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General discussionGetting back to our roots(1418 posts)(1418 posts)
(1418 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted March 11, 2014
Hey, GOGgers,

We're not perfect, we're exploring new frontiers, and we make mistakes. We thought DRM-Free was so important that you'd prefer we bring you more DRM-Free games and Fair Price was less critical and that it could be sacrificed in some cases. The last two week's worth of comments in our forums (nearly 10k!), show that's not the case. We didn’t listen and we let you down. We shouldn't sacrifice one of our core values in an attempt to advance another. We feel bad about that, and we're sorry. Us being sorry is not of much use to you, so let’s talk about how we will fix it.

One: DRM-free forever. Abandoning fixed regional pricing means it will probably take longer to get some games, but you've made it clear that sacrificing fair pricing for more DRM-free games isn't acceptable.

Two: We will adamantly continue to fight for games with flat worldwide pricing. If that fails and we are required to have regional prices, we will make up the difference for you out of our own pockets. For now it will be with $5.99 and $9.99 game codes. In a couple of months, once we have such functionality implemented, we will give you store credit instead, which then you will be able to use towards any purchase and cover the price of it in full or partially. Effectively gamers from all around the world will be able to benefit from the US prices.

This will apply to every single game where we do not have flat pricing, such as Age of Wonders 3 (full details here), Divinity: Original Sin, and The Witcher 3. If you remember the Fair Price Package for The Witcher 2, this will be exactly the same.

Three: We still intend to introduce the pricing in local currencies. Let us explain why we want to do it and how we want to make it fair for everyone. From the very beginning our intention was to make things easier for users whose credit cards/payment systems are not natively in USD. The advantages are simple because the price is more understandable and easier to relate to. There would be no exchange rates involved, no transaction fees, and no other hidden charges. However after reading your comments, we realized we have taken an important element away: the choice. In order to fix this, we'll offer the option of paying in the local currency or the equivalent in USD. This way, how you pay is always your choice.

Four: You are what matters, and we will be sure to involve you all more in what we're doing and why we're doing it. Let's start by meeting you at GDC - we’d like to invite you to meet us face-to-face Monday the 17th at GDC. Obviously, not all of you can come to San Francisco, so we want to invite all of you to an online event with us early in April to ask us whatever you would like. More details soon.

The bottom line is simple: there may be companies that won't work with us (although we will work hard to convince the most stubborn ones ;). Yes, it means we might miss out on some games, but at the same time GOG.com will remain true to its values and will keep on offering you the best of DRM-free gaming with Fair Prices.

Once again thank you for caring so much about GOG.com. We will work hard not to disappoint you again.

--Marcin "iWi" Iwinski & Guillaume "TheFrenchMonk" Rambourg
Posted March 19, 2014
First this, and then Linux support. Hot diggety! =)
Posted March 19, 2014
http://steamdb.info/sub/40356/
Here we go!
Posted March 21, 2014
Btw. what GOG also should improve next to local currencies, store credit and Linux support and better automatic updates is improving the game shelf. I remember people complaining about it already as early as three years ago and not much has changed since then.

A selection of community wishes around that:

http://www.gog.com/wishlist/site/improve_the_gameshelf_my_games
http://www.gog.com/wishlist/site/a_decent_game_shelf
http://www.gog.com/wishlist/site/visible_game_shelf_in_gog_downloader
http://www.gog.com/wishlist/site/multiple_game_shelves
http://www.gog.com/wishlist/site/filtering_the_game_shelf_by_genre_and_rating

I would be happy if I could sort my games into at least three different shelves:

Shelf A: Games I hold dear and want to play again or just enjoyed really much.
Shelf B: Games I might want to try someday when I get bored or games I haven't really tried yet.
Shelf C: Games I own but really don't like and probably never want to play again.

Addittional sorting or marking for genre.

The hide game feature is not really a sufficient surrogate for this.

A more flexible system like giving a rating to games and then filtering by rating might also do the trick.

I just want to point out that what I can do at home with physical DVD boxes (sort in my personal order on different shelves, even throw away if wanted) - I cannot do here and that feels like a step backwards. Improvement there, maybe also with optional sharing your game shelf with others might be a step in the right direction. Not everything that Steam has is bad just because it came from Steam.
Post edited March 21, 2014 by Trilarion
Posted March 22, 2014
What brought me to GOG was the huge library of DRM Free games. One thing that finally made me do a personal boycott of Steam (to never buy any Steam/Origin/uPlay exclusive game again on PC and also avoid the console versions as well) was the lack of real DRM Free games. Sure some of the games are DRM Free but it's nearly impossible to know which ones until after you buy it, download it, then do a few workarounds to try and get it to load without Steam. When I buy a game (especially if I'm paying full price for it) I want to to own it and GOG gives that to me where no one else will. It's even gotten so bad I can't buy the disc version without having to install Steam or other platform and prey the key hasn't been used yet even from a sealed box. I love what GOG is doing with the DRM Free movement and as long as that is the case I will continue to support them. Being in the USA the regional pricing issue isn't something that effects me but I do have friends that live all over the world and several of them are GOG members as well. While it is easy to pick apart various elements of the GOG website and services the main thing that makes me happy is that the games are affordable and are DRM Free with a stand alone installer that will keep on working long after the site goes down (let's hope that never happens any time soon). As long as that is the case I will be coming back here again and again to buy my games over any other platform. Here's hoping the success of GOG will convince more publishers to stop this DRM nonsense and finally treat us as customers first instead as potential criminals.

If there is anything I can ask of GOG it would be to maybe see about offering a way to ship disc copies of games for people in limited bandwidth areas. While this digital sale structure seems like a great idea, especially the way GOG is doing it, there are still a lot of people out there that simply can not handle large downloads and could really benefit from an alternative method of acquiring these games.
Posted March 23, 2014
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haldrie: What brought me to GOG was the huge library of DRM Free games. One thing that finally made me do a personal boycott of Steam (to never buy any Steam/Origin/uPlay exclusive game again on PC and also avoid the console versions as well) was the lack of real DRM Free games. Sure some of the games are DRM Free but it's nearly impossible to know which ones until after you buy it, download it, then do a few workarounds to try and get it to load without Steam. When I buy a game (especially if I'm paying full price for it) I want to to own it and GOG gives that to me where no one else will. It's even gotten so bad I can't buy the disc version without having to install Steam or other platform and prey the key hasn't been used yet even from a sealed box. I love what GOG is doing with the DRM Free movement and as long as that is the case I will continue to support them. Being in the USA the regional pricing issue isn't something that effects me but I do have friends that live all over the world and several of them are GOG members as well. While it is easy to pick apart various elements of the GOG website and services the main thing that makes me happy is that the games are affordable and are DRM Free with a stand alone installer that will keep on working long after the site goes down (let's hope that never happens any time soon). As long as that is the case I will be coming back here again and again to buy my games over any other platform. Here's hoping the success of GOG will convince more publishers to stop this DRM nonsense and finally treat us as customers first instead as potential criminals.

If there is anything I can ask of GOG it would be to maybe see about offering a way to ship disc copies of games for people in limited bandwidth areas. While this digital sale structure seems like a great idea, especially the way GOG is doing it, there are still a lot of people out there that simply can not handle large downloads and could really benefit from an alternative method of acquiring these games.
I think shipping physical discs woud cost way too much and way beyond the scope of GoG.
Even Normal retailers are struggling so i dont really think GoG woud be better off or something.
Also if i remember correctly, Dosbox doesnt work with physical Discs.
Posted March 23, 2014
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haldrie: What brought me to GOG was the huge library of DRM Free games. One thing that finally made me do a personal boycott of Steam (to never buy any Steam/Origin/uPlay exclusive game again on PC and also avoid the console versions as well) was the lack of real DRM Free games. Sure some of the games are DRM Free but it's nearly impossible to know which ones until after you buy it, download it, then do a few workarounds to try and get it to load without Steam. When I buy a game (especially if I'm paying full price for it) I want to to own it and GOG gives that to me where no one else will. It's even gotten so bad I can't buy the disc version without having to install Steam or other platform and prey the key hasn't been used yet even from a sealed box. I love what GOG is doing with the DRM Free movement and as long as that is the case I will continue to support them. Being in the USA the regional pricing issue isn't something that effects me but I do have friends that live all over the world and several of them are GOG members as well. While it is easy to pick apart various elements of the GOG website and services the main thing that makes me happy is that the games are affordable and are DRM Free with a stand alone installer that will keep on working long after the site goes down (let's hope that never happens any time soon). As long as that is the case I will be coming back here again and again to buy my games over any other platform. Here's hoping the success of GOG will convince more publishers to stop this DRM nonsense and finally treat us as customers first instead as potential criminals.

If there is anything I can ask of GOG it would be to maybe see about offering a way to ship disc copies of games for people in limited bandwidth areas. While this digital sale structure seems like a great idea, especially the way GOG is doing it, there are still a lot of people out there that simply can not handle large downloads and could really benefit from an alternative method of acquiring these games.
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Lodium: I think shipping physical discs woud cost way too much and way beyond the scope of GoG.
Even Normal retailers are struggling so i dont really think GoG woud be better off or something.
Also if i remember correctly, Dosbox doesnt work with physical Discs.
I just meant like ship discs with the GOG install files on it. My thought was more like have it as an optional method when you buy games. Sure it would maybe cost an extra fee or something to cover the cost of making and shipping the disc but it could be something that would open up GOG to a broader market of gamers who simply don't have the bandwidth to download the files. It's just an idea I had while typing that message and I'm not expecting anything to come of it but it's just something I thought I would put out there.
Posted March 23, 2014
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Lodium: Also if i remember correctly, Dosbox doesnt work with physical Discs.
DOSBox works with disks. You can mount a CD-ROM or DVD drive like any other drive (floppy or hard) in DOSBox. You can also create an image file of your disk and mount that.
Posted March 23, 2014
If regional pricing is a result of local taxes (GST, VAT etc) then it is fair. In fact, it is unfair of us to expect GOG to absorb extra costs imposed by governments. For example: ( I used to live in NZ where there is GST - now I live in the UK where there is similar VAT) New Zealanders voted for a government; that government imposed GST; that GST should be reflected in an increased price. Why should GOG or anyone else lose money just because a population imposes a tax on itself? In the end it's people from countries who don't have sales tax who end up subsidising those who have.

Having said that, if the 15% GST is blamed for a 30% higher regional price, then we call shenanigans. This is very often the case in NZ and Australia, and publishers would often admit that they are simply charging more in less competitive markets because they can. That's the type of bullsnot that it's lovely to see GOG fighting against.
Post edited March 23, 2014 by BreathingMeat
Posted March 23, 2014
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BreathingMeat: If regional pricing is a result of local taxes (GST, VAT etc) then it is fair. In fact, it is unfair of us to expect GOG to absorb extra costs imposed by governments. For example: ( I used to live in NZ where there is GST - now I live in the UK where there is similar VAT) New Zealanders voted for a government; that government imposed GST; that GST should be reflected in an increased price. Why should GOG or anyone else lose money just because a population imposes a tax on itself? In the end it's people from countries who don't have sales tax who end up subsidising those who have.

Having said that, if the 15% GST is blamed for a 30% higher regional price, then we call shenanigans. This is very often the case in NZ and Australia, and publishers would often admit that they are simply charging more in less competitive markets because they can. That's the type of bullsnot that it's lovely to see GOG fighting against.
Yep, this. I'm more than happy paying "Normal US price plus UK VAT rate applied on top", it's when the publisher decides that I, for some reason. deserve to pay more to them because of where I live that I have issues.
Posted March 24, 2014
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Lodium: Also if i remember correctly, Dosbox doesnt work with physical Discs.
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xy2345: DOSBox works with disks. You can mount a CD-ROM or DVD drive like any other drive (floppy or hard) in DOSBox. You can also create an image file of your disk and mount that.
Since DOSBox is not optimized for this mode of operation, booting any real OS inside DOSBox entails the loss of the use of directory-based virtual hard drives and some other enhancements that aren't directly compatible with the way real operating systems access hardware.
For the kinds of hardware (such as disk drive controllers and computer mice) that are almost always accessed by DOS-based games through DOS and/or through the BIOS and/or through a software driver, rather than through direct access to hardware registers, DOSBox generally provides no hardware-level emulation. This means that the direct use of copy-protected physical media or of floppy disks in non-standard formats is generally not possible from DOSBox.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOSBox
Post edited March 24, 2014 by Lodium
Posted March 25, 2014
I'm really happy to see this.
Regional pricing is a fight (at least for online games), as much as DRM-free games.

You say you were wrong. You are cancelling what you planned. You apologizes. That's really impressive. Not a lot of people (and companies) react like this.
I'm glad to see that you took the option to let the currency choice.

You're back, and that's nice ! You're back as you were, and as we hope you will always be.

Mistakes happens. The most important, it's your reaction when some happens.
So, hail to GOG and to all his staff ! :D
Posted March 27, 2014
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xy2345: DOSBox works with disks. You can mount a CD-ROM or DVD drive like any other drive (floppy or hard) in DOSBox. You can also create an image file of your disk and mount that.
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Lodium: Since DOSBox is not optimized for this mode of operation, booting any real OS inside DOSBox entails the loss of the use of directory-based virtual hard drives and some other enhancements that aren't directly compatible with the way real operating systems access hardware.
For the kinds of hardware (such as disk drive controllers and computer mice) that are almost always accessed by DOS-based games through DOS and/or through the BIOS and/or through a software driver, rather than through direct access to hardware registers, DOSBox generally provides no hardware-level emulation. This means that the direct use of copy-protected physical media or of floppy disks in non-standard formats is generally not possible from DOSBox.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOSBox
Since DOSBox already emulates DOS, why would you want to boot another OS within DOSBox? What does that have to do with gaming? I never booted another OS (Windows wasn't really an OS) within DOS back in the day. I just started programs.

And what do you mean by floppy disks in non-standard formats? So I wouldn't be able to run programs like fdformat and fdread or vgaread in DOSBox?

I was for instance able to install The Summoning and Spelljammer from my original 3,5-inch floppy disks in DOSBox and then play them. But those disks weren't copy protected. But I wouldn't be able to install Ultima IV from my original 5,25-inch floppy disks? Because those were copy protected. Difficult to find out, because I haven't seen an external 5,25-inch floppy disk drive yet.

CD-ROMs OTOH were rarely copy protected at all back in the day, because it was plain impossible for the end-user to copy them.
Posted March 28, 2014
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xy2345: Since DOSBox already emulates DOS, why would you want to boot another OS within DOSBox? What does that have to do with gaming?
Those 16-bit Windows games that are impossible to run under 64-bit now could sure do with booting a virtual Win 3.x, so that'd be one thing it'd have to do with gaming.
Posted March 28, 2014
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xy2345: Since DOSBox already emulates DOS, why would you want to boot another OS within DOSBox? What does that have to do with gaming?
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Cavalary: Those 16-bit Windows games that are impossible to run under 64-bit now could sure do with booting a virtual Win 3.x, so that'd be one thing it'd have to do with gaming.
I know of those problems, but they are not related to using floppy disks and CDs in DOSBox.

And Windows back in the day was no OS, it was just some sort of enhanced graphical front end for DOS. But yes, vanilla DOSBox can't handle that, that's true.
Post edited March 28, 2014 by xy2345
Posted March 28, 2014
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Cavalary: Those 16-bit Windows games that are impossible to run under 64-bit now could sure do with booting a virtual Win 3.x, so that'd be one thing it'd have to do with gaming.
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xy2345: I know of those problems, but they are not related to using floppy disks and CDs in DOSBox.

And Windows back in the day was no OS, it was just some sort of enhanced graphical front end for DOS. But yes, vanilla DOSBox can't handle that, that's true.
well i was only linking to the wikipedia article and thinking about some of my own experiences.
I got a couple of games that wont launch in dosbox so i asumed it had something to do with was stated on wikipedia.
They do launch on my old computer no problem with orginal software and orginal hardware but wont launch on my new one With dosbox no matter what i tried.
Post edited March 28, 2014 by Lodium
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionGetting back to our roots(1418 posts)(1418 posts)
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