ZeroR3D wrote...
No, you misunderstand the point completely. The point was: it wouldn't have been worth it for them to distribute the DLC separately. I'm saying it's different from "we love our community so much we will give you free stuffs!" Let's not kid ourselves, Bioware/EA is a *BUSINES*. No business is in the business of giving away their goods (no matter what those late night furniture store ads tell you).
Agree completely, which is why it's a rarity. But it does happen, they have done it in the past and that is my point. Just so you know they do distrubute Bring Down the Sky seperatly so your whole point here is rather moot. Obviously it was worth enough for them to distrubute seperatly and still give out for free.
masseffect.bioware.com/me1/galacticcodex/bringdownthesky_pc.htmlThat was almost ten years ago where the concept of paying for every bit of content was different. DLC didn't really exist. You can't give something for free if there was never an alternative to sell it. The dev donated their time and effort but policies/economies were different then.
DLC and micro-transactions have been around since the late '90's when F2P browser based MMO's and SP games were springing to life in numbers, so by the time NWN rolled around it wasn't an unknown concept it just wasn't well instituted yet. But yes I agree with you on the second part, Biowares connection with the community has wanned over the years there is no denying that, especially after EA sucked them up. Economics have never really changed though, profit has always been the primary goal of every company.
Also don't confuse a dev for a company. It's not like Bioware/EA advertised this "free DLC" all over the website. By the same token, you could say that any mod that involves someone who worked for bioware (whether they participate in an official or enthusiast capacity) is a great gift to the community as free DLC. This is simply is not true.
I don't know, a Bioware developer is simply an extension of Bioware in my eyes. I suppose you an look at it differently but Bioware the company could have easily said not to make and release anything for the community so in that regards it kind of it like Bioware letting you play with some free toys every once in a while. Hell mods themselves are allowed and encouraged with the release of the toolset, not something they were ever obligated to do. A free tool set that gives the game unlimited like for the PC version, another instance of Bioware giving to the community.
As for their overaggressive attitude, I'm not sure that serves the interests of a company that considers themselves customer-oriented. The lack of official response, the empty promises from release dates to "changes in the communication process", and the sometimes rude moderating on this forum tell a very different story.
On the outside Bioware may consider themselves "customer-orientated" but I think they jumped off that boat a good while ago. To me customer oriented developers are companies like Paradox Interactive, Matrix Games, Battlegoat, Stardock and their little bastard child developers. Companies that don't come out of the woodwork with lawyered up statements, 110% safe posts, political correctness, and all that other nonsense and they releate with the community more as fellow gamers then as customers. One of the reasons I've got respect for people like Gaider, Chee, Woo, Kirby, and a few others is they come and say what needs to be said at times. Bioware as a whole though has shifted and stuck with a more business/consumer relationship model.
For some, it's enough that Bioware gives them great games. For others, say new customers to the Bioware/EA experience, it may not be enough until Bioware/EA provides a satisfactory answer to "what have they done for me lately?" I generally don't care about when or how games are eleased, but the attention (or lack thereof) that they've placed into the RtO situation bothers me in principle. I expect better from Bioware/EA and so should you.
I don't believe you are in any real position to tell me what I should and should not expect. I understand fully that Bioware doesn't give a damn about me and they know I don't give a damn about them. I don't expect anything from them. When they put out a product I'll judge it and if it interests me I'll buy it, and out relationship is over with until the next case where they release a product. What happens between releases is none of my busniess or any of my concern, what happens to them internally is of no real importance to me, well I own quite a bit of EA stock so it kind of does but that's another point for another day. As far as product quality at release it it up to a level I expect, which is the only thing I ever expect.
We represent customers here on this forum. EA, of which BIOWARE is
part, is quite a large electronic arts company. Tell them as a customer
what you would like to see. If you buy a car you do not concern
yourself with what goes on at the plant that builds it. That really is
not that relevant for you as a customer. You are the customer, what
goes on behind the scenes is really not your problem, do not make it so
unless you work for/at BIOWARE.
You're also spending money that isn't yours to spend. What goes on behind the scenes isn't my problem, you are correct. But that doesn't mean I feel it's right for someone who knows nothing about the industry to come on and suggest Bioware show a "gesture of kindness", the cost of that gesture be damned. Asking for a gesture implies you believe Bioware owes you for something, when in reality they owe you nothing.
Billions are made on all these games yearly, if they did not they would
not make them. Billions! The electronic art industry is making more
money that the movie and music industry combined. They are not exactly
going bankrupt you know.
Tell that to EA and their losses.
If you do not want a tiny free minor effort DA:O DLC, for whatever reasons, that is fine by me.
Hell I'd love for Bioware to give everything for free. But what I want and what can happen in reality are two completely different things. As I said there is no practical reason at all for them to go ahead with this gesture, and you saying that because I'm a customer it's none of my business is asinine. A business is a business and I can respect that, doing something that costs quite a bit of cash and offers no real gain for reasons I've already stated would be a foolhardy move on their part.
Modifié par TheMadCat, 28 janvier 2010 - 02:28 .
Retour en haut
