Witcher 3 to be DRM free

[BloatedGuppy]

Not really a surprise, but nice to hear anyway. Naturally this will only apply if the game is purchased via GOG, as opposed to via everyone's favorite "benign" DRM tumor, Steam.

In spite of this, it is projected that the vast majority of copies sold will be through Steam. Total Biscuit mentions in his content patch that the majority of Witcher 2 copies sold were through Steam, despite the fact the GOG version went on big sales just as often and had no DRM whatsoever.

Total Biscuit's conclusion is that while PC gamers as an aggregate will often claim to despise DRM, evidence suggests the vast majority are actually perfectly OK with it. Likely right up to the point where they take a Sim City up the corn hole, at which point they frown and rattle their sabres ineffectually.

So, a follow up question. Do you actually hate DRM? Or do you only hate it when it's doing something that actively annoys you, like preventing you access due to a server flake or, or forcing you to endure Games for Windows Live, or making you sign in through 6 different clients, or something else absurd. In which case the gripe would be that the DRM had a bad UI or wasn't working properly. Do you load up Steam and think "GRRR, STEAM" every time? Or are you more or less okay with it? Is it like a little parasitic buddy you've come to accept, even cherish?

Also how about that Witcher 3? It looks sweet! I may have to upgrade the old rig for this one.

 

[hazabaza1]

The always online DRM or "must be online to launch" stuff is what really gets on my tits. Playing some Dead Space 3 single player and losing my internet connection so WHOOPS CAN'T PLAY YOUR SINGLEPLAYER GAME NOW or Uplay's whole "well you're not online right now so we can't let you play the game you were playing a couple of hours ago".

Steam is probably the least intrusive DRM I can think of and I don't have a massive issue with it. It clearly does have some issues but for the most part I can play any game I want whether I'm on or offline.

 

[Rutabaga_swe]

I think in most cases DRM is pretty dumb. It only screws with the people who buy games legit because no matter how "safe" the DRM is supposed to be it'll always end up cracked within the first few days anyway. In the case of steam it's mainly a matter of convenience for me. Steam collects all (almost all) of my games, keeps them up to date and usually you get good deals on there what with the dayly, weekly and seasonal sales. So it sucks ass that you have to have steam running and be online, but the benefits outweigh the negatives for me.

But also, like TB points out, a game downloaded is not equal to a sale lost necessarily. I imagine that GoG and CD Project are doing ok despite their no drm policy and i've supported them as well. Bought plenty of games and in the end i've actually bought The Witcher 2 a whooping 3 times now (DRM free on gog, collectors box and then on sale from steam because i was lazy).

 

[MysticSlayer]

Also how about that Witcher 3? It looks sweet! I may have to upgrade the old rig for this one.

I didn't make it all the way through the first game and still haven't touched the second. I may get back to it eventually, but at this rate I doubt I'm ever getting around to the third game. It's a real shame because I like CD Projekt RED as a company and think The Witcher has a very nice atmosphere, but the flaws in that game just make it very hard to deal with at times, no matter how much I like the atmosphere or the company behind it.

Anyways, I prefer no DRM, but if it doesn't do anything to serious affect me then I don't see a problem with it, or at the very least you need to balance the bad with some good. Steam does a decent job of not being too invasive and still giving me benefits for using it, but I can't think of any other DRM service quite like it (well, maybe Origin has improved since I last used it, but I still haven't found any reason to actually use it). Ultimately, I'll go with the DRM free version if available, but I won't completely turn down Steam.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

You know, there are those of us who doesn't really see Steam as a DRM but rather as a digital content provider. I've come to rely on Steam because it is convenient for me to have all my games in the same place without having to lug around 200+ game discs and to be able to start most of them from the same program on my computer. That it doubles as DRM is one of those trade-offs that I am willing to accept since it rarely bothers me.

Either way, I'll be getting my Witcher 3 via GOG. Partially because it is about 30% cheaper to buy it in USD than Euros, partially because I really like GOG and partially because GOG and CDProjecktRed are affiliated and thus the devs are likely to see a higher profit from my GOG purcase than my Steam purchase.

 

[aozgolo]

As much as I use Steam, I realize it's still at it's core a DRM mechanic buried under convenience, which in a way makes it tolerable. The accessibility and simplicity it adds outweigh it's inconveniences as a DRM mechanic. While I've come to be an adopter of predominantly using Steam, I won't forget the days when I hated it with a passion (back when I paid 60$ for Skyrim and I only had a dial-up connection meaning I couldn't even activate my game I bought for full price for several months.)

 

[Someone Depressing]

I think Steam's simplicity, user-friendlyness and convenience heavily outweights its DRM.

GOG is also pretty useful. I just preffer Steam.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Do you load up Steam and think "GRRR, STEAM" every time?

That is pretty accurate description of what I think and ofc there is the steam is updating bullshit everytime I log in which annoys me immensely. I got Steam for Skullgirls and recently bought Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines on it because I couldnt find it elsewhere and its a game I always wanted to play I also got the walking dead on it when it was on sale (glad I didnt pay more).

I will put up with it if I really really want a game and cant get it elsewhere (or its going to be hugely more expensive elsewhere, like an extra 40 pounds more expensive) usually I prefer buying boxed PC games (if possible) as its usually cheaper than steam even when its on sale. If GOG and Steam both have the same game I always go for GOG even if its more expensive simply because I despise DRM and do not like supporting it, plus Steam is way to resource hungry for my liking.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

The always online DRM or "must be online to launch" stuff is what really gets on my tits. Playing some Dead Space 3 single player and losing my internet connection so WHOOPS CAN'T PLAY YOUR SINGLEPLAYER GAME NOW or Uplay's whole "well you're not online right now so we can't let you play the game you were playing a couple of hours ago".

Steam is probably the least intrusive DRM I can think of and I don't have a massive issue with it. It clearly does have some issues but for the most part I can play any game I want whether I'm on or offline.

yupp this. plus steam has a pretty nice overlay to chat with friends and all that fun stuff. (plus as much as i hate to say it, the little achievement things are...nice.)


Also, as an exception to the rule, i bought witcher 2 through GoG, and I buy most games I can through GoG, it's just they don't have fucking dump truck loads of sales like steam does on games that I want. I have close to 50 games on GoG and for that I am thankful, but GoG hasn't really released a game in the recent years that I want and that has a ridiculous sale price attached to it.


the less money i spend on something = the less likely I am to give a fuck about the small things

example:

PoE, while being an online only game, it's free to play and not once have i felt the need to buy/get anything through trades with other people or through their microtransaction store, while d3 was 60 bucks and the AH was a fucking nuisance/wreck that the whole game was built around, therefore I was greatly annoyed.

 

[TK421]

I hate DRM that is inconvenient. Steam doesn't bother me because it is actually more convenient than physical copies, and I personally have no worries about Valve deciding I don't own my games anymore.

 

[Jason Rayes]

I bought both the Witcher and the Witcher 2 as physical copies so for me the point is kind of moot. The Witcher 2 especially came with some nifty goodies, Im not normally an "ooh look, sparklies" kind of purchaser but for some reason the old school gamer in me just enjoy's having a real map and manual for RPG's.

The always online DRM or "must be online to launch" stuff is what really gets on my tits. Playing some Dead Space 3 single player and losing my internet connection so WHOOPS CAN'T PLAY YOUR SINGLEPLAYER GAME NOW or Uplay's whole "well you're not online right now so we can't let you play the game you were playing a couple of hours ago".

Steam is probably the least intrusive DRM I can think of and I don't have a massive issue with it. It clearly does have some issues but for the most part I can play any game I want whether I'm on or offline.

hazabaza has already said pretty much what I wanted to say as regards Stean so I'll just quote it direct.

I do like GoG though, Steam just has a bigger selection.

As a side note I do notice that Steam has been getting a lot more "oldies" of late and even though I'm a fan of Steam, there is a paranoid part of me that cant help thinking "Hey, that's GoG's niche". Just a thought.

Edit: I'm probably opening a whole other can of worms here but for example recently we've seen the Steam release of 7th Guest, I Have no Mouth and I Must Scream, Anachronox and Urban Chaos. While I'm happier to see these games get as wide an audience as possible, GoG would have been my first port of call.

 

[Seracen]

Also how about that Witcher 3? It looks sweet! I may have to upgrade the old rig for this one.

I didn't make it all the way through the first game and still haven't touched the second. I may get back to it eventually, but at this rate I doubt I'm ever getting around to the third game. It's a real shame because I like CD Projekt RED as a company and think The Witcher has a very nice atmosphere, but the flaws in that game just make it very hard to deal with at times, no matter how much I like the atmosphere or the company behind it.

Anyways, I prefer no DRM, but if it doesn't do anything to serious affect me then I don't see a problem with it, or at the very least you need to balance the bad with some good. Steam does a decent job of not being too invasive and still giving me benefits for using it, but I can't think of any other DRM service quite like it (well, maybe Origin has improved since I last used it, but I still haven't found any reason to actually use it). Ultimately, I'll go with the DRM free version if available, but I won't completely turn down Steam.

Hope you get around to the 2nd at some point. I would note, however, that the 2nd game uses a completely different engine. There are almost no gameplay similarities. I WILL attest to how difficult the darn game can get, at times, especially on harder modes. I can barely see at night sometimes.

Agreed that Steam is one of the few instances of DRM done less acerbically. But I only deal with it because I must. I am generally not a fan of digital. I'm more of a stickler for having physical copies, in the event that the company goes under/I lose net connection.

Even still, Steam allows one time burnable backups, IIRC (though I've never done this).

 

[MysticSlayer]

Hope you get around to the 2nd at some point. I would note, however, that the 2nd game uses a completely different engine. There are almost no gameplay similarities. I WILL attest to how difficult the darn game can get, at times, especially on harder modes. I can barely see at night sometimes.

How would you compare the difficulty to the first game? One of my biggest issues was that the first game was ridiculously easy with only the occasionally difficult fight. Then again, the boredom from that might have been compounded by the relatively simplistic combat mechanics not making it engaging enough to begin with, and I was also expecting a much greater challenge. I understand Witcher 2 is a little more engaging in its combat, but I am still wondering how the difficulty compares.

 

[Jason Rayes]

Hope you get around to the 2nd at some point. I would note, however, that the 2nd game uses a completely different engine. There are almost no gameplay similarities. I WILL attest to how difficult the darn game can get, at times, especially on harder modes. I can barely see at night sometimes.

How would you compare the difficulty to the first game? One of my biggest issues was that the first game was ridiculously easy with only the occasionally difficult fight. Then again, the boredom from that might have been compounded by the relatively simplistic combat mechanics not making it engaging enough to begin with, and I was also expecting a much greater challenge. I understand Witcher 2 is a little more engaging in its combat, but I am still wondering how the difficulty compares.

I played The Witcher on hard and found that I had to use careful planning before battle or end up in serious trouble. If you found it easier Id suggest the Witcher 2 on hard if you want a challenge. I mostly played for the story so if things got to hectic I toned it down. The game is moddable so there may even be some difficulty mods out there that push it even further if its still too easy (I found it tough enough so I haven't looked)

 

[DoPo]

I heard the witcher 2 got pirated to hell, but has CD projekt whined about it, No they just made a gigantic pile of money (probably because of the money they saved by not buying all the expensive DRM shit, oh the irony)

Ironic indeed... Erm, you do know that Witcher 2 had DRM, right? They did buy "all the expensive DRM shit". It was stripped out later, but the fact stands - it's ironic indeed.

 

[Brotha Desmond]

I am okay with DRM as long as it is only used to determine that I am using a legitimate copy in a non-invasive way.

 

[Lost In The Void]

I dislike all DRM in all forms, I begrudgedly use Origin and Steam, but if there's a GoG copy of a game I want, thats the route I take.

Seriously, when I bought Bioshock Infinite's box copy, I still had to wait until I hooked up my online to play it. Because it had to use Steamworks. What utter shit.

 

[Seracen]

Hope you get around to the 2nd at some point. I would note, however, that the 2nd game uses a completely different engine. There are almost no gameplay similarities. I WILL attest to how difficult the darn game can get, at times, especially on harder modes. I can barely see at night sometimes.

How would you compare the difficulty to the first game? One of my biggest issues was that the first game was ridiculously easy with only the occasionally difficult fight. Then again, the boredom from that might have been compounded by the relatively simplistic combat mechanics not making it engaging enough to begin with, and I was also expecting a much greater challenge. I understand Witcher 2 is a little more engaging in its combat, but I am still wondering how the difficulty compares.

Well, Witcher 1 on hard required a lot of alchemy, and that accounted for most of the difficulty, IMO. Witcher 2, especially on "Dark" mode difficulty (or whatever it's called) brings to mind the sort of maniacal abuse most people relegate to Dark Souls.

Seriously, Witcher 2 on the harder modes laughs at your futile attemps to dare stay alive. On the other hand, once you get the system, master parrying, etc, you feel like a badass.

For me, I never had the time/patience, so I set it to normal, abused a few systems to break the game, and tore through it. Even still, it was a challenging and fun experience. Witcher 1 had it's faults, but Witcher 2 was a marked improvement. That's saying something, considering how awesome the first game was. The expansion DLC made it even better!

I heard the witcher 2 got pirated to hell, but has CD projekt whined about it, No they just made a gigantic pile of money (probably because of the money they saved by not buying all the expensive DRM shit, oh the irony)

Ironic indeed... Erm, you do know that Witcher 2 had DRM, right? They did buy "all the expensive DRM shit". It was stripped out later, but the fact stands - it's ironic indeed.

I think part of it was also, as Jim Sterling says, due to smart marketing. They didn't over-extend themselves, and effectively targeted the market they were aiming for. The accolades brought the game into the forefront, and the goodwill they'd earned ensured profitability and loyalty.

For instance, I got the special edition of the 1st game, even after the original came out, bought all the books, and have a bunch of art/OST's and whatnot.