They list the protection type on the game page in the box with the game info. For example, Dawn of Fantasy (an MMO) says:

Protection Type:One Time Key Validation

Others state 'no DRM' or whatever. So it should, in theory, be easy to find out if a game you're interested in has any form of protection/DRM.

What is that in practice? Is it online activation? If not, then I have no idea why they'd even call it DRM.

I assume it means something like Basilisk Games used in their Eschalon titles. You don't need to be on-line to validate with the CD key, but the code unlocks the full game. Probably something similar here (might just be required for installation).

If so, then it is not DRM as it is not really preventing or controlling anything, only adding one more unnecessary and obsolete step to the installation. In that case, no idea why they'd even call it DRM.

But I guess we are still guessing what it means...

Shinyloot has games from TopWare which made me remember the TopWare Groupee. At that time: "2) To play - you must insert the provided serial number and activate it over the interweb, it looks like it has a limit too..." So has TopWare changed its policy?

Is there a thread for this? (couldnt find one)

https://secure.gog.com/forum/general/indie_royale_the_back_to_school_2_bundle/post1

It's a CD key, plain and simple. They consider it a form of DRM, whether you do or not, though it is largely a toothless one. Basically if the game requires a key, then you can't install without a key, so if you put the game up on a torrent, either people can't play it (no key), or you give out your key with it. Doesn't stop anything in the practical world, except if someone decides to prosecute and trace the key back to you. But it is still a form of DRM in the literal definition of the terms, namely it is an attempt to manage the digital rights of the product, however weakly.

Arguing the semantic definition of DRM is like arguing what "open source" or "abandonware" means. These are all highly charged terms, which some people see in black-and-white and others in shades of grey. The definition that matters in this case is how ShinyLoot defines it. By their definition the only DRM that they allow are:

(1) None, if the game has none

(2) One-time CD-key type verification when installing a single-player game without an internet component

(3) A CD-key type of code for your online account when the game is multiplayer or has an online component

They admit that it is possible for sellers to insert DRM that they don't know about, and when they find out about that, they drop the game from sale. When I wrote them to ask if Trainz Classics had ByteShield, because it originally did when released by Auran, they contacted the publisher directly to check that. They confirmed that it once did but has been removed in the latest releases because the publisher no longer does business with ByteShield.

Have a concern about potential DRM in a ShinyLoot title? Ask them. Worked for me.

Antichamber is 66% off on steam for 6,45€

and groupees Be Mine special coming soonish

"Dominions 3" is now on Steam. People who bought the game from somewhere else should already have a key that was needed for installing their copy of the game. I entered that key (which I got from GG) into Steam and it worked, though I got a weird message about "promotion code", an empty window where no game title appeared, and had to log out and back in, in order to make the game appear in my library.

(Side note: This is my third post about such things in a short time. I realize that these aren't "deals", but figured the information would be useful for the people in this thread, and the info doesn't really warrant its own thread either. If anybody thinks that these posts don't belong here, feel free to give me a shout. But I don't even know if or when the opportunity arises to post another one, might be weeks or months away.)

On the contrary, I prefer that I don't have to ask, nor assume, about the DRM when I buy the game. That's what I like about GOG.

But if what you say is true (ie. the "CD key" is merely an extra step where you enter some arbitrary code during installation and that code is not validated anywhere (online), then it is not DRM in any feasible meaning of the term. It is just an obsolete extra step during installation, possibly some useless relic from the retail version.

I guess I am somewhat skeptical with DRM-free on most sites, with the likes like GamersGate where "DRM-free" is only "kinda" (in practice it is still authenticating your game during installation, unless you fool the system with a workaround), or the way HB jumps bandwagon with DRM.

I mention asking them because it works, not because it's required. Personally I am willing to extend them the courtesy of trust that they are doing their best to keep DRM out of their catalogue. As a new business I think that's reasonable. And so far I've not encountered anything to indicate that trust is misplaced.

Today's ShinyLoot deals of note (more on the site):

Out There Somewhere $1.00 (80% off) - Voskhod Edition (with extras) $1.50 (80% off)

Caster $1.00 (80% off)

The Guild 2: Renaissance $2.00 (80% off)

The Guild 2: Pirates of the High Seas $2.00 (80% off)

Nightclub Imperium $2.00 (80% off)

Hotel Giant $2.00 (80% off)

Pirates of Black Cove $2.25 (85% off)

Note that The Guild 2: Pirates of the High Seas and Pirates of Black Cove have One Time Key Validation (ha, pirate games with anti-piracy measures!).

Out There Somewhere (regular edition) comes with an extra Desura key, and Caster comes with an extra Steam key.

Is this "one time key validation" now the "CD key validation", which never tries to authenticate the (single player) game online?

If it is, I don't see how it can be considered an "anti-piracy measure", unless pirates are somehow unable to enter a string to a question box during the installation. :)

This game looks sooo good... and is made by some Brazilian team.. ;p

Caster looks okay too..