Why is there no pre-load on GOG?

[Halsy]

I see people saying this but nothing to verify this. Seeing as the game is done, why wouldn't there be a pre-load if we chosoe to go with GoG?

 

[Azzy]

Preloading gives you a encrypted version of the game the steam client then decrypts it on release day. GOG can't do that as they don't have a client to do that kind of DRM stuff.

 

I have often wondered what the download speed versus decrypt time tradeoff is.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Azzy

[DruidX]

I bought on GoG too I  hope connection will be fast on release day

[wolfrider100]

I bought on GoG too I  hope connection will be fast on release day

 

I'm hoping for a fast download that does not take too long since I too bought it on GOG and I'm not sure if they have

 

a preload option but I can live if it takes a little longer to download and I get to play the game at the end of the day.

Edited March 24, 2015 by wolfrider100

[Hassat Hunter]

GOG don't do that ****.

What you're asking would be 'Why does GOG not provide me my game in advance with DRM' to which the answer is rather simple... GOG doesn't do DRM.

[Bryy]

Back to the 'Steam is DRM' argument?

[Elerond]

Steam is DRM, as it is software system that manages your rights to use digital products that you have bought.

 

And GoG does pre-loading, although only game which they have offered pre-load option was Witcher 2, which with they let people to download .bin files before release date and then on release date people had to only download installer .exe which was only couple megabytes.

[Azzy]

Enforcing time related access to software is pretty much a text book definition of DRM no? You have the right to access the game at whatever time on whatever date not before.

 

Though feel free to define as you wish I guess the steam client is merely acting as your browser would in the GOG example automating the process of getting the "key" from a server and then "installing" the game. I do love these games.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Azzy

[jpinks]

Steam is a DRM but I have to say its a CONVENIENT DRM system, and I used to hate steam long ago lol

[Elerond]

Enforcing time related access to software is pretty much a text book definition of DRM no? You have the right to access the game at whatever time on whatever date not before.

 

No it is not, if it done by not letting you download the software instead of another software that prevents you to use the software that you have downloaded until certain date passes.  

[Kiya]

Steam is DRM, as it is software system that manages your rights to use digital products that you have bought.

 

The DRM part of Steam is optional though.  Developers can choose not to use it with their games making it so that all you need to use Steam for is to download the game - start the game once to finish the installation/download then you can move the files elsewhere, uninstall the Steam client and play the game without it if you want to.

 

List of DRM free games on Steam

[Hassat Hunter]

Pre-load however is a textbook example of DRM.

 

So now Steam is not DRM, but they chose the DRM-sollution, why isn't it on DRM-less GOG?

 

I still think the answer is rather straight-forward...

 

EDIT: Yeah, I used to hate Steam too, now I have like 700 games on it XD

Edited March 24, 2015 by Hassat Hunter

[Ink Blot]

You need to ask GOG. They could easily do it, as they have to break their games into several files of 2 GB or smaller (or, at least, that's how they decide to do their games). Easy enough for them to allow people to DL the files and keep the final executable back until release day.

[Azzy]

 

Enforcing time related access to software is pretty much a text book definition of DRM no? You have the right to access the game at whatever time on whatever date not before.

 

No it is not, if it done by not letting you download the software instead of another software that prevents you to use the software that you have downloaded until certain date passes.  

 

Wait I wasn't reply to you, took rather a long time to actually post I don't consider GOG's implementation of preload DRM if thats what your saying. I don't really care about the definition of DRM I refuse to use Steam. If I was to call it names I'd say adware but really my thing is only open source programs get to connect to the internet on my computer.

 

I didn't actually know that they had done that for Witcher 2 I had put off buying it cause I feared they were going to make you use the game launcher for patches. It will be interesting to see if they will be doing it for any games other than their own. The issue I see for third party games is the day 1 patch if they are getting the patch at the last minute, whenever that may be then the whole thing Obsidian were worried about people playing a unpatched release would rear its head. So it would need a concerted effort from Obsidian and GOG and perhaps Paradox depending on how things are currently arranged.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Azzy

[Halsy]

Steam is totes DRM as proven by their enforcement of regional pricing and gifts. Steam needs to die now, or at least see some real competition to stop them from engaging in this anti-consumerist behavior.

[Himntor]

Steam needs to die now, or at least see some real competition to stop them from engaging in this anti-consumerist behavior.

The massive amount of sales Steam does is anti-consumerist? There's not much anti-consumerist about Steam beyond its terrible customer support.

[Elerond]

 

Steam needs to die now, or at least see some real competition to stop them from engaging in this anti-consumerist behavior.

The massive amount of sales Steam does is anti-consumerist? There's not much anti-consumerist about Steam beyond its terrible customer support.

 

 

Some could argue that when they lock about half of my library when I travel for example in Thailand is not most customer friendly thing to do. 

 

 

 

P.S. I like steam quite much but it is not perfect platform that don't have problems

P.P.S. DRM as word causes this day too much irrational fear, which is why I often remind people that Steam, Origin and similar client based stores are actually DRM solutions, even though they don't necessary stamp customers rights like some copy right protection and DRM systems that we have seen in past have done.

P.P.P.S. Also in my opinion not supporting only one digital store is recommendable thing to do, as I don't think we should give too much power to one corporate entity over our entertainment. 

P.P.P.P.S. It should also pointed out that GOG.com also is not without its problems, but I also like them quite lot.

P.P.P.P.P:S And regardless of everything that I have said to this point I hate how Origin and Uplay currently work, but even then I use them although only for games that I can't buy anywhere else, which is not the kind of support that I meant in my earlier point.

[Luckmann]

 

Steam needs to die now, or at least see some real competition to stop them from engaging in this anti-consumerist behavior.

 

The massive amount of sales Steam does is anti-consumerist? There's not much anti-consumerist about Steam beyond its terrible customer support.

 

 

What does the number of sales have to do with whether something is anti-consumerist or not?

 

There are a lot of things that makes Steam overall anti-consumerist. The fact that it's practically a monopoly at this point, monopolies arguably being anti-consumerist by default, is enough of a problem in itself.

 

Sometimes I lay awake at night and just wish that the whole Steam infrastructure collapses as all their servers catch fire, just so the charade would end.

[Sherr]

It is normal for people to hate successful things. And when this things are also super popular, its almost prestige to hate them. 

[Sky_walker]

Pre-load however is a textbook example of DRM.

 

So now Steam is not DRM, but they chose the DRM-sollution, why isn't it on DRM-less GOG?

 

I still think the answer is rather straight-forward...

 

EDIT: Yeah, I used to hate Steam too, now I have like 700 games on it XD

I haven't bought any game on Steam for over half a year now. And I'm proud of it.

 

 

It is normal for people to hate successful things. And when this things are also super popular, its almost prestige to hate them. 

Not wanting a DRM, world-worst customer service (yes, it's worse than EA) and dividing gamers on equal and more equal with their pricing policy is now a hate? W00t?

[soedenone]

 

Steam needs to die now, or at least see some real competition to stop them from engaging in this anti-consumerist behavior.

The massive amount of sales Steam does is anti-consumerist? There's not much anti-consumerist about Steam beyond its terrible customer support.

 

I'd say the indefensible difference in regional pricing is just about as anti-consumerist as it gets.

GoG does that particular one so much better, by offering you a coupon worth whatever you pay in excess, that you can redeem on your next purchase.

[Vardia]

 

 

Steam needs to die now, or at least see some real competition to stop them from engaging in this anti-consumerist behavior.

The massive amount of sales Steam does is anti-consumerist? There's not much anti-consumerist about Steam beyond its terrible customer support.

 

I'd say the indefensible difference in regional pricing is just about as anti-consumerist as it gets.

GoG does that particular one so much better, by offering you a coupon worth whatever you pay in excess, that you can redeem on your next purchase.

 

Just think about it, some people cannot pay as much for games as most of us can. Now steam could sell them the games for the same price as to everyone else, but in those countries games would be for the elite only. So its not that we pay more, its they pay less. In my book thats very much pro consumer. Anti consumer would be abusing that and getting the games for the cheaper price and hurting the guys making the games with that.

 

The real problem is that we cannot buy some games in germany even though we are mature and they do block the activation of those games here.

[soedenone]

 

 

 

Steam needs to die now, or at least see some real competition to stop them from engaging in this anti-consumerist behavior.

The massive amount of sales Steam does is anti-consumerist? There's not much anti-consumerist about Steam beyond its terrible customer support.

 

I'd say the indefensible difference in regional pricing is just about as anti-consumerist as it gets.

GoG does that particular one so much better, by offering you a coupon worth whatever you pay in excess, that you can redeem on your next purchase.

 

Just think about it, some people cannot pay as much for games as most of us can. Now steam could sell them the games for the same price as to everyone else, but in those countries games would be for the elite only. So its not that we pay more, its they pay less. In my book thats very much pro consumer. Anti consumer would be abusing that and getting the games for the cheaper price and hurting the guys making the games with that.

 

The real problem is that we cannot buy some games in germany even though we are mature and they do block the activation of those games here.

 

Sorry, but that is a completely ridiculous argument.

 

There is no reason for a digital product requiring exactly the same ressources to sell to two different countries, to have a difference in pricing outside of VAT.

There is no excuse for it. A physical copy you can make some sort of convoluted claim, as it would involve a number of different layers of fees, but as for a digital product? No way.

 

Thankfully Steam has been steadily, as least from what I have observed, decreased the difference in cost aswell as the frequency of the practice, in the last couple of years.

EDIT: I should note that Steam may not have done it intentionally and it may well be a byproduct of the dollar increasing in value, with the Euro remaining somewhat consistent.

Edited March 24, 2015 by soedenone

[vv221]

You need to ask GOG. They could easily do it, as they have to break their games into several files of 2 GB or smaller (or, at least, that's how they decide to do their games). Easy enough for them to allow people to DL the files and keep the final executable back until release day.

Actually, that wouldn’t work.

I don’t need the small .exe to extract the game data included in the .bin files.

 

For some time they used password-encryption on the .bin files, but their password generation algorithm has been found and published quickly. So they decided to just dump the whole password-encryption thing.

[Ink Blot]

 

You need to ask GOG. They could easily do it, as they have to break their games into several files of 2 GB or smaller (or, at least, that's how they decide to do their games). Easy enough for them to allow people to DL the files and keep the final executable back until release day.

Actually, that wouldn’t work.

I don’t need the small .exe to extract the game data included in the .bin files.

 

For some time they used password-encryption on the .bin files, but their password generation algorithm has been found and published quickly. So they decided to just dump the whole password-encryption thing.

 

My point being if they give you all but one last file, then you'd at least be able to have the bulk of the game DLed and only have to grab the last file to have the game ready to go. You can't very well play it without all the files.