Backing up direct downloads

[Wombatula]

So I've bought a few games from GOG and while I love the service, I still hate not having a hard copy of the game. Partly because I miss having the case on the shelf with the rest of my collection, but mainly because I just don't trust the fact that the only way to recover my game is to re-download it from a direct download service, even one as reputable as GOG or Steam. It's the same reason I prefer buying the actual disc instead of downloading games from XBL or Wii VC.

One way I've thought to combat this is to put all the install files into a rar folder and putting them on a cd, stored in DVD case with the game's cover art printed out and put in the case. This way my game is backed up and it looks nice on the shelf.

I'd love to hear what other people who share my feelings do about it. Maybe I should be storing more than just the install files or maybe even storing the install files won't work (not sure how the direct dl services fully work yet). Either way, does anyone else do anything like this?

[MrPopo]

The GoG installers are stand alone, so saving the installer is all you need to do.

[J T]

This is why I prefer GOG even over hard copies actually. I just have copies of all of my games on a backup drive so I don't have to worry about losing them. Since they don't have any digital rights management (DRM) I always know that I can get them to install again later from my backups.

Steam, on the other hand, gives you a bit more to worry about because the Steam client itself is DRM- your games won't install or play without checking into your Steam account first. With Steam, you can back up your games by copying the steamapps folder to a backup drive or by using the built-in backup feature of Steam, but it's not as much of a sure bet that you will be able to access those games again if Steam were to ever go down. Steam is hugely successful though, so the odds of them going down any time soon are pretty slim. Supposedly Gabe Newell once said somewhere that they would release a key that would unlock your games so that they didn't require Steam to run if there was any chance that they were to go out of business, but there is no official promise and your EULAs all talk about how the game is something you have a license to use, but not really to own. Some have accused Steam of being a glorified rental service for this reason.

[Wombatula]

The GoG installers are stand alone, so saving the installer is all you need to do.

What about all the bin files that are in my GOG downloads folder along with the installer program?

[J T]

What about all the bin files that are in my GOG downloads folder along with the installer program?

You'll need those for the install too.

[MrPopo]

The GoG installers are stand alone, so saving the installer is all you need to do.

What about all the bin files that are in my GOG downloads folder along with the installer program?

Yeah, what JT said. I'd never encountered those until I got The Witcher 2. Previous games I've gotten from GoG all fit within a single exe.

[fastbilly1]

I believe at Gog if the title is bigger than 1.5 gigs it has separate Bin files: ie UT2k4 is 3 files and 4 gigs. You know, 2gig file limits on older OS's and what not.

I actually just put all of my PC games into a box instead of having them on a shelf, so like JT my GoG games are backed up on a harddrive on a harddrive on my desk. Once I get my new place, and new home office, I will have them back out on the shelf, in proper cases. And I will probably print off cases for my GoG games and put them on a shelf like you have Wombatula. But until then, its boardgames for me.

[J T]

Oh yeah, if you want covers for your gog games, you should run through the links I put in this thread awhile back:
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 26&t=17791

[Hatta]

You shouldn't need to use RAR. If GoG has any idea what they're doing, the installers will already be compressed.

What I would recommend is a little bit of parity data. Use PAR2 to generate 5-10% redundancy and burn it on a CD. That way if your CD is borderline, you can still repair your archives.

[MrPopo]

RAR can be nice depending on how you're backing them up just to have all the files in one place. That way you know that this blah.rar contains everything I need to install Witcher 2, instead of worrying whether or not all the files are in the folder.