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Hi GoG & fellow gamers,

For some time now i have this small problem concerning the hours i log when i play. The hours played per game is a statistic i would like to have in my possesion for several reasons. When i go offline for whatever reason possible most or almost all games be it steam ubilauncher or GoG won't allow themselfs to be clocked. So far, only Distant Worlds remains the only game which alllows this.

Would it be to much if I asked for this as a general measure concerning every game GoG has available on its tremendous platform. The ability to be always exactly aware of how much hours I have spend in any game I play be it on or offline?
Could we have it fellow old gamers ?

I would be much obliged!

Greet Radiance
Post edited April 06, 2020 by Radiance1979
Sounds fine but I doubt it could instigated in all games and the easier way would be for you to time start and finish games, yourself if it's that important but just finishing a game for me nowadays is an accomplishment in itself.
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Radiance1979: Would it be to much if I asked for this as a general measure concerning every game GoG has available on its tremendous platform. The ability to be always exactly aware of how much hours I have spend in any game I play be it on or offline?
Game time tracking is a function of the client rather than the game. All that usually happens is the client simply times how long an .exe launched through it is open for and even that isn't that accurate (GOG or Steam), eg, you start a game then get called away or ALT-TAB out to work on something, and it'll already be an inaccurate measure of actual time played.

Conversely, using offline installers without the client simply won't count anything at all. For many old games where there's no source code / developer available or where it was compiled using old compiler versions, I doubt it's even possible to add it into the game itself, so most offline installers will never have timers inside the game added to them many years after launch unless they were designed that way from the start (eg, some games like Dragon Age Origins show "hh:mm played" on the load-game screen which is actually more accurate it if stops counting when it senses itself to be paused / minimized which is something client level timers generally can't do).
Post edited April 06, 2020 by AB2012
Just get a stop clock, drm free, you can choose which ever one you want, totally under your control. In fact it’s everything the client isn’t.
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Radiance1979: Would it be to much if I asked for this as a general measure concerning every game GoG has available on its tremendous platform. The ability to be always exactly aware of how much hours I have spend in any game I play be it on or offline?
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AB2012: Game time tracking is a function of the client rather than the game. All that usually happens is the client simply times how long an .exe launched through it is open for and even that isn't that accurate (GOG or Steam), eg, you start a game then get called away or ALT-TAB out to work on something, and it'll already be an inaccurate measure of actual time played.

Conversely, using offline installers without the client simply won't count anything at all. For many old games where there's no source code / developer available or where it was compiled using old compiler versions, I doubt it's even possible to add it into the game itself, so most offline installers will never have timers inside the game added to them many years after launch unless they were designed that way from the start (eg, some games like Dragon Age Origins show "hh:mm played" on the load-game screen which is actually more accurate it if stops counting when it senses itself to be paused / minimized which is something client level timers generally can't do).
Yes exactly, i'm only talking about the launchers who already feature an online clock function, how inaccurate ever.
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nightcraw1er.488: Just get a stop clock, drm free, you can choose which ever one you want, totally under your control. In fact it’s everything the client isn’t.
stop clock? it is way past april fools day ? ;)
Post edited April 06, 2020 by Radiance1979
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Radiance1979:
A stop clock is actually a good idea. You can use a digital one on your computer. The last game I played with the Steam client says I have played it for x hours when the truth really is around 85% of that. Goes to show you that the clients' built in timers are not that exact.

Also if you lose connection to internet, the clock stops in the clients, I presume, but many games will allow you to continue playing, especially GOG games.
Post edited April 06, 2020 by Themken
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Radiance1979:
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Themken: A stop clock is actually a good idea. You can use a digital one on your computer. The last game I played with the Steam client says I have played it for x hours when the truth really is around 85% of that. Goes to show you that the clients' built in timers are not that exact.

Also if you lose connection to internet, the clock stops in the clients, I presume, but many games will allow you to continue playing, especially GOG games.
Exactly, absolutely no benefits to clients whatsoever.
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Themken: A stop clock is actually a good idea. You can use a digital one on your computer. The last game I played with the Steam client says I have played it for x hours when the truth really is around 85% of that. Goes to show you that the clients' built in timers are not that exact.

Also if you lose connection to internet, the clock stops in the clients, I presume, but many games will allow you to continue playing, especially GOG games.
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nightcraw1er.488: Exactly, absolutely no benefits to clients whatsoever.
Oke, well i own someone an apoligize.....

I never heard of the phrase, could any of you point me to a site where i can download such a thing?
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Radiance1979:
https://www.online-stopwatch.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stopwatch

So these call it stopwatch. <shrug>

I guess a stop clock would be more like those chess clocks.
Post edited April 06, 2020 by Themken
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nightcraw1er.488: Exactly, absolutely no benefits to clients whatsoever.
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Radiance1979: Oke, well i own someone an apoligize.....

I never heard of the phrase, could any of you point me to a site where i can download such a thing?
There is one built in to windows 10 isn’t there (I don’t know as I go through and remove most of it on install):
https://www.isunshare.com/windows-10/use-stopwatch-in-windows-10.html
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Radiance1979: Oke, well i own someone an apoligize.....

I never heard of the phrase, could any of you point me to a site where i can download such a thing?
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nightcraw1er.488: There is one built in to windows 10 isn’t there (I don’t know as I go through and remove most of it on install):
https://www.isunshare.com/windows-10/use-stopwatch-in-windows-10.html
Amazing... how could i have forget something so easy... of course windows has this covered!
Though.. i do hope..... ultimately,.... that gaming hours won't be seen as a online feature exclusively anymore, somewhere in the ( hopefully near ) future

all that manual databasing is fun but also timeconsuming
I see, you want to be able to look back and see that Oh, that game I spent so little time in despite its glowing reviews and that one I played for an embarressing 2400 hours. What you want is a Galaxy v2.99 that does not have to be always online.