There are actually lots of folks who keep their gaming rigs permanently disconnected from the internet. They download things on their "junk" computer, put them on some form of portable media, and transfer it to their "actual" computer that way. The standard autopatch system doesn't allow that. It can also be a hassle to connect to a particular secure server if you're overseas.

Of course, GOG promising to host patched versions at a later date helps, but it can still be highly annoying to some legitimate customers.

Actually, I was planning on purchasing the game even without ever having played the first one until I heard about how patches would be handled. And it's not so much the registering, it's that they can't be backed up.
But yeah, thanks for saying you know me more than I know me.

And of course, while I am playing other games the pirates will be playing The Witcher 2 patched to the newest version available.

Witcher 2 does NOT have DRM. It has DRM patches! ;)
I'm guessing this was a comprise in order to convince management to put this game on GOG. They want to ensure that pirates are not using their bandwidth downloading the latest patches. The probable cost of patching illegitimate copies outweighed the concerns of a backlash. This just speculation on my part though. I'm not basing this on anything.

In spite of all of this...I feel that GOG should be commended for a step in the right direction.

They will be giving us a truly DRM-free game eventually, and a 99% DRM-free game right now. : )

If you want to be technical the base game is DRM free in that it allows unlimited installations, doesn't prevent copying or playing. The patches are after-sales support & that is where any sense of "DRM" lay but then that isn't stopping anyone from playing the base game. (Therefore the game is DRM free)

That said it's a slightly mute point, after all the only ones that should be even remotely bothered are those who aren't going to have a key to download patches. (In otherwords: Pirates) If you have a remote computer without an internet connection it still doesn't change the fact that you're going to have to find a way to get the patch to that computer it may only change the method in which you will transfer said patch.

That all said this in my opinion is a nice model & far more lenient than alot of other companies. So it surprises me that we still have people treating CDPR & the game as though it's got Ubisofts previous "always-online" DRM. On top of that I'm somewhat happy to know that when I download a patch the download isn't going to be crawling slow because every pirate in the land is hammering their servers to download the patch aswell.

It states:

Using the CD-Key is not required to play, but we recommend you register your copy of The Witcher 2 with it as it grants you access to direct updates, additional language packs, future free DLC and more.


And, really, as long es there is no copy-protection, login-severs and stuff, I consider the game to be DRM free. I suppose, patches will be available from other sources (patches-scrolls, fileplanet, ...) as well.

Unless you can’t get patches any other way than registering. In that case the allegations would have a leg to stand on.

Well, they did sell the game as "DRM-free". I think being lied to is a valid reason for being upset.

The pre-order FAQ explicitly states that activating the game with CDPR is the only patch outlet.

When new patches come GoG will update their installers with the patch, which has always been their practice (applying fixes to installation files), so you can not register and get the patch - you'll just have to download the game again and there you go.

Which is what users got, a game that doesn't have DRM. The patching system is a separate module that doesn't impact base game experience but then with that said any legitimate user will have a key to register the game to download patches anyway and there will be ways and means to get the patches without that over due course. So there isn't really a lie to be upset about.

Okay it seems like we can remove parts of DRM which was shipped with the GoG version (to provide patches, DLC I guess) and still can play paul.dll (Sony DADC SecurROM Product Activation) comes to mind I just removed it and witcher2 still runs (I registered the game before and checked for updates). Anymore known candidates to eliminate?

Patches don't really qualify as optional to the game as without them the game would be imperfect or crippled. Therefore for the game to be DRM-free the patches would also need to be available at the same time.

I misunderstood the description to mean that without the key you'd need to manually patch the game instead of it being automated but as I've seen above the reality is a less pleasant alternative.

I paid for the game and I am dissatisfied with the notion of needing a key to make sure my game is bug free. I also don't appreciate being told that 99% DRM-free is okay... that makes no sense, it is either DRM-free or it is not.

While providing the fully patched version as the main download is a good move for when people will need to reinstall in the future, I would appreciate being up to date when the bugs are fixed instead of having to wait for the patches to be incorporated into the installer or driven to give up my decision to abstain from DRM games.

A few other games require serial keys to connect to online serves to play with other players, I am still unsure how I feel about those games. But this instance of making a serial key necessary to patch my game... that isn't freedom, to me it seems like I am being forced into doing something more than I should have to in order to play my game.

I pay, I want to play. There should not be much more to that process than absolutely necessary. If this game feels that it needs to rely on DRM, that is unfortunate and rather disheartening as I had higher hopes and was led to believe I'd get a bit more trust.

Sorry for the rant, but I hope that some of the issues are put in a better light for those who think that only pirates would need patches or that 99% DRM-free is the same as 100%.