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General discussionwitcher games and piracy. Thoughts?(43 posts)solved(43 posts)solved
(43 posts)solved
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This is my favourite topic
Posted July 21, 2015
this came up in my feed today
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2015/07/20/gog-galaxy-is-a-smart-pro-gamer-alternative-to-steam/

summary is "GOG is awesome".

anyway the article raised a topic i have not thought about recently.
the Witcher games have always been front amongst the most pirated games.

The Wild Hunt having come out for a bit, are there any numbers out there to indicate how pirates have treated the franchise.
as many of us have come to know and love GOG and CDPR, is there any indication of a decrease in these figures?

I guess the question is "Have we made a noticeable impact in the fight against DRM and piracy as well?" at least as far as this franchise?"
This question / problem has been solved by hucklebarryimage
Posted July 21, 2015
The thing about DRM is that it doesn't stop piracy. As the saying goes, 'Pirates gonna pirate'. So while the lack of DRM likely won't make a difference in the piracy rates, at least it gives the actual paying customer a hassle-free experience. which is the whole point of DRM-free.
Posted July 21, 2015
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Coelocanth: The thing about DRM is that it doesn't stop piracy. As the saying goes, 'Pirates gonna pirate'. So while the lack of DRM likely won't make a difference in the piracy rates, at least it gives the actual paying customer a hassle-free experience. which is the whole point of DRM-free.
^ Groot knows, but unfortunately he will only say "I am Groot".
Posted July 21, 2015
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Coelocanth: The thing about DRM is that it doesn't stop piracy. As the saying goes, 'Pirates gonna pirate'. So while the lack of DRM likely won't make a difference in the piracy rates, at least it gives the actual paying customer a hassle-free experience. which is the whole point of DRM-free.
Hassle free? Did you play the witcher 2 or 3?

Just getting 3 to run has been a hassle for many people. Ironically, those on steam seem to largely have a easier time of it because Steam isn't a horribly buggy beta prerelease mess.
Posted July 21, 2015
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Coelocanth: The thing about DRM is that it doesn't stop piracy. As the saying goes, 'Pirates gonna pirate'. So while the lack of DRM likely won't make a difference in the piracy rates, at least it gives the actual paying customer a hassle-free experience. which is the whole point of DRM-free.
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paladin181: Hassle free? Did you play the witcher 2 or 3?

Just getting 3 to run has been a hassle for many people. Ironically, those on steam seem to largely have a easier time of it because Steam isn't a horribly buggy beta prerelease mess.
I think you are confusing Galaxy's problems with Witcher problems. Without Galaxy, Witcher has been a (mostly) hassle-free game. Either way, the problems it has had have nothing to do with DRM, unlike other games that have run up against things like poorly planned and overloaded activation servers that prevent a game from even launching.
Posted July 21, 2015
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zer00o: the Witcher games have always been front amongst the most pirated games.
Personal opinion or cited somewhere? The few sites I checked did not even have Witcher games in the currently top 10 pirated games, which is very odd considering they just had a major AAA release that is being extremely well received by the public. In many ways, piracy can't be fully known as not every pirated copy can be accounted for as a unique torrent download. For the same reason, I'm not sure how we can know the impact of NOT pirating.

You could look at sales, but comparing is difficult as public perception could simply lead to more or less sales as much as any other factor.

As of June 11th, W3 sold over 4 million copies. In 2013, CDProjectRed announced combined sales of Witcher 1 and 2 at over 6 million. I still think we are looking at apples and oranges to compare staggering games in a franchise, so I'm not sure this tells us much. Unless you can compare amount spent on marketing, number of target purchasers, number of platforms available, all detailed sales figures, etc (most of which is not publicly disclosed) I don't think you can be left with many pertinent facts.

I think the simple answer is the most truthful one. If you are decided that you are going to steal a game, little will stop you from doing so. Even less will convince you to buy it legally. Your question is one of the ones that outrages gamers considerably. If we don't know how much a game is being pirated, how do we know DRM is actually doing anything other than annoying honest customers?

So, what is the current top pirated game according to torrents? GTA 5... a game that shipped 52 million copies and is not available on GOG. I think, if anything, this points to what others have already mentioned... people are going to pirate video games. DRM doesn't change that. People are also going to BUY video games. No amount of DRM or third party shenanigans are going to change that either.
Posted July 21, 2015
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hucklebarry: snip
Great post. That's how to articulate an argument.

My two cents for OP about fighting piracy : 'Videogame counterfeiting' can only be beaten by educating people on a more general level (and yes that's a tough battle). People here know what DRM are worth.
Posted July 21, 2015
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paladin181: Hassle free? Did you play the witcher 2 or 3?

Just getting 3 to run has been a hassle for many people. Ironically, those on steam seem to largely have a easier time of it because Steam isn't a horribly buggy beta prerelease mess.
Played the first two to completion and played about an hour of the third so far (waiting for all the DLC to show up before going all in).

Getting 3 to run hasn't been an issue for me, no. But, as pointed out, I believe you're confusing the issues with a client with problems with the game itself. Which, almost ironically, suggests that clients are just another layer that cause issues/hassles - much like DRM.
Posted July 21, 2015
What amazes me is why people need to think they need a game client to play a single player game? Seriously what is the benefit for using steam or galaxy clients? Its some form of drm. As long as I can download and install directly from my account website I'm happy. I'll play my games. But if gog goes full galaxy support only I'm gone.

You don't need to play a game and have a client running in the background. Why?? For awards for completing a task? What? Do you need a pat on the shoulder? Please!

I'm sure there is more to clients than awarding medals.
Posted July 21, 2015
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Wolfehunter: What amazes me is why people need to think they need a game client to play a single player game? Seriously what is the benefit for using steam or galaxy clients? Its some form of drm. As long as I can download and install directly from my account website I'm happy. I'll play my games. But if gog goes full galaxy support only I'm gone.

You don't need to play a game and have a client running in the background. Why?? For awards for completing a task? What? Do you need a pat on the shoulder? Please!

I'm sure there is more to clients than awarding medals.
In the case of Galaxy, you don't need the client... unless you want achievements, in-game chat, multiplayer, etc. If you don't want any of that, don't use it. With Steam, although it is not optional like Galaxy, it does give you all that extra stuff, plus a market/trading system, mod management support, gameplay recording/streaming, game sharing, local network game streaming... it might not be what you or I are looking for, but it has never really been a "need" (other than Steam's forced requirement), just a "want".
Posted July 21, 2015
If I wouldn't have pirated The Witcher back in 2008 or so, it's possible that I never would've bought the entire series afterwards. So piracy sometimes serves as a demo. And it's not DRM that will stop piracy, but user education and reasonable prices.
Posted July 21, 2015
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Wolfehunter: What amazes me is why people need to think they need a game client to play a single player game? Seriously what is the benefit for using steam or galaxy clients? Its some form of drm. As long as I can download and install directly from my account website I'm happy. I'll play my games. But if gog goes full galaxy support only I'm gone.

You don't need to play a game and have a client running in the background. Why?? For awards for completing a task? What? Do you need a pat on the shoulder? Please!

I'm sure there is more to clients than awarding medals.
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cogadh: In the case of Galaxy, you don't need the client... unless you want achievements, in-game chat, multiplayer, etc. If you don't want any of that, don't use it. With Steam, although it is not optional like Galaxy, it does give you all that extra stuff, plus a market/trading system, mod management support, gameplay recording/streaming, game sharing, local network game streaming... it might not be what you or I are looking for, but it has never really been a "need" (other than Steam's forced requirement), just a "want".
Thanks for your response. But I already knew the answer. :) I don't use origin or steam or any client. Old school gamer. \o/
Posted July 21, 2015
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Wolfehunter: What amazes me is why people need to think they need a game client to play a single player game? Seriously what is the benefit for using steam or galaxy clients? Its some form of drm. As long as I can download and install directly from my account website I'm happy. I'll play my games. But if gog goes full galaxy support only I'm gone.

You don't need to play a game and have a client running in the background. Why?? For awards for completing a task? What? Do you need a pat on the shoulder? Please!

I'm sure there is more to clients than awarding medals.
Because developers force it on them. Clients today have become something more than just a game manager/launcher. It's a way for devs to easily release patches, make announcements and connecting the gamers.

Achievements, trading cards (lol?) and the extra fluff is just added sugar.

In GOG's case, Galaxy will help less tech savvy customers. Believe it or not but some people don't know one has to download the installation files > put in same folder and run the executable. The old generation gamers know this by heart but the new ones may end up getting lost without a client, unfortunately this is where we came to.

I loved the old way, slip in the cd, run the installation and play. Just a minor tweak for modern ages and would be better than the stupid clients.
Posted July 21, 2015
low rated
I don't like Witcher games being pirated. In fact, i don't like ANY gog game to be pirated, unless of course their CP holder removes it forcibly from GOG and proceed to sell it on steam exclusively or something, in which case it is the ONLY case in which i approve of a gog game to be pirated. Like, say, Fallout series for example; that are not sold here anymore.

But especially the witcher games. Not only they are masterpieces... But their company cares for both them and the player base, constantly updating them, patching them, adding content, offering bonuses and showing love. It is very low as a move, to pirate a witcher game.

Hmmm, well, ok, i pirated the game guide, but only because they MONETIZED it (and expensively, mind you that) and because in both past titles, this item was offered free in gog shelf goodies.

But to pirate the game itself. Is "sacrilege". With all the meaning of the word. And this comes from the mouth of a "pirate". I bought all witcher games legit. And am proud of it and them being present on my collection.
Post edited July 21, 2015 by KiNgBrAdLeY7
Posted July 22, 2015
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KiNgBrAdLeY7: I don't like Witcher games being pirated. In fact, i don't like ANY gog game to be pirated,
(...)
But to pirate the game itself. Is "sacrilege". With all the meaning of the word.
vs.

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KiNgBrAdLeY7: unless of course their CP holder removes it forcibly from GOG and proceed to sell it on steam exclusively

Hmmm, well, ok, i pirated the game guide, but only because they MONETIZED it (and expensively, mind you that)
I like your definitions. Action X is a sacrilage. Except when *I* do it. Or to people whom I don't like. Or to objects that I arbitrarily declare too expensive.

But you will proceed to complain that people downrep you for sticking to your ideals ;)
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General discussionwitcher games and piracy. Thoughts?(43 posts)solved(43 posts)solved
(43 posts)solved