General discussion (archive)
It's funny how the human brain works. Marketing classes are insane lectures about how to manipulate the human brain.
I'm still not a big huge fan of Steam, because they do sort of use their client as a DRM, but it's only initially and not really much different than the online code activations of the past. But still, it is DRM, and therefore don't blame others if they still boycott it and don't like it. I just decided after years of refusing to buy there that consumers had already reached a verdict on Steam and so long as I know offline mode is working and meant to work indefinitely offline, I'll buy there. GreenManGaming will never get another dime from me though.
And if gog offers a voluntary client that doesn't require online handshakes (accept of course if you want to use whatever multiplayer access it offers or to see sales and buy/download games) I would consider that a PLUS for gog, not a minus. I think if any company were going to do a client right, it would be gog.
I think those archive are not very useful and Impulse was probably not succesfull enough to interest some programmer in making an utility to extract from them.
And if the games they had sold to you were DRM-free (I presume they aren't?), then I could even understand if at some point they run the whole service down, at least giving a long time for customers to reclaim their purchases for local repository. After all, realistically G.G.com will not be around forever either, but as long as you have downloaded all your purchased games before the final shutdown, you should be fine.
If, however, you find at some point that you can't install nor play your purchased games any more, due to the changes or shutdown of the service (not related to your own (lack of) actions), then you should be very angry.
I think this case also shows how easily a digital store, who starts selling 'also' Steam keys, easily slips into a shop which delivers only keys to other major services (like Steam), and shuts down its own infrastructure and service, not competing with the other services anymore. This is just a reminder to the folks who say G.G.com should start also supplying and selling Steam keys.
People don't mind DRM.. until it bites them to the ass.
I probably mixed something up in the history of Impulse - though I do seem to remember that Impulse went through several changes as well, even when it was still under Stardock's rule.Developer(s) GameStop Initial release June 17, 2008; 11 years ago[1] Stable release 4.04.825 (August 2, 2012)[±] Operating system Microsoft Windows Type Content delivery License Proprietary (Freeware) Website www.impulsedriven.com
Stardock Impulse is a simple finder that allows you to search for the latest software and games in the market. With this program, you will always know which games are launched and you can even buy them through this interface. Tritone: I bought about 6 games on Impulse, and have them 'archived' in.impulse format. Is there a way to install them from that archive without using the Impulse client? If not, and say I wanted to use Impulse to re-install a game. Could I just copy it to the 'Archive File Location' folder and use Impulse to install it? Client Platform: Uplay 1) Firstly, you will need to download and install Uplay, Ubisoft’s download and games manager software. 2) If you don’t already have an account, you will be required to create one. Click create a new account to do this. 3) Click the top right cog icon, and then click Activate Product.
Download sizer software.
This is my favourite topic
StingingVelvet
StingingVelvet Sorry, data for given user is currently unavailable. Please, try again later. View profileView wishlistStart conversationInvite to friendsInvite to friendsAccept invitationAccept invitationPending invitation..User since {{ user.formattedDateUserJoined }} Friends since {{ user.formattedDateUserFriended }} Unblock chat User blocked This user's wishlist is not public.You can't chat with this user due to their or your privacy settings.You can't chat with this user because you have blocked him.You can't invite this user because you have blocked him.From United States
OldFatGuy: ADDED: Imagine Steam, almost identical to the way it is, but where it's OPTIONAL to run the client. Where you can buy the games, download and play them like here at gog, and where the client itself is optional. That's the kind of world you can have when consumers use their powers of demand instead of willingly giving them up. It was a 'Okay, look at these neat things, you can have them, but in order to have them you have to give up some of your freedom to play and use your games the way you want.' The response was 'COOOOL, ALRIGHT' instead of 'Wait, no thanks, we'll take all that new and neat stuff but you can screw yourself on telling me what I can and can't do with MY GAME.'
Which is kind of what I want from GOG, honestly, for the newer games. The GOG update process is kind of annoying, so an optional client with no DRM attached would be great. Of course the funny thing is a lot of people here associate client with DRM, because of the same idea Valve sold them: to have that client, you need this DRM. Which again is untrue. It's funny how the human brain works. Marketing classes are insane lectures about how to manipulate the human brain.
OldFatGuy
OldFatGuy Sorry, data for given user is currently unavailable. Please, try again later. View profileView wishlistStart conversationInvite to friendsInvite to friendsAccept invitationAccept invitationPending invitation..User since {{ user.formattedDateUserJoined }} Friends since {{ user.formattedDateUserFriended }} Unblock chat User blocked This user's wishlist is not public.You can't chat with this user due to their or your privacy settings.You can't chat with this user because you have blocked him.You can't invite this user because you have blocked him.From United States
StingingVelvet: Which is kind of what I want from GOG, honestly, for the newer games. The GOG update process is kind of annoying, so an optional client with no DRM attached would be great. Of course the funny thing is a lot of people here associate client with DRM, because of the same idea Valve sold them: to have that client, you need this DRM. Which again is untrue.
It's funny how the human brain works. Marketing classes are insane lectures about how to manipulate the human brain.
Agreed, I wouldn't mind a gog client that handled the updating in the background, perhaps offered some multiplayer capability, and maybe even alerted me to some nice sales on games on my wishlist kind of thing. I have no problem with clients per se, I just don't like clients that are required and require an online login/confirmation to be used. That's why I actually hate Green Man Gaming's client worse than I do Steam's. I can, through long time verification, play my Steam games in offline mode without internet access. Not so with GreenManGaming's capsule. Every time I want to play one of those games, I have to have internet access and log in. I haven't spent another dime there since I learned that, yet I've spent plenty at Steam. It's funny how the human brain works. Marketing classes are insane lectures about how to manipulate the human brain.
I'm still not a big huge fan of Steam, because they do sort of use their client as a DRM, but it's only initially and not really much different than the online code activations of the past. But still, it is DRM, and therefore don't blame others if they still boycott it and don't like it. I just decided after years of refusing to buy there that consumers had already reached a verdict on Steam and so long as I know offline mode is working and meant to work indefinitely offline, I'll buy there. GreenManGaming will never get another dime from me though.
And if gog offers a voluntary client that doesn't require online handshakes (accept of course if you want to use whatever multiplayer access it offers or to see sales and buy/download games) I would consider that a PLUS for gog, not a minus. I think if any company were going to do a client right, it would be gog.
sebarnolds
sebarnolds Sorry, data for given user is currently unavailable. Please, try again later. View profileView wishlistStart conversationInvite to friendsInvite to friendsAccept invitationAccept invitationPending invitation..User since {{ user.formattedDateUserJoined }} Friends since {{ user.formattedDateUserFriended }} Unblock chat User blocked This user's wishlist is not public.You can't chat with this user due to their or your privacy settings.You can't chat with this user because you have blocked him.You can't invite this user because you have blocked him.From Belgium
tritone: I bought about 6 games on Impulse, and have them 'archived' in .impulse format. Is there a way to install them from that archive without using the Impulse client?
If not, and say I wanted to use Impulse to re-install a game.. could I just copy it to the 'Archive File Location' folder and use Impulse to install it? I'm afraid at some point in the future, even though I bought and downloaded the games.. they aren't self-installing like GOG purchases, and I might lose the ability to install them, say years from now.
From the informations I had at the time I used it, the .impulse format couldn't even be used on another computer (it was os specific). But I didn't try. If not, and say I wanted to use Impulse to re-install a game.. could I just copy it to the 'Archive File Location' folder and use Impulse to install it? I'm afraid at some point in the future, even though I bought and downloaded the games.. they aren't self-installing like GOG purchases, and I might lose the ability to install them, say years from now.
I think those archive are not very useful and Impulse was probably not succesfull enough to interest some programmer in making an utility to extract from them.
timppu
timppu Sorry, data for given user is currently unavailable. Please, try again later. View profileView wishlistStart conversationInvite to friendsInvite to friendsAccept invitationAccept invitationPending invitation..User since {{ user.formattedDateUserJoined }} Friends since {{ user.formattedDateUserFriended }} Unblock chat User blocked This user's wishlist is not public.You can't chat with this user due to their or your privacy settings.You can't chat with this user because you have blocked him.You can't invite this user because you have blocked him.From Finland
GhostMatter: I can still access my previous purchases but for how long?
As long as they keep to that promise, I don't see any real problem. And if the games they had sold to you were DRM-free (I presume they aren't?), then I could even understand if at some point they run the whole service down, at least giving a long time for customers to reclaim their purchases for local repository. After all, realistically G.G.com will not be around forever either, but as long as you have downloaded all your purchased games before the final shutdown, you should be fine.
If, however, you find at some point that you can't install nor play your purchased games any more, due to the changes or shutdown of the service (not related to your own (lack of) actions), then you should be very angry.
I think this case also shows how easily a digital store, who starts selling 'also' Steam keys, easily slips into a shop which delivers only keys to other major services (like Steam), and shuts down its own infrastructure and service, not competing with the other services anymore. This is just a reminder to the folks who say G.G.com should start also supplying and selling Steam keys.
tritone: If not, and say I wanted to use Impulse to re-install a game.. could I just copy it to the 'Archive File Location' folder and use Impulse to install it? I'm afraid at some point in the future, even though I bought and downloaded the games.. they aren't self-installing like GOG purchases, and I might lose the ability to install them, say years from now.
Bingo. Impulse Client Download For Pc
People don't mind DRM.. until it bites them to the ass.
Post edited April 30, 2014 by timppu
Maighstir
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Psyringe: Then it was 'upgraded' into 'ImpulseDriven'.
Only in the same sense that Steam was 'upgraded' into 'SteamPowered'. Ie. that's what the domain name said, but the service wasn't actually called that.Psyringe
Psyringe Sorry, data for given user is currently unavailable. Please, try again later. View profileView wishlistStart conversationInvite to friendsInvite to friendsAccept invitationAccept invitationPending invitation..User since {{ user.formattedDateUserJoined }} Friends since {{ user.formattedDateUserFriended }} Unblock chat User blocked This user's wishlist is not public.You can't chat with this user due to their or your privacy settings.You can't chat with this user because you have blocked him.You can't invite this user because you have blocked him.From Germany
Psyringe: Then it was 'upgraded' into 'ImpulseDriven'.
Maighstir: Only in the same sense that Steam was 'upgraded' into 'SteamPowered'. Ie. that's what the domain name said, but the service wasn't actually called that. Ah, okay. I stopped following the development pretty soon after Impulse started - I didn't really appreciate that my games from Totalgaming.net, a service which allowed to make working offline backups of games, were suddenly moved to a service that that kept gamers on a much tighter leash. I probably mixed something up in the history of Impulse - though I do seem to remember that Impulse went through several changes as well, even when it was still under Stardock's rule.
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General discussion (archive)Games displayed on the Impulse client's storefront
Impulse was a digital distribution and multiplayer platform. Originally developed by Stardock to succeed Stardock Central, it was purchased by GameStop in March 2011,[2][3] and was subsequently rebranded as GameStop PC Downloads, with the client being renamed GameStop App.[4] The client was discontinued in April 2014.
Impulse facilitated the purchase, download and updating of software.[1] The platform also provided blogging, friends-list, chat, game matchmaking, achievements and ranking to certain games.
- 1Features
- 2Criticism
Features[edit]
Impulse helped users purchase and download software. Purchases were tied to an account on GameStop's servers, and could be downloaded from anywhere that allowed the use of the Impulse client.
Storefront[edit]
Impulse provided a storefront that supports localized currencies, territory restrictions and a process for refunds. Publishers and developers that once used the Impulse storefront include Activision,[5]Atari,[6]Ubisoft,[5]Epic Games, THQ, AVG, Iolo Technologies, Gas Powered Games, Hothead Games, Ironclad Games, Popcap Games, and Meridian4.
Software management[edit]
Impulse screenshot showing list of installed software
Impulse allowed users to install, update (when desired) and uninstall the software tied to a user's account. Users who purchased Impulse-supported games at retail stores could download the client and install previously purchased software on their computers without the original disc after registration of the game.
Impulse was able to create archives of purchased software to be stored on a backup medium, allowing users to revert to an older version if the latest version is not up to expectations.
Impulse::Reactor[edit]
Game developers could make API calls and query information from the Impulse community infrastructure using Impulse::Reactor, a software library which provides DRM/copy protection, achievements, accounts, friends lists, chat, multiplayer lobbies, and cloud storage.[2]
Criticism[edit]
Exclusive patches[edit]
Impulse, used for delivering patches, was criticised for causing the decline in availability of standalone patches.[citation needed] While it provided convenient and smaller updates for internet-connected users, users without availability of internet access face no other option to update their game via standalone patches. The only other way to update a game was to install Impulse on another connected computer, get an updated copy of the software or game before transferring it to an archive medium where it can be restored to the unconnected computer. However, the process was not feasible for people with limited access on public or corporate computers.[citation needed] The availability of these patches in the event that the company goes out of business is uncertain.
Resale limitations[edit]
Impulse did not support the resale of games.[7] The product was transferable only when a user bought a second copy for another person, via the support system.
Re-sales were possible with Game Object Obfuscation, or GOO for short. GOO is GameStop's client-free DRM solution which allows neutrality between competing digital stores.[8]
Fences 0.99 controversy[edit]
Stardock attracted criticism[citation needed] in September 2009 when its desktop organizer Fences 0.99 was bundled with Impulse (requiring Internet Explorer 7 and Microsoft .NET) without notification on the product description or download page. Fences had previously been available as a stand-alone product. Stardock later informed customers of the additional software requirements on the Fences website.
History[edit]
Impulse was launched on June 17, 2008[1] as a successor to Stardock Central (launched in 2001). While Steam is the largest and most well-known digital distribution platform since its launch in 2002, it was only in 2004 that ecommerce was added.
In March 2011, GameStop announced their intent to purchase Impulse, as well as Spawn Labs.[3] GameStop president Tony Bartel said these acquisitions would 'provide a customer-friendly and publisher-friendly way' to deliver 'gaming in many locations and on many devices.'[2] The purchase was completed on May 2, 2011.
As of April 24, 2014, GameStop officially discontinued the Impulse Client and web store. The Impulse Client was replaced by the GameStop PC Downloads App, which allows users to download content purchased prior to the discontinuation of Impulse. New digital PC game purchases are made through the GameStop.com store.
Support for legacy Impulse/GameStop App game downloads was handled for some time through Game Stop Guest Care [9]. However, as of Feb 2019, no support content related to Impulse, the GameStop App, the PC platform is available through this portal. The term 'GameStop App' now refers to an unrelated phone app[10].
GameStop currently does not provide any way to download games purchased through Impulse or the GameStop (PC) App.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abc'Stardock Launches Impulse'. 2008-06-17. Archived from the original on 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
- ^ abc'GameStop Announces Acquisition of Spawn Labs and Agreement to Acquire Impulse, Inc'. GameStop. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^ abChristopher Grant (2011-03-31). 'GameStop indulges in some Impulse buying .. no seriously, it bought Impulse (and Spawn Labs)'. Joystiq. AOL. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^'GameStop PC Downloads About'. GameStop. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
- ^ abFrank Cifaldi (2009-06-15). 'Stardock adds Ubisoft, Activision games to Impulse'. Gamesinfo.biz. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^'Atari comes to Impulse'. Stardock. 2010-02-04. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^Stardock Knowledgebase, 'Can I give my copy of software to my friend?'Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^Joe Martin (2009-03-26). 'Stardock announces flexible DRM system, Goo'. bit-gamer.net. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- ^http://www.gamestop.com/gs/help/
- ^https://www.gamestop.com/gamestop-app>
External links[edit]
- Impulse Driven homepage
- Impulse white paper[permanent dead link]
- Impulse Anywhere- helps to transfer software to disconnected computers
- Impulse on Twitter
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Impulse_(software)&oldid=917161142'