agogfan: Although I wonder how many gamers only buy games just before they want to play them?
I suspect a great many impulse-buy games, and since they're only going to play many of those games much later (assuming they ever find the time) then DRM is inevitably going to rear its ugly head at some point in their future.
That is the reason I like to buy DRM-free. It allows me to buy a game now, download and keep until I want to play it in the future. Where as Steam games need to be played fairly soon, even when I feel like playing something else.
What this particular blunder has shown is that DRM-free games are not always in truth quite as DRM-free as we would like to believe.
I have played DEFCON loads and really enjoy it, but because the PC I game on only accesses the internet when I really must do so (downloading games), I was unaware of this, and would have continued to be none the wiser if it were not for this topic.
The thing is, although I want DRM-free games - I see that as being able to install and play the game without the need to access the internet. I am fine with games such as The Walking Dead wanting to call home for game updates, so long as it does not lock up the game and works without that connection too.
The problem that this has brought up is simple. GOG sell games as DRM-free and we all have slightly different variations of what DRM-free is to us.
GOG needs to pick a version (preferably the most stringent that still affords multiplayer for those who want it) so that they can best cover everyone elses version of DRM-free.
If they do not, then I fear more mistakes like this minor oversight will raise their heads, and damage the reputation GOG has fought hard to build. Or GOG will loose the DRM-free and I really do not want to find GOG doing that, I am already concerned enough by Galaxy.
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What we need are people inside of GOG and outside to varifiy the findings. Who understand what they are looking for in a games data packages being sent to check that there is nothing untoward going on with the games.
I have plenty of games here on GOG and although I do not want to sit there and install everyone of them, I would be willing to help a little if someone would show me what I am looking for in the Wireshark results. I know how computers work in general, but most of the subtleties of their functions pass me by.
I also have a win8 PC that will be updated to test out Win10 soon so its life as win8 is redundant, and a spare hard drive to install games onto.