7 réponses à ce sujet

[Wishpig]

Before anyone heard about Dragon Age: Awakaning there was a leak, a rumor, about it in some australian gaming mag. A few days later they were proven right, about not only the expansion but the name. However, they also said it would be roughly 15 hours. I mean they ended up being two for two, but are they two for three or three for three? Thats the question.

If I'm paying $40 for the PC version, $10 more then normal x-pack price, and $10 more then should be in comparison to the console price (console games cost $10 dollars more then the average PC game because they have to pay big bucks for the rights to publish on a console)... then I feel like I'm being pretty damn ripped off. Getting sick of EA charging us a little more then they should with every DA:O thing the release. It adds up.

BUT the price issue has been debaited to death and frankly, you don't care if I'll buy it or not.

So back to my main point... has bioware addressed this or given us an esitmate of the game's length? Honestly, I think it's a rumor and false, bioware has stated this x-pack is bigger then any to date and while I find that hard to beleave due to the massive length of Throne of Bhall, I also don't think they would say this if it was a mere $15 hours in length. Of course it wouldn't be the first time the truth was stretched.

[Ferret A Baudoin]

I'm honestly a little puzzled by some folks obsession with game length. What seems more important are: Did I have a ripping good time? Did it tell a tell a gripping tale that I got lost in? I hope the answers for Awakening will be "yes" to both. And game length is a bloody tough thing to gauge - some folks can finish Origins in 24 hours and some 240 hours. That's a factor of 10 difference.



Plan on having a good time and a chance to get lost in Ferelden again. Your gameplay length mileage will vary.

[David Gaider]

Offkorn wrote...
Not buying the expansion pack is not the problem. Buying the expansion pack and having it not be worth its price tag is the problem.

I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but the majority of PC and digital content purchases cannot be refunded.

Then it's up to you to be certain that what you're expecting is what you're paying for. There is likely to be more information coming from us on details regarding the expansion as the release date draws nearer, and failing that you can turn to reviews (both commercial as well as from other people who have played it) to inform your opinion.

If a game's overall length is the only thing you're interested in knowing, that's certainly up to you -- but I think it would be worthwhile tempering some expectations knowing:

a) Awakening is an expansion, not a full game. Nor is it intended to be.

Origins was already a very content-filled game, especially compared to almost every other game out there. If one honestly expects the price point for any additional content to match the playing length of the original game and take nothing else into consideration (such as the smaller audience) then the solution would seem to be that we need to make smaller games if we wish to continue making additional content for purchase.

Regardless, no matter what we put out it's up to you to determine if it's worth the money you'll pay. Value is not based on length alone, which I think is all Ferret was suggesting -- and the focus on it by some is disconcerting at times. Personally, I think Origins could have been much, much shorter. It would probably have been better paced, story-wised, and maybe even been more enjoyable for some. YMMV, as always, especially considering some put a lot of value into wide-open exploration (which is not the kind of game we make), but I think if anyone's expectation is that every product we make must contain 100+ hours of content no matter the scope you're going to be sorrily disappointed. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that's simply the way it is.

Modifié par David Gaider, 08 février 2010 - 08:01 .

[David Gaider]

The Woldan wrote...
@ David Gaider
I like to think of Awakening like Baldurs Gate II expansion Throne of Bhaal, it was fairly short, the storyline was dense, the action was marvelous, level design outstanding, OST fabulous, overall atmosphere and setting exciting. Each hour of TOB was worth three hours of the original Baldurs Gate II. As far as I remember play time was around 20 hours which was IMO perfect.

I really hope Awakening will play a similar role.

Whereas I would say that Throne of Bhaal was massively oversized for an expansion. Definitely worth the value, without question, but if you're using that as your baseline then you are probably raising your expectations a bit high. Throne of Bhaal was originally intended to be BG3.

spark420 wrote...
make it D2 shorter and they will not come. (most of the non-fanboys) because the game should be shorter so we can match the price of the dlc is kinda messed up.

If you're saying that the logic that suggests the price of DLC should directly match up with the length of the original game is messed up -- then yes. Yes, I agree.

Modifié par David Gaider, 08 février 2010 - 08:52 .

[David Gaider]

JKJEDIKNIGHT wrote...
You're going to pay for a full game, and get 9 hours tops. And while that may be okay in some games, it's not okay in an RPG, it's just not. What GOOD RPG is short? Can anyone give an example?

What good RPG? Or what good RPG expansion?

We don't have a say on what is charged for an expansion, and you have every right to decide what you think is worthwhile for you to pay for, but I suspect that "% of original game length = % of original price" is not the formula used... not for this expansion or any expansion that I know of.

And yes, BIOWARE has said point blank, that this is not a full game. Okay, so stop charging people like it is maybe? I hate to be spiteful, but at this point given the marketing strategy here, I hope Awakening gets murdered by Final Fantasy XIII or something else coming out in March, then maybe BIOWARE can get someone above a 4th grade reading level as their Marketing Manager.

Gosh. With that kind of persuasive talk, I just don't see how we couldn't scramble to accomodate you.

[David Gaider]

JKJEDIKNIGHT wrote...
Sure, perhaps what I said was crude, but what about that whole, the customer is always right speal?  Didn't they teach you guys that in marketing school?

The customer is not always right, not when they are behaving badly. It is not a shield. And I am not part of marketing -- I am a developer who comes here on my own time, thank you very much.

When a customer is irate, or lashes out, you don't goad them on regardless of what they say.

Didn't you say you weren't buying Awakening? As I recall, that makes you not a customer. You are, however, in our house and on our forums. If you feel hard done by I suggest you contact Victor Wachter, our community coordinator.

If you guys that actually respond here on the community (Chris, David, Ferret etc) have no say in the prices of your products, then kindly tell us who does, and maybe we'll bring our gripes to them.  Point me in the direction and I'll say my peace, I've no problems doing that obviously

What you are looking for is our publisher -- EA. We are developers, as in the people actually making the game. That's it.

Modifié par David Gaider, 10 février 2010 - 05:50 .

[Ferret A Baudoin]

Like I've said before, it's really hard to say how long a game is. I know my playthroughs of Origins were fast for most folks (some forum folks have played it faster). Well below the median. In my playthroughs of Awakening with perfect knowledge of everything (knowing every puzzle, location of widget X, etc) my gameplay length was longer than most single player games I've bought recently. But more importantly, it was full of interesting characters, fun combats, and new places to explore. If you like Origins and want more, Awakening should make you happy.

[David Gaider]

JKJEDIKNIGHT wrote...
No offense Ferret, but I notice you gracefully avoided giving an actual number, which is what I and I think a lot of others would like to see.

Of course you would. But just because you may want info doesn't mean we can simply provide it -- information about a new game has to go through channels and is sent out in stages as we get closer to release. Once it's public, then we can discuss it. If you prefer to think we're hiding it from you, that's your business, but we're no more hiding that than we are information about new companions, game features or anything else. It will all come out in due time, and our presence on the forums (or yours) doesn't preclude that process.