If the DRM would have been removed down the line because of the anti-DRM support from the people who got it on GOG, if Witcher 3 would come out without DRM on all released because of the same reasons, then I would feel I helped and would be content with missing out on other advantages from getting it some place else. So for now I do not feel my "vote" mattered. I just don't get all the victory dances people do.

If at least they would have came off saying "well from the sales of GOG we see people willing to support no DRM so we chose option B (remove DRM) in order to fix the DRM caused problems". I actually really wonder just how "many" were the sales here.

What's worse is people saying the pirates play the drm-free version as a reason to remove drm from the rest. Normally that would be an awesome message, but when we know the version pirates are playing is the GOG one then I'm not really sure it sends the right message to the publishers.

As to what alternative I would propose. Well clearly since I got it here for the DRM free I support removing DRM from all version. But considering they get very little money from retail comparing to digital and even less if you compare it with getting it digital directly from them, not Steam or other DD store, they could have done something more for people here. I mean less than 2 weeks after release their marketing campaign on GOG doesn't hold water anymore. Because of it they could spend some of that extra money and reward their customers. And extra game code in the mail. Or even better (my preference, not generally better) some GOG stickers and stuff in the RL mail. I still have some from the fighter contest and I liked them, the insignia also :)
No personal attacks. Just refuting him without bothering to understand. And it was not just this topic, not a single occurrence. The thing is he is right. From his point of view he has the right to feel the way he does. And everyone is basically telling him he's wrong. He's really not.

I did not notice this note earlier. I would not compare losing uniqueness of DRM-freedom on GOG to losing uniqueness of DLC on CE so easily. Why? Yes, DLC was a part of CE uniqueness, but the main physical content is still here and that is what counts mainly in CE. Yes, you are losing uniqueness of CE's one DLC but you gain four DLCs for free at the same time - and I think it is good compensation. On GOG, W2's version now lost its uniqueness so quick and you gain practically nothing in terms of ingame content.

Personally, I have no regrets for supporting GOG and CD Projekt Red. :)

Well for most games you have the choice between :

Pysical copy + DRM
Digital version + DRM

and yet a good number of peoples buy the digital version.

Here you got the digital version, plus some bonuses the CE's artbook, all the papercraft (exept the CE's big one) instead of two for physical copies, and some other extra like background, not to mention a free game, etc...

Honestly for a digital version it's definitely not a bad deal IMHO, DRM-free exclusivity or not.

And I have all three versions (standard retail, CE retail and GOG) and apart from the CE's artbook and the nice big box you are not missing much with the DD version.

Don't get me wrong the retail version are great (kudos to CDP for the standard version witch is cheap and yet contains a lot of extra like the making of, papercraft, guide,etc...) but with GoG version you have a digital version of all the extras except the cursed coin and the Geralt bust.

I chose C:
Nordic Collector's Edition (all papercrafts, bust, other neat physical extras, DRM-free after patch) + GOG edition (no-disc-required installer, DRM-free).

Yes, that's two purchases, it's all for a good cause though.

What's probably very much impossible or unlikely, but would pretty much make everyone happy, would be an ability for GOG purchasers to in some way buy the physical goods of the CE separate from the game itself, possibly for roughly the difference between the GOG and CE versions. It's unlikely and logistically complex, but it would work from a PR standpoint. ;)

Let me make something clear: the GOG version did not sell nearly as much as the Steam version, I can guarantee you that. I wouldn't be surprised if other digital retailers sold more as well, and I am sure the boxed version sold a lot more than GOG too considering boxed sales still account for roughly 50% of PC game sales and the boxed version ranked high on the multiplatform sales chart.

Let me also be equally clear: the vast majority of people do not care about most DRM. For example people love Steam and often choose Steam over DRM free methods of getting a game. DRM is accepted by the majority when it is not a hassle, in the end people just dislike hassles. Ubisoft's constant online thing was a hassle, so it got a lot of press. Steam is not a hassle, a simple activation is not a hassle. The vast majority of Witcher 2 players didn't even notice patch 1.1 removed the DRM I bet and the fact Steam users had to download 9GB for the patch got more press than the DRM removal did.

So in the end did your vote count for much? Maybe not. You still cast that vote though, and you still bought here to do so. I don't see how you can claim now a week or so after the fact that it was pointless unless you never really believed it would matter anyway.

All this aside though I still don't know what better support you could have wanted from them. You say you want a free game now but come on, that's so silly. You didn't pay more on GOG for the privilege of getting the game DRM free, it cost the same as other retailers, so they don't owe you back some premium you paid for something extra. You paid $45 and got the game, a bonus art book PDF available nowhere else and a free GOG game available nowhere else. You already got a better deal than any other digital retailer and if you really wanted physical goodies more than you would have done the same thing I did and bought and the boxed edition anyway.

Bought them both as I knew the CE Package would never last long enough to get the Physical "Stuff" at a discount and Support for DRM Free was a must.

Do you compare in absolute numbers or in user percentage?