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[Darkmakaimura]

I love GOG but one thing I have noticed is that it seems like a lot of games that are released don't receive patches or updates whereas the Steam version will.

I realized this is not really the fault of GOG but rather the developers, or at least that's what it seems.

I would rather support GOG for DRM free games but it's going to be difficult to justify if devs stop supporting the games they release there and only focus on releasing patches and updates on the Steam versions.

 

[Kenpachii]

Stopped using gog because low amounts of mod support and online was a desert in comparison towards steam.

Patching was even then a problem.

 

[Drew1440]

Is this for older titles or for more recent ones? Gog is usually pretty good for maintaining older games for modern operating systems, though I sometimes prefer to emulate them in 86Box instead.

 

[StereoVsn]

I love GOG but one thing I have noticed is that it seems like a lot of games that are released don't receive patches or updates whereas the Steam version will.

I realized this is not really the fault of GOG but rather the developers, or at least that's what it seems.

I would rather support GOG for DRM free games but it's going to be difficult to justify if devs stop supporting the games they release there and only focus on releasing patches and updates on the Steam versions.

Yeah, that is the unfortunate reality with GoG and other stores like Windows Store as most devs will hit Steam first. And even on Steam Mac versions will be the last priority.

For GoG I usually get games after patching is mostly done. To be fair most of my games there are over a decade old, and really probably more then that.

 

[omegasc]

oh that's good to know. I wasn't aware of that because I mainly use GoG for old games, but was considering buying some new games there.

 

[RoadHazard]

Yeah, that is the unfortunate reality with GoG and other stores like Windows Store as most devs will hit Steam first. And even on Steam Mac versions will be the last priority.

For GoG I usually get games after patching is mostly done. To be fair most of my games there are over a decade old, and really probably more then that.

I don't really get that. It's the same code no matter the storefront, no? So it should be the same patch going out to each. I guess there's approval processes and such, but why not do them all at once once the update is ready?

 

[StereoVsn]

I don't really get that. It's the same code no matter the storefront, no? So it should be the same patch going out to each. I guess there's approval processes and such, but why not do them all at once once the update is ready?

It’s not the same quite often. Steam has Steamworks that devs use. Epic or MS have their own APIs and so on. Each store has their own patch process.

So there is overhead on patching and the platform with the largest audience will get those patches first. Unfortunately GoG is often overlooked, especially when patches come out often and may only catch up after some time passes or what’s worse, never catch up.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Yeah, that is the unfortunate reality with GoG and other stores like Windows Store as most devs will hit Steam first. And even on Steam Mac versions will be the last priority.

For GoG I usually get games after patching is mostly done. To be fair most of my games there are over a decade old, and really probably more then that.

Some GOG games never get updated while the Steam version will have multiple updates already.

Pretty much the developers just abandon GOG and focus on other platforms.

This is not the reality for all games on GOG but it sure seems like there's quite a few that have this issue. So some of the games you're getting there are first versions and will be clunky and buggy.

 

[StereoVsn]

Some GOG games never get updated while the Steam version will have multiple updates already.

Pretty much the developers just abandon GOG and focus on other platforms.

This is not the reality for all games on GOG but it sure seems like there's quite a few that have this issue. So some of the games you're getting there are first versions and will be clunky and buggy.

Yep, have to check what you are buying. It’s kind of unfortunate. Wish GoG could ask devs for parity clauses on patching but then they would risk publishers just dropping GoG altogether.

 

[U n i o n 0015]

GoG themselves are/were supposed to be ensuring that games are maintained. That's what they started out as. Unfortunately, it feels like GoG is getting less support from CDPR these days.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I just want to say I love GOG and I would take them over Steam anytime. Most of my games are on GOG because I strongly support DRM free and actually being able to own your games. I am very supportive of them.

It's just that I'm finding out that there are games that never receive support from the developers whereas they support the Steam version instead. This is mostly new games and not older ones.

 

[Soodanim]

I've pointed out that a spreadsheet exists to highlight where GOG releases fall short compared to other storefronts (basically Steam) and been jumped on for it. I guess some don't like the truth.

The spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zjwUN1mtJdCkgtTDRB2IoFp7PP41fraY-oFNY00fEkI/edit#gid=0

The reality is that it is possible that what you think is the exact same game might have drawbacks of some kind that could affect you, and that people should be aware that these disparities exist.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I've pointed out that a spreadsheet exists to highlight where GOG releases fall short compared to other storefronts (basically Steam) and been jumped on for it. I guess some don't like the truth.

The spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zjwUN1mtJdCkgtTDRB2IoFp7PP41fraY-oFNY00fEkI/edit#gid=0

The reality is that it is possible that what you think is the exact same game might have drawbacks of some kind that could affect you, and that people should be aware that these disparities exist.

Yeah, but they should also be aware this goes both ways.

One recent example i can think of is Mad Max. The Steam version still has Denuvo in it and a bunch of missing features/dlc that required you to be connected to the servers to work properly (servers which were shut down by now), even rendering some achievements impossible to get. Meanwhile the GOG version comes with everything included and is properly patched out to work correctly without the servers. Many older games also come with fixes that the steam version doesn't have by default.

The ACTUAL truth of the situation is that, if you want the best experience possible in any given game, you must always check both stores to know which one has the best version. You cant just buy everything on steam thinking you'll always be ok.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I've pointed out that a spreadsheet exists to highlight where GOG releases fall short compared to other storefronts (basically Steam) and been jumped on for it. I guess some don't like the truth.

The spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zjwUN1mtJdCkgtTDRB2IoFp7PP41fraY-oFNY00fEkI/edit#gid=0

The reality is that it is possible that what you think is the exact same game might have drawbacks of some kind that could affect you, and that people should be aware that these disparities exist.

I've been a huge supporter supporter of GOG and all this time I didn't realize so much was missing from so many of their games. This is a huge disappointment and really leave the hollow spot in my chest. Just more bad news to hear about today.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

INteresting. I never even thought of patch support between the two. I just buy whichever site has the cheapest version. I dont game with big budget games so the types of PC games I play wont really matter whether it's patched or not, but I'll look out for this issue next time I buy PC games.

I just assumed when it comes to PC sites, the games get similar patches at the same time.

 

[lh032]

wait really? i always thought that GOG received the same update as steam

Thats kinda redundant as you own a game that is outdated in terms of bug fixing

 

[Wildebeest]

GOG wasn't really supposed to be an alternative to Steam. Online or live service isn't supposed to be something it delivers. I think devs and publishers should see it as a place that sells the best version of their game for long term archival, rather than a place to dump a game on then abandon if sales are not high enough for it to be worth their time.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

GOG wasn't really supposed to be an alternative to Steam. Online or live service isn't supposed to be something it delivers. I think devs and publishers should see it as a place that sells the best version of their game for long term archival, rather than a place to dump a game on then abandon if sales are not high enough for it to be worth their time.

That's why I like GOG because it supports game preservation but what is the point of that if you leave all the updates/patches out that make the game run properly?

It's infuriating.

 

[Wildebeest]

That's why I like GOG because it supports game preservation but what is the point of that if you leave all the updates/patches out that make the game run properly?

It's infuriating.

It is infuriating, but it comes from a starting place where fans have to be detectives and find out who has the rights to old games and work out what is stopping them being put on the store.

 

[StereoVsn]

Yeah, but they should also be aware this goes both ways.

One recent example i can think of is Mad Max. The Steam version still has Denuvo in it and a bunch of missing features/dlc that required you to be connected to the servers to work properly (servers which were shut down by now), even rendering some achievements impossible to get. Meanwhile the GOG version comes with everything included and is properly patched out to work correctly without the servers. Many older games also come with fixes that the steam version doesn't have by default.

The ACTUAL truth of the situation is that, if you want the best experience possible in any given game, you must always check both stores to know which one has the best version. You cant just buy everything on steam thinking you'll always be ok.

Yep, it’s the same for some of the SEGA Yakuza games and quite a few others.

I kind of hate this publisher caused situation, but it is what it is.

 

[SidViscous]

I noticed this too, I got a copy of Sim City 2000, and it's not been patched since 2013! GOG is a joke, I refuse to play it until it has full ray-tracing support.

 

[StereoVsn]

That's why I like GOG because it supports game preservation but what is the point of that if you leave all the updates/patches out that make the game run properly?

It's infuriating.

Eh, a lot of times games will run alright even without all the patches. Other times like stated above, having a game on GoG avoids some of the publisher DRM BS.

 

[Soodanim]

Yeah, but they should also be aware this goes both ways.

One recent example i can think of is Mad Max. The Steam version still has Denuvo in it and a bunch of missing features/dlc that required you to be connected to the servers to work properly (servers which were shut down by now), even rendering some achievements impossible to get. Meanwhile the GOG version comes with everything included and is properly patched out to work correctly without the servers. Many older games also come with fixes that the steam version doesn't have by default.

The ACTUAL truth of the situation is that, if you want the best experience possible in any given game, you must always check both stores to know which one has the best version. You cant just buy everything on steam thinking you'll always be ok.

It's arguably more important that Steam's flawed versions are pointed out, but I don't know if that exists.

Ideally there would be a site you can go to to look up a game and see a comparison of each version (including others like Epic and publisher stores). Some places can give you an idea but it's not perfect.

 

[Guilty_AI]

It's arguably more important that Steam's flawed versions are pointed out, but I don't know if that exists.

I mean, i just gave an example. Others that come to mind besides Mad Max are Crysis, Fallout New Vegas and The Saboteur, all of which come with fixes and improvements not present on the Steam version, The Evil Within version on GOG has content that isn't on the Steam (although both are behind the MS store version) and Baldurs Gate EE 1&2 on GOG come with improvements for modern systems along with keys for their original versions (good for playing old mods), unlike steam

Ideally there would be a site you can go to to look up a game and see a comparison of each version (including others like Epic and publisher stores). Some places can give you an idea but it's not perfect.

PCgamingwiki is usually pretty good at pointing out major differences between versions. But for specific minor patches that may not be present in either one, you can only really rely on GOG database and Steamdb

 

[Soodanim]

I mean, i just gave an example. Others that come to mind besides Mad Max are Crysis, Fallout New Vegas and The Saboteur, all of which come with fixes and improvements not present on the Steam version, The Evil Within version on GOG has content that isn't on the Steam (although both are behind the MS store version) and Baldurs Gate EE 1&2 on GOG come with improvements for modern systems along with keys for their original versions (good for playing old mods), unlike steam


PCgamingwiki is usually pretty good at pointing out major differences between versions. But for specific minor patches that may not be present in either one, you can only really rely on GOG database and Steamdb

I didn't mean Steam is never inferior, I meant there should really be a spreadsheet like the GOG one to be a reference for when Steam is lacking

I didn't know about GOGdb, thanks