Dotard-Threads tarnishing the RPG Codex's prestige

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hoi3 doesn't follow the new DLC sheme. yes, you *have* to buy the addons. but that's precisely what you *don't* have to do with PI's DLC sheme. that's the whole point why they did it.

Right. Consequently, the DLC doesn't provide a lot of value for your gaming dollar. Especially since the Muslim mechanics are less fun than the Christian ones.

It is an advantage for you if you want to free ride, sure.

Personally, I'm willing to pay a reasonable amount for the best possible game.

Specifically, I'm looking for as much balancing and polishing as possible, with selected new content to fill in holes in the current game. An expansion can include as one of several features... 50 new events or a revamped system for handling the pope.

But these minor things are unsuitable for inclusion in a DLC, since they're just not flashy enough to be marketed by themselves.

So they'll either have to be given away for free or more likely just neglected.

Four giant content patches + 10ish regular patches > a huge number low value DLCs with African Units, 10 minutes of music or the ability to play as Islams (that you could previously play with mods anyway).

Then you don't buy them and you miss out on nothing. How is that bad?

But that's exactly what the DLC model allows: you can selectively buy what you want and completely forget about what you don't want, as it won't impact your game one bit. You can even still play MP together with others, that have bought some or all DLC, something that was not previously possible. As Skyway pointed out: You have to buy all the expansions.
Balancing and Polishing is happening via patches, wich you don't have to pay for anyway. Plus CK2 is PIs most polished games already.

Again, the content patches happen anyway and you don't have to pay for them. The DLC buyers are paying for the content patches by buying 10 minutes of music and african units. You can pay for no DLC and the content patches will happen anyway. Something that was not true previously.

Paradox games are like wine: the longer you wait to buy them the better they become. Except unlike wine, they get cheaper with time.

I want to pay for certain kinds of content, but the kind of content I want is mostly not flashy enough to be marketed by itself as a DLC.

Under the previous model, you could easily see an expansion that offered 50 more ruler events, or a slightly improved AI, not as a primary feature, but as one of the bullet points in the promotional material.

But under the DLC system, it would be difficult to market and sell such a thing by itself. Especially if you wanted to have the events and the AI somehow running behind the scenes even for users who didn't buy the DLC, the way the SoI mechanics do.

Under the expansion pack system, there was some monetary incentive to provide this sort of :monocle: behind the scenes content. But under the DLC system, this kind of content can no longer be sold effectively, as it is simply not flashy enough to be marketed by itself.

Paradox thus has an incentive to focus on flashy, DLC friendly content, rather than on the behind the scenes changes that end up significantly improving the game.

They'll still spend a token amount of time on free balancing and polishing content, but how could you possibly think that free content would be a priority over content they can sell?

SoI is pretty "behind the scenes changes". I don't see how a fleshed out muslim mechanic doesn't enhance the game, be it you bought the DLC or not.

What you can argue is that you don't get everything at once but in smaller pieces but more frequently. Not that this makes any difference whatsoever, but ~perception~ and people whining that they don't get mega bombastic ultra content 20 GB+ patch after the game has been out for 4 months.

Considering the game was out for 4 months when SoI hit i think that's a pretty exceptional patch. The usual expansion timing is one year+.

Stuff like better AI is not what they are selling, it's being deliverd via patches that cost you _nothing_. Again, the DLC people finance PI to work on what you want them to do. Previously that was done by releasing an expac every odd year that also forced you to buy it in order to participate in MP games and what not. Now you don't have to buy it and you _still_ get the stuff you want.

You are under the impression that stuff like that comes bundled with DLCs. It's not.

Raw is confirmed to be as big a fanboy as the Dotards.

Ctrl + V that into GD, Raw. It's hot news.

I understand the theory behind the optional DLC + patches system.

My point is that it changes the financial incentives for Paradox.

Previously, they were to some extent selling patches; giant content patches called expansions. This created a monetary incentive for them to keep polishing and developing the game, as well as coming up with a variety of minor gameplay tweaks to go along with the expansion's main features.

I was happy to pay for these giant patches, since they were beyond what you'd expect for free.

But now, the monetary incentive has changed.

Patching, polishing, balancing and minor gameplay tweaks are now freely given away, Paradox only profits from them indirectly. On the other hand, content that can be sold directly as DLC provides an immediate revenue stream.

I believe that this fact gives them an incentive them to focus on flashy, DLC suitable content that they can sell, instead of focusing on free content. I believe that there is now less incentive for them to focus on polishing, balancing and tweaking the game, since they can no longer sell that work as part of giant content patch / expansion.

i needed 100h to confirm that dota 2 is still as shitty as the mod.

I can't even counter shcuh glorious argument, glad to see bros so devoted to the study of the decline.

That is completely hypothetical at this point and exactly how they don't want it to be, according to the myriad of explanations they have plastered across their forums.

You may not like the new muslim mechanics, but you can hardly argue that it isn't "behind the scenes" as you put it.

someone has to sacrifice himself on the Bonfire Of Decline to earn enlightenment.