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Greetings,

Does DRM-FREE mean it has no serial nor key? That would be a form of DRM protection.

Thanks
For me it means once I've bought my game I'll never have to jump through hoops so I can play it.
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CosmicVoyagerX: Does DRM-FREE mean it has no serial nor key?
For single player... yes.
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CosmicVoyagerX: That would be a form of DRM protection.
Depends on what you believe. For a lot of people it's fully acceptable for multiplayer, and GOG also considers it acceptable.

But what does DRM free really mean? I leave you with this:

¯\_(シ)_/¯
high rated
It means no "Losing my Religion", no "Stand", no "Shiny Happy People", no....

Oh wait, that's what REM-FREE means.
Post edited August 12, 2016 by tinyE
There are no defined or well-known definitions of DRM. Some cover everything as DRM, others cover just a small subset. In GOG's case, it probably means that the single player aspect is devoid of having to connect to a service or inserting a CD key.

That I don't consider a CD key much of a DRM. Could be annoying, but it isn't as bad as connecting online to make sure my copy isn't one of those god forsaken pirated copies that publishers hate to death. Arrr!!
low rated
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PookaMustard: There are no defined or well-known definitions of DRM. Some cover everything as DRM, others cover just a small subset. In GOG's case, it probably means that the single player aspect is devoid of having to connect to a service or inserting a CD key.

That I don't consider a CD key much of a DRM. Could be annoying, but it isn't as bad as connecting online to make sure my copy isn't one of those god forsaken pirated copies that publishers hate to death. Arrr!!
Heh :-) Whether or not something has copyright protection is not determined by if it is annoying. lol

DRM is copyright protection. One of the oldest DRM protection methods is a product key. If it has that it is not DRM-free, and GOG should not claim it is. They should make things clear.

It either has copyright protection or it does not.
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CosmicVoyagerX: DRM is copyright protection. One of the oldest DRM protection methods is a product key. If it has that it is not DRM-free, and GOG should not claim it is. They should make things clear.
DRM has no standard definition hence the debates about what DRM free means. Non of GOG games require a CD key to install or play. Some games have a CD Key for multiplayer to connect to the game's server. This is not considered DRM by the majority of users.
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CosmicVoyagerX: It either has copyright protection or it does not.
Oh how we wish it was this simple...
Post edited August 12, 2016 by BKGaming
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richlind33: For me it means once I've bought my game I'll never have to jump through hoops so I can play it.
I'm with this guy... i buy GOG knowing the singleplayer aspect will live on forever from my downloaded archive and i will not need anything more then a compatible computer to make the game work.

I came from the land of CD-KEYS are i do not consider that DRM... but keeping a disk in the drive, forcing online checks, encrypted launch EXEs or making you use an account to play is unacceptable to me.
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PookaMustard: There are no defined or well-known definitions of DRM. Some cover everything as DRM, others cover just a small subset. In GOG's case, it probably means that the single player aspect is devoid of having to connect to a service or inserting a CD key.

That I don't consider a CD key much of a DRM. Could be annoying, but it isn't as bad as connecting online to make sure my copy isn't one of those god forsaken pirated copies that publishers hate to death. Arrr!!
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CosmicVoyagerX: Heh :-) Whether or not something has copyright protection is not determined by if it is annoying. lol

DRM is copyright protection. One of the oldest DRM protection methods is a product key. If it has that it is not DRM-free, and GOG should not claim it is. They should make things clear.

It either has copyright protection or it does not.
Doesn't sound like you've bought a game here. So what are you waiting for, an invitation?
"Digital rights management (DRM) schemes are various access control technologies that are used to restrict usage of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. DRM technologies try to control the use, modification, and distribution of copyrighted works (such as software and multimedia content), as well as systems within devices that enforce these policies."


DRM-FREE is something free of the things described.

Serial Keys are a form of DRM.
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neurasthenya: "Digital rights management (DRM) schemes are various access control technologies that are used to restrict usage of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. DRM technologies try to control the use, modification, and distribution of copyrighted works (such as software and multimedia content), as well as systems within devices that enforce these policies."


DRM-FREE is something free of the things described.

Serial Keys are a form of DRM.
Serial keys are a form of Rights Management. Some of mine were printed on the Jewel Case and therefore aren't digital at all. If the game never phones home, and doesn't limit my installs or anything, I consider that DRM free. Having to have a serial key that was issued by the manufacturer is fine as long as we're not verifying that against an online registration server. Again. In my and many others' opinions. Not everyone's, obviously.
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paladin181:
"One of the oldest and least complicated DRM protection methods for the computer games is a product key, a typically alphanumerical serial number used to represent a license to a particular piece of software. During the installation process for the software, the user is asked to input the key; if the key correctly corresponds to a valid license (typically via internal algorithms), the key is accepted, and installation can continue. In modern practice, product keys are typically combined with other DRM practices (such as online "activation"), as the software could be cracked to run without a product key, or "keygen" programs could be developed to generate keys that would be accepted."

Also:

"Some of mine were printed on the Jewel Case and therefore aren't digital at all"

The program for which the key is used is.
What does DRM free mean to me?

Never having to apologize after having a fight
Always ordering out on a Sunday while enjoying a good movie
Never mixing red wine with white wine
Enjoying a nice summer breeze

What does this have to do with DRM, you ask? Nothing but know this, I like candy=p
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tinyE: It means no "Losing my Religion", no "Stand", no "Shiny Happy People", no....

Oh wait, that's what REM-FREE means.
Fuck you REM is great.
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paladin181: Serial keys are a form of Rights Management. Some of mine were printed on the Jewel Case and therefore aren't digital at all. If the game never phones home, and doesn't limit my installs or anything, I consider that DRM free. Having to have a serial key that was issued by the manufacturer is fine as long as we're not verifying that against an online registration server. Again. In my and many others' opinions. Not everyone's, obviously.
Considering the publisher/dev can't deny you playing the game via a CD key (unless they give you a faulty key to begin with) then it's perhaps the only real acceptable copy protection I'd take. It's non intrusive, works offline, and otherwise gives you no issues. If you lose your key, there's keys enough if you search for them, so that isn't an issue either. (Although NWN is slightly annoying since it won't connect to other games with the same key...).

Requiring a key to use the online/MP component is annoying, but I've yet to actually need/want it.