There is no need for such services, just as there is no need for DRM. Just because someone invented DRM doesn't mean GOG has to make sure the handshake with the DRM authentication servers is working.. No, the internet isn't like that. There is no need to tie a game to any launcher service. Games can work just fine without such services, as many games do. More importantly, none of the services involved in establishing connection with fellow gamers should need to require you to log in and check if you've purchased the game you're trying to play... that's the DRM right there.

The solution to that would be to publish, maybe even open-source, the server part of the matchmaking software and allow people to set up their own service. Of course then the client software need to be able to configure which matchmaking service to talk to, ideally per game.

So far Galaxy will happily launch SP games found on the machine, regardless if the logged-in account owns them or not. But since I don't play MP I can't say what happens if you try to start an MP session. I agree that there should be no ownership check at this point.

What's really sad is that the time of "dedicated servers" shipped with the game (or downloadable from the devs) is mostly past, and everyone and their dog relies on clients and 3rd-party services which will all be gone some day. At least we can still play Quake then...

Even letting us rent our own servers would be nice sometimes. I still like playing BF every now and then but I'm so freaking tired of 'rotation' servers where there's just 8 different maps one after the other. And that's *every* server in BF.

Not right per se, yes before STEAM and all the other clients where a thing, GameSpy was the handshaker.
Then Gamers said, fuck it i wanna play and support non optional clients, which use their own kind of
service (guess why GameSpy died) (one of the "handshakers")

Nowadays the different services have to communicate somehow with each other when you want to make
crossplay happen, so yeah... here we are, thx to ourself, that we have to deal with this crap.

Besides ^^ i am not denying at all that Galaxy is the same kind of Thrid Party Monitoring Tool like all the others
out there.

But the MOST important difference is, Galaxy is fully OPTIONAL. The games will still work completely
standalone and without the client. The games are NOT tied to Galaxy at all, however as i explained for
certain fuctions the service is needed. By the nature of said functions. Unless the developers bother
to make those functions FULLY ingame.

I believe Grim Dawn has that (for example)

No, there were and are games that work today without gamespy or any other third party clients or accounts. Not true, there are games for which "crossplay" doesn't even make sense to talk of because they were never tied to any specific service or platform to begin with. And I'm not complicit in this platform lock in bullshit so don't give me credit for that :P If a client is required for some functionality, then the game is not fully standalone. The nature of multiplayer is not such that it inherently requires clients.

Considering I was forced to install it or my The Witcher 3 DVD wouldn't let me get to the install screen, I would say that it is most definitely DRM. I had no plans of installing it until I discovered I couldn't play my game without it and a day one patch. It's not a problem now, but it certainly makes GOG look a little hypocritical.

Don't bother with the "you're lying" bollocks.

You're lying!

Well it's your own fault really. If people didn't demand that pre-loading a game before it's official release is a mandatory feature, that every service has to offer nowadays, then this whole required internet connection mess would never have happened.

Haha :) Honestly, to determine whether a client for that purpose is "DRM," I think it depends on definitions/practical meaning. If the client was required to only download offline installers, and that was it, you could use the offline installers with no further hoops to jump through... it may not fit the technical definition of DRM, but it is still an "extra, unnecessary step." It's typically the "extra, unnecessary steps" within DRM that cause them to lock out users over time (such as no longer working on a new operating system, or a company going out of business). So, even if something is not technically DRM, it may fit the practical features of it to a large degree.

But I agree with you that I don't think they would force delivery of offline installers through the client. It wouldn't make sense since they would lose people like me for no extra gain. It isn't like there is some big (or ANY size) contingent of people who would buy here but are waiting until the client is forced on everyone first. As it stands right now, users who like the client can ignore the offline installers, while users who don't like the client can use the offline installers. Actually, with how hard they push the client and how much they hide the offline installers in comparison, I would bet many users don't even know about the existence of the offline installers! Only old grumps like me.

Name a few, aside from LAN MP mode i only saw GameSpy as handle service in my games Armada for
example. Hamachi doesn t count :P and neither MMORPGs that have own SERVERs running. But i admit
i was never the online player, back in the days, changed however for a few exeptions i still play now.
Both need handshake services build in the game or not. Nature of MP games but go ahead and explain
how it works please.

Also ... you re not using STEAM? Origin? UPlay? BN 2.0? the real DRM clients out there?
Then you re one of the few (just like me) who 100% boycott those ^^, if you use them have the credit
for their success because gamers say "fuck it i wanna play" *smirk*

Well the point with the functions i mentioned is, gamers want dem achievements ayy? Time spend in game
counter ayyyy? Friendlists ayyy? So yes.... that what monitoring tools do. You want it, use the client.

Can t remember my DVD install did that, from my CE of W3, perhaps i should retry the install process
to verify that. However you can deinstall Galaxy at any given time and Witcher 3 will completely work without
it and without I Net connection whatsoever. I assure you that.

Since i test ANY game i buy on GoG for this EXACT condition.

PS:
Besides all that, you can always ask the GoG staff how exactly their Service and their DRM free
approach works aye? If there is any suspicious thing about it.

Yes, as others have pointed out, Galaxy is DRM for many multiplayer games. For GOG's promises of Galaxy being completely optional to be true, they would have to provide other options. Without other options, there is nothing optional about Galaxy. It is mandatory for many multiplayer-parts and it checks ownership. Therefore it is DRM.

They could solve the latter point easily. Let players make an arbitrary user-name for a game. Like it is done in many online games. The options: "Create Username" or "Connect GOG-account".

Of course, for some functions verified accounts are needed. (Anti-Cheat measures, some achievements etc.), but in a DRM-free game those would be the customer's choice. Do I want to connect my verified account to play this game via GOG's server? Or do I want to play with a new player account, without game verification functions? Maybe even on some different server?

YES PLEASE!

I've probably played thousands of hours of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and its various mods, as well as many other Quake engine derivatives (Tremulous, Nexuiz, Warsow, OpenArena), as well as games like Deus Ex and other Unreal Engine games, GunZ The Duel, etc. All of them work today, without any extra clients or accounts or DRM. Never used them. Yes but none of that requires one to impose DRM on multiplayer.

Fair enough middle-ground for us. *thumbs up*

Did you actually test the games Standalone even for MP? GoG has no DRM at all, i am quite sure you ll
be able to make the MP work too without Galaxy. As for the functions i mentioned, the client is needed for that
yes, since most of the devs don t bother to give you the functions in game. /Grim Dawn being one of the
exceptions.

So .... how you re so sure GoG puts in DRM in the MP functions of said games? Because Galaxy is required?
Ever tried to deinstall Galaxy and reroute the game directly to the MP Servers? Ever tried to ask the STAFF
to clarify, why they use Galaxy for MP?

Got any answers from them? Would be nice if you would share them then.

PS:
A little addition, i downloaded the offline installer / security backup for a game via Galaxy.
Tried the installation complete without I Net (hardware unplug) it installed the game without
any issues or even trying to install Galaxy. The offline installer just did that, installing the game
old school way. (Singleplayer though) So as for the MP "DRM" you claim here, you might ask
the GoG Staff about it, if the game REALLY starts to install the galaxy client when you hit the
MP button in your game. If the Service is started and you have doubts about WHY, i recommend
asking the staff about it too. (At least in the EU they have to answer you about that ;) cuz DSVGO)

Why don't you show how. I'm sure everyone watching this list would love to know: https://www.gog.com/forum/general/lists_games_that_need_galaxy_for_multiplayer_and_the_ones_that_dont/page1

And then we could just tell GOG to give our Linux releases already, the ones that were held back because they require Galaxy... if it's so simple to circumvent, there's no need to hold back.

Ok i own 2 Games from that list (on the first climpse HWR and Divinity Original Sin 2
As far as i know HWR does not support crossplay, so i suspect GoG host their own
online service to make MP happen.

Not sure for DOS2 but i think it supports crossplay and so the MP is not dependent on GoG.
Any answers from the GoG Staff whatsoever on that matter??

Would be interesting what they have to say about this "hidden" DRM accusation.
I ll shut down galaxy and look if HWR ll run without it into hosting and MP

PS:
Ok back from testing with HWR

i started Homeworld remastered over the HomeworldRM.exe in the bin folder
game started completely standalone, hosted a MP match without Galaxy starting or buldging in.
I even KILLED the GALAXYCOMMUNICATIONSERVICE via TM and the game didn t buldge at
all....

So if someone please would start the GoG version of Homeworld Remastered via the game exe only
and then test a MP match with human players, tell me if Galaxy starts or not, you might even kill
the communication process like it did and tell me if the game crashes then.

on my machine the match didn t stop the game didn crash galaxy and all its services where shut down.
Sooo .... *shrugs*

Btw said communication service also starts with the games in singleplayer, so if you doubt that service
for being DRM ask the staff

OH and YES the game DIDN T communicate with GALAXY at all, since on restart the list for "latest" activity
was not actualized (i sort my games for that in the list on galaxy) so there it is...