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Neon
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Location: Poland
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 Posted: Fri, 9th Oct 2009 16:34 Post subject: |
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JBeckman
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crossmr
Posts: 2966
Location: United Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat, 7th Nov 2009 01:22 Post subject: |
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Anyone feel GOG is losing its way a little? When they opened the games were "Good OLD Games" but now it just seems like anything more than a couple years old shows up there. Psychonauts is a much loved game..but its only 4 years old... Their flagship games were the Fallout series which was a decade old. Just seems like their definition of "old" is a little loose..
intel ultra 7 265k, 64gb ram, 3070
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| Posted: Sat, 7th Nov 2009 01:32 Post subject: |
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ya, but hey, the more titles they get their hands on the better they are preserved.
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| Posted: Sat, 7th Nov 2009 04:41 Post subject: |
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| crossmr wrote: | | Anyone feel GOG is losing its way a little? When they opened the games were "Good OLD Games" but now it just seems like anything more than a couple years old shows up there. Psychonauts is a much loved game..but its only 4 years old... Their flagship games were the Fallout series which was a decade old. Just seems like their definition of "old" is a little loose.. |
...
You can't be serious.
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crossmr
Posts: 2966
Location: United Kingdom
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| Posted: Sat, 7th Nov 2009 08:19 Post subject: |
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I'm quite serious. When they opened all the games they had were ancient by today's standards. I'm not debating whether or not they're all quality titles, just that some of the games they've added don't quite fit the theme of the site. Look at IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946. Its not even 3 years old. Good game, but is it "old"?
intel ultra 7 265k, 64gb ram, 3070
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| Posted: Sat, 7th Nov 2009 09:09 Post subject: |
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| crossmr wrote: | | I'm quite serious. When they opened all the games they had were ancient by today's standards. I'm not debating whether or not they're all quality titles, just that some of the games they've added don't quite fit the theme of the site. Look at IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946. Its not even 3 years old. Good game, but is it "old"? |
now when game time support average is 6 month all titles made 1-2 years ago are old
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| Posted: Fri, 27th Nov 2009 19:25 Post subject: |
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| Posted: Sat, 19th Dec 2009 03:01 Post subject: |
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| Posted: Wed, 23rd Dec 2009 02:45 Post subject: |
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| Posted: Thu, 28th Jan 2010 20:03 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | >Was it hard to get a deal with Activision? How long did it take?
It's an interesting question, since we actually originally started talks with Vivendi over a year ago. We met with them just before the merger of Activision and Vivendi was announced. The moment was not the best one for such talks, since some people in the company were already packing, but our seed started to grow. From the very beginning the idea of selling older games was seen as interesting, as especially in case of Sierra (which, as one of the few publishers, had a dedicated Internet department - Sierra Online) the GOG model fit their business concept.
Of course, in the beginning we were met with a lack of understanding of our no-DRM policy. After several meetings and detailed explanations, we were able to convince both Vivendi and, after the merger, Activision.
The acquisition of most games is a long and tedious process. But acquiring them from Activision-Blizzard, one of the biggest publishers in the world, was especially long. It took us over a year to sign the license agreement! The fact that such a big player is joining GOG, with their vast back-catalogue of games, is a breakthrough event for GOG. I won't hide the fact that we count on it being a boulder (definitely not just a pebble) that will cause a whole avalanche.
Which games from this publisher will we see on GOG?
With the announcement of the Activision deal, we have started an "Activision Month" at GOG.com. This means that anything happening on GOG in the coming weeks will be related to this publisher, and believe me, a lot will happen. First, we will release the first two games from the Activision range: Arcanum, one of the most interesting and elaborate RPGs, and the first part of the popular Gabriel Knight adventure game series.
Our goal is to have all good games in our offer, and we are consequently, step by step, realizing it. I believe that in near future GOG will offer games from all major publishers! The process begins with Activision games and by the end of Q1 2010 we're planning another major event, so there's much ahead of us! We started with Interplay's games, then there was Codemasters and many bigger and smaller partners, thanks to which we brought many classics back to the players, and now Activision. For now, I cannot disclose which major players will appear on GOG soon, since negotiations are underway, but we plan to bring you a plethora of older hits.
It's worth noting that in case of GOG our portfolio consists not only of games from major publishers. Since we offer the best of the older games, it often happens that after a certain period of time, the rights to the title return from the publisher to the developer. It is good for us, since then we're able to talk directly with the makers of the games and are not only able to publish the games themselves, but talk the developer into an interview, get additional materials and permission to publish them. It is also a reason for the players to buy legal copies of the games, since in many cases the money goes directly to the makers of a given title. It's a great feeling to support the makers of your favorite games from years back.
I'll tell a little anecdote connected with this fact. A while ago we were looking for the owner of the rights to the cult Broken Sword series. At the moment of its premiere (many years ago), the publisher was Virgin, but after a few years the right reverted back to the maker of the series - Charles Cecil. We found his contact info, met with him in London, convinced him that the GOG way is the way to go, and after a dozen days we had a signed deal, we learned how the game was being made and what he's working on now. Charles is a really incredible guy, a great developer and it's been a real pleasure to sell his games on GOG and support his work. 
> So far, its' been the hardest to get the rights to release what on GOG?
The deal with Activision definitely took us the longest, but it is the hardest to get the rights to... what isn't on GOG yet? But seriously, there's a pool of titles with legal issues that are often an insolvable Gordian knot. Due to historical changes in the market, bankruptcies, takeovers, etc. it sometimes happens that the rights to the franchise are owned by company A, the code by company B, and the music belongs to some artist. Additionally, 2 of the 3 aforementioned entities are not interested in any kind of business talks. Players often don't realize that information like "Hasbro sues Atari?, which recently appeared on the Internet, is the worst that can happen when it comes to adding e.g. the Baldur's Gate series to GOG. These types of legal conflicts can block the possibility of selling older games for many years, and unfortunately solving such problems is beyond us. Fortunately, such cases are rare and usually we are able to convince most owners of the rights that old master copies are worth dusting off and selling on GOG.
> Who's next? Can you tell me who you're aiming at?
As I mentioned, our goal is to offer all good games from all publishers, so we're talking with... heheheh,... everyone who do have such games. In March, we plan to announce another big publisher thanks to whom GOG will get HUUUGE hits. By the way, it's not the only surprise we have planned for March. 
> How big is GOG? Can you share some data?
I will share the numbers I can. We already have over 170 games on GOG and the number is constantly rising. Our ambition is to create the biggest catalogue of classic games, so that everyone can find something for themselves. Although our service is called Good Old Games, we don't really have strict criteria of selecting games. First, everyone has a different taste, and second, different games have sentimental value for different people, memories of whole nights spent on playing. But thanks to our store having a virtual, shelf of unlimited size, the size of our catalogue is not limited, so we think that it's always best to have as wide of a choice as possible. But as for the number of available titles, it is actually higher, since in case of older titles we compile several games into one set and sell as one title - a good example is the Might & Magic 6-pack, in which for $9.99 USD the player gets 6 parts of the cult M&M series, from 1st to 6th. We already have agreements with 30 publishers or developers, and, as I said, it is not our final word yet.
But back to numbers, I will show you the following list that was published in September for our first anniversary. The first year of GOG in numbers looked like this:
135717 forum posts
28 partners (publishers or developers)
207 wallpapers
21 game guides
326 game avatars
1861 artworks
89 sound tracks
7134 hours - we spent this much time testing the games so that they would work well on all systems
110 GB - this is the size of all our games and additional materials
Of course, in the last months these numbers have been growing, but they show, to an extent, how GOG is developing. It is worth noting that GOG is not just games. For each game, we release lots of additional materials, so when buying a game the players can not only play, but also listen to the soundtrack, read a game guide, interviews with the game's creators. It costs us a lot of work (both on the technical and legal side), but I still think that such materials are a huge advantage. Another unique thing that is lacking from other similar services. And stuff like soundtrack from our favorite game really is something!
> GOG hits - which are the most popular?
Of course the most popular games are ones that both us and the users have player for the longest time. To name a few: Duke Nukem, Freespace, all Fallouts, Might & Magic, Heroes of Might & Magic, Painkiller, the Gothic series - the list is long, but it's clear that everyone wants to return to the titles they have fond memories of. There is also a tendency of returning to titles that used to be hot, used to have good reviews, but the players for some reason did not buy them. This also applies to younger players, who did not have a chance of playing some classics because they were too young when the title was originally published or did not have a computer they would run on - now this problem is gone. Additionally, when such a title appears with an attractive price, like $5.99 or 9.99, there are many impulse purchases. |
part 2
| Quote: | > You talk a lot about DRM, saying that the world would be more beautiful without it. If so, do you intend to use it for The Witcher 2? Or is the emphasis on no DRM just a marketing ploy?
From the very beginning of our work on GOG, the lack of DRM was a total priority for us. Had we not convinced the publishers that such a model is viable, there would be no GOG at all. Why is it so important? It results directly from the players' expectations (just read any gaming forums) and our experience with distributing classic titles in Eastern Europe. Of course there are various kinds of DRMs - some of them you can live with, because they're not as disruptive, but others you can't. When working on GOG, we decided to have no compromises. We treat our customers fairly and try not to make their lives harder, because the customer always has an alternative. They do not have to buy the game, it's enough for them to just download a torrent - of course, it won't always work with his system, it will lack add-ons or will turn out to be a virus. Our philosophy at GOG.com is convincing players that it's worth paying $5.99 or $9.99 for a game with lots of extra materials, full compatibility and support. We assume that if we respect our users, they will respect us, and so far it's been working quite well. Of course, there will always be a group of players that will choose to pirate the games, but if our offer is really fair, when we add lots of bonus materials, guarantee compatibility, etc., then we get a very positive feedback, sell more games and have more happy customers.
From our experience in the Eastern markets (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary), it is evident that offering the players good value for money is the formula for success. Of course, the game itself needs to be good, but excessive security measures and the price being too high in relation to quality guarantee failure. It is really surprising how major publishers can't draw the right conclusions from all the DRM failures and how immune they are to the voices of their customers. I was personally affected when I bought Modern Warfare 2. The installation (through Steam) took almost two days and only then I could sit down and play it. Then, when I uninstalled it from Steam, I tried to delete Steam itself. It turned out that there is no "Uninstall? option in the Steam directory, and when I tried to do it through Add/Remove, I faced a message that I have no Administrative privileges (sic!). Fortunately, I managed to uninstall it thanks to a clever program called Total Uninstall, which effectively deletes leftover files from badly written programs. After such experience, it's hard to be positively inclined towards DRM. One would want to buy a new game (for lots of money, by the way), install it and start playing normally, not be forced to do various different things and install various malware that cannot be normally removed.
As for The Witcher 2 - it's a good question, but it's too early for a definitive answer. Yes, we would like to have The Witcher 2 without DRM, but the final decision will be made several months before the game is published, together with the worldwide publisher. We have many ideas on how to convince the players to buy the game legally (emphasis on convince, not force), but we need time to finalize them. By the way, I'd like to remind that the first Witcher had no DRM as such. Thanks to our stubbornness, we managed to ensure that TAGES only checks the authenticity of the disc in the drive, but does not connect with any server to authenticate the copy (which is the main issue with DRM).
> When will we see Good New Games? Is there a chance for a similar platform with newer titles?
Good New Games? Cool idea - we need to discuss it in our next strategy meeting . But seriously speaking, we are currently focusing on expanding the GOG range, as there is a whole lot of games that deserve a "second chance" or return to the players' hard drives. We don't want to lose the uniqueness of GOG, connected with specializing in classic games. GOG.com is a unique platform, with a unique offer, and new games can be bought through all other digital distribution services. I won't rule out the possibility that while we add both older and newer games to our offer, the range of prices might expand, as two price points seem insufficient at times. Our ideal is having the prices reflect their value perceived by the players as closely as possible. $5.99 for a 13-year-old game might seem too much, while $9.99 for a 3-year-old hit might be too low (well, definitely not for the players , but possibly for the publisher). However, we won't start releasing entirely new games in the foreseeable future.
> How do you see GOG in 5 years? Where would you like your project to go?
5 years is a lot of time, so maybe I'll tell you how we see GOG in a year or two. There will be many important events, we will definitely improve some of our functionality, we will close the beta stage and have a grand official opening. I believe that with time (sooner than later) we will gather a full catalogue of the greatest PC classics. With time, there will also be games and website in other languages, and we believe that with time GOG will have lots of happy users. There are, of course, much more detailed plans, but for now I cannot share them.
> What are the chances for GOG offering localized games?
It is definitely something we'd like to add in the future. However, for now we're concentrating on gathering all good old games, and this is our supreme goal, but we also think of adding all available language versions to all games. However, while it might look like an uncomplicated task, it is a real challenge, since there's even more issues with rights to the localizations, recordings, translations, etc. Eventually, we will definitely have them in our offer.
> Have you thought of creating a similar service with emulated games from older platforms, like Atari, Commodore, etc.?
It is an interesting idea and we have thought of that, but there's still a lot of work ahead of us when it comes to gathering all good old PC games, so such ideas are just loose conversation topics so far.
> It is hard to earn money on the Internet. Even Facebook and Twitter have problems with that. Is GOG profitable for CD Projekt? Does it earn for yourself? Or do you treat it as a future source of income for now?
I cannot disclose any details, but this is our first project that has been profitable practically from the get go. We're very happy with it, as most Internet projects do not generate profits yet. Of course, we're not talking of huge profits here, but the trend is very positive and we count on GOG being one of the most important sources of income for the CD Projekt Group in the long term. I think that the most important thing is that, since it operates on the global market, it has a huge growth potential. Therefore we will be doing everything we can to use this potential to the fullest!
> Isn't GOG yet another game distribution service like all the other?
I don't think you've ever been to GOG. But seriously speaking, GOG.com is a mix of an Internet store offering high quality games for reasonable prices, with lots of bonus materials and compatibility with new operating systems, with a social website for all fans of classic games and lots of love for games. The force behind GOG (aside from a great team) are the customers and their feedback. GOG.com is a platform for gamers made by gamers (which reminds me of Interplay's old slogan: By Games for Gamers) - there's definitely something to it and this is how we try to operate on a daily basis. Nothing makes as as happy as lots of positive comments on a new release. Of course there's also criticism, which we very much take into hearts, all the time trying to improve GOG and fix our mistakes. For now there haven't been many changes to the website, but we're gathering all opinions and have something great ready for the end of March. But back to the question, how many services: 1. have no DRM, 2. accept payments from all countries in the world and have the same prices regardless of where the buyer is from 3. guarantee compatibility of old titles with new operating systems 4. allow purchased games to be installed on any number of computers and do not require Internet connection, so that purchased games will work even if the distribution system fails, e.g. due to thousands of players trying to launch the new CoD, 5. have so many bonus content (e.g. every third game has downloadable soundtrack). So, do you still think that GOG is just another digital distribution service?
> How do you intend to compete with Steam or even Xbox Live?
The answer to the previous question is a hint
But more seriously, both Steam and Xbox Live are entirely different platforms targeted at a completely different customer, based on a different philosophy. The heart of Steam are new games and this is what they concentrate on. Their range of older titles is not very impressive. Furthermore, some of them are not properly tested and simply do not work with some systems (WinXP, 95, etc.), not to mention being forced to install the Steam client and the fact that while playing you need to have Internet access for pretty much the whole time. By the way, if Steam is ever shut down for any reason then this is the end, all purchased games no longer work.
Our approach is entirely different. First of all, we concentrate on older games and deliver a quality product (dozens of hours of testing, preparing the necessary patches, lots of bonus content). Second, our model is: download and... do anything you want with the game. Play on all your computers, make 100 backup copies, and if you lose all of them for some reason, you can always go to GOG and download it for the 100th time entirely for free.
As for Xbox Live? First, you need to have a console, and if you have one... there's no alternative, since in case of consoles, the producer (in this case Microsoft) always controls the sales platform. Aside from Xbox Live, we won't get Xbox games in digital format anywhere online. This pretty much sums it up.
Generally, we compete with all of these platforms of services for the player's time, as this is a limited resource and if an average Joe plays for 5 hours a day on Xbox Live, he won't have much time for playing games downloaded from GOG. Here the key to success is our approach and what we offer on GOG. A mix of great classics that for years shaped the whole electronic entertainment, for reasonable prices, with bonus content, no DRM, so if you buy the game, you can do whatever you want with it, full compatibility with new systems, full support, lots of love for games. We believe that classic games also give us something that is hard to find in new productions. There used to be many more PC games, they were more varied, and creating them was a much more fun and creative process. This is why so many games are still very entertaining and immersive, even though they are not visually impressive anymore. They have lots of crazy ideas, unique solutions and real passion. I think that the quality of these games is the strongest asset of GOG in competing for the players' attention. The best proof is the fact that time flows, yet we still go back to old games.
If you want to find out whether my answers in this interview are just baseless hype, I invite all of you to GOG.
I can guarantee that any player can find something for themselves, and the doubters can start with downloading one of our free games and testing our system. Our forum is also worth checking out, in order to read posts by other users - happy players are the best advertisement for us (damn, now I must go and quickly delete all the posts by malcontents ). |
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| Posted: Thu, 4th Feb 2010 18:39 Post subject: |
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latest Activision game up is Vampire The Masquerade: Redemption
Epsilon: Game is great btw, I love it, so far it's a definite goty. It's remarkable how much has changed since the beta, stardock have been working their asses off, and it shows.
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| Posted: Thu, 4th Feb 2010 19:09 Post subject: |
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Stunning game too, not quite as good as it's sequel (Bloodlines) but still a fantastic game.
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| Posted: Thu, 4th Feb 2010 21:46 Post subject: |
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Actually for me Vampire The Masquerade: Redemption was better then Bloodlines, so go figure.
I hate the damned haunted house level. Made me quit playing Bloodlines every single time.
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| Posted: Thu, 11th Feb 2010 02:42 Post subject: |
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Constructor 2 (Mob Rule) has been added. I loved the first game, so I'm gonna try this one.
Epsilon: Game is great btw, I love it, so far it's a definite goty. It's remarkable how much has changed since the beta, stardock have been working their asses off, and it shows.
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| Posted: Fri, 12th Feb 2010 16:47 Post subject: |
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50% off the Red Baron pack, and The Incredible Machine pack
Epsilon: Game is great btw, I love it, so far it's a definite goty. It's remarkable how much has changed since the beta, stardock have been working their asses off, and it shows.
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JBeckman
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Posts: 34999
Location: Sweden
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| Posted: Thu, 18th Feb 2010 15:04 Post subject: |
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Neon
VIP Member
Posts: 18935
Location: Poland
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| Posted: Thu, 18th Feb 2010 15:30 Post subject: |
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Interstate! Holy fuck! I played this for HOURS when I was a kid! Instant buy!
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| Posted: Thu, 18th Feb 2010 17:38 Post subject: |
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| Neon25 wrote: | | Interstate! Holy fuck! I played this for HOURS when I was a kid! Instant buy! |
WOW!!! Interstate '76 is an awesome game!! I was always hoping for a proper sequel or remake!! Don't even say '82! Has anyone bought this and played it. I remember having a great time with it but my system kept crashing with my Monster 3D card. I am probably going to just pick it up and see for myself.
MD
Intel C2D E6600 @ 3gHZ - EVGA 680i (P24) - Sapphire HD4870 775/4200 - 2x1GB OCZ XTC Platinum @ 808mHZ - ASUS Xonar D2 PCI Ultra Fidelity - Logitec Z5500 - Windows 7 Ultimate RTM - Corsair TX750 PSU - Plextor SATA 16X 755SA - "Death is only the beginning"
PS3 80GB
X360 1.61 IXtreme Banned Edition
Wii Homebrewed!
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| Posted: Fri, 19th Feb 2010 20:18 Post subject: |
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Divine Divinity and Beyond Divinity are on special offer this weekend. Divine Divinity is surely one of the best action RPGs, along with Diablo II and Titan Quest.
Epsilon: Game is great btw, I love it, so far it's a definite goty. It's remarkable how much has changed since the beta, stardock have been working their asses off, and it shows.
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| Posted: Sat, 20th Mar 2010 21:22 Post subject: |
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This weekend: The Longest Journey and Sanitarium are 50% off.
Epsilon: Game is great btw, I love it, so far it's a definite goty. It's remarkable how much has changed since the beta, stardock have been working their asses off, and it shows.
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| Posted: Sat, 20th Mar 2010 21:44 Post subject: |
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Bah, played Interstate to death  still remember every single mission (that one where you had to jump over a chasm at the end with that wounded guy in your car was hard as shit!) no saves made it a bummer.
A pc classic for sure, proly the best driving game ever.
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