Divinity: Original Sin Beta Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO THE NEW THREAD]

[Roguey]

Yessssssssssssssssssssss.

But Larian must not have thought setting up their own custom patching infrastructure was worth the effort. (And they were right about that.)

The Anthology version of DKS had this. Loading it the first time I got a pop-up stating "patch x.x is available, download?"

Of course that's still dee arr emm. No dee arr emm would involve popping the disc in, installing, and playing with no internet connection needed.

 

[Zep Zepo]

So they went back on Editor for Alpha Tier backers.
Canceled Day/Night (maybe NPC Schedules as well?)
Now some alternate meaning of DRM free.

Color me surprised...

Zep--

 

[Excidium]

It seems DRM-freetards never get tired of being spun around

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Yessssssssssssssssssssss.


The Anthology version of DKS had this. Loading it the first time I got a pop-up stating "patch x.x is available, download?"

Of course that's still dee arr emm. No dee arr emm would involve popping the disc in, installing, and playing with no internet connection needed.

Don't need rights management to facilitate patching. Not the same thing.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

It seems DRM-freetards never get tired of being spun around

You mean they don't tire despite getting spun around. Its an old, old battle that predates the PC. Without it, the internets don't exist.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

 

[Roguey]

Don't need rights management to facilitate patching. Not the same thing.

What I meant was that if you can't play it without it signing on the internet, it's DRM. It is true that with DKS you can just ignore the patch, which makes it not-DRM.

 

[SCO]

It's simple. Offer physical version buyers the ability to request a Gog gift, or just gift them automatically.

DRM or no, Steam "encumbers" the game. Do the right thing Larian.

1) Physical buyers do have a gog option.
2) You only need steam to install the game. You can then move the game directory, uninstall steam, and it will work just fine.
3) By need, I mean not taking the gog route.

Probably not strictly true, since the matchmaking and chat features depend on a dedicated server? If there has to be one api for that, i guess steam api is the best. I just wont use it.

BTW: the only reason that gog doesn't have the same facility to patch games as steam is that they're not engineers of the same caliber. Every programmer knows that certain types of file compression are usable with file agnostic differential patching. It's all the other crap (crypto, DRM, solid archives, devs already compressing with proprietary unshared formats) that makes things like replacing a 4 gb files to replace 4 textures happen.
Steam apis are actually a force for standardization, especially their VFS. A pity GOG refuses to recode installers into something saner than install shield instead of 'overlaying' stuff.

 

[Metro]

Someone gave me a code for this a while ago that I thought was just for the beta but on Steam it shows up as me owning the game. Wonder if I actually will get it on release or will it go away? Maybe it was a full key?

 

[Excidium]

Well aren't you a lucky faggot.

 

[Zombra]

Someone gave me a code for this a while ago that I thought was just for the beta but on Steam it shows up as me owning the game. Wonder if I actually will get it on release or will it go away? Maybe it was a full key?

I've never heard of an early access code not turning into the full game later.

 

[Turjan]

Someone gave me a code for this a while ago that I thought was just for the beta but on Steam it shows up as me owning the game. Wonder if I actually will get it on release or will it go away? Maybe it was a full key?

I've never heard of an early access code not turning into the full game later.

No idea how this will happen. Maybe they work more like demo keys. And in principle they still give you the option to generate keys for the full game on either Steam, gog.com, or Larian Vault, which is a separate key generator from that for alpha/beta access, so who knows.

 

[Infinitron]

They can always rename the current game to "Divinity Original Sin Beta" and release a new one. It's awkward, though. You're not supposed to use Early Access like that.

 

[FeelTheRads]

I'm not sure the game as delivered on disc would actually even work before the patch. Or maybe it would, but it'd be buggy.

See, this is the problem. Since when did it become acceptable to knowingly sell a "shitty bugged mess" on disc with the possibility that somebody will play it? Is it now okay to sell a beta as a finished product in stores just to satisfy an irrelevant minority of DRM-phobes and box nostalgists?

So... you mean there's actually the chance that the game they printed on disc doesn't actually work (true bros if that's the case)... which is very bad, unless you're forced to updated it in which case it's OK?

Cool story, bro.

 

[Turjan]

This has probably be asked already, but I don't find it: Does anyone know how this works with keys from the RPG Codex campaign? All Steam, or also gog.com? Or all Larian store?

 

[Infinitron]

So... you mean there's actually the chance that the game they printed on disc doesn't actually work (true bros if that's the case)... which is very bad, unless you're forced to updated it in which case it's OK?

It's better than not forcing it to be updated.

This has probably be asked already, but I don't find it: Does anyone know how this works with keys from the RPG Codex campaign? All Steam, or also gog.com? Or all Larian store?

I assume we'll be able to ask for whichever we want.

 

[pakoito]

Someone gave me a code for this a while ago that I thought was just for the beta but on Steam it shows up as me owning the game. Wonder if I actually will get it on release or will it go away? Maybe it was a full key?

I've never heard of an early access code not turning into the full game later.

I have, Magicka. And there are several games in my library with a -Beta fork.

 

[Haba]

And... Dragon Commander.

 

[Metro]

My dreams are crushed. 75% of or bust, it is!

 

[roll-a-die]

My dreams are crushed. 75% of or bust, it is!

If you have a code for it on steam, assuming it's a standard code and not some type of press demo code, you'll get to keep it once they release the full game.

 

[MicoSelva]

Well, I don't really think there was any other way to handle this.

Theoretically they could have delayed printing the DVDs until they have the patched version ready, making the discs truly DRM-free, and send them out later (without Steam keys in the box). Backers would still get Steam/GOG/Larian Vault codes on Day #1 through their KS backer page. They would have just have to wait for the boxes to arrive.

Buuuut.

There is a big problem with that. Printing separate boxes for backers (with different content) would be problematic, and delaying the boxed version for non-backers would mean losing the momentum (reviews will pop up around Day #1) and greatly reduced sales - some markets are still box-dominant or divided 50/50 (like here in Poland).

This is affecting me directly, because I wanted to have the physical disc to install the game at my parent's house (where the internet connection is so slow that downloading a 1GB steam patch takes long hours), so I can play the game when visiting them on weekends, without the need of hauling my 17-inch laptop with me. Thankfully, it seems like I'm getting two steam keys and a GOG key, so I will just burn the GOG version on an SD card and install from that. No biggie.

Everyone who gets a boxed copy from KS also gets a key for a digital one, so they can get a DRM-free copy from GOG or Larian Vault. So the only problem is downloading the game. I can understand that someone might have an issue with a 12GB download (or whatever the game's will be), but it is hardly a reason to cry BETRAYAL NOT DRM FREE!!1!1one

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

Everyone who gets a boxed copy from KS also gets a key for a digital one, so they can get a DRM-free copy from GOG or Larian Vault. So the only problem is downloading the game. I can understand that someone might have an issue with a 12GB download (or whatever the game's will be), but it is hardly a reason to cry BETRAYAL NOT DRM FREE!!1!1one

I think Larian have now offered to resolve the issue with a non-Steam disc which is what everyone wanted so kudos to them. But I can see why people initially complained as something advertised as a "DRM-free physical copy" should not require Steam activation, simple as that.

I sometimes still reinstall games from my old physical copies, luckily they didn't require online activation as many of the companies involved no longer exist. No matter, I own the game so am not dependent on them.

The $65 box promised two DRM-free copies of the game (for those like me who want nothing to do with Steam), one physical and one through GOG. I planned on giving my GOG key to a friend who I am trying to convert from popamole tastes to glorious TB combat. As he uses GOG I thought this would be ideal. If the disc requires Steam activation it becomes useless to me and I'd use the GOG key myself and the $65 box essentially becomes a GOG key with a manual. I wouldn't have bothered getting the physical copy if I wasn't assured it was DRM-free.

Anyway, it's great they've offered to sort this out. Their comments about how people who don't want Steam activation "never want to go online" seem a bit obtuse but I guess they're quite stressed in crunch time and some of the complaints on kickstarter have been over the top and vitriolic. Issue resolved as far as I'm concerned, providing they follow-through on the non-Steam disc.

 

[Raze]

Someone gave me a code for this a while ago that I thought was just for the beta but on Steam it shows up as me owning the game. Wonder if I actually will get it on release or will it go away? Maybe it was a full key?

If it was an alpha/beta key from the kickstarter (which was given to all backers), then it will be revoked, and a new key issued for whichever distribution platform a backer chooses (Steam, GOG or the Larian Vault). The Early Access version will continue into the full game at release.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

I bet most of these people who are complaining have their own steam account and will of course register the game there. They're complaining just because it was promised no-DRM, even if they actually use DRM.

 

[Drowed]

I bet most of these people who are complaining have their own steam account and will of course register the game there. They're complaining just because it was promised no-DRM, even if they actually use DRM.

True, but:

I sometimes still reinstall games from my old physical copies, luckily they didn't require online activation as many of the companies involved no longer exist. No matter, I own the game so am not dependent on them.

(...) If the disc requires Steam activation it becomes useless to me and I'd use the GOG key myself and the $65 box essentially becomes a GOG key with a manual. I wouldn't have bothered getting the physical copy if I wasn't assured it was DRM-free.

/\ This.

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And that's the problem. If you have a DVD and you need, besides it, to do a download and also install a third party program so your game can be used - that sucks. And an even bigger problem because it was promised that it wouldn't be that way, it wasn't part of the agreement - I understand why Larian decided to go this way, but I believe it was a bad decision.

To solve this they would have to, again, delay the release of the game, or at least postpone the delivery of the versions on physical media. Maybe they could give the option to choose, whether backers prefer to wait for a second wave of DVDs that would actually DRM-free or to have it as it is right now... I don't know, they put themselves in a situation where there isn't really a right answer, because all of them would create outrage.

 

[Davaris]

Something that just occured to me, if a physical game is tied to an account, how would that affect its value in the collectors market?