638 réponses à ce sujet

[vadril]

Even if playtime hits thirty hours, $40 might be too high for an expansion pack as a general rule.  The usual $29.99 price suits me just fine and seems commensurate with the content level of most expansions.

I picked up the OC right away as many RPGs carry a weighty main quest, but I'll likely take a wait and see approach to the expansion.  I do think many people will pay the $40 price tag which is fine by me.  I just hate to see the industry move towards higher priced expansions and expensive DLC.  It is a bit of a struggle for me, but it may be unavoidable.

[HolyRomanCousinConsort]

hyrulehistorian wrote...

If i import my character is it actualyl the character with the origin and ending i played through in the main game? That is the big question im eager to have answered.

The answer is yes, it's the exact main character you use.

[Rylor Tormtor]

empetus wrote...

As one who would never buy a dragon age 15 hour expansion for $40, I'm glad there are people who will be more than happy to pay it. Bioware is a good company and I want to see them continue to make games. In order to do that they need to make money. So I encourage those to not only buy one copy but multiple copies if able.

A side not, a lot of people who are cringing at the price is not because they can't afford it. Its because they don't think it will be worth it. Its an important distinction. Just because you can afford to buy something doesn't mean its a good deal or that you aren't being a sucker.

As for why the price is so high, look at EA stock price lately. It is $18 a share, it got hammered in 2008 and was at one time $60 a share. And 2009 was another down year for video games in terms of sales because of the bad economy. So there is maybe a good reason EA needs to try and squeeze as much money as they can out of their customers. God knows their stock price needs it.

I again, I wonder what your idea of an expansion is. It is not a sequeal, it is not a new game. I take it you didn't buy SoU. From what I remember, that was 15 hours, if that.

[imukka]

The expansion at the price of full  game ,somebody smoked too much, not going to pay even 20
for it

Modifié par imukka, 06 janvier 2010 - 08:15 .

[BlueEyes_Austin]

MerinTB wrote...

-because, contextually, you seem to be continuing the discussion about games from 20 years ago and prices.  Unless there's some very subtle context I am missing, the way you're responding implies that in the same paragraph in which you respond to a statement about game prices over 20 years, in the sentence following your sentence about the best games for PC's 20 years ago selling for $15-20 max -

(inaccurate, do a google search next time - here's an article listing a couple computer games from 1989 that cost $59.95 - Leisure Suit Larry 3 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0 - http://pqasb.pqarchi...py&pqatl=google and another article with games at $79.95 and $49.95 -  http://pqasb.pqarchi...re&pqatl=google)

you are continuing with the 20 year old game model when bringing up a decline in quality.

Thank you for bringing some rationality to this ridiculous kvetching about quality and price of video games.  From your links in 1989:
Leisure Suit Larry 3 ($59.95)
Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0. ($59.95)

A $60 game in 1989 would be a $104 game in inflation-adjusted dollars. 

[TheMadCat]

vadril wrote...
 I just hate to see the industry move towards higher priced expansions and expensive DLC.  It is a bit of a struggle for me, but it may be unavoidable.

It's going to happen eventually, between development budgets increasing at a disturbing rate (9 figures is becoming the new average for AAA titles when including development, advertising, production and distrubution, ect.), the natural occurence of inflation, and basic economic and business principles, prices in gaming will have to go up sooner rather then later. The fact they have remained stagnat for so long is rather surprising to me, (Though mostly due to the fact of the high profit margins DLC returns. Cry and whine about DLC all you want but man they do a lot to keep game prices in check). But we've seen quite a few expansions in the last year or so come out with the price tag of $40, both from MMO's and SP based games and many more are planned to sell at $40. I don't think we'll see a jump to the $60-PC/$70-Console price average or a few more years, mostly because companies realize the amount of money in a franchise. They're willing to take a loss or make minimal profit from their base game and recoup their cash from further ventures into the franchise with DLC, expansions, sequels, merchandise, and the likes.

People who don't like the price due to the amount of content I have no arguments against, it's subjective and what I may feel is worth the price you may not, so long as words such as cheap and sheep aren't thrown around. People who are saying no expansion should ever cost that much and are throwing random prices around because they feel they deserve it for that much really need to wake up and step back into reality though.

[DariusTrue]

BlueEyes_Austin wrote...


A $60 game in 1989 would be a $104 game in inflation-adjusted dollars. 

With the way Activision/Blizzard wants it, it may come true...

[addiction21]

GvazElite wrote...



No, what interests me is the storyline (which i will most likely ever play once) and stuff to explore.



Ive done most of the origins but i really doubt I'll complete a full game with all of them.



With warden's keep their "abilities and new armor" was some armor I never used because I found better stuff, a nice sword, and some abilties i never used



Community sure is good at arguing extremes I see.

So if its the storyline why keep complaing and bringing up the length? (which you still have not yet provided evidence of your 15 hour claim)



Bolded has nothing to do with the topic at hand. The topic is the upcoming expansion not what armor and abilities you found usefull in a previous unrealated DLC.



Funny you pull the logical fallacy card since most everything you've put forth so far have been text book examples.

[kjdhgfiliuhwe]

I don't know if you people  left the game running while sleeping or something, but how in the world did it take 40, 50, 70+ hours to beat the game the first time?

My first completion was 23 hours, and achieved almost 70% completion of achievements. While I suppose it's possible I somehow managed to miss another 20-50 hours of gameplay somewhere, I sincerely doubt it. Especially since I've played through several more times without finding much I had missed the first time. 

Now, it may be an ego boost to make flippant remarks about other's financial status as it relates to buying DLC or expansion packs, but it ignores how this game has taken great strides to push the envelope on pricing. Getting Shale took me all of 15 minutes, and I can only say thank goodness I didn't actually have to pay for that. Warden's Keep took me 25 minutes the first time, and more like 10 minutes each subsequent time (skipped through the dialogue once I already knew it). I was appalled at how worthless that was as DLC I actually paid for. Return to Ostagar sounds even worse, and I certainly won't be buying it.

Until this game, Bioware stood with Blizzard in my eyes as entities most other companies should strive to emulate. I don't know if it is the influence of EA or not, but DA:O has left a very bitter taste in my mouth. I find myself highly skeptical now of any marketing done towards any DLC or expansion packs based off the single worst price to quality/quantity ratio of DLC they've already created. 

Throw in comments by EA that they envision the future of video games to be smaller upfront games that are then given subsequent DLC to flesh them out, and I find myself wondering if I even want to support a company that is so blatantly driving to make the most profit possible. Not that I begrudge companies to make profits. It's just, as a gamer, and not a board member for EA, I am sad that we consumers loose out as this DLC/episodic content creep continues to invade the gaming sphere.

One thing is certain. After being burned with the current DLC, I will wait till people have actually played the supposed 15 hour adventure (my guess is it's more like 4 hours) before deciding if my self esteem is so low that I need to throw 40 dollars towards it. 

I'm also aware I may simply be suffering from rosy goggles syndrome as I look back to what I perceive were better days, and while some of my bitterness is almost certainly due to that, I'm confident things really have been evolving for the worse in terms of game content and delivery.

Modifié par kjdhgfiliuhwe, 06 janvier 2010 - 08:47 .

[BTA1]

Who cares what a game cost in 1989? Things get cheaper if you've somehow missed that. A good computer cost you tenthousands when computers were new. What 60$ then would be today is totally irrelevant.

[RockGnasher]

I would think that it is great but the gameplay seems a bit buggy on my system. Maybe it works better for some people. I figure they will eventually work the kinks out.



I remember when WoW first came out, how buggy the whole thing was, servers crashing, not being able to log on... I wanted to play so bad... haha... eventually I just could not handle sitting in one place that long though... it got to be like sitting on an airplane or something...

[Dragon Age1103]

There are two things I really hope for in the expansion & if we get them I will consider it $40 well spent. 1 a lot more FREE tactics slots no more choosing between vital skill points or not having to micro manage your party members every single fight. 2 fix the minor bugs with the AI even half or less than half would be nice or even just admit to trying. I never had a problem with the AI until my 3rd(current) play through. All play throughs had about the same mods I only added 2 which should have to side effects on the AI. Now my guess stop attacking, run around, ignore commands.

It's not a huge problem every single battle but when it happens it really aggravates me!! Without my latest mod the game was a breeze on nightmare so i never cared if my guys ignored a command or two but now every last action I take is vital to victory every single time & that is the way I like it. I rather earn my wins than walk through every enemy but I understand most gamers do not prefer a huge challenge so I can only hope for that fix!!!!!

[HolyRomanCousinConsort]

kjdhgfiliuhwe wrote...
Until this game, Bioware stood with Blizzard in my eyes as entities most other companies should strive to emulate. I don't know if it is the influence of EA or not, but DA:O has left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

That's kind of harsh, comparing DA to Oghren's green ale. I agree with you on the rising pricing, but in terms of quality, Bioware's storyline, battle tactics and characters by far surpass Blizzard's.

If you followed the recent live arena World of Warcraft tournaments, and saw that tournament hosts paid thousands of dollars for a WoW license and a malfunctioning user interface, and that their pleas for support went unanswered for the whole duration of the tournament (3 days), perhaps you would see Blizzard in a different light. In terms of organization, not to mention lore, Blizzard is terrible.

[mirglip]

when did they say it was only 15 hours? I was under the impression this was what a fan suggested, not what the devs said?

[justair]

The price seems about right. It appears to be in line with other expansions of popular games. As long as it's polished and of similiar quality then fine. I know some gamers who wait for a more comprehensive value added releast at latter dates. Like platinum, or game of the year editions and all that jazz. That's ok to.. as it's meant to expand the fanbase and bring in those that might not have bought the game otherwise.

[MerinTB]

JAMiAM wrote...

Dragon Age: Origins - $40
DLC's - ~ $5
Awakening Expansion - $30

Wading through pages, upon pages, of self-absorbed drivel and pontification - Priceless

Way to jump all over the place - how about we try FACTS in CONTEXT for TODAY's prices:

Dragon Age: Origins = [XBOX 360 & PS3] - Gamestop: $59.99; Best Buy: $59.99; Wal-Mart: $59.96/$50; Amazon: $56.99/$50 // [PC] Gamestop: $49.99; Best Buy: $49.99; Wal-Mart: $49.96; Amazon: $44.99
DLC's =  Free for many w/ game purchase; $5 for 1, $7 for the other
Awakening Expansion = Current Pre-order Price for all systems at Gamestop: $39.99; no price point elsewhere yet

So the worst different right now (the only one that counts as it is only available for pre-order at Gamestop) is $49.99 to $39.99, but odds are the PC price will actually be $10 cheaper.  Up to $20 difference.

AND ... none of that means anything, you realize?  You have no point but attempted ridicule.

Modifié par MerinTB, 06 janvier 2010 - 09:00 .

[Dragon Age1103]

kjdhgfiliuhwe I think you're just being very negative & probably exaggerating. I'm not calling you a liar but your 23 hour play through on your first time you said? Makes no sense what so ever to me at least.

My first play through was 81 hours. I got about 56 achievements I believe, 75% of all side quests completed, listened to all the dialogue.(didn't read it then skip the talking part). I saw like 96% of the world I believe & that was 81 hours. Oh I also read only about 1/3 of the codex entries if that.

Even my second play through when i skipped the last sentences or two of dialogue I still finished with 68 hours total. That play through I didn't read any codex entries but found a lot of new random encounters.

So you must be a very fast reader or just exaggerating a tad more than you'll admit. As for your comment on the DLC, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it as much as I did. I felt I got more than what i paid for everyone seems to only know one measurement (how many minutes or hours). I got tons of new armor, a new shield, sword, 2 new abilities, a lot of interesting plot, met new people, storage chest, 2 new merchants, & a few codex entries....plus more info about the Grey Warden's!!!

So I was happy, I think if you look into it more & appreciate more than just time consumption you might get more enjoyment out of the game.

[vadril]

TheMadCat wrote...

Cry and whine about DLC all you want but man they do a lot to keep game
prices in check). But we've seen quite a few expansions in the last
year or so come out with the price tag of $40, both from MMO's and
SP based games and many more are planned to sell at $40.

So it is crying and whining because I stated DLC was expensive?  You can postulate theories around DLC keeping game prices low, but I don't believe that to be the case.  I do believe DLC is a relatively new market, and it makes money.  Other than those two obvious facts, we know nothing about the impact of DLC on the price of the OC or the profit margins on either.

In any case, I will continue waiting for most games to age before purchasing to keep the price down.  I made an exception with Dragon Age due to the quality of past Bioware releases, but I'll probably resign myself to delayed purchasing for Bioware products with the increase in pricing.  Not as some mythical boycott, but as normal purchasing practice.

I will concede that standard business practice now puts many titles in this price range.  Even so, I still find it difficult to swallow the higher prices.

[Dragon Age1103]

HolyRomanCousinConsort wrote...

kjdhgfiliuhwe wrote...
Until this game, Bioware stood with Blizzard in my eyes as entities most other companies should strive to emulate. I don't know if it is the influence of EA or not, but DA:O has left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

That's kind of harsh, comparing DA to Oghren's green ale. I agree with you on the rising pricing, but in terms of quality, Bioware's storyline, battle tactics and characters by far surpass Blizzard's.

If you followed the recent live arena World of Warcraft tournaments, and saw that tournament hosts paid thousands of dollars for a WoW license and a malfunctioning user interface, and that their pleas for support went unanswered for the whole duration of the tournament (3 days), perhaps you would see Blizzard in a different light. In terms of organization, not to mention lore, Blizzard is terrible.

  I couldn't agree more. When it comes to a solid core for gameplay mechanics that many people can relate to & have hours of fun Blizzard is the master but if you ask for well developed characters with a deep plot you might be very disappointed unless you have a very powerful imagination. lol. Fact is even in treating us like children Bioware is one of the last trusted devs that are really faithful to their fans.

[Dragon Age1103]

MerinTB wrote...

JAMiAM wrote...

Dragon Age: Origins - $40
DLC's - ~ $5
Awakening Expansion - $30

Wading through pages, upon pages, of self-absorbed drivel and pontification - Priceless

Way to jump all over the place - how about we try FACTS in CONTEXT for TODAY's prices:

Dragon Age: Origins = [XBOX 360 & PS3] - Gamestop: $59.99; Best Buy: $59.99; Wal-Mart: $59.96/$50; Amazon: $56.99/$50 // [PC] Gamestop: $49.99; Best Buy: $49.99; Wal-Mart: $49.96; Amazon: $44.99
DLC's =  Free for many w/ game purchase; $5 for 1, $7 for the other
Awakening Expansion = Current Pre-order Price for all systems at Gamestop: $39.99; no price point elsewhere yet

So the worst different right now (the only one that counts as it is only available for pre-order at Gamestop) is $49.99 to $39.99, but odds are the PC price will actually be $10 cheaper.  Up to $20 difference.

AND ... none of that means anything, you realize?  You have no point but attempted ridicule.

you forgot black friday & newegg.com Dragon age was $29.99 & 34.99 for a week or more plus if you give a game a month newegg.com usually has it $5-10 cheaper with free shipping if not within a week or less of launch. i got Forza 3 for $37.99 on newegg about a week after it came out.

[Magic Zarim]

Let me just say this:



The Witcher: Enhanced Edition - Revamp of the original game, the goal trying to make the game as perfect as can be. FREE.

2 Additional campaigns, 10+ hours total playtime. FREE.



CDProjekt is a studio I gladly support purely on the merit of "customer care", to throw around some business manager speak. Even if they would charge $150 for The Witcher 2, I would buy it, without hesitation at all.



I know the studio will deliver. The studio proves they want to deliver the 'best' to their customers. They interact a lot with the community in a down to earth manner on their forums. It's the studio I love most.



EA and its ethics definitely don't make me want to just fork over $$$ without questioning. Besides CDProjektRED, only Blizzard has a reputation with me that makes me totally not question $$$.

[Allen63]

$30 is slightly high for a simple 15 hour expansion. However, if it bundles all the DLC, toolkit, and patches in one convenient DVD (to facilitate future reinstalls) I'll consider $30 a good value (even though some DLC was free).

Otherwise, I wait for it to drop in price.

$40 for 15 hours --- ha, ha, ha.

Modifié par Allen63, 06 janvier 2010 - 09:15 .

[Dragon Age1103]

Magic Zarim wrote...

Let me just say this:

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition - Revamp of the original game, the goal trying to make the game as perfect as can be. FREE.
2 Additional campaigns, 10+ hours total playtime. FREE.

CDProjekt is a studio I gladly support purely on the merit of "customer care", to throw around some business manager speak. Even if they would charge $150 for The Witcher 2, I would buy it, without hesitation at all.

I know the studio will deliver. The studio proves they want to deliver the 'best' to their customers. They interact a lot with the community in a down to earth manner on their forums. It's the studio I love most.

EA and its ethics definitely don't make me want to just fork over $$$ without questioning. Besides CDProjektRED, only Blizzard has a reputation with me that makes me totally not question $$$.

  Now I've never played The Witcher but I've heard it was awesome from reviews & forums. The onyl issue there, I could be wrong is they probably didn't have much of a choice not being a well known company. So they probably took as hot in the dark with high hopes it would pay off to build their name for their next gib game or a sequal.
   My point is most companies in this day & age cannot afford to just give out free patches, expansion, hours of gameplay but i feel like a fool for missing out on the Witcher. I think I wasted my time on Oblivion instead sadly

[Schwapp]

Gabochido wrote...

I'm not sure where you got such trustworthy data indicating that EA has made a profit from the sales of DA and that it has made up for the 5 years of develepment and content creation so that you can state it in such a way, but I'm afraid that I don't personally have authority or enough knowledge to confirm or deny your statement.

Which is probably why you shouldn't wade into a discussion about whether the expansion price is justified to begin with. I don't mean that in the STFU-sense, but in the "you're not going to put out the fire, but just add more fuel to it" sense. Your inability to deny that EA made a tidy profit already will be seen as confirmation by default in the minds of many. "Dude, if they didn't make a profit, they'd definitely let him say it so he could shut up the whiners about the cost, dude!"

I mean, I think that $40 for an expansion/not-a-true-sequel is too much, but I can choose to pay for it or not. It doesn't get me in a message-board-posting lather like, I don't know, a company failing to update the availability information about a piece of DLC on the site where they advertise it, leading me to spend $5 with the company that has absolutely no use to me for the foreseeable future and likely will lead me to have the charges reversed on general principle (over being misled). Something like that might actually have me posting more and responding with incredulity over the patently ridiculous way the company handles most of the posting on the subject.

Modifié par Schwapp, 06 janvier 2010 - 09:12 .

[cpmd4]

Can't wait, Bioware. An amazing game you've got, with plenty of extras and playtime, even just plain ol' enjoyment, to more than make up a couple extra bucks to pay for an expansion, which I'll probably spend a lot more than 15 hours playing anyway.



Don't listen to the whiners. If they don't like the price, they'll have to do without.