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Steam's DRM (CEG) customizes the executables so it won't play without the Steam client running and logged in to the correct account. There are lots of not-DRM-e

Steam's DRM (CEG) customizes the executables so it won't play without the Steam client running and logged in to the correct account. There are lots of not-DRM-enabled games on Steam, but they're decidedly in the minority.

StavrosK 7y ago
That's why GOG.com is my first choice. They even provide a nice Steam-like installer (unfortunately, no Linux version of the installer), while letting you download your games DRM-free, archivable and standalone.
- ntw1103 7y ago
  Not all of the games on GOG are DRM-free at this point. Some require GOGGalaxy, their version of the steam client. I went through a frustrating refund process after learning about this after making a purchase.
  - StavrosK 7y ago
    Really? That sucks, DRM-free has been their major selling point from the start. Why was the process frustrating and which game was it?
  - babuskov 7y ago
    I have yet to find a game that absolutely requires Galaxy. Could you share which game was it?
    - KptMarchewa 7y ago
      Only game that requires Galaxy is Gwent, and it's free to play.
    - ntw1103 7y ago
      Hero's of Hammer watch required it, and would not run without it.
Karunamon 7y ago
There are a number of tools called “steamworks emulators” that allow one to bypass this outright for many games. These are generally seen as piracy tools, but there’s no good reason you couldn’t use them when you wanted to play your purchased game collection without DRM. Be a bit careful when experimenting, though. You may run into problems syncing your cloud saves for some games if/when you go back to the official client.
- Mtinie 7y ago
  Now you've swapped one attack surface for another (of a dubious origin).
  - Karunamon 7y ago
    Open source. https://gitlab.com/Mr_Goldberg/goldberg_emulator https://gitlab.com/Mr_Goldberg/goldberg_emulator
hnick 7y ago
As you'd expect there are (or were, a few years ago when my account was temporarily banned for a few days) cracks to unlock the executables. You might need Steam still installed for this to work the first time, I'm not sure. Legally I don't know where that stands, but morally I'd say we have a right to play the games we paid for.
neuralzen 7y ago
Uhg, this drives me nuts. Apparently I'm not allowed to play Sepiko: Shadows Die Twice while traveling outside of the country. A VPN can temporarily get things going again, or staying in Offline mode, but what a pain in the ass...

StavrosK 7y ago

That's why GOG.com is my first choice. They even provide a nice Steam-like installer (unfortunately, no Linux version of the installer), while letting you download your games DRM-free, archivable and standalone.

ntw1103 7y ago
Not all of the games on GOG are DRM-free at this point. Some require GOGGalaxy, their version of the steam client. I went through a frustrating refund process after learning about this after making a purchase.
- StavrosK 7y ago
  Really? That sucks, DRM-free has been their major selling point from the start. Why was the process frustrating and which game was it?
- babuskov 7y ago
  I have yet to find a game that absolutely requires Galaxy. Could you share which game was it?
  - KptMarchewa 7y ago
    Only game that requires Galaxy is Gwent, and it's free to play.
  - ntw1103 7y ago
    Hero's of Hammer watch required it, and would not run without it.

Karunamon 7y ago

There are a number of tools called “steamworks emulators” that allow one to bypass this outright for many games. These are generally seen as piracy tools, but there’s no good reason you couldn’t use them when you wanted to play your purchased game collection without DRM. Be a bit careful when experimenting, though. You may run into problems syncing your cloud saves for some games if/when you go back to the official client.

Mtinie 7y ago
Now you've swapped one attack surface for another (of a dubious origin).
- Karunamon 7y ago
  Open source. https://gitlab.com/Mr_Goldberg/goldberg_emulator https://gitlab.com/Mr_Goldberg/goldberg_emulator

hnick 7y ago

As you'd expect there are (or were, a few years ago when my account was temporarily banned for a few days) cracks to unlock the executables. You might need Steam still installed for this to work the first time, I'm not sure. Legally I don't know where that stands, but morally I'd say we have a right to play the games we paid for.

neuralzen 7y ago

Uhg, this drives me nuts. Apparently I'm not allowed to play Sepiko: Shadows Die Twice while traveling outside of the country. A VPN can temporarily get things going again, or staying in Offline mode, but what a pain in the ass...