Dev Team Q&A

[way2co0l]

While I understand your frustration MK4, the big thing that jumps out at me is your complaint that they promised to release the game on GoG when it was complete. They continue to make updates to improve the game, which would in turn require them to continue making updates on any GoG release... I really do understand the frustration because you would like to have it as an option, but the fact that they continue updating their games after this much time is only a good thing for the rest of their players. I have never claimed the game was perfect, nor do I have any realistic expectation that it ever will be, but their continual updates do provide us with a better game little by little. I'm glad that they're releasing a new game and hope that it results in several new updates to past games as well in the process, even though I sadly realize that it means it will push back that promise even further. :( Sorry, just my counter.

[Fistalis]

After all these years Steam is still a hot topic apparently. --snip--
-- George.

The truth is many people have just accepted steam as a fact of life in PC gaming... Like i don't like traffic but it's a fact of life if you drive on major highways at certain times. Doesn't stop me from complaining about it and doesn't mean i like it.. I just accept that its part of driving. Generally the option to just not go exists.. but I choose to deal with traffic rather than not go at all.

sounds like you hate every online game distributor as all of them work about the same,

I dislike the online distribution model.. When we physically owned copies and before online authentication we owned that game forever.. now it's more like a long term rental. According to the software licenses this was pretty much always the case.. but prior to the current system it didn't work that way in practice.

[Kristijonas]

As with all our titles SRGW will be available for purchase through other outlets, including the Humble Store, direct from our web page (which goes through Humble), and GamersGate. Though the installation will remain through Steam, but you don't have to give Steam any money if you don't want to. (Interesting fact - if you purchase a steam-installed game through another source, such as the Humble Store, GamersGate, or even a retail box with a Steam code, then steam gets no money - zero dollars - from that particular sale, even though they do the delivery and updating of the title. Which is another thing that is a big help for developers, especially small studios like ours.)

Thank you for the information, that's good to hear!

[MK4]

While I understand your frustration MK4, the big thing that jumps out at me is your complaint that they promised to release the game on GoG when it was complete. They continue to make updates to improve the game, which would in turn require them to continue making updates on any GoG release... I really do understand the frustration because you would like to have it as an option, but the fact that they continue updating their games after this much time is only a good thing for the rest of their players. I have never claimed the game was perfect, nor do I have any realistic expectation that it ever will be, but their continual updates do provide us with a better game little by little. I'm glad that they're releasing a new game and hope that it results in several new updates to past games as well in the process, even though I sadly realize that it means it will push back that promise even further. :( Sorry, just my counter.

Unless you think they`ll update SRU until after we`re long gone from this Earth there will come a time (pretty soon I`m guessing) when SRU will be in the same position as SR2020 Gold which is already on GOG. I have no problem waiting a couple more years for that. For me steam as it is now is not an "option". I would not compare it with the highway either (although the point made above is very well made). Games are luxuries not necessities and can be easily discarded or replaced. I gave up on bigger series than this because they went to be steam exclusive and even if Civilizations (for example) would go back to not being a steam only game I`d still not buy it anymore as a matter of principle. The only reason why I let those series go without a comment, but I`ve spent some time arguing here is because I felt BG`s steam venture was by necessity (after the kickstarter bust), not by profit chasing as with the big firms. I.e. I assumed they do care enough to release an alternative for all their fans who, even if they use steam, don`t necessarily like it as long as they know such fans do exist. If it was a wrong assumption I`ll just go. (back to Nerei`s 3d models thread that is )

[Nerei]

I dislike the online distribution model.. When we physically owned copies and before online authentication we owned that game forever.. now it's more like a long term rental. According to the software licenses this was pretty much always the case.. but prior to the current system it didn't work that way in practice.

GOG allow you to download offline installers and given that they are DRM and online activation free you do effectively own them forever.

[way2co0l]

Only as long as they remain in business and access to their installers remains available to be fair.

[Nerei]

No the keyword is offline installer. Yes GOG needs to be available to download it but that is like saying the store has to be open for me to buy the games in the first place. The file is not consumed when you install it so all you need to do is store it somewhere. Just like I did with CDs of Yore.
As long as I have that file I could not care what happens to GOG, the publiser, developer and their servers.

If I for some reason cannot contact say Steams servers I am not going to be installing anything. That is the difference.

[way2co0l]

I thought the actual installer was removed after every install even if you kept the actual files and you'd need to redownload the installer in order to install a second time?

[MK4]

I thought the actual installer was removed after every install even if you kept the actual files and you'd need to redownload the installer in order to install a second time?

That`s false. Once you buy a game on GOG you are given the link to download it (and the links for stuff like soundtrack, manual, avatars etc.) and the installer stays with you as long as you don`t delete it. You can install the game as many times as you want on whichever machine/system that you want and you can make a backup. You are also free to redownload it as many times as you want. Basically you`re not restricted in any way.

Also, there are developers that directly sell DRM free games in a similar way to GOG. Check out Slitherine/Matrix Games. You buy the game from them, you download it and ... as above.

[way2co0l]

Things have changed then. I haven't used GoG in several years, but when I did it would delete the installer after every install which required that installer to be downloaded again. There also used to be a light restriction on the number of times you could download a new installer, though it was usually a simple matter of explaining why you needed to install it again to have that limit increased. I don't know when that changed, but I'm glad it did. It was so annoying.

[Kristijonas]

Yes, GOG is amazing. You can download an installer and keep it on an external disk for example or you can burn a disc with it or store it in any other way and keep it forever. You can also download the installer unlimited times. On top of it I really love it that even the ancient games they have are always patched to the latest versions and even then sometimes further tweaked and work on all operating systems. Otherwise often finding a latest version of an old game can be hard.
The only things I didn't like about GOG are:
They recommend "Revision" mod for Deus Ex, which is a **** mod.
There is no option to remove a game from your library as far as I know.
Sometimes the game versions they use aren't optimal. For example sometimes they use an unstable beta version that was the last one released for a game and it got bugs introduced that weren't there in the latest (previous) stable version.
But these are all small problems. Love GOG! I wonder how Supreme Ruler Ultimate sales would have differed from current ones (since release) if BG had decided to go full on GOG instead of full on Steam. Also curious how the sales would differ if they had chosen GOG+Steam. Anyhow, I doubt SRU will ever be released for GOG. Its multiplayer is now hosted by Steam sadly.