🚀 go-pugleaf

On Mon, 05 Dec 2016 09:43:18 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote: 

>So, GOG.Com has this thing called GOG Connect, where you link your
>Steam account and GOG account, if GOG sees you have a game in your
>Steam account that they also offer, you can get a free copy on GOG.
>It's not available for every game, but it's not an insignificant
>number of games either.
>
>I guess the logic behind this is that players who already bought the
>game on Steam are unlikely to buy it again on GOG, so GOG.Com isn't
>risking sales while at the same time increasing the visibility of
>their own digital storefront and earning customer goodwill. The thing
>is, I /have/ often re-purchased games on GOG just because I like the
>whole "no DRM" thing. This isn't just a philosophical decision either;
>I like having the GOG version so I can install it on my laptop and not
>having to worry about whether Steam will allow me to play or not just
>because I don't have an internet connection at the moment. I've
>repurchased games on GOG that I already own on Steam just for this
>purpose.  GOG Connect means I don't have to do that anymore, which is
>great for me but means less cash for GOG.com
>
>I'm also actually less encouraged to buy /new/ games on GOG now too,
>since there's always the possibility that I'll get it for free on GOG
>later. And while I know visibility is important to companies, it's not
>as if GOG is really struggling there either; it's one of the major
>digital storefronts already.
>
>So as a customer I /love/ the idea of GOG Connect, but financially I
>can't see how it makes sense for the company. 
>
I think it's pretty half-baked, too. I have already comitted to using the
Steam launcher. Why would I want to use GOG's clunky installers? It is
nice that all their releases still appear in my Games Explorer, though.

GOG Galaxy doesn't work really well either. It seems as if they aren't
capable of imagining a successful software delivery system, which is a
shame, because I've repurchased games I already owned just to be free of
the DRM. Did that with the entire Infinity engine series, both
Neverwinter Nights, Far Cry 2, Far Cry, etc.

I also keep buying the Witcher games, even though I don't really play
them (Witcher 2 controlled like an elephant on LSD. Witcher was too
clicky and abstract, and more than a bit misogynist. I have Witcher 3,
but I haven't touched it). Mostly this is because I want to see continued
development in RPG, and I think these are good efforts, even if they
don't necessarily appeal to me.

GOG.com is a bit of an enigma. I'm not sure they have a clear 5-year and
25-year plan. I'm not sure they'll even be around in 5 years. What do you
think?

-- 
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten