Hello. I am wondering how multiplayer games work when GOG is non-DRM. Let's say i want to play Far Cry 2 multiplayer. How would it work?

Thanks in advance

Most require a serial key, if they still have multiplayer support from the companies that publish them. When GOG Galaxy gets out of beta, it's supposed to offer more or less the same functionality as the steam client does .



EDIT: And if the serial key isn't already in your library, next to the game, you have to contact support to send you one.

This is what it says on GOG's Far Cry 2 page:

Multiplayer notice: In order to access the multiplayer portion of the game, you must first register a Uplay account and enter your unique CD-key. Your CD-key is located on your game shelf.

It pretty much varies from game to game and is heavily reliant on what the various developers/publishers do.

That's just co-op, no?

GOG's DRM-free guarantee only applies to single player. Some multiplayer games here are DRM-free - by LAN or direct IP connection - but many (and most newer ones) use a company's servers, and require a serial key, and possibly a third-party account (Far Cry II requires both).

Baldur's Gate is co-op, yes. But that's completely irrelevant to how the computer-to-computer connection is set up.

Thanks for all the replies. I understand it better now. Also, what about GOG Galaxy? Does that work as a server or something?

Works pretty much the same as Steam, you log into your GOG account via Galaxy and click multiplayer within the game if it supports Galaxy multiplayer, I'm not sure if GOG uses a dedicated server or P2P though.

the question is not how, but just if they work?

DRM have nothing to do with multiplayer, neither the client. As long as official servers are up, you should be able to play multiplayer. For some games, you might need the CD-key in order to make your online account and that one will be provided by support team.

Now, what got you confused might be Steamworks. That's Steam specific, there are their servers. You can't take a game from GoG, or other site, for example, and connect at Steamwors. You need to connect through Steam. There are few games that use Steamworks servers, and most of them are exclusive on Steam, you can't play them multiplayer anywhere else. I don't think there is any of the GOG games in this situation.

And about games that do not use Steamworks, but the original servers and they require CD-key in order to activate your account, you still need the key on Steam too, the difference being that you have it provided from when you buy the game and you don't have to ask support for it, like you do on GOG.

I doubt that GOG will have private servers as Steam does. Even for Steam, it's a hassle for some games. Unless they were released with Steamworks, it's not easy to implement it. They did it for Company of Heroes, for example, migrated the multiplayer function into Steamworks when original servers closed.

Galaxy makes MP easier for a few games. Witcher Adventure Board Game, Aliens v Predator and a few others use it for matchmaking. But I find it near-impossible to find someone running those games anymore.

Lots of people use GameRanger to set up MP games for old games.