Dragon Age Content Withheld From Vanilla Copy, Sold as DLC

[Castanova]

In case you feel like spending an extra $7 for the game:

http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board. ... did=102952

BioWare today announced that Dragon Age: Origins will get its first downloadable expansion on day one. Called the Warden's Keep, the DLC will add a dungeon-based quest to the game along with six new abilities, a variety of items, and a base where players can trade with merchants. It will feature a supernatural storyline set in an ancient--and possibly haunted--fortress once used as a redoubt by the Grey Wardens, the ancient order at the center of Origins' main storyline. (A magic suit of Grey Warden armor will be one of the items in the add-on.)

The Warden's Keep will be available for MSP 560 ($7) on Xbox Live Marketplace and $7 on the PC on November 3. It will cost the same price on the PlayStation Store when the PlayStation 3 version of Dragon Age goes on sale later in November.

 

[Gragt]

Ridiculous.

 

[SerratedBiz]

Bioware announced today that the script leading to the final boss will be released in a separate expansion, tentatively dubbed "So You Can Finish The Game". Of course, players who choose not to acquire this adventure-packed, item-rewarding content can still enjoy the rest of the game. However, if this script is not present then the boss is not marked as hostile, therefore rendering the ending unachievable. Bioware fans cheer in anticipation at their forums, celebrating the announcement of this critical, once thought cancelled, expansion pack.

 

[Silellak]

Oh for fuck's sake, Bioware. Have we really reached the point of taking content directly out of the retail release in order to sell it on release day?

I can't wait to see where THIS new trend might take us. "Download the final dungeon for only $10 on release day! Finish the story, defeat the villain, and perhaps win the heart of a lucky companion. Additional endings sold separately."

EDIT:

Bioware announced today that the script leading to the final boss will be released in a separate expansion, tentatively dubbed "So You Can Finish The Game". Of course, players who choose not to acquire this adventure-packed, item-rewarding content can still enjoy the rest of the game. However, if this script is not present then the boss is not marked as hostile, therefore rendering the ending unachievable. Bioware fans cheer in anticipation at their forums, celebrating the announcement of this critical, once thought cancelled, expansion pack.

I am moderately terrified by our having the exact same idea at the exact same time.

 

[racofer]

 

[King Crispy]

^^ Is that the Marty Feldman ending?

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I wonder how long it'll take until they figure out they can sell new endings. If you don't buy, you'll get a generic boring ending.

 

[SerratedBiz]

I am moderately terrified by our having the exact same idea at the exact same time.

I'm sure there's some kind of name for this kind of reaction. We can call it the Biowarian Syndrome, an incredulous and sarcastic comment in the face of utter brainfuckery.

 

[racofer]

No. You two are just faggots.

 

[Silellak]

I am moderately terrified by our having the exact same idea at the exact same time.

I'm sure there's some kind of name for this kind of reaction. We can call it the Biowarian Syndrome, an incredulous and sarcastic comment in the face of utter brainfuckery.

Come to think of it, this is hardly a new trend. While Bethesda didn't do it on release day, they did in fact sell the "true ending" to the main story of Fallout 3 as a piece of DLC.

 

[Nael]

^^ Is that the Marty Feldman ending?

Do you honestly think anyone here is old enough or not Eastern European enough to get that?

 

[Armacalypse]

This is what I've been expecting the whole DLC thing to devolve into. Most players won't feel that they have been cheated out of anything, and they will defend the developer by saying that the original game is a full game like any other, and that it should be sold at full price. They will also say that a the DLC is additional content like any other, which should be sold for some extra money. All the while the reviewers will add as a plus in their reviews that the game has DLC available, and thus has more longevity and value.

It's brilliant.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Come to think of it, this is hardly a new trend. While Bethesda didn't do it on release day, they did in fact sell the "true ending" to the main story of Fallout 3 as a piece of DLC.

Yes, only thing new about this is that it's going to be released on fucking release day

I can see kids excited about this already

"man, DLC on FIRST DAY! Now THAT'S efficiency! BRB, BUYIN'"

 

[Xor]

The gaming industry reaches a new low. That's Bioware for you, always ahead of the curve.

 

[Jaime Lannister]

I really don't understand all the DLC / bonus content rage. I must be really dense or something. To me its relatively straightforward economics and makes perfect sense. Game prices are more or less fixed at $X per copy. PC games are lower priced than consoles but also less profitable because of piracy. Used game sales are a huge market for GameStop and their ilk but no revenue makes it to the developer. Games are becoming more expensive to create every day.

Options include
1. Blowing the lid of the price standard and charging $200 for big games like Dragon Age.
2. Making cheaper, crappier games with less content
3. Cutting down on piracy and used sales so devs get a bigger slice of the pie
4. Finding other sources of revenue for successful games.

Option 1 would surely drive us all away and we'd wail uncontrollably about option 2. Option 4 means either DLC and expansions or in-game advertisements or microtransactions or subscription fees. Which of those do you prefer?

That leaves option 3. We can all forgo a savings of $3-5 on a used title and get a "free" $15 DLC so that Bioware makes something off this deal or we could have a heinous copy protection program that rootkits our boxes (and ultimately doesn't work anyway.) Again, which would you prefer?

I'm not a blind Bioware fanboy and I'm definitely no EA worshipper, but the simple fact is that providing content you want in exchange for you "playing by the rules" as far as the developer and publisher see it is a lot less nasty than other methods they have tried in the past. I thank Bioware for at least trying it.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Jaime does have a point

 

[GarfunkeL]

Before falling down that road, JL, I'd like to see some fiscal proof that newer titles have, indeed had more man-years and bigger budgets than previous titles AND that Bioware's profit line has plummeted.

As far as I know, when discussion turns into economics, everything said here is just on the level "well, I THINK it's like this but I don't KNOW anything".

And they could have the courtesy of selling it on fucking day 10 after release. If I'm gonna get robbed, they might at least use a knife instead of a fucking spoon, if my get my idiotic analogy.

I'm not brave enough to venture into Biotard-forums, wonder what the reaction there is. Gah, what am I wondering? It's one or two guys arguing that this is bad, Beerfish & Maria Caliban arguing (along with a retard or two) that it's awesome and the critics are never seen again.

EDIT: to re-iterate my previous point since I'm afraid it is not clear enough - does anyone actually know for sure that Bioware profits have gone down along the years? This could very well be just maximing profits on normal+1 level.

 

[Malachi]

What if you bought the game, then removed the DLC from inventory? Problem solved, right?

 

[Difera]

They are already making almost 3x more money by making everything a trilogy... pisses me off finishing a game and get that feeling of "Great, now in about 3-6 years I'll know how it really ends!"...and that's what I'll probably get with DA.

 

[Castanova]

I really don't understand all the DLC / bonus content rage.

In this case, the game should be $7 cheaper at retail so that all $7 goes straight to Bioware rather than Gamestop. Or a digitial distribution version should be cheaper than boxed retail. But neither of these things happen because Bioware isn't interested in being fair to people who play by the rules. They're interested in squeezing people for money. Admirable as a company but I don't pick my games based on whether the dev is good at business.

 

[Weresloth]

They are already making almost 3x more money by making everything a trilogy... pisses me off finishing a game and get that feeling of "Great, now in about 3-6 years I'll know how it really ends!"...and that's what I'll probably get with DA.

Let me guess you have bought and played Ultima 1 to 8
Wizardy 1 to 8
Fallout 1,2,3
And NHL 200 to 2010?

It's a fairly simple consumer issue. If you like the sounds of DLC you buy it. If you don't you don't. If you are fundamentally against the concept you don't buy it. If one is so outraged by the whole concept you don't buy the main product.

It's funny how on here people rail about how crappy a game is going to be and then they rail against any other decision regarding the product.

 

[Weresloth]

I really don't understand all the DLC / bonus content rage.

In this case, the game should be $7 cheaper at retail so that all $7 goes straight to Bioware rather than Gamestop. Or a digitial distribution version should be cheaper than boxed retail. But neither of these things happen because Bioware isn't interested in being fair to people who play by the rules. They're interested in squeezing people for money. Admirable as a company but I don't pick my games based on whether the dev is good at business.

You are taking the tact that any new or recent DLC is part of the game, they are not. Some of the stuff like the Shale character that was going to be cut was made fit for distribution during the delay and is being included free for the new game buyer.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I really don't understand all the DLC / bonus content rage.

In this case, the game should be $7 cheaper at retail so that all $7 goes straight to Bioware rather than Gamestop.

What if the game... is already $7 cheaper? :shock:

btw, found this

 

[Castanova]

You are taking the tact that any new or recent DLC is part of the game, they are not.

Don't be naive. Something like this "zero-day" DLC is planned in advance by suits. While, I am all for your assessment as to the economics of it (I am prepared to vote with my dollars) from a mechanical perspective, it misses the fact that this type of DLC is an obvious indicator to the suits having their tentacles into this game's content. It lets me know that this is a "safe" game, one that has been analyzed throughout the process by product strategists and marketers.

What if the game... is already $7 cheaper?

Oh, right, I forgot. Every game in the entire store is underpriced as goodwill towards legit customers.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

y so paranoid