8 réponses à ce sujet

[wowpwnslol]

I think it's a huge joke for Bioware to charge outrageous amounts of money for so little content. All of them can be finished in less than an hour and their main purpose is not to advance the story in a meaningful way, but to give player extra items. I can admit that Shale was moderately interesting - but then again they're planning on charging $15 for it, which is ridiculous. Don't get me started on RtO - they are basically recycling old stuff and charging for it. Oh wow, it has some new items. How amazing.

I think if the DLC's were free, it would really show commitment and dedication of Bioware to the community and encourage more people to buy this game. I think they could take a page out of Blizzard's book (free battle.net) on how to treat the fans of their game.

[David Gaider]

Why does anything cost what it does? Why does a 2 hour movie cost $15 for the ticket? Should tickets for 90-minute movies cost less? I bought lunch yesterday for $16 and it took me about 15 minutes to eat. Yet the last novel I bought cost $12 and lasted me several days. I paid $60 for an HBO DVD set which lasted about 13 hours and considered it money well-spent. Yet I'll pay $5 for a greeting card, $16 for a 30-page adventure that will take my gaming group weeks to get through, $1.95 for a 3-minute song on iTunes and $3.50 for the coffee I had yesterday at Starbuck's.
Do all these things cost according to the time it takes to enjoy them? Of course not. Nothing is priced that way. These things are priced as they are because people are willing to pay that price, because they want it.

If you want to look on a video game -- or any piece of video game content -- as only being worth the amount of time it takes to play, that's totally up to you. For me, I've played 10-hr games that I enjoyed immensely, as well as 50-hr games. Did they roughly cost the same? Sure did. Did I feel ripped off? Not at all. Would I prefer to see longer games? Who wouldn't? The fact that some people could still call even a 30-hr game short (never mind one like DA that lasts anywhere from 40-80 hrs by most peoples' reports) certainly means they aren't comparing it to any other game currently being made, but that's their business.

In the end, you'll pay what you're willing to pay. If something doesn't look like it'll provide you enjoyment, then you shouldn't buy it. If enough people don't buy it, then we're obviously charging too much compared to how much they want it. If enough people do buy it, then we're good. Someone can get outraged if they want, but claiming that something is wrong simply because they do want the extra content but don't want to pay for it says more about their level of entitlement than anything else. In the end, we'll still be providing patches for DA (as we did for NWN, which -- surprise, surprise -- also had the "premium modules" for download) and possibly even some free content. With regards to the DLC, you can buy it or not buy it. The decision is yours, to decide whether it's worth anything to you or how entitled you feel to have it in addition to what came with the original game.

---

And with regards to the general level of rhetoric on this thread, let's keep it down. No personal insults and flaming, please. Consider yourself warned.

[David Gaider]

bzombo wrote...
troll. blizzard fanboi. anything else for your resume?

That is exactly the sort of thing I am talking about. It is no more acceptable from the original poster than it is from those who respond to him. If you have no point to make, then please refrain.

[Stanley Woo]

Let's keep the swearing and the name-calling out of the discussion, please.

[David Gaider]

LenaMarie wrote...
The real definition of troll is posting anything opposite of what the fanboys think.

And apparently the real definition of "fanboy" is anyone daring to be reasonable or *gasp* supportive.

After reading some of the threads in these parts, I think the definition of "customer" needs some explaining to certain folks as well.

[David Gaider]

SheffSteel wrote...
If I worked at BW I'd be putting in some suggestions for cheap and cheerful gestures to gain some goodwill, e.g. adding some items to Bodahn's store in the next patch. Of course, someone would find a way of complaining about having to pay in game money for these "so called free items".

The customer is always frightful.

Which "goodwill" do you speak of? Is this the goodwill where sometime in the future when something is delayed or they otherwise have reason to be unhappy they will remember back to the last time the company did something nice for them and be more understanding instead? That goodwill?

I'm aware of no such beast.

[David Gaider]

Peeker2009 wrote...
Likewise, those who posted their ironic definitions of "customer", are simply characterising those who disagree with their opinion as unrealistic,  whinging babies. Its a game anyone can play. Eg, Customer: one who can either like it or lump it, or one who will pay anything to feed their addiction. I don't mean these to insult anyone, just demonstrating  how such comments are not useful.

This is a good point. Before anyone tries putting words in my mouth, I am not suggesting that a customer should not demand to be treated fairly. You should, and many people are. The fact that there are some people whose demands go way beyond fair treatment doesn't change this. Ultimately our goal as a game developer is to provide a solid product that our customers will enjoy -- that is and remains our focus, as I think it should be.

[David Gaider]

Taiko Roshi wrote...
I see, so you are proud of the Xbox 360 version of this game and the support that has been provided for it? So you think the Xbox 360 version of this game is a "solid product"?

Of course I'm proud of the Xbox 360 version of Dragon Age. Many people have played it, and enjoyed it a great deal... as they should as it's an incredible game. When it comes to bugs, whether they be with Dragon Age: Origins or with anything we release in association with it, we will address those bugs as we can... even delaying a product, if need be, despite the disappointment it causes. What's not to be proud of?

I realize you no doubt have a ready answer for that, but I'll encourage you not to drag this thread off topic. There are always going to be issues with just about anything we release -- that does not stop most people from enjoying them, or me from being proud of them. And I'll leave it at that.

[David Gaider]

It would probably be much easier just to say



"DLC BAD. NOT WANT. NOT WANT ANYONE TO WANT."



wouldn't it?