Seems that the Linux version of Supraland will not be heading to GOG (updated)

I've read the steam forums quite a bit since buying the game and the dev isn't the best at handling communication. He would possibly benefit from having a community manager of sorts. The game is still absolutely brilliant and it's a shame if it won't be on GOG or if the port will be pulled. Good thing that I've almost finished it.

GOG itself lacks Linux support in its client and their Linux engagement is really low, so I can understand if this is not the channel a developer want to support. Manually downloading and updating games is not what most users want either, if the game is DRM free on Steam I cannot see why this would be criticised. If the game is on GOG, you need to login as well to their website to get it, so this is then the same DRM like on Steam then.

The entire reason I buy games from GOG is the ability to manually download and update games on my own. It is entirely what I want. Considering I could never log into the website again after downloading the installer that is hardly DRM. Steam forces me to login every time I wish to play many games. That is DRM.

With the "for the sake of it" comment I was refering to a case of "I will only buy on gog because I want it DRM-free" but it IS DRM-free on Steam since forever. This ignorance and "for the sake of it" attitude made me a little angry.
I have not a single bad thought about gog.

It's so much effort for me and I want to spend that time doing other things
I hope you understand
on steam linux sales are just 1% of windows sales
and gog is like a few % of steam.

So why even release the game on GOG in the first place?! Damn.
Right now I'm a bit tired of this, they won't see my money.
But let's be clear, if he finally manage to release the Linux version on GOG I'll be happy to buy it (even if the Windows version is better, and maybe the Linux port will be optimized one day...)!

And I hope he'll doing well with the Supraland 2 KS campaign as he promised it both on GOG and Linux...

DRM-Free on Steam does exist! When a game is DRM-Free on Steam, you don't need to login to play. You can even use steamcmd to install games without the client. Indeed it's a bit more complex that downloading a file from a website but actually it's more convenient because stemcmd deal with lots of stuff. When the download is complete, you can backup the game directly the way you want, move it where you want and play without Steam. I've tested it myself several times! Steam is not a DRM but Steam offer a DRM solution for the devs who want it. It's up to the devs to make their game DRM-Free or not on Steam.

Honestly, where's the problem about Supraland not being on GOG? The game is available DRM-Free on a store with first-class Linux support. That's already a very good situation.

Besides, if we look at the comments on GoL about GOG: few years ago there was a vast majority of comments showing there love for GOG. But recently, most comments I see about GOG are negative: no galaxy, no game updates, no multiplayer on Linux, no update patch, etc. There are still GOG enthouasts of course, but it's safe to imagine that many Linux users who used to support GOG actively gave up. It is well known that Linux market share is around 0.9% on Steam but do we know how much it is on GOG?


Last edited by TheBard on 10 July 2019 at 6:39 am UTC

Surprisingly this post makes me Ok with it. Not because he's right, but because I don't want to give him any money for being so stupid.

Just because YOU haven't put DRM in your game, by publishing on Steam you're restricting my ability to share it. For example, I can lend a GOG game to a friend. He can play the game at the same time as I am playing something else. I can't do that on Steam.

If he doesn't understand that, I don't care if he brings it to GOG, I won't buy it. That's natural selection for you.

DRM-Free on Steam does exist! When a game is DRM-Free on Steam, you don't need to login to play. You can even use steamcmd to install games without the client. Indeed it's a bit more complex that downloading a file from a website but actually it's more convenient because stemcmd deal with lots of stuff. When the download is complete, you can backup the game directly the way you want, move it where you want and play without Steam. I've tested it myself several times! Steam is not a DRM but Steam offer a DRM solution for the devs who want it. It's up to the devs to make their game DRM-Free or not on Steam.

I don't think saying users can learn steamcmd is a reasonable argument personally, for those who prefer fully DRM-free.

Honestly, where's the problem about Supraland not being on GOG? The game is available DRM-Free on a store with first-class Linux support. That's already a very good situation.

Just imagine if this was the Epic Store, with the same argument (ignore no Linux support on Epic for a moment).

Besides, if we look at the comments on GoL about GOG: few years ago there was a vast majority of comments showing there love for GOG. But recently, most comments I see about GOG are negative: no galaxy, no game updates, no multiplayer on Linux, no update patch, etc. There are still GOG enthouasts of course, but it's safe to imagine that many Linux users who used to support GOG actively gave up. It is well known that Linux market share is around 0.9% on Steam but do we know how much it is on GOG?

I wouldn't equate the small loud minority with how the majority feel about GOG.

Note: I say this as someone who primarily buys from Steam, I'm just thinking outside my own personal box here.

From what i've seen on videos on youtube, game performs equally bad on windows and linux.
I'm getting similar results to what i see, on a gtx 750ti 2gb and a gtx 1060 3gb.
Thr only difference i've found is that it is prone to crash on the 750ti.
Running via proton brings very similar performance, maybe a bit "laggier" but does not crash on the 750ti.

An example here, it struggles to reach 60fps ona 1060 (on an Intel Core i7 7700, definitely better than my i5-4590) even after lowering the resolution to 85%
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S0fAPqUilE

Windows users complaining:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/813630/discussions/0/3726075043723768527/

...i'm not sure what dev is talking about, really.


Last edited by kokoko3k on 10 July 2019 at 7:30 am UTC

This is just a PR disaster.

This is exactly it. Some devs should just stay off handling what they perceive as complaints.

And it's not like GOG is "Linux heaven" either. Their hype is way waaaay too high in the Linux world.

Just because YOU haven't put DRM in your game, by publishing on Steam you're restricting my ability to share it. For example, I can lend a GOG game to a friend. He can play the game at the same time as I am playing something else. I can't do that on Steam.

You can do exactly that with Steam, too. It's called Family Share. Been doing that many years with my GF for some games. She can play something from my lib while I play something else. Only requirement is that both have Steam, but since that is free, it's a non-issue.

DRM-Free on Steam does exist! When a game is DRM-Free on Steam, you don't need to login to play. You can even use steamcmd to install games without the client. Indeed it's a bit more complex that downloading a file from a website but actually it's more convenient because stemcmd deal with lots of stuff. When the download is complete, you can backup the game directly the way you want, move it where you want and play without Steam. I've tested it myself several times! Steam is not a DRM but Steam offer a DRM solution for the devs who want it. It's up to the devs to make their game DRM-Free or not on Steam.

I don't think saying users can learn steamcmd is a reasonable argument personally, for those who prefer fully DRM-free.

Something is not easy to use, so it isn't DRM-free? That's your argument?
I'm all for Steam adding a simple "Download as installer/archive" button or something along those lines to DRM-free games in their store, but not having that button doesn't make them games with DRM.

It really does depend on the dev if their Steam-version has DRM or not. Some games won't even start without Steam running (and being logged in, afaik). But others do (they might tell you achievements are not working, though), and I don't see how those can not be considered DRM-free.

This is just a PR disaster.

This is exactly it. Some devs should just stay off handling what they perceive as complaints.

Meh, I'd rather have an honest dev that I don't agree with, than some community manager just trying to butter me up.


Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 10 July 2019 at 8:37 am UTC

I'm all for Steam adding a simple "Download as installer/archive" button or something along those lines to DRM-free games in their store

Is that not what this does?

I'm all for Steam adding a simple "Download as installer/archive" button or something along those lines to DRM-free games in their store

Is that not what this does?
https://i.imgur.com/WaYnysr.png

Not really. It creates a backup archive, yes, but I believe it can only be extracted by the user who created it.


Last edited by ixnari on 10 July 2019 at 8:45 am UTC

You can do exactly that with Steam, too. It's called Family Share. Been doing that many years with my GF for some games. She can play something from my lib while I play something else. Only requirement is that both have Steam, but since that is free, it's a non-issue.

No. She would be kicked out of one of your games if you play a completely different game from your library. She has five minutes to wrap up any unfinished business. Now if she was playing a GOG game of your own and you play another GOG game, there is virtually nothing tracking either of you to make sure your GF can't play when you're playing a game...you don't even need to login to her PC and add it to your account, just give her the game installer and be on your merry way.

My sister has no issues playing GOG games while I play GOG games. If I play something from my valve account when she's playing something also from that account, I can't imagine things going as smoothly.

DRM-Free on Steam does exist! When a game is DRM-Free on Steam, you don't need to login to play. You can even use steamcmd to install games without the client. Indeed it's a bit more complex that downloading a file from a website but actually it's more convenient because stemcmd deal with lots of stuff. When the download is complete, you can backup the game directly the way you want, move it where you want and play without Steam. I've tested it myself several times! Steam is not a DRM but Steam offer a DRM solution for the devs who want it. It's up to the devs to make their game DRM-Free or not on Steam.

I don't think saying users can learn steamcmd is a reasonable argument personally, for those who prefer fully DRM-free.

Something is not easy to use, so it isn't DRM-free? That's your argument?
I'm all for Steam adding a simple "Download as installer/archive" button or something along those lines to DRM-free games in their store, but not having that button doesn't make them games with DRM.

On GOG, the games are readily available as installers with no further work on your part. I download them, double click, then click install and sit back and enjoy. You're expecting users to be savvy enough to use steamcmd, let alone know it exists, for the pursuit of DRM-free.

Actually, scratch that. What makes GOG better than valve with DRM-free is that they guarantee their games are DRM-free. Valve does not, and will not mind if devs suddenly start using DRM in a later version of the game. Heck, they encourage the usage of valve DRM in their API documentation. Why would I trust the company which singlehandedly gimped the second hand and physical market for PC games and conditioned PC players to get used to online requirements screwery (all while their Xbox friends successfully rebelled) with DRM-free anything? They surely don't care about it as much as GOG, who, yes, they have their own issues, yes, they aren't always doing the best they could, but they are at the very least supporting it staunchly. So just because it is "DRM-free" on valve does not make it any more desirable than if it was truly DRM-free on GOG.


Last edited by WouldAvoidValveOnLinux on 10 July 2019 at 8:59 am UTC

DRM-Free on Steam does exist! When a game is DRM-Free on Steam, you don't need to login to play. You can even use steamcmd to install games without the client. Indeed it's a bit more complex that downloading a file from a website but actually it's more convenient because stemcmd deal with lots of stuff. When the download is complete, you can backup the game directly the way you want, move it where you want and play without Steam. I've tested it myself several times! Steam is not a DRM but Steam offer a DRM solution for the devs who want it. It's up to the devs to make their game DRM-Free or not on Steam.

I don't think saying users can learn steamcmd is a reasonable argument personally, for those who prefer fully DRM-free.

Something is not easy to use, so it isn't DRM-free? That's your argument?
I'm all for Steam adding a simple "Download as installer/archive" button or something along those lines to DRM-free games in their store, but not having that button doesn't make them games with DRM.

I did not say it was or wasn't DRM-free, merely pointing out for the average user steamcmd is not a reasonable option ;), nothing more.

I'm all for Steam adding a simple "Download as installer/archive" button or something along those lines to DRM-free games in their store

Is that not what this does?
https://i.imgur.com/WaYnysr.png

Not really. It creates a backup archive, yes, but I believe it can only be extracted by the user who created it. You can't even restore it offline. You need to be online with the client in order to actually restore games through it. If you want to back up files without them being bound to any specific account or internet connection, don't use the valve provided solution and use 7zip.

I checked this a couple days ago on the latest version of their client.

EDIT: removed double quote. Is using the site on mobile this finnicky or is it just me?


Last edited by WouldAvoidValveOnLinux on 10 July 2019 at 9:02 am UTC

Sounds to me there is a lesson for GOG here as well:

Believe it or not, Itch has some excellent developer tools. [...] You're going to need to be at least as fast and easy. Because even though Itch will let me take 100% of revenue, and has amazing tools that I recommend to everyone who will listen, I still find it a pain to go over to Yet Another Storefront and upload Yet Another Build whenever I issue a new patch.

You as Yet Another Storefront get this mental friction simply by existing. The deck is already stacked against you. All you can do is add as close to zero as possible to it.

Oh, and if you're designing your API? You need a really good reason for it to not look exactly like Steam's. Actually, no, you don't. There is no good reason. It needs to look exactly like Steam's, ideally being a drop-in replacement for the dll (copyright laws allowing). A developer needs to spend as close to zero seconds as possible reconfiguring their game for your system. If they have to recompile a special build just for you it's gonna be tough going.

You can do exactly that with Steam, too. It's called Family Share. Been doing that many years with my GF for some games. She can play something from my lib while I play something else. Only requirement is that both have Steam, but since that is free, it's a non-issue.

No. She would be kicked out of one of your games if you play a completely different game from your library. She has five minutes to wrap up any unfinished business.

Then you obviously did it wrong.
Download game from the library, go offline, now you can play.
This obviously won't work for most online-games, but you shouldn't be able to play someone else's online games without buying them anyway.

Now if she was playing a GOG game of your own and you play another GOG game, there is virtually nothing tracking either of you to make sure your GF can't play when you're playing a game...you don't even need to login to her PC and add it to your account, just give her the game installer and be on your merry way.

Oh, yeah, Steam's Family Sharing is user unfriendly and pretty much sucks (as many things in Steam do...), I won't disagree with that. But it IS possible to use it.

DRM-Free on Steam does exist! When a game is DRM-Free on Steam, you don't need to login to play. You can even use steamcmd to install games without the client. Indeed it's a bit more complex that downloading a file from a website but actually it's more convenient because stemcmd deal with lots of stuff. When the download is complete, you can backup the game directly the way you want, move it where you want and play without Steam. I've tested it myself several times! Steam is not a DRM but Steam offer a DRM solution for the devs who want it. It's up to the devs to make their game DRM-Free or not on Steam.

I don't think saying users can learn steamcmd is a reasonable argument personally, for those who prefer fully DRM-free.

Something is not easy to use, so it isn't DRM-free? That's your argument?
I'm all for Steam adding a simple "Download as installer/archive" button or something along those lines to DRM-free games in their store, but not having that button doesn't make them games with DRM.

On GOG, the games are readily available as installers with no further work on your part. I download them, double click, then click install and sit back and enjoy. You're expecting users to be savvy enough to use steamcmd, let alone know it exists, for the pursuit of DRM-free.

I'm not expecting users to do anything, I'm just saying that ease-of-use has nothing to do with DRM or no DRM.
The matter of fact is that there are DRM-free games on Steam.

What makes GOG better than valve with DRM-free is that they guarantee their games are DRM-free. Valve does not, and will not mind if devs suddenly start using DRM in a later version of the game.

That is true. If being DRM-free is someone's primary concern, they are better off with GOG.
Though only on Windows, as GOG on Linux, well... You really have to value DRM-free extremely to want to use GOG's crappy slow installers and lack of auto-updates and everything else Steam/Galaxy offers...


Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 10 July 2019 at 9:19 am UTC

I did not say it was or wasn't DRM-free, merely pointing out for the average user steamcmd is not a reasonable option ;), nothing more.

Average user does not mind using Steam client straight up.

I did not say it was or wasn't DRM-free, merely pointing out for the average user steamcmd is not a reasonable option ;), nothing more.

Average user does not mind using Steam client straight up.

I don't know what you're getting at by that, sounds like you missed the point entirely.

I did not say it was or wasn't DRM-free, merely pointing out for the average user steamcmd is not a reasonable option ;), nothing more.

Average user does not mind using Steam client straight up.

I don't know what you're getting at by that, sounds like you missed the point entirely.

Well, you brought up the argument of "the average user", but the whole situation does not concern your average user. You either want DRM-free game, then it doesn't matter where from and how you get it, or you it's issue of store, but then it's different issue.

[quote=Guest]If it’s on Steam then it’s not DRM-free, because it requires Steam.

Sorry, for being so blunt: B U L L S H I T ! ! !

The game dosn't require Steam! It runs perfectly without it!

If you consider the need of the Steam Client for downloading the game as DRM then GOG is also not DRM-free! As it requieres either a Browser or the Galaxy client plus an account.

Anyhow it is not DRM in both cases. DRM measures control "how" you can use a "digital product", but NOT "how" you acquire and download an digital product.