Before I start, please note that I'm not complaining or trying to be rude, I'm just a little worried.

So ever since Gog Galaxy launched it has appeared all over the website, and that's fine, of course you gotta advertise your new creation but what worries me is that it looks like they are almost trying to hide the old Gog Downloader. First of all the gog downloader links are hidden inside the More menu on games. And there's also no clear way of getting to the Gog Downloader installer page. (https://www.gog.com/downloader) New users probably don't even know Gog Downloader exists.

What drew me to gog in the first place was their unique way of handling online transactions, you just bought the game and clicked the big green Download button and Gog Downloader would start and you would have your .exe file in no time. I know the old way of downloading is still there but I'm worried that even though Gog Galaxy is advertised as "the optional client" it sure doesn't feel like it.

I do not use Galaxy.

Should it become mandatory to download and manage games(patches etc.) I will switch to Steam, because the one defining difference between those two is gone then: I need a third party client as a gate to get my games and manage them.

Buying games...well Humble Bundle often has a DRM Free downloadable version and a Steam Key in one package.

I don't mind it one bit. BUT it should remain optional.

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I use neither Galaxy nor the GOG downloader and I don't care which one they "push". "Pushing" anything always annoys me, but as long as it's all optional, I'll just shrug and ignore it as best I can. The moment pushing it starts to actually make no longer fully optional- I'm out. And that's no hyperbole or empty threat.

Really, I wish they'd make it clear while pushing Galaxy that great and awesome as it is and all that, you can easily download your stuff through your browser. Some new people often show up asking questions, obviously thinking that Galaxy IS gog, and the idea of not using a client never even occurs to them.

The DLer is no longer supported though, so I guess we're lucky they still provide DLer links with new games.

As others have said, as long as Galaxy remains totally optional, I don't care how hard they push/advertise it. But you still had to install the DLer first though, although they didn't push it as hard as they're pushing Galaxy. But, as Breja pointed out, for many new people the idea of not using a client doesn't even occur to them. And most seem to want to use a client. And this is the target audience for GOG and Galaxy. We 'no client, no way' grognards are the minority.

So yeah, keep Galaxy optional, keep my custom. I'm not too worried about it right now.

I dont mind galaxy at all, I just use it as a glorified down loader anyways, but I do use it to manage my games but the nice thing is you dont even need it on all the time like steam.

I just wish they would fix notifications on the site and somewhat speed up updating.

I use Galaxy on my desktop. But not on my laptop.
I don't mind GOG trying to "convince" us to use Galaxy. It took them quite a lot of effort to create it. And it's necessary to bring new users and publishers onboard.

Still... I assume it'll always remain optional. The second GOG decides that Galaxy is mandatory to install or play games, then they'll lose me as a customer.

For me drm-free means client-free. So if they make galaxy mandatory they would act against their own principle and raison d'être. And they would lose me as customer too.

Well, its broad subject. Its not just Galaxy, its lots of things over the last couple of years - Indev for instance. Basically there is a push to copy all the steam elements. The problem there is twofold. Firstly, and I can only talk from my side, is that I shop here specifically to avoid all the steam elements and anti consumerism there - greenlight, pre-day 1 dlc, regional pricing, workshop, ceg etc. If GOG is now going to copy all that, what point is there shopping here, steam has a far better catalog. Now there are those that say to survive you have to become more steam like, and that everyone but a small minority don't care about all that, but the question is why bother trying to change a niche gaming shop to try and be like a behemoth shop, why not just go shop at the behemoth shop? The shops that have survived so far have done so by having their own particular niches, Humble sells lots of Steam keys cheap, GOG has a limited but DRM free selection, Itch.io has its base of obscure indie titles. Those stores which have gone are the ones which overlapped (ShinyLoot went steamkey for instance). Ok, there are some overlap with steam for instance origin, but leave that to those with lots of cash to waste.

Now as I have said before, I see Galaxy as the thin edge of the wedge. Store your saves online, have Galaxy scan your system to find games, install games for you etc. which is all innocuous enough on its own, but looked at in total is leaning away from being drm free, I mean if you have your saves online, and they close, you lose your saves much like drm. Now I know that it will be pointed out that you can still copy the saves yourself, but how many people using a client are going to do that, or save their installers?

Another issue with the client, and one of the reasons they brought it in, is to get more games here. The problem is the games brought as a result of this (Indev particularly) is that they are rubbish. Very little released now is worth anything, OK, the year has improved a small bit with the SR release. I brought that Warhammer game the other day, thought it was out of indev, it has potential, but still feels like an early alpha build (I wouldn't be payig £20 for it now I have played it!). Today's release, a blocky, minecrafty, randomised levels game (not to mention we get a worse deal than steam).

Anyway, for my purposes, so long as I can download files via browser, and the games get updated identically to the Galaxy version (something that may already not be happening what with patches pushed out via galaxy) then I will buy things here and if it becomes required to use a client will just go for steam and get hold of some no steam patches.

So there, wall of text, sorry about that.

As long as there is no Linux version of Galaxy, it pretty much has to remain optional. Either that, or GOG has to stop supporting Linux.

As long as lgogdownloader can download my games, I don't really care what GOG does with Galaxy.

I like the straightforwardness, no-fuss downloading through my browser. As long as that stays and the client remains optional, I'm staying. GOG advertising Galaxy does not bother me at all; I'm of course OK with some people enjoying what Galaxy has to offer. It's just not for me.

OH WAIT

Nvm

carry on :P

Galaxy Cloud Saves just sychronizes local saves with the cloud, so the local saves are not gone and you still can play without Galaxy. When starting Galaxy and the game again, the sychro will be done again. For me it is a tool of comfort for those who want to use it with autoupdating and more. Social Stuff and nultiplayer is not really interesting for me, but maybe the reason for some others to use it. I still like a shop who offers full freedom for anyone to use whatever he wants.