/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.1787461]

hi /vr/ what's the best platform for old games?

Besides quantity of games, which one offers better support but more importantly, which one offers better stability out of the box.

[Anonymous No.1787464]

I vote we all ignore the question and argue about DRM.

[Anonymous No.1787469]

GOG is superior. Every retro game I've got from that site has worked with zero issues. Steam sometimes sells stuff that is straight up broken. GOG also a 30 day money back guarantee.

[anonymous No.1787508]

VALVE = EVIL

[Anonymous No.1787514]

GOG. In almost every case, all Steam does is add a needless wrapper around your game and makes modding a little more frustrating due to having to navigate through more folders.

That's really it. Nothing to do with DRM or whatnot, though DRM does hamper things a little in some situations. Especially with that bullshit when everything is on the computer but it still requires the CD, which in turn wears it out faster.

[Anonymous No.1787516]

SSI catalog when

[Anonymous No.1787527]

>>1787514
This. Steam is debatable with games that were around at the time of Steam, but literally all it ever does for retro is get in your way.

GOG does offer far better support in most cases anyway. Not saying it's 100% perfect either, but they do attempt to do a good job with it and fix bugs eventually. Which is a damn sight better than Steam releases which are basically the GOG versions but sit and fester with no updates.

[Anonymous No.1787531]

GOG. Steam rarely ever makes sure the older games they sell actually work on modern computers so you have the possibility of buying a game that flat out does not work.

[Anonymous No.1787543]

>>1787461
GOD because games are dry free. Unfortunately I can't use my credit card because the site hates visa cards so I'm forced to pirate whatever I wanted to buy.

[Anonymous No.1787549]

>>1787461
>what's the best platform for old games?
Only one of your options has "old" in their names, anon.

GOG is far better. You don't have to start up a client to play the games, and you get bonus downloads like soundtracks, wallpapers and artwork. "Straight of the box", it beats Steam no contest.

Steam is not bad, it's just clunky in comparison since you have to log into your account, start up the client, etc in order to play the game. It often doesn't take too long, and you can minimize it by enabling auto logins and so on, but it's still an extra step. The only advantage Steam has is achivements, multiplay servers and leaderboards, but often these are of no consequence for old games.

There's also the fact that GOG has a better catalogue of old games, since that's its niche. Steam is all about new releases. I honestly just use Steam for the PC releases of Ys and a few other games, but if they were available on GOG I'd switch in an instant.

[Anonymous No.1787550]

>>1787543
Sorry, meant to say GOG and drm.

[Anonymous No.1787556]

>>1787531
>so you have the possibility of buying a game that flat out does not work.

That happened to me when i bought Painkiller on Steam

[Anonymous No.1787559]

gog is better, but i find that steam has better sales

[Don Rumata !!rYqzYYFAejo No.1787561]

I use GOG for most /vr/-grade games whenever possible. Exceptions include stuff like, uh, Fallout...thank you Mr. Fargo.

They check for OS compatibility more often, in addition to offering more bonuses worth downloading (though I could care less for avatars). And groups like Night Dive exhibit their releases through GOG primarily, if all the extras coming with System Shock 2 on the site are any indication. I like their wishlist system, too. It seems as though they curate their library far more than Steam at the moment, though there are nasty exceptions (read: iOS port of Z).

[Anonymous No.1787581]

What older games actually have DRM on Steam? I'm pretty sure the X-Com games are just in a DOSbox wrapper and could be ripped out of their folder and used as you please, so the only difference between them and gog is you'd have to use the client.

[Anonymous No.1787586]

>>1787543
>gog transactions are handled in Cyprus
>My bank refuses all transactions with Cyprus due to excess fraud from that country.
Seems legit.

[Anonymous No.1787597]

Is this a joke? GOG is guaranteed always DRM-free. Steam is not. When a game "comes to Steam" it's a gamble whether or not it's gonna get fucked.

[Anonymous No.1787605]

>>1787543
Can't you use PayPal?

[Anonymous No.1787612]

>>1787581
Steam is DRM

[Anonymous No.1787618]

The best thing is to get for free, but...
GOG, no DRM, simple.

[Anonymous No.1787623]

>>1787612
Steam is not automatically drm. There are lots of games on steam you can run through the executable, just like you would with a gog game.

[Anonymous No.1787625]

>>1787623
http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games

here's a list of them

[Anonymous No.1787641]

>>1787612

I have to log in to gog to download my games, I can't just grab them, so my digital rights are being managed right there. Unless you have a specific problem with using the Steam launcher rather than a browser, any game that doesn't have hooks in the exe is as DRM-free as anything from gog.

[Anonymous No.1787649]

>>1787605
Not him, but I try to avoid PayPal when possible. I keep hearing more and more about accounts being invaded somehow.

I've never run into that, but it triggers my autism.

[Anonymous No.1787650]

GoG

Unless it's a DOS game (for which GoG provides a preconfigured dosbox setup), GoG games are standalone. Don't need a client or anything.

[Anonymous No.1787851]

>>1787581
Ikaruga and Metal Slug 3 were both shat on with Steam DRM. Metal Slug 3 is especially interesting because the porters, DotEmu, had a reputation of selling things DRM-free as a product point.

[Anonymous No.1787919]

>>1787625
Not a very good list.
It's missing, for example, most of the Tomb Raider games.
Only the latest one includes DRM when downloaded via Steam.

[Anonymous No.1787963]

>>1787851
MS3 is DRM-Free now at least, they put it in a Humble Bundle.

[Anonymous No.1788126]

Neither.
Emuparadise.

[Anonymous No.1788190]

>>1788126
EP doesn't even have the retro catalog of either site. They don't even have a Win95/98 catagory.

[Anonymous No.1788226]

>run Linux
>no games
it's tough living

[Anonymous No.1788242]

>>1788226
You've still got PlayOnLinux, check it out if you want. You even get HOMM3 with the HD patch.

Also GOG's got Linux ports planned for sometime really soon.

[Anonymous No.1788250]

>>1788226
>>1788242
Related if you're curious:
http://www.gog.com/mix/playonlinux_install_scripts

[Anonymous No.1788265]

>>1787641
>I have to log in to gog to download my games, I can't just grab them
Not sure if b8 or what but whatever, how do you expect it to work purely "DRM free"? You go on the site and see a huge button saying "Only download if you bought it"? You don't need GOG running to play as opposed to Steam + you can freely copy that game and it will work.

[Anonymous No.1788275]

>>1788265
>you can freely copy that game and it will work
Well. most of them at least.

[Anonymous No.1788547]

>>1788265

I'm saying that most retro games on Steam, with the exceptions noted in this thread, nobody's bothered to put DRM hooks in and can moved around and fucked with however you please once they've been downloaded and started once to finalise the install.
That means the difference is having Steam running and logged in with your details to download it or having your browser open and logged into gog to download it, so gog's only point in its favour is not requiring a bespoke client.

[Anonymous No.1788924]

>>1787597
>GOG is guaranteed always DRM-free

[Anonymous No.1788932]

>>1788924
Not all copy protection schemes are DRM you imbecile. Getting real tired of having this discussion.

[Anonymous No.1788938]

>>1788932
Serial + calling home to check the serial every single time you start the game = not drm?

[Anonymous No.1788945]

Going to have to go with GOG.
With steam it's a gamble if the game works or not , and GOG always includes a whole lot of extras. Actually being able to download the installer itself and not being reliant on downloading the game via steam is also nice.

I've also never had to tinker with GOG games to get them to work (Dungeon Keeper being an exception) whereas i've had to jump through all sorts of hoops to get older steam games to work. Fucking Commandos.

I do use steam, although it's mostly for playing the games i buy in sales/talking with friends.

[Anonymous No.1788959]

>>1788938
>calling home to check the serial every single time you start the game
It does that?

[Anonymous No.1788978]

GOG, no doubt about it. Hell, steam doesn't take the effort to get all the games running on modern operating systems.

[Anonymous No.1788992]

>>1788959
It does that.

[Anonymous No.1789000]

>>1788226
No games? A big selection may be missing, but you have so many more viable options than a Linux user like me would've had years ago.
Shut up. Nigger. Game support for Linux is only going to get better in the coming years.

[Anonymous No.1789007]

>>1788924
I think this wasn't removed for the same reason why UT2004 was initially fucking awful on GOG.

If you give the same key to everyone automatically really stupid things happen.

[Anonymous No.1789336]

>>1788924
It really shouldn't be on GOG because of that code.

In it's defense though, it really doesn't look like these code checks on the multiplayer end can really be deleted because of how online play works. The next best thing they could do is what >>1789007 specified, and it turned out to be one of the worst ideas GOG ever had.

[Anonymous No.1789343]

>>1787461
Neither. You already run a GUI, it's called your operating system. Also,

>paying for old games

I doubt a substantial amount if any at all actually goes to the original developers

[Anonymous No.1790861]

>>1787461
GOG obviously. Buying a game on steam is no guarantee it'll even fucking work on your o/s.

[Dessicated Corpse !1jDr5b8srY No.1790880]

Certainly GOG, Steam is obnoxious. Oh wow, I can get achievements with Steam! OH MY GAH!

[Anonymous No.1790929]

>>1788190
Yet, it has more games and they're DRM...
...free

[Anonymous No.1790959]

>>1789343
>I doubt a substantial amount if any at all actually goes to the original developers
Right because only the original developers deserve to profit off of it. I realize that probably seems self-evident to your college-age morality, but there's a reason why the law says you still have to pay up.