You can point out a problem without being an asshole. The more you act like an asshole, the less inclined people will bother taking what you have to say seriously.

Now back on topic, every game restricts what I can do in some way by design. I can’t easily mod Unreal Engine 3 games like I can id Tech 3 or 4 games. That is not DRM. If DRM keeps me from being able to play what I purchased in some way, that is a problem. Preventing easy modding of files is something most games have to some extent. Selective outrage because this part is called SecuROM is absurd. So if you guys keep being this abrasive and buttmad, well no skin off my back. My game works perfectly fine and everyone else will continue ignoring this.

Again, by that logic, any game without easy mod support has DRM. If everything isn’t externalized to let me mess around with them, then it’s DRM. I’d be perfectly happy for every game to have this ease of use, but the lack of it isn’t DRM in rhe practical sense.

Attaching a debugger is a way to use the work. Software added to specifically prevent that is a restriction. I believe the main point of who Denovo works is trying to stop debugger/disassembler access to the code that is running the checks which are implemented by the developers themselves.

You are missing the main point that the game will not run once it checks that some software securom doesn't like is installed on your pc. Failing to attach a debugger is the last of its problem.

And this goes without saying that you should even enable legacy drivers on w10, which are disable for safety reasons in the first place.

I also would never trust a game with some securom leftovers. Both securom and starforce have already damaged pleny of os and drives.

The absence of all the garbage components of DRM are supposed to be the whole basis for GOG's entire "DRM-Free" tagline, the basis for the "FCKDRM" campaign, and what they've been standing behind for years. Trying to redefine DRM after so many years is just insult from GOG's support, just as running interference for that insult and deception is just consumer codependency in face of bad business practices.

Another link that needs to be added to OP is a link to SecuROM so people understand what it is:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SecuROM

The whole point of wanting DRM-Free is to not have to worry about SecuROM and similar problems being shat upon your computer. Yes, there is no DRM requirement of CD checking, but the rest of the DRM and the rest of the problems involved with it, the rest of the reasons why people hated it, are still there. It is both a very sloppy and disingenuous hack.

So if there's SecuROM (DRM) present in F.E.A.R. it's clearly FALSE ADVERTISING.

So SecuROM might make FEAR not run on my pc.

Does it do anything to my pc directly?

This is going to affect my future purchases on Gog (if any). I agree with those members who say that it doesn't matter whether I can still run the game or not. Securom should have been removed completely. This is a core GOG promise. Finding out that Securom's disc check was disabled but Securom was still installed on my system has really shaken my faith in GOG.

I want to thank the OP for bringing this to our attention (and please try to be a little less antagonistic in future).

SO MUCH THIS.

Good question. I don't know for sure, but I would stay faaar away by such cases. If the MP part and expansion ask for secuROM calls, then it could affect your system.

Amen to that. A shame that nobody from the GOG staff want to do something about it.

One of the many reasons why SecuROM and SafeDisk were hated: security problems introduced to the OS

This was why Microsoft tried to make it not work with Win 10.

Additional to that, it can cause problems with virtual drives and other drivers. Additional to that, just by installing it puts component files that require a removal tool, along with putting a mess into your registry that you can't delete unless you get a specific tool from Microsoft's site.

Just a selective disabling of some components of SecuROM is a very sloppy hack.

Alright, you guys have convinced me NOT to play this at all.
Hopefully me having only installed it and not played it has saved me.

Thanks people.

I'd see if you can detect it on your system, or at least see if the SecuROM removal tool can see if there's anything to scrape out. Another thing is searching your registry for any of the SecuROM key entries, which as I mentioned above would probably require another tool to remove as well.

It's incredible and quite puzzling to me that some people actually think this behavior is ok from GOG. While I agree the OP should have approached this issue more tactfully, his research into the issue should be thanked for and appreciated.

To say this is "not DRM" per GOG's response, is, quite frankly, a lie, just like the OP claimed. SecuROM was a VERY INTRUSIVE DRM, this "anti-debugger" is a part of this notorious DRM and should be completely removed if you are going to claim all your games are "DRM-FREE".

This leaves a bad taste in my mouth tbh. And I will be more careful in future dealings with GOG as they have shown to not live up to their "DRM-FREE" claim, and buying DRM-FREE games is literally the ONLY reason why anyone would even look at GOG.

Disappointed, to say the least.

edit: just use scene's cracks like OP suggested if you guys at GOG can't do a proper job. The crackers are better than you and they do it for free...

I'm blaffed like you, I couldn't have worded it better.

GOG needs to fix this ASAP. Like you, I was looking over this, because a friend of mine suggested it to me, along the bioshock franchise.

The most worriesome thing is, that I don't know if there are other cases on GOG...

What I know is that from now on, I will try to be way more careful, when making my purchases on GOG.

1) Check if the game is really drm-free and not with anti-cheat BS drm like EAC;
2) Chcek if the game has less features without using online;
3) Check if the game is updated on par with the steam counterpart and not abandoned here a la nuclear throne;
4) And now check even if there are some drm leftovers.

Purchasing on GOG is getting more and more stressfull by the day.

The OP raises some valid points. But I think not buying a game or not trusting GOG because of inert SecuROM is way too far.

What the hell

I just purchased FEAR and what do I see upon downloading this game but this post. I really hope I didn't just install a backdoor onto my system or worse. I did some research on SecuROM as well as SafeDisk but I'm not sure on the consensus on whether I'm safe to use this game or not.