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My apologies if this has been answered already; I did do a search beforehand...
I do understand that GoG's games (are said to*) have no DRM, but do they dynamically embed user information into the installers, like how Apple has chosen to do with their 'DRM-free' audio tracks? (The reason for such being possible identification of and access restriction for users that let their files out into the wild...)
Put another way, will two different users' installers for the same game end up with the same checksum?
Just wondering, as this may affect my future purchases here...
Thanks in advance all!
This question / problem has been solved by drmlessgamesimage
Thank you all for the replies. Glad to know that GOG does not do this.
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bansama: I'm not sure why this would be an issue, unless you intend on being a pirate and/or uploading them to a torrent site. And shame on you if you do that. Seriously.

It IS an issue and quite a large one for me, because it would yet another instance of seeing your users as pirates before the fact (and treating them as such). I would not wish to support such a practice.
Thanks again all =)
From today's interview:
"But some publishers, when they hear that we sell games without DRM, are like: "You're doing what?!" Luckily we can inform them that until now we haven't seen GOG.com versions of games on torrent sites. Our community is really supporting us and respecting our work and effort. We're really proud of them!"
So much for that... We have a traitor in our midst! >:-(
My guess would be that it's not someone who's active in the community, though.
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Wishbone: I have, several times. Not to download them, you understand, just to see if they were there. The fact that they weren't gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. A feeling that is now gone.

Honestly I am not surprise at all, even if the games were free I am 100% sure you would still find them on torrents, no matter how cheap, fan friendly, full of bonus your offer will be there is always going to be some people pirating instead of buying that's just the way it is...
...but then again the most important is not the peoples who pirate the games but those who buy them.
Post edited March 26, 2009 by Gersen
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Vision: It IS an issue and quite a large one for me, because it would yet another instance of seeing your users as pirates before the fact (and treating them as such). I would not wish to support such a practice.

I really don't see how how "dynamically embedding user information into the installers" equates seeing users as pirates. The user inforation would only be ever checked if installer would end up in torrent/pirate site would it not?
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Gersen: Honestly I am not surprise at all, even if the games were free I am 100% sure you would still find them on torrents

umm, if games were free as in freeware then they could legally be put on torrent site by anyone you know. I'm 100% sure about the two free games on gog how they would be legally handled if you put them up with installer but you could extract/install the games and provide torrent of the two games with dosbox as the games are freeware (I think) and dosbox is open source. (note that for excample Grand Theft Auto 1&2 and Wild Metal Country are free but not Freeware. You can get them free from Rockstar Games but they remain only legal distributor according to the provided game licence so they can't be redistributed by others without agreement with Rorcstar Games).
Post edited March 26, 2009 by Petrell
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Vision: It IS an issue and quite a large one for me, because it would yet another instance of seeing your users as pirates before the fact (and treating them as such). I would not wish to support such a practice.
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Petrell: I really don't see how how "dynamically embedding user information into the installers" equates seeing users as pirates.

Because it would be put there in advance for nothing other than the express purpose of finding instances of piracy and likely disabling access to content for involved users. JUST like DRM. How is that seeing users as anything BUT pirates?
It really is just DRM applied after the fact as opposed to before, or at the least setting up a content provider to have that option if they wish to use it for enforcement.
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Wishbone: So far, noone has betrayed that trust. Hopefully, noone ever will.
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DarthKaal: I've already seen a GOG release (with the GOG installer) on a torrent site, and I was really angry about it.
When you see the prices here and the DRM-free policy, I don't even know why someone could want to illegaly download a GOG release.
And I'm more angry against the GOG user who throw a game in the torrents...

Just like in every other situation in life, some people are just downright assholes.
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Petrell: I really don't see how how "dynamically embedding user information into the installers" equates seeing users as pirates.
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Vision: Because it would be put there in advance for nothing other than the express purpose of finding instances of piracy and likely disabling access to content for involved users. JUST like DRM. How is that seeing users as anything BUT pirates?
It really is just DRM applied after the fact as opposed to before, or at the least setting up a content provider to have that option if they wish to use it for enforcement.

However, the point is really moot, since the game's GOG sells don't have anything like that in them.
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drmlessgames: Maybe we can contact the torrent uploader and kindly ask him/her to remove that torrent, because this one is different from the other torrents s/he has. It could work.

Well if its one of the sites that allows comments, you could always post a polite "please don't pirate this, spend a small amount of money and support a top business" post with a link to the game page.
What game was it anyway?
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lowyhong: "GOG chooses to trust its customers, rather than treat them like criminals. So far, noone has betrayed that trust. Hopefully, noone ever will."
So true. I was so close to burning my copy of Spore GALACTIC EDITION when I learnt that the pirates had an easier time with their copy than I did

Isn't fair, is it?
Anyway, if you want to torrent your games, don't ask the forum that hates these people.
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lowyhong: "GOG chooses to trust its customers, rather than treat them like criminals. So far, noone has betrayed that trust. Hopefully, noone ever will."
So true. I was so close to burning my copy of Spore GALACTIC EDITION when I learnt that the pirates had an easier time with their copy than I did
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michaelleung: Isn't fair, is it?
Anyway, if you want to torrent your games, don't ask the forum that hates these people.

By burning, he probably ment putting DVD on stick and burning it over camp fire due to frustration...
Post edited March 26, 2009 by Petrell
That was what I meant lol. I was mad enough that my game didn't come with the NatGeo DVD, and the DRM only made me want to rip it apart even more. It didn't occur to me when I typed that post that burning could also mean...you know, "ARR YE BE OVERBOARD MATEY!"
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michaelleung: Isn't fair, is it?
Anyway, if you want to torrent your games, don't ask the forum that hates these people.
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Petrell: By burning, he probably ment putting DVD on stick and burning it over camp fire due to frustration...

Yeah, I knew that.