Good DLC?

[FEichinger]

We complain about Day 1 DLC, DLC which has too much of an impact on the game, DLC which divides the community ... Heck, there's a whole lot of stuff that can be done wrong.

I'd raise two major questions first:

A) What is the most consumer-friendly DLC you can imagine? Disregard corporate interests on this.
When will it be released?
How much does it cost?
What does it contain?
How can it be acquired?
...

B) What is the most company-friendly DLC you can imagine? Disregard consumer behavior on this.
How much revenue does it yield?
How is it distributed?
How is it produced?
...

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

Good DLC serves as an Expansion pack.
An example goes to the Borderlands DLC, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. The main campaign is finished and given proper resolution (I know, the ending sucked but just roll with it) and the DLC acts as a brief mini-campaign with a few extra enemies and unique guns in there just to spice things up a bit. It isn't critical to the main plot, it's just more of the same if you want it.

Bad DLC is paying for content which should have been in the main game.
An example goes to Asura's Wrath which makes you pay for the ending to the game. The main campaign is cruelly cut short before it reaches the real climax of the game but the game stops and says "Want to get proper resolution to this tale? Buy our DLC!".

 

[DragonStorm247]

Why would you ever ask about company-friendly DLC? They don't need any MORE ideas!

 

[IBlackKiteI]

With pricing DLC I guess it's simple: Don't be a dick.
Charge what it's worth, and day 1 DLC, as in fairly big stuff like playable levels or maps, is just lame. If you want an incentive for guys to preorder your game offer things like early access to future DLC and exclusive cosmetic items (I know a ton of guys who preordered Halo Reach just for the flaming helmet), don't chop out a heap of significant game content and only include it with a preorder package.

I did write a couple big paragraphs on this stuff earlier, but my browser crashed. > : (

 

[Signa]

I did write a couple big paragraphs on this stuff earlier, but my browser crashed. > : (

Someone on here recommended Lazarus Form Recovery for Firefox. I've been using it since and I've never lost a post since.

OT: I don't mind DLC that acts like a well-priced expansion pack. All things considered, the 4 Borderlands DLCs at a price of $30 would have made an acceptable expansion pack. All the DLCs (not counting Shivering Isles) for Oblivion is exactly what I shouldn't have to pay for. Even the Knights of the Nine quests kinda sucked.

 

[katana-409]

We complain about Day 1 DLC, DLC which has too much of an impact on the game, DLC which divides the community ... Heck, there's a whole lot of stuff that can be done wrong.

I'd raise two major questions first:

A) What is the most consumer-friendly DLC you can imagine? Disregard corporate interests on this.
When will it be released?
How much does it cost?
What does it contain?
How can it be acquired?
...

B) What is the most company-friendly DLC you can imagine? Disregard consumer behavior on this.
How much revenue does it yield?
How is it distributed?
How is it produced?
...

1) I've always felt that the best campaign DLC I've downloaded was Raam's Shadow for Gears of War 3. It had an interesting setting and story, great voice acting, and I actually had more fun with it than with the Gears 3 campaign. As for multiplayer, Halo 3's Mythic Map Packs are absolutely beautiful works of art; if they could remake them for Halo 4 (each and every one of them), I would buy it and demand to pay more.

2) 800 bucks is the max any piece of DLC should cost. 1200 *looks at Black Ops 2* is just too much, especially if you plan on making more than two, and adding achievements to it. That's like making us buy another game.

3) All new games (as in, not second-handed) should come with a half-off coupon for DLC. This not only encourages the system, but also motivates people to buy the game new rather than used. Secondly, if the game is bought used, part of the loss is recouped through the full-price purchase of said DLC.

???
For this second set, I think we would need to see their royalty distribution first. I would assume most, if not all distribution is done digitally, unless you're talking about game of the year sets. Production should be determined by its scale. A few multiplayer maps should be fixed by the company's multiplayer component ONLY; likewise, if there is campaign content, the boys that worked on the campaign should at least be supervising.

 

[krazykidd]

Non . DLC is bad and i don't support it in any way form or manner . Even for games i like . Love Dark souls to death , but i will not buy the DLC that comes with it no matter what . Hell even when i get day one dlc when i buy a game on release and get the code inside , i don't use it out of principle . I don't even download free dlc . But thats just me . I don't support it and never will.

So to answer your question:

1. None

2. Everything .

 

[T_ConX]

DLC Tier List

Godly Tier:
Mods
Developer-made free DLC (like how new maps for every major FPS game used to be free to download)

OK Tier:
Major Content Package DLC

Acceptable Tier:
Buy-new incentive DLC

Crap Tier:
Costume DLC
Pre-order at Lamestop DLC

And-here-I-was-thinking-my-$60-purchase-entitled-me-to-a-finished-product Tier:
Day One DLC
On Disc 'DLC'

 

[Rawne1980]

The first thing that comes to mind with company friendly DLC are map packs for shooters.

Maps are so simple to produce people outside the industry have been making them for years. Take a look at a lot of older shooters with fan made maps and they have been made by people aged between 12 and 70 who have never worked 1 day as a developer.

So simple to make yet people pay for them when done for games like Battlefield and CoD. I like to call those people "mugs".

Great for the company. Cheap to produce, quick to produce and provide a massive profit.

 

[IBlackKiteI]

I did write a couple big paragraphs on this stuff earlier, but my browser crashed. > : (

Someone on here recommended Lazarus Form Recovery for Firefox. I've been using it since and I've never lost a post since.

Ah cheers mate, I'll keep that in mind

 

[Legion]

Good DLC for a customer is the kind that adds something to the game, where those who don't buy it do not feel like they are missing out on something that should be there.

To use two examples:

- Fallout 3 and New Vegas each have their own DLC's. They all take place in another location from the main story, are not directly connected in any way, and are all a decent enough length to keep you entertained for hours, as well as having their own stories.

These DLC's are good because they feel entirely optional and you do not feel like you are missing out on the main story should you not play them. I even sometimes deliberately ignore one or two of them in a playthrough as they do not "fit" the character I am playing.

- Bioware with Dragon Age and Mass Effect. These DLC's almost always tie into the main story, if you have them then you get new story related characters, quests and dialogue. That is to say, if you do not have them, then your story will have less content than somebody who does. They are also normally fairly short.

These are bad because they feel like selling chapters of a book to the player. Like ripping out a few pages and asking you to pay to include them. Not having them lessens your story and it feels like it should have been there from the beginning.

 

[FEichinger]

What I find very interesting by now is that not only do we have different opinions on "consumer-friendly" DLC - which makes sense, we're talking about personal preference - but also about "company-friendly" DLC.

The most "logical" answer would be the extremes: Massive free content for consumers, little but expensive content for companies. Many don't answer like that, though, and it's indeed awesome to see what they think should be the end to it.