If this works the same as the Steam version Durante basically shipped these with all the .dll runtimes while the game exe itself is DRM free so in addition to the GOG Galayxy files you would also have the Steam API files or steam_api.dll specifically.

For the config file in SpecialK you would have to set Silent=True like this:

[Steam.Log]
Silent=true

And that should disable Steam integration in SpecialK and hopefully allow the utility to work without trying to hook the (non-existent since it's not loading in GOG.) Steam framework. :)
(Which then fails and it doesn't load at all.)

Yeah it tries one, fails and disconnects and then tries the other I believe, exe would then show "Trails of Cold Steel Steam" or "Trails of Cold Steel GOG" depending on which loads.

If neither works it should be "Trails of Cold Steel DRM Free" in the title window as I remember.

Either disabling or well silencing SpecialK or just renaming the .dll should work. Don't really use GOG much myself aside from the older titles and haven't really checked Galaxy at all but there's a few games on Steam having this little arrangement but it usually initializes Steam first and doesn't call the GOG client.

Though it sounds like a few games try to initialize both going by the GoaT example above. :)

Originally posted by JBeckman:

If this works the same as the Steam version Durante basically shipped these with all the .dll runtimes while the game exe itself is DRM free so in addition to the GOG Galayxy files you would also have the Steam API files or steam_api.dll specifically.

For the config file in SpecialK you would have to set Silent=True like this:

[Steam.Log]
Silent=true

And that should disable Steam integration in SpecialK and hopefully allow the utility to work without trying to hook the (non-existent since it's not loading in GOG.) Steam framework. :)
(Which then fails and it doesn't load at all.)

Unforunately this does not fix the issue, here's the new log: https://pastebin.com/a4X0rgC6

Originally posted by Kaldaien:

LOL... WTF?

08/09/2018 21:47:11.022: [DLL Loader] ( steam_api.dll ) loaded ' C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamclient.dll' <LoadLibraryExW> { 'SteamAPI_SetTryCatchCallbacks' }

I don't really know what to tell you here, other than this crazy game is connecting to the Steam client. The Steam client probably wants nothing to do with the game. I guess maybe delete steam_api.dll?

I have to do this for many GOG/Steam games that ship with both platform DLLs, otherwise GOG Galaxy has been known to kick up 20+ threads (I wish I were kidding -- that platform framework does some really awful stuff). I don't even have Galaxy installed on this system, and GalaxyPeer still spawns 20 threads in Ghost of a Tale. Freaky stuff.

Unforunately deleting the dll prevents the game from launching.

So is there no way to fix this? It's weird because it's worked fine with other gog games (such as Ys VIII).