GOG is making it easy as can be for you to add mods to your favorite classic games with a new feature that is integrated into its storefront. Owners of classic games can now, via a single click after adding it to their library, install curated mods. GOG has said it is working with community members to bring handpicked mods that can be easily installed into the base game without further user interaction. So, no more digging through directories to find the right folder, double-checking what has to be extracted and where, or having to troubleshoot why things keep crashing, just click install and let GOG Mod do the work for you!
“GOG One-click Mods is a curated selection of premium mods, available on GOG and directly packed with the game for the smoothest installation.”
-GOG
Per GOG (via YouTube):
“From bug fixes, restored cut scenes, quests and characters, to completely freshly-made new content – we teamed-up with these community-driven projects creators to offer you this list of handpicked Mods. Combining our strengths, these are now accessible right away, already installed within the base game for the smoothest experience!”
Presently there are only seven titles with mods available, but users are encouraged to request their favorites on the GOG’s Dreamlist. It’s good to see the popular projects such as Fallout: London, The Elder Scrolls: Skyblivion, and DOOM 3: Phobos (whose creators are planning on adding episode 4 soon) are among the first to arrive. From restored cutscenes to added content and bug fixes, GOG mod aims to give those good old games new life. The following are some details for a few of these mods to give you an idea of what GOG is providing.
DOOM 3: Phobos
- Original story with a mysterious protagonist and rich backstory
- Full voice acting and scripted cutscenes
- 19 entirely new maps across 3 released episodes
- Atmospheric puzzles and exploration
- New enemies and combat tuned for faster, tighter firefights
- A redesigned shotgun that finally feels as powerful as it should
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
- Thousands of bugs fixed.
- Cut quests, characters, items, and areas restored.
- Gameplay and discipline improvements.
- New options and mechanics for deeper roleplay.
- Modern compatibility and widescreen support.
- Even unused music tracks by Rik Schaffer were brought back from the crypt.
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Horn of the Abyss
- Play as the new seafaring Cove faction or the steampunk-meets-wilderness Factory.
- Choose from 37 new heroes.
- Take on 5 richly written campaigns.
- Discover new artifacts, revamped skills, and expanded lore.
- Build, battle, and explore with upgraded visuals, refined UI, and balanced gameplay.
- Craft your own stories with enhanced map and campaign editors.
Discussion (6 replies)
Join Discussion →I'm interested in seeing where this is supposed to be going / actually goes relative to Nexus Mods
I acquired a few and it looks like they're trying something different. I don't use their Galaxy launcher except in the most dire of circumstances. The offline installers have all the mods integrated (i.e., they're not individual DLC) so you have to install everything before you can uninstall the particular mods you may not want. But they're free and convenient in that the included mods are vetted to work as a package.
The challenge with releasing titles prepackaged with mods is that different users will have different visions or desires for enhanced gameplay. For example, some may want realism or survival type mods (e.g., food consumption, body temperature control, mandatory rest) whereas others may want a strategically located treasure trove available to ease the grind.
So basically like steam workshop?
Not really, no. It's been a while since I used Steam (for reasons of my own), but IIRC, there you subscribe to mods and can add them piecemeal to your games as you see fit ... unsubscribe the mod if you no longer want to use it. Someone more knowledgeable than I can verify whether that is still correct.
The GoG versions come as a single package pre-configured along with the game install files ... so "one click" or so the advertisement goes. Or ... at least that is how the few I downloaded were available. As far as I know, you need to have purchased the original game before you can download the one-click mod packages. How (or if) that works cross platform (e.g. game purchased from a different store front)? I've not been concerned enough to check into how.
So I checked it out,, these are individual mods, not random mod packages. They are curated and only a few are available now.
Yes, and they've been testing the waters in offering mod packages for a while ... with some successes and others, well, not as much. Take for example the GoG cut of Daggerfall Unity. While initially it might have been a good idea (on paper), the reality is that the mods were still being updated, and the GoG cut fell behind and became outdated. GoG has had better success with offering whole conversion mods that are complete, and when the base game is no longer being updated. I don't know if GoG will maintain the modded games like they do with regular games - to keep them operable on modern systems. A few of the whole conversion mods have had numerous updates since initially offered, but I don't know if that is GoG's doing or if it is the mod developers stepping in like regular game developers to keep their listed titles current on GoG.