DLC. Not entirely new or ground breaking, but the way it's packaged and presented is always changing. Most recently so with clever marketing tag lines like "Elite" and "Season Pass".
Now I'm not talking about user created content or mods or patches. I'm talking about content created by the developers and then sold to the gamers.
I've been talking, at some length, with Lead Salad about Gears 3 DLC and the continual pillaging and raping of my belief in developers as kind gamers, like myself, that love games as much as I do and want to spread gamer love to all with new content they've created.
I feel very strongly that Gears 3 DLC has crossed a line. Normally I wouldn't take the time to write about DLC because it's always a point, in my mind, as a power of choice, as a consumer, to purchase or not to purchase (that is the question!) it. But it was the clever marketing and thought that I'd actually be saving money that got me to purchase the now hated "Season Pass".
What the Season Pass gives players is the first 4 DLC packs for the cost of only 3. I believed, in my naive and safe mind that the world was fair and beautiful, that if I loved the game and expected to play it for a long time after release I'd be stupid not to....only in this case I was very stupid to.
Shortly after the first DLC dropped it was announced that it would be made free to everybody as a sign of how "giving" Epic is at Thanksgiving. How wonderful! I've now paid for DLC in advance that's now free to all! I've already been robbed of my benefit of getting 4 for the price of 3. But hey look! I at least get these extra skins! 10 bucks for 3 cosmetic skins works out to $3.33 a skin or 266.66 MS points per skin. Not too shabby!
Not long after the first DLC was released the Season Pass was put on sale at a discounted price. Another burn.
I guess what bother's me the most is that I feel had as a consumer. Like they really stuck it to me. It feels worse than buyers remorse because I've actually spent around 90 bucks on a game I feel I really have to keep, more than ever, to justify my expense. I enjoy the game, overall, and wouldn't really wish to be rid of it, but whenever I play it it comes with a tinge of resentment which is something I've never felt with any game in the past. Not even HALO 3 or REACH which I bought and sold about a dozen times between the two.
The DLC has also been released criminally close to the launch of the game. At least when COD releases it's inevitable map packs it lets the game breathe a little.
I have wondered, in the past, if maybe the developers would have included some of this content at release, but were unable to because of disc size capacity issues. If that's true then that might be the biggest burn of all. And please don't forget on disc DLC which Gears has been guilty of in the past.
I'm not a moron. I understand that games are a business and that large developers and publishers have a bottom line that must be met and that cushioning that bottom line is made easier with DLC.
I just wish it weren't so obviously shitty.
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I really used to like DLC as a concept. The idea of paying a small fee (10-15 bucks) for content that was going to add to a purchase that I've already made, was a welcome transaction as it was likely to keep me from buying another 60 dollar game. Developers sure don't mind it... it's basically work that they've already done, and it's pure profit since nothing needs to go to the retailers, etc.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of money making, Activision is brilliant -
So they start releasing DLC for COD, and everyone starts to buy it. Adding more maps into their already super-addictive multiplayer is a gold mine! Over time and various releases, they amount of DLC available steadily increases. Eventually, the dollar value of the DLC is equal to that of a full game. Black Ops had 60 dollars worth of download content available. Activision successfully doubled the cost of a game, because everyone who's actively playing needs to have the new maps for matchmaking.
But they probably noticed a decline in unit sales as time went by. maybe 75% of the customers bought the first map pack, then 50% for the second, etc... Still worth releasing (since they're probably already finished and it's pure profit), but maybe there is a better way.
Enter Elite. With COD Elite, you offer the community ALL of the content at one flat rate, cheaper than buying them separately. Everyone thinks they're getting a deal, but they'll never really know. Maybe the maps would go on sale, or maybe, they won't ever want to buy them. They might feel obligated to keep their game, but Activision really doesn't care as this point... Even if they stop playing, the money has been made. By providing a "deal" (defined only by the cost) they got more customers to spend more than they probably would have in the past, on DLC.
And it's tough to argue. It actually is a good deal, IF you are going to buy the maps anyways... We've got no one to blame but ourselves for their success.
Gears on the other hand, burnt me bad. Talk about a broken trust... At least COD was forthcoming with what was coming in the season pass. I think Epic really took us to town on that one... I guess I'm an idiot for thinking that a majority of the new content would be multiplayer maps. Stupid me.
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ReplyDeleteI must be missing something when it comes to the GOW season pass that everyone else is seeing. Especially when it comes to the comparisons to COD Elite. Here is my take: you buy the pass and get every future DLC for a 33% discount vs the retail. So far that has worked out toward a huge savings vs buying them all. The one exception were the 2 free maps they initially released as the Horde Command pack that were eventually free. 2 (or 3) maps. That's it. Are you forgetting that we then got campaign and another 5 maps with later DLCs. Plus there are another 5 coming out in a little over a month. Someone please do the math and tell me how you've been screwed by prepaying vs buying individually.
ReplyDeleteIn addition how are they coming out immediately after purchase? I think the Epic process is brilliant. The game came out almost 2 months before COD and they waited 2 months to release the first DLC. They then wait another 2 months before their next map pack (and another 2 before their 3rd). This is the perfect time frame to keep a game fresh. Just when I feel that I need a change they throw you a new bone.
Now look at Elite. I don't know exactly all the details but its basically the same thing but with earlier access and a college app. Now, look at the time frame between launches. The game came out 2 months later and they're already on their third (am I wrong?) map pack. Again, please explain how this is different and a better deal? It's the same thing minus new SP gameplay.
I've been around the block a few times and played the DLC game just like all of you. In all we are getting taken because no matter what all DLC makes us feel like we are justifying our original purchase. The real issue comes with your true feelings about the game itself. Take Halo as a perfect example. Several of you wouldn't blink an eye at purchasing 15 map package despite knowing that in 2 months another will be out and the one you just purchased will be 50% off. Happens everytime yet you will do it without question.
Who cares that the GOW DLC includes weapon and character skins. After March you'll have over 10 maps and a 4hr SP campaign. Think of that as just bonus. None of this is surprising to me because they said exactly what you would get. You got it AND saved money. If you hold a grudge because of the first couple of free maps then I guess your forgetting that Epic has always stated they wanted DLC to be free but MS said they couldn't.
One final thought: if you really want to get pissed at Epic, do it because they have required the DLC to play on dedicated servers and most playlists. If you ask me, that's the real crime.
My problems with the Gears 3 Season Pass:
ReplyDelete1. It was advertised as a 33% discount. We would be getting 4 DLC packs for the price of 3. That went out the window when Epic released 1 of the 4 packs to the entire community for free. It essentially "cancelled" out that 33% savings from the Season Pass.
2. They've gotten lazy with the new character skin DLC. It's to the point now where Epic is just releasing characters that were previously available as pre-order bonuses. Again, that's just lazy, plus it makes my rare character skin available to many more people, which makes it way less special. I've used the Savage Kantus since the game released and barely EVER saw anyone else using that skin. Now it's all over the place.
3. DLC required to play on the dedicated servers. That is straight garbage. The main draw of the multiplayer in Gears 3 is the fact that 99% of the crap that comes with host-based play is eliminated thanks to dedicated servers. Take that away and we're just playing Gears 2 again.
As far as DLC for other games, I can honestly say I've never been very impressed. I got 1 map pack for CoD4 and barely ever got to play it. I got 1 of the 2 DLC packs for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and it was....ok, at best. I'm still holding out on the final DLC chapter for that one. Hopefully it will go on sale some day. I got the DLC pack for Dead Space 2 and again, it was serviceable. Halo map packs have been hit or miss. Trials DLC has been pretty damn fun, adding TONS of new tracks and trick events.
DLC can't be used as a crutch for games. Developers need to ship a FINISHED game (cough cough, Bethesda). NO bugs and no DLC to "complete the story."