DLC, but the game itself;

Uh, yeah, thanks for the insight.

I have edited my common.dll with a hex editor to make the three changes, restarted, still won't launch for me. I'm going to try a total clean install of all Nvidia software.

I tried that, i had 3 occurences of the hex chain you mentionned...
Changing them to new data and saving the file with an hex editor and..
... game still crashes on launch :(

Same here, win7

Can you either confirm or deny that it is actually the DLC (either Farewell episode, Mixtape or Outfits) that is causing this access violation by enabling the "Deluxe Upgrade" in Galaxy, then going to your installation path of BtS, into the DLC folder, moving or renaming (not deleting) the manifest.bytes files from the three folders "E4" "Mixtape" "OutfitPack" "Preorder". Then try to start the game.

If it works put one file after the other back in it's folder and check if there is a particular one that kills the game.
If it doesn't work, well, gotta figure something out. I do hope however that all the Deluxe Edition does is add those folders/files.

Thank you for that, I am able to launch the sequel now with disabled DLC.

The question is, how do I launch the first game? That one does not have any selectable DLC in the config screen.

The game works perfect without this files. I've tried to move this files back, but suddenly the crashes continues. But the "preorder" one is working. So looks like the game have some problems with the "E4, Mixtape and an Outfit Pack DLC's.