GOG.com Closes Down!

[The Madman]

Please tell me you got your money back, or were able to download the games anyway.

GOG games are DRM free, once you download the game installer you can make as many copies as you like and install it as often as you like. Meanwhile the website linked says that there will be made available a way to re-download any games you've bought from their services in the near future.

 

[Moriarty]

snip

So you have to bear the incredible burden of having hardcopy backups for you files around?

Being able to redownload files again without having to search for an old dvd is a bonus digital distribution has againt the oldfashioned purchases, losing the ability to download your games for free only puts you DD purchases on the same level as games purchased from stores.

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

I see. Please excuse me for a moment. *walks out of room*
*through wall* "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-" *walks back in room*
I'm very dissapointed but I hope they will eventually go back up and running, if not then I guess I'll have to fall asleep to the sound of my own screams for the next few weeks.

 

[Moriarty]

Only if you backed them all up before Steam shut down. What if Steam gave no warning like Gog?

what? Why shouldn't it be possible to backup your files after steam shuts down?

 

[RicoADF]

I hope gog.com wasn't a digital distribution site like Steam or Impulse.

Thats exactly what it was.

Ya know, stuff like this shakes my trust in Digital Distribution. It doesn't just happen to smaller companies, remember when Microsoft dropped their music DD?

If ya tried gog it would have restored your faith in digital distribution. Besides being dirt cheap, the support for their games was second to none, especially considering that they specialized in older games which would have difficulties running on current comps, but they made it work.

If sites goes back up, give it a try before you judge

I am not judging their service but rather how easily all your DD games can become worthless if a service shuts down. I am saying that it could happen to Steam too and I am really not buying that they have a patch to unlock your games since that would require approval from the publisher of each game.

Anyone that bought from GoG still has their game. There was no DRM or registration to force you to activate online, once you had the game it was yours.

 

[Moriarty]

It might be but I'll bet that there is some server communication during the backup progress, it takes so long that something is going on behind the scenes.

Now you're just being paranoid.
You can backup your steam games in offline mode, even if you unplug the network cable.

 

[Moriarty]

How am I being paranoid when I didn't know that? I haven't tried it and I said "It might be".

It might be but I'll bet that there is some server communication during the backup progress, it takes so long that something is going on behind the scenes.

You assumed Steam would track your backups without any evidence, there isn't even a hint at steam checking internet connection during a backup, so the whole accusiation is silly at best.

 

[Moriarty]

Seriously, you think Steam doesn't know you made a backup when you are making a backup via the Steam client?

The steam client obviously "knows" but you were argumening server communication, which just isn't there at all.

 

[Moriarty]

You asked why I accused you of paranoid behaviour and I explained it.

The part about backups not mattering was added by you after my initial reply, as can be seen in my quote.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

http://www.destructoid.com/gog-com-is-down-don-t-panic-it-s-not-forever-184350.phtml

Shut the hell up. They'll be back. You can get your games again, too.

 

[Moriarty]

I'm still keeping my old backups, in the official twitter account it sounds like most of their problems arose because of the lack of drm, so I fear the new gog will become steam for old games.

 

[Gindil]

http://www.gog.com/

WTF happened, I was buying alot of games from then and all of the sudden they decide that this whole thing just randomly bores them? What a freaking scam.

If you couldn't play the games you bought from them anymore it would be a scam. But I can still play Fallout. It wasn't a scam. It was a non-intrusive downloadable game service, and it treated people like actual people instead of potential pirates by not putting any DRM in the games. It was amazing, and easily the best "shop" because of that.

And besides, we should take this as a warning. Just like that, a fairly popular service shuts down. Makes me wonder what would happen if Steam shuts down.

There would be a riot right at Steam's doorstep.

Not only would there be an apocalypse, but Gabe Newell would seriously have to hold back the legions of fans that would come to his doorstep to destroy Valve for such an unspeakable act of not being able to play Team Fortress 2 for free.

 

[Booze Zombie]

I love how they have one of the most in-demand services on the Internet and decide to shut it down, that's classy business skill, right there.

 

[PurplePlatypus]

I'm still keeping my old backups, in the official twitter account it sounds like most of their problems arose because of the lack of drm, so I fear the new gog will become steam for old games.

I doubt they would go from nothing to something as intrusive as steam. I think it might become a case of some of the games having DRM, which then might vary depending on what they can settle on.

 

[Moriarty]

So Gog will be adding DRM to their games (if they come back) and people still believe that Steam will release a patch that strips the DRM from a game if they ever go under. I don't see Steam releasing a patch just like Microsoft didn't release a patch for their DRM infested music.

Of course people believe that, why wouldn't we?

I doubt they would go from nothing to something as intrusive sa steam. I think it might become a case of some of the games having DRM, which then might vary depending on what they can settle on.

Well how can they be less intrusive than steam while still protecting their games?
If you keep your Steam client in offline mode it basically boils down to online activation, which I fear will be the new "feature" of the new and improved gog-client.

 

[Moriarty]

I don't think the publishers would allow Steam to strip off the DRM.

Might be true, might not. We ARE talking about a hypothetical situation in a vagualy distant future after all.

 

[Skelebob124156]

http://www.gog.com/

WTF happened, I was buying alot of games from then and all of the sudden they decide that this whole thing just randomly bores them? What a freaking scam.

If you couldn't play the games you bought from them anymore it would be a scam. But I can still play Fallout. It wasn't a scam. It was a non-intrusive downloadable game service, and it treated people like actual people instead of potential pirates by not putting any DRM in the games. It was amazing, and easily the best "shop" because of that.

And besides, we should take this as a warning. Just like that, a fairly popular service shuts down. Makes me wonder what would happen if Steam shuts down.

This whole thing seems like a very bad joke. Why? Well first of all is this just a marketing campaign while transisting away from the beta? It may have worked because I see a lot of forums with people saying " aww wish I bought some games from them!".
Second if they were truely shutting down I'm sure we would have got more warning.
Third If they were really shutting down would you start adding games during the final week?
Fourth Please never shut down or try this shit again GOG.

 

[Moriarty]

True but people have put alot of money into Steam and security is an issue for some of those people.

I'm still hoping someday people will notice they spend more money on drm then they make by trying to get money from pirates. Or at least be driven out of business by services with less obstacles for paying costumers.

 

[Moriarty]

I believe that modern DRM is designed to destroy the used game market, not stop pirates and that is why they continue to put money into DRM.

DRM has destroyed the PC used market and I believe that is their goal with consoles as well.

That might be true when trying to combat used games in walmart of gamestop, but used game sales have no effect on DD, so GoG shouldn't have problems with it in the first place.

 

[Mr. Grey]

http://www.gog.com/

WTF happened, I was buying alot of games from then and all of the sudden they decide that this whole thing just randomly bores them? What a freaking scam.

If you couldn't play the games you bought from them anymore it would be a scam. But I can still play Fallout. It wasn't a scam. It was a non-intrusive downloadable game service, and it treated people like actual people instead of potential pirates by not putting any DRM in the games. It was amazing, and easily the best "shop" because of that.

And besides, we should take this as a warning. Just like that, a fairly popular service shuts down. Makes me wonder what would happen if Steam shuts down.

There would be a riot right at Steam's doorstep.

Not only would there be an apocalypse, but Gabe Newell would seriously have to hold back the legions of fans that would come to his doorstep to destroy Valve for such an unspeakable act of not being able to play Team Fortress 2 for free.

Is that why Mr. Newell is withholding Episode 3 from us?