I own the retail discs for all the Cossacks and American Conquest games, having bought them as they were released. But I had trouble getting those copies to work on Windows 10, I ran into numerous issues like mouse not working, black screen, StarForce, etc. But last year I decided to buy "Cossacks: The Complete Anthology [Download]" by GSC Gameworld on Amazon. Setup was pretty simple, log in to Amazon, download a small setup file, which fetches a larger setup file. At that point Internet is no longer needed, everything installed offline. All games launch with no additional DRM or disc requirement.

However, I would now like to buy a copy for a friend, so we can play LAN multiplayer. But GSC discontinued the Amazon sale, and I'm not sure if it will return. In truth I could just share the setup file with him, but that is piracy and unethical, I prefer that we both have legal copies.

When I installed from Amazon, all the games are patched up to date with the exception of Napoleonic Wars, which is at patch v1.1, but there is 1.2 available. So I grabbed the patch, created a few Registry entries, and it installed. But it wanted a disc so I had to use a crack. Another issue I would like to avoid, since it makes my Kaspersky Total Security software go wild.

Also, the pack I bought doesn't include American Conquest or Fight Back, I can only find those on Steam and GOG. I do use Steam for multiplayer games like ArmA 2/3, DayZ Standalone etc, but when it comes to single player/LAN only I prefer DRM-free.

I would also like to avoid StarForce or disc checks, I already installed AC Divided Nation on 10 from my disc, it installed SF and 10 wouldn't boot up again, which took 10 minutes to remove by deleting the offending SF driver files from Linux. Then there is the issue, again, of having to use a crack to make it run. Is there any store online that sells a legal digital download copy of ACDN? If so I've never found it.

So, getting to the actual question, is there any reason to buy 1 or 2 copies of the Cossacks 1/2 and AC games from GOG? Is there any advantage over Steam or retail, like having the latest patches installed? LAN play will work for all games? I know that GSC discontinued the multiplayer servers many years ago, but GameRanger works for unofficial MP. Is MP/LAN version-dependent, i.e. both game clients have to be running the same version?

Thanks!

Edit: I already own Cossacks 3 and all DLC on GOG, it was either Steam or GOG, the choice was simple. But I'm not particularly impressed with it. The original Cossacks games are still the best.

GOG's advantage is that you only have to buy one copy to share the game through your friends to play it in LAN

I have the first Cossacks anthology both on cd and here at GOG and while I know how to make it work from cd, it is a lot of hassle while GOG's files just work (it took many tries to get here). American Conquest only on cd, sorry.

Check this Verok's patch at verokster.blogspot.com/2018/05/cossacks-american-conquest-gl-wrapper.html. It allow to play Cossacks 1 and all AC disc versions (except with StarForces). Fixes problems with intro videos and etc. It should also work well with GOG releases/

@dehumanizer95: I'm pretty sure what you're saying to do is piracy. If I bought only one copy and distributed it to friends then it is piracy. The legally correct way is for each person to have their own paid copy.

@Themken: There are digital editions of AC and AC: Fight Back for sale. GOG has it, so does Steam. AC Divided Nation, is, I believe the only game in the Cossacks/AC series that are only available on a physical disc.

@Alex7GOG: At first I suspected your link might have a malicious malware in it, but I tried it anyway and it does work. However, it isn't the optimal solution for most. It crops the edges of the screen, usually at the bottom right corner, making it hard to click. Even if you disable aspect ratio it is still cropped. The mouse doesn't stay captured in the game window while in windowed mode, even if mouse capture is on. Once in the game, the mouse behaves erratically, I have tried with several and on 2 PCs, all exhibit the same behavior. It stretches the game to a degree that it looks unnatural and ugly, regardless of resolution used. And if you delete the mod, the game exe will suddenly complain that it cant find 1024x768 when launching, although it will launch on the 2nd try. But then you can't set resolution, the box is empty. The mod you linked only seems useful if you insist on playing in a window. But there are other softwares that can do the same. My suggestion, if the games launch/play normally in fullscreen mode, then just play like that instead.

I meant that due to not owning the game digitally, I was not able to help.

Seems like your problem in DPI scaling. Disable it via application compatibylity tab or check for latest patch version