Again, judging by the script and the demo alone this one is not Metrodvania-Like like Ghost or UnEpic. It is more linear.

It's a strange question honestly. He is a GOG supporter means that he is supporting everything GOG usually stands for - including DRM-Free. So how does this have to mean mean that he has to offer on other DRM-Free stores as well? You can be sure that most small indie devs actually want to be on as many platforms as they can ... however they need to keep in mind that they also have to support each platform (you do remember the problem with outdated games on GOG?). So of course he would only release the game where it is possible for him to offer support as well AND where he thinks the additional effort will be worth the expected sales. Fran has already releaed two other games here on GOG and so he knows what sales to expect - he also knows about the GOG backend to update games and how they work. I don't know if it is more problematic with humble. Itch however has two sides: it might have the best backend but it's also a store that is not curated at all and which offers so many indies that his game might get drown pretty fast.

Again: There are valid reasons not to offer on each platform. It does not mean that you don't truly support GOG.

Regarding Steam: I don't know if the game on Steam actually has added DRM - but even if this should be the case. I never said that he believes in DRM-Free as the best option (I don't know) - I only said that he believes in GOG (since hios past actions simply showed this to me) and if he would think (again, I don't know if the Steam version is DRM'd) that DRM on Steam would bring him more sales while he does not include ANY DRM in GOG because he respects GOG and how GOGers want their games that's fine with me as well.

Demo was ace, hopefully, the full game keeps the pace. GRACE!

Well since I boycot gog and there is no other drm free version no reason to buy it.

Have I ever played MGS? No.
Would I play a MGS parody? Probably yes.
xD

Thanks both of you. Slightly disappointing, but perfectly understandable given what it's based on. A top-down stealth driven metroidvania type of game would be amazing though...

oh, to be clear:

i don't mean anything against them. i'm glad they made their game and glad that it's released here.

my problem is less with the developer and more with gog.

it makes sense to me, given the situation, now, that we just - unfortunately - need to be constantly vigilant of whatever gog says or does. [that was true before, of course, but it's especially true now.]

in the spirit of that sentiment, it just makes sense to be sure what's up with each release going forward, and preferably to have that assurance for interested customers somewhere on the first page of each release thread, so that they can make an informed decision.

I am absolutely aware of this but it does not change that this will have a negative side effect for innocent devs and you should ask yourself if you really are okay that those have to suffer because of GOGs and IOIs mistake. I can't and won't force you to stop and I am a fan of free speech and constructive critizism but I also think we should fight or fights without colatteral damage if possible.

Versus Evil told me on twitter that their games on gog and epic are drm-free.
at this point I'll just buy this on the Epic store.
same price, drm-free and I can boycott gog.

https://twitter.com/vs_evil/status/1443240053874982914

Looking at the entirety of your contribution to this release thread for a genuinely good game which the developer probably poured years of hard work into, I get a vague feeling that you might be upset with GOG and you're unwilling to buy the game from them. Call it a hunch.

Anyways, I'm happy for you that you have the chance to buy a DRM-free copy from the EGS and no longer need to post in this thread.

I think you are overestimating how much difference it will make. However, I'm also not convinced that asking in the forums will do much, except for those very few developers who watch the forum. Asking for a response "on the first page" just sounds obnoxious to me since if the developer is going to respond they will do so as quickly as they can anyway and I'm not convinced there is any value at all to these "seems to work for me so far" responses that we have seen so far. For a user to be able to tell they would need to play the full game both online and offline (and have a decent memory) and that will take a while. And the developer could change that in an update (e.g. Asmodee's frequent "make an account" popups in offline single player Scythe were added later along with a fix to an AI script hang that caused delays most turns). So what would really be useful is a statement from the developer or publisher and that likely requires emailing the developer or publisher (ideally doing so before the release so they can add a statement to the game page or to the forum page right away). I would also suggest asking if any single-player content or features depend on an online connection rather than asking about DRM to avoid any issues with differing opinions about what exactly is DRM.

just to weigh in here:

half of the reason i'm suggesting that this happen "on the first page" is so that CUSTOMERS don't have to wade through several pages of conversation to find the answer to "is this game drm'd or not?" - that would save them a lot of hassle and digging - and i say this - again - because i doubt very much that gog will do the heavy lifting of explaining where and how the drm is happening.

furthermore: i don't expect the developer to do that. if they want to, that's cool and i'd trust their responses. for the most part, i think think this should be users helping other users.

the reason i say that is because - as with someone like ioi - they /could/ potentially weasel word their "official answer" as "no, but actually yes" and at this point, i would much rather put my trust in given users who "understand" what drm free means to most of the rest of the userbase that ALSO believes in drm free. [which is to say: can i play the game, offline in single player mode without something especially borked happening along the way?]

i do not mean to sound obnoxious in the least.
i do understand.

and i'm sure that there's consternation on the part of some developers when they see this question crop up in their release threads and i do apologize to those developers. i do not intend for them to have bonus angst on top of the angst of releasing their game, but it's an important question, given the state of gog.

unfortunately, it's a sad, sorry state of affairs that the question has to be asked.

i am not here to throw good developers under the bus. good developers - like the unmetal folks - once they look into the situation, will hopefully understand the user consternation and will hopefully understand the reason for asking the question.

---

if the unmetal developer is reading this, i apologize. i don't want to make your life harder and weirder than it is already and i hope you understand that my frustration is not with you at all.

I know you don't and I would also like that information right away, but I don't think you are thinking through how realistic it is. Maybe for games that are on other platforms for a while someone might have an idea what offline issues it has and be able to check them fairly quickly, but I'm fairly sure this one is a day one release. There might be a few issues that have happened that could potentially be noticed fairly quickly (like the anti-cheat driver required for single player mode issue or installing a launcher distinct from the game that doesn't get uninstalled with the game) but most of them seem fairly difficult to notice even looking for possible issues. I also think most people here will post any such issues as soon as they notice them even without anyone asking. Some issues happened later; I think the No Man's Sky issue happened years after the initial release (UnMetal at least seemed solid in the demo so I'm guessing it is a "the game is done other than possible rare bugs" release and not an "early access but we'll call it a release" release).

Personally, I would prefer statements from the developer or publisher since they know what the game does (although not necessarily the particular person checking the forum, so that could also take some time to get a correct answer). As you say they could say something unclear, in which case we could ask for a clearer answer. They could potentially lie, but at least discovering that they outright lied would be a solid reason to avoid a developer or publisher from that point on and could in theory cause them legal trouble (in practice that seems unlikely but I'd guess few will bother to lie about it when they could just ignore the question). Emailing developers in advance of the release seems like the most reliable way to know at release if there are any issues (I will try to do this for some I am particularly interested in and see how it goes).

One option might be to start a post in the game forum and then link to that post in the release thread so it is easier to find the discussion without it needing to happen right away. If the forum isn't yet created at the release, which is often the case, maybe mention that and edit to include the link once the game forum does exist.

Hello Exsurgent!

Thank you for this response! I still have some doubts regarding "UnMetal".

The original games in the "Metal Gear" series (including not only the two MSX games, but also the not-so-faithful NES port of the first one and "Metal Gear Solid" on PS1 and PC) has the player returning to previous areas with later acquired key items ('key cards') in order to access additional rooms for new equipment.
It is not necessarily in the type of the "Metroidvania" style, since you do not 'learn' more abilities, more like progression or side areas gated off by the need for a new key card or explosives.

Nonetheless, those (often optional) side rooms and the opening up of new, previously inaccessible but connected areas contributed to a 'sense of place' and exploration in the "Metal Gear (Solid)" games.

From my experience with the "UnMetal" demo, I did not got that feeling. Rather, I got the impression of a series of loosely connected rooms or scenes, which seem to be interrupted by the narration a little too frequently...
The experience was/is enjoyable, although I did not got all the jokes.
But the gameplay itself also 'felt' more restrictive to me than in the "Metal Gear" series despite the inclusion of elements from other game genres.
The "Metal Gear" series always invited to experiment with the obstacles on your way and your current equipment, often allowing for various approaches and sometimes for distinctive solution alternatives (intended or unintended by the developers), thus increasing replay value.

=> Does the final game "UnMetal" 'open up' more after the section from the demo--allowing more freedom to experiment and to explore?

=> And are the changes in the game world somewhat persistent, or not?

Thank you for everyone playing the game already, for your feedback on these questions!

Kind regards,
foxgog

this is a thing i hadn't thought of at all.

this is certainly a good idea/bad idea.

good idea: it actually keeps the information in a relevant place.

bad idea: and specifically the reason i never thought of it: i VERY rarely venture into those subforums anymore, and i'm willing to bet that a lot of people don't think of them at all either when checking out a game. [though that would be the most obvious place to look for actual solutions to real problems with those games.]

on balance, i think i'm going to start recommending this in release threads, because it makes sense.