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If the downloader is screwing up, you're not fond of Galaxy in its beta state, and browser downloads aren't as easy as they could be, how about getting a browser download add-on? I've been using Download Status Bar for Firefox for a long time now - it works well and offers a lot of options. There are probably a bunch of other good ones out there.
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SirPrimalform: It's exactly as optional as the downloader was. If you liked the downloader, why not try using Galaxy's "download backup" thing? It's basically the downloader, but less optimised and stable. I'm hoping it'll improve over time though...
The problems in rough order of importance:

1. Galaxy Backup downloader doesn't recognise pre-existing files and avoid downloading things unless they've changed.
This would have been bad enough for continuity if it didn't recognise the GOG downloader backups but it doesn't even recognize its own.

This makes managing backups practically impossible if you've got any kind of limited bandwidth. I'm not downloading 660 GB every month just in case something changed (for one thing I've only got 45 GB a month).

2. Galaxy Backup downloader is significantly less accessible than it should be (it requires 3 clicks and some mouse movement per game, which is 3x the clicks of the old downloader setup (seems minor until you have 500 games)). You also have to download every Extra individually.

3. You have to tinker with settings before and after, since you need to switch it back when you're down with making backups.

ETA - Download mangers can help with 2 and 3 but they don't deal with 1 at all (they have no access to any form of CRC or Hash checking to do it with).
Post edited June 10, 2015 by Kalanyr
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HereForTheBeer: If the downloader is screwing up, you're not fond of Galaxy in its beta state, and browser downloads aren't as easy as they could be, how about getting a browser download add-on? I've been using Download Status Bar for Firefox for a long time now - it works well and offers a lot of options. There are probably a bunch of other good ones out there.
Good suggestion. I'm always surprised that popular modern browsers don't have at least a basic download queue feature already integrated. Extensions are nice and all, but I'm always wary of installing unaudited third-party code that could be collecting and sending data to who knows where.
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Telika: No "more" opinion from me. I have the same as yours. It is technically optional, with alternatives being made as cumbersome and annoying as possible. Heck, it's a strategy often seen in democracies, with bureaucratic procedures being officially available but in a way to deliberately discourage people to resort to them.

So. Can't say anything. I'm not using galaxy. As a cost I'm using a system that has become much worse than the previous one, but it's my choice, and yay freedom I suppose.
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tinyE: Bad day at the office? :P
Had a bad day at home when I did my periodical batch download of bought/updated games, and had to dig my way back through these tedious submenus for each one of them. If I wasn't sure which system I was expected to use from now on, I certainly got the message then.
Post edited June 10, 2015 by Telika
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Kalanyr: The problems in rough order of importance:

1. Galaxy Backup downloader doesn't recognise pre-existing files and avoid downloading things unless they've changed.
This would have been bad enough for continuity if it didn't recognise the GOG downloader backups but it doesn't even recognize its own.

This makes managing backups practically impossible if you've got any kind of limited bandwidth. I'm not downloading 660 GB every month just in case something changed (for one thing I've only got 45 GB a month).

2. Galaxy Backup downloader is significantly less accessible than it should be (it requires 3 clicks and some mouse movement per game, which is 3x the clicks of the old downloader setup (seems minor until you have 500 games)). You also have to download every Extra individually.

3. You have to tinker with settings before and after, since you need to switch it back when you're down with making backups.

ETA - Download mangers can help with 2 and 3 but they don't deal with 1 at all (they have no access to any form of CRC or Hash checking to do it with).
The fact that Galaxy isn't yet as good as the downloader was has no bearing on whether or not Galaxy is optional, which is the matter at hand.

I'm not sure what you mean about tinkering with settings. Also not sure how you're counting the clicks. By my count downloading games in the downloader required at least 2 clicks per game.
Post edited June 10, 2015 by SirPrimalform
Why not continuing using GoG Downloader, if you dont like Galaxy, there are still downloader links, just two clicks more ;)
nvm
Post edited June 26, 2015 by budejovice
I think the main point with Galaxy being optional is that you don't need to use it in order to use (= install or play) your games.

When we talk about the delivery of the installers (=downloading), then Galaxy is just as optional as GOG Downloader ever was. It is odd how no one ever raised i´t as an issue that GOG Downloader was never really "optional" because downloading without it is more work (meaning more clicks, and creating subfolders per game yourself).

To me that is like saying that running or updating your games through Galaxy is not really optional, because doing all that manually is more work.

Suggesting that GOG should actively maintain the legacy GOG Downloader, while also offering another client which can be used for the exact same purpose, is somewhat silly. Frankly, I feel GOG has so far done as much as anyone could expect from them:

- They still offer separate installers for their games (which you can download in various different ways).

- They still let you download your games without using any client at all.

- Judging by The Witcher 3, even the standalone patches for non-client version seem to appear quite quickly. (This was actually one thing I was fearing a bit, ie. many patches would be delivered only through the auto-update function of Galaxy, and the non-Galaxy versions would be constantly lagging behind with their version. So far this doesn't seem to have happened.)

- Even though Galaxy effectively makes the legacy GOG Downloader obsolete (even for those who just want to download the installers, and install/run/update the games manually without a client), GOG hasn't actively killed the GOG Downloader. They still offer links to download with it, they let you download the client itself; the only thing they are not doing is maintaining it anymore (because those resources are much more wisely used in improving the Galaxy client, which can be used for the exact same purpose).

That said, I personally am more interested into gogrepo at the moment. :) How's that for having options, huh?
Post edited June 10, 2015 by timppu
Everyone use what they want,does it matter?
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Kalanyr: The problems in rough order of importance:

1. Galaxy Backup downloader doesn't recognise pre-existing files and avoid downloading things unless they've changed.
This would have been bad enough for continuity if it didn't recognise the GOG downloader backups but it doesn't even recognize its own.

This makes managing backups practically impossible if you've got any kind of limited bandwidth. I'm not downloading 660 GB every month just in case something changed (for one thing I've only got 45 GB a month).
While that is true in theory, managing your local GOG library with the GOG Downloader was nightmarish at best (unless you have only few GOG games, but then you don't really need the Downloader either to manage them... :)). As if I really want to click all my over 1000 games through to add the one by one into the GOG Downloader, just to check if they are still up to date.

Plus, in my experience GOG Downloader would usually just fail, if I tried to download massive amounts (several dozen or more) of games with it in one swoop. It wasn't that reliable for that purpose, in my experience.

Hence, gogrepo. I like the idea, you download a list of md5 sums with it from your GOG account, and then it checks locally if you have all the games, and whether the md5sums match. And then you can download those which are either missing or don't match.
Post edited June 10, 2015 by timppu
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hohiro: Why not continuing using GoG Downloader, if you dont like Galaxy, there are still downloader links, just two clicks more ;)
because Downloader is no longer supported(in a we will still update this thing sense) so should GOG make changes that will prevent the downloader from working that is it.
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timppu: That said, I personally am more interested into gogrepo at the moment. :) How's that for having options, huh?
You might want to check that link again. ; )
Are there any 3rd party downloaders for GOG? I really hate clicking on everything to get my installers :(
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timppu: That said, I personally am more interested into gogrepo at the moment. :) How's that for having options, huh?
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HunchBluntley: You might want to check that link again. ; )
Damn gremlins... hopefully it is fixed now.

http://www.gog.com/forum/general/gogrepopy_python_script_for_regularly_backing_up_your_purchased_gog_collection_for_full_offline_e/page1
Post edited June 10, 2015 by timppu
I don't mean to snark too hard, but the End Userism in this thread is adorable.

A: Unless you're using a massively sketchy or outdated browser, you can set a download location. You can do the same exact thing in the now depreciating Downloader and Galaxy.

Heck, there's probably a browser addon that would let you screen the downloads by site, or you could make it.

Now if only GOG had torrents...nah, probably wishful thinking.