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General discussionWe say goodbye to GOG Downloader(886 posts)(886 posts)
(886 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted March 17, 2020
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visconteprimus: But, if this is GOG's actual route, remember my words when all of you will be forced to use Galaxy (and ONLY it) to download your titles.
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Ashleee: This is not true :)

GOG Downloader became an outdated tool and that is not up to the standards we want to keep in terms of user experience, development, and security.
You mean the user experience that it just worked and did exactly what it was meant to do and nothing more? Sure, we can't have easy to use, working tools on GOG!

While you are here pretending that this was anything but pushing Galaxy further on your customers, care to explain what was so bad about the 'user experience' of a simple, reliable tool like the Downloader?

halldojo said it better than me: your decision leads to a worse user experience, shows a bad development priority and decreases security. So your excuse for disabling the Downloader is simply not true, since it achieves the opposite of what you supposedly wanted to achieve.
Posted March 17, 2020
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visconteprimus: But, if this is GOG's actual route, remember my words when all of you will be forced to use Galaxy (and ONLY it) to download your titles.
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Ashleee: This is not true :)

GOG Downloader became an outdated tool and that is not up to the standards we want to keep in terms of user experience, development, and security.

GOG GALAXY remains to be a totally optional client, it's up to you to download your games using a browser or GALAXY.
Way to go! Finally a blue post, and it is only to call a user a liar (when all they were doing was making a statement of the future they see GOG going towards, and not a statement of the current state of things), reiterating two PR lines, and not addressing any of the criticisms.

Are there any plans to improve the experience of users not installing games through Galaxy?, or even that of those users who'd like to use Galaxy only to download the offline installers? (since downloading from the site directly is even more problematic than that).

I'll wait...
Posted March 18, 2020
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rjbuffchix: I feel like we've had this discussion a zillion times. Anti-consumer practices succeed when implemented gradually over time. By the time you deem it permissible to worry, it'll have been too late to reverse course. Let's be vigilant now and question things that offer negative value to consumers.
And over worrying doesn't help and can actually be counter productive, plus just complaining in forum threads does next to nothing(this isn't me trying to be crude/rude btw, it's the sad truth).

You want to change things? Go on social media/etc and convince a bunch of people to join you or that your stance is right and to support it, OR find some other equally likely means to effect change.....else this is all just trying to tear down mountains by yelling at them.


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Lifthrasil: While you are here pretending that this was anything but pushing Galaxy further on your customers, care to explain what was so bad about the 'user experience' of a simple, reliable tool like the Downloader?
Be honest with me: At this point(reading some of the replies) would ANY reason given be good enough short of them reversing course in your eyes and that of some others here?
Post edited March 18, 2020 by GameRager
Posted March 18, 2020
high rated
Rhetorical questions. You know that the plan is, very openly, to make it more and more cumbersome to avoid using the full client. The rest is hypocrisy. If removing the dowloader isn't sufficient, they'll go "Oh but the drm-free files are still available by mail, or if you come to the office with an usb stick, so, technically, you're not completely forced to use Galaxy". And the same unconditional fans will keep clapping.

Non-galaxy users are not supposed to exist anymore. There's no other plan than making their number drop to zero.
Posted March 18, 2020
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Links: Way to go! Finally a blue post, and it is only to call a user a liar (when all they were doing was making a statement of the future they see GOG going towards, and not a statement of the current state of things), reiterating two PR lines, and not addressing any of the criticisms.
1. They were saying that user is wrong, not a liar(and those other users seemed to be more spreading essentially unproven + overly negative ideas of the future of GOG more than what you said), and in a polite way.

2. They likely cannot say anything else but what they're told to else risk their jobs....and in the current world situation do you want people risking their jobs any more than they already are?
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That said/to all: IMO some of the ones complaining are slightly hypocritical.....before it was more: "GOG is great!" (when GOG gave us things), but GOG takes one thing away(albeit one that was useful to a few people) and suddenly it's "How could you do this to us, GOG?!? Don't we matter?!?"

As Bruce Almighty said(when reading/answering prayers): "What a bunch of whiners"

GOG is a business, NOT your mother/father/siblings/best friend.....they owe us nothing(and we're entitled to nothing but) but a decent drm-free product for a fair price.....anything beyond that is a bonus(which is nice of them to give us, but people shouldn't come to expect such by default).

If anyone doesn't like that they should vote with their wallet(buy less/not at all here, and buy elsewhere if one can), and maybe try to promote their ideas to others and see if it gains traction online/etc....but complaining about it on the forums isn't working and likely won't work(in such numbers, at least)....a Sisyphean effort, essentially.

(And before anyone says "How dare you say that!...it's offensive!" note this: Those who do such things are offensive to me & reading one more "GOG is falling apart at the seams" or "I'm never buying here again after this let down" post is likely to give me a mild stroke[kidding....i'm in somewhat decent health] :\)

(Note that I am not lumping in those with civil complaints & good/reasonable suggestions, those not fear mongering/being overly paranoid, etc with the above group

Also if I personally come off as offensive to anyone here and one asks civilly via PM I will apologize to them but I will not be discussing that subject here[offending anyone/my posting style] in this thread....I also won't be retracting what I just said)
Post edited March 18, 2020 by GameRager
Posted March 18, 2020
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apehater: i said goodbuy to gog a long time ago and you can too, just stop buying games on here.

for about 10 years there's nothing worth to support here anymore, this company is just scamming money of their customers
didnt gog just turn 10? :D

anyway, how do you go about downloading games from gog now? before finding out about gog downloader i used to download through my browser but several times that led to corrupted files and having to download the game again, not willing to waste my time like that, so if there's no other options I'm done with the vidya gamez.
Posted March 18, 2020
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SuperLibby72: What's next? you going force customer to download games from GOG GALAXY?
They already tried that. Didn't work.
Posted March 18, 2020
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kotcore: didnt gog just turn 10? :D
11, actually.

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kotcore: anyway, how do you go about downloading games from gog now?
If you mean him, I think he meant he doesn't buy from GOG anymore at all.....though I could be wrong.

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kotcore: before finding out about gog downloader i used to download through my browser but several times that led to corrupted files and having to download the game again, not willing to waste my time like that, so if there's no other options I'm done with the vidya gamez.
I listed a few options others suggested in post 130, and also some others suggested using browser extensions that DL files from any site to do such.
Posted March 18, 2020
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GameRager: Be honest with me: At this point(reading some of the replies) would ANY reason given be good enough short of them reversing course in your eyes and that of some others here?
Yes. A good enough answer would be exactly the honest answer you ask of me. If GOG would at least openly declare: "we want you to use Galaxy and that's the reason why we deactivate the Downloader." then at least I could respect that. I wouldn't be happy about it, but I could accept it. Their business, their decision. However this attempted white-washing by pretending to have some pro-customer reasons for their anti-customer decision is just pathetic. It shows how little they value open communication. Just throw out some PR-bullshit and wait for the outcry to die down.

GOG used to be quite pro-consumer and, long ago, they cultivated a nice atmosphere of communication with their fans. Yes, we were fans at that point, not just customers. But then GOG decided to go step by step in the direction of Steam - and this is just another step. It won't be the last step either.

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Telika: You know that the plan is, very openly, to make it more and more cumbersome to avoid using the full client. The rest is hypocrisy. If removing the dowloader isn't sufficient, they'll go "Oh but the drm-free files are still available by mail, or if you come to the office with an usb stick, so, technically, you're not completely forced to use Galaxy". And the same unconditional fans will keep clapping.

Non-galaxy users are not supposed to exist anymore. There's no other plan than making their number drop to zero.
Exactly this. They have learned from the past that they can't take too big leaps, like the forced installers. But break the process down, emblemish it with some PR-bullshit and most customers will just accept it. Sneak Galaxy into the installers bit by bit through 'updates'. Remove the Downloader. Next step will be to block all third-party downloaders for "security reasons". Then the browser downloads. Technically, you can still use Galaxy to just download the DRM-free installers - unless, of course. But you'll have to use Galaxy. That is the way that GOG wants.

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GameRager: If anyone doesn't like that they should vote with their wallet
... and now try to guess what I'm doing. But at least I let GOG know why I stop buying here. Not that they care. But still I want them to know.

As I said, communication used to be much better here on GOG. The blues used to be people you could talk to and who would also give actual answers. Not some inane PR statements. You're too young to remember that. But GOG grew and dumped all their principles that made them special in the first place. So there is no reason to stick to GOG anymore.

What I really don't understand is the impulse to defend GOG. Why do you react so negatively when other people state that they are unhappy with GOG's decision?
Posted March 18, 2020
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Links: Way to go! Finally a blue post, and it is only to call a user a liar (when all they were doing was making a statement of the future they see GOG going towards, and not a statement of the current state of things), reiterating two PR lines, and not addressing any of the criticisms.
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GameRager: 1. They were saying that user is wrong, not a liar(and those other users seemed to be more spreading essentially unproven + overly negative ideas of the future of GOG more than what you said), and in a polite way.

2. They likely cannot say anything else but what they're told to else risk their jobs....and in the current world situation do you want people risking their jobs any more than they already are?
I posted again only because there was a blue post. And since you address me in a personal manner, I will answer:

1. You cannot prove a prediction wrong unless someone claims they are doing it because they have preternatural abilities, or simply that the prediction is based upon false facts; I believe no one has preternatural abilities and the person quoted by the GOG employee made no assumptions on top of false data. The point is exactly the one made already many times in this thread: by the time the ones that predicted it are proven right and can say "I told you so", they will not like to say it, it will be just freaking sad by then.

2. I never engage with someone representing a company on a personal level. If I see a blue post then it means I'm talking to a GOG.COM employee who is representing that company, I don't care who they are as far as that particular interaction goes; I don't even look at the user name if I don't need to.

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I presented my position very clearly in my first post of this thread, as many others did, with valid technical points that should be addressed in a technical and concise way, if not on a personal basis, at the very least with a proper "mission statement", or "user appeasement BSing document", or anything else the corporate guys would like to call it. I don't need touchy-feely "we are doing everything we can to provide the best user experience", while things under the hood (and on top of it too) keep degrading.

After beginning to read the rest of your post, I'm not reading the rest. I got your "let's put everyone who complains about any particular thing that GOG does in the same bag without really addressing any of their criticisms" view form your first couple of posts in the thread. No need for me to read you reiterate any of it.
Posted March 18, 2020
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GameRager: GOG is a business, NOT your mother/father/siblings/best friend.....they owe us nothing(and we're entitled to nothing but) but a decent drm-free product for a fair price.....anything beyond that is a bonus(which is nice of them to give us, but people shouldn't come to expect such by default).
Yes they are a business but let's not forget how business stay in business: they need customers. And while they may be always busy trying to get new customers to the detriment of existing ones they may decide they're not interested to listen to,, that could lead to some unpleasant surprises.

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GameRager: If anyone doesn't like that they should vote with their wallet
That's for sure and what I reminded fairly recently a shitty Publisher who didn't give a rat's behind what the community at large had to say about a crappy product they released, more interested in shutting up those voicing their displeasure than doing the right thing. So about time some keep in mind that there's a often fragile balance that has to be maintained, as in everything it's give and take.Too much of one can only spell trouble.

At the end of the day, this business with DG has given me food for thought. I may be very fond of GOG and grateful for what they've offered us, but that doesn't mean am going to no matter what defend and stay put if they take a road I really don't like and veer off so far original course that they've become just another whatever that's out there.

I'd hate to reach the point where I'm done with digital game buying, but should it come to that, at least am one of the lucky ones with more than enough to keep me going for a long time, for I've got plenty of pristine retail games that too have replayability value I don't have to depend on remote crap to be able to play, plus those I bought here I got offline installers for put on discs and double backup.

So who knows and will see, que sera sera as Italians so well put it,
Post edited March 18, 2020 by Flyingfluffypiglet
Posted March 18, 2020
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Lifthrasil: What I really don't understand is the impulse to defend GOG. Why do you react so negatively when other people state that they are unhappy with GOG's decision?
Battered person syndrome.
Posted March 18, 2020
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Very sad to see this go. I will NEVER use the GOG Galaxy client. All I want is something very lightweight that I can download offline copies of stuff with and then I can get on with my life and play my DRM free goodness. I really liked the downloader as it saved me having to click a bunch of links to get the offline installer for games with many parts. I also liked that I could queue things up to download and then just leave until it was all downloaded.

Its disappointing that apparently GOG feels its too much effort to maintain this. I have never had complaints since I first joined GOG, but I guess now I have one.

Oh well -- what can you do. Back to using the browser to do it manually I guess.
Posted March 18, 2020
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Thank you for the civil reply.....as such I will reply in kind:
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Lifthrasil: Yes. A good enough answer would be exactly the honest answer you ask of me. If GOG would at least openly declare: "we want you to use Galaxy and that's the reason why we deactivate the Downloader." then at least I could respect that. I wouldn't be happy about it, but I could accept it. Their business, their decision.
Fair enough....that said please answer me this: If they gave any other answer(NON pr spin, but also saying it wasn't to get people to use galaxy) would you also believe it/be okay with it? Or just that one answer?

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Lifthrasil: However this attempted white-washing by pretending to have some pro-customer reasons for their anti-customer decision is just pathetic. It shows how little they value open communication. Just throw out some PR-bullshit and wait for the outcry to die down.
I admit it(the new reply/etc) was likely a blanket PR style reply, but what did you expect?

As I keep saying here, GOG isn't a charity, our family/friends.....people need to see them as such, so that when such things happen(and they often inevitably happen given enough time) people would be better prepared for it/etc.

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Lifthrasil: GOG used to be quite pro-consumer and, long ago, they cultivated a nice atmosphere of communication with their fans. Yes, we were fans at that point, not just customers. But then GOG decided to go step by step in the direction of Steam - and this is just another step. It won't be the last step either.
Some companies start out with some good intentions, but sadly a good number change over time due to greed/other factors that don't always put the customer as the focus.

(I disagree that this is leading us to becoming Steam 2.0, though.....but if they do I will likely be up in arms about it if such ever happens)

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Lifthrasil: Exactly this. They have learned from the past that they can't take too big leaps, like the forced installers. But break the process down, emblemish it with some PR-bullshit and most customers will just accept it. Sneak Galaxy into the installers bit by bit through 'updates'. Remove the Downloader. Next step will be to block all third-party downloaders for "security reasons". Then the browser downloads. Technically, you can still use Galaxy to just download the DRM-free installers - unless, of course. But you'll have to use Galaxy. That is the way that GOG wants.
Again, this is unproven conjecture.

(Though again, if you were ever proven right/proof materialized I would likely be right there "in the trenches" fighting over it with the rest of you)

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Lifthrasil: ... and now try to guess what I'm doing. But at least I let GOG know why I stop buying here. Not that they care. But still I want them to know.
Fair enough.

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Lifthrasil: As I said, communication used to be much better here on GOG. The blues used to be people you could talk to and who would also give actual answers. Not some inane PR statements. You're too young to remember that. But GOG grew and dumped all their principles that made them special in the first place. So there is no reason to stick to GOG anymore.
It was good(french monk videos, Enigmatic T, etc).....sadly things(in general) change....and often not for the better.

(Also they still have drm-free on all of their SP games.....so no, they haven't dropped every single founding principle....yet. And due to that, I hold out hope, slim as it may be)

As for a good reason to stick around(at least in the forums)...there are still some good souls here who appreciate good games to talk to(not everyone, but there are still some good/kind souls here).

(Btw what do you mean "too young"? I was here in 2010 :))

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Lifthrasil: What I really don't understand is the impulse to defend GOG. Why do you react so negatively when other people state that they are unhappy with GOG's decision?
It's not over people being unhappy with GOG, but rather how some express it & handle it.

And I agree, GOG should be called out for bad decisions....i've done such a few times in the past and gotten grilled over it/chastised about it, oddly enough, by some of the same people(NOT you, but others) who are likely now criticizing GOG for this decision.
Posted March 18, 2020
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Links: I never engage with someone representing a company on a personal level. If I see a blue post then it means I'm talking to a GOG.COM employee who is representing that company, I don't care who they are as far as that particular interaction goes; I don't even look at the user name if I don't need to.
This doesn't answer my question(or maybe you hinted at it and I didn't get it): Do you want people risking their jobs to give you a more verbose/in depth answer?

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Links: After beginning to read the rest of your post, I'm not reading the rest. I got your "let's put everyone who complains about any particular thing that GOG does in the same bag without really addressing any of their criticisms" view form your first couple of posts in the thread. No need for me to read you reiterate any of it.
The other stuff(past the ===) was more me musing and to everyone here, not to you specifically(sorry if it came off as such)....and also NOT about everyone complaining about this.

That said I wasn't trying to address anyone's criticisms(I did that in a few others posts elsewhere) ...I was just trying to raise what I see as a valid point: i.e. that in THIS CASE there are some complaining over this ONE thing, who were seemingly okay with GOG when GOG gave them/us a bunch of other things. To me this is a bit hypocritical of the few doing it, so I felt the need to mention it.
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Flyingfluffypiglet: Yes they are a business but let's not forget how business stay in business: they need customers. And while they may be always busy trying to get new customers to the detriment of existing ones they may decide they're not interested to listen to, that could lead to some unpleasant surprises.
Possibly, but with the nature of how some make purchasing decisions I think it'd be more likely that GOG would just get new customers to fill in the gaps should any of us leave.....though of course what will happen is impossible to fully tell, I think.

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Flyingfluffypiglet: So about time some keep in mind that there's a often fragile balance that has to be maintained, as in everything it's give and take.Too much of one can only spell trouble.
Agreed 100%...well said.

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Flyingfluffypiglet: At the end of the day, this business with DG has given me food for thought. I may be very fond of GOG and grateful for what they've offered us, but that doesn't mean am going to no matter what defend and stay put if they take a road I really don't like and veer off so far original course that they've become just another whatever that's out there.
Fair enough.

(I have also criticized GOG on a few things over the last year, here and there...but I also agree with some things they've done and give them props/praise where it is due)

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Flyingfluffypiglet: I'd hate to reach the point where I'm done with digital game buying, but should it come to that, at least am one of the lucky ones with more than enough to keep me going for a long time, for I've got plenty of pristine retail games that too have replayability value I don't have to depend on remote crap to be able to play, plus those I bought here I got offline installers for put on discs and double backup.
I hear ya....I have a TON of digital games, old physical discs, console games, etc...many waiting to be finished.

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Flyingfluffypiglet: So who knows and will see, que sera sera as Italians so well put it,
You have a very laid back and nice stance on things.....thanks for this post, as always....it gave me some things to think on as I go play my games(Deus Ex 1 atm).
Post edited March 18, 2020 by GameRager
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionWe say goodbye to GOG Downloader(886 posts)(886 posts)
(886 posts)