Good Old Games - Offline, Closed?

I think I'll download all the games I've bought there and put them on one of my external hard drives just to be safe..
 
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I am sure this is a marketing stunt.

However, I am more and more assured in my personal policy to not buy anything from any download service there is. I only violated this policy three times (for NWN1 Premium modules not released on disc and "Westgate" for NWN2), but still feel bad about it.

I own much of GOG backcatalogue anyway: From Lords of Magic to Outcast most of the games are slumbering in my basement in their original box.

This fact and not feeling dependent on the wellbeing of a download service gives me a good feeling like it was still 1999.
 
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DArtagnan said:
I'm no big fan of marketing, but what's so bad about this?
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Sir_Brennus said:
However, I am more and more assured in my personal policy to not buy anything from any download service there is.
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One of the biggest fears I have about digital distribution is that the sites I use will go bust and I will lose the games I have. There are a number of titles on GoG which I haven't downloaded as I assumed I could just get them at a later date. This kind of crap plays on exactly those fears and makes me think I should own a boxed copy. It also makes GoG much more difficult to defend against people who simply use abandonware sites+Dosbox to play these old games…they haven't seen their service withdrawn this weekend, have they?
 
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coaster said:
One of the biggest fears I have about digital distribution is that the sites I use will go bust and I will lose the games I have. There are a number of titles on GoG which I haven't downloaded as I assumed I could just get them at a later date. This kind of crap plays on exactly those fears and makes me think I should own a boxed copy. It also makes GoG much more difficult to defend against people who simply use abandonware sites+Dosbox to play these old games…they haven't seen their service withdrawn this weekend, have they?
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Maybe I'm not getting this, but if it's a marketing stunt - then I assume the servers won't go down, or at least that your games will be made available again?
 
They already made clear that no matter if it is a marketing stunt or not, the games will be made available for download.
 
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The problem is that they turned off their service, without any notice. If they are actually bankrupt all their promises about letting people re-download their titles is a load of empty crap since it will be dependent on whether they have the money to do so or not.

Yes it looks like this isn't the case and it is stupid marketing. But screwing around with things people [think they] own just isn't on. What would you say if your local car dealership came round your house and stole your car for the weekend ("it's OK sir! You can use it on Monday! If we bring it back, that is…ho ho ho")
 
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People get upset that they can't download their games now. This second. Not that they were going to, but they might have, and now they can't until next week.

I personally don't see it as a big deal but, in all fairness, this is the way people typically feel, so GOG has misjudged it badly if this is a marketing stunt.
 
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That's not why I'm peeved. I'm pissed because this came out of nowhere with some cryptic message that says absolutely nothing. It's like some kind of tease. Just tell us what the heck is going on. Don't give us some BS about new adventures or some such nonsense.

As for the downloads I could care less. I already have a all my copies on multiple machines and flash disks. You never know when I want to fire one up on my old computer or the one at work ;)
 
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figment said:
Well this is annoying. I liked them and have probably spent at least $100 which with the low prices is quite a bit I think. Not even sure I've downloaded all of the games I've purchased but probably have so if they don't implement the redownload mechanism I'm probably ok and heck I can probably live without them.

This does point out one of the major issues with online retailers like gog, steam, d2d and impulse. I've stopped making local backups assuming that I can download again if I really want to play again. I think steam is safe but with the elemental hiccup I can envision scenarios where impulse disappears within the next year.
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I was having the same thought yesterday. I buy most of mine from D2D or Gamersgate. There are a few I think I'll redownload and burn to DVD for safetys sake.
 
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Well, they it is not that bad. We have the inconvenience of not being able to buy or download previously purchased games for a few days. It is a pretty minor thing compared to the disadvantages of every other distribution platform I know about, and it is probably…hopefully…a one-time occurence.

Still, I think after this, I will download all my purchased games and back them up. And while I don't really want to reward this stunt, I will probably also purchase some extra games. Well, GOG.com deserves my money anyway. :)

Kay
 
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My god, what a small world you live in - if this is what constitutes a problem in it.

If it's marketing, they thought they were being funny - and obviously they weren't.

I bought a number of games from there myself, but I think I can survive waiting a few days to get to re-download them.

How much can you really expect from the TINY prices they're charging for those games?

Anyway, big deal *sigh*

Ok ok, on principal it's wrong - but I guess I think there are bigger issues in this industry and gog.com has done a lot more good than bad, in my opinion.
 
Dhruin said:
People get upset that they can't download their games now. This second. Not that they were going to, but they might have, and now they can't until next week.

I personally don't see it as a big deal but, in all fairness, this is the way people typically feel, so GOG has misjudged it badly if this is a marketing stunt.
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Maybe they have some ingenious plan to turn it around. Like "This is what could happen at other DL sites, but not at the new, even better GOG. Our new superduper-feature gives you 100% more safety".

It has to be very good to make up for all the credit they've lost though.
 
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Any lost goodwill will be regained as soon as they announce they will add old Amiga games to their shop. ;)

Kay
 
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DArtagnan said:
My god, what a small world you live in - if this is what constitutes a problem in it.
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I don't think anyone's really said it's that much a problem, except those who've seen it as Gog.com actually closing. It's astounding the number of people who still believe Gog.com is closing, even after the news was proven to be a hoax. If you look at Destructoid's article, you'll see what I mean.

DArtagnan said:
I bought a number of games from there myself, but I think I can survive waiting a few days to get to re-download them.
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As can everyone else. But still, it's been a bit of a wake up call for many.

DArtagnan said:
How much can you really expect from the TINY prices they're charging for those games?
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I'd hardly call them "tiny" prices, but perhaps that's because I'm on limited funds. I've seen games on Gog.com for cheaper elsewhere (Such as King's Bounty: The Legend). But the price isn't the problem.

DArtagnan said:
Ok ok, on principal it's wrong - but I guess I think there are bigger issues in this industry and gog.com has done a lot more good than bad, in my opinion.
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Yes, and yes. Gog.com has been a great addition for the PC gamer, but it still doesn't stop this move being a completely idiotic one.

They dropped service without warning, and midway through a sale. They put up a message which, at face value, reads as a "Gog.com is dead. Buh-Bai!" message, but if you read between the lines it's much clearer what's going on (i.e. coming out of beta). A lot of this could have been avoided if they'd said it as it was, not trying to joke us around.
 
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Gorath said:
It has to be very good to make up for all the credit they've lost though.
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The only thing that could make up for the lost credit would be a ton of new games.

I'll still buy from them no matter how lame their stunts are, but it would be nice if there was some kind of surprise at the end of this.

Their tech support, extra goodies, and the fact they made the games playable on today's computers is what makes Gog worth the few bucks a download. Not the fact that I could get my games at any time. Who really cares about that anyways? Just download the game when you buy it and save multiple copies of it. How hard is that?

Edit: I just remembered something, I read all four parts of "From Monochrome to Monarchy: King's Quest History" by David Craddock a few days ago and was looking forward to reading more about this on GoG…I guess poor David will never get to finish it now ;)
 
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Dwagginz said:
I don't think anyone's really said it's that much a problem, except those who've seen it as Gog.com actually closing. It's astounding the number of people who still believe Gog.com is closing, even after the news was proven to be a hoax. If you look at Destructoid's article, you'll see what I mean.
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Yeah, a few ancient games are on pause - and the world is ended ;)

As can everyone else. But still, it's been a bit of a wake up call for many.
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A wake-up call, really?

Haha… Well…

I'd hardly call them "tiny" prices, but perhaps that's because I'm on limited funds. I've seen games on Gog.com for cheaper elsewhere (Such as King's Bounty: The Legend). But the price isn't the problem.
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The average price is something like 5$ - come on man. You get a convenient package with manuals etc. - and so far their service has been impeccable.

Yes, and yes. Gog.com has been a great addition for the PC gamer, but it still doesn't stop this move being a completely idiotic one.
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If it's so bad, I'd have to say the customers are equally idiotic.

They dropped service without warning, and midway through a sale. They put up a message which, at face value, reads as a "Gog.com is dead. Buh-Bai!" message, but if you read between the lines it's much clearer what's going on (i.e. coming out of beta). A lot of this could have been avoided if they'd said it as it was, not trying to joke us around.
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The joke of death that they should be killed for, yeah :)
 
Well, I always make backups of my games the second I buy them (and download them), but seriously, I can't believe this is a marketing stunt. All it says is "Hey guys, we can cut off access to your games anytime we want, we are not a reliable on-line platform; BTW, did you know you can buy e.g. Master of Magic for $6 at Impulse? Be sure to visit our competitors while we sort out our mess."

My bet is they are covering some sort of legal fiasco resulting from the recent Optimus share sale mess.
 
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