dudalb: I think the bundling of the Galaxy Installer with Game installers is not a good idea,but I don't make get the logic of the leap that GOG will make Galaxy Mandatory.
And, BTW you CAN play games installed via Galaxy without Galaxy.there is no obligatory client the way there is with Steam.
GOG has made a bad decision here, but a lot of the reaction is a good example of the Paranoia about DRM that seems to be common around here.
Fact is, people were demanding things that GOG could only offer thourgh something like GOG Galaxy (how often have I read people bitching because there were no Achivements on GOG. I don't give a damn about Achievments,but a lot of people do) and you had the problem of on line gaming (the online software that comes with GOG games is obsolete,and the gaming services they link to are long gone).
The Anti DRM has gone from being a legitmate concern to being pretty damn hysteric.
GOG is a business. If they don't sell games, they don't survive. To compete with Steam,they felt they needed to offer a lot of the services and ease of use that Steam has.
Not a big fan of Steam (though I use it) but I think the mere fact that Galaxy works a little like the Steam program is causing overreaction. I guess it was to expected,given that hyperbole, and emotional overreaction is what Internet discourse, sadly has become all about.
So tell me: Who in fact wanted to compete with STEAM? That's the same problem as decentralized networks and open-source social media has got like
Diaspora. They want to compete with something, they could not beat. No matter how big, how small, how good or bad they are. How do you compete with something which is from the start bigger? Exactly: No way around and no way in between. But there is another opportunity: Call it
antithesis. GOG had one:
Good Old Games and the possibility of small but on-going growth. What was their conclusion? Step back from this and try to be something, which in fact will enforce them to get rid of every single principle they ever had. Why? Again: Because of the customers they want here. People tend to give up principles because they want "comfort". And so they cry for it: Cloud savegames, archievements, proprietary multiplayer ... who needs this? That's the question. And who think some time later? The people want another STEAM, they'll get it here. Nice and without recognition. Even now the voices become complete silent because GOG presented some "compromise". I call it a false one! Why? Because in fact they only presented some intermediate step. What do you want? Everytime watching the installed files? Or being surprised that one day the so-called classic installers are part of the past? If there should be a stop of this, the customers must also stop with crying for new, shiny features. So "we" have to do something, but yeah: Of course this is hysteric about DRM, like some myths and legends around. ;-)
I have enough of this: After the download is finished for the last game, I'll step back and ask for a deletion. Everytime watching for some DRM? No thanks. There are enough other possibilities and if we want to be honest to ourselves: Most of us have enough games, even so much we have for the next years and counting. Games are a luxurious property, some for entertainment, some for even more and telling good stories. There is no need being some kind of slave and hunter for "games".
