jamoecw wrote:

Mansen wrote:
Edit: Furthermore (actually the main point I was trying to make but forgot in the process) - When Paradox DID make a DRM-Free version of one of their games (due to very vocal demand from a minority), they ended up only selling ~5% of their copies as DRM-Free, which was a big financial loss from all of those production hours spent re-tooling the game engine.

in other words they sold an additional 5% of their game by putting in the extra time and effort (unless that game was only DRM and it sold 5% as expected, which would beg the question if there were other issues at hand).

so going DRM-free would net an additional 5% to sales, which would be important to consider when planning out your game engine (amplitude is obviously past this point). you'd have to end up saving enough from going with steam API to cover the difference.

Um, no, you've completely misinterpreted that post.

They made a financial loss on the effort. The work hours put into making a DRM-free version cost more than they made in sales of the DRM-free version. Aside from making a small number of people happy (and you know who you are), there is no good reason for them to do it. Certainly no financial reason.

Mansen wrote:
Edit: Furthermore (actually the main point I was trying to make but forgot in the process) - When Paradox DID make a DRM-Free version of one of their games (due to very vocal demand from a minority), they ended up only selling ~5% of their copies as DRM-Free, which was a big financial loss from all of those production hours spent re-tooling the game engine.

in other words they sold an additional 5% of their game by putting in the extra time and effort (unless that game was only DRM and it sold 5% as expected, which would beg the question if there were other issues at hand).

so going DRM-free would net an additional 5% to sales, which would be important to consider when planning out your game engine (amplitude is obviously past this point). you'd have to end up saving enough from going with steam API to cover the difference.

I'd love to have all Amplitude Studios games DRM-Free on GoG and on Linux :)

Steph'nie wrote:
Unfortunately, we don't have any plans to release a DRM-Free version of Endless Legend. We actually rely a lot on Steam and the features it offers: automatic updates (it was especially useful because we went through Early Access), servers for the multiplayer, a cloud system, achievements, and basically the whole Steamworks integration.



Of course, you could always play offline, with the single player mode, but the game still requires a Steam activation and a connection at least for its installation.

Mansen wrote:
I've personally never had issues with Steam's Offline feature - And if I had, I could just use my cellphone for a few seconds of internet to fix it.



Same can't be said for Ubisoft's uPlay service that will render your games unplayable if you aren't constantly connected (Going slightly off-topic I know but it bears comparison).

Shadowsand wrote:
I'm not going to say anything about the other stuff you said, because frankly, I don't know for certain one way or the other, but this bit just isn't true. For several years at uni, my internet was intermittent at best. Once it was loaded, Steam didn't care in slightest if it lost the connection. And the few times I put it in offline mode, it was fine to load without a connection too. Obviously, stuff like the store, friends list and community stuff all went down, but games were 100% playable. Somewhere between a few seconds and a few days later, the internet sorted itself out, and Steam reconnected (if it wasn't in offline mode to begin with).

Steph'nie wrote:
Unfortunately, we don't have any plans to release a DRM-Free version of Endless Legend. We actually rely a lot on Steam and the features it offers: automatic updates (it was especially useful because we went through Early Access), servers for the multiplayer, a cloud system, achievements, and basically the whole Steamworks integration.



Of course, you could always play offline, with the single player mode, but the game still requires a Steam activation and a connection at least for its installation.

Joklers wrote:
Offline mode is flaky, only lasts for a while, and needs to be set up. If something happens to my account or my internet suddenly cuts out I'm just as hosed with Steam as with other always-online DRM.

Shadowsand wrote:
A couple of points, just for the record... First, while data caps can certainly be annoying, but surely whether you're downloading it from Steam, GoG or Humble, that's going to be exactly the same issue? Second, Steam isn't alway-on DRM. Granted, you have to go online when you first get Steam to sign in, and you have to go online to download games. But once you've downloaded them, you can just put Steam in offline mode.



Now, if you said you wanted to buy a copy on DVD so you didn't have to download it, that may make sense, but wanting it to be on GoG or Humble instead of Steam only makes sense if you hate Steam for personal reasons. Just saying

Joklers wrote:
I don't have a Steam account because I don't bother with DRM (needing to be online + data caps is no fun). Has there been any thought to releasing DRM-free on GOG.com or the Humble store?