74 réponses à ce sujet

[IAmNotHere]

I disagree on his importance: on my first run of Mass Effect 3, I did not have Javik in my game but I did on my second run of the game. Personally, I do not remember finding him terrible important though he is one of my favorites of the squadmates.

 

Why is it you consider Javik important?
 

The question was not aimed at me but I'd like to give my opinion. For me, Javik is important because he's a prothean (and you've been told about protheans since ME1, and he'll tell you about the protheans and the prothean society) and because, if you take him and Liara to Thessia, he'll reveal a lot of things about the asari. IMO, this is specially important if Liara is your LI, as she was mine.

 

On topic, I take the coffee. Although I enjoyed JoH, EA simply "translated" those $15 to my local currency (instead of "adapting" it, like Steam or Gamersgate), so, due to exchange rate, my wallet "feels" those $15 as $50. This made DLC far too expensive to me (one DLC being half the price of games like Grand Theft Auto V or Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor)

[vbibbi]

The question was not aimed at me but I'd like to give my opinion. For me, Javik is important because he's a prothean (and you've been told about protheans since ME1, and he'll tell you about the protheans and the prothean society) and because, if you take him and Liara to Thessia, he'll reveal a lot of things about the asari. IMO, this is specially important if Liara is your LI, as she was mine.

 

On topic, I take the coffee. Although I enjoyed JoH, EA simply "translated" those $15 to my local currency (instead of "adapting" it, like Steam or Gamersgate), so, due to exchange rate, my wallet "feels" those $15 as $50. This made DLC far too expensive to me (one DLC being half the price of games like Grand Theft Auto V or Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor)

That sucks. May I ask where you're located? I've heard that Brazil is one of the worst countries in this regard, are you there?

[Abyss108]

I disagree on his importance: on my first run of Mass Effect 3, I did not have Javik in my game but I did on my second run of the game. Personally, I do not remember finding him terrible important though he is one of my favorites of the squadmates.

 

Why is it you consider Javik important?
 

 

IAmNotHere pretty much covered it a few posts up! He's the only surviving member of the species who fought against the reapers before. It's one thing to be told the reapers have wiped out galaxies before, but having someone who has lived through it reinforces it, makes it feel more real. He reveals information you can't get  any other way as well. I can't remember the exact details about what he said (on Thessia), but I remember being shocked that that information was withheld if you don't buy the DLC.

[themikefest]

dlc

[Pallando]

 If you don't like the 'price' then don't buy it.    If enough people start to believe its a poor value and stop buying it, the price will come down or they will stop making it.

 

 

Or maybe not. Have you ever seen previous Bioware DLCs on sale?

I'm not sure people still buy DAO DLCs, but their price never drops.

In my country, it's not possible to buy the UE, so I only could get DAO+Awakening, and thus never had the opportunity to get the DLCs cheaper.

 

The idea with DLCs is that the company has a monopoly over it. I think that's also why they don't try too hard to make the games mod-friendly: mods would bring competition. Anyway, when you have a monopoly over something, you can do whatever you want with the prices...

 

 

Also, the OP is comparing DLCs with coffee. Right. Why not. All things being considered, $15 is not that expensive to have some fun. (Theater is around 8€ where I live...)

However, if you compare the prices of the 3 main DLCs ($45) to the price of the base game, it feels a bit weird. You get far more content/price in the game than in the DLCs. 

And when it comes to games, there are others around here... 

 

For example, between Pillars of Eternity and the 3 DLCs, what would you choose?

Or between 1 DLC and The Talos Principle... ?

 

Me, I'd spend more and get Mount & Blade: Warband rather than get JoH or Descent for that price any day...

[correctamundo]

The 3 DLCs. Not that I mind POE but DA comes first.

[cindercatz]

I feel like some people are missing the point (at least, as I see it) OP was trying to make:

That people who complain about how expensive the DLC is will happily drop a similar amount of money on a couple overpriced beverages (or, as someone else suggested, a movie ticket). It's not about coffee vs. games at all.

Edit: Precisely:

It's a false argument, though. For that price (just the $15), I'll see three movies and get more enjoyment out of them bang for buck. I can go out and get one of the best meals I'll have all year. I can get a music album I'll still be listening to thirty years from now if I live that long. False equivalency. It's about pricing the product appropriate to what we get out of it. Trespasser was the only one that lived up to the $15 price point. That's the problem, not the dollar figure.

[akbogert]

It's a false argument, though. For that price (just the $15), I'll see three movies and get more enjoyment out of them bang for buck. I can go out and get one of the best meals I'll have all year. I can get a music album I'll still be listening to thirty years from now if I live that long. False equivalency. It's about pricing the product appropriate to what we get out of it. Trespasser was the only one that lived up to the $15 price point. That's the problem, not the dollar figure.

 

Hey, I'm not saying it's a good comparison. Just saying some folks seem to actually think this is a question about coffee

[AlanC9]

Definitely the DLC.
 
I have a drip coffee maker, a percolator, a French press, a Keurig and, an espresso machine that steams and froths milk as well as brew espresso. I've got three coffee grinders and, at the moment, five varieties of coffee beans, a gallon of milk, half a gallon of soy milk and, a quart of cream as well as five boxes of K-cups for the Keurig, caramel, vanilla and chocolate flavorings I could add so, I think I can manage enough latte to play the DLC all night for three days without buying more coffee or coffee related items.
 
(Self confessed coffee addict here.)

No Chemex?

[BansheeOwnage]

I would plug in my coffeemaker and settle in for an evening of gaming, of course! A bargain at twice the price.

 

Some other gaming companies offer budget-priced or free DLC because they can, and in consequence, some players write as if that should be the industry norm, but the fact remains that even at $15, the DLC are a steal. I've played JoH 4 or 5 times, Descent 3 times, and Trespasser twice. Where else can I find 60 hours entertainment for $45?

It's not that DLCs don't have good content, it's just that it's usually quite a bit less for your money than the base game. For instance, if there was a fourth DA:I DLC in addition to JoH, Descent, and Trespasser, all of those combined still wouldn't be close to what I got out of the base game for the same price. *shrug*

[AlanC9]

In my country, it's not possible to buy the UE, so I only could get DAO+Awakening, and thus never had the opportunity to get the DLCs cheaper.

Couldn't you get a US edition shipped in?

I agree that DLCs rarely make financial sense unless you own all the full games out there. OTOH, you are up to speed on the game mechanics and so forth already, which is a timesaver.

[Pallando]

Couldn't you get a US edition shipped in?

I agree that DLCs rarely make financial sense unless you own all the full games out there. OTOH, you are up to speed on the game mechanics and so forth already, which is a timesaver.

 

Getting things shipped from oversea can be expensive, and tiresome. I was not willing to spend more of my time to get something that EA thought I didn't deserve because of the country I live in. Instead, I chose not to play the DLCs and try some other games. But it's a bit frustrating to feel left out. Also, it's sad because I told repeatedly my best friend to try this game out, and when he discovered the in-game advertising with Levi Dryden, he just quit because it got on his nerves (he's a bit hard to please when it comes to games...). 

 

Anyway, it's true that you don't have to learn new game mechanics, but when you're used to play videogames, it's not much of a problem. Sometimes, it's even fun to discover something new (like Braid for example). 

[Silcron]

The lattes aren't going to be worth 45$ so easy answer there.

[IAmNotHere]

That sucks. May I ask where you're located? I've heard that Brazil is one of the worst countries in this regard, are you there?

You heard right  and yes, I'm in Brazil.

[Scofield]

I'll take a joint an a baguette 

[vbibbi]

You heard right  and yes, I'm in Brazil.

Sorry to hear about the unfair conversion rates

[London]

3 lattes over Descent or Jaws. Tresspasser would win over lattes.

[Ariella]

It's a false argument, though. For that price (just the $15), I'll see three movies and get more enjoyment out of them bang for buck. I can go out and get one of the best meals I'll have all year. I can get a music album I'll still be listening to thirty years from now if I live that long. False equivalency. It's about pricing the product appropriate to what we get out of it. Trespasser was the only one that lived up to the $15 price point. That's the problem, not the dollar figure.

You can see three movies for 15 bucks?

Cheap Theatres maybe, but first run, not going to happen.

Right now Spectre is going at 8.50 USD for a matinee, and 11USD for regular price here in north of Chicago.

In NYC the top seems to be 20.09 USD with kids being about 18 USD.

KC Mo is at 15.00.

I'd go on but I think the trend of first run movies costing a bit is obvious.

But if you want to go with something a bit more permanent. Hard back novels cost more than a DLC.

[KumoriYami]

DLC. I drank coffee once and I hated it.... not really leaning towards trying lattes.

[MrObnoxiousUK]

All of these type of questions that ask will "you" tolerate x amount for DLC,  always strike me as someone doing intel gathering for a company.

[cindercatz]

You can see three movies for 15 bucks?

Cheap Theatres maybe, but first run, not going to happen.

Right now Spectre is going at 8.50 USD for a matinee, and 11USD for regular price here in north of Chicago.

In NYC the top seems to be 20.09 USD with kids being about 18 USD.

KC Mo is at 15.00.

I'd go on but I think the trend of first run movies costing a bit is obvious.

But if you want to go with something a bit more permanent. Hard back novels cost more than a DLC.

Depends where you're at for first run, but I've got a very nice viewing experience at all price levels available in my area. Benefit of living with 30-some-odd theaters in a ten mile radius, I guess. First run regular audience chain theaters run about ten bucks where I am down to $7.50 if I lived on the other side of the city and didn't mind a little drive further out. Angelika's a little bit more for art house, but either way, I can still afford two more movies at my very comfortable budget theater all in that $15, at $1.50 each. That's generally about how I spread my movie budget. If I wanted to be unreasonable, unrealistic, I'd say I could see 30 movies for that $15 by only going to see them all on 50c Tuesdays. Because I could do that.

 

In general, prices are inflated in the north to match the higher cost of living/mean income. But dlc costs the same no matter where we live (or even more with international conversion rates), so if I'm paying that much, I want top flight value for my dollar. By the same token, sure, I could pay $19 for a movie with seats that move around and vibrate, with catering (what $19, $20 gets you here), but why would I want to waste my money like that? I'm there for the movie, not the amenities. I want quality for my dollar.

 

edit:

Per the simile, whether I'd feel it fair to pay the $10-$12 to see a new film or wait a month or two for the $1.50 price depends on the movie. Same thing with games. But dlc doesn't have nearly the same rate of price decay.

 

Yes, hardback novels cost more, but you're also going to get a lot more out of them. Still, I rarely buy hardback when soft covers are available for half the price and travel much better. Same reasons I'm highly unlikely to buy the $100 boxed goodies version of a AAA game.

[nightscrawl]

All of these type of questions that ask will "you" tolerate x amount for DLC,  always strike me as someone doing intel gathering for a company.

 

Except that's not the case here, since all of us who have bought the DLC separately have already paid the $15, or $45 for all three, we've already shown that $15 is a price we will tolerate.

 

But as I said before, it depends on the individual and what they want for their money. I used to play World of Warcraft with a $15/mo subscription fee, so that is three months' worth of WoW play time. The last year or so I wasn't getting as much enjoyment out of it so I finally cancelled and haven't had a desire to play since. However, almost a year in I am still getting a lot of enjoyment from DAI, so the additional $45 for the three DLC were a good investment for me.

 

I think these scenarios are silly because it's up to the individual to decide whether a certain amount of money is "worth" a given amount of pleasure, whether that is from consuming a food or beverage, being entertained, or acquiring some article of clothing/accessory.

 

But to your point, I don't foresee DLC ever going higher than $20 (or $19.99). It's easy for many people to visualize a single $20 bill and think that it's not a lot of money. In fact, that is what the marketing folks count on us doing, just as the infomercial folks count on us dong the same with a $10 bill for something that is $9.99. There are marketing strategies that are known to work on most people, and no one should consider themselves immune, as much as they might like to think so.

[MrObnoxiousUK]

Except that's not the case here, since all of us who have bought the DLC separately have already paid the $15, or $45 for all three, we've already shown that $15 is a price we will tolerate.

 

But as I said before, it depends on the individual and what they want for their money. I used to play World of Warcraft with a $15/mo subscription fee, so that is three months' worth of WoW play time. The last year or so I wasn't getting as much enjoyment out of it so I finally cancelled and haven't had a desire to play since. However, almost a year in I am still getting a lot of enjoyment from DAI, so the additional $45 for the three DLC were a good investment for me.

 

I think these scenarios are silly because it's up to the individual to decide whether a certain amount of money is "worth" a given amount of pleasure, whether that is from consuming a food or beverage, being entertained, or acquiring some article of clothing/accessory.

 

But to your point, I don't foresee DLC ever going higher than $20 (or $19.99). It's easy for many people to visualize a single $20 bill and think that it's not a lot of money. In fact, that is what the marketing folks count on us doing, just as the infomercial folks count on us dong the same with a $10 bill for something that is $9.99. There are marketing strategies that are known to work on most people, and no one should consider themselves immune, as much as they might like to think so.

Just because you pay for something does not mean you are happy with the price,you can justify the cost regarding yourself and fair play to you if you think it is value for money.

Name one instance where a company released DLC and the masses were not happy and the price was adjusted appropriately. 

[nightscrawl]

Just because you pay for something does not mean you are happy with the price,you can justify the cost regarding yourself and fair play to you if you think it is value for money.
Name one instance where a company released DLC and the masses were not happy and the price was adjusted appropriately.

Except that's not what a question about "tolerating X amount for a DLC" implies. Rather it implies the price point past which the consumer will be unwilling to pay, and would rather go without said product because the price is offensively high (regardless of whether the person can actually afford it). So, my remark was accurate in stating that myself and others who have bought the DLC did tolerate that amount. I didn't say I was happy about it, but I paid it nonetheless.

[MrObnoxiousUK]

Except that's not what a question about "tolerating X amount for a DLC" implies. Rather it implies the price point past which the consumer will be unwilling to pay, and would rather go without said product because the price is offensively high (regardless of whether the person can actually afford it). So, my remark was accurate in stating that myself and others who have bought the DLC did tolerate that amount. I didn't say I was happy about it, but I paid it nonetheless.

Wether you are happy with the price of something does have a knockon effect about tolerating the price of certain things DLC's included. You may feel that you are forced to fork out the money to gain closure to a game,which in a way is blackmail of a sorts,imagine buying a book but the last 50 pages which are the finale have to be unlocked by paying extra.

If you feel like you are being milked,you will come to resent it and possibly start looking elsewhere for your gaming fix.