BioWare Defends Mass Effect 3 Launch-Day DLC
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
Im worried about getting a warning from the escapist crew, so im actiualy trying to be vague here.Mr Ink 5000 said:
I know it isnt completely morealy correct, but i prefer PC gaming to PS3, and i want it on PC without Origin... Sooooo yeah. :/
Oh, I'm enjoying this. It doesn't affect me because I decided against buying it a while back. As much as I think he is really hit and miss, TotalBiscuit nailed this one.
Paying for alternate appearance DLC, I can understand. Paying for weapon DLC, I can understand. It's having to pay for a squadmate that really ticks me off.
I feel you, on the pc gaming front, and as been mentioned on this site, anti-piracy measures oly seem to hurt the consumerJimmybobjr said:
is the prothean already in the game if you don't buy the dlc, does the dlc just make him a squadmate?SajuukKhar said:The DLC IS NOT CUT CONTENT nor IS THE CHARACTER REQUIRED TO GET THE FULL EXPERIANCE
http://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/comments/q2sl2/i_am_jessica_merizan_community_manager_for/?sort=hot
I think there's a lot of misinformation out there and I wish the guy who made the initial video about it would have had an open mind before jumping to conclusions based on a leak we weren't ready to address. Since I'm a BioWare employee, I know people won't automatically trust me, but I hope people will consider that it wasn't cut content from the larger game. I was in Edmonton when we were finishing the game in November/December and I was in Edmonton again last month when they were working on the Day 1 DLC. It definitely was only possible to do because the main game was in certification (which means we had to wait for people to test it and make sure everything was good etc before we could get the greenlight to sell it). I also played the game WITHOUT the DLC in my first playthrough and honestly, it's an awesome addition but I was more than happy with what I was given in the game. It's bigger and more expansive than ever. Of course, I understand the concern but I hope we can all have an intelligent conversation about it and cover what the facts are in this situation.
Hope that helps a little bit. This is an awkward format to answer this question, but I know I could explain it if you were sitting next to me on a couch with some coffee/tea
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you understand that I'm in a position where to reassure you, it would require me to reveal story spoilers, something that I don't think is acceptable.
Personally, I began my career as an archaeologist (for serious!) and the events surrounding this new character speak to me. However, if it wasn't DLC, it definitely wouldn't have been in the main game. There's other things that didn't fit in the main game that may end up as future DLC.
Again, I think this is a cool edition and definitely intended as a reward for serious fans (many of whom have purchased the collector's edition so this isn't even an issue for them). However, I have played the game without it and the lore surrounding the DLC is in the game already, this character just gives their own take on it.
Was that any less vague or helpful to anyone?
If I might ask, why? What's so different about paying for an extra squadmate that makes it so horrible compared to paying for extra weapons?Android2137 said:
I will prolly wait for the $20 game of the year edition that comes with all the DLC. Hard to feel like I am being fucked with by EA when I don't NEED the game right now. Best way to lower game prices and reducing first day DLC is to prove to EA that it's not going to make a profit operating that way. Right now it would seem that this model makes the money they are after. Despite the complaining most will get the game in the first two weeks that it is out, and then post a complaint on their fave gaming site about the DLC, then go download the DLC, enjoy the game, and come back to the same site a month from now and defend the game to the death that is was the best game they EVER played!!!!!!!
Meh to first day DLC, meh to $60 games. I got all kinds of games in my library I haven't played yet -- and I have haven't paid more than $30 for a game since GTA IV came out.
Meh to first day DLC, meh to $60 games. I got all kinds of games in my library I haven't played yet -- and I have haven't paid more than $30 for a game since GTA IV came out.
He is still in the game, but with the extra pack he becomes available as another squadmate. I don't see why people are so pissed. What if he turns out to be boring? I suppose at least it will give us something else to ***** about.AMAZED said:
I'd like to know this too. Much more work goes into extra squadmates, so you'd expect them to cost something. Frankly, I'm surprised Zaeed was free.Zachary Amaranth said:
It is not a matter of production cycles. It is a matter of Public relations and marketing.animehermit said:I think this is the proper response for this:
Day 1 DLC with gameplay elements makes the main product feel incomplete. That's subjective and people are trying to rationalize this with poor arguments, but the feeling of being cheated is very real for some.
A company like EA could easily accommodate a production cycle that would give us a more substantial DLC a few months down the line. But they chose to fragment their product in little bits to monetize the franchise. This practice is within their rights but is a terrible way to build good will with your consumer base, because you feel that you are getting less and less with your money and that EA will do anything to milk your wallet.
In practice, it doesn't matter if ME3 is a huge and fantastic game on its own and the DLC is just a tiny bonus. If I'm a fan of the series, I can see myself "forced" to buy this tiny bonus to have the complete experience. In the past, I was rewarded with Zaheed for been a fan - now I have to pay 10 bucks - it is a difference in the business model and people are entitled to dislike it.
And there is also the possibility that the game might really feel incomplete in a less subjective way. The Exiled Prince in Dragon Age 2 did feel like something pulled from the main game. It was weird to have all those bows and no specialist to use them.
My God, this is perfect. The way I see it, free day 1 DLC is there as a small reward for buying the game new (bonus weapons, etc). Whether the content is any good or not is irrelevant, you get it for free so don't complain about it. Premium day 1 DLC (wow, I've never actually said that before) is another bonus, but you don't need to buy it an everyone has different opinions on whether they're missing out on something or not. Point is, you pay a little bit more (800MSP or extra for the N7 Edition) and Bioware/EA get more money and you get even more content. Win/win. Be aware that you are paying separately for this because it was created separately, not alongside the core game at all.zinho73 said:It is not a matter of production cycles. It is a matter of Public relations and marketing.animehermit said:I think this is the proper response for this:
I suspect this is because of the onset of piracy and publishers loosing faith in their everlasting business model. If you like your glass half empty then it probably looks like they're punishing you for not buying the game new (or in this case, not buying the N7 Edition). However, if you're a glass half full man like myself, then you'll see it as a small reward for going all-out for the final game in the trilogy. That's it.
If you're incredibly spiteful, however, then I suggest you go somewhere else. We have too many of those people around here already.
The real problem here is that even with just the stuff Hudson said, Bioware is clearly full of shit. If the team finished in January, and the release process is three months, then the game shouldn't be out until April. Its going to be out the first week of March.
Even if the game was wrapped up Jan 1st, the DLC is already up on Xbox Live. This would mean that they created the entire 600 meg DLC package and had it certified and posted in seven weeks. Even assuming they are still working every day and around the clock (on DLC? unlikely.), and a one week cert/post time, that would still mean 14 megs of entirely new content every day.
So no, I call bullshit on this just like pretty much every else I've heard Hudson say about this game over the last year. He should just man up and say "Yeah, we're trying to get a little more money out of our product." It would be much less infuriating and a hell of a lot more truthful.
Even if the game was wrapped up Jan 1st, the DLC is already up on Xbox Live. This would mean that they created the entire 600 meg DLC package and had it certified and posted in seven weeks. Even assuming they are still working every day and around the clock (on DLC? unlikely.), and a one week cert/post time, that would still mean 14 megs of entirely new content every day.
So no, I call bullshit on this just like pretty much every else I've heard Hudson say about this game over the last year. He should just man up and say "Yeah, we're trying to get a little more money out of our product." It would be much less infuriating and a hell of a lot more truthful.
Next thing we'll be paying £40 for Shepard and if we don't all we'll be playing is a floating pair of eyes and teeth.
I will only say the following on the topic.
I do not agree with the practice of Day1 DLC nor do I agree with the business practices of EA. Therefore, I will not be buying this game. If it turns out to be awesome enough, I shall purchase it second-hand, as to not give money to EA.
That's my 5 cents
I do not agree with the practice of Day1 DLC nor do I agree with the business practices of EA. Therefore, I will not be buying this game. If it turns out to be awesome enough, I shall purchase it second-hand, as to not give money to EA.
That's my 5 cents
Wow, some are missing the point by a large degree.
It is not so much that the DLC is a paid DLC. It is that even "if" a loyal Bioware customer purchases a brand spanking new game of $60 usd he/she still has to put out extra money for content available the second the game is up for purchase. DA:0 and ME:2 had the exact same thing, but the DLC was more of a reward to a customer for purchasing the game brand new.
This would of been a FANTASTIC time to say, since you (the customer) purchased our game new and not second hand from some other business deal here is DLC as our thanks. But nope, this is another example of taking as much money as possible from customers the second the game comes out. Now, 3-6 months from now I can bid on a new copy of ME3 on Ebay for maybe $30-$50 with free shipping. Than pay $10 for the "loyal" customer DLC. So I would of just payed the same amount of money that some of you will for both the DLC and game. I have the patience, but I may not even get the game now at this point.
It is not so much that the DLC is a paid DLC. It is that even "if" a loyal Bioware customer purchases a brand spanking new game of $60 usd he/she still has to put out extra money for content available the second the game is up for purchase. DA:0 and ME:2 had the exact same thing, but the DLC was more of a reward to a customer for purchasing the game brand new.
This would of been a FANTASTIC time to say, since you (the customer) purchased our game new and not second hand from some other business deal here is DLC as our thanks. But nope, this is another example of taking as much money as possible from customers the second the game comes out. Now, 3-6 months from now I can bid on a new copy of ME3 on Ebay for maybe $30-$50 with free shipping. Than pay $10 for the "loyal" customer DLC. So I would of just payed the same amount of money that some of you will for both the DLC and game. I have the patience, but I may not even get the game now at this point.
You can see it any way you want. It is your money. As a consumer, you can decide if the price asked is fair or not. As I said, it is subjective.MercurySteam said:My God, this is perfect. The way I see it, free day 1 DLC is there as a small reward for buying the game new (bonus weapons, etc). Whether the content is any good or not is irrelevant, you get it for free so don't complain about it. Premium day 1 DLC (wow, I've never actually said that before) is another bonus, but you don't need to buy it an everyone has different opinions on whether they're missing out on something or not. Point is, you pay a little bit more (800MSP or extra for the N7 Edition) and Bioware/EA get more money and you get even more content. Win/win. Be aware that you are paying separately for this because it was created separately, not alongside the core game at all.zinho73 said:It is not a matter of production cycles. It is a matter of Public relations and marketing.animehermit said:I think this is the proper response for this:
I suspect this is because of the onset of piracy and publishers loosing faith in their everlasting business model. If you like your glass half empty then it probably looks like they're punishing you for not buying the game new (or in this case, not buying the N7 Edition). However, if you're a glass half full man like myself, then you'll see it as a small reward for going all-out for the final game in the trilogy. That's it.
If you're incredibly spiteful, however, then I suggest you go somewhere else. We have too many of those people around here already.
However, a good marketing strategy will almost always convince people that they are getting a bang for their buck.
If I was the one making the decisions at EA (wishful thinking but work with me here
) I would have included the Prothean as a free bonus for new copies of the game. Yes, it consumed resources to produce, but a promotion like that generates more good will than several adds on magazines (which will probably cost more).The problem is that something like that would be good on the long run and that's clearly not what EA wants. They want to increase revenue now, getting as much money as possible on the launch. Well, that's also an strategy, but, as we can all see, it has its consequences.
I miss the days when buying a game got you the game, not 9/10ths of the game with the option to pay extra for the rest (if you even "own" the games anymore, with EA I can never tell).
And why are people defending this? Even if you're okay with having launch day DLC you can't tell me you agree with how EA do it. Does anyone here even remember the Warden's Keep from DA:O? With the guy advertising the DLC IG after explaining the quest to you.
And as many others have mentioned they normally did this to encourage people to buy new...but this screws over anyone buying new unless they shell out extra for the "collectors edition". Say what you will but "normal editions" rarely have content cut specifically for the purposes of adding to the collectors edition]/i].
Please, ME3 fanboy sheep, grow a spine for once. You're the reason EA thinks this kind of crap pays.
And why are people defending this? Even if you're okay with having launch day DLC you can't tell me you agree with how EA do it. Does anyone here even remember the Warden's Keep from DA:O? With the guy advertising the DLC IG after explaining the quest to you.
And as many others have mentioned they normally did this to encourage people to buy new...but this screws over anyone buying new unless they shell out extra for the "collectors edition". Say what you will but "normal editions" rarely have content cut specifically for the purposes of adding to the collectors edition]/i].
Please, ME3 fanboy sheep, grow a spine for once. You're the reason EA thinks this kind of crap pays.