EA: Redemption?

[guitarsniper]

So apparently the second free DLC pack for the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer is coming out on tuesday. This means that since the game has been released, EA will have put out, free of charge, a dozen new character, four new maps, some six or seven new guns, new equipment, apparently some new objectives. I still feel like they're definitely far from the best company in terms of respect for the consumer, but in this regard at least, they're light-years ahead of, for example, Activision (here's looking at you MW3 map pack). This doesn't necessarily excuse their previous behavior, but I at least am willing to thank them for it.




inb4 "it's just so people will spend money on points to buy the new content"

Captcha: nice job. In this case, yes, nice job EA

 

[Korten12]

It's just two pieces of DLC... Heck, their upcoming DLCs for BF3 are all $15.

 

[Tohuvabohu]

[HEADING=1]I look down at EA with continued contempt.[/HEADING]



Seems to me like this is EA's attempt at damage control after the nonsense ending, and the largest insanity laden gamer shitstorm the videogame community has ever seen that followed.

Multiplayer stuff is nice, and for free is even better. But, I think most of us are looking forward to how the extended ending DLC.

People are still pretty pissed about it, and they likely will continue to be after the extended cut DLC is released.

But in the meantime, I imagine there'd be more damage done to Bioware/EA's image if they released ANY paid DLC in the meantime. Besides, how much would all this free Multiplayer stuff really be worth?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

But in the meantime, I imagine there'd be more damage done to Bioware/EA's image if they released ANY paid DLC in the meantime. Besides, how much would all this free Multiplayer stuff really be worth?

You'd be amazed. This is a publisher that sells you a couple of hats for a dollar in Sims 3, after all. Want a virtual sofa? Better crack out the credit card buddy.

That EA is resisting the urge to monetize the shit out of something is remarkable, if not particularly commendable.

 

[way2sl0w]

To be fair, you glossed over ME3's paid on disc dlc and $10 online pass. And to paraphrase what Jim Sterling said a couple weeks ago 'not being as a big of a jerk as you COULD be does not automatically make you a nice guy'

 

[guitarsniper]

To be fair, you glossed over ME3's paid on disc dlc and $10 online pass. And to paraphrase what Jim Sterling said a couple weeks ago 'not being as a big of a jerk as you COULD be does not automatically make you a nice guy'

I got the collector's edition, so i guess all that nonsense just wasn't really a big issue for me. And the point I was trying to make, which I guess didn't come across very well, is that companies are neither universally pleasant nor universally dickish. So, when a company does something nasty we should call them on it, but when a company does something nice, we should thank them for it.

And yes, the thread title was just to make people read this. I am shameless in this regard.

 

[Erttheking]

EA redemption......well considering that I stop caring about multiplayer a while back, I really don't give a flying shit about the stuff that they released for free, especially considering that I still need to play for hours on end to actually get it, and considering that they still have the option for paying for item packs, I question if that even counts as free. One or two nice moves don't make up for colossal fuck ups, EA needs to prove to me that this isn't just damage control, if they're still acting this way a year from now, then maybe they'll have redeemed themselves, but let's face it, that's not going to happen. Also, I'm still waiting for the extended cut DLC, and considering that they're still sticking with that fucking stupid star child stuff, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[burningdragoon]

OP inb4ing a valid point is unfair

Anyway, they clearly have pay-for DLC in the works and they already have ways in place to monetize the multiplayer, so giving away free content (that players still have to work for) to keep people interested in the multiplayer is not them being nice, it's them being smart. I guess you could say it's them being not especially greedy if you want, but it's hardly a form of "redemption".

 

[Korten12]

(here's looking at you MW3 map pack).

Can you actually buy map packs now or are all the newer maps still only available to "Elite" members? Even worse really.

OT: Call me when they quit their DRM shenanigans.

Elite members as far as I know just get the maps earlier (and similar to the other things like Uncharted and Gow3, get all the DLC for one price and cheaper total.)

 

[guitarsniper]

(here's looking at you MW3 map pack).

Can you actually buy map packs now or are all the newer maps still only available to "Elite" members? Even worse really.

OT: Call me when they quit their DRM shenanigans.

On PC at least, I bought the pack, which has 4 maps and 2 specops missions. Too expensive, but a couple of the maps play like a couple of my favorite MW2 maps, so i guess that's a plus (piazza~favela, overwatch~highrise)

 

[Smooth Operator]

You can be sure those accountants aren't doing it from the goodness of their hearths, because they don't have any.

Either this is to keep players hooked for later DLC sales or to cover up the shit storm they brewed up with ME3, either way they are doing it for them, not you.

 

[boag]

So apparently the second free DLC pack for the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer is coming out on tuesday. This means that since the game has been released, EA will have put out, free of charge, a dozen new character, four new maps, some six or seven new guns, new equipment, apparently some new objectives. I still feel like they're definitely far from the best company in terms of respect for the consumer, but in this regard at least, they're light-years ahead of, for example, Activision (here's looking at you MW3 map pack). This doesn't necessarily excuse their previous behavior, but I at least am willing to thank them for it.




inb4 "it's just so people will spend money on points to buy the new content"

Captcha: nice job. In this case, yes, nice job EA

and yet everything is still tied to an RNG system, which will make them loads of money from impatient people that will be stupid enough to sink in money on those packs.

At the same time, they are trying to circumvent their shitty level design and enemy design choices by nerfing skills, and pumping the fuck out of Geth, because its so god damn easy to exploit the tactical advantages of the maps.

Every single map has a camping point, every single one.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

EA: Redemption, not nearly as good as Red Dead Redemption.

Spoiler

I KNOW that I'm not the only one who thought that when they read the title.

 

[Emiscary]

They can keep their gimmicky randomized multiplayer BS thanks.

Honest to god, with the story's appeal almost completely shattered thanks to that rancid cum puddle of an ending- where's my motive to care about Mass Effect?

That was literally all the series had to hang its hat on. Sans a thought out or interesting narrative the whole thing is a wankfest of explosions and chest high walls- IN SPAAACE.

Fun fact: there's literally hundreds of those, and they're available for cheaper. And with less horseshit attached.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Either this is to keep players hooked for later DLC sales or to cover up the shit storm they brewed up with ME3, either way they are doing it for them, not you.

It'd be pretty fucking stupid to think ANY publicly traded company, or most privately held ones, ever did ANYTHING for "you" as opposed to for their own best interests. It's always just a question as to whether or not think generating goodwill will positively effect the bottom line. They're none of them doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They're legally obligated to put the interests of their shareholders first.

 

[mikev7.0]

EA being what they are now in place of what they claimed they were (and actually were for awhile) probably makes them irredeemable. The problem is that an entity has to WANT redemtion, and it's never EAsy.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Not really. I haven't played ME3 and I don't give a shit about Multiplayer so this gesture means very little to me and it'll take a lot more than this to redeem EA in my eyes.