• This Is Your Game Company On Meth: BioWare thinks the majority of players want day 1 DLC
    116 replies, posted
Source: [url]http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/175902/BioWare_Some_players_want_dayone_DLC.php[/url] [quote]Fernando Melo, director of online development at BioWare Montreal defended day one DLC for BioWare titles as part of his GDC Europe talk this week, explaining that "players want more content, and they want it now -- the problem is that there is no single 'now', so it should be there when they're ready for it." Given that some players can take months to complete a game, while others can blast through games in a matter of days, this means that providing extra content from the get-go is the only real way to fulfill all players' expectations. Melo argued that on the occasions when BioWare hasn't provided DLC from day one, those players who complete the game quickly then complained that there was nothing more to play and asked for extra content. If DLC isn't provided for these players, they may well move on to a different game and never come back to play DLC later on. As proof that day one DLC also works in terms of sales, Melo said that 53 percent of all sales for the first Dragon Age: Origins DLC pack -- which was released on the same day as the full game -- were made on release day. Melo also urged developers to remember that post-release downloadable content is now a necessity for video games, and can lead to some great benefits for your development team. The BioWare executive noted in particular that, "using post-ship content is a great way to train your next set of leaders with very little risk, and the fans will also appreciate it." He said that as your main game is ready to ship, your team will most likely be working together at the peak of its abilities, and so it makes a lot of sense to use that period to create even more content for the title, rather than taking a break and losing that edge. There are plenty of benefits to DLC in terms of sales too, of course. "Everything you do post-ship is totally independent on the success of your game," noted Melo, "and DLC tends to sustain sales over time even better than your main game." DLC holds its initial price better than your main game too, he continued, and releasing extra DLC packs can give sales spikes to both your original game release and spikes for all previous DLC packs too.[/quote]
[quote]Melo argued that on the occasions when BioWare hasn't provided DLC from day one, those players who complete the game quickly then complained that there was nothing more to play and asked for extra content. If DLC isn't provided for these players, they may well move on to a different game and never come back to play DLC later on. [/quote] How about instead of packaging it as dlc you actually include it in the game? If it's too late in the production cycle to be included then include a serial key to get the dlc for free with the game. Dumbaseses.
People act as if DLC like this is being ripped out of the game and sold afterwards on purpose. Do you realize the time between the game going gold and it actually coming out in most cases? This DLC is what the developers do in that between time. It's impossible to be shipped with the game and wasn't built to be. There are exceptions I suppose but I guarantee you those exceptions are few and far between.
[QUOTE=Aska49;37305935]People act as if DLC like this is being ripped out of the game and sold afterwards on purpose. Do you realize the time between the game going gold and it actually coming out in most cases? This DLC is what the developers do in that between time. It's impossible to be shipped with the game and wasn't built to be. There are exceptions I suppose but I guarantee you those exceptions are few and far between.[/QUOTE] You realize that ME3 had DLC on the disk...
Ah, but the thing with Day 1 DLC is that it serves no purpose other than a quick amount of cash in the publisher/developer's pocket, since buying it only unlocks content that's already in the game in the first place. It's there and I paid 60 dollars to get the game, why should I pay 20 dollars to unlock everything the game has to offer? That's 80 dollars right there. It's a lazy marketing strategy and it isn't justified; since the content is in the game, what Day 1 DLC is doing is basically cutting out a good portion of the development of the game and then selling it as a DLC. It's ridiculous, honestly, and I strongly disagree with what Bioware's saying. Before you start saying "oh no mr. malos how do you know that the DLC is on the disk", it's because it's happened before tons of times.
I miss the times when games were FULLY RELEASED at... well, release, and weren't released in parts because of rushing shit.
[QUOTE=SteelReal;37305954]You realize that ME3 had DLC on the disk...[/QUOTE] Then that's really shitty. But the blanket statement that all DLC like this is terrible isn't fair to the developers.
[QUOTE=Aska49;37305979]Then that's shitty. But the blanket statement that all DLC like this is terrible isn't fair to the developers.[/QUOTE] Its only ripped out if its on the disk (as in the data is there but you have to cough up 10-15 bucks to download a 100 KB unlocker for it). And I don't think that anyone here said that all DLC is bad.
[QUOTE=AnalAnnihilator;37305925]How about instead of packaging it as dlc you actually include it in the game? If it's too late in the production cycle to be included then include a serial key to get the dlc for free with the game. Dumbaseses.[/QUOTE] Or as a day one [b]patch[/b].
If you have DLC ready to release on the exact same day as the game, especially if it comes [I]ON THE DISC ITSELF, MEANING ALL YOU TO DO IS UNLOCK IT[/I], then it needs to come free with the game.
[QUOTE=lavacano;37306011]Or as a day one [b]patch[/b].[/QUOTE] Oh yeah and if they force a 300 or more MB patch on day one I can garauntee you its DLC that you have to buy a key for. Thats pretty much the same as on disk DLC imo.
[QUOTE=Aska49;37305979]Then that's shitty. But the blanket statement that all DLC like this is terrible isn't fair to the developers.[/QUOTE] It's not all DLC; DLC made after the game was released is justifiable, since you're paying for the development of said DLC. What you're paying for with Day 1 DLC is content that was made with the original game's budget, in the original game's time window, with the loss in profits being paid off by the original sales of the actual game. You're not paying for development of said DLC, because buying the original game would do that. It's a lazy marketing strategy, honestly. You're cutting content to sell back to the masses.
patches with content are more awesome and give me a warm feeling inside about the devs (Valve).
I'll take day one free DLC.
[QUOTE=Malos;37306038]It's not all DLC; DLC made after the game was released is justifiable, since you're paying for the development of said DLC. What you're paying for with Day 1 DLC is content that was made with the original game's budget, in the original game's time window, with the loss in profits being paid off by the original sales of the actual game. You're not paying for development of said DLC, because buying the original game would do that. It's a lazy marketing strategy, honestly. You're cutting content to sell back to the masses.[/QUOTE] man I don't know, when games nowadays have 6-8 hours of singleplayer while games 10-12 years ago had usually twice that, I can't help but feel like they're ripping content out for DLC later. and prices have only gone up for this kind of shit. I mean, what happened when [I]gameplay[/I] was more important than [I]graphics?[/I] Not that Borderlands 2 is going to suck (and I don't think it is, don't get me wrong), but I'm really annoyed that they advertise PhysX as a feature. It's not really a feature, it doesn't add a whole lot to the game.
[QUOTE=lavacano;37306011]Or as a day one [b]patch[/b].[/QUOTE] if its illegitimately a patch, I might be ok with it. But knowing companies nowadays its probably just them sneaking shit into the game
[QUOTE=SteelReal;37305954]You realize that ME3 had DLC on the disk...[/QUOTE] Actually, there was only a small bit of the From Ashes DLC on disk. It was only model of the Prothean. All the other stuff was DLC.
[QUOTE=RichyZ;37306076]except some day 1 dlc is actually dlc developed during certification (games arent just made, then the day they are finished, bam its on steam), which gives them around 2 months to make new content for instance, take borderlands 2, though it isnt day1, they announced that they were making the dlc before its out, and everyone got pissed until they said "you guys are fucking stupid we already had the concept but it would take too long to implement it and put it in the final version by the deadline"[/QUOTE] Okay, I understand if they can't get the DLC out in time for the deadline, but why charge for it? It's not extra work, it was going to be released with the game itself.
If it's on the disk and you have to pay to unlock, then they can fuck off. If it's not on the disk and is an extra shirt or weapon or some shit, at a reasonable price then sure go for it.
[QUOTE=Delta616;37306116]Actually, there was only a small bit of the From Ashes DLC on disk. It was only model of the Prothean. All the other stuff was DLC.[/QUOTE] They had his voice files, just the mission was missing iirc Also so fucking stupid, noone would fall for the load of shit spewing from his mouth
I loved the PS1 and PS2 for the very reason of no DLC. Plenty of games I was satisfied with. Gran Turismo 4 I played non-stop, Soul Caliber 2 was great, 3 was even better. Crash Bandicoot 1, 2, 3 and Crash Bash was a great game for the PS1, as well as Spyro 1, 2,and 3. I would actually expect buying separate content for games appearing on older games and consoles (in the form of separate disks,) due to the limitations of the older technology of the consoles. Everything must be in the name of ~graphics~
What the fuck happened to Bioware? They went from creating good games to this utterly retarded shit.
[QUOTE=N-12_Aden;37306217]What the fuck happened to Bioware? They went from creating good games to this utterly retarded shit.[/QUOTE] EA happened.
EA bought them, that's what happened.
[QUOTE=N-12_Aden;37306217]What the fuck happened to Bioware? They went from creating good games to this utterly retarded shit.[/QUOTE] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPYkOMj-3iI[/media]
EA Games - challenge gamers intelligence.
[QUOTE=Aska49;37305935]People act as if DLC like this is being ripped out of the game and sold afterwards on purpose. Do you realize the time between the game going gold and it actually coming out in most cases? This DLC is what the developers do in that between time. It's impossible to be shipped with the game and wasn't built to be. There are exceptions I suppose but I guarantee you those exceptions are few and far between.[/QUOTE] There's no way you can make new areas, new dialogue, new quests, new weapons, new models, test them properly, in the time between Going Gold, and Release, which is generally about a month, give or take a week. Just take Mass Effect. A lot of the DLC was already on the original disc. Take Call of Duty, all those DLC maps? Included on the disc you originally bought Remember when you bought GTA4, or Red Dead Redemption, or Fallout 3, Morrowind, EVEN Oblivion which had Bullshit for most of its DLC (But it admittedly WAS well after the game released) All these games, had many many many hours of playtime just following the story, and then some with side quests, and then some with just roaming around. If you like playing an 8 hour game, and buying another 3 hours for $15 the same day the game comes out, then why don't you go waste your money at an arcade at the local mall, instead, because it's the same as paying 25 cents per 2 minutes of game time. 8 hour game + $60 price tag = $1 per 8 minutes, without DLC. Outrageous for home entertainment when you think about it, and Day 1 DLC added to that? You get a BETTER value for money at this point by going to a rip off arcade
The only companies that hate their customers more than video game companies are banks and law firms...
The way I see it, DLC is trading short-term value for long-term value, long-term value being building a game Valve-style with lots of emphasis on longevity, free patch & content support and community & mod integration. You won't make money that way, but you'll create tons of fanboys. And guess who will buy games from completely different genres just because it's made by you and sequels at full price and tons of useless microtransactions and whiteknight your company and games at any time and "infect" friends for free, and who do you think won't pirate Singleplayer games (thus no need to spend money on a tacked-on Multiplayer)?
[QUOTE=SteelReal;37305954]You realize that ME3 had DLC on the disk...[/QUOTE] I thought that it was pretty bad knowing it was on there, but then I activated it with a save editor, and I then realized how fucking bad it was. Seriously, you're paying for something that is freely available. If that isn't a scam, I don't know what is.
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