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GoG vs Steam veresions  

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  1. 1. Where would you redeem your key ?

    • Steam
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    • GoG
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Went with Steam even though I would have prefered GoG. But I can't preload on GoG and since my internet connection is not great and Paradox/Obsidian are screwing Europeans over (like every company in the games industry always does) by releasing the game at a pretty late hour in Europe (according to Steams estimate on the availability of the game which is around 7 PM CET) and I wouldn't be able to play on the 26. at all without a preload I had to go for Steam.

Pretty damn pissed about that...

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Steam does DRM-free as well. Wasteland 2, and a ton of other games on Steam are DRM-free. I'm wondering if PoE will also be DRM-free on Steam.

 

Ummm... Steam is DRM... :facepalm:

I'll get mine on GoG and pick up a Steam version down the line when it's on sale.

 

 

Nope. Not unless you call logging in to GoG with a username and account DRM, and also downloading GoG's installer for each separate game DRM. It's been explained to bits before.

 

Unless a publisher uses Steam's CEG for DRM protection, Steam games don't have DRM, and then the Steam client and being logged-in / online isn't required to play games downloaded from Steam. GoG has no advantage of being DRM-free unless a publisher chooses to put DRM into their Steam release while offering a DRM-free release on GoG. Otherwise, GoG is DRM in the same sense that Steam is DRM:

 

- A logged-in account is required to access the games for download

- Downloading an installer is required - GoG uses their own installer for each individual download, while Steam's client is the one-time installer for all downloads

- Neither service requires the installer / client to be used afterwards, so a person can either delete the installer, or uninstall the client, if desired

- In the case of either service, a downloaded game folder can be archived, stored, extracted, and used anywhere and on any PC without restrictions

 

 

I have no issue with either Steam or GoG's services, but someone who thinks that they are getting even 1% more freedom through GoG's DRM-free versus Steam's DRM-free is experiencing it exclusively inside of their own mind. The two are completely equal in steps and protection measures when it comes to DRM-free releases. But Steam's client re-usability for all game downloads is an extra convenience added to every download.

 

In both cases, after the installation is done, the GoG installer or the Steam installer / client can be deleted / uninstalled, and the game folder can be access by any means a person chooses, and can be archived, moved, extracted, and the game played by whatever means a person opts for. Steam and GoG are equal in their DRM measures for DRM-free games. It's only a question of whether a person would like the possibility of a one-time installer to access all games versus a separate installer for every game that they choose to download.

 

If anything, GoG is more restrictive with their access than Steam because Steam's client lets any number of games, DRM-free and non, be downloaded without visiting a website every time, browsing for the game from the user account, saving the installer to desktop, running the installer, then deleting the installer afterwards. Then creating and managing the game launch shortcuts and folders...

 

In the cases of both Steam and GoG, the user purchases a license for the game, not an installer, and not an account. GoG also has a Terms of Use agreement, which reserves GoG the same rights to terminate an account, and to change their Terms of Use without warning and at their discretion.

 

 

 

 

Nobody knows if Obsidian have stated whether the Steam version of PoE will include DRM?

Edited by Delicieuxz
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Where's the

pacman
option? Are you telling me I'll have to use

dpkg
or

rpm
?!

 

I’m quite sure it was intended as a joke, but I plan to publish a few days after release a Shell script to turn the GOG .tar.gz archive into a .deb package. If you’re interested, be it by mere curiosity or intending to turn it into an Arch PKGBUILD, just give me a heads up and I’ll keep you tuned ;)
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Steam, because of the convenience of auto-updates and the built in social functionality, even if this isn't a multi-player game.  Had GOG's Galaxy client been out at this point I maybe would have decided differently, but it isn't.

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🇺🇸RFK Jr 2024🇺🇸

"Any organization created out of fear must create fear to survive." - Bill Hicks

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Steam does DRM-free as well. Wasteland 2, and a ton of other games on Steam are DRM-free. I'm wondering if PoE will also be DRM-free on Steam.

 

Ummm... Steam is DRM... :facepalm:

I'll get mine on GoG and pick up a Steam version down the line when it's on sale.

 

 

Nope. Not unless you call logging in to GoG with a username and account DRM, and also downloading GoG's installer for each separate game DRM. It's been explained to bits before.

 

Unless a publisher uses Steam's CEG for DRM protection, Steam games don't have DRM, and then the Steam client and being logged-in / online isn't required to play games downloaded from Steam. GoG has no advantage of being DRM-free unless a publisher chooses to put DRM into their Steam release while offering a DRM-free release on GoG. Otherwise, GoG is DRM in the same sense that Steam is DRM:

 

- A logged-in account is required to access the games for download

- Downloading an installer is required - GoG uses their own installer for each individual download, while Steam's client is the one-time installer for all downloads

- Neither service requires the installer / client to be used afterwards, so a person can either delete the installer, or uninstall the client, if desired

- In the case of either service, a downloaded game folder can be archived, stored, extracted, and used anywhere and on any PC without restrictions

 

 

I have no issue with either Steam or GoG's services, but someone who thinks that they are getting even 1% more freedom through GoG's DRM-free versus Steam's DRM-free is experiencing it exclusively inside of their own mind. The two are completely equal in steps and protection measures when it comes to DRM-free releases. But Steam's client re-usability for all game downloads is an extra convenience added to every download.

 

In both cases, after the installation is done, the GoG installer or the Steam installer / client can be deleted / uninstalled, and the game folder can be access by any means a person chooses, and can be archived, moved, extracted, and the game played by whatever means a person opts for. Steam and GoG are equal in their DRM measures for DRM-free games. It's only a question of whether a person would like the possibility of a one-time installer to access all games versus a separate installer for every game that they choose to download.

 

If anything, GoG is more restrictive with their access than Steam because Steam's client lets any number of games, DRM-free and non, be downloaded without visiting a website every time, browsing for the game from the user account, saving the installer to desktop, running the installer, then deleting the installer afterwards. Then creating and managing the game launch shortcuts and folders...

 

In the cases of both Steam and GoG, the user purchases a license for the game, not an installer, and not an account. GoG also has a Terms of Use agreement, which reserves GoG the same rights to terminate an account, and to change their Terms of Use without warning and at their discretion.

 

 

 

 

Nobody knows if Obsidian have stated whether the Steam version of PoE will include DRM?

 

 

This is misleading. The whole DRM thing is a charged topic, and I think it greatly depends on what your definition of DRM is.

 

To be clear, unless Steamworks is being used (which I believe it will NOT be for PoE), then neither platform is using an invasive or malicious form of DRM. No rootkits (hah, remember rootkits?), no server side activations, etc.

 

But if DRM-free means that you have access to your game in an archived form (e.g. the uninstalled installer) offline or when the platform is unavailable, then Steam is DRM. Although may install the game and delete Steam and it will run, you likely won't be able to archive the game's install directory for posterity as the installation process will rely on registry entries, etc.

 

 
- In the case of either service, a downloaded game folder can be archived, stored, extracted, and used anywhere and on any PC without restrictions

 

 

This is not true on Steam for many modern games (regardless of Steamworks) unless they're from a small indie developer, for reasons stated above. I'll be interested to see if it's the case for PoE. Of course, you could copy the folder to another computer and put it in the Steam directory and Steam will most likely happily use it after repairing the installation.

 

With GOG, I can download the install package and archive it. Done. Never deal with GOG again. Sure, maybe future hardware or OS changes will lead to it being unplayable, I won't have the latest patches, but the game installer is unshackled from ANY server-side needs.

Edited by dancingcrab
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The Dude abides.

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I redeemed my own key on my Steam account, gotten so used to Steam ... 

 

The buddy whom I freely offered my extra key to, however, asked for GOG instead (I'm glad I asked him to confirm - didn't even know he had a GOG account).

... and it took me a week of nothing but eating, gaming and sleeping to complete :p

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- In the case of either service, a downloaded game folder can be archived, stored, extracted, and used anywhere and on any PC without restrictions

 

 

This is not true on Steam for many modern games (regardless of Steamworks) unless they're from a small indie developer, for reasons stated above. I'll be interested to see if it's the case for PoE. Of course, you could copy the folder to another computer and put it in the Steam directory and Steam will most likely happily use it after repairing the installation.

 

With GOG, I can download the install package and archive it. Done. Never deal with GOG again. Sure, maybe future hardware or OS changes will lead to it being unplayable, I won't have the latest patches, but the game installer is unshackled from ANY server-side needs.

 

 

Actually that's not only the case for "small indie developers". It's also true for the whole catalogue of games made by Paradox. So there is no reason why it shouldn't be the case for PoE. And it's also the case for example for Divinity Original Sin and everything made by Larian. You can see a full list of DRM-free games on Steam right here.

 

None of these games need the Steam client for anything else than the initial download. Beyond that you can just deinstall Steam.

 

The only difference left between Steam and GOG in this case is that you have to install Steam as a small tool for downloading while you can use your browser for GOG. That's about the WHOLE difference. You can't really call that difference DRM vs. non-DRM anymore. It's just pointless imho.

 

 

By the way, you can read about Paradox' stance on DRM here and here.

Edited by LordCrash
35167v4.jpg

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None of these games need the Steam client for anything else than the initial download. Beyond that you can just deinstall Steam.

 

Uninstalling Steam will also uninstall all of the games you have.

 

 

The only difference left between Steam and GOG in this case is that you have to install Steam as a small tool for downloading while you can use your browser for GOG. That's about the WHOLE difference. You can't really call that difference DRM vs. non-DRM anymore. It's just pointless imho.

 

 

There's much more than that - http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/71611-pros-cons-steam-vs-gog-which-will-you-pick-and-why/?p=1596545

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None of these games need the Steam client for anything else than the initial download. Beyond that you can just deinstall Steam.

 

Uninstalling Steam will also uninstall all of the games you have.

 

Ahem, no. Not at all. That's just false information, bud. It's actually one of the big benefits of Steam that this is NOT the case...

 

 

And none of what you've said in this linked post of yours have anything to do with the DRM discussion. You might have other reasons to prefer GOG, sure, but that's not what I was talking about here.

Edited by LordCrash
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Both.

"Those who look upon gods then say, without even knowing their names, 'He is Fire. She is Dance. He is Destruction. She is Love.' So, to reply to your statement, they do not call themselves gods. Everyone else does, though, everyone who beholds them."
"So they play that on their fascist banjos, eh?"
"You choose the wrong adjective."
"You've already used up all the others.”

 

Lord of Light

 

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None of these games need the Steam client for anything else than the initial download. Beyond that you can just deinstall Steam.

 

Uninstalling Steam will also uninstall all of the games you have.

 

Ahem, no. Not at all. That's just false information, bud. It's actually one of the big benefits of Steam that this is NOT the case...

 

 

From my experience - it does uninstall games. But if my experience is not enough for you - here is an official Steam page:

 

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9609-OBMP-2526

 

This process will remove Steam and any installed game content from your machine

 

You can prevent that by manually moving directories but that's bypassing default behaviour which is exactly as I previously described.

 

Also: I'm laughing hard at the supposed "benefit of steam".

 

Steam, as much as I like the GOG site, and its large collection of games, I want the preload and the auto updates.

 

GOG Galaxy will offer both of these, sadly it's not there yet, but should be released this year.

Edited by Sky_walker
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Redeemed it via GOG, simpler for me.

Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

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None of these games need the Steam client for anything else than the initial download. Beyond that you can just deinstall Steam.

 

Uninstalling Steam will also uninstall all of the games you have.

 

Ahem, no. Not at all. That's just false information, bud. It's actually one of the big benefits of Steam that this is NOT the case...

 

 

From my experience - it does uninstall games. But if my experience is not enough for you - here is an official Steam page:

 

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9609-OBMP-2526

 

 

LOL, I've deinstalled Steam multiple times myself and it never uninstalled my games. I even played the same Steam games on two different OS without installing/downloading them anew. Only thing you have to do is saving your steamapps folder before and pushing it back to your Steam folder once you've reinstalled Steam. One minute of google search could grant you that magical insight. But sure, if you have no idea about stuff like that you should probably go with GOG. It's more noob-proof...

 

 

And you can laugh all day, Steam have a lot of benefits for quite a lot of people Maybe they don't work for you, but you're also not the centre of the universe.

Edited by LordCrash
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