Support NeoGAF

[Shadowstar39]

No DRM is literally the only good thing about GOG (aside from old games but let's not even pretend anyone cares about 20 year old games aside from a few boomers such as myself).

Nah, I love gog. I'm at the tail end of gen X (1978) and I love the old games. So its not only boomers. Older games rock! There is a market for this shit as I am sure I am not the only one who prefers the older games

It's launcher shows me all the titles i own digitally even on ps4 and switch, uplay, origin, epic, steam, and connects.

 

[DrAspirino]

The problem, in this case, is that these so called live services are blurring the line of DRM. Obviously this game was designed around a lot of server-side features - in a way it's not too dissimilar from an MMO. What if Blizzard released World of Warcraft on GOG, but since all of the game's NPCs, monsters, and merchants were all stored server-side the only thing you could do with the game is create a character and walk around an empty world? Don't you think people would be similarly pissed off? You could make the argument that "no, you don't need to connect to their servers because you could technically take your level 1 character and walk to the end of the game and watch the credits roll" (with a link to a Youtube video of someone doing just that) but obviously it's not the same experience. And while it's technically not DRM in the traditional sense, it's effectively DRM because it requires users to create an account and be online at all times. Most importantly, if the servers ever go offline, you now have an essentially defective product.

It's not DRM if it's required for the full experience. I think you, like many people here, confuse "Live services" with DRM because both require to be online all the time, but that's where similarities end.

And yes, Hitman never belonged to GOG in the first place, since no game in GOG relies on live services.

So, the first mistake was from GOG to put a game that they knew it relied heavily on live services, and the second mistake was from the gamers that thought that suddenly, out of nowhere, a game that was designed around and relied on live services, would suddenly be playable entirely offline. Put those two together and you get all the rage about releasing Hitman on GOG.

It's like complaining why Facebook wouldn't work on a smartphone on airplane mode, if they downloaded the app.

 

[lils]

IO story-mode challenges, community created challenges and escalations, elusive targets, leaderboards, map challenges, different unlockable items added AFTER the game was released, missions released AFTER the game was released (in Hitman 1 and 2 there are a bunch of them), etc.

none of that requires an always online connection, you could download it once and then play it whenever you like. it's DRM

 

[DrAspirino]

none of that requires an always online connection, you could download it once and then play it whenever you like. it's DRM

Actually, they do. Read the definition of elusive target and community challenges, etc.

As I said before, that game doesn't have DRM. The game is DESIGNED around a live services model, and live services, by definition, require an online connection. If the game wasn't designed around live services, THEN it's DRM.

In fact, the new Hitman trilogy has seasons and all (heck, Hitman 3 has 7 seasons, each dedicated to a deadly sin) and works as a live service. That's not DRM at all.

It's the same as having downloaded the Facebook app in your cellphone and then asking why you can't use it offline, even though you downloaded the app.

Now, if you or anybody here hates live services based games, then that's an entirely different issue and completely open for debate between those that are for, and those that are against.

 

[Syphon Filter]

Actually, they do. Read the definition of elusive target and community challenges, etc.

As I said before, that game doesn't have DRM. The game is DESIGNED around a live services model, and live services, by definition, require an online connection. If the game wasn't designed around live services, THEN it's DRM.

In fact, the new Hitman trilogy has seasons and all (heck, Hitman 3 has 7 seasons, each dedicated to a deadly sin) and works as a live service. That's not DRM at all.

It's the same as having downloaded the Facebook app in your cellphone and then asking why you can't use it offline, even though you downloaded the app.

Now, if you or anybody here hates live services based games, then that's an entirely different issue and completely open for debate between those that are for, and those that are against.

It's drm, without a connection you cant save any items,weapons,etc. gog agrees since they took the game down from their store, otherwise would have kept it.

 

[lils]

Actually, they do. Read the definition of elusive target and community challenges, etc.

my understanding is that these are new DLC missions released periodically

not going to research it more though, because it's not relevant. even if you accept those, that wouldn't explain why other parts of the game require being online for no reason.

 

[DrAspirino]

It's drm, without a connection you cant save any items,weapons,etc. gog agrees since they took the game down from their store, otherwise would have kept it.

Question: does GOG have any game in their library that's a live services based game?

I mean, any game (single or multiplayer) that can't be played offline simply because of the server side part.

If the answer is "zero", then that's why.

In Hitman, any save, item, unlock, etc is stored on the server side, and it influences how you play every game in the franchise, much like what Mass Effect did in its time, but with no option to edit your saves (hence, impossible to cheat).

DRM = bullshit added AFTER the game is done to prevent copying and effectively owning any game.

Live service = bullshit implemented during game design so developer constantly delivers content and prevents cheating and stuff.

In DRM case, the game is complete and locked behind encryption methods (online or offline).

In live services case, half the game is on server side (much like an mmo), so playing it offline is simply impossible.

Why would anyone develop a single-player game as a live service is beyond me, but let's not call DRM something that was designed from the white board to be played online.