The decision whether to use Galaxy or an offline installer is made right here on the website. If you want to make sure that people who'd enjoy using Galaxy don't miss it: make sure on the website. And nobody has a need for hundreds of Galaxy installers in his collection of DRM-free backups.

And if you want to add "auto updating" for offline versions just add an optional and simple tiny launcher application that is run before the game and shows a popup if there is an update but instantly launches the game and kills itself without ever showing its face if there is no update or no connection. And confirming that popup should open the corresponding download page on the website so the user can manually but rather conveniently download the corresponding offline installer. That's just the amount of "auto updating" someone who has decided to use offline installers would probably want to see.

Anyway, if you really really want to give offline installer users an option to get Galaxy without stumbling upon it on the website do the following: during slide show during an offline installation show some clickable "hey, have you heard about our Galaxy client?" message or something. Make getting Galaxy a detour, not part of the regular offline installation process.

One solution could be an option in GOG account settings not to include Galaxy in standalone game installers.

Not cool.

Was this 150MB verified by someone, or is this just an assumption what it might be? If GOG insist adding a Galaxy installer to many/most GOG offline installers, they should add it as a small stub, which downloads rest of the install data from online. Look at Steam: when you download the Steam installer from the steampowered.com, it is mere 1.4MB in size (SteamSetup.exe), and when you run that, it downloads the actual installer data online.

This has two benefits:

- The GOG offline installer sizes are increased only by little.

- You get the latest version of the installer right away, and not some ancient version in your old installer, that might have problems updating to the latest Galaxy version.

In that case I don't really consider it worse than, say, some GOG offline installers having an additional FoxIt PDF-reader included in the installer. I understand many wouldn't want to see those there either, I guess GOG's idea was that all people can read the game manuals but nowadays modern Windows systems can read PDFs even without extra installers, I think? Still, meh, as long as the size is small.

Now, if GOG really goes to add a 150MB Galaxy installer to hundreds or GOG offline installers, I have two main problems with it:

- Since I've downloaded all my 1356 games to local repository, yes hundred times 150MB more of hard drive space for something I don't need does sound bad.

- Is GOG going to keep the full Galaxy installers embedded on offline game installers up to date? Does this mean all those hundreds of installers keep getting "updated" quite often, triggering e.g. gogrepo users to redownload them all all over again?


GOG, if you insist adding the GOG installer to the offline game installers, do the right thing: make the Galaxy installer a small stub, that downloads the latest Galaxy installer data online. See Steam for an example, SteamSetup.exe is mere 1.4MB.


I personally am a bit less interested in whether the option to install Galaxy is enabled or disabled by default. I'd prefer disabled so that I don't accidentally install it when I don't want to, but I could live even if it is enabled by default. I think we had this same opt-in/opt-out discussion back when GOG added the optional FoxIt PDF-reader to many of its installers, I don't recall the outcome of that (are they still opt-out, or opt-in?).

That is bullshit. I don't like this opt-out model, I demand an opt-in model.

I don't want to use Galaxy and I don't think it's good service to force me to click somewhere additionally just to keep it that way. It would be okay if you asked every time (although still very annoying) but putting the burden to check that I get the game in the state I want, is not okay with me!

I shall send a letter of complaint to GOG immediately and I'm not happy.

edit: I complained and told them I'm very unhappy about it and might not buy anything anymore from them. All I can do.

Okay, correct. I have only read the first posting and got laughing. Thanks for correction.
Okay, you mean something like innoextract? Useful, but the point starts before: With every new installer you download also this crappy Galaxy-client. So just about 150 MB more for nothing. No thanks, will save the rest of the installer packages and opt-out my account. ;)

well that's just a bad bad move.

While i use Galaxy myself voluntarily on my main computer and i'm okay with the user experience (ya Galaxy aint bad for users who want it ^^) - i'm totally against the forced op-out and the increased download size of the installers (doesnt matter if it's 1MB , 2MB or 150MB - it just adds up if you are having a bigger collection).
In my opinion everybody who really wants Galaxy can download it from the main homepage - it shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Everybody else who goes for the stand-alone installers - i guess about 80% who go for the standalone installers bc they actually don't want to use Galaxy - this happens to me as well if i put a few games on an usb stick to install on my laptop - i dont want/need a galaxy there for the 3-4 games i install there from time to time and i also dont want to uncheck a box everytime i do an installation like this bc this feels like i'm installing shady adware and not a game i actually have purchased and own.
And the argumentation we (they) had to make it Opt-Out because the not so tech savy users wouldn't be able to get Galaxy otherwise (meaning being too inept to check the Box for an actual Opt-in installation of Galaxy) is actually really laughable because on the one hand this means that GOG actually accepts installing Bloatware on his customers computers (if there are users not tech savy enough to go for the opt-in there will be definitely users not being "smart" enough to uncheck the opt-in box and hence getting an unwanted piece of software installed on their computer) and also this means for everybody who decided not to use Galaxy being forced to uncheck the Galaxy installation every single time they install a game..... which depending on collection size and installation frequencies can be several hundred times - so ya several hundred opt-outs only bc maybe one single user who actually might love using Galaxy is too inept to either way download it from the homepage itself or check a opt-in box?

Dunno what about instead of doing forced bloatware stuff making something like a nice youtube tutorial for these special people ^^

bwahahaha. great link, thanks, hadn't seen this before.

reminds me i have to go on a GOG shopping spree next time i am in south america, to make regional pricing work for me for once :)

Thanks a lot, I didn't noticed it at first sight when glancing at the list. :(((

After having been on this site for exactly 8 years, I've seen how "good news" have slowly reshaped the aim of the company across time. As for now, the games are still "drm-free" but knowing where it's going, I'm expecting that in 2 years time (or less), GOG will jump the shark and go Humble-style by having a catalog split between "drm-free" games and "drm-restricted" games in order to get high-profiles games.

As a 8-year customer, I don't feel the ideals of today's GOG fits with the kind of service I expected back then. I'll maybe buy a few games here and there in the future but honestly, as GOG deliberately decided to throw its historic core userbase under the bus, I don't feel the need to support them anymore. I'm gonna get a new external HDD, download my whole library and Sayonara!

Ciao everyone and thanks to the community for all those years.

PS: Even if I'm gone, I'll try to keep my "original and atypical games" GOGmix up-to-date as it's a good reminder for me when looking for unusual games. Let's hope GOG don't screw this feature in the future...

To me that is the most important question. With 1356 downloaded games, 150MB times hundreds is far far FAAAAAAR worse than 2MB times hundreds (for my whole collection).

If GOG adds a mere 1.4MB GalaxySetup.exe to offline installers (similarly how the SteamSetup.exe stub is only 1.4MB in size), then I personally don't consider it worse than how many GOG offline installers have the FoxIt PDF reader installer nowadays. Or even how all DOSBox games have their own DOSBox included, or ScummVM games have ScummVM in each game separately, etc. I can live with a couple more megabytes per game, but 150MB per game?

Plus, if it is a mere 1.4MB installer stub and not a 150Mb full Galaxy installer, then GOG probably doesn't have to keep updating that Galaxy installer on all those GOG game offline installers, over and over again. As long as the stub installer is relatively new, it should be able to download the very latest Galaxy installer data, when needed.

I hope Fables has courage to come tell what kind of Galaxy installer is going to be included in those games.

Ps. Is Fables a he or she? I always considered them as a guy due to the avatar, but many seem to refer to her as a her. Beside the point I guess, just want to know how strong swear words I can use.

I'm not good enough for a Downfall parody, but I had enough GIMP skills to make this. Shall it suffice?

Don’t fret, nothing’s changed, which is why you can easily uncheck the recompensation flux motion button in the hide your own ass setting on the we love Galaxy menu in the what not else app at the you didn't see it time shortly before or after we install Galaxy anyway moment and then you won't see what we are doing.

Easy, eh. It really sounds like good news. ;)

I use Windows XP at work. I also play games at work. Galaxy is not supported on Windows XP, but it still installs on Windows XP, it just doesn't run and errors pop up. Also, to uninstall it completely, there are about 5 different directories spread all over the C:\Documents and Settings\ folder, both under the current username and All Users. It is a hassle to clean these up if I want to uninstall the client. They are not removed automatically by using Add or Remove Programs.

You know what's funny? Steam actually still supports Windows XP while offering loads more services than Galaxy. If Galaxy is gonna cause this much of a headache for me, and if GOG keeps trying to be more like Steam, then there is less reason to keep using this platform. I almost left when you went with Regional Pricing. Each and every change you've made over the last few years has been further and further down the "slippery slope" that so many of us have warned that you've been going down, GOG.

I promise that this current decision is a mistake. The reason so many of us have used GOG is because it is NOT like Steam. If you guys lose that differentiation, then there will be no reason for your customers to buy from you. I hate that really the only reason left anymore to support GOG is DRM-Free. There used to be tons of reasons to buy from here, now that's the only one really left.

One could extrapolate that soon they will make Galaxy totally non-optional. It would be the logical next step.

I just wanted to mention that this will be day I will not shop on GOG anymore. So I really hope they think twice about that and about this and see reason.

Posting here for the first time ever just to say this.

As someone who already uses Galaxy - though mainly as a replacement for the Downloader - and always believed it would remain optional, I think this is a terrible idea. It's ridiculous to force people to download the Galaxy installer with every new game, regardless of whether they actually want it or already have it installed. I get that you want as many people as possible using Galaxy, but the way to do this is by including features that entice users to try it out, not by adopting obnoxious adware tactics like automatic downloads and auto-ticked checkboxes. I can put up with that kind of thing from free software, but a game I've already paid for is an entirely different matter.

The shady, underhanded way this is being introduced - no official announcement, no blue text for the thread, no list (at first) of the games affected - makes it abundantly clear that GOG knew what the reaction would be, and hoped to bury the news where few people would see it. Combined with the removal of game update notifications from the website, it's pretty clear which way the wind is blowing. And to think I thought people were being paranoid when they claimed that Galaxy would gradually replace the offline installers...

I get the feeling that someone in GOG's upper management genuinely doesn't understand what attracts people to your service. What we like about GOG is the entire DRM-free philosophy, not just the fact that things like clients and auto-updates are technically optional. Even if I choose to use Galaxy, I like the fact that it's my free choice to do so, and the non-client alternative is just as easy and convenient. The more you become like Steam, the more you lose your competitive advantage, since - let's face it - you will NEVER be able to compete with them on price or game selection.

At this point, GOG's reaction to our feedback is the most important thing for me. Given that EVERYONE clearly disapproves of this decision, if they choose the sane response and back down - or adopt one of the more sensible compromises proposed in this thread - I'll be willing to chalk it up to a 'mistake'. Otherwise, I'll be forced to assume GOG is going the same way as Steam and act accordingly - starting with removing my existing Galaxy installation while I still have the chance. In the meantime, I'll be removing the affected games from my wishlist, and downloading the ones I've bought before they get bloated with a client I've already installed. Not at all happy about this.