Isn't that stretching it a bit though? Not being able to get a patch can hardly be seen as DRM, can it?

Desura seems to manage DRM free and client just fine.

Is this unique to Shadow Warrior (haven't personally run across any GOG games that required me to uninstall the game just to patch it).

While I agree with the first part, I can't think of a different that I'd think as "better".

I did read the threads, both when the patches were released and earlier today, and no, there was no need to uninstall first as you claimed. I certainly never had to - just run the new installer and install over the old version.

In the ROTT update thread, people post about having issues with the ROTT launcher crashing and performing a clean install to see if that fixed it (which it didn't because it was a bug with the game's launcher provided in the updated version).

The SW2013 update thread I linked to even has JudasIscariot posting on the second page that an uninstall is not required! It does happen on Steam from time to time, although it's not a frequent thing.

And again, you did not have to uninstall SW, just run the new installer and install over the old version. That is what I did and it worked for me (and I've had the game since release).

EDIT:

Ok, so I actually happen to still have the original installer (plus all patches) and because you seem so sure of this I decided to test it. I installed the first version of the game, followed by the new base installer, followed by the latest patch. This is the result:

Original base installer:
setup_shadow_warrior_2.0.0.1 --> sw.exe version 1.0.0.0
_version = Version: Final 1.0 (Sep 26 2013 10:14:44)


New base installer:
setup_shadow_warrior_2.1.0.5 --> sw.exe version 1.0.7.0
_version = Version: Final 1.0.7 (Oct 14 2013 18:06:45)


Latest patch:
patch_shadow_warrior_2.1.2.7 --> se.exe version 1.1.0.0
_version = 1.1.0 Final NoSteam (Dec 17 2013 16:16:58)


Installation/updating worked fine and I did not need to uninstall the original version in order to update it using the new base installer. Well there isn't really a lot that GOG can do providing only standalone patches as they do now. It's either the current base installer + one standalone patch approach, or it's the base installer + lots of patches approach.

Perhaps a better solution would be to provide the base installer + single patch until there's a large update, then provide two patches after that (base installer + large update + smaller update) until there's another large update, at which point there would be three patches (base installer + large update + large update + smaller update) etc...

Just a small price to pay for total DRM free experience. You know how people would react once they see a launcher at splash screen constantly checking the internet for latest file.

But in some game, like Driftmoon for example it has optional built-in auto-patcher. Developer can / should make their initiative as well, not just relying on patching service provided by the store.

I agree with the OP. I have always found manual patching to be a pain in the ass, even in the old days. I really like Steam's auto-patching. It's far from being perfect but i think it's much better than GOG's patching solution to be very honest.I really like that Steam takes care of everything for me and i don't have to manually hunt for patches, download and install them. I like the fact that my games are always up to date and i don't have to do anything.
Desura says hello.

This is only going to get worse with games coming out being released with bugs and issues that would make you think the game is probably a beta......
Could there be a alternative solution as in where gog could have two tier solution , current manual patching for those who like it and a direct patching system for those who opt into the game checking for updates directly from the developer and updating the game itself . you know like have the gog downloader client setup to be auto patch downloader for those wanting to the games to be auto updated??

just to give an example , check out shadowrun returns http://shadowrun-returns.wikispaces.com/Release+Notes has had 6 patches already with steam auto updating itself you would not notice much but imagine if gog version had come at version 1.0 and 6 patches had to be added.Already there is a beta going on in steam for the next patch and more will come after the dlc release

Dont forget this is a unity game whereas in every patch done is the same filesize 289mb or something even for the smallest fix

GOG:
I'm ok with GOG's update method mostly, however I wish that the GOG downloader and website were updated to be a little more robust and consistent. When you're notified there is an update and click on it you're taken to the website and view your shelf then have to click on updates, if you don't immediately download the update the notification vanishes on you and apparently doesn't show up again. I wish it worked more like all other software updaters that let you know there is an update you have not applied unless you actively dismiss the message or something. Also, sometimes after I have actually installed an update, a while later the GOG downloader will show there's an update still and it wont go away until I contact support. It's not the end of the world by any means and I'm not complaining about it, just sharing an observation - but it'd be nice if it were to get fixed and updated to be more modern.

Steam:
The Steam client has both a global option to decide whether or not games get updated automatically, and you can also configure each game independently to:

1) automatically update (default)
2) do not update automatically
3) high priority update

So if someone hates automatic updates they're not forced to have them on Steam, it's merely the default on Steam and presumably because that is what most people will want. Personally I leave it on auto-update but then disable it on individual games that I notice updating all the time even though I'm not playing them. Steam still lets you know a game has updates available if you've got auto-update disabled so you can choose to download and install updates before you play the game again if desired.

So what do you suggest as a viable option?
Only problem is (unless things have changed), there is NO Global option to disable automatic updates for all the games in one go. Have to go into each one and turn them off one by one. A real pain (if u have a lot of games)for people who use mods and other programs with certain games - Steam autoupdates and it screws those games up.

I just checked and can't seem to find a global option, I could have sworn there was one. There is an option to restrict autoupdate download timeframe though. One could set the time to a range of zero to disable it perhaps (untested). I'm using the Steam beta client for the record.

Yep i found out the hard way. Pain in the ass manually disabling all the games from updating - this is also a problem for people with limited bandwidth. could easily chew through gobs of GB without realising it had been updating - i know - sometimes i dont check and wondered where the frig all my data usage went

The other irksome part is even if you disable auto-update on all your games, and even if you are in Offline Mode Steam still updates itself (as in the client) which is really, really annoying if you're on the last GB for the month. Grrrrr.

The steam client has a long way to go before perfecting those, they simply cant nail down a stable version of the client with so many other things being developed such linux version, steam os it will take some time for them to introduce global options.

I still say gog should offer two versions 1) current classic method of downloading games 2) a gog client which is better than steam for downloading larger more modern games along with some of the good features like cloud saves, friendlists ,direct updates etc for those wanting that method
so people can have a choice between both

I started noticing the downloads count was like 20 or so and I hadn't installed anything, checked the download page and saw multiple updates for: DOTA2, Team Fortress 2, Path of Exile, Bioshock Infinite and a few others, all of which are installed but I'm not actively playing them so it just potentially cuts into my network performance and to a much lesser degree eating into my bandwidth for the month. Figured I'd disable updates for them as long as I'm not actually playing them and just do manual beforehand when I do. Might actually save bandwidth on files that are frequently updated multiple times as only one update should be needed.

It is nice to have the auto-updates available though as well as a log of what updated.

I don't have a problem with manual patching - in fact, I prefer it in many cases - but I do agree that GOG's system is less than optimal. For one, the bizarre way GOG occasionally uses full installers in lieu of smaller patches is extremely inefficient.

And, as stuff said, I too like to have total control over how a game is updated, which is why I find it kind of odd that GOG only offers the latest patch and doesn't provide all of the previous legacy patches. You'd think that by offering a manual patching system, they'd at least leverage the advantages of it.