Maybe you want to play with Steam users. A lot of us do not. So we care about the GOG release, as this will be the first legit dematerialised DRM-free release.

The only multiplayer modes that are of interest to people who do not want to mess with DRM schemes are LAN and direct IP connection. Steam "crossplay" is worthless to us.

I've seen a number of people comment on this. I may be wrong but I suspect reviews from GOG users will be poor (whether fair or not) if support for these are not included (apparently available in the original boxed release but not for Steam release), so my hope is GOG takes extra time if need be to implement this if it can be done, or fix up the original retail/boxed release that had these features, or whatever. That said, I want to be fair if there are a lot of technical complications here, I'd rather the game show up in some form than not.

I have the boxed release here, so I can confirm that it comes with both LAN and direct IP connection support. So there would be no new network code to write to include them into the GOG build, everything has already been done on this front.

But going with GOG stance on DRM-free multiplayer, I have no big hopes about this. I will most probably look at the price tag for Dawn of War considering it as a single player only, Windows only game.

In comments on why this was removed from steam release (because initially was there but got removed in update) someone claimed that code for this was written by GameSpy which doesn't exist anymore. That would imply some legal issues with restoring this function. Although there wasn't any source backing up this claim.

I have doubts about this claim, because said multiplayer modes do not require GameSpy usage. And GameSpy would have most probably imposed the use of their system if they really were the ones responsible for the LAN and direct IP multiplayer modes.

I don't know, they clearly had something to do with multiplayer.

I have doubts as well, but the claim makes sense. disabling something is work for them and disbaling for the sake of disabling have less sense to me that keeping the thing enabled by default. No hassle at all.

You are right. With my boxed copy I have access to three distinct multiplayer modes:
- LAN
- local server (direct IP connection)
- central server

Only the central server mode displays the "Powered by GamSpy" logo. The LAN and local server modes do not display their logo, and still work despite GameSpy servers being down.

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It makes sense if you are Valve, and trying to pass as the only "modern" way to play multiplayer games ;)

But they do not do that in all the games with different online systems in the same game.
My bet is that it has to do with permissions, legalism, and from the developers side. The Steam tools regarding respective games, and the game pages are managed and is responsability of the own developers. Not Valve directly

Any update on Dawn of War?

At this point, I'd expect them to drop it in the Halloween sale and no sooner.

Just out of curiosity, how would the Steam version and vaporware GoG versions compare to the CD/DVD-ROM (sorry, forgot which, I'd have to get it out from my big box of originals and check)I picked up about a decade ago from a library "book sale" for $2?
Would I be unable to do the multiplayer if I found a Steam user or a GoG user?

Still no Dawn of War?

If it takes any longer they're going to have to rename it Afternoon of War.