Backer Rewards and DRM-Free Copy

Gibly · March 1, 2016, 5:34am

There will always people that complain no matter what you do. In my opinion Crate has always been open and transparent about their goings on. Medierra tries to keep as many variables in mind as possible to come with the best possible solutions. That’s all we can ask for. Those who want the DRM-free copy, which the Steam version is as well btw, then just be patient.

Brazilski · March 1, 2016, 5:39am

Great news on the release. Personally I was never one to stare blindly at GoG, and would have been happy with anything, but this does clarify a thing or two about the decisionmaking and the confusion that rose around what kind of release we’d be getting.

I was wondering though, does this mean that GoG will be THE DRM-free release of GD, or are you planning on e.g. a direct Humble release as well?

Wow, that’s brutally honest, appreciate it.

Does that mean the STEAM release and the GoG release will have separate (non cross-platform compatible) multiplayer communities?

Ward · March 1, 2016, 7:13am

medierra thank you for the complete honesty. It is the transparency of you guys that makes me so happy with Crate. I have a question for you. I bought the loyalist edition from your website, does this mean now that i will be able to get my DRM free copy from GOG? From what i read it appears to be so. Thank you again for the transparency. I am really excited to use all the new features through GOG and dump steam

system · March 1, 2016, 7:30am

Steam is DRM, ergo, it is not a DRM-free version.

system · March 1, 2016, 7:31am

medierra:

As of tonight, I’ve reached agreement with GoG and signed the distribution contract. The game should go into testing with them shortly and I’ll give you further news, as to when it will become available there, when I know more.

Some have wondered why with all the time we had during development, we didn’t come up with a plan for the DRM-Free release by launch time. We did have a plan though, it just didn’t come together in time. Originally we thought we’d use Humble to distribute a packaged up build. Once I started talking to GoG, it seemed like that would be the better option, since it would allow people to easily get updates and also use other features, like their multiplayer match-making. As release neared and we kept going back and forth with the contract, realizing we wouldn’t be able to meet deadlines for crertain GoG Galaxy feature requirements and such, it became clear we couldn’t conclude the deal and get the game tested in time for release. I then started thinking about putting out a build through Humble again, as a last-minute desperate option to make something available as soon as possible. However, since I’ve read many comments from people suggesting that they’d rather have a GoG key, it seems like it might make sense to just stick with that plan.

I’ve also heard people expressing the feeling that DRM-Free was an afterthought or secondary. It certainly isn’t the case that we didn’t care about it or weren’t thinking about it. Release was actually delayed over it briefly until I made the decision that we needed to go ahead and couldn’t afford to delay over it. We needed to either release when we did or wait until the end of March. This is why an official release date was not given out to the press until 3 days before launch (notice there still aren’t any reviews up for GD). It was a last minute call.

I was concerned that if we delayed longer, our release would overlap with Path of Exile’s expansion. [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]While I don’t think we’re in dire competition with PoE for sales, especially since their game is f2p and I think many people will eventually play both, I do feel it would have negatively impacted our press coverage. I mean, let’s face it, PoE is the bigger show, they have more players right now and the press is going to give them more attention. More so, PoE is a competitive online game with races, league ladders and such that make jumping in on day-1 of the expansion release more urgent than than playing the GD release on day-1, even if you love both games. So I think that would have significantly affected our release coverage by popular streamers, probably for weeks after the fact.

Then there was also the fact that we’d been saying for a while that GD would release in February. People had been expecting it for months and it was the only date the press had prior to the week of release. There likely would have been angry people and confusion about why it wasn’t releasing in February. Sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario.

Considering all this and realizing I wasn’t going to be able to get the DRM-Free copy out for a week or more, I decided I needed to pull the trigger on the GD full release and not delay it. I also didn’t figure it was going to upset people so much because, well, GD has basically been fully available on Steam for over a month. It was content complete in December, we released B31 days earlier and moving it to full release was basically a formality that was important for marketing reasons but didn’t have much effect on what was available.

Going back to the question though of whether the DRM-Free release is secondary and given lesser treatment… Well, the answer is yes and no. On one hand, Steam is the biggest distribution platform by a very large amount - we’re talking 10-to-1. That is our primary platform. The DRM-Free release is something additional we’re doing for the smaller audience that prefers that. So I mean, another way of looking at it is that we’ve invested extra time and effort to provide a DRM-Free option.

I’m not saying all that as an excuse and I’m sure some people don’t care why it isn’t out, just that it isn’t but I thought I’d at least provide an explanation for those who might want it.

Sorry again for the delay, hopefully it will be over soon. :o

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Is there still going to be the Humble release by the end of the week, or is it at least a possibility? I really appreciate the post but I still am anxious as to what is going on there.

system · March 1, 2016, 9:33am

From what he said, and all the comments, he will do it through GoG instead of humble.

system · March 1, 2016, 9:40am

Thanks medierra for clearing up the situation. I don’t mind waiting or either care if in the end it will be Humble or GOG. Grim Dawn looks awesome so no wonder certain people can’t wait to play it already

Shame only certain people in this thread, who with insults and cynicism think they doing righteous things while in reality made the community here look toxic.

Divinity Original Sin on GOG is not connected to the Steam Multiplayer community so it can be rather expected to be the same case with Grim Dawn.

There are actually games on Steam that will work without it after moving to different directory. However Grim Dawn is integrated with Steamworks DRM, therefore it won’t work without Steam.

Vifarc · March 1, 2016, 12:13pm

Extra time??? It was a promise so it should be planned time included.
Or keeping the Crate promises is just an extra feature?
If you had said from the start that GD was to be released Steam-only, I would not give money for your SteamStarter. And thenafter you could spend extra time to release the game truly drm-free (without needing for us to create an extra account just to install 3rd party software to be able to download the game). Then only if being true drm-free I would buy your game, giving money.

system · March 1, 2016, 12:16pm

Wow. He offers explanations, apologies, solutions and you still go ahead and spit in his face. Just stop. Damn.

Vifarc · March 1, 2016, 12:19pm

Who is spitting in the face? I’m not an extra customer, was my money an extra for Crate?
Hey, who paid without even playing and being told the game is released and can’t have it as promised, always not being able to play, in the promised conditions?

system · March 1, 2016, 12:20pm

Do you just enjoy reading half posts? Stop being so bloody demanding.

So, you paid… Waited years to play a game once it is completed, bug free, with a good DRM free site. If you read the whole post, because the DRM free posters were saying Humble was unsatisfactory for them, he changed to GoG. You don’t think this takes TIME to do? You think that it happens instantly that someone gets back to another person? Business to Business? It doesn’t.

Now, you waited, you put in your 15 cents worth of comments, wait for the release that has been confirmed with GoG and be happy when you get a product, AS PROMISED.

system · March 1, 2016, 12:37pm

This thread is about kickstarter backers, so I don’t see the relevance…

system · March 1, 2016, 12:40pm

Thank for the response medierra. If it’ll be gog, I’ll gladly wait.

mamba · March 1, 2016, 12:50pm

How is this about KS only when it is about the DRM free copy, which is not exclusive to KS ?

KS is one way to get a DRM free copy and it is covered by ‘everyone who bought a package that includes a DRM free copy’, so it is relevant. Man, you DRM free guys certainly can complicate easy things…

system · March 1, 2016, 1:05pm

I was a bit disappointed by the fact Grim Dawn wasn’t available either on GOG/Humble at launch, yet medierra wrote reasons and apologised. In my opinion it is more than enough. The release is on its way and your frustrated post won’t speed up the process. In short, take a chill pill

Vocal minority doesn’t speak for all To be fair, if medierra just uploaded a base game build without extras to Humble for the day of release this all drama could be avoided. Especially that Humble offers GOG keys that could be generated after all GOG integration is done. Doesn’t matter now, but maybe in the future…

system · March 1, 2016, 1:45pm

Thanks. I can understand the focus on Steam. However I want devs to support alternative distribution channels too (competition), and GOG is imo very good.

system · March 1, 2016, 2:45pm

but where is my william o wisp

ibugsy · March 1, 2016, 2:47pm

According to the OP, in about two weeks.

medierra:

Virtual Rewards - The items themselves are actually finished but we need to set up a way to distribute them both on and off Steam. We know how it’s going to work on Steam and just need to configure it. How we will get the actual codes to people is a little more complicated. That will have to happen through Humble Store. They actually have a nice system to set up distribution for backer rewards… except we were one of their original customers and first Kickstarters, so our stuff was not originally set up using that system. It’s set up in a more convoluted manner and we’re just going to have to work with them to make sure everything goes out to the right backer tiers. It’s not a real issue, it’s just something that I don’t have time to set up yet. I’ll be handling all this logistical stuff after release. I’m thinking we’ll be able to get this set up within two weeks though, maybe less depending on how things go.

system · March 1, 2016, 3:28pm

thanks for helping me read, sincerely.

I’m naming him William Octavian Wisp, because, you know, Will O. Wisp

… i want it so bad.

bryanw1995 · March 1, 2016, 4:12pm

shadow9d9:

" How is it that only the people posting in the GD forums expected their special version at exactly the same time as everybody else’s release?"

Because people backed being told that they would get a drm free copy. They weren’t told they’d get an inferior copy, after released for everyone else. They weren’t told that with 4 years to make a release, they couldn’t be bothered to release it for everyone at once. They prioritized some consumers over others. Not a priority to them. Wish I could get a refund.

Also, keep in mind “polite” is just in your eyes. It is judged by your personal opinion. Feel free not to use steam’s copy until the DRM free backers get theres, and don’t dare complain. Even so, other people would have the right to complain. It is bad business and extremely incompetent to release a product to just some backers.

What is mind blowing is that you think you are the one who decides what is ok and what is not. It is you who apparently has an opinion that means more than others and is the “right” one.

I have backed many games. Not ONE had a DRM free come after the fact. Every one had DRM free at release as promised. See what you did there? You completely fabricated evidence and then proceeded to use it as fact! Now, THAT is mindblowing!

The DRM free crowd were marketed to. If Crate couldn’t fulfill it at the same time as others, then it should have been delayed for everyone, or refunds should have been offered. I know I would take one. To make matters more of an insult, Crate doesn’t even KNOW what gog’s policy is for keys after a YEAR of “negotiations”!

Whether gog or not, they don’t have the game set up to be released and weren’t even sure how it’d be updated. To find it acceptable that they haven’t even figured this out after 4 years of preparation and yet, still released it to everyone else, is appalling.

Don’t you have another mass shooting to go propagate, or accuse harmless software developers of propagating? The only appalling thing in this entire thread, and pretty much the entire forum, is the trash coming from anti-DRM keyboard warriors such as yourself.

DON’T FORGET THAT SWEET GEORGE WASHINGTON WIG!!