Posted January 06, 2021
low rated
What I want is, ideally, a game client (supported by a web service) that acts as a unified game library, friends list, and achievements list, tracks what I play (no matter where that game came from nor what device I am playing it on--PC, Xbox, etc.), allows me to rate what I play (maybe from 1-5 stars), acts as a social hub for my games (with posts from developers and other players), and makes personalized recommendations. Its recommendations should start with games I already own or have access to via subscription, and haven't played yet but would probably enjoy, based on my preferences; and then after listing those games, it should list games that I don't have and would probably like, based on my preferences, and it should show me prices at various stores for those games.
It would also serve as a searchable and browsable database of games, and GOG Galaxy 2.0 already serves as that because it implements IGDB. What IGDB and GOG Galaxy 2.0 don't do is include on each game's page technical details about each game, such as sound (mono sound, stereo sound, Creative EAX, 5.1, 7.1, etc.). I have posted a request on IGDB's forums to add technical details to each game's page, and if IGDB follows through with that request, then GOG should implement that new feature from IGDB.
Moby Games, another game database, offers on each of its game pages technical details like those, and if Moby Games offers a public API, then GOG should implement that API, until IGDB offers better technical details.
The GOG Galaxy game client would have a web site equivalent, optimized for mobile devices. The web version wouldn't be able to launch games, but it would be able to do everything else that I said, because the features that I mentioned, and the integrations that would be required with other stores, would be implemented on the back end, not client-side. With GOG Galaxy 2.0, integrations are only implemented client-side.
I have yet to find such a service.
I might even be willing to pay a small subscription fee for a service like that, depending upon the cost. Perhaps $1 per month.
There are other web services that do some of the functions I described, and maybe GOG could implement their APIs or scrape their pages. For example, If IGDB implemented a game recommendation algorithm with public APIs, then GOG could simply implement those APIs.
For me, the features and ideas that I listed above are more important than DRM-free games. DRM-free games are nice, but they're not the primary reason that I use GOG and GOG Galaxy. I love that GOG Galaxy 2.0 syncs my games across all of the different game sources that I have, and now I'm looking at ways to find new games, and personalized recommendations would be one of them.
I don't know anything about this issue with GOG and China, and I'll look into it. GOG better not be censoring content outside of China according to China's rules.
It would also serve as a searchable and browsable database of games, and GOG Galaxy 2.0 already serves as that because it implements IGDB. What IGDB and GOG Galaxy 2.0 don't do is include on each game's page technical details about each game, such as sound (mono sound, stereo sound, Creative EAX, 5.1, 7.1, etc.). I have posted a request on IGDB's forums to add technical details to each game's page, and if IGDB follows through with that request, then GOG should implement that new feature from IGDB.
Moby Games, another game database, offers on each of its game pages technical details like those, and if Moby Games offers a public API, then GOG should implement that API, until IGDB offers better technical details.
The GOG Galaxy game client would have a web site equivalent, optimized for mobile devices. The web version wouldn't be able to launch games, but it would be able to do everything else that I said, because the features that I mentioned, and the integrations that would be required with other stores, would be implemented on the back end, not client-side. With GOG Galaxy 2.0, integrations are only implemented client-side.
I have yet to find such a service.
I might even be willing to pay a small subscription fee for a service like that, depending upon the cost. Perhaps $1 per month.
There are other web services that do some of the functions I described, and maybe GOG could implement their APIs or scrape their pages. For example, If IGDB implemented a game recommendation algorithm with public APIs, then GOG could simply implement those APIs.
For me, the features and ideas that I listed above are more important than DRM-free games. DRM-free games are nice, but they're not the primary reason that I use GOG and GOG Galaxy. I love that GOG Galaxy 2.0 syncs my games across all of the different game sources that I have, and now I'm looking at ways to find new games, and personalized recommendations would be one of them.
I don't know anything about this issue with GOG and China, and I'll look into it. GOG better not be censoring content outside of China according to China's rules.