Heroes of Hammerwatch released on Steam for Linux, no GOG release due to missing Galaxy

Have you seen lately how many threads here on GOL about Valve/Steam/Feral got hijacked and turned into a bashing Steam session?

And this is far from the first thread to turn into a "GOG.com bashing session", as you would put it. It seems to be the GOL equivalent to the standard Linux distribution or text editor holy wars.

Yes, seems religion after all ;).

Here is my question though; GOG.com insists that Galaxy is completely optional, so how do Crackshell handle the Windows version of the game on GOG.com? Surely they must have a Windows version on GOG.com that does not have multiplayer available in order to have a non-Galaxy standalone installer?

I guess you would need to direct this question to the game devs.

What I don't like is the constant Valve/Steam bashing from the GOG fraction that feels the need to highlight that DRM-free is the only allowed religion.

I personally don't consider DRM to be acceptable practice. That precludes any option of saying "that's OK to do".

So ignore this simple fact while you can , until the very end Shmerl. Being a Polish person is not automatically means being an advocate of GOG , CDPR. Drop it. Please.

I recommend you to avoid speculation about personal matters. Not only because I'm not Polish and what you said it simply wrong, but because it wastes everyone's time and easily falls into trolling category.

So ignore this simple fact while you can , until the very end Shmerl. Being a Polish person is not automatically means being an advocate of GOG , CDPR. Drop it. Please.

I recommend you to avoid speculation about personal matters. Not only because I'm not Polish and what you said it simply wrong, but because it wastes everyone's time and easily falls into trolling category.

Wait , what? I clearly remember after some users told your nationality on here , you didn't said " It is wrong guys " and told it is unrelated to topic.

Anyway , just scrap that part of. You can't deny other matters anyway , so let's not focus on there like you said.

Plenty of DRM-free games on Steam [1].

That if you don't consider requirement to use the client to legally install the game (any subsequent time). DRM-free means you can legally install it from your backup, no clients attached.


Last edited by Shmerl on 2 March 2018 at 8:37 pm UTC

Did you see any MS dev on here and there? Yet you will say MS is a scumbag company , right?

Did you see any Valve dev on here and there? Yet you will say Valve is DRM'ed evil , right?

DRM itself is. Are Valve using it? Yes. No need for their confirmation of using it, it's a known fact. You need factual evidence of MS doing crooked stuff? Tons is collected already.


Last edited by Shmerl on 2 March 2018 at 8:39 pm UTC

What I don't like is the constant Valve/Steam bashing from the GOG fraction that feels the need to highlight that DRM-free is the only allowed religion.

I personally don't consider DRM to be acceptable practice. That precludes any option of saying "that's OK to do".

That's fine for me. Enjoy your DRM-free games. Though not every thread about Valve/Steam/Feral is about DRM (well most aren't :)), thus just saying nothing is also an option.

That's fine for me. Enjoy your DRM-free games. Though not every thread about Valve/Steam/Feral is about DRM (well most aren't :)), thus just saying nothing is also an option.

This thread wasn't about DRM really, it was about developers who don't release games with SP because of MP requirement. Not sure what DRM has to do with it, so you talking about DRM was the actual off-topic :)


Last edited by Shmerl on 2 March 2018 at 8:42 pm UTC

That's fine for me. Enjoy your DRM-free games. Though not every thread about Valve/Steam/Feral is about DRM (well most aren't :)), thus just saying nothing is also an option.

This thread wasn't about DRM really, it was about developers who don't release games with SP because of MP requirement. Not sure what DRM has to do with it, so you talking about DRM was the actual off-topic :)

I can't imagine that you weren't able to follow this conversation, I guess you know what I wanted to say. :)
Anyway, indeed time to stop here. Everybody should stick to their favorite store and enjoy their games. We should stop to annoy friend of others stores by constantly rubbing presumably shortcomings into their faces.


Last edited by jens on 2 March 2018 at 9:01 pm UTC

But make no mistake, GOG is NOT a Linux friendly company, ...

I disagree. EA is not a Linux friendly company. Bethesda is not a Linux friendly company.

While GOG may not be a champion of the Linux cause, the fact that they sell and support Linux games makes them a Linux friendly company.

Just to echo this statement.

Just because GOG haven't yet put Galaxy on Linux, does not suddenly make them unfriendly to Linux.

I mean come on, their staff send us keys directly to be able to cover games.

Oh, no, this is bad news. Somehow I expected a GNU/Linux to be available at GOG on launch date. :/ I bought the game on GOG and now this piece of ill news shows up. I also bought Serious Sam's Bogus Detour on GOG but I still haven't been able to enjoy it on GNU/Linux.
I would not mind if GOG made a super simplistic and light Galaxy version for GNU/Linux so that users can use it just to download the game installers and log on to the service required to play the game. This would however clash with their statement of GOG Galaxy always being a voluntary addition and not a requirement.
On Windows you have to launch Serious Sam's Bogus Detour through GOG Galaxy in order to get connected and access multiplayer (otherwise everything except the singleplayer button will be grayed out, if launched outside of Galaxy). In Hammerwatch you could simply install and play the game and get connected, either through the direct IP option or see list of public games. I think the developers are to blame for this and I don't like their design choice (what will I do with my GOG purchase now? Probably leave it as it is, since I want to support GOG and Crackshell studios, but being let down like this seriously sucks; yes, Steam is nice and I have a very good experience with Steam on GNU/Linux, but as someone pointed out I don't like the idea of having 'all eggs in one basket' either, hence I prefer to have selected games on GOG).

Here is my question though; GOG.com insists that Galaxy is completely optional, so how do Crackshell handle the Windows version of the game on GOG.com? Surely they must have a Windows version on GOG.com that does not have multiplayer available in order to have a non-Galaxy standalone installer?

This indeed is a point that alienates me. How do they handle games like this one, or Vikings? Can you really run them without Galaxy? It's not listed as a requirement either....

Case in point, Shadow Warrior Classic Redux is on GOG.com for Linux, and that has Galaxy support on Windows. Since they seem to need to provide a version without the Galaxy features enabled anyway, what is preventing the Linux release?

This indeed is a point that alienates me. How do they handle games like this one, or Vikings? Can you really run them without Galaxy? It's not listed as a requirement either....

The issue is relatively simple to solve technically. They can conditionally compile source with Galaxy calls, or they could make a dummy stub, if they worry about messing up the code with conditional compilation entries.

Interestingly, Kalypso released a few games without Galaxy for Linux on GOG just fine, but not Vikings. It's all quite illogical.

See: http://forum.kalypsomedia.com/showthread.php?tid=29787&pid=215977#pid215977

They said:

unfortunately Galaxy does not support Linux, and therefore games like Sudden Strike 4 and Vikings - Wolves of Midgard have not been released on GoG so far.

And strangely, they released Sudden Strike 4 for Linux on GOG after that without Galaxy, though not Vikings still.


Last edited by Shmerl on 2 March 2018 at 9:54 pm UTC

Well, after a few hours of playing this awesome game, I got drunk. Yay! You guys knock yourselves out on the DRM/Free holy war.

Remember though, we're here, on this site, because we have three things in common: 1. We love games. 2. We use and love Linux and 3. <mumble mumble mumble>

There was definitely a third thing. Community? Zombies? Beer? Probably beer. Yeah, I'm drunk.

Be cool peeps. See y'all in game.

GOG isn't run by CDPR, they are related, but not the same people are making decisions for each.

"Related", eh?

That's...errmm...putting it mildly?

GOG is a 100% subsidiary of CD-Projekt. In other words, it's the same company. And the bosses of CD-Projekt are the bosses of GOG. You can safely assume that they call the shots there, because that's how it's done in business.

I know, GOG fanboys and -girls try super hard to make up an artificial distinction between CDPR and GOG, so that they can continue to imagine that GOG would somehow be a great Linux company, when CDPR has shown beyond any reasonable doubt that they aren't. I guess it's hard to accept that they are one and the same, huh?

Some people also try to tell themselves that Steam's DRM-free games aren't actually DRM free, so that they can continue bashing them.

*shrug*

"Related", eh?

Same parent company, different people run them.

Sudden Strike 4 has LAN on GOG, so Galaxy or not you can still play MP (although Linux-Linux etc). This is the importance of client-less multiplayer.

Technically those devs saying they can't release a Linux version on GOG due to Galaxy sounds unprofessional. If they can release a Linux version on Steam what stops them from modifying it to run in Single player only? They already make the Windows version run without Steam after all.

It sucks but the least they could do is offer such a version and have GOG put a disclaimer "The Linux version can be played in Singleplayer mode only". At least until one prospective day arrives and Galaxy support for Linux is released. Those who wish to buy such a version would have the choice of doing so.
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I don't buy from Steam not because of the client, but because the games need the client and there's quite a difference there. If for example Codemasters told me "Hey, you can play our games without Steam", I'd definitely buy them, same goes for all other Linux games.


Last edited by Avehicle7887 on 2 March 2018 at 10:53 pm UTC

I don't buy from Steam not because of the client, but because the games need the client and there's quite a difference there. If for example Codemasters told me "Hey, you can play our games without Steam", I'd definitely buy them, same goes for all other Linux games.

There are plenty of games on Steam that you can play without the client:

http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games

I don't currently even have the steam client installed. I use SteamCMD (a terminal based steam downloader from Valve) to download the games, and then play.

I don't buy from Steam not because of the client, but because the games need the client and there's quite a difference there. If for example Codemasters told me "Hey, you can play our games without Steam", I'd definitely buy them, same goes for all other Linux games.

There are plenty of games on Steam that you can play without the client:

http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games

I don't currently even have the steam client installed. I use SteamCMD (a terminal based steam downloader from Valve) to download the games, and then play.

So SteamCMD works great without the Steam client installed. Does it works like lgogdownloader ?
I didn't know this was an official tool by Valve, but it's a pity it seems not open-source.
But it's a good point which that exists, i think.

I don't buy from Steam not because of the client, but because the games need the client and there's quite a difference there. If for example Codemasters told me "Hey, you can play our games without Steam", I'd definitely buy them, same goes for all other Linux games.

There are plenty of games on Steam that you can play without the client:

http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games

I don't currently even have the steam client installed. I use SteamCMD (a terminal based steam downloader from Valve) to download the games, and then play.

So SteamCMD works great without the Steam client installed. Does it works like lgogdownloader ?
I didn't know this was an official tool by Valve, but it's a pity it seems not open-source.
But it's a good point which that exists, i think.

SteamCMD is somewhat like lgogdownloader. It's not open source, and it's a little more cumbersome to use. I've written a little python wrapper to make it more lgogdownloader-like.

Currently I'm only playing three games that I own on Steam: Hollow Knight, Shovel Knight, and Kerbal Space Program. All three of these work perfectly without the client. KSP I've had installed forever, and it was installed with the client. Hollow Knight and Shovel Knight were both installed using SteamCMD - they've never even seen the client.