Abandonia and GOG? Has this been done to death?
 

I don't know how much times have changed, but when I first started visiting GOG about a year ago, there was the occasional reference to how people, like some of those on Abandonia, were frustrated by how GOG was charging money for games that were free here. I don't know if you guys are more tolerant to us guys now, or it was never that bad, or what, but I'm curious.

Personally, I think while what you guys do is rather legally iffy, it's a fantastic service for those who don't want to see neglected games die out entirely. (I've tried a few games from here, and got Jazz Jackrabbit a few months back.) However, I quite like what GOG is doing (aside from some mediocre indie releases), as in my opinion they bring some forgotten classics "back out into the open," usually doing a good job making them compatible with new systems, and adding value to the games by including bonus material (I'm always hounding them for more soundtracks). Adding extra value (bonus stuff and compatibility mainly) to what could easily be pirated or acquired from here is important to me. So, truthfully, I'd like to see some of these games appear on GOG if they have "extra value" to them. (Like the inclusion of the Jazz 2 soundtrack with a Jazz 2 release)

Just my (probably unnecessary) two cents. :) I have no sway on the GOG forums, I'm not a mod or anything, but I do like the site, and figured I'd test the waters to see if amends could be or even needed to be made. ;) Peace.

Hi tytbone :)

Anybody talking in other forums is either speculating or stating their personal opinion. So let me give it to you straight from the horse's mouth:

We are GoG fans :)

When a game goes up on GoG that we have available here, the download here comes down immediately and we link to GoG.

Most of us have active GoG accounts.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for a group that has managed to make these games available to the wider public, legally and simply. I cannot emphasize this point enough.

GoG ensures the continued presence of these games on people's computers legally and is helping introduce these games to a wider audience, our goals are actually very similar. Any rivalry would be internet stupidity and counterproductive for everyone.

I hope that clears things up for you, but most importantly, welcome to the forums! :)

A quick note: keeping track of all the archives we host is a big job, so if you happen to come across a game that is sold on GoG that we haven't removed just let us know and we'll fix it :)

Not only it was never that bad, it was an attitude mostly expressed by newcomers who just wanted to get the games free ("Legality, what's that? Games should be free!!!" kind of people).

Most of the long-timers and all of the staff see it quite a bit differently: it's Abandonia's goal to ensure old games are not forgotten and still available.
If their owners realize old game X is worth repackaging and distributing again, then it's mission accomplished for us.

GOG adds them to their catalogue The truth is that no self-respecting abandonware site would ever knowingly provide downloads of games which are still sold from a legitimate source (unless legal owners released them as freeware, but that's a very different situation).

In fact, I'll go and say something else:
GOG staff once expressed that they believe abandonware websites removing downloads of games available on GOG indicates some sort of change of heart on our side.
The truth is that it's the appearance of GOG and others like them (as well as expansion by other digital stores to cover that niche) that is a victory for us - because someone, somewhere finally got the point we've been ceaselessly hammering in for years.

Beautifully said, I deeply agree :D

The Fifth Horseman got it right. I'm certainly not the oldest member here but I've been around this site for a very long time and I can assure to all of you that Abandonia main goal always been the preservation of the good old games of the past.

I'm one of those who don't like GoG on this site... But even then, the reasons why I don't like GoG has nothing to do with old games and the fact that we don't have the games they host on this site anymore. It has more to do with the fact that I completely disagree with their methods of doing things such as the need of a third party client to be able to play those games or the fact that I would need to pay to have an immaterial copy of something instead of a hard copy like a CD or a DVD, etc.

Like Fifth said, the moment that those games were sold again and that there was a market for them was an incredible victory for the abandonware scene as a whole. Anybody who say otherwise either don't understand in the least what the abandonware movement is about (and this happen way too often) or they are trying to change the mind of people for their own personal gain.

You're talking about Steam there, GOG doesn't have any client, or any kind of DRM for that matter.

What does GoG have to offer then? I might have got mixed up in all this.

Edit: I went on GoG site and I can't even find a note or an explanation on how GoG work. All I can see is a list of games for very low prices... Really help to understand.

All games are totally free of DRM, it's the sites policy: nothing could stop you from uploading what you just bought to any warez server, and everyone would be able to play it just like you. The games for DOS come ready to play in modern OSes if I remember right (that is including DOSBox, like Steam does too, but unlike them without fourth-party launcher client). It's download only, they don't sell disks.

The lack of third party software and DRM is actually one of the huge benefits of their system. You should check them out more closely EoF, they honestly are pretty cool :)

Aside from the old titles they sell, they also do this for all the new titles they have. The lack of DRM restrictions was very impressive to me (and continues to be with the ongoing updates etc.) when I purchased The Witcher 2 from them.