Because GOG implemented a whole mod (aka WESP's "patch") into game without asking what consumers want. Artistic vision, pacing and balance can go screw themselves, right?
This decision made Steam version a superior one.

Wrong! GOG only implemented the basic version of the patch which is just bug-fixes. Also they give you the option to play the unpatched "legacy" version with is included as well!

I don't know about you, but I couldn't even start up my retail copy of Bloodlines without the Unofficial Patch installed, and I know people with the Steam release that couldn't run the game without it either. I'm not sure it's really optional if you want to play Bloodlines on modern hardware.

Is it even possible, any route, to reach the end of the game without any unofficial patches or mods? My understanding is that the game is neigh totally broken and the publishers are not nice for selling a broken game for $20.

I bought the game when it first came out on CD and was able to play it without issues. Years later I ran it again on a newer computer and couldn't even get it to run without the WESP patch. Honestly from what I remember of the original unmodded version of the game, the WESP patch doesn't do anything that makes it feel modded. It feels like it was part of the game all along.

Even your "basic" version is NOT what Troika intended this game to be. There are reasons why some content was cut and why certain balance changes were made. Plus this "patch" should be optional content, not a vanilla game. What kind of backwards approach is that? That's enough of a reason for me not to buy/use it here.

@others
My steam and retail version works perfectly fine on Windows 10 Pro RS4 with other fan patch, I'm just disappointed that GOG thought they would decide what player wants and endorse/enforce patch-mod on default installation that everyone would end up playing. That's disrespectful to players and to the game itself.

That's GoG's way of doing it - they want the product to work as bugless as possible right from the box. Many a game has a user patch pre-installed if it has a history of working well. But , they really shouldn't do that IMO, just provide the links. In this case, however, they (GoG) won't support the game using the "legacy" version because it won't work on modern machines. The only other patch I know of (the "True Patch") was never adapted (that I know of) to work on post Win7 machines although the patch creator believes it could be adapted easy enough (he can't - uses a Win7 machine due to MS choosing to not support older games). The bottom line for most people is that, if you want to play this game, you need to use the basic patch so there really isn't an issue with them making it easy on people and using it. I've used both patches, TP and basic - there are differences - but they are not really all that significantly different.

Steam? I use them for some games but, because steam will sell one a game that is not compatable with their software and GoG won't, I really try to avoid steam.

The basic patch does not add any additional content. It only fixes bugs. To play a version with added content you need the 'Plus' patch which is optional when installing the unofficial patch. You can download it from the net. Again I don't understand your beef with the patch. It's only bug fixes. I have Windows 10 and both the Steam and GoG versions (got it for free through GoG.com) and played the Steam game without the patch, and the game was riddled with bugs.. Also Troika did not release the game as intended. They intended to release a stable game, but were forced to release early before they went out of business.

My basic version does not restore cut content and does not change balance! You are mixing up the plus patch and the basic patch... It is. The GOG version even installs two shortcuts, one for the patched game and one for the unpatched "legacy" version. Ah, another "True Patch" fan. As far as I know the TP does not run the game on Windows 10 without a crack...

More like fan of original, non-butchered games.
Anyway, feel free to close the thread. GOG agenda is clear.

Can't you read? GOG is selling the original game calling it the "legacy" version, using the basic patch is optional. You get one shortcut for each when you install it...

Wesp5 speaks the truth. I haven't noticed a Legacy shortcut, but I have noticed that the Unofficial Patch doesn't actually overwrite any content files - those are all located inside the "Unofficial_Patch" folder within the Bloodlines directory, and the patch works by the shortcut instructing the game to override the original files with the patch's.

You can run vanilla Bloodlines with only the technical fixes by opening the main exe in the root directory, or removing the unofficial patch override from the Shortcut properties ("-game Unofficial_Patch").

So even if you're a purist the GOG version of Bloodlines is the best version out there at the moment since it works out of the box with, or without running it with the unofficial patch.

Have you ever played this game without one of the two main patches? I have; many times (with just the official patch); it's playable but VERY buggy and, as far as I know, the legacy version is unsupported by GoG for a reason and it has to do with problems running on modern machines. This is a problem game as nobody really knows what Troika intended due to the time restraints. Like in motion pictures, there are cuts made prior to publishing and Troika didn't have time to clean them out so what is in there may be intended if there was more time or just unemptied trash. Good modding fodder though if the game wasn't so hard to mod (I'm not a modder, so I am going completely by what others have said).

You're preaching to the choir. I played Bloodlines when it first came out, and I remember what it was like -- from the bugs to the memory leaks that caused stuttering in larger locations like Downtown.

I was just pointing out that the unofficial patch data is stored and a separate subdirectory. None of the original files are modified beyond what it takes to get the game running if someone, for some reason, wants to play Bloodlines without any patches that modify the original content in any way.

I need to read more carefully.