Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
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Heartened by the popularity of all its various forms of DRM and DLC, EA has decided to implement even further segmentation of its games. Now you’ll have the demo, the “premium demo,” the “full game” and simultaneous or post-release DLC. Gamers love segmentation! Analyst Michael Pachter reports on EA’s new strategy : Think about Battlefield 1943 as the prototype, so a full (but short) game experience for a reasonable price. At the same time, an expanded version of the game will be under development for release as a packaged product. Well now, let’s not jump to conclusions. This, after all, was in a way how Portal was. Short, low-priced, and as it turned out, harbinger for a much larger game further on. But is that all there is to it? The truth is that Portal truly was a complete game. Can EA really convince anyone that whatever they sell for $15 ahead of a big retail release is complete in any way? Seems unlikely, especially considering how DLC these days is essentially content that could have been in the retail release but was modular enough to sell on the side. I put “full game” in quotes in the first paragraph because it seems to me that truly full games are rarely released these days; pieces of the cookie are broken off until they have the bare minimum for a retail package, and then they sell you the rest of the cookie piecemeal. Obviously there is the bottom line to consider. I can’t blame EA if making medium-sized, semi-complete games and then tarting them up with DLC is a winning strategy. If they’re making money and making games, that’s fine. But gamers lose out when games are considered only as products, the same way a TV show, movie, or book will suffer if created only with “net positive dollars” the only objective in mind.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
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We’re just trying to create a balanced world for you, dear. Now hand over the money! “The way our engine and game structure works is that people need to have the exact same content for people to play together. One of the challenges with post-launch content for MP is that it can split the player base, and we want to avoid that whenever possible.” Yes, because increasing the level cap for some players, as well as giving them new characters and new weapons, won’t “split the player base.” The rage I felt yesterday re: BioShock 2 DLC has tempered a bit, if only because I saw Food, Inc. last night—my rage is now directed at the likes of Monsanto and ConAgra. (I will now be sued by Monsanto under the veggie libel laws.) But yeah, that’s 2K Games’ explanation as to why they needed to include the DLC on the disc. I do wonder if there’s more DLC sitting on the disc, and if not, then what does that say about the current explanation? “Well, in March we were concerned about splitting the player base, but it’s August now and we really don’t give a toss.” 2K added , “For this content, creating the DLC package the way we did allowed for us to not split the player base – so whether you purchase the new content or not, you can still play with your friends.” I’m well within my right to say, “I don’t believe you,” while simultaneously acknowledging that DLC I had no intention of buying, and now that I certainly won’t be buying, isn’t worth the time of day. If only we had a representative government, that way I could ask my representative, “Is this practice [keeping content on a disc you've already purchased behind a pay-wall, without telling consumers ahead of the time what the deal is] even legal? If not, what are my options? I think it’s only reasonable to know exactly what I’m purchasing when I purchase something, right? Or should I just do what I’m told?”
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Monday, March 15th, 2010
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Before I begin, that headline is completely ripped off a Eurogamer commenter , so never let it be said that I’m above stealing jokes within the right context. OK, so, it seems that the new “DLC” for BioShock 2 (which came out four days ago) isn’t really DLC at all! Nope, the content is right there, already on the disc that’s sitting inside your Xbox 360 . Time to storm the Bastille again. Users have reported that the download size of the DLC, which adds two playable multi-player characters, among other things, only comes in at 108K for the Xbox 360, and 24K for the PC. Now, unless 2K Games have invented some sort of Space Age compression technology, how can you fit two new characters (and more!) in a file so small? Conclusion: the content must have been on the disc the whole time. In other words, that means that you’re paying 400 Microsoft Points (around $5) for something that’s already in your possession! It’d be like walking into the shoe store at the mall, then being asked to pay for the shoes you’re wearing. Well, not really, but sorta. Or is it? Do you really “own” everything that’s on the disc? I would say yeah: I bought the disc, I own it. Now, if I were to have a lawyer read the fine print, he’d probably say, “Well, technically you purchased a license to play the game, and you don’t necessarily own the contents of the disc per se …” How often do you download software that, while you download the entire thing, only unlocks after you cough up $20? Same deal or not? I’d say no: when I download shareware I’m well aware that I’m downloading something that, while it’s all on my hard drive, won’t unlock until I actually buy it. There’s no such expectation for Xbox 360 games: I buy the disc, and I expect that I’ll have access to everything on the disc without having to pay extra at a later date. If not, publishers should put a sticker on the box that says, “Contains additional content on the disc that must be purchased separately.” That way people can decide if they want to support that. I probably wouldn’t just on principle, but I’m crazy like that . It’s just unseemly. I would expect that the game’s developers had created the content that later wound up in the DLC currently with the full game, and at some point the publisher was like, “Well, put these assets aside, we’ll release it as a DLC at a later date. Just put it all in a hidden directory or something.” Or maybe 2K Games should create a new term to take the place of DLC: PBC, or premium bonus content. Be upfront about it—it’s on the disc that ships, but you need to pay extra for it—and see if it sinks or swims. Video game publishers: I’m available for consulting. I’ll let you use PBC, but further tips will cost you.