Steam has received two patches in the last 24 hours but nothing here...

I can hardly wait myself, I need to get Brandon Wan to spill the beans.

Frictional Games say they are working on it:

https://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-30673-page-4.html

https://twitter.com/frictionalgames/status/647405857366495232

It seems as though Frictional Games will not upload the patch to GOG before they have smoothed out all of the rough edges.

Makes it feel like Steam is getting special treatment. Things like this make me not want to buy stuff on GOG anymore :\

You think this is bad? I had to wait 2 months for a Linux patch for Oddworld: New 'n Tasty that fixed two gamebreaking issues, whereas the Mac and Windows patches were available almost immediately.

That delay, as is this one, was however not GOG's fault - the developers simply do not supply the patches in a timely manner. I, for one, will keep buying at GOG where I actually get to own my games (DRM-free) and I can run them without malware running in the background (Steam, Origin, Battle.net).

#1 - Solution was already posted in another thread.
#2 - One never owns anything in the world of proprietary software. Fact that Steam is another piece of software one needs to run some game he has license for is true, but generally same thing - proprietary software is never owned at all.
#3 - People here at GOG seem to somewhat romantize things. If you think that GOG is here to be your friend forever or something, he, no. They are here for profit, simple. They know that getting profit in their case means DRM-free stuff etc, after all that's where it all started. As long as it's profitable, it will be like that.
If you look at GOG library of DOS games e.g., there still is a big number of those that have only Windows installer.
Frankly, it doesn't make any sense. If the Windows version is done, Linux version is done too really.

Existence of money means GOG can be here to make profit, which means Windows versions of stuff first, all else later. And only after Galaxy or any other POS gets in my way w/o ability toget rid of it, I'm done, as usual.
But since W10 is an utter mess of beta quality, yet being a spyware itself, those millions of those who "upgraded" will be sorry for killing their old W7/8.1 licenses. Maybe Windows versions will not be a priority in a few years. ;)

That's because Steam sucks duckballs and needs all the fixes and tweaks it could get. Are you serious? Then get the fuck off and join the other idiotic zealots on Steam with their bullshit DRM.

There are at least 2 crashes(or areas in which those crashes do appear) that cannot be avoided and stop your progress without the 2nd patch.

I guess it is like for all games - they do not get patched during the weekends. My guess is, that the patch will appear on tuesday next week.


But...at least the first patch is available on certain sources.....It will not help with the crash at getting the arch out of the pressure chamber.

I will buy the game here too someday when it is fully patched - but for now the steam version will do.

What solution? Are you talking about the MALLOC_CHECK_=0 glibc workaround that I have used since 2008, when Enemy Territory: Quake Wars would not run without it? Are you soliciting credit for a ubiquitous workaround that has been around since glibc 2.0?

See 'man malloc', comments section, last paragraph. Will you not agree that when you are condemned to closed source software, closed source software without digital restrictions management is preferable to closed source software with digital restrictions management?

Digital restrictions management is a disproportionate step above closed software; from a privacy and security vantage point, software that need not "phone home" prior to running is better than software that does "phone home".

In the case of Frictional Games, they have released the source code to their HPL1 engine. See: https://github.com/FrictionalGames/HPL1Engine . A Linux version is not "done too really" if the Windows client is. Porting an engine from DirectX to OpenGL is not a trivial chore. Your statement above only holds true for Windows games with an OpenGL renderer backgend. I find your point of view unnecessarily cynical and gloomy. If GOG were purely motivated by profit, they would have allowed programs with DRM on their store - they are turning down some big money by denying DRM encumbered games. However, all software on GOG is available without digital restrictions management and GOG Galaxy is an optional addition; it will not be required to run any games as that would in essence be digital restrictions management.

Yes, MALLOC_CHECK_=0 is a solution, as the game can be finished with it. Like I said in another thread, it's not perfect fix, it may still crash, but most of the time it behaves.
Yes, it has nothing to do with the game itself, but that is irrelevant, as long as it helps fixing the crash.

Like I said and you were likely misreading it - Linux version is done, in case of DOS games. Just from my list of DOS games here on GOG, those that don't have Linux versions:
Bioforge
Cannon Fodder
Descent 1,2
Doom 2 master levels
Final Doom
Dungeon Keeper Gold
Arena
Daggerfall
Flight of the Amazon queen
Gabriel Knight (1993)
Mortal Kombat 1,2,3
Phantasmagoria 1,2
Quake
Redneck Rampage
Simcity 2000
Dark Forces
Starflight 1,2
Syndicate
Syndicate Wars
Ultimate Doom

Get the picture? When Windows versions of those are done, Linux ones are done too, just not present.
If they provided the fucking tarball of the game data, I can perfectly manage to get it going in DOSBox in no time.
But this way, either Wine or a Windows license is needed to get the game data in the first place.

So, yes, of course GOG is strictly profit oriented. After all, look where the company has it's legal headquarters.
My point has nothing to do with cynicism, I'm just strictly realistic. It's sad, that many people don't cope with reality the same way, so that's why they tend to use pink glasses.
Simple perception of what happens, my own feeling about it is irrelevant, it happens anyway.
Nice weekend ;)

If I am not mistaken, these are DOS games bundled with a DOSBOX PE executable. Therefore, buying these games from GOG to run them on Linux would be rather unwieldy: DOS executable -> DOSBOX.exe -> Wine. I think anyone without masochistic tendencies would simply download this abandonware or install it from original media and run it in DOSBox directly - at least that is what I do. The pursuit of profit does not preclude ideals. I will reiterate my standpoint that if GOG were to allow DRM-encumbered games in the store, they would vastly increase their profits. That they have not done so suggests that they are not single-mindedly motivated by the pursuit of profit. This is an objective observation, I do not wear rose tinted glasses.

Regardless of our points of view on GOG's motivation, we both prefer GOG above Steam. So I, for one, do not regret buying SOMA on GOG and I will continue to buy my games on GOG. In fact, I think I might uninstall Steam altogether.

A nice weekend to you as well.

I am also waiting for the patch. The MALLOC_CHECK_ workaround does not work for me and until the crash is fixed I can't play the game. Which sucks of course.

what an asinine comment. the issues with the game have nothing to do with Steam. you are just an irrational tin foil hat wearing nut job.

Calling Steam, Origin, etc "malware" is damned excessive. I've been using GOG because I think Steam needs some actual competition, and competition is always good.

It's a bad freaking time for smoothing out rough edges. The game is unplayable for many.