CD Projekt thinks small DLC should be free
- Thread starter qornea
- Start date
TheAvenged87
Not Robin
I agree 100%. If it adds a lot of of cool stuff to the game, I don't mind paying. But a costume (or Horse Armour) is another story entirely.
MOnk
New member
You forgot about the new strategy, remove stuff from your game, make it a pre-order or collectors edition exclusive and then sell it after release for 15% of the total game price.
I can just see it in a few years;
Dragon Effect: Modern Solid Scrolls 8
Standard Edition:
-Intro movie + start screen
Collectors Edition, Pre-order bonus:
-The rest of the game
I can just see it in a few years;
Dragon Effect: Modern Solid Scrolls 8
Standard Edition:
-Intro movie + start screen
Collectors Edition, Pre-order bonus:
-The rest of the game
OmegaFenix
The Legendary Troll Hunter
DRM didn't work so they are trying the carrot rather than the stick. Buy the game new and you get extra stuff, buy it second hand and you have to pay. To my knowledge none of the Pre-order/CE DLC in any recent game can be considered integral.
So if DRM doesn't work & you can't try and entice gamers to buy new rather the pre-owned (or buy at all instead of pirating) with Free DLC what is a developer/publisher to do?
OmegaFenix
The Legendary Troll Hunter
Would you mind naming a few? I've only gotten the Deus Ex, Batman AC, Skyrim, Gears 3, Kingdom's of Amalur & Friday Mass Effect 3 Pre-orders or CE and none of those had anything in that I would call essential. Closest was Batman AC's Catwoman missions which was free to anyone who bought the game new, so I may be missing some that may have crossed the line.
MOnk
New member
It's not about them being essential it's about them removing variety of content which would otherwise have been included to be part of the game. The Batman AC stuff was a good example for me, all those costumes for me would probably would have been included as bonuses for finishing the game if it hadn't been for preorders. Like why do I as a loyal customer get treated worse just because I didn't preorder at Gamestop and as such don't get item a, b, c or d without paying extra.
It sort of feels like well you really just not that valuable a customer unless you preorder and if you want to be even more valuable then you must get the CE. The inclusion of in-game content in collectors editions is also a problem since now you no longer get the full game just from 'buying the game' and you are forced to choose between paying for the CE which has a bunch of stuff you don't really want or forking out a disproportionate amount of money to buy this extra content.
Yes I know 'you don't have to' and 'it's not essential' but it's still part of the game which they are segregating and charging extra for, so you land up getting 90% of the game for $60 and if you want the other 10% you need to fork out another $60.
It sort of feels like well you really just not that valuable a customer unless you preorder and if you want to be even more valuable then you must get the CE. The inclusion of in-game content in collectors editions is also a problem since now you no longer get the full game just from 'buying the game' and you are forced to choose between paying for the CE which has a bunch of stuff you don't really want or forking out a disproportionate amount of money to buy this extra content.
Yes I know 'you don't have to' and 'it's not essential' but it's still part of the game which they are segregating and charging extra for, so you land up getting 90% of the game for $60 and if you want the other 10% you need to fork out another $60.
OmegaFenix
The Legendary Troll Hunter
Consider that if it wasn't for Pre-Orders alot of this content may not exist? Since there is no way for us to say definitely one way or the other that they would/wouldn't if it was/wasn't for pre-order we must entertain the thought that while it is likely some content may have shipped with the game it is just as likely that the content would have ended up on the cutting room floor.
I also wouldn't say you end up with 90% of the game in most standard editions. You still get the full game from beginning to end but if you pre-order/buy at retailer "Y", get the CE you are rewarded with that little bit of bonus content. Bonus being the key word their. Its a way for different retailers and the publisher to reward people for shopping with them. I passed on the Robin DLC for Batman AC which GAME provided to customers who purchased the game with them and got the CE (which doesn't have the Robin DLC) from Amazon because the price difference between the two was £10. Not being able to play as Robin in the Challenge maps didn't dampen the experience for me, neither did not having access to all the different skins.
ViperGTI
New member
I tend to agree. Regardless of whether it is considered essential or not. For me, any game "content" released on the same day as the game like additional characters and quests, I consider should be part of the game or at least free dlc for whoever buys the game new. I have no problem if they provide some additional fancy weapons or character outfits for pre-orders and the physical artwork, comic books or whatever for the collector's editions, but don't reduce the core game.
ME3 is the first CE edition I've ever bought and that is only due to the price and well, cause it is Mass Effect. Except perhaps Hitman (if they decide to pull similar stunts), there is no other game I would even consider getting the CE edition.
MOnk
New member
Yes you could argue it either way, I think sometimes it's just too convenient an excuse. Whether you think they are bonus or not I don't think you can argue about the prices being fairy ridiculous for what you get.
Take ME3, $10 or 15% to get a single extra character, which goes one of two ways, either that content is significant enough that it truly should have been part of the game or it's is in fact a small bonus and the price should be closer to $2-3.
Take ME3, $10 or 15% to get a single extra character, which goes one of two ways, either that content is significant enough that it truly should have been part of the game or it's is in fact a small bonus and the price should be closer to $2-3.
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OmegaFenix
The Legendary Troll Hunter
How does it reduce the core game?
OmegaFenix
The Legendary Troll Hunter
Are you talking about the game price or the DLC pricing?
OmegaFenix
The Legendary Troll Hunter
Ok but the Extra Character is part of the Ashes DLC which is free much like Zaheed was with the cerberus network in ME2. So that $10 is what you pay for the online pass. So its less about the character and more about getting that $10 out of people who bought it pre-owned.
I got the Fire Power DLC for ME2 which was 120 MS points. 2000MS points cost me £9. So for my £9 I got the Shadow Broker DLC (1200MS Points), the Firepower Pack and Arrival DLC (not sure of its current price). Obviously I didn't get these as they where release but let's for argument sake say that Bother Arrival and Shadow Broker was 1200MS Points, that 2200 + 120 for the weapons pack. By my guestimation that would cost me about £15 at the most. For that £15 I get another 5-10 hours of Gameplay and 3 new weapons. Not a bad deal IMO. Similarly for that $10 the Cerberus Network Pass would cost you back when ME2 was released you would get Zaheed, FireWalker and several other Free DLC packs. Surely thats worth the price?
MOnk
New member
Where do you get this information from since as far as I'm aware this is not correct.
From an official forum post;
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/323/index/9403705/1#9403705
This says nothing about it being like the cerberus network or acting like an online pass. It also clearly states that if you want the dlc as a SE customer you must pay.
OmegaFenix
The Legendary Troll Hunter
Oh ok, like you I have only been Skimming through most ME3 related info especially anything relating to the Ashes DLC for fear of Spoilers. I was under assumption, and it would appear wrongly so, that is was basically ME3's version of the Zaheed bonus character. And by reading into it just now I did what I was trying to avoid... spoiling the hidden character.
Oh well that will teach me, assumption is the mother of all fuckups.
However Until I actually Play the characters mission and see how it ties into the large plot I can't comment on the "core-ness" of this DLC. As i said Zaheed was a pretty useless piece of DLC which didn't really add anything except a bit of background on one of the merc groups.
If it turns out that it is integral to the story (which Im doubting) then I agree its over the line.
OmegaFenix
The Legendary Troll Hunter
Yeah, However if you bought it pre-owned you had to pay $10 for the Cerberus Network Pass. I was under the mistaken impression that the Ashes DLC was part of a similar deal with ME3. But Monk showed me I was wrong.
ViperGTI
New member
Although I agree with you, ME3 really is the exception here because of price. I would have paid R380 for the standard edition in anyway since that is what new games approx cost. Now I got the complete game, a game that could be placed somewhere between a previously known as the "Standard" edition and Collectors edition, for about R30 more than any other new game priced at R350. From what I've read from people who usually buy CE games, think that the ME3 CE is a bit "light".
My objection would rather apply to other games that are normally priced and then have all the 1st day DLC that you have to pay extra for (even though it was developed alongside the game, now you have to pay extra).