WeepingAngels said:
I just don't understand the people who say "some DLC is good and some is bad". Well no shit, that was never in dispute. What I am asking is, all things considered, what is your overall view of DLC in 2015 and if you had known what you know today in 2007, would you have made more noise and refused to buy it, the kind of noise we just witnessed with paid mods?
Funny, your poll and even your opening post do not suggest "some DLC is good and some is bad" in any way, shape, or form. Probably why so many people gave you shit over it to begin with.
Like many here, I think DLC as a concept is fine, sometimes even fantastic. The way its being used or priced, on the other hand, not so much. I think it's fine for a company to put up a bunch of cosmetic DLC for a couple of bucks each. It's totally optional and changes nothing about the overall story or gameplay, so those who have the money and like the look of it can buy it if they want.
DLC that adds story is okay if I can miss out on it and still be able to understand what is going on in a sequel. For example, the Batman Arkham City: Harley's Revenge DLC fits this just fine, whereas the Epilogue DLC to 2008's Prince of Persia (though since the continuation was on the DS, I've never finished the story anyway) and the Reverie and Resurrection DLC's to Castlevania Lords of Shadow do not. The DLC's for the latter directly show story that explains important details for the characters which would appear to be necessary to understand how they reached the place they are in the following games. The exception to this would be if the sequel covers the story of the DLC at the beginning of the game so that people who did not pick up the DLC are not left in the dark.
Stand alone missions, challenge maps, etc are fine too, as they do not require someone to purchase it in order to enjoy the main game. Those who really want something new to add to the game are welcome to purchase it, but it is by no means a necessity.
The only DLC I really object to is on-disc DLC, which is obviously a money grab, and Day 1 DLC which obviously could have been on the disc or should have been in the game to begin with. Cosmetic stuff gets a pass from me, as the artists really do have nothing to do once a game goes gold so if they work on something extra afterwards it's cool, but, for instance, characters in a fighting game or cars in a racing game do not. More needs to go into those to ensure they work with the main game, so having them suddenly ready to release Day 1 just does not feel realistic. A few weeks after release? Sure. Not Day 1 though.
The paid mods debacle was not a fuss over mods suddenly receiving a charge, it was the logistical nightmare that it would have necessitated. Many mods are based on other mods or require other mods to be installed first, so how do you fairly pay everyone in this scenario? There was also the likelihood of someone making a minor change to a mod and then selling it, even though all the work was really done by another person entirely who really deserved the payment. Plus the distribution of a payment between the seller, Steam, and Bethesda was a joke, and the required amount a seller would need to make before they could actually withdraw any of their earnings meant some smaller modders may never see a dime.
Ultimately, I purchase the DLC that I feel I will enjoy if I find the price agreeable. Usually, if you are willing to wait for a year, it can be very cheap, or if you haven't purchased the game already you can get a GOTY version with most or all of the DLC for a game. Even Season Passes get discounted after a while for most games, usually once everything in it has been released. Still, I find there's often only one or two bits of DLC I want which I can get cheaper by buying them individually.
I just don't see DLC as a scourge or cancer, and even with some bad practices by some developers and publishers, there are others that do things fine. It makes perfect sense for a company to try to make more money by pre-selling DLC. That's their job, to make money. You want to rant at something, rant at the people who pay for it. They are the ones who keep making the developers and publishers use these methods.