4 ms·

When I hear this complaint it usually refers to games that provide certain features, multiplayer, rewards like skins, etc., only through the use of an online ac

When I hear this complaint it usually refers to games that provide certain features, multiplayer, rewards like skins, etc., only through the use of an online account. I’m not saying those things aren’t worth complaining about, but frankly, they aren’t what come to mind when I think of problematic DRM in video games. What comes to mind is the inability to install and play a game without an internet connection. GOG still provides real installers, and remains the most prominent platform committed to it. To get a sense of what people are referring to as DRM on GOG, I reference this thread: https://www.gog.com/forum/general/drm_on_gog_list_of_singleplayer_games_with_drm/post1 https://www.gog.com/forum/general/drm_on_gog_list_of_singlep...

thaumasiotes 4y ago
You don't think multiplayer counts as playing the game?
- bentley 4y ago
  I think having an online account for multiplayer is a categorically different kind of requirement than having an online account for single player. Until there’s a storefront that only sells games that include multiplayer servers that can be self‐hosted on your LAN, I think GOG’s explicit policy of no‐DRM installers is worth praising.
  - thaumasiotes 4y ago
    They didn't have a problem releasing Northgard without the ability to play single-player offline. There was enough complaining about that that it got fixed, I believe, but that's how they released it.
    - bentley 4y ago
      Yes, that was mentioned in the thread I linked. According to the thread, both GOG and the game developer claimed it was a bug, and fixed it. This does not convince me of your statement that GOG has de facto eliminated its no‐DRM policy. A more plausible explanation is that GOG, not rolling in money like Steam, is subject to a certain amount of jank including high‐impact bugs that take longer than they should to get fixed. And GOG’s jankiness is a common complaint throughout these HN comments. I don’t think anyone contests that Valve provides a generally slick experience in comparison to its competitors.
  - badsectoracula 4y ago
    > Until there’s a storefront that only sells games that include multiplayer servers that can be self‐hosted on your LAN IIRC from a discussion in their official Discord (by one of the people who work there) that is basically Zoom Platform[0]'s approach - if a game has a multiplayer component it has to allow you to run your own server. [0] https://www.zoom-platform.com/ https://www.zoom-platform.com/
Dylan16807 4y ago
> GOG still provides real installers, and remains the most prominent platform committed to it. Is steam's backup/restore game files option much different in practice?
- bentley 4y ago
  My understanding is those are DRMed: you can’t play a restored game without connecting online to your Steam account at least once.

thaumasiotes 4y ago

You don't think multiplayer counts as playing the game?

bentley 4y ago
I think having an online account for multiplayer is a categorically different kind of requirement than having an online account for single player. Until there’s a storefront that only sells games that include multiplayer servers that can be self‐hosted on your LAN, I think GOG’s explicit policy of no‐DRM installers is worth praising.
- thaumasiotes 4y ago
  They didn't have a problem releasing Northgard without the ability to play single-player offline. There was enough complaining about that that it got fixed, I believe, but that's how they released it.
  - bentley 4y ago
    Yes, that was mentioned in the thread I linked. According to the thread, both GOG and the game developer claimed it was a bug, and fixed it. This does not convince me of your statement that GOG has de facto eliminated its no‐DRM policy. A more plausible explanation is that GOG, not rolling in money like Steam, is subject to a certain amount of jank including high‐impact bugs that take longer than they should to get fixed. And GOG’s jankiness is a common complaint throughout these HN comments. I don’t think anyone contests that Valve provides a generally slick experience in comparison to its competitors.
- badsectoracula 4y ago
  > Until there’s a storefront that only sells games that include multiplayer servers that can be self‐hosted on your LAN IIRC from a discussion in their official Discord (by one of the people who work there) that is basically Zoom Platform[0]'s approach - if a game has a multiplayer component it has to allow you to run your own server. [0] https://www.zoom-platform.com/ https://www.zoom-platform.com/

Dylan16807 4y ago

> GOG still provides real installers, and remains the most prominent platform committed to it. Is steam's backup/restore game files option much different in practice?

bentley 4y ago
My understanding is those are DRMed: you can’t play a restored game without connecting online to your Steam account at least once.