rjbuffchix: Is Skyrim worth breaking one's boycott (however they define it)? I think that depends, and is worth being discussed in this topic. A related point which may be of interest to those in this topic is how GOG is handling Skyrim's mods. I have to say I am unclear on how it works but the impression I'm getting now is that one has to use a mod manager app from Nexus, which is problematic to me and others. I thought I read, solmewhere, that there is a rumor of GOG coming out with some sort of "Galaxy Mods" (which is a no thanks from me). Anyone who knows better or who can articulate this all better, please feel free to correct/enlighten me.
I agree and I think this is also worth discussing. The release of Skyrim is a big event, as it's probably one of the most popular games of the past 20 years and one of the most requested on GOG.
Despite the issues I have with GOG and the boycott etc., I think it's a good thing to see Skyrim released on GOG. I am above all a supporter of
DRM-free and I will always celebrate the liberation of a major game that wasn't available DRM-free before. This release is a good thing and gives some hope that more of the recent AAA games will see DRM-free releases at some point.
But yes, the mod-ability does seem to be a valid concern. DRM-free means there must be no restrictions at all on how a game can be played/used. If the developer is trying to restrict or control how the game can be modded, by requiring the use of a third-party mod manager, then that might be straying into 'DRM territory'. I also find these rumors of GOG looking at 'Galaxy Mods' to be quite concerning. Hopefully the issues around mod-ability will be clarified and the game will ultimately be freely mod-able, without the mandatory use of third-party tools (which should always be optional).
Personally, I'm not going to buy it right now, but I might try it at some point in the future (if only to see what all the fuss was about). Also, bear in mind that it'll almost certainly be at this price every time GOG does a sale (and we all know how frequent those are).