Evolve Dev Responds to DLC Criticism

[Steven Bogos]

Evolve Dev Responds to DLC Criticism

"When Evolve hits the shelves, none of the DLC will be done," says Turtle Rock.

You may have noticed that Turtle Rock Studio's unreleased monster hunter Evolve is Evolve will have lots of DLC [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139428-Evolve-Shows-off-New-Monster-Season-Pass-Deluxe-Editions]. While on-going support of a game through additional content is always a good thing, all this talk of all this extra DLC, before the game has even been released, is of course naturally making fans a bit nervous, that the base game has deliberately had content cut from it to sell back to us as DLC. Responding to such a concern on the official Evolve forums, Turtle Rock co-founder Phil Robb assures us that this isn't the case.

"When Evolve hits the shelves, none of the DLC will be done," said Robb, when a fan asked why the team is already allowing fans to pre-purchase enough DLC to effectively double the content of the base game. "Behemoth won't be done. None of the planned DLC hunters or monsters will be done. The only exception to this might be some skins that were working on now while we wait for all the final stages of packaging, manufacturing etc. to finish."

He added that "If we thought we could have finished all those monsters and hunters for ship we would have put them in the box," stressing that due to the console approval process [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139373-Evolve-Goes-Gold-Reveals-Intro-Cinematic], work on the final game actually stops 2-3 months before its release date.

Robb especially wanted to stress that Evolve's DLC will never split the community in the way that some games, such as Battlefield 4 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138977-New-Battlefield-4-DLC-DICE-EA-Final-Stand], do. "Our number one rule for DLC is never split the community. Never," said Robb. "So we worked it out so that any DLC maps are free, any new game modes are free. Then, recognizing that not everyone wants to buy DLC, we made sure that even if you didn't purchase any of the paid content, you could still play with people who did! So if I buy a new monster or hunter, and you don't, we can still play together."

He also stated that the team was definitely not making the DLC monsters and hunters "overpowered" in an effort to try and force players to buy them (a phenomenon known to TCG players as "Power Creep" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_creep]).

So there you go. Do you agree with Robb, or do you think that Evolve pushing pre-purchasing and DLC [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139398-Evolve-Xbox-One-Pre-Purchase-Lets-Players-Skip-Grind] so hard prior to the game's launch is a bit much?

Source: Turtle Rock Studios [https://talk.turtlerockstudios.com/t/turtle-rock-your-promise/26099/19]

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[Hyperstorm]

Sounds like they actually give a damn about customers enjoying their product rather than finding ways to milk their clients dry.

Good on them, I say.

 

[Shocksplicer]

Sooo... Finish the extra characters, put them on the disc, and release it later?
Seriously, there is not enough content in the base game to justify a full-price release.
All this talk of shit-tons of DLC puts me right off Evolve.

 

[Doom-Slayer]

Sooo... Finish the extra characters, put them on the disc, and release it later?

They probably cant. Publisher requirements and all that jazz. Also..developers cost money, and they might be simply over their budget and how it will take to do that content might not be cost effective.

Seriously, there is not enough content in the base game to justify a full-price release.

Based on 75% positive reviews out of 2475 review and it isnt even out yet, and some of those reviews probably out of date(therefore more would be positive due to more content)..... so stats disagree with you.

 

[TheSYLOH]

Sooo... Finish the extra characters, put them on the disc, and release it later?

Sooo.... basically spend a few months working on said character only to have someone come up with a new idea for a character, delay some more to finish that character, repeat and never release.

If you don't like that the devs will want to actually ship some form of product at some time, then don't buy the game.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Seriously, there is not enough content in the base game to justify a full-price release.

Based on 75% positive reviews out of 2475 review and it isnt even out yet, and some of those reviews probably out of date(therefore more would be positive due to more content)..... so stats disagree with you.

Those are obviously based off the beta though. People aren't expecting a full game with a beta. They're basically just wanting to try out the core gameplay in the game's main mode. 75% of people like the core gameplay, this is not indicative of how much content will be in the final product.

Based off of the game modes they've announced, I'm inclined to agree with Shocksplicer in that there really doesn't seem to be enough content to justify such a cost. However, this really is just speculation. Maybe there will be more stuff in the final product.

Still, right now, it looks fun, but I'd definitely only get it when it's on sale. Kinguin will probably have it at half off in a couple months after release.

 

[Nazulu]

No, I was ticked off with the pre-ordering bonus which was to 'skip the grinding', which is still fucking ridiculous no matter how you spin it. Including I found out there is a new monster to come with the pre-order as well.

So looking into this DLC, it does not sound cheap. $15 to $25 for a couple of skins? I buy new bloody games at that price!

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

I'm not sure about this. On the one hand, it sounds like they do care about their customers. And the game being "designed for DLC" isn't neccesarily bad, especially the way they're doing it (look at payday 2 (although it was like 20-30 dollars instead of 60)).

On the other hand, "pre-order to skip the grinding and get a free skin" sounds a bit like getting people to buy before reviews roll out. And $60 for what looks like limited content is a bit of a rip.

Plus I don't know what the pricing scheme is. I want to like this game, but I'm finding it difficult.

 

[SweetShark]

Sooo... Finish the extra characters, put them on the disc, and release it later?
Seriously, there is not enough content in the base game to justify a full-price release.
All this talk of shit-tons of DLC puts me right off Evolve.

You can choose 12 different Hunters, different for each other, play in 8 different maps [I think] and on each have different kind of Wild Life you encounter. I think the content it have is pretty solid.
I will only agree with the number of Monsters. 4 different kind of monsters would be the perfect package for a solid start.

 

[moggett88]

I have no interest in actually playing Evolve, but I've been following the development out of interest as it seems to be an example of development done right. At every stage the developers seem to have approached it from the angle of making money while also respecting their customers. Hopefully other developers take note and follow the example

 

[VladG]

Hey man, if they actually follow up on everything they say, awesome. It's a great example of DLC done right.

Because it's true, there are a few weeks in which the game is pending approval, ratings, the actual physical disks are made and shipped and so on when you can't actually add anything to the disk. And it makes perfect sense to use that time to create content, fix your game, etc instead of just paying people to do nothing.

If you want to be extra awesome you can release that content for free.. but it is ENTIRELY reasonable for them to ask for money for their extra work, just like they are asking for money for their initial work. As long as you respect your customer, DLC is actually pretty great (it's a shame that very few companies do).

 

[Lightknight]

Hmm, interesting. Even the DLC maps will be free? So we're just talking the monsters and hunters as far as DLC and even then they're trying to keep them balanced?

I wonder where the gotcha is. Content actually made after the production of the game is the way it's supposed to be. Add ons rather than patches and completions/touchups.

I'm still miffed about the pre-order bullshit and giving people a 10-15 hour advantage as part of it.

But I guess now I'll reserve a bit of time to see if there is a gotcha here. They clearly seem to know what we care about and what we don't like. So if there is a gotcha then it'll will rest entirely on their shoulders.

 

[tzimize]

If the stuff is needed for the game, there is such a thing as free dlc. Some developers actually do this!

DLC is usually overpriced garbage anyway. And saying that its gonna have lots...just makes me less interested in the game.

 

[Rozalia1]

I would have thought people would appreciate a lot of DLC in a game like that, but not usually the case.
Free maps is a wonderful thing as splitting the "community" into smaller and smaller chunks is never a good thing.

 

[Hyperstorm]

Hopefully other developers take note and follow the example

I was going to say that but then the image of a snowball brandishing a pitchfork while surrounded by flames inexplicably sprang to mind.

 

[zumbledum]

Evolve Dev Responds to DLC Criticism

"When Evolve hits the shelves, none of the DLC will be done," says Turtle Rock.

My thoughts are it is fine and great to support games after launch, my problem comes with dlc that offers terrible value and by definition it damn near always does, so i expect dlc that costs us 25%+ of the whole game to add 5-10% content. so go f yourself ill wait for the discounted goty bundle , or actually just not bother because there have been a few too many better options for my time lately.

if he had said were nto doing dlc were doing an old style expansion that will actually offer value for money then i would be happy to believe him and join on day (assuming reviews back up its as good as the hype)

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Sounds like they actually give a damn about customers enjoying their product rather than finding ways to milk their clients dry.

Good on them, I say.

I dont know, wasnt this the game that if you preordered it would enable you to skip a lot of the grind at the start? But i do like how you can still play with other gamers even though you didnt by the same DLC, thats a great move so they do get kudos for that.

 

[shintakie10]

If the stuff is needed for the game, there is such a thing as free dlc. Some developers actually do this!

DLC is usually overpriced garbage anyway. And saying that its gonna have lots...just makes me less interested in the game.

Free DLC is nice for the customer and all, but its generally not a good business decision unless you have some form of constant revenue comin in. You'll see a lot of things where people try to do right by their customers to the detriment of their own studio which doesn't help anyone in any case. Smite is an interestin example because the buy every god ever pack is a wonderful idea for the customer but its a fuck awful business decision that I've been told they have admitted was a terrible business decision that they wish they hadn't done. It doesn't mean they don't think that doin right by your customers is a bad idea, it means that they realize not bein paid for your work makes it hard to keep doin more work.

On topic!

Personally for me it just depends on how the base game is. I'm never one to scoff at DLC if it adds a lot to the game. Its why I skipped a lot of the Mass Effect and Dragon Age DLC, overpriced garbage is what that was. 3-4 hours for 15 bucks? Screw that noise. However F2P games like Heroes of the Storm or STO I've spent a ton of money on characters/ships because the amount of time I spend playing those characters ships vastly outweighs the paltry 10 bucks I spent on them.

If the base game is good and the new hunters/monsters interest me I'll be down for buyin them.

Its the same for all DLC really. There's a lot of people who instantly gag when they see DLC like its the worst thing in the fuckin world. I don't understand these people. If its bad DLC, feel free to gag all you want because I'll be right there with you. However good DLC that is actually worth the cost of admission is a wonderful system for game devs and for players. Not splittin communities and allowin people to play with those who don't have the DLC? That's a good system and it should be celebrated, not shat on. If it was made after the game was released then there really shouldn't be a problem with it.

 

[Sanunes]

Personally for me it just depends on how the base game is. I'm never one to scoff at DLC if it adds a lot to the game. Its why I skipped a lot of the Mass Effect and Dragon Age DLC, overpriced garbage is what that was. 3-4 hours for 15 bucks? Screw that noise. However F2P games like Heroes of the Storm or STO I've spent a ton of money on characters/ships because the amount of time I spend playing those characters ships vastly outweighs the paltry 10 bucks I spent on them.

Not sure what ships you are buying in STO, but the current level of Tier 6 ships cost $30 each and now they added a mechanic to try and get people to buy multiple Tier 6 ships. This is to convince people to buy more ships to gain access to the "good buffs" that unlock when a player fully levels each ship and since each ship gives a different buff they will get impacted by Power Creep like the rest of the game.

Personally I think there is always going to be a divide between players and developers about additional content. Look at Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition's multiplayer, both are giving all the upgrades and maps for free, but to cover the cost there are micro transactions that are completely optional because you get the exact same items as if you were playing the game. It is still being labeled as "paying to win" and other negative comments because you can spend money on the game.

Honestly I don't care about the DLC if they are going to be providing the maps and playmodes for free and have the character/monster packs as optional content, but the pre-order bonus to allow people to skip ten to fifteen hours of grinding still bugs me to the point I am not buying the game.

 

[shintakie10]

Personally for me it just depends on how the base game is. I'm never one to scoff at DLC if it adds a lot to the game. Its why I skipped a lot of the Mass Effect and Dragon Age DLC, overpriced garbage is what that was. 3-4 hours for 15 bucks? Screw that noise. However F2P games like Heroes of the Storm or STO I've spent a ton of money on characters/ships because the amount of time I spend playing those characters ships vastly outweighs the paltry 10 bucks I spent on them.

Not sure what ships you are buying in STO, but the current level of Tier 6 ships cost $30 each and now they added a mechanic to try and get people to buy multiple Tier 6 ships. This is to convince people to buy more ships to gain access to the "good buffs" that unlock when a player fully levels each ship and since each ship gives a different buff they will get impacted by Power Creep like the rest of the game.

Personally I think there is always going to be a divide between players and developers about additional content. Look at Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition's multiplayer, both are giving all the upgrades and maps for free, but to cover the cost there are micro transactions that are completely optional because you get the exact same items as if you were playing the game. It is still being labeled as "paying to win" and other negative comments because you can spend money on the game.

Honestly I don't care about the DLC if they are going to be providing the maps and playmodes for free and have the character/monster packs as optional content, but the pre-order bonus to allow people to skip ten to fifteen hours of grinding still bugs me to the point I am not buying the game.

Oh, I know they're more than 10 bucks, but considerin the slow release of the T6 ships its pretty easy to supplement it with in game money. Most of the money I spent on my T6 ship was from in game sources, the rest was cause I didn't want to wait another week.