Posted October 14, 2020
low rated
amok
FREEEEDOOOM!!!!
Registered: Sep 2008
From United Kingdom
EnforcerSunWoo
2nd class citizen, 10 games missing updates
Registered: Apr 2013
From United States
Posted October 14, 2020
high rated
Back then it felt kind of like home, for games I mean. The staff were part of the community and this, in turn, made me more confident in supporting them (i.e. buying games here).
Now it's turning more and more into a faceless corporate store. I am not going to the far extreme and say that I'll stop buying games right now because of that, but I am certainly not sure if it's going to be all nice and convincing in the foreseeable future.
I personally miss the differences in sales techniques and types from years back. At least then there was something different going on. Something else to be excited by other than just a surprise release here and there.
Anyhow, GOG isn't the same place that I joined many years ago and it has largely to do with the attitude of how to deal with the customer base. I sound like a broken record at this point, but communication is key, once that ceases then all hope is lost to repair issues with a disgruntled customer base.
RoboPond
NOLF!?!?!?!?!
Registered: Sep 2012
From United Kingdom
Posted October 14, 2020
high rated
The reason is that. GOG force it. They claim to be for Gamers.
DRM is not for Gamers. No communication is not for Gamers.
A general community that pretty much runs itself, as staff seem to be forbidden to take part as they once where due to (as it seems) offending someone (because a site that is known for making issues bigger than they are and break the law, so you should even be listing to them.) Most people were not even offended.
A community that now has to rely on other people supporting Linux (which GOG actually once actually supported they even had a staff member on top of that when I first started), and relying on the community to provide fixes for your own website.
Your own website that is customer un-friendly and still has issues when it was done which have not be resolved.
A forum that time and time again was supposed to be updated and fixed which never happened.
And I've most likely missed more stuff.
Its not tough to see why GOG are not as popular with Gamers as they were or claim to be.
Post edited October 14, 2020 by RoboPond
rjbuffchix
Online/Galaxy required = DRM.
Registered: Jun 2017
From United States
Posted October 14, 2020
high rated
Add GOGaaS to the list.
Their front page says this place is for gamers. I say at this point this place is for shareholders.
Post edited October 14, 2020 by rjbuffchix
EnforcerSunWoo
2nd class citizen, 10 games missing updates
Registered: Apr 2013
From United States
Posted October 14, 2020
high rated
The reason is that. GOG force it. They claim to be for Gamers.
DRM is not for Gamers. No communication is not for Gamers.
A general community that pretty much runs itself, as staff seem to be forbidden to take part as they once where due to (as it seems) offending someone (because a site that is known for making issues bigger than they are and break the law, so you should even be listing to them.) Most people were not even offended.
A community that now has to rely on other people supporting Linux (which GOG actually once actually supported they even had a staff member on top of that when I first started), and relying on the community to provide fixes for your own website.
Your own website that is customer un-friendly and still has issues when it was done which have not be resolved.
A forum that time and time again was supposed to be updated and fixed which never happened.
And I've most likely missed more stuff.
Its not tough to see why GOG are not as popular with Gamers as they were or claim to be.
What we are looking at is a hollowed out shell with eroded ideals that do not have a place within the current business model. We all should of known something was up when they reeled in any blue that was brazen enough to shoot the shit around here.
fortune_p_dawg
constipationisbad
Registered: Aug 2011
From United States
Posted October 15, 2020
high rated
You are correct on the last point and I would frame it as: GOG.com is the sole DRM-free store that sells a large quantity of big releases. That is what differentiates it as there are other much smaller DRM-free stores that do not sell the big name releases. Unfortunately the company apparently does not see this as a unique selling point and doesn't want us coming here for that. They want "the mother of all clients" to be their selling point, it seems. Can't say I get it.
but they still release games drm-free regularly. they haven't stopped and they haven't allowed the devs to implement drm (yeah yeah i know about the whole no man's sky thing).
admittedly the whole epic thing is shady hell and ive got my eyes on it; i've also done some negative speculating of my own. but i don't think it's wise to jump to conclusions. after all, what shanuca says is very true; it's not like there are drm-free store fronts coming out of the woodwork (especially one that sell a fair amount of triple-a titles).
i think it'd be good if everyone took a 'wait and see' approach. that said, i'm not a client guy myself and am definitely not going to buy any epic/gog abomination games.
Post edited October 15, 2020 by fortune_p_dawg
Panaias
Ancient Mariner
Registered: Sep 2012
From Greece
Posted October 15, 2020
It was not only the sale format that seemed fresh, but also the whole atmosphere in the forums where staff members also participated actively to help, chat and clarify things.
It was the fun of expecting the next game reveal together with other users, without even talking in real time.
I mean, there aren't any more legendary moments such as the "Keane incident" back then.
Now that we are talking about it, I realize better that most of my purchases back then were because it felt good to be here, not because I couldn't get these games from other stores.
Beaubergine
New User
GOG.com Team
Registered: Apr 2020
From Poland
Posted October 15, 2020
high rated
Hi everyone, Beaubergine from the GOG Support Staff here. Bringing in a few words from our side :
GOG.COM remains a DRM-free store, this will not change. We are committed to bringing you more AAAs, great indies and all-time classics free of any DRM or mandatory clients. I know that actions speak louder than words, so I hope that the fact we’ve just released a DRM-free version of Baldur’s Gate 3 (from recent bigger titles also Control and Serious Sam 4), and that all time classics such as the Metal Gear series and Silent Hill 4 appearing in our store is proof enough of that.
On the other hand, helping gamers to have their whole gaming library in one place is one of the goals of GOG GALAXY and the store inside the application (which is currently in its test phase) is an extension of that. As always the choice is yours - you can stick to the GOG.COM store or use the GOG GALAXY app for additional features such as cloud saves, achievements etc.
I can totally understand the frustration some of you may feel while waiting for a response from our GOG.COM Support Staff. It does take us longer than usual to reply, due to record-high ticket volumes we’re still facing. With that in mind, some tickets indeed are given a higher priority over others. This however has nothing to do with whether the user is using our app or not.
Not going into too many details, for example a username change request will have a lower priority than a refund request. Support tickets are received in a common inbox and later are divided into different categories (e.g. technical, refunds, account-related) and then answered in order of submission. We’ve also added an auto-responder to help us deal with the situation caused by the unusually high influx of support tickets received, but we are still trying our best to have an individual & personal approach to each ticket (On that last note, I'd like to remind everyone to carefully read those automated messages as they often either guide our users to helpful pages or require an answer in order for your request to be processed).
GOG.COM Support Staff is committed to answer every request and, again, I apologize for the delays you've been facing. I know this situation is not ideal but we’re trying our best to reply to your inquiries as quickly as it is currently possible.
Finally, I’d like to thank you. I know that we’re not as often replying to your posts on the forums (we’re in the process of changing that), we’re reading your feedback and concerns, which are both a reminder of how much you care.
GOG.COM remains a DRM-free store, this will not change. We are committed to bringing you more AAAs, great indies and all-time classics free of any DRM or mandatory clients. I know that actions speak louder than words, so I hope that the fact we’ve just released a DRM-free version of Baldur’s Gate 3 (from recent bigger titles also Control and Serious Sam 4), and that all time classics such as the Metal Gear series and Silent Hill 4 appearing in our store is proof enough of that.
On the other hand, helping gamers to have their whole gaming library in one place is one of the goals of GOG GALAXY and the store inside the application (which is currently in its test phase) is an extension of that. As always the choice is yours - you can stick to the GOG.COM store or use the GOG GALAXY app for additional features such as cloud saves, achievements etc.
I can totally understand the frustration some of you may feel while waiting for a response from our GOG.COM Support Staff. It does take us longer than usual to reply, due to record-high ticket volumes we’re still facing. With that in mind, some tickets indeed are given a higher priority over others. This however has nothing to do with whether the user is using our app or not.
Not going into too many details, for example a username change request will have a lower priority than a refund request. Support tickets are received in a common inbox and later are divided into different categories (e.g. technical, refunds, account-related) and then answered in order of submission. We’ve also added an auto-responder to help us deal with the situation caused by the unusually high influx of support tickets received, but we are still trying our best to have an individual & personal approach to each ticket (On that last note, I'd like to remind everyone to carefully read those automated messages as they often either guide our users to helpful pages or require an answer in order for your request to be processed).
GOG.COM Support Staff is committed to answer every request and, again, I apologize for the delays you've been facing. I know this situation is not ideal but we’re trying our best to reply to your inquiries as quickly as it is currently possible.
Finally, I’d like to thank you. I know that we’re not as often replying to your posts on the forums (we’re in the process of changing that), we’re reading your feedback and concerns, which are both a reminder of how much you care.
InkPanther
Registered: Sep 2008
From Poland
Posted October 15, 2020
high rated
On the other hand, helping gamers to have their whole gaming library in one place is one of the goals of GOG GALAXY and the store inside the application (which is currently in its test phase) is an extension of that. As always the choice is yours - you can stick to the GOG.COM store or use the GOG GALAXY app for additional features such as cloud saves, achievements etc.
(...)
I think the main problem is that many of us, grumpy old users, expected Galaxy to be extension of GOG and its values, not an extension of other stores and their values. And that the choice would remain between GOG ecosystem and other stores, not between GOG.com itself and GOG client with tentacles of other stores wrapped around it. You're making this distinction completely blurred which caused this wave of complaints.
Panaias
Ancient Mariner
Registered: Sep 2012
From Greece
Posted October 15, 2020
Since you dropped in to say a few words, would you care to also share a few words on the (already infinitely discussed) topic of backing up our offline installer files? We know about Galaxy, hope it goes well for you and people that use it. But there are users (like me) who loved the old GOG downloader, which unfortunately was dropped. So my question is, will there be another convenient way to check updates and backup our installers without using a whole client just for that? If not, will Galaxy be available in some kind of "lite" form that can be used for such tasks (without store integration, achievements, tracking and other stuff that many people do not care about)? Thank you.
Pygmalion_4678
jester
Registered: May 2016
From Germany
Posted October 15, 2020
According to me you can do whatever you want, as long as I get my drm-free offline installers. :)
Post edited October 15, 2020 by Pygmalion_4678
clarry
New User
Registered: Feb 2014
From Other
Posted October 15, 2020
high rated
Instead the direction's been that everything is focused on Galaxy. You want to download old versions? Get Galaxy. You don't want outdated or broken versions? Use Galaxy. Want to try a new beta? Use Galaxy. There are users that feel, for all the money they put into supporting GOG, they get second class treatment as GOG funnels it all into Galaxy. And now they are selling and supporting EPIC games with DRM. Is that what my money goes towards when I buy games on GOG.com? What's the next stage? Galaxy & EPIC users get first class support and offline installers are pushed further towards the bottom of the barrel? More DRM-exclusive features for Galaxy users?
I've said it before, I don't have a problem with the concept of a universal client application that supports all stores. I just don't care enough to put my money towards supporting it, especially when other things that I do care about continue to be neglected and unimplemented. I also don't feel particularly good about GOG either losing or making money selling games with DRM; the former hurts those who are supporting GOG solely for DRM-free games, while the latter feels unethical given what GOG supposedly stands for. I agree with everyone who's voiced the concern that selling games with DRM on Galaxy is potentially discouraging publishers from releasing DRM-free games for GOG.com users as long as people around the world have the strong association that GOG Galaxy = GOG.com. That is the association GOG has built by aggressively pushing users towards Galaxy while funneling their money into its development.
If you can break that association and make sure that when I support GOG.com by purchasing games here, I know that the money goes towards the GOG.com features and games and support, and not into Galaxy, then I'm still here. I don't feel particularly welcome here right now.
Post edited October 15, 2020 by clarry
ReynardFox
Insert quote here.
Registered: Dec 2010
From Australia
Posted October 15, 2020
high rated
What happens then? Where then is the incentive for them to help you stay DRM free?
Publishers like to cut costs and maximize profits at every turn and this is almost an inevitable outcome. I don't think GOG has thought through the long term impact of their decisions here. Unless of course that decision has a final goal of reducing GOG.com to nothing more than a place to download Galaxy.
Vendor-Lazarus
Make GOG great again!
Registered: Jun 2019
From Sweden
Posted October 15, 2020
If you can, I'd like to hear a reply to this post:
Us old-fashioned grumpers could use some more assuaging when it comes to what GOG's values were, and hopefully are, and even will continue to be.
We care about DRM-free Offline-installers, of which you have assured us will remain (Thank you!)(and stand-alone patches?).
What we see as the problem though is indeed the second-rate treatment, and the fear of publishers releasing a Galaxy only game version.
Indeed, answering all the eloquently put questions by Clarry would not go amiss. ^^
AB2012
Registered: Sep 2014
From United Kingdom
Posted October 15, 2020
high rated
The real question - How many publishers are willing to go back and re-release a second "proper GOG" version on the same platform the first version is still being sold on? Would we still have a GOG version of Control if Control had previously been sold as an "Epic-Galaxy" version? It's the most obvious example of how GOG.com vs Galaxy are not really as isolated or "ring-fenced" from each other for future acquisition as GOG's marketing dept wishes them to be if you basically make it cheaper for the publishers to release as Epic-on-Galaxy instead of "actual GOG" versions, but hope they will continue to do the more expensive route, which obviously impacts all GOG users (Galaxy & GOG.com alike) at the same time.
Post edited October 15, 2020 by AB2012