257 réponses à ce sujet

[LinksOcarina]

Aurica wrote...

There is also  a side-effect from all this.   If MP DLC (free or not) is much more lucrative & there are enough impatient players who would shower EA BW with cash to unlock guns / character cards.  Then high chances are this is what EA BW will gravitate towards in the future.  We probably wouldn't see much future SP DLC, if any

.

Possibly, but not entirely likely, because they know the fanbase is clamoring for single player stuff still. If they actually leave that high and dry, then they risk losing the fanbase for good, something that will bite them in the butt.

So chances are single player stuff is being developed still. Hell, we got confirmation of something, at least, going on. And we know for a fact the Extended Cut is coming.

[EricHVela]

The "free" DLC is enticement for people to continue to play MP which brings micro-transaction cash.

[Greed1914]

azerSheppard wrote...

simple:
1. They dun goofed with the ending of the game, and are trying to make up for all the hate
2. $Microtransaction$ > paid dlc
Who the hell but a few players would put down some money for multiplayer dlc? They would dish out for items tho.

Pretty much this.  #2 is probably the bigger motivator at this point, but #1 is probably a consideration. Though for me, all the multiplayer DLC in the world won't change how I feel since my problems are in the single player.  No matter how awesome the MP DLC might be, it doesn't help the single player one bit.

[Aurica]

Jamie9 wrote...

Actually, I believe we need more consumers who are willing to stand up for themselves. For too long have people rolled over and took whatever the market throws at them.

We need smarter consumers.

Haha!   I love your post.  I agree, too many people are too willing to part with their money. 

[Jamie9]

LinksOcarina wrote...

I agree.

But smarter consumers need to realize current trends. Fact of the matter is, all companies are doing this and it won't stop, because its starting to make them money after years of taking losses. The economy is a symtom to this behavior, and the consumer base is allowing it because it doesn't mind the behavior.

So current trends are going for this. When I play the multiplayer I don't buy packs with real cash, I grind like everyone I know because we are smarter than that. So if you really want to stand up for yourself,
it's not a case of downloading the pack, its a caseof not using the
microtransaction function. We can debate all day on if its free or not,
and if BioWare lost their way, but if you really want to fight back, than don't use real money and it will be sucked dry and downsized.

Smart consumers are good. But informed consumers are more equipped to make actually understand why its happening, and why it won't change for some time. 

You're absolutely right. There is definitely a trend for this sort of thing, and I'd be a fool to deny that the yield they get is astronomically higher than any other method in gaming. It takes minimal resources to create and basically farms money.

Diablo 3's auction house is just the most recent case of this (I don't actually play Diablo but it still worries me how common-place this is becoming).

I guess it's mostly worry from my end. I'm unsure whether this is just a phase (albeit likely one that will occur for at least another 5 years), or whether it will be here to stay, as an accepted method of sucking money out of people.

I don't claim to be an expert on financials, but I can see why any business would want this to succeed, and it does seem to be succeeding.

Hopefully there's a point where the market saturates and people begin to notice how much of this is popping up. We can only hope.

[Persephone]

The Angry One wrote...

Persephone wrote...

The combat of GoW and ME3 have little to nothing in common.

Aside from being exactly alike, no, not at all.

WHAT variety in ME1? The pathetic covering? The horrid targeting for powers? The lack of balance?

Targetting was fine to me. Yes, you didn't rely on covering for everything. Oh no. We had the Mako, we had actual decent side quests.

ME3 offers way more variety than ME2 did. (ME2's combat WAS too streamlined while ME1's was a convoluted mess)

With what? The fetch quests?

ME1 dialogue....eh....yeah, I sure miss Marc Meer's static voice acting, ahem.

Don't play ManShep. Still consider Meer to have as much ability to emote as Shepard as an inanimate carbon rod.
So... /care?

Or the stilted conversations on the Normandy....

Seriously? Compared to what? The awkward no cutscene, no options dialogue in ME3?

The familiarity and affection shown in ME3 mean way more to me & my Shep.

Only due to previously established characters.

All that said, I enjoy ME1 myself. But put it on a pedestal like that? Uh, no.

Compared to ME3? ME1 is perfection incarnate.
And because I know you'll misinterpret that I am well aware of ME1's heavy flaws.

They aren't alike.

The Mako? Pffffffffft. Hated that thing. The Ornithopters in Dune 1 were better vehicles than that thing.

Decent sidequests what? Like getting Wrex's family armor or killing a slaver asari?

Only two sidequests that stood out to me are the ones with Toombs & Talitha.

I speak of the combat system and you bring up resource gathering to build up military strength....nice derailing tactic.

Loved Meer in ME3. He was amazing. Though Jenn still wins.

I'd rather have no cutscene & more roaming dialogue (I.E. Vega & Garrus. Joker teasing Edi. etc.) than the "Not yet commander" or "I've wasted enough of your time" rinse repeats until the next "interesting" bit happens. Flavor is nice. The first Normandy feels dead compared to ME3's vibrant one.

Keep your "perfection incarnate" then. Sure you are aware of them. You glorify the game as fans often do it years later. "The gold old days". That was old when Cleopatra was young.

[Reptilian Rob]

MFW those micro-transactions.

It's not free, everything must be unlocked with either $$ or time. All of which are valuable.

[Persephone]

Reptilian Rob wrote...

It's not free, everything must be unlocked with either $$ or time. All of which are valuable.

So playing time makes a DLC "un"-free?

It's fun & thus well worth it to me. 

[ericjdev]

It's not charity, they make $$$ off it. It's all about the microtransactions.

[Dutch105]

The Angry One wrote...

Targetting was fine to me. Yes, you didn't rely on covering for everything. Oh no. We had the Mako, we had actual decent side quests.

I'm afraid I can't agree with that. 

The Mako was dreadfully difficult even on PC to control.  Particularly in sidequests on the vertical sheer drops.

Most of the sidequests in ME also used the same 4 environments.  Cover and all.  Quantity most certainly come above quality.

In relation to your other posts, you are right that the motive for free DLC is micro-transactions and therefore money.  Otherwise no dlc would be made (or it would have to be paid for by the players per pack) because you can't create something from nothing unless you're the Almighty.  Just like videogames on this scale cannot be created without being paid for. 

Employees have their own families and needs too, and without being paid they wouldn't do the job except on a causal (and limited) basis.  Similarly, without money to fund those employees, no companies would exist in order to make video games.  So it has been, so it will always be.

Perhaps on the more personal level, no-one is forcing you to spend your money on buying packs, which can also be purchased with in-game currency if you are patient (and skilful) enough.  And if other people want to play the MP and want to spend real money on the packs, is that any concern of yours?  They're not spending your money.  They are not being forced to spend their own money either - it is not a condition of play (unlike e.g a MMORPG - is World of Warcraft immoral on that basis?).

[Jamie9]

Seeing this ME1 vs. ME3 debate would be a bad time for me to mention ME2 is my favourite, no?

[LinksOcarina]

Jamie9 wrote...

LinksOcarina wrote...

I agree.

But smarter consumers need to realize current trends. Fact of the matter is, all companies are doing this and it won't stop, because its starting to make them money after years of taking losses. The economy is a symtom to this behavior, and the consumer base is allowing it because it doesn't mind the behavior.

So current trends are going for this. When I play the multiplayer I don't buy packs with real cash, I grind like everyone I know because we are smarter than that. So if you really want to stand up for yourself,
it's not a case of downloading the pack, its a caseof not using the
microtransaction function. We can debate all day on if its free or not,
and if BioWare lost their way, but if you really want to fight back, than don't use real money and it will be sucked dry and downsized.

Smart consumers are good. But informed consumers are more equipped to make actually understand why its happening, and why it won't change for some time. 

You're absolutely right. There is definitely a trend for this sort of thing, and I'd be a fool to deny that the yield they get is astronomically higher than any other method in gaming. It takes minimal resources to create and basically farms money.

Diablo 3's auction house is just the most recent case of this (I don't actually play Diablo but it still worries me how common-place this is becoming).

I guess it's mostly worry from my end. I'm unsure whether this is just a phase (albeit likely one that will occur for at least another 5 years), or whether it will be here to stay, as an accepted method of sucking money out of people.

I don't claim to be an expert on financials, but I can see why any business would want this to succeed, and it does seem to be succeeding.

Hopefully there's a point where the market saturates and people begin to notice how much of this is popping up. We can only hope.

Well think of it this way, before microtransactions became popular, it was full scale DLC. It was extra stuff (and some may say stuff cut out but I would disagree in 90% of those cases) made for people to buy. Then it was downloadable services, app creation, small time dev teams making small games for .99 cents and becoming popular started the microstransaction trend.

Casual gaming grew, so did gaming audiances. For gamers to not deny that casual gaming is a "thing" is downright crazy. Hell, at this point Call of Duty is a casual game, since its easy to go in and out and boom! headshot. The microtransaction phase is just elongating DLC to a new level.

What that level will be? who knows? A lot of people now download their games vs buying physical copies. Cloud based-comptuer sharing is starting to catch fire, Nintendo is experimenting on new tech, Microsoft experimented on new tech. 

But in the end, is it really bad? Is Bioware or EA abusing microtransactions? That is really the true queston here, and the truth of the matter is, we have no way of knowing until we hear horror stories about gaming addiction and other things like that.The Diablo III Auction House will be one of those make or break moments that might change things. Are people willing to buy stuff with real money for a game? We see already with TF2, Eve Online, Korean MMOs and ****ing Farmville the answer is yes. But would they do it for something that big, is the question.

And yeah its going to saturate and fall through. Hell, kickstarter is showing cracks in this already, publicly funded games. But then that bubble will burst and something else will come into its wake. It's like the tide, it changes and always comes in and out, but you can't fight it, becuase it is something that is natural. 

And people going agaisnt DLC, microtransactions, all natural when it occurs. But demanding a change when it is in its peak and is still viable, thats not going to happen, no matter how many times you kick the tide. 

Modifié par LinksOcarina, 24 mai 2012 - 06:42 .

[The Angry One]

Persephone wrote...

They aren't alike.

If you say so.

The Mako? Pffffffffft. Hated that thing. The Ornithopters in Dune 1 were better vehicles than that thing.

I loved it.

Decent sidequests what? Like getting Wrex's family armor or killing a slaver asari?

Yeah you know, going somewhere and doing things? Odd concept I know in today's era of probing planets and getting stuff arbitrarily.

Only two sidequests that stood out to me are the ones with Toombs & Talitha.

Outside of the Rannoch/Tuchanka story arc areas, ME3 has literally nothing of note.

I speak of the combat system and you bring up resource gathering to build up military strength....nice derailing tactic.

I was speaking of the overall gameplay from the beginning.

Loved Meer in ME3. He was amazing. Though Jenn still wins.

I don't see it. Or rather, hear it. Regardless, Meer in ME1 is a non-factor to me.

I'd rather have no cutscene & more roaming dialogue (I.E. Vega & Garrus. Joker teasing Edi. etc.) than the "Not yet commander" or "I've wasted enough of your time" rinse repeats until the next "interesting" bit happens. Flavor is nice. The first Normandy feels dead compared to ME3's vibrant one.

Roaming dialogue does not justify the lack of Shepard interaction. You can add without taking away you know.

Keep your "perfection incarnate" then. Sure you are aware of them. You glorify the game as fans often do it years later. "The gold old days". That was old when Cleopatra was young.

Again, in comparison. But you seem to have misinterpreted that anyway even with my disclaimer.
ME1 did more things right than it did wrong. ME3 refines some aspects of ME1 while jettisoning others wholesale for no reason, leaving a shallower game.

[Persephone]

Jamie9 wrote...

Seeing this ME1 vs. ME3 debate would be a bad time for me to mention ME2 is my favourite, no?

Nah. I love ME2 myself. Esp. the characters and their missions.

I also love ME1, believe it or not.

And I ALSO love ME3.

Impossible? Nah. Just love 'em for different reasons. The whole series is incredibly dear to me.

[Aurica]

LinksOcarina wrote...

Aurica wrote...

There is also  a side-effect from all this.   If MP DLC (free or not) is much more lucrative & there are enough impatient players who would shower EA BW with cash to unlock guns / character cards.  Then high chances are this is what EA BW will gravitate towards in the future.  We probably wouldn't see much future SP DLC, if any

.

Possibly, but not entirely likely, because they know the fanbase is clamoring for single player stuff still. If they actually leave that high and dry, then they risk losing the fanbase for good, something that will bite them in the butt.

So chances are single player stuff is being developed still. Hell, we got confirmation of something, at least, going on. And we know for a fact the Extended Cut is coming.

Right.  But is the EC not just clarification to the existing ending?   It contains no playable parts and is most likely a result of fan backlash. 

I'm actually wondering if fan backlash has anything to do with the kind of DLCs we get.   Look at it this way.
BW has clearly stated ending will not change in the EC.  So no matter what you do the ending will remain largely the same.  If this being the case, some players would conclude that future SP DLC is pointless because nothing they do would change a damn thing in the ending.   Retaking Omega would be pretty much pointless.

Based on these feedback or vibes from the community.   EA BW sense that spending time on SP DLC would yield far less return.   Therefore it makes sense to throw out a "free" MP DLC

1.  Encourage more micro-transactions as this would be more profitable
2. Placate disappointed customers and pull them back in / Galvanise support on those who stood by EA BW the
   whole time

[Tigerman123]

Don't really see how ME1's side quests can compare to Grissom academy or the Primarch's son quest chain for instance, they were basically just copy pasted planets with the relevant NPC inserted at the end of the level

[XqctaX]

azerSheppard wrote...

simple:
1. They dun goofed with the ending of the game, and are trying to make up for all the hate
2. $Microtransaction$ > paid dlc
Who the hell but a few players would put down some money for multiplayer dlc? They would dish out for items tho.

[Dutch105]

Tigerman123 wrote...

Don't really see how ME1's side quests can compare to Grissom academy or the Primarch's son quest chain for instance, they were basically just copy pasted planets with the relevant NPC inserted at the end of the level

Precisely.

[MinatheBrat]

known_hero wrote...

Mr.House wrote...

It's not really "free" Sure to download it, it will be free but you are oging to have to farm hours and hours of gameplay to just have a chance of even getting the new content. Bioware relies on people paying for the packs with real money, something people are sadly buying. That's why both MP packs have been free.

I thank these people. As long as they keep spending money on packs, EA will continue dishing out free stuff. It works for me

Me too!!! I'm looking foward to the new dlc!

[Persephone]

The Angry One wrote...

Persephone wrote...

They aren't alike.

If you say so.

The Mako? Pffffffffft. Hated that thing. The Ornithopters in Dune 1 were better vehicles than that thing.

I loved it.

Decent sidequests what? Like getting Wrex's family armor or killing a slaver asari?

Yeah you know, going somewhere and doing things? Odd concept I know in today's era of probing planets and getting stuff arbitrarily.

Only two sidequests that stood out to me are the ones with Toombs & Talitha.

Outside of the Rannoch/Tuchanka story arc areas, ME3 has literally nothing of note.

I speak of the combat system and you bring up resource gathering to build up military strength....nice derailing tactic.

I was speaking of the overall gameplay from the beginning.

Loved Meer in ME3. He was amazing. Though Jenn still wins.

I don't see it. Or rather, hear it. Regardless, Meer in ME1 is a non-factor to me.

I'd rather have no cutscene & more roaming dialogue (I.E. Vega & Garrus. Joker teasing Edi. etc.) than the "Not yet commander" or "I've wasted enough of your time" rinse repeats until the next "interesting" bit happens. Flavor is nice. The first Normandy feels dead compared to ME3's vibrant one.

Roaming dialogue does not justify the lack of Shepard interaction. You can add without taking away you know.

Keep your "perfection incarnate" then. Sure you are aware of them. You glorify the game as fans often do it years later. "The gold old days". That was old when Cleopatra was young.

Again, in comparison. But you seem to have misinterpreted that anyway even with my disclaimer.
ME1 did more things right than it did wrong. ME3 refines some aspects of ME1 while jettisoning others wholesale for no reason, leaving a shallower game.

Good for you. Play Dune & fly an Orni, you'll love that too. Come to think of it, ME reminds me of that game a little...

Going to one out of three enviroments to kill exactly alike positioned enemies & have a conversation in the same room...yah, AWESOME. Bleh.

Maybe to you. I was in tears when leaving earth. I was trembling with anger and sadness after Thessia. (Esp. seeing Liara in such pain and her confrontation with Javik...my God!) I wept at Thane's death. I was incredibly moved to see Miri help her sister. I LOVED the Grissom Academy quest. Mordin's sacrifice had me sobbing.

My heart shattered at saying farewell to Kaidan on earth. It soared during Shepard's final speech.

Etc. Your ranting won't make that untrue.

There is just as much Shep interaction than in ME1 & 2, if not more PLUS the flavor dialogue. ME2 had WAY less Shep interaction for example.

Shallow? You have never played a shallow game. Ever.

Modifié par Persephone, 24 mai 2012 - 06:53 .

[LinksOcarina]

Aurica wrote...

LinksOcarina wrote...

Aurica wrote...

There is also  a side-effect from all this.   If MP DLC (free or not) is much more lucrative & there are enough impatient players who would shower EA BW with cash to unlock guns / character cards.  Then high chances are this is what EA BW will gravitate towards in the future.  We probably wouldn't see much future SP DLC, if any

.

Possibly, but not entirely likely, because they know the fanbase is clamoring for single player stuff still. If they actually leave that high and dry, then they risk losing the fanbase for good, something that will bite them in the butt.

So chances are single player stuff is being developed still. Hell, we got confirmation of something, at least, going on. And we know for a fact the Extended Cut is coming.

Right.  But is the EC not just clarification to the existing ending?   It contains no playable parts and is most likely a result of fan backlash. 

I'm actually wondering if fan backlash has anything to do with the kind of DLCs we get.   Look at it this way.
BW has clearly stated ending will not change in the EC.  So no matter what you do the ending will remain largely the same.  If this being the case, some players would conclude that future SP DLC is pointless because nothing they do would change a damn thing in the ending.   Retaking Omega would be pretty much pointless.

Based on these feedback or vibes from the community.   EA BW sense that spending time on SP DLC would yield far less return.   Therefore it makes sense to throw out a "free" MP DLC

1.  Encourage more micro-transactions as this would be more profitable
2. Placate disappointed customers and pull them back in / Galvanise support on those who stood by EA BW the
   whole time

All possible too.

There is no way of really knowing until we see Single Player DLC come out. And if it doesn't, well, it's like snake eating its tail amost, its a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Modifié par LinksOcarina, 24 mai 2012 - 06:50 .

[Persephone]

Aurica wrote...

LinksOcarina wrote...

Aurica wrote...

There is also  a side-effect from all this.   If MP DLC (free or not) is much more lucrative & there are enough impatient players who would shower EA BW with cash to unlock guns / character cards.  Then high chances are this is what EA BW will gravitate towards in the future.  We probably wouldn't see much future SP DLC, if any

.

Possibly, but not entirely likely, because they know the fanbase is clamoring for single player stuff still. If they actually leave that high and dry, then they risk losing the fanbase for good, something that will bite them in the butt.

So chances are single player stuff is being developed still. Hell, we got confirmation of something, at least, going on. And we know for a fact the Extended Cut is coming.

Right.  But is the EC not just clarification to the existing ending?   It contains no playable parts

That isn't confirmed.

[demonuswolfus]

They are providing free DLC only to those poeple who have the online pass. Also they sorta already announced they would be providing folks with future dlc to make up for the ending fiasco [even though they refuse to change it to maintain artistic integrity] and also since the endings are cookie cutter endings and are not the grand unique multiple endings that were promised.

[LinksOcarina]

Persephone wrote...

Aurica wrote...

LinksOcarina wrote...

Aurica wrote...

There is also  a side-effect from all this.   If MP DLC (free or not) is much more lucrative & there are enough impatient players who would shower EA BW with cash to unlock guns / character cards.  Then high chances are this is what EA BW will gravitate towards in the future.  We probably wouldn't see much future SP DLC, if any

.

Possibly, but not entirely likely, because they know the fanbase is clamoring for single player stuff still. If they actually leave that high and dry, then they risk losing the fanbase for good, something that will bite them in the butt.

So chances are single player stuff is being developed still. Hell, we got confirmation of something, at least, going on. And we know for a fact the Extended Cut is coming.

Right.  But is the EC not just clarification to the existing ending?   It contains no playable parts

That isn't confirmed.

Actually, it is confirmed. At least, the initial report said that. If that chances we shall see, but for now it's only cinematics added.

[gmboy902]

Smart business decisions. I think Valve is the most integral company out there and I will buy pretty much every one of their releases, probably on pre-order. They give away tons of free DLC.