Cybermortis wrote...
Except we always knew there was more coming, DLC has been part of Bioware's post-release strategy since DA:O...more on that in a moment when I let myself muse a little. In fact not only do we know they were due to release a DLC we even know it was intended to be a MP DLC. (You remember the Muli-player...that would be the feature no one wanted but they shoved in anyway...then made sure you more or less HAD to play to get the 'best' ending...)
One thing I learnt from the DA2 situation a year ago is that Bioware can sometimes shoot itself in the foot, but implying that they will be making an 'important' statement that turns out to having nothing to do with the REAL issues in a game. Back then it was the serious need for a major patch, and in the middle of this they told everyone to wait for a statement...that turned out to be an armour DLC - not very helpful or well recieved when people were unable to finish the game due to the bugs in it.
So I'm not assuming that the 'more to come' line means anything but just 'more DLC on the way'. Nor am I assuming that the 'upbeat' comments about having 'something to talk about' at PAX means a new ending. I really wouldn't put it past Bioware to try and paper over the issue of the ending at PAX and reveal all the other shiney DLC they had planned...no matter how suicidal that would turn out to be for the company.
Last time it seems that Bioware was only able to salvage the situation by giving those with registered copies of DA2 a free copy of ME2 - and those, like myself, who already had ME2 got one of the weapons packs for free. I can't see that working this time around; We either have ME2 or have no interest in playing it right now, ME1 is an old game that many people would have problems getting to work, DA:O would highlight how BW should have done the endings and DA2 is, well, a bad game - or at least not something that is likely to win anyone over even if they decide to throw in all of that games DLC at the same time.
About the only thing I can think of that *might* go down well would be to give the ME3 'From Ashes' DLC away to registered owners (and those who have it the Bioware points back so they can 'buy' another DLC in the future). If nothing else this would solve the controversy about day one DLC that has been forgotten at the moment as the ending is considered the more important problem...But even this would require a changed ending DLC to really interest people.
Coming back and musing on DLC for a moment, I can't understand why Bioware is quite so obsessed with it. They've been releasing DLC since ME1/DA:O, and as far as I can tell it has never sold as well as they thought or expected it too and has rarely been well recieved over all. Even good games - such as DA:O and ME2 - don't seem to have sold as much DLC as expected. And poor games, I'm looking at you DA2, effectively sell none at all. Yet, BW continues to go ahead with DLC anyway. If one sign of insanity is repeating the exact same action over and over in the hopes of a different outcome. Then Bioware as a company should be in a padded cell and wearing a straight-jacket for its obsession with DLC....[/End musing]
now with what you said i agree with in a lot of ways but you hit on something which is quite intresting and i sense you dont know what i'm talking about so i will try and explane best i can.
now DA:O did sell quite well as did the dlc but as the game went on the dlc became,,,,stale and in some cases stupid.
ME1 again sold quite well but the DLC sold medium at best, it dident do as good as they wanted and ended up giving some it away with new copies of the game
DA2 well here is where it gets a bit argumentative, DA2 actually did really well in sales but the DLC was a whole other story, the DLC sold horrible as you said and i agree on this bit.
bioware keeps telling people to wait for the big announcment on the issues of the game and they would be releasing DLC to fix the problems, so we wait and wait and wait then the HUGE announcment comes along which says "here is some armour hope this helps you in the game" no information about bug fixes or anything. THAT is a slap in the face where bioware ignored there consumer base but back then we did not take a stand , we just stood there shouting and then we stopped and accepted it.
ME2 did amazing in the stores it did REALLY good BUT bioware included a TON of free dlc when you registered the game, then the paid dlc came along and it was .... well chit at best, but give bioware there due's, the shadowbroker and arrival DLC made me beleve in them again as it was really cool and tied in perfectly with the story.
fast forward to the presant time.
Mass Effect 3, very little hype untill 2 weeks before launch and the hype machine went into overdrive.
the staff blurting out comments that were in the game, blurting out promises they said we can do in game, everything we did in previous games would change the way the game played, change the way the game ended and so on.
what happend, EVERYTHING they promises was NOT in the game, even the founders made the same promises to which all turned out to be lies.
well after the previous screw ups with DA2, ME1 and some ****ups in ME2 we could not stay a rabble of misguided players / gamers / fans / comsumers, we decided enough was enough and thats when WE ALL changed tactics, we actually got organised, did things they never expected, we started a civil yet whispering campagn, a whisper that was heard around the world.
now during the time this started everyone, including myself went on a hunt, we hunted down EVERY peice of evidence to what was promised, we even found the origonal script for the game which showed the real endings and missing content from the version we have, and i think somewhere in the 61,000 posts in this thread someone actually found a photo of BW office with the ME3 oard in the background with certain parts circled as "remove for later release".
to get there DLC sales up bioware AND ea are playing a dangerous game, they removed endings, they removed critical missions, they removed critical content which they are selling as DLC.
because of the way the game was shipped and with the outrage over the ending we have virtually heard nothing from either BW or EA except "keep your me3 save games we have big things coming" or in some cases we have there own staff saying "always bet on RED *hint hint*",
but when we started out petition bioware THOUGHT they could control us ....... UNTILL mainstream news and business outlets caught wind, and this is when bioware relised they had lost control.
Q the blog post from the founder who insulted us and claiming "artistic integrity", it was THAT comment which has put bioware on a runaway train with no brakes and they are now in a panic.
but throughout this ENTIRE operation we have remained civil, we even sent them cupcakes.
and NOW we are hearing whispers that has partly been comfirmed that CERTAIN theroys have hit the nail right on the head and which that will be the DLC.
now right now the DLC schedule WAS supposed to have been multiplayer DLC then alternative apperance DLC then some gameplay DLC, given what has happend and from interviews last week with voice actors some of them confirming they were called in weeks early goes to show that bioware are indeed panicing.
the relese schedule must have been revised and fast, certain DLC will be released first to quell us and to make sense of the utter contentious screw up they made.
bioware and ea took a hard gamble and so far it has failed and trust in both EA and Bioware has fallen a lot, so much that fans have started to return there collecters items and in some cases went to the bioware offices and returned them in person.
we have been technicly "bent over a table and screwed hard"
some of that might not make sense and some of it will but you get the jist of what i am saying.