Just wanted to give a quick update on The Crackpet show whether it angers others or not. My husband and I have been complaining for almost a year that the DLC has a drm-type mechanic involved. It cannot be validated unless installed via Galaxy. It then writes a parameter to the save file which allows it to be played. It's only necessary to do this once per install...but it's DRM nonetheless. Gog support initially indicated that it was a confirmed issue, to then tell me today that i'm as wrong as can be. The funny part is...it was the same support staff who confirmed the problem. Here is what Vixa games told my husband via discord. Confirming everything we say

We have fought and argued all we care to fight. It made others mad...but oh well.....this stuff shouldn't be allowed here. My husband isn't the nicest dude...but that is irrelevant to the fact.

I hope someone else decides to pick up the fight...because it's just not worth it anymore.

Is there an installer? Installer does not work without a Galaxy install? Then this installer is simply useless (as you basically need to install it using Galaxy)... yes it is DRM, but a very weak one.

Stuff like this i only know from Steam games but... those was never officially DRM free, so it have to be expected.

Yes, there is actually an offline installer for the Happy Tree friends dlc to this game. As has been noted, however, it is useless and does nothing. The only way to activate the DLC is through Galaxy. Thus, yes...a drm, that prevents one from installing wherever and whenever one chooses because well...internet. No way to really preserve it in a drm-free nature this way either. There is the workaround of keeping an old save with the dlc unlock parameter having already been written to it...but that also defeats the point of drm-free. Also of note is that this is a not an online feature whatsoever...rather, it's just additional characters and skins.

Then there is no point providing the installer because you need to install it using Galaxy, as it seems.

A lot of Steam games work like that. In term the account is enabled, they will write a "parameter" to a save file basically telling the game "you own the DLC" thus enabling it. In many cases the DLC is actually not even a separate content, it is just... yeah funny... a code which will enable content ALREADY AVAILABLE on the installed game data. It simply is unlocking some locked content. So this way they can charge the customers amazing amount of coins because Deluxe or Ultimate is in many cases way more expensive than the standard version. However... sometimes using a key will only add a few coins to the cost. Many people do not use a key, as they seem to be more "legit", i mean better humans, so they chose to pay the hard cash for a Deluxe/Ultimate with a DLC code enabling already available content. The issue is not even their choice to "pay more" but the action of supporting this sort of "abusive methods" from certain publishers... which at some point will strike back at the gamers rights, which they better should protect... else at some point they may lose it completely.

The same will count for GOG. If GOG is supporting such "abusive methods", even on their OWN games... they may at some point lose their power.

If someone want to archive a fully completed game, in many cases, they might have to "rebuild" the shattered game completely and create a new "installer", not always legit (dependable if there is DRM involved) but this is how the cookie crumbles. It actually even does exist already, it is called for example "repack" and stuff like this... but some publishers seems to be blind, so they got in mind "their stuff is now protected well". It is only protected well against REAL customers, this is the joke here.

No matter what, GOG is basically the best and only source for being able to build an archive, because any other source fails to provide anything useful for this.

DLC Activation (DRM) is absolutely a 'feature' baked into the Galaxy API just as much as Steam / Epic:-
https://docs.gog.com/sdk-dlc-discovery

To GOG games that insist on using this garbage, GOG's offline installers should in theory provide a "mini-manifest" file (typically the file named "goggame-*****.info" file in the game folder that fakes a "DLC Activated!" pass from a non-running Galaxy). As always, such "Great Ideas (tm)" are half baked in practise and there's been several games in the past inc Deus Ex Mankind Divided where the DLC didn't work in offline installers because it wasn't "activated" by Galaxy and this fallback mechanism wasn't implemented properly. Even for offline installer games where it does work, if you were to move that .info file out of the game folder, for some games the DLC can then become invisible in-game as if it's still waiting for Galaxy to "activate" it...

The only sane response to GOG's increasing un-helpfulness at fixing their own bugs and "Just Use Galaxy (tm)" gaslighting responses is to put in a refund request.

*sigh*

I honestly think I'm going to give up on GOG.
Why should I bother choosing GOG over Steam, when GOG themselves don't give a flying 4X about DRM-free, off-line installers being fully functional?

IF i understood the game doesn't need the client to be played , but the DLC requires it ?

And the DLC adds just an extra character.

Local Co-op shouldn't requires the use of the client. Normaly online feature such as Multiplayer (but it's not the case here) requiring the client is noted on the store page if not, then the client is optional. If it's missing, then only GOG should be blamed and you should ask a refund.

Stay stick with the initial answer from the support. I suspect they contacted the devs after and that's the reason you got a different answer, or doesn't want to admit they borked the offline installer

In any case, they violate their own rule the client shouldn't be required.

I know how the support is from my own experience. They are understaffed and receive too many tickets....in some case it could lead to such situation....

I re-assure you : you are not wrong, either GOG borked the offline installer of the DLC, either the devs are incompetent / or doesn't really care : because i suspect they are selling mostly this game on Steam.

How many games are way behind Steam in terms of patches ? (i stopped to count the number)...

In theory i just would expect a functional installer for anything offline and even beyond... at least this is the promise which is not always true; still good to know the whole matter.
Yeah, it is "just" one extra character, we can be glad and safely ignore it. Perhaps if 3 extra characters are missing or even more we may slowly start to worry as it may affect the game-experience.
Cool feature bro/sis... just the thing the world was in need for! Gabe? Any better features there? Ah, the achievements and the friendlist, almost forgot!

Maybe actually versions of the games that are full, maintained and supported?
Instead of, you know, having to cross-reference this thread every time you consider a purchase because game A is lacking updates since 2021, game B does not get DLCs here, game C's very idea is modability and the only place to get those is steamworkshop... Oh, and game D has a bespoke GOG version that's since release plagued by bugs not occuring anywhere else and devs/publishers ignore emails and reports about it?

And let's not forget about games E and F that are "comming soon" since 2012, that are available without issues Elsewhere™.

As long as GOG is kept in check by the users, this is a nothingburger, it does suck we have to keep an eye out for DRM in a supposedly DRM-free installer, but stuff like this is a tale as ancient as gaming

The huge problem is needing to keep them in check. And then the fact that every so often the checks fail to work and they fortify on the new position after every slip.

Not sure when it happened, but Blasphemous OST is updated will all new tracks added by DLCs.

Nice find. According to GOGDB the OST DLC was updated in August last year.

I thought " second class citizen " means missing patches / os specific builds / content DLCs not artbooks and soundtracks .

Same here as a whole