Yes, that is good and maybe also kind of reassuring that the web content will stay the same, when the client is building on it.

But the client is a bit more than just a browser. For example it can apply updates nicely (probably without downloading everything again but only by downloading the missing content and applying it). But you cannot archive the patches applied by the client. You have to be logged in in order to have this comfortable functionality.

Read all the DRM discussions here and you'll see that this is a bit dangerous. It would be better if they would also allow to decouple the execution of a patch from the download of a patch, as they do for the whole installers - it can be done technically. Alternatively a standalone update system, that keeps the installers up to date without using more bandwith than necessary - that would be something worthwhile to discuss.

For most things Galaxy is not much more than a browser - for the other things where it is more, we have to be careful that it doesn't slide into DRM. There is a certain slippery slope.

The main point is that the client must stay completely optional, i.e. you can do every important aspect of GOG without (without login so to speak). This already means that the client cannot be extremely useful, more like a convenience feature.

For the time being I'm content and guess Galaxy is something more good than bad, but we will see how it develops.

It's great, but still lack a lot of options.
But it's a Beta, so it's ok for now ;)

Does it also create the same folders and store the files therein?
For example 'lure_of_the_temptress'.

All (most/many/some) clients need you to login and require an internet connection to fully work. They act like a doorman. Typically you don't want that. You want to access your games without any potential hurdle in the middle. You would only do this if the perks are worth it. For example for using the Steam client I would say that because of DRM it's not worth to use it.

Why is it important to use a client? Is the computer and the OS not already enough to play the games?
Yes, the folder structure seems so far to be the same (maybe they reused the code). But I also heard that you cannot just put existing installers there - Galaxy will still download it new.

The gogrepo script so far seems to be the best alternative for keeping a downloaded game library updated. Better than the Galaxy client because it has an update mode.

Ah alright, I guess I can use the client to download my installers after the downloader stops working.
I haven't tried the Go Grepo script yet, might have to check it out in the future.

That is nice, but still only non-committal. I mean it's not as if they would give me $1000 as soon as they break this. The marketing speak runs strong in GOG right from the beginning when they condemned regional pricing as rip-off.

So one should not give too much about what they say and there is definitely the risk that one day they end the optionality of the client - after all they are a publicly listed company and should do what shareholders want them to do.

For the time being this is probably true but nobody can predict the future and therefore no, unfortunately, it cannot be ruled out that GOG goes DRM.

I can do that using firefox browser: multiple downloads, all in one place.
Am I missing something?

I'm not using it, just like all the other Linux powered folks here.

Nope, you're correct. You can queue downloads out the wazoo in Firefox although the default UI I find simplistic. I use the Download Statusbar addon to improve things quite a bit. But the basic functionality is built into Firefox. Chrome also.

Of course Galaxy can queue multiple downloads also although people keep saying it can't - but I think it's only because they have not yet figured it out and that's probably because the user interface is not yet intuitive enough for people to intuit how to do it. :) Definitely needs some polish. Also, the queue auto-hides after you move the mouse away and I hate that. I want to choose to see the entire queue always if I desire, especially when Galaxy is leaving about 75% of my monitor as unused whitespace, but I'm guessing that they probably are not really testing it on 2560x1600 or higher displays. Hopefully the money they all make from selling Witcher 3 can afford to buy all of the developers UHD monitors though! :)

I use linux, so there's no native client at the moment. I can perhaps run the windows version in WINE (haven't tested yet). I'm curious to try however, I might like the multiplayer features for some games.

I'm guessing it should work, it's basically just a browser after all.
Running the client that is, I don't know about multiplayer and such.

You don't need Galaxy client for multiplayer, just install the games and if they have multiplayer built into them they just work. The games that use Galaxy multiplayer include Aliens vs. Predator, I think Rise of the Triad 2013, Double Dragon and Witcher Adventure Game to name a few. These games can be installed with or without the Galaxy client and the multiplayer should work without the Galaxy client. Galaxy multiplayer is built into the games that support it not into the client itself. Hope this helps.

And the above is the non-optional part of Galaxy. Currently this component ships directly with the installer and does not provide any option not to remove it. Hence the word "optional" should, from now on be within quotes. Yes, yes, I have heard that this might be removed when Galaxy comes out, and it wont affect future games etc. etc. however currently there are 3 games at least that I will not purchase just because of this. I simply want to be able to purchase, download and play the game files, nothing else, no downloader, no client, no multiplayer components, no achievements, no social aspects. Unfortunately, it seems that every page that's opened at the moment has "Use Galaxy" plastered all over it.

I believe you're referring to the stub they included during beta testing of the given games in question. It is my understanding that those will be removed at a later date as I've seen several GOG employees comment to this effect and have zero reason to believe it will be otherwise and that is good enough explanation for me - I have no conspiracy theories about GOG nor do I doubt their agenda is anything but pure and in good faith.

It is my understanding that games that have Galaxy multiplayer built into them as an option do not require one to use it nor to use Galaxy in order to install or play the single player game, or to use any other options of the game that do not directly use Galaxy multiplayer functionality. If one does want to use Galaxy multiplayer then it stands to reason that one has to be online to play their game online with someone else using it as well, and so you need to be connected for that just as it says in the video in the same way you have to plug your phone into the phone jack if you want it to ring when someone calls.

All of the things you said you do not want are optional as they've stated all along. It's possible that due to the beta right now that something might not be implemented in a way to one's satisfaction yet but this is indeed a beta and not a reflection of the final result. If things are not 100% to what GOG said they will be it is essentially because it is not finished yet and one can then choose to trust GOG on their word knowing full well that when the time comes if they do not honour their word that people will be very upset and they will get bitten by people's reactions - or one can choose to distrust them completely and do so all the time at every turn in which case I have to wonder why someone who thinks that way even bothers to do business here at all and constantly chide them with distrust endlessly. It gets tiring reading that all day every day in one thread or another, it's as if Alex Jones lives here cloned 100 times.

As for Galaxy being visibly advertised on the website right now that really should be of no surprise to anyone. GOG is not forcing Galaxy on anyone, nobody is obligated to use on it, but in no part of that social contract is anything stated that they have no right to advertise the product that they have worked so hard and continue to work hard on. This isn't something they're whipping up to please a small subset of users and hide from everyone to not offend people that aren't interested in it. It is something they're doing with the goal of providing an optional brand new experience to people that many people out there do want and that GOG is happy to be working on and they do want people to know about it and they're proud of what they're working on and they should be. Even though it is only a beta right now and rough around the edges, they should not in any way feel guilty about advertising it or getting the message out there to the masses, and right now is the best possible time for a business like GOG to put that message out there.

The Witcher 3 launch is tomorrow and the site is being swamped by zillions of new customers, and many of them WILL want something like Galaxy when it is a completed polished product, and they want everyone out there who comes here to be aware that it exists. It is the perfect marketing opportunity and they would be dumb ass stupid to not use this opportunity to let people know about their product. It is a smart business decision that has no evil behind it and is just good common sense marketing strategy. They would be completely foolish to NOT get the message out there widely right now - regardless of whether the product is ready or not. It's mindshare. It's important that people hear about it.

People who don't like Galaxy or don't want to have anything to do with it or don't want to see it and want to hate on GOG for trying to market their product to their target audience IMHO are really being selfish and callous. Use AdBlock Plus or some other browser addon and remove the parts of the web pages that you don't want to see if it is that bothersome really. Or if it really truly bothers anyone to a deep fundamental level who thinks it is evil or some other conspiratorial nonsense and has complete distrust of GOG for Galaxy or anything else they try to do for the greater good - then stop shopping here, delete the bookmarks and forget they ever existed.

They could literally do anything to try to "prove" to any given person or subset group of customers that their intentions are 100% genuine and in the interests of their customers and wider community - and someone out there can still choose for any sane or insane reason to think "I don't trust you", and no matter what GOG could ever possibly do, someone can always continue to think this way. It is a completely losing game - they can never ever prove something that someone just chooses whimsically to not believe out of distrust and paranoia.

I really wish all the people who constantly bash GOG endlessly with all their distrust would just leave the site and never return sometimes because it is constantly draining. GOG could do 99 things right and do one single thing wrong completely by honest mistake or misjudgment and some people will forget the 99 things right ever happened and blow the one honest mistake way out of proportion and use it as a basis to burn them like a Salem witch forever, bringing it up over and over again at every chance.

It really gets tiring all that nonsense. Personally I hope they turn every square inch of the entire website into a big Galaxy fapathon for 96 hours straight to try to trip some people over the edge to just go away so the rest of us could enjoy some peace for 5 minutes sometimes.

In closing, I'll admit that I'm having a bit of a rant about this and that it's certainly not all based on what you just said, but rather on a constant buildup of reading so much hostile negative energy day in day out from so many people in these *cough* "friendly" forums here, repeating the same old same old viewpoints that wont change until they've seen "proof" to their satisfaction of something that ultimately is completely unprovable because GOG can always "do something different in the future".

I'd almost pay money to see a single day dedicated across the whole site where every single person is required to either speak nothing but gratitude for what they are happy about, what they think GOG has done that is great, express thanks to them for stuff, and leave the hostility and constant distrust at bay even for just one day or even one hour.