I know I'd need to buy the GOG or Steam version to access those multiplayer servers (although from what I'm reading those are a mess at the moment), but are there any patches, fixes, etc that I wouldn't be able to access with my old copy?

Thanks!

Anyone? I've been having issues getting BFII to work from the discs, as it crashes upon trying to start a (single player) battle. Is this fixed in the GOG version?

The physical copy of Battlefront 2 can not access to the GOG/Steam multiplayer, no matter what. Sadly this is the most serious problem. :)

The digital version is identical to the original version patched up to 1.1 with the only official patch ever released. If you apply that patch it shouldn't crash. The only difference is the master server address, but as you said the new server is messy a little.

If you want to play on the official server or at least give it a try, you have to buy the game digitally.

I would recommend the Steam version over the GOG one, preferably during the Steam Winter sale where it will most likely be 75% off.

Why that?

Steam version allows you to change your username without contacting GOG support.