Posted October 19, 2019
![avatar](http://images.gog.com/6eeae856d20ff40d0720ed22fb8f66a92e081d9a822d38a7a37b35d9a8f9e35c_avm.jpg)
And even without any GOG shutdown it's very much in GOG's interest to continue to provide offline installers due to who the real competition is for wanting DRM-Free offline installers of old games for long-term preservation - not "they'll have no choice but to use Galaxy" or "I'll go to Steam then", but rather "Abandonware" sites (who do give direct file access to the originals). It really isn't in GOG's interest to drive people back to those just to get the normal original game that isn't locked to any client. As mentioned, I don't hate Galaxy or wish to change the minds of those who love it, but I am wary of the "slippery slope" effect in the event that it becomes too popular (and thus eventually compulsory).
^ To add games to Galaxy 100% offline without the net and perform hash check verification, wouldn't Galaxy need to have a local database of hashes of every file in every release version of every game ever released on GOG which would massively bloat it out even more? It also sounds like something that can be easily broken by for example, a mod that gets released "post GOG" that alters the file hashes (so Galaxy throws up "corrupt installation" error messages on future "scans"). It's just another point of failure and to me another example of the "make-work" (solving problems that never needed to to exist in the first place) of trying to use online clients for offline archival purposes.
Post edited October 19, 2019 by AB2012