Good Old Games calls out Steam

Comments

1. 
   23 Mar 2012 ~ 5:25pm Winfrey I would be a little surprised if gog integrated with Steam. They've stated before that they see themselves as trying to straight up compete with Steam, and it kinda flies in the face of their anti-drm stance.
   
   Interesting to see how this will turnout.
2. 
   23 Mar 2012 ~ 5:58pm Snarkasm If Steam is difficult DRM, that makes EA, Ubisoft, et al what - nightmare mode?
3. 
   23 Mar 2012 ~ 5:59pm ardichoke I hope GoG releases a direct Steam competitor. I'd go over to buying from them in a heartbeat if I could get new games in a DRM-free format.
   
   EDIT: FML, they have Psychonauts #HereTakeMyMoney
4. 
   23 Mar 2012 ~ 8:47pm ilmarinen I do agree that DRM is a problem, but I have to say, I never had a problems with Steam and I only have good reasons to talk about Steam.
5. 
   23 Mar 2012 ~ 9:30pm analord This is so hypocritical. GoG is owned by CD Projekt, the creators of The Witcher 1 and 2. TW 2 was launched with DRM, and also CD Projekt tried to sue people who had downloaded their games via torrents.
6. 
   23 Mar 2012 ~ 10:21pm MiracleManS

   This is so hypocritical. GoG is owned by CD Projekt, the creators of The Witcher 1 and 2. TW 2 was launched with DRM

   Which they promptly removed with a patch.

   
   and also CD Projekt tried to sue people who had downloaded their games via torrents.

   So, you're upset that they're trying to protect their work? I'm sure you're going to liken this to the RIAA/MPAA, but I don't buy that because the artists see about $0 from all of that litigation.
   
7. 
   23 Mar 2012 ~ 10:42pm Anthony Could someone explain how Steam is "difficult to use"?
8. 
   23 Mar 2012 ~ 11:13pm 4chan I really don't care what anyone has to say about steam.... but GoG.... really?
   
   How can ANYONE like GoG?
   
   >Owned by CDProjekt that sued people and falsified numbers about pirating
   >Sell old games that give no profits to the creators
   >Feel the need to shit talk about other digital services
9. 
   23 Mar 2012 ~ 11:31pm primesuspect It's true that CDProjekt has a bit of a checkered past. I'm curious to see how this all shakes out. The full announcement comes Tuesday.
10. 
    23 Mar 2012 ~ 11:36pm Dan Backslide I've considered using GOG to fill a few holes in my gaming, but if it means supporting people that find STEAM 'difficult to use,' I'm going to have to rethink that. Steam is the definition of hassle-free DRM.
11. 
    23 Mar 2012 ~ 11:39pm Thrax I would prefer DRM-free games, but 100% hassle-free DRM is a very close second, and Steam provides just that. Having invested hundreds into the latter platform, no upstart's digital delivery platform will take me away from it.
12. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 12:07am MDefender Games needing Steam is arguable.
    Old games needing steam is ridiculous. Half of the time games like Dark Forces II are not even updated to run properly on modern systems. Really, the most they do is mess with the EXE so that steam has to be open to run it.
    Completely pointless.
13. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 12:14am Mike There's no such thing as "hassle-free" DRM
    
    DRM was CREATED to be a hassle
14. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 1:34am Cliff_Forster @Mike - as much as I generally love arguing with @Thrax I must agree with him, Steam's DRM is as hassle free as it gets. It's a good compromise and I have zero issue with it.
15. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 1:47am Basil GoG done goofed, if they'd picked on origin or ubisoft, hell even impluse, we'd all have cheered them hoarse.
16. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 2:31am Winfrey gog.com always does these marketing gimmicks to stir up a lot of talk and controversy, sometimes it's negative attention. But it gets them a lot more views than if they took a less confrontational approach.
17. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 2:53am Thrax

    There's no such thing as "hassle-free" DRM
    
    DRM was CREATED to be a hassle

    I know you're an anonymous comment troll, and this is what you do, but you didn't actually refute my point.
18. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 12:15pm Billy Steam isn't really a hassle for anyone. I've never had any issue with steam shit, and I can mod it out the ass easily.
    
    GoG I don't buy from for two reasons. One, I like to have all my stuff in the same place. Anyone coming years late to the digital distribution platform game is an idiot if they think they can compete when people have already established libraries of 200 games on one place. But that's less relevant than point 2; steam is just far cheaper. Sorry, but steams major appeal is that I can buy shit for £2 and £3. Unless you can offer me the same or better, I'm not gonna buy it am I?
19. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 12:34pm Mike Oh god the valve white knights in these comments are strong.
    
    If I have to log into steam to play a game I already downloaded. THAT'S A F*CKING HASSLE.
    
    Get off Steams dick
20. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 12:57pm Pirate you know what I think? Steam is good, it's more like a social gaming, you can have your friends, you can have your games downloaded at any time, hell, you can do any thing, but I think that Steam shouldn't be necessary to run the games, you should be able to run them without steam, why? because DRM is to protect games against piracy right? so guess what? Games still getting pirated, hell I've pirated every single EA game, even when they added shits like "Origin", "In-game login", just pure bullshit.
21. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 1:15pm Yin I like Steam... but sometimes internet goes down here and if I feel like playing something, I can't. That's because Steam's "offline" mode only works if you're ONLINE when turning it on.
    
    I can't even tell if it's a bug or "feature".
22. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 1:25pm Doing it for website hits "The insinuation here is that Steam is frustrating to use."
    
    Is it?
23. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 5:35pm Face Steam is still DRM and makes it close to impossible to play offline. DEATH TO STEAM!
24. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 10:07pm primesuspect Tonight they called out GamersGate with regional pricing. I'm predicting an Origin riff next:
    
    
25. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 10:20pm RyanMM Steam/Valve will NOT let me take my account and:
    
    Change the login name for my account
    Transfer my games to a new account
    Disassociate from a handle I would no longer like to be associated with
    
    I am really sad that all the games I have bought (99% of them at retail) cannot be access without using a handle that I've long since abandoned. Absolute BS.
26. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 10:38pm primesuspect You're uptight about your handle? Seriously? My handle could be poopydickbuttbutt and I wouldn't care. It's just your login name...?
27. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 10:43pm Thrax Dude, it's just a login name. You can change your user name to anything under the sun.
28. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 10:44pm Canti

    Oh god the valve white knights in these comments are strong.
    
    If I have to log into steam to play a game I already downloaded. THAT'S A F*CKING HASSLE.
    
    Get off Steams dick

    If clicking on the Steam icon is a hassle I have to wonder how you managed to type a complete sentence.
    
    
29. 
    24 Mar 2012 ~ 11:55pm Garg

    I like Steam... but sometimes internet goes down here and if I feel like playing something, I can't. That's because Steam's "offline" mode only works if you're ONLINE when turning it on.
    
    I can't even tell if it's a bug or "feature".

    This does suck. My Internet is rarely down, but when it is, I'm SOL. Probably a bigger deal for laptop gamers.
    
    
30. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 1:58am cola Actually, if you're offline when steam starts up it will opt in to offline mode, or at least ask if you want to start in offline mode. I've had this happen several times when I was bringing my old laptop out to the beach.
31. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 2:49am Canti I can't think of a time I've had offline mode work. I read something about a problem concerning steam cloud or some crap. Apparently a lot of people have that problem.
32. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 3:27am Thrax Offline mode has always worked for me. I dunno.
33. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 8:15am Ace >Owned by CDProjekt that sued people and falsified numbers about pirating
    >Sell old games that give no profits to the creators
    >Feel the need to shit talk about other digital services
    
    Add to this their main problem. Most of their games STILL DON'T work on modern systems and modern OSs, even if they claim they do! True fact. Their versions still require lots of tinkering and even then you aren't guaranteed to be able to play.
34. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 11:13am TheAlertHusky Now, I'm a person that loves steam, hates steam and loves to hate steam.
    
    This is the service that has locked me out of my account more than 10 times because I've logged into it on more that one machine. And every time I start a new account because of the lock out they won't give me refunds for the games that I bought.
    
    So now that I've gotten that aside..ahem.
    SCREW DRMS! I've had tonnes of problems with them and it pisses me off! So of course I'm enthralled by this "GoG.com"
    
    Thank you for bringing it to my attention
    Love you all
    Husky
35. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 1:01pm AlexDeGruven I log into Steam on no less than 4 computers periodically. My laptop, desktop, in-laws' desktop, and work desktop.
    
    Never ever ever had an issue, much less one that requires me to get a whole new account.
36. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 1:07pm TheAlertHusky I don't know why but I get emails from them and in every email is the line "Your account has been accessed by more than your original device"
    
    Hell if I know why they're getting pissed at me for doing it, but I've gotten so fed up I only use it for the free games and haven't even used it for that since summer...
    
    *pardon my french
37. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 1:11pm Thrax Uh, yeah, that's their anti-fraud mechanism, to make sure your account isn't being stolen from another PC.
    
    Receive email > punch in code > log into steam on new device.
    
    I use Steam on 6 different computers and one smartphone, and have never been locked out of my account. Sorry, brother, but you're doing something terribly wrong.
    
38. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 2:25pm TheAlertHusky I tried to do it so that I could figure out what was going on.
    I set up four laptops, side by side.
    And Asus, two hp pavillions and an ancient acer.
    I set up and started steam on them
    First on the Asus, then the acer and finally the Hps
    With in 5 minutes I was locked out
    Turns out steam thought I was trying to buy only one game and use it on all of my computers....problem being I hadn't even downloaded a free game.
    So I tried to email the account back (I durped and didn't realise that it was a "no-reply")
    I think that I must have done something to have them flag my ip address or something.
    
39. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 3:22pm Canti What Thrax said. It's a simple security measure to make sure the person trying to access your account from a new device also has access to the email tied to that account which should only be you. My guess is your problem is that you're trying to run Steam on all of them at the same time. It certainly isn't that you're trying to buy only one game and use it on all your computers because that is absolutely possible and not a problem.
    
    Funny though how an ad for GoG seems to have gotten more publicity for Steam, at least here.
40. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 4:14pm Winfrey I used to have some problem with steam's offline mode for when i'd go home to my parent's house (they only have dial-up) but like 2-3 months later steam made it a lot more reliable. If i put my computer in offline mode before i went home it would always work in offline mode when i set it up at the 'rents.
    
    Also i've gotten all my games from gog.com to work on my win7 x64 box. Sometimes you have to change the install path from (x86)Program Files folder, and sometimes you have to check their forums for a solution. But they always have had one. Steam has the same problem with their older titles as well.
41. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 6:42pm MOO The only thing I like about this is how they talk about providing Vintage PC games to a 21st century audience. I started gaming well after DOOM, but here's hoping for it's triumphant (free download?) return.
42. 
    25 Mar 2012 ~ 9:51pm branmyson For me GOG is my netbook gaming service, since most of the steam games I own require more than what my early gen. xp netbook can handle. For that I have good will towards them. I will at least have an interest in seeing what they are doing.
43. 
    26 Mar 2012 ~ 8:05am Ratsttam While I would not consider Steam to be a poor drm design (I actually like it), there is one really frustrating feature of it. I have multiple computers, and multiple games. But if my 4yr old son wants to play our Train Simulation game on one computer, and I want to play a different game on the other computer, can't be done. That's my only gripe about Steam. Other than that, I can't see how people can find it difficult.
44. 
    26 Mar 2012 ~ 2:43pm midga

    While I would not consider Steam to be a poor drm design (I actually like it), there is one really frustrating feature of it. I have multiple computers, and multiple games. But if my 4yr old son wants to play our Train Simulation game on one computer, and I want to play a different game on the other computer, can't be done. That's my only gripe about Steam. Other than that, I can't see how people can find it difficult.

    As long as you're not both playing in online mode, it can certainly be done. I'll agree that it doesn't handle the family dynamic as well as it could, though.
    
    Personally, having used both GoG and Steam, I very much prefer the latter. The interface for GoG just doesn't compare. I don't really feel like going into detail and listing off specifics, but I think it's fairly obvious that Valve has put a lot of time and effort into the design of their distribution system that GoG just hasn't yet. And don't get me wrong, I like GoG, but I like them for their mission and despite their system (admittedly I'd use them more if they'd plump up their Apogee catalogue). And of course the fact that I can get a significant portion of my game-library through a single interface no matter where I happen to be at is a fairly key selling point (I've even picked up games I already own just so I can have the convenience of it being on Steam). That's the main reason I don't use other new-game systems even when they have better deals running.
    
    tl;dr: If a game is available on both, I'll go Steam, but I do appreciate the existence of a company like GoG resurrecting the old games I love.
45. 
    26 Mar 2012 ~ 5:05pm Winfrey What's the difficulty in gog.com's interface?
    
    I usually prefer to buy a game from gog.com over steam if the prices are equal because the game is completely drm free. I can take the downloaded .exe pack and put in on my flash drive or something and now i can PLAY IT ANYWHERE without jumping through any hoops whatsoever. Despite how hassle free Steam is I still run into situations from time to time where it interferes with my ability to play a game i purchased. Yes Steam is pretty great and usually is a useful platform for gaming but it still requires you to have an internet connection at some point and it requires you to have Steam installed and functioning correctly for you to play.
46. 
    26 Mar 2012 ~ 6:42pm BobbyDigi

    While I would not consider Steam to be a poor drm design (I actually like it), there is one really frustrating feature of it. I have multiple computers, and multiple games. But if my 4yr old son wants to play our Train Simulation game on one computer, and I want to play a different game on the other computer, can't be done. That's my only gripe about Steam. Other than that, I can't see how people can find it difficult.

    Your frustration here has more to do with them being able to uphold the copyright and not the way it is done. If you purchased the train sim mentioned, then the license you agreed to on steam is that you can play it. It does not say, by any means, you can let others play it (Son, Mother or perfect stranger), quite the contrary actually that you will not let others play it. You are indeed breaking the license agreement by letting anyone else use your steam account let alone play one of the games.
    
    Setup a steam account for your son, purchase the train sim for him. Problem solved.
    
    
47. 
    26 Mar 2012 ~ 6:55pm Thrax In no western country is it legal for two people to play the same game using the same license. That is not a Steam issue, as Digi pointed out.
    
    //EDIT: Fixed Swype typoes.
48. 
    26 Mar 2012 ~ 7:24pm primesuspect Yep
    
    * Glances sadly at the three copies of many games he's had to buy over the years
49. 
    26 Mar 2012 ~ 7:37pm midga

    In no western country is it legal for two people to play the same game using the same license. That is not a Stream issue, as Digit pointed out.

    Actually, that's entirely up to the publisher and their license agreement. Many of the ones I've read state a limitation on the number of computers it can be installed on, but not the number of people that can play it. Still others have placed no limitations on installation or players or anything. Some will even give you the source code.
50. 
    26 Mar 2012 ~ 7:45pm Thrax Exceptions to every rule...
51. 
    26 Mar 2012 ~ 8:18pm midga

    Exceptions to every rule...

    Well, yes. My point is that it's not because of law as much as it is because of decisions by the publisher.
52. 
    27 Mar 2012 ~ 8:32am Snarkasm To be fair, he didn't say anything about law, he said "legal." These games have EULAs, and until judged otherwise (please let this be soon), they are legally-binding documents that have nothing to do with the laws created by these countries. While there is no law against it in anybody's constitution or government, it remains illegal due to the binding nature of the EULA you invariably agree to.
53. 
    13 Apr 2012 ~ 3:09pm Cliff_Forster http://www.gog.com/gamecard/giants_citizen_kabuto
    
    $2.99 for Giants Citizen Kabuto! If you have not played it, do it now!
54. 
    13 Apr 2012 ~ 3:32pm ardichoke 2.99 for a bunch of Interplay games, including the old Fallout games
    
    http://www.gog.com/promo/interplay_blast
    
    Seriously, I'm in love with GOG right now. I got Psychonauts from them a few days ago. Now I got Fallout 2 and Theme Hospital. Love that it's DRM free. Love the extras they include with most games (soundtracks, wallpapers, avatars, etc.) Really love that I can just download the installer once and keep it locally, no having to re-download the game files when I reinstall. While I'll never get rid of Steam (mostly because I don't see most publishers going DRM free any time soon), I'm definitely going to look on GoG before I bother with Steam.
55. 
    13 Apr 2012 ~ 5:26pm midga Steam means I don' t lose installers.
    
    That being said, I'm gonna have to check out this sale...
56. 
    13 Apr 2012 ~ 5:34pm ardichoke Won't lose the installer with GoG either. You can always go back and re-download it from them. The difference is, you can also keep your local copy and still install/play the game if, for instance, GoG goes bust. Can't say the same about Steam (not that I actually think either one WILL go bust).
57. 
    13 Apr 2012 ~ 5:43pm midga Actually, Steam has had the option to do local backups for a long time, and they've said for years that they'd provide an option to continue using the software if they ever tank.
58. 
    13 Apr 2012 ~ 5:49pm ardichoke Yes, you can make a backup, but can you restore that backup if Steam won't work? (doubtful).
    
    Sure they may claim they will provide an option if they tank, but if they're going under how would anyone hold them to that? (Answer: we couldn't, they'd be going out of business after all)
    
    All I'm saying is I like being able to have standalone installers that aren't tied to a service which, at it's core, is a form of DRM. If I have the option to buy from GoG or Steam, it's GoG all the way at this point.
59. 
    13 Apr 2012 ~ 9:25pm mertesn

    Yes, you can make a backup, but can you restore that backup if Steam won't work? (doubtful).

    I don't know if this is the same thing you're talking about, but I keep a full copy of my Steam folder on network storage at home. If I set up a new computer (a new laptop, for example), all I have to do is copy the network copy to that new computer. The only thing required is the local setup that has to be done for each game. Of course I also have the option of only copying certain games into the local Steam folder as well.
    
60. 
    13 Apr 2012 ~ 10:12pm ardichoke I was referring to the Steam built-in backup util that creates 1 (or more) large archives with the game data. That's how I back my game data up when I need to move it to a new computer or reimage. That can also only be restored using Steam. Your way also relies on Steam though as the setup has to be re-run, so really what I was saying is no different in your case either. If Steam were to ever go under (which I doubt will ever happen) you won't be able to reinstall the backups. With GoG, you wouldn't be in that situation since what you download is the game data and the installer, all of which doesn't rely on GoG being online (or existing for that matter).
    
    Not that I'm saying people shouldn't buy from Steam, hell, I'll continue to buy from them undoubtedly. Just saying, I like the cut of GoG's jib and will prefer them over Steam for my stated reasons.
    
    Hell, I've already bought Fallout 2, Theme Hospital, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition and Rollercoaster Tycoon today... and I've spent less on all that than on a single semi-new title on Steam. I'm going to be very busy doing nothing productive this weekend
61. 
    15 Apr 2012 ~ 8:13pm Karma It is stupid to say that you shouldn't use GoG because it isn't Steam or that GoG shouldn't even bother because it isn't Steam. It's a disservice to everyone involved. I have been becoming more and more annoyed with Steam, it is becoming too far reaching into my life. I don't want any service to become so big that every new game feels that it needs to have a tie into Steam. Especially because I am starting to have more issues with steam randomly crashing and not being able connect to my internet correctly.
    
    I for one could never leave steam forever since 201 games are on it, but I am more than willing to adopt other services. I don't even have a problem with Origin, I feel like the interface is smoother, less bulky and overall cleaner, plus I get much faster download speeds.
    
    Plus I want to be able to tell my brother hey you should check out this game and just be able to give him a copy to play. That way I don't have to let him play on my computer or login onto my account on his long enough to download and play it.
    
    I also buy games off Amazon so.......
62. 
    15 Apr 2012 ~ 8:23pm Ilriyas I personally enjoy GoG because of the massive selection of older games they have in their library, not to mention the relatively low prices all things considered.
    
    They may not be as massive in scope as Steam but the ability to play their games offline and even play them on another PC is a huge bonus. This is all great, especially considering that my ISP is flaky at best and being unable to log onto Steam when half of my games are connected to it gets to be rather irritating.