Lifthrasil: As for the data mining, GOG themselves attempted opt-out data mining when they introduced the profiles. Only a major outcry stopped them and forced them to change it to opt-in.

Pangaea666: It's been a while now so maybe I don't remember the details, but from what I recall there wasn't opt-in OR opt-out? They simply rolled it out, and all profiles were public. Then after a huge cryout, they made it possible to turn off the feature.

MarkoH01: You are remembering correct and at least in the beginning a turned off profile would show a 404 error (no idea if zthey ever fixed that).

mqstout: Not necessarily. The Sims 3 had DRM-free in-app purchases. The decorations you didn't own could (optionally) be allowed to show in the decoration menues and allow you to buy them in-app and install them immediately (if you were logged in to your EA account in the game and had 'obfuscated currency' Simbucks in your balance). And yet these are all also DRM-free. You can install the game completely afresh on an air-gapped computer, and also install all the little package files, and it works just fine.

Maybe [though I doubt it] they're watermarked to the "CD key" to make sure they're only reinstalling on the same base game CD-key they were originally downloaded with? But it's still not DRM, since there's no revocation mechanism.

This is, however, the ONLY example I can think of of DRM-free in-app purchases.

nightcraw1er.488: “ if you were logged in to your EA account in the game” - whilst one can argue it’s technically not drm, that is definately online gating.

mqstout: All transactions could also be completed on the web store without the in-game feature enabled. https://store.thesims3.com/ There was a client (the game's launcher) for the one-time download.

Pangaea666: There isn't a 404 error any more, but a completely blank page.

nightcraw1er.488: It’s still online gated content. Unless you have a method of getting it offline without need for internet connection or login.

mqstout: Agreed, it'd be best if you could just download from the webstore directly. If that were the case, it'd be no different than GOG or itch. The game client requirement for the initial transaction/download is problematic, but it's still DRM-free. Like I said, transferring the files you've already downloaded to an entirely new, never online install on a different computer (via flash drive or LAN) works just fine.

Time4Tea: Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

Time4Tea: I'd like to point out that the upcoming release, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has pre-order cosmetic bonuses and also provides in-game items for those that purchase the premium versions. I'm not clear on whether this is locked content that requires purchase authentication (aka DRM), or whether there will be separate downloads for the pre-order/premium versions.

Lifthrasil: In the previous Pathfinder games, the pre-order or backer-boni were DRM-free.

mqstout:

tremere110: In regards to Northgard - the only way to select your opponent in skirmish is to play online. You can play skirmish offline but for some bizarre reason your opponent is random and you can’t select a specific opponent.