Downloadable Content, the new wave douchebaggery?

[Arachna]

I don't hate the entire idea of pay DLC in general thou. I mean, if some game devs occasionally release batches of new maps/levels/missions or whatever for few dollars, that's cool. But it seems like most of the time, they're just holding back on content, and charging for shit that should have been (or already is) there in the first place.

That's how I feel. If the devs created some new worthwhile add-ons after releasing the game for a decent price I'd be more than happy to purchase it if I enjoyed the game enough to play it even more. But if it's fairly obvious they're releasing portions taken from the game in order to make extra profits or they're releasing bullshit DLC for insane prices they can piss off.

[Rokku]

Afaik all you can do is recolour things with stickers. So you wouldn't have the right models for them.

This is correct. And I suppose it depends on how you look at it, $3 for a pack of four costumes to customize a game really isn't that bad imo. I'd have more issues with paying $2 for a downloadable gun in a 1 Player FPS, as opposed to an outfit for an online game, but that's just my opinion.

[Kaisha]

I love EA -
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/24/ea...godfather-gun/
http://sports.joystiq.com/2006/10/04...remium-ripoff/

There was another douche-bag move they did where they charged 360 players to unlock the cheat codes on a Tiger Woods game (can't recall which one), when all the other consoles got them via normaly means.


For DLC, if it isn't new content, it isn't getting my money. Only examples of DLC I would buy would be things that expand upon the game itself, such as the little mission pack for Mass Effect (albeit Bioware is still charging 360 users for when the PC users get it free), Knights of the Nine for Oblivion, or add-on packs for titles such as WarHawk, which you know wasn't in the original game.
(as mentioned many times, hi 2 u megaman9)

[Beckwin]

I would be great if DLC would start eliminating rehash sequels, but lol at that ever happening.

[Rokku]

(as mentioned many times, hi 2 u megaman9)

I admit, I'm a huge fan of Megaman (durh), but yeah, what Capcom did with MM9 was a little much. I suppose you could look at it as a desperate cry for the affection and money of a fanbase that Capcom isn't sure still exists, but no matter how you slice it, releasing the other actual pieces of the full game as DLC was pretty shitty.

[Dmitry]

If I can't get it for free, I usually wait until it's free or at least severely reduced in price. Only time I'd pay for it is if it was something great or my friends get it and bitch when I don't.

[Isiolia]

I'm more in the camp of having played PC games for too long to think -paying- for additional content (that isn't an expansion pack) is acceptable. Extra stuff for free? Cool.

Considering that game prices have gone up with this console generation, being asked to pay yet more money for extras is annoying.

[Rokku]

I couldn't agree more on the topic of DLC in regards to PC games, but for console games it's a nice addition, imo. It used to be that you'd buy a game, beat it, and put it on a shelf somewhere to collect dust. Nothing ever changed.

Personally, I don't have any quarrels with shelling out $5 every two months to keep a console game worth playing that much longer. I have an issue with bullshit DLC that has no impact on anything, but like, paying $5ish for another two hours of playtime on an RPG? That's a steal if you ask me. I'd rather pay $30 over the course of a year to keep having new content for a console game that I've enjoyed playing, than have to shell out $60 all up front to play an entirely different game.

I think DLC is an awesome addition to the current generation of console games. The only thing that could possibly screw it up is developers abusing their ability to release DLC for the new games, by shortening games and taking out content, and then selling it to people down the road.

There's a fine line between buying a good, complete game with decent DLC down the road, and buying a half assed game with half it's content cut out to be sold down the road as DLC.

[GraveRobberX]

2K is doing the same thing now with BioShock PS3

Game is a 1 year old port, priced @ $59.99, while 360/PC is @ $29.99-$34.99+
They stated that for buying @ that price, 2K was going to give a nice FREE DLC surprise for PS3 which would be exclusive

Well that exclusive FREE DLC is now $9.99, 12 trophies, and is a mini-side story to the game
(Think Coliseum from FF)

so $70+ just to experience BioShock, wouldn't have felt that much if the game was priced @$39.99 to start with, and then the DLC priced wouldn't have mattered that much



EA tries to hard to try all these ridiculous DLC schemes to make $$$, anyway possible, but its starting to show it's hurting their bottom line now, cause a lot of people are not buying EA games altogether

Only DLC I will pay for are expansions that add good stuff, like Resistance: Fall of Man added 2 expansions, each consisting of 2-3 new maps

Or like Folklore which did 6 DLC expansion mission packs ($3.99 per add-on pack or $5.99 for 2 of them), which enhanced the game, by giving you extra monsters @ your disposal, new costumes (equipment that enhanced your character) + new quests to complete (1-2 hour of quests each per pack)
(They even gave away a free Christmas bonus and a make a monster PSU bonus)

[thestalkmore]

I can't believe Rock Band has been mentioned so little in this thread.

Best. DLC. Ever.

[Kyo]

2K is doing the same thing now with BioShock PS3

Game is a 1 year old port, priced @ $59.99, while 360/PC is @ $29.99-$34.99+
They stated that for buying @ that price, 2K was going to give a nice FREE DLC surprise for PS3 which would be exclusive

Well that exclusive FREE DLC is now $9.99, 12 trophies, and is a mini-side story to the game
(Think Coliseum from FF)

Yeah I saw this too, now this is a prme example of douchebaggery DLC, paying 60 bucks for the same game that 360 and PC already has cheaper w/o that extra content that was supposed to be included is just fucking ridiculous. I wouldnt pay for that shit.

[SephYuyX]

Want to beat that game your playing? Gotta pay for it! How'd You Like Your Game Ending to Be DLC?

Doubt it will ever happen.. atleast I hope not.. but yay for possibilties!

[Maxxthepenguin]

Want to beat that game your playing? Gotta pay for it! How'd You Like Your Game Ending to Be DLC?

Doubt it will ever happen.. atleast I hope not.. but yay for possibilties!

I say go for it, but you better fucking lower game prices with it.

[Krandor]

One good example of DLC is the Monster Hunter series on PSP. They spit out new quests at a fairly regular rate and all of them are totally free.

[SephYuyX]

Well of course, free DLC is great, it's when they start getting bitchy and start charging for dumb things.

I love DLC when it's free, and it always used to be free, not untill 360/PS3 did people see they could get away with charging money.

[Rafbacca]

how do you feel about user created content being deleted?

LittleBigPlanet IP-infringing levels being silently deleted

If they start deleting all of the cool user created LBP content then I'm glad I won't be spending money on it.

[Kohan]

It basically cost nothing to make DLC,

This is extremely untrue. Granted, there are certain situations where DLC is something that the developers created beforehand (as you mentioned), but that still does not mean it appeared out of thin air.

They had to take the time to develop the concept, outline it, program it in, and ultimately, remove it, which can actually be very difficult. The sheer matter of taking said content out of the game would require a lot of repairs, and then they'd have to figure out how to put it back in with necessary modifications later.

Aside from all of the programmers who work on this, you also have the artists, the production department, their management, and the testers. None of this stuff, no matter how simplistic it may seem, costs nothing, or even close to nothing.

Now, do I agree that things like difficulty modes and such shouldn't be sold as DLC? Absolutely, most of these things are probably already in the game code (to some extent) and you're basically playing to unlock them. That sucks. Yet even those require different placement of enemies, testing of all those mobs, different AI paths if applicable...

I don't agree that DLC is a bad idea simply because I've worked in the industry, and I have seen the very many layers that every aspect of a game must pass through before being greenlighted. Even if you've made an indie game, it is not the same, at all. Major productions have so much red tape and must leap through so many hoops that it costs money, and usually, a lot of it.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't get what you pay for, and that some things shouldn't be free, but it doesn't mean DLC is villainous either.

[Hiryo]

how do you feel about user created content being deleted?

LittleBigPlanet IP-infringing levels being silently deleted

If they start deleting all of the cool user created LBP content then I'm glad I won't be spending money on it.

They have a little button you can press to point out offensive levels to help them moderate whats up there.

Whats wrong with them taking the time to skim over levels themselves?

[Kohan]

They have a little button you can press to point out offensive levels to help them moderate whats up there.

Whats wrong with them taking the time to skim over levels themselves?

They're not talking about levels that are "offensive."

[Hiryo]

Okay wow, now i feel dumb. Wtf is with Sony being so pussy-footed about crap. Like lol, that kindve pisses me off a little.

But anyway, dont want the thread to get derailed. I aggree with graverobber and the other guy that was saying about a couple hours worth of dlc is worth it. 5 dollars to me is just a #1 at Chik-fil-A, so i dont mind paying it for something enjoyable. I see it just like paying for, I guess, more concessions at a movie, adds to the whole experience to me. Paying for some levels that are already on the disc are pretty lame though, but i guess from the company's perspective, they felt it was perfectly reasonable to include 39.99 worth of content on a game and make you pay for content that would supposedly make it a more expensive game as a whole.