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General discussionOffline installers with an option to install GOG Galaxy(1687 posts)(1687 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted July 06, 2017
low rated
Thanks for bearing with us in this thread. We’d like to announce that today we’ve introduced the addition of new installers, with implemented GOG Galaxy client.

Like Destro described it back in May, we decided to separate the „new" and „classic” installers, for your choice. So if you don’t care about the features like achievements or cloud-saves and don’t want to use GOG Galaxy, you can download the „Classic Game Installer", just like it was handled before. For games that have new installers, the default download view on „My account” will show the "GOG Galaxy Game Installers" - you will notice that, as it is visibly described in „My account” game view. To download the „classic” ones, just go to „Options" and choose „Classic Installers”.

The new GOG Galaxy Game Installers were added to +100 games - a selection of all games that make use of GOG Galaxy features. I'll post the current list of games with the new installers in a separate post.
Going forward, all new games that will use GOG Galaxy features, will now receive both GOG Galaxy Game Installer and Classic Game Installer.

Introduction of GOG Galaxy Game Installers doesn’t change anything in terms of keeping the Classic Game Installers up to date. As soon as we receive an update for any game, we will prepare an updated version of the classic installer, just like it was done in the past.

Edit: Pinned.
Post edited July 06, 2017 by fables22
Posted May 12, 2017
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Destro: 1. We clearly noticed - yes, we did - that many of you prefer the old installers (let’s call them “classic”) and prefer to manage their growing libraries manually. Therefore, once we roll out “new” installers with the option to install GOG Galaxy, we will add a separate download of the “classic” ones. Going forward we will offer the option to download “classic” installers whenever a game is offered via a “new” installer.
Awesome, thanks :)
Posted May 12, 2017
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Gersen: How does it have anything to do with whenever or not the classic offline installer will be kept updated or not ?
I have no clue... i am still traumatized...
Posted May 12, 2017
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Destro: Thank you all for your posts in this topic, especially for all the constructive feedback. We posted on the forums expecting that many of you will be vocal about this. We want to assure you, that we always read your feedback and discuss it internally, even if we don’t always agree with some of it. You are vocal, so it means you care about GOG.com and we really do appreciate it.

Games have changed a lot in the past years and new titles made achievements, cloud saves and other online features become a standard rather than an extra. Sure, some do not care about these functionalities and we understand it. Having said that, we believe that if we offer games with these features advertised to the general public, then the default installation flow is expected to result in a game with these features working out of the box. This is our reasoning for including the option to install GOG Galaxy during the game installation, and we do stand by it.

Yes, there are things which we can do better - there always are. Reading your feedback and giving it a second thought, we decided on the following:
1. We clearly noticed - yes, we did - that many of you prefer the old installers (let’s call them “classic”) and prefer to manage their growing libraries manually. Therefore, once we roll out “new” installers with the option to install GOG Galaxy, we will add a separate download of the “classic” ones. Going forward we will offer the option to download “classic” installers whenever a game is offered via a “new” installer.
2. As mentioned earlier, we will work on making the GOG Galaxy installer smaller, but at the cost of it being online only.
3. We will launch the new installers in a couple of weeks once point 1 is ready. Point 2 might take a bit longer, but with the “classic” installer option available, this should not affect anyone.

One more thing to keep in mind: everyday we fight to make more great titles available to you, DRM-free. To release many of them we must support their online features, while at the same time developers request ways to automate upload and updating games. Without GOG Galaxy we couldn't offer many of the games we offer today at all, even if you don’t use GOG Galaxy to play or update them.

Once again thank you for your feedback. We hope the above answers your concerns.
Thank you.

In case some of your team might still be shaking heads & asking why so many here are making a fuzz about something "minor" like that: Those that don't shop at Steam.
Post edited May 12, 2017 by anothername
Posted May 12, 2017
high rated
Well, we have a temporary solution. It may be a totally strange one (or they're still just trying to artificially inflate the numbers of people downloading Galaxy, who knows) but at least it's a solution. Remains to be seen if the classic installers are treated equally and if the community finds a way to help us all with the mess.

For now, I return to the shadows, leaving this forum to people who can still stomach it. But shall be forever vigilant. When there's injustice I shall... OOOOOOHH, A BURGER!

*GONE*
Posted May 12, 2017
high rated
avatar
Breja: I agree that it makes absolutely zero sense. I've been rotating this in my head every which way, and it's just absurd. The whole reason for introducing Galaxy in offline installers was supposedly to have people who have no idea what they're doing get galaxy by default. Now downloading an offline installer with Galaxy will be a choice made before downloading, just like downloading Galaxy itself always was. If you want to use Galaxy, why would you choose to download it with an offline installer? You'd just download Galaxy and download the game through it. That's what it's for, right? I just... what?
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Gersen: Because their belief, and having worked with customer supports I kind of agree is that peoples don't download the "offline installer" version because they don't want Galaxy but because they don't know what Galaxy is or care about it.

They buy a game, they download it, they install it...

...and then they complain because it doesn't have auto-update, achievements, multiplayer, etc... or a client like Steam.

Here those peoples will buy the game, download the "default" installer, install it and then be presented with the option to install Galaxy too, it will be easier for those peoples as they won't have to download Galaxy separately.
a much more simple solution would be to change the order from:
- peoples will buy the game,
- download the game,
- install it and then be presented with the option to install Galaxy

to:
- peoples will buy the game,
- be presented with the option to install Galaxy
- install galaxy (and use that to download the game)
OR
- download the game installer and install it,

there is really absolutly no need to screw around with the installers. This whole affair is still a solution in search of a problem :p
Posted May 12, 2017
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Destro: 1. We clearly noticed - yes, we did - that many of you prefer the old installers (let’s call them “classic”) and prefer to manage their growing libraries manually. Therefore, once we roll out “new” installers with the option to install GOG Galaxy, we will add a separate download of the “classic” ones. Going forward we will offer the option to download “classic” installers whenever a game is offered via a “new” installer.
3. We will launch the new installers in a couple of weeks once point 1 is ready. Point 2 might take a bit longer, but with the “classic” installer option available, this should not affect anyone.
I'm happy with that solution. What ZFR said in 933 and 935 goes for me too.
Posted May 12, 2017
high rated
It may be what was just announced, but I can't see the "2 different offline installers for every game for every game update" lasting long in practise given the additional work it takes (2 releases instead of 1 per game release + update, plus additional re-releases for every Galaxy update even if the related game hasn't updated). That's an insane workload increase for the staff that deal with the packaging. And how are Library update notifications for offline installers going to be handled? Is everyone going to be told a game "updated" purely for a bundled Galaxy update, even if they're using the non-Galaxy installers?

If GOG want an "easy connected" and "classical offline" option, just keep the current Galaxy and Offline Installers, and make a big purple "Install Galaxy" permanent button (like the Green "Install Steam" button) in every page header. Send out an e-mail with same big purple "DOWNLOAD GALAXY" link. Walk them through downloading and installing Galaxy when creating a new GOG account with an "idiot proof" screenshot guide, etc.

I still can't seriously accept the claim that GOG customers are supposedly so stupid they struggle to download GalaxySetup.exe file but are simultaneously more than happy to download SteamSetup.exe, uPlaySetup.exe and OriginSetup.exe and this new GOG proposed GOGGameInstallerWithGalaxySetup.exe files in exactly the same way, plus have no problems using Humble Store (which include both DRM-free installers and Steam keys per purchase), 2-step authentication logins, GOG Connect accountlinking, redeem codes, mixed payment methods, etc, as well).

It's nice GOG have confirmed "clean classical" installers will continue, but I still think GOG are over-compensating for a few past "bottom 1% idiot support calls" a little too much. No matter what you try and do, you will always get one who "can't download Galaxy" - because he yanked the power cable out from the wall...
Post edited May 12, 2017 by AB2012
Posted May 12, 2017
high rated
Did GOG get bought out by Nintendo?

I can't come up with any other reason that they have started deliberately trying to screw over and alienate their loyal customers. :P
Posted May 12, 2017
high rated
Oh, so I get to keep my installers? That's awesome, I have no further complaints and I'm really glad I don't have to act on my ultimatum. Except for the whole communication issue, but that's old news.

Now, I do think it's not that good a solution for either those new users or GOG employees with extra work to do. But I couldn't care less if I tried for the first group, and I can live with the mild pity I have have for the second.
Posted May 12, 2017
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AB2012: It may be what was just announced, but I can't see the "2 different offline installers for every game for every game update" lasting long in practise given the additional work it takes (2 releases instead of 1 per game release + update, plus additional re-releases for every Galaxy update even if the related game hasn't updated). That's an insane workload increase for the staff that deal with the packaging. And how are Library update notifications for offline installers going to be handled? Is everyone going to be told a game "updated" purely for a bundled Galaxy update, even if they're using the non-Galaxy installers?

If GOG want an "easy connected" and "classical offline" option, just keep the current Galaxy and Offline Installers, and make a big purple "Install Galaxy" permanent button (like the Green "Install Steam" button) in every page header. Send out an e-mail with same big purple "DOWNLOAD GALAXY" link. Walk them through downloading and installing Galaxy when creating a new GOG account with an "idiot proof" screenshot guide, etc.

I still can't seriously accept the claim that GOG customers are supposedly so stupid they struggle to download GalaxySetup.exe file but are simultaneously more than happy to download SteamSetup.exe, uPlaySetup.exe and OriginSetup.exe and this new GOG proposed GOGGameInstallerWithGalaxySetup.exe files in exactly the same way, plus have no problems using Humble Store (which include both DRM-free installers and Steam keys per purchase), 2-step authentication logins, GOG Connect accountlinking, redeem codes, mixed payment methods, etc, as well).

It's nice GOG have confirmed "clean classical" installers will continue, but I still think GOG are over-compensating for a few past "bottom 1% idiot support calls" a little too much. No matter what you try and do, you will always get one who "can't download Galaxy" - because he yanked the power cable out from the wall...
Did GOG confirm somewhere that they are bundling the entire Galaxy installer with the game installers?
Posted May 12, 2017
I feel like people are maybe fixating on this "stupid user" thing a little too hard.

It's not about people being too stupid to understand something so much as it is somebody not really trying very hard to understand something on their first go. It's about not jarring a user who is new with something that didn't work because they didn't do their stretching, make sure to get a nice complete breakfast, on a solid 8 hours of rest, before attacking the business of downloading their new game from gog.com that they just got. Developers also want their stuff to work by default like how they designed it and *ahem* also how they're used to now.

So I was envisioning a two installer system too. Mine was different (and probably not as palatable as this one) as I was thinking about the problem of ensuring a net install isn't left without an internet connection to use, while trying to avoid installer bloat. Looks like you plan to go the net installer way. This leaves open the possibility that someone downloads a game and doesn't run it right away for whatever reason and instead runs it later and it can't install. So you think, OK, that's unlikely because they're gonna know they don't have the game if it downloaded in less than 1 second. That's true, but some games are small enough that on a fast connection they might not notice. In addition, maybe they left the computer while it was downloading.

So what I'm saying is, how do you communicate that without triggering some kind of contrary or ornery streak in the user right.

Anyway it's kind of edge-casey I realize but it's like how do you communicate that it's just a net installer for Galaxy, without also kind of implying "This is the fake one teehee! Go get this one!" You just shot your seamlessness initiative in the foot.

You can put a separate "Classic Installer" heading under the current heading but that doesn't communicate to the user that they're going to need an internet connection after they've finished downloading the game from the regular one.

Anyway this is largely a UI thing mainly and gog are pretty good at that so I figure you'll come up with something. Just mentioning it.
Posted May 12, 2017
Thank you GOG community for standing together and thank you GOG for listening to community.
I hope things will alright if not worse in the coming days.
Posted May 12, 2017
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amrit9037: Thank you GOG community for standing together and thank you GOG for listening to community.
I hope things will alright if not worse in the coming days.
[url=http://rs7.pbsrc.com/albums/y297/T-Bone1973/pig_group_fly_md_wht.gif~c200]I'm sure GOG is rethinking their decision as we speak[/url]. XD
Posted May 12, 2017
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Destro: Yes, there are things which we can do better - there always are. Reading your feedback and giving it a second thought, we decided on the following:
1. We clearly noticed - yes, we did - that many of you prefer the old installers (let’s call them “classic”) and prefer to manage their growing libraries manually. Therefore, once we roll out “new” installers with the option to install GOG Galaxy, we will add a separate download of the “classic” ones. Going forward we will offer the option to download “classic” installers whenever a game is offered via a “new” installer.
2. As mentioned earlier, we will work on making the GOG Galaxy installer smaller, but at the cost of it being online only.
3. We will launch the new installers in a couple of weeks once point 1 is ready. Point 2 might take a bit longer, but with the “classic” installer option available, this should not affect anyone.
As long as the classic installers retain update parity with the new installers, I don't see a problem with this at all. Thanks for listening. This solution is bound to take more work on your part on the back end, so thank you for putting forth the effort to make it work.

Also you might want to edit this into the first post. I'm guessing most people aren't going to see it 929 posts into the thread.
Posted May 12, 2017
high rated
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johnnygoging: ...So I was envisioning a two installer system too. ...
Usually a two installer system (for every version, every OS, every game, every update, ...) is a bit of wasted effort.

But if they already go that way. I want a global switch in my settings that says something like "Hide Galaxy from me wherever possible." and then I see no advertisement about it, no download buttons and only the one kind of installer that doesn't know about Galaxy. That would be great.
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Community
General discussionOffline installers with an option to install GOG Galaxy(1687 posts)(1687 posts)
(1687 posts)