Sometimes when a crow brings a soul back from the dead, they use Gog.

When you use GoG Galaxy then the updates come in at the same time as Steam's, or very close to it like +/- an hour compared to Steams time. When it comes to patch installers I haven't seen more than a few days for that, so if it is longer than a few days than it really is on the publisher/developer at that point.

Sometimes weeks, sometimes months or
years… Don't worry, GOG is trying hard to erase this advantage. ^‿^ GOG Galaxy is being the most recent attempt (it is mandatory to play some games on-line).

Why in seven hells is the OP downrated? I guess I qualify as a GOG fanboy as much as anybody here, but I see absolutely nothing unreasonable in anything the OP has to say in any of his posts in the thread.

Classy community, my ass. Grow up, why don't you.

Yes, for me it is. Since I normally play (single-player) games long after their release, I don't mind if updates are delayed somewhat, as long as they appear on GOG at some point. For instance, at the moment I am playing Fallout Tactics (originally released in 2001 IIRC), it is not like there are some pending updates for it.

Also, for some less important or Steam-specific updates, I don't necessarily mind if the GOG version is missing it altogether. Important updates are... important. Similarly, I usually don't mind if the GOG version is missing the multiplayer part or with some games a level editor or such, as I don't see myself using those features in 99% of the games anyway, I just want to play the single-player campaign and that's it.

For now I don't use the Galaxy client at all, i play my GOG games only using the offline installers. I might install Galaxy (again) at some point if I get interested in some multiplayer game or want to play some in-development game that receives updates frequently. For me it is more about whether you care that you can continue playing your games even after the store/service closes its doors permanently. Like Desura and DotEmu closed their doors, if their games had not been DRM-free but require a specific Desura or DotEmu client to play them onlline, then all those games people have bought from those services would now be unusable. But since they are DRM-free, I can still install and play my DotEmu games just fine, which I've downloaded from the service a long time ago.

You might claim that Steam is not going to close down ever, in which case you are lying. Yes it will also close doors at some point, the only question is when. So will GOG. The way Microsoft is pushing its own Windows Store in Windows 10, it might happen much sooner than you think. Maybe in the future 99% of Windows 10 gamers will buy all their games from the Windows Store because it is the default store, which doesn't leave much of business for any 3rd party stores, Steam included.

Of course, if you don't mind that your games will become unplayanle the minute the store/service closes, that is fine too I guess. I rather continue playing my games even after that point, like my DotEmu games right now.

For the record, I have 467 games also on Steam, but I definitely prefer buying my games on GOG (where I have currently 1392 games). Admittedly, 90% of my Steam games are not bought through Steam, but been activated from Humble Bundles (usually I bought a bundle for Android or DRM-free games, but also activated the Steam keys included in the bundle, because reasons). Someone is keeping a list of games that have missing patches or other features (like no German language or Linux version or whatever, in case those are important to you), or even if the author feels GOG customers have to pay too much for the game, compared to a cheaper Steam version:

https://www.gog.com/mix/games_that_treat_gog_customers_as_second_class_citizens

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/suggestions_wanted_for_gog_mix_games_that_treat_gog_customers_as_second_class_citizens/page1

If the Ashes of the Singularity patch gets quite delayed, I guess it will end up in that list too. I haven't bought (nor played) Ashes of the Singularity yet as it seems it is still receiving DLCs, I don't like buying my games in tiny parts (separate DLCs). I rather wait until they have released everything for the game and then buy it all in a bundle.

You're not a fanboy if you're not automatically neg-rating anything that could -even remotely- be (mis-)interpreted as less than 100% positive towards Iwiński-land.

Yeah, in the good old days the GOG version would simply miss the online multiplayer part altogether (e.g. Brutal Legend, Full Spectrum Warrior etc.). That was so much better, wasn't it? /sarcasm

If modern game developers don't want to make their own multiplayer (matchmaking etc.) service for their games but expect the store selling their game provide it (be it Steam, Galaxy, EA Origin or whatever), then those really are the only two options: either the GOG version uses Galaxy for the multiplayer part, or it doesn't have any multiplayer.


I keep saying this: while I very much want my single-player games to be DRM-free, for online multiplayer games I don't mind DRM; in fact, I prefer the online multiplayer games have DRM. Reason being, cheater control. If there was no DRM in a multiplayer game, then there would be no way to ban cheaters from the game.

In single-player games that advantage does not exist for me as a customer, as I don't have to deal with other people trying to cheat in the game I am playing.

DRM on MP service also protects the customers playability as well. Look what happened to Stardock, their legitimate owners could not even play the MP of a newly released game of theirs because the pirates flooded the MP servers, cause Stardock had no DRM on their service.

Yes, it was. /not_a_sarcasm
Now we have missing Linux releases due to lack of mandatory Galaxy client on Linux. Hurray for Galaxy!

Exactly. DRM-free is GOG's selling argument and reason of existence. Unfortunately nowadays it's the only remaining argument. There used to be more (one-world, one-price principle, only complete games, no micro-transactions and above all a responsive company that cared about it's customers and their feedback) but DRM-free is all that is left.

But yes, it is THAT important. I want to own the games I own. I want to be able to play them, independent of the publisher. Steam-games can be deactivated at any point. Sure, you may say 'But Steam wouldn't do that!' ... but the point is, they can. If there is some license quarrel or any other reason, they can remove the game from your account and you won't be able to play it any more. Some forms of DRM even deny you your game if you are without internet for an extended period of time and 'your' game can't connect to the DRM server. GOG, however, no matter what happens to it and no matter what the devs, publishers and GOG decide in the future, can't deactivate the games I have downloaded. Even if they would want to at some point. I have the installers backed up and they will work even in a decade or two (given a suitable operating system). Even after GOG has changed to another DRM-infested store and went bankrupt afterwards.

There are only two ways how you can insure that no one else can mess with your games: either buy DRM-free or pirate it. GOG is the place for those people who decided to get their DRM-free games legally and to support those publishers who do not insist on spying on their customers.

If there is some license quarrels here on gOg, they can also revoke the license and remove it from your library. You are then meant to delete the game from your own HD, as you now longer have a license to play that game, and if you do not do so, you legally are in effect playing a pirated game. The difference between gOg and Steam is that Steam can enforce this, while gOg trust the user to do so themselves.

This not opening an argument whether you agree with it or not, just stating how it works. You may disagree with how the license system work, and the legalities behind it, which makes gOg easier to use to not comply with this regulations. but arguably if you want your games licenses illegal, so is Pirates Bay.

DRM-free and a love of older games (which GOG are disproportionally biased towards vs Steam / Origin / uPlay, etc) are naturally related. Many of us still replay tons of older much-loved games 10, 20 even 30 years later and stripping out protection created around launch-year hardware so that it runs on newer hardware / OS's is a must (see Windows 10 + SecuRom or installing retail disc games with CD-checks on laptops with no optical drive are two example of many). OTOH, if you're the type of gamer who plays newer games once then throws them away then the greater longevity of DRM-free games may be of less value to you personally. Not being able to resell digital games is a minor issue given 50-90% off sales. In the context of DRM-free, people are talking about owning a permanent tangible local copy (ie, backup of the offline installer) that's 100% immune to any future event, eg, the digital distributor going out of business, any borked forced updates or inferior "replacement" remasters that forcibly removes the originals from the store by the developer, or even having your whole game library wiped if you live in the "wrong" country. Examples:-

- Take a look at the "Mostly Negative" hot mess Bioshock 1-2 "Remastered" edition with tons of new bugs, crashes & save-game corruption that weren't in the originals to see how even a major title from a major developer can be completely screwed up with a "replacement" remaster. Those of us with the DRM-free Humble Store offline installer are forever grateful for being able to play the superior original version if the "classic" versions are ever removed from Steam.

- Want stutter-free Deus Ex: Human Revolution? Since there's no DRM-free option, you basically have to source the original version + Missing Link DLC + the last patches + illegal cracks and use them because the Directors Cut that "replaced" the original used an earlier version of the source code that pre-dates all the stutter removal patches, and promptly reintroduced all the annoying non-performance-related stutter again as well as a number of other new bugs visible in the Steam support forums from mission blockers to broken shaders, etc.

- Someone who has the original Day of The Tentacle or Full Throttle games can keep those older offline GOG installers and use them on an Android tablet / smartphone via ScummVM. The Remastered version is strictly PC only.

- Someone who hates the "political" content in Baldur's Gate: EE but bought the originals and wants a "pure vanilla" playthrough can keep those original installers and widescreen patches for life.

^ Just a few examples of many of how being able to keep older offline installers solves a lot of problems. In terms of support, GOG is weakest with new buggy as hell games that need constant ongoing patches (though even then, there are plenty of games on Steam that have been left simply abandoned with unfixed well known bugs). GOG's strength however, is games that have already been patched / are "finished" properly, and in giving games a generally high degree of immunity against future borked updates or failed "Remastered" editions by putting control of updates in your hands not the developers.

skeletonbow said everything that was needed to be said. It's not GOG fault if games are not updated, blame de devs.
Sadly when purchasing a game which is released at the same time on steam is a hit or miss, updates wise. All boils down to the devs, if they want to keep updated the GOG release.

Apparently galaxy made thing easier for devs, which can they push updates ala steam, so from now on we shouldn't face that many games left outdated.

For future reference I suggest checking out the GOG mix about devs treating GOG customers like 2nd class citizens, which you can find here: https://www.gog.com/mix/games_that_treat_gog_customers_as_second_class_citizens .

...I think that is false. I don't find anything saying so in the user agreement - and the user agreement on GOG explicitly supersedes any other EULA in case they contradict the user agreement. GOG even used to advertise with 'all games you buy are yours to keep'. Yes, they could remove games from your shelf, but that doesn't change the rights to your game that you acquired when you bought the game.

If you can point out, where GOG says that you have to delete games that they lose the license to, please do so. Keep in mind, it has to be in the GOG user agreement. EULA don't count. They are invalidated by the user agreement in case of conflict and are not legally binding anyhow (at least here in Germany).