I swear this this new thread isn't necessary and plenty of people have brought it up in the past, but this r/games comment made me want to bring up the subject again.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1jz3xv/15_more_games_greenlit/cbjtjml

"I like knowing exactly where my game is. If I want to redownload, I don't want to check multiple places to find it. The drm never bothered me. I don't pirate or have had any ill effects from it."

"I don't want to have games on Steam because it is easier to launch them, I want to have them there because it is easier to install them. (that said, I do use GOG, Steam and GamersGate, and more than once I had to search through the three services to find where I bought some game)"

So perhaps something like the GOG downloader, but with the GOG gameshelf twist: the games in list format (maybe tiny box art or something) but with a wooden background or something you can change, and a dropdown menu icon below each for the bonus content? Double-click on the game, you can choose where to install it, go through the normal process, done. Uninstall the same way.

Of course, you still have your game shelf on GOG, and on the client you would have a button to download each .exe file or bonus content bundle for backup.

Something like that. :P

Yes, it should.

No, GOG is a game digital distributor, not a social client.

GOG should be encouraging people to be actually playing their games, not fluffing about and wasting their time with social gimmicks like Steam is doing with Acheivements, Cards, Friends lists and all that crap.

Also, computer gaming should always be an anti-social activity. Fuck all social networking faggot hipsters trying to force their socializing Facebook bullshit on everyone else.

I'd certainly use it.

@Crosmando. Congrats on going all bigot on an argument you created yourself in the same post. No one was talking about social features till you mentioned it.

Absolutely, it would attract a huge number of new customers.

Client is by definition a social feature.

I was referring to an optional client that just makes it easy to install and uninstall games, keeping the GOG games in one place like Steam does. (A few easy clicks and your game is good to go.) I don't think GOG needs that stuff either.

Lately I can't tell if you're being ironic or moronic in your posts.

But what is the point?

Are you seriously trying to say that there's people out there who find it too complicated to download a file from GOG and double-click to install? If the client was only being used for downloading, what is the point?

I'm pretty sure the point of those type of distribution clients is social features, friends lists etc.

"I like knowing exactly where my game is. If I want to redownload, I don't want to check multiple places to find it."
It's depressing that people like this even exist. Also not surprising from Reddit.

It could be a good idea, it would definitely provide more of an impetus to choose gog over Steam or somewhere else. Consider Spelunky, the daily challenges exist only on Steam because the client can afford certain features.

It makes no sense from a marketing POV either. Needing a client to install a game is commonly accepted to be DRM. So GOG is supposed to now say "We're 100% DRM-Free, but if you want to use our client DRM be our guest", it's contradictory. Also anyone who thinks Steam/Desura is more convenient than GOG is a wrong, Steam requires downloading and installation of the client, signing-up with it etc. GOG only requires signing up to a website and downloading through that. The only people who say "Steam is more convenient" are those who were already on Steam TO BEGIN WITH, so they are saying "it's more convenient to me".

Also that stuff about losing track of game's install location is total BS, with GOG's new installer it remembers where you last installed a game.

GOG (along with Desura) is one of the only DRM-free distributor who DOESN'T have a client, and it should stay that way. Buying games should just be about buying games, not encouragement of gimmicks like Steam with TF2 hats which all the retards eat up.

I meant an optional client. You could still download .exe files for backup.

Maybe client is not the right word? Basically I sort of meant your entirely library within the GOG downloader or something visually similar to the downloader, in list format, easy to install or uninstall games that way. It wouldn't save a whole lot of time, but the convenience and organization might appeal to some people.

I would like to see GOG do this. In fact, I think GOG needs to do this. The means for downloading, installing and most especially updating our games here is half-assed and should be upgraded.

I would add that the client should not be necessary to fire up and play the game. It's function should simply be to manage one's games library here.

I really wouldn't mind if they just integrated the store, wish list, etc. into it as well personally but the above would be a good start.

Lastly, lest anyone become confused and think a client is DRM, the client should offer to retain the downloaded installer which is built to be capable of running independently of the client so one is never dependent on the client after initially downloading the game. You could still back up your installers as you do now just in case something bad ever happens. You'd still have your games and you would not need to run the client to install and play them.

This is entirely possible to do and I don't know why they have not done it already instead of that half-assed endless beta downloader which is nothing but a lesser and perpetually broken version of what I am talking about here.

It would seem to me that they need to hire a competent software engineer for openers and get them to work designing some software for us that is actually useful and works reliably.

Yes, I have said many times that I would really like an optional client for gog to manage my games. Definitely with autopathing features (could also be optional, but I would turn it on :))

I fail to see why anyone would argue against an optional client - if you do not like it, then just don't use it. But it gives an extra service to those who would like one.