Haven't been here for a while but I'll try to post my thought logic regarding the events in this thread in somehow a chronological order:

1. beyond dumb move made by gog.com. All that was needed to be said was said already by countless different forum users.

2. was impressed by seeing so many pages full of different consecutive high rated posts, all stating their distaste on this move by gog. Impressive

3. was dissapointed with so many forum users stating their future/potential/whatever enrollment with SSteam, when there's always the option to not use any of the drmed platforms. Only Breja with his #354 post expressed this VERY pertinent thought. Thumbs up and respect, Breja!!!

I mean, there's so many nice and beautiful things to do in real life besides playing virtual games. But gamers today seems that they are ADDICTED with virtual games, they'll accept all kinds of crap and then some more just to have and play their addiction. Dissapointed, to say the least.

4. Countless solutions from countless users presented here. I only liked the simple and efficient ones, like that with "Install with Galaxy" replacing the "try galaxy" button and that one with galaxy.bin file as part of the install process being totally optional at the end of the install process.

5. destro comes with an weird, to say the least, solution to a problem that was stupid enough to begin with.
I mean it complicates the things even more, promising galaxy updates, galaxy+offline updates and then only offline updates (probably in this order of importance/deploying order too, in the near gog future).
Those two very easy simple and efficient solutions presented at point 4 were ignored.

Why?

Because it only buys time until they plan to do the real thing.

Just look at HIS OWN WORDS in that post: "developers REQUEST ways to AUTOMATE upload and UPDATING games"

I mean it is so obvious it just hurts: They plan to slowly fade away the offline istallers, simply as that, and rely only on galaxy in the future. plain and simple. This will happen slowly and gradually so you dont have a shitstorm like the one in this thread. Just boil that frog slowly constantly and in small degree increments so that the frog gets boiled in the end without even noticing until it's really too late.

Oh and also just watch some Iwinsky speeches and interviews when the talks of the future and how is all going to be online only. Of course they'll also be online-galaxy-only too, don't fool yourself.

6. Many users thanking and praising Destro for his solution without even seeing that they're being conned (maybe a too strong word but I can't think of anything else right now). This was very dissapointing to see also.

7. unfortunately the IDIOCRACY era is already upon us and has already started.
A large majority of idiots will decide and make the different and various many market trends and unfortunately those very few with their brain still ON will suffer because almost nobody will cater to their needs. It'll be an idiot proof future aka it'll be idiots way or the highway. And their children will of course be idiots and this cycle will repeat over and over again. Those remaing 1% or less brainiacs will not have any chance.
See the movie Idiocracy from 2006, it's a very highly scenario to happen in real life for the human race.

8. as for me and my relation with gog:
I was a strong supporter of this site. I hate drm with a passion and will not use drm even if they pay me to do so.
I supported gog throughout my 7-8 years with them, almost no matter the controversional topic.
But they've changed so much lately and it is pretty obvious to me that their future will be online only and they want it badly too.

I may be an old school gamer in its middle point in life but I wont go this route.
So sadly, or maybe happily, my gaming days are over. I don't think I'll buy any more products in this market, so not matter which platform or no matter the drm degree on it, they won't get any money from me anymore.

I'll just switch to other things in life. Just now, I was so happy seeing the EA big games 75% off and put 8 of them in the basket. But luckily I first saw this topic somehow and then after reading it I decided not buying them anymore. I'll just buy a new mouse instead, or maybe new parts for my bike. etc

So good luck to you all and hopefully some of you will consider your options too. Just don't be afraid to say no to bullshit anymore and just look away to other bullshit-free endeavours. It's incredibly rewarding if you take the courage to do so.

Exactly. I love computer games, I've been playing them since I was like 7 or something, and while I will probably never quite entirely stop (I own enough games to last me a long time even should I never buy another one), I have other hobbies and I can easily rely on those, or find more. Recently I've been devoting a lot of time to drawing, and I can just go and get drawing supplies without any hustle, clients, DRM, other shit. If I can't play games any more, I'll draw more. Read more books. Maybe try painting or playing a guitar or gardening or build more stuff out of LEGO or... anything, really.

That said, at least for the time being I'm not leaving GOG, although I agree with you 100% about their plans for the future, and the current solution being just a long con in all likelyhood. I'm just going to use what time we have left with offline installers to stock up on some more games. And when the inevitable online-only future arrives, I'll gladly give it the Constantine treatment.

The day GOG stops providing standalone offline installers is the day I leave and either go elsewhere or quit buying any new games entirely. The strictly DRM-free policy was the #1 reason I came here in the first place and is still the main reason I buy here.

Same here.
But unlike a lot of people in this thread, I don’t think this will happen.

If you think that way then GOG should be glad that you don't get to make the choices here, but if they didn't think that way too we wouldn't have this problem in the first place.
My response to your comment was based on complaints that other people made here, not me. What I cared about was the bloat.

Some of the comments that I read were along the lines of: Their trust in GOG is gone because they get the impression that GOG wants to fade out the offline installers in time. What impression do you get if an installer is moved to the place where there are the links for something that is officially discontinued? Why would the community be less suspicious if the download links were hidden and Galaxy was made even more visible than in the case with the integrated Galaxy installer?
Now, people have also stated that they have already made their choice and it seems very untrustworthy and unnecessarily cumbersome to them if they are always asked to decide once again when they have already decided for an offline installer. I highly doubt that the same people wouldn't feel very similarly about that warning that you suggested.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the motives of the other community members but what you responded was uncalled for and in my eyes you seem like you didn't get much. Not sorry :D

Edit: and yeah, I just noticed that my post is high rated. So, I'm right: You officially didn't get it.

I run almost all games bought on GOG through Wine on Linux (if there is no Linux version). I DO NOT want an extra piece of software (the galaxy client) to get in the way of that, and make the installation more difficult. I especially do not want to have to run Galaxy through Wine. I'm also against adding a couple of Megabytes to EVERY game.

I don't know about others, but for me there is no "future" or "potential" enrollment with Steam; I already use it (usually for games that are not available here).

See, while you:

I don't hate DRM with a passion. I dislike it, just as I disliked CD-checks and "what's on page n of the manual" copy-protection (in fact, compared to those a one-time internet activation is less inconvenient). But for me gaming is also just a hobby (one on which unfortunately I spend less time nowdays), but a hobby is not something I get passionate about.

I never "supported" GOG. Not out of some principle. I shopped here. Because they have a really good selection of old games. And because given the choice I'd rather not have DRM/platform than have it. If that distinction disappears, there would no longer be a reason to shop here and I'll probably buy my games from Steam. It's not a threat, warning or ultimatum, just stating a simple fact. Of course if there is a choice to buy the game DRM-free somewhere else, I'd do it. Or not buy it at all if the DRM is too inconvenient.

Gaming is a serious hobby for a lot of people and video games are the most popular form of entertainment? WOAH.

At least I get to know I made some random stranger on the internet disappointed in my own personal spending habits?

Just leave the installers alone, the offline installer is the main reason, I buy games from GOG.
That's way more important to me than, being DRM free, I detest all store clients, and as a modder never want to auto update my games. Achievements are just more bloat, and an added reason to detest clients.

If this thread tells GOG anything, it's that anybody that wants to use Galaxy already does.
The only ones still using manual downloads, are those that will never use Galaxy.

If GOG is going to force Galaxy's use, just do it now, and get it over with.
Those of us here for the installers, will leave, and stop buying games here at all.

This Constant antagonism, of gradual functionality loss, and being treated like a second class customer, is getting very annoying.
I will never use Galaxy, as others have said, I might as well use Steam, and get more games on release, and earlier updates.

I'm here, willingly paying more, and waiting for the GOG version, for the installer, and nothing else.
By adding Galaxy to every installer, selected by default GOG is making it unwanted ransomware,
Classic installers is bullshit, it's the only installer anybody that still actually use them wants.
Trying to sneak Galaxy in by the back door, stinks like shit, because it's a shitty thing to do.

It's easy to give new users the choice, only offer the Galaxy install on the sales checkout page, with a big button.
That makes it easier for those that actually want Galaxy, without adding useless bloat to each installer.
Only offer manual installatin, by going to the games tab of your account (what was the Library).
Indeed it's how I already do it, as I first need to put the game in it's chosen spot, in my manual order.
Since being forced to install Adalia Fiundamentals, and Barefoot Essentials, to provide that removed feature, and others, GOG lacks.
Do a better job than GOG, but I would not have bothered, if GOG hadn't took manual sorting away, Galxy was the cause of that as well.

If a user has gone to the websites library to install the game, it's because they won't use Galaxy, not because they can't.
Either make Galaxy compulsory, or don't, but if we have a choice, make both choices easy to do, not just the one you want.
Stop making us jump through hoops, because you don't like our choice, if you give us one.

Then you're doing it wrong.

Yes, there is truth in that...

On reflection, I still keep the original floppies of all my games and maintain old PCs so I can run them on old hardware. I was - still am - very pissed at the turn some series have taken and refuse to ever buy games from some developers because of that. And I can look for hours through garage sales, and eBay, for old discs of games that I don't have.

Perhaps I am passionate about gaming in a way. But the whole anti-DRM thing is not something I feel strongly about.

Personally I just want the "Galaxy" checkbox to be unchecked by default.

You mean like how you maintained the old GOG downloader alongside the regular installers?

I don't trust that you will maintain these non-bloatware installers indefinitely, in fact to me, this move just makes it feel even more like an attempted Trojan horse. I expect after enough time has passed you will slowly stop supporting the old installers, you'll slowly stop updating them with new patches until eventually everyone just moves onto the galaxy installers...

Also multiple installers are just going to cause more mess and confusion.

Why couldn't you just leave it well enough alone?

Half of the games I bought here are because of nostalgic reasons. To this day I haven't replayed any of them yet and don't see it doing it in the next few years. Right now, on the sale are the Crysis games and Dead Space, again games I already played, but kinda wanted to have them here for those nostalgic reasons.
I still have 15 € in my Wallet so I could buy them right now, but no. No more buying for me because of nostalgia or Good Old Games was such a cool company. The new GOG is clearly steering towards something else, other than what defined them some years ago. So until they return to their lost path I'll refrain myself from buying anything that I won't be sure I'll be playing at that respective moment.

You know what brought me to your platform? The announcement that Terraria we'll be DRM-free on GOG. I needed that game DRM-free. I don't have any statistics, but I'm sure everybody will agree with me that 99% of your customers are here because of the DRM-free and no bloody clients required. Those were your core principles with which you got your customers that made you who you are today. Customers which you seem to don't give a shit about lately.
You won't get any new users because of Galaxy, you might even scare off some of them with your adware tactics, and definitely you will shoo away new users which are tech savvy, because these people tend to go for freeware, open-source and portable software, not bloatware crap forced down their throats.

Also, I should say "thank you" for the insult to all of us with your PR bullshit and to all these new users that you assume are so retarded to read what's all about this Galaxy and make a choice on their own.
Well, these retarded users happen to have an email address and know how to use it to register here, they also know how to use a credit card online and also to download one of your installers.

But maybe you're right, what the hell do I / we know? Probably these huge waves of knew users, which happen to be just around the corner, are just that dumb and blind to see all the buttons and banners with the bloody Galaxy on every site's page.
Enough about ridicule, you should be ashamed of yourself and thanks for pushing many users back to other platforms.

I agree with a lot of what you wrote but...

This is not even close. Lots of customers came simply because of Witcher 3 publicity. Lots were here for other reasons; like old games or cheaper prices (back when the dollar was weak and regional pricing was killing those in Europe or Australia). And a client was actually something that was requested by lots of people.