...or can I just play online with the regular version I got from GoG?

someone answer this question please !!!!!

... Galaxy is just a clent. The installed game is still the same in the end, no matter if you use Galaxy or the dedicated Setups. Even when using Galaxy, it just executes the .EXE from the game like you would double click it yourself. Correct me if I'm wrong, but why should that make any difference to the game itself, again...?

thx 4 answer !

because lots of steam games require you to run steam in the background

... really? Wow. Well, I know why I never touched that myself.

I'm aware of what Galaxy is. My question is whether it must be running to access BFII's online servers, or if online play will work without it.

Well sorry, but then you don't really know what Galaxy is, really. It doesn't do anything more than being the shop interface [just a browser for the actual website], it lists your installed games, it has rather rudimentary chat, and really, is mainly used to automate updating and installing your games for you. It's got an overlay for limited functions ingame as well, namely the chat I guess, but that does work on very few games only. Oh yeah, it can auto-upload your savegames to a cloud after playing if you fancy that, too, in case you have multiple PCs or want off-site backups for some reason. Galaxy really doesn't do anything -with- the games themselves though, other than install, update, and uninstall.

If it did, the games would actually require Galaxy to work as advertised, and that's the whole point of GoG saying "no" to DRM and anything like it - you just download the game setup, double click it anywhere, any time, and you're done and set. No keys, no licenses, no limits, no accounts (other than for initial purchase), no logins, no required additional software. The fact that Galaxy is completely optional should be indication enough - you're fine without it, really, for when you wanna go the barebones route of having only the games installed and nothing more, and are taking care of updates manually. Or don't want updates at all! That's an option, too.

Galaxy is pretty handy none the less, for keeping your games updated.
But it's not such a mandatory overlord as Steam is.

Well, its true, steam is a bit.. special when it comes to running games etc.

Buuut because of the forces "you need steam open to run it "mentailtiy you can also rightlcick your steam friend and click "join game" and it will load up the game and but you in the same server etc.

Or you can open the steam overlay ingame and rightclick a friend and click "invite to game"

So it has it down- and upsides :/

But yes, for SWBF2 its overkill

You know, that's not the part I have a problem with, that's fine and dandy. Would be cool for Galaxy to have that feature, too. But...

The mandatory part is what really annoys me, and on top of that it means giving away control over your machine and the management of games on it. I don't like dumbed-down, console-like stuff on my PC - it's gotten to a point where Steam is another OS you need to have installed to be allowed to play games. And quite literally at that, with that SteamOS thing. Everyone and their mother just seems to try and wiggle some more superfluous thing in there, and make it mandatory for everyone. Just another artificial layer of stuff on the actually needed layers like OS and drivers, that can just be streamlined to, you know, just not exist. Bloatware, is what I like to call it. No biggie if it helps you, but mandatory bloatware is another thing. Actively trying to sell you things all the time, too.

I'm using Galaxy to install and notify me of available updates to my games, because it is optional and configurable for each game. If Galaxy were to ever become mandatory like Steam, or tried to tell me how to manage my games instead of me telling Galaxy how I want them managed, I'm gone.
I know that doesn't bug most people like it does me, though.

But, because of the way Galaxy is modular, hands-off and configurable, it actually does my work for me, and only when I tell it to do so. Now, that's the way I like it!

With very few steps you can tell Steam to handle multiple folders on different HDDs. You can even tell Steam to copy your already installed games to a newly set alternative folder. It literally gives the management of your games in your hands if you so desire.

What's left is that Steam is in fact a DRM. Probably the only DRM that is widely accepted because Valve figured out how to integrate social things and easy game invite into their DRM software. But using that Steam API is totally up to the devs. If a MP game utilizes Steam VAC (Valve Anti Cheat) or the Steam DRM is almost completey optional to the developer/publisher. There are (or at least were) some DRM free games on Steam, which treat Steam just like all the games on GOG treat Galaxy- as a handy tool to download, manage, and update your software. Sadly most games take (almost) full advantage of the Steam API, and even double DRM (Steam + Uplay/Origin *grrr*).

SteamOS, on the other hand, had so little impact on the PC gaming scene so far that it hardly deserves the term "operating system". You know what SteamOS is? A Linux distribution. Yes, that's right, an awfull lot of games sold by Steam don't even run on SteamOS because they lack the support for Linux.

The only thing I really really dislike on Steam are the forced auto updates. You want to play Doom (2016)? Too bad, you have to download the meaty 30GB update first because id revamped the multiplayer. You're just interested in singleplayer? Too bad, you need the update either way.
That could be easily fixed by adding a 'do not update games unless I say so' option. But somehow that seems to be too much.

Mate, I'm not here to discuss the ins and outs of Galaxy or your sales-pitch of how great it is, I am asking a simple question: Does-GOG's-newly-patched-online-play-for-SWBFII-require-GOG-Galaxy-to-operate-or-does-the-online-work-fine-wit hout-it?

It's a pretty simple question. Either you know the answer or you don't.

Since he can'T say yes or no, it looks liek he is unsure aswell.

But I guess it is not required. You only need to install the DRM free version you got aswell with buying the game via GOG. It should have the new patch with it, wich fixed the masterver/multiplayer.

But I didn't tried it for now.

I also didn't tried to launch the via galaxy installed copy directly from the windows folder so far. When that's working, then Galaxy is not required.

While I did get into sort of a ramble about Steam, at that point I had already answered that specific question for anyone who cared to read. In my very first post, even, and others seemed to understand that, too. Since that apparently went right over your head back there, and / or you don't care to read what people write all too much, let me be more clear:

No.

To summarize what I said:
- Galaxy just starts the game for you.
- The installed game's the same even without Galaxy.
- Galaxy doesn't do anything more with the games in the background.
- GoG is about not having these requirements you have with Steam.

Now with that out of the way, I didn't try to sell you on anything either, I was merely pointing out the differences between Steam and Galaxy, highlighting what (actually quite limited by comparison, I think) functionality it has, and explained that you have options here, including straight up ignoring Galaxy by just using the standalone setups instead. Sorry but, if ya ain't readin' what I'm puttin' down for ya, it ain't ma problem, "mate".

Oh I'm readin' it alright, and your super extended 'summary' here has now ensured I have now read through all of that useless information twice, so well done for that. Since you seem unclear on what exactly Steam does, why these clients occasionally run in the background to ensure formerly defunct online services work (whether DRM or otherwise), and don't indicate that you've bothered to try it, kindly stop cluttering up this thread so someone who actually knows the answer can come in and have their voice heard. Thankyou.