BioWare Defends Mass Effect 3 Launch-Day DLC

[Loethlin]

Good morning, Escapist!

2 pages later, we're in the exact same place we were at the very start of the thread, just sans the creepy screaming person.

In case you just stumbled upon this thread, here's the recap: Your argument is already here, somewhere. It's all been said and discussed, last 28 pages is talking in circles, some memes and a bunch of insults.

 

[sabercrusader]

I draw the line right here. You do not get to remove ESSENTIAL FUCKING content just to ship more fucking collector editions.

Fuck that. Anyone who agrees, send them an email at contact@Bioware.

Problem with that, it is not "ESSENTIAL FUCKING" content. They have stated that it is not central to the story of the game, only the lore. More like a little wink to the people who've been with Mass Effect and Bioware for a while.

Seriously, people need to stop freaking out so badly. If you REALLY want it that badly, you can either nut up or shut up and get that $10. This article specifically said that the content was not worked on until the game was completed, and I believe that is a legitimate excuse. In fact, it was what I guessed had been going on, as this is exactly what happens whenever there is day 1 DLC.

I myself am getting the Collectors Edition, so I don't need to worry about it, however, if I were only getting the regular game, I wouldn't fucking whining and complaining about it constantly thinking that everything is supposed to be mine. If I truly wanted it, I'd pay the $10, if I didn't, I wouldn't. Simple as fucking that. You don't want it, don't buy it, because I don't think complaining is going to get you anywhere at this point.

 

[zinho73]

Almost, but not quite right. I would say that a squad mate, its dialogue options (even if few ones) and a mission are not just cosmetic. Cosmetic is a new suit of armor or skins for weapons. Even exclusive weapons are not just cosmetic, but most people seems to be OK with that.

Good, bad, important to the main plot or not, we are talking about gameplay here and not just the dog that follows you around or the pets in WOW.

I agree that EA is giving us a choice here - for ten bucks more you can have all gameplay content we produced for the game up to this date. Compared with what was on offer in the past (free Zaheed) and what's on offer from the competition (free update for the expanded edition for the Witcher 2) this is a terrible option.

From a consumer point of view, day 1 DLC is one of the worst ways to launch your game.
1. For some the game will feel incomplete (and that's subjective so you cannot say that that person is completely wrong),
2. for some it will look like a tentative to milk the fans' cash...
3. and to others it will feel like an opportunity.

The success of this initiative will be measured by how many people will identify with number 3.

I said cosmetic, but I am not sure it covers the load of the point I was conveying. Let's go with 'unnecessary luxury' and an apology from me for not using the right term.
The Prothean has been confirmed to NOT be a part of the story, and by downloading the DLC you get him as a team-member, plus a special mission in which I am sure his whole reason for being on the team will (probably) be explained. It's not part of the original story, so by not having the DLC, you won't miss out on anything.

If you do choose to use this DLC, you will get some extra luxury with your game. Unnecessary, but nice nonetheless, since it's added padding.

Although I agree with you as far as day 1 DLC, in this case I think EA is in the right (relatively).

This Prothean DLC is already included (as in, free to download) with the collector's edition of Mass Effect 3. Imagine how pissed off the people who purchased the normal edition are going to be when they find out that they can't play with such an iconic character, they would go absolutely nuts.
So EA is giving them the option of buying it, for 10 bucks extra, instead of shelving out a lot more money for a collector's edition (what a lot of people don't even care about) and probably will be sold out.

Should it have been included on the game's disc from the get-go? I don't know, it's not vital to the story and a secondary team has been responsible for it's development, so yeah, what would you have lost if they never even made it at all. Nothing really.

I get your point. But "unnecessary" in this case is really something very subjective, hence all the rage.

I see value in the argument that, in a game where story is front and center, any piece of story is important - even if it does not affect the endgame.

The Prothean shouldn't have been in the CE to begin with. The bonuses on the CE should have been cosmetic only or otherwise no in-game related stuff, like action figures, keychains, artbooks, etc. Collector's edition is about collectibles - not about gameplay. EA is trying to add value to their CE package and, at the same time, get more money from fans on the launch.

This is a little bit too greedy and they are paying the price with loyalty loss. The whole problem is that, if it pays up financially, chances are they are going to try to push things a little further in the future.

It may or may not be the case with ME3, but Dragon Age2 did felt like an incomplete game because of this money-grabing mentality.

 

[Actino]

Have people even read Bioware's statment? All these complaints are issues that they have already responded to. There is no reason to see this DLC as a bad thing.

And if you think they are lying - Do you really think that they would lie to a horde of angry TotalBuscuit fanboys 2 weeks before release? That would destroy their reputation.

 

[odanhammer]

What do people not get about this.
If you finish a big title game like this on decemeber 31 , 2011. Its not like you'll see it on shelves Jan 1st , 2012.
It takes up to 3 months for a game to go through the processes of being tested to see what age group its ment for . As well as being copied to many millions of disc , as well as many millions of cases being made. Then manuals and such being printed. Then all that stuff being put together.
Then the actually shipping times as well.
60-90 days is a lot of time to not being working after a game comes out. Many companies work on DLC during that time. Its why you see DLC a few weeks after launch.
Day one stuff is going to happen.
And do you really think Mass Effect 3 is going to shafted you on story? Fuck i played the demo for 15 minutes and though it was the best story driven game i've played in a very long time.
So get over yourselfs.
And if you have a problem
Go fack yourself.

 

[mirasiel]

What do people not get about this.
If you finish a big title game like this on decemeber 31 , 2011. Its not like you'll see it on shelves Jan 1st , 2012.
It takes up to 3 months for a game to go through the processes of being tested to see what age group its ment for . As well as being copied to many millions of disc , as well as many millions of cases being made. Then manuals and such being printed. Then all that stuff being put together.
Then the actually shipping times as well.
60-90 days is a lot of time to not being working after a game comes out. Many companies work on DLC during that time. Its why you see DLC a few weeks after launch.
Day one stuff is going to happen.
And do you really think Mass Effect 3 is going to shafted you on story? Fuck i played the demo for 15 minutes and though it was the best story driven game i've played in a very long time.
So get over yourselfs.
And if you have a problem
Go fack yourself.

Stop forcing your "reality" onto Zeel, he has FACTS and DISINGENUOUS ASSERTIONS to back him up.

Plus the voices in his head are really loud.

 

[joshthor]

meh. day 1 dlc is fine. online passes are not. ME3 has both. therefore... not ok. online passes are a lazy way to counter the used game market, Day 1 dlc that is completely optional is a smart way.

Lazy perhaps, but what would you suggest as an alternative? Companies need to get as much revenue as they can for their next title. It's no mean feat to work around, used games, pirates and raging fans. Your right they really need to find a new way of counter these markets but until then I'm not going to begrudge a developer for using such methods. I'm happy enough to pay for what I get.

as i said - day 1 dlc is fine. it provides a bonus incentive for a new customer that a used customer wouldnt notice is missing but is a nice addition to a game for the new customer. the used customer has the option for buying the day 1 dlc. (ala dragon age: origins with shale)

online passes detract from both the used and new customers purchase in a way that will reduce the likelihood of both coming back and buying more. both need to go "seriously? i need to put in this stupid code?" and enter the code with a goddamn controller. used it pisses off far more and they will second guess thier purchase of an EA product in the future. I havent bought an EA game since i bought a used copy of Need for Speed hot pursuit for my brother without realizing it needs an online pass. im that pissed about it still. they dont even advertise it enough to make it apparent you need an online pass, and thats a scam in my opinion.

i used to be an EA fanboy, (particularly biowares) but now i will rent the game when it comes out and buy it when it hits 20 bucks new. EA is very much looking out only for itself at the expense of its customers. It makes its well established PC franchises only available on origin, it requires online passes on all systems and they havent had a good new IP in a couple of years. they are the controlling boyfreind of the gaming industry, and its not something i want to, nor will deal with.

 

[AnarchistFish]

2. Because it costs money to create content, might as well ask why all dlc isn't free, or why you don't get the collector edition mechanical dog in the standard edition. While you're at it, complain to airlines that your coach ticket doesn't get you first class seats. e_e

Fair enough on the first point, but it's still part of the game. Some games have more content than others but they're all around the same price. Anyway, $10 is really disproportionate in the context of the rest of the game.

I won't argue that. I guess it would depend on how much man power they had to put into it's development and I don't have that information. Most games now a days seem over priced. On top of that, the addition of Multi-player in ME3 actually forced me to buy 2 copies. Previously my wife and I could share a copy. Still, I'm clearly willing to pay for it so it couldn't be that over priced.

Ah yeah. I share a 360 with my brother and I'm still not sure if the online pass will apply to both our profiles or only one. Either way, we're not willing to pay twice...

 

[anthony87]

Huh...it seems as though this thread is finally starting to wind down. Such a shame we can't keep it going forever. It was one of the funniest threads in a long time.

 

[Coreless]

Oh dear. I read almost the whole thread, and I must say that I never laughed so much. This thread will be legendary, so I'll post here in order to be a part of it. So much drama, so many opinions! I just don't understand why do some people (whom I will not name, but it starts with "Z-" and ends with "-eel" [hehe, eel]) spend so much time arguing on the internet about this, despite the fact that the game is out in 10 days and when it gets out, we'll know the truth. No, argue on the internet!

Obligatory Mass Effect reference sentence: I am Commander Shepard and this is my favourite thread on the Escapist.

I'm with you on that, this thread really is legendary lol. I foresee this going into the thousand comment mark before its all said and done.

Obligatory Mass Effect reference sentence #2: "Have you got a minute?", "can it wait for a bit, I need to contribute to this legendary Escapist thread and finish up some calibrations.

 

[SajuukKhar]

The most annoying thing is that they said it couldn't be released in the disc as they started work later, yet are able to have it ready for release?

Theres 2-3 months before a game is done and it comes out.

They used those 2-3 months to finish the DLC, and slap it up as a separate download.

as i said - day 1 dlc is fine. it provides a bonus incentive for a new customer that a used customer wouldnt notice is missing but is a nice addition to a game for the new customer. the used customer has the option for buying the day 1 dlc. (ala dragon age: origins with shale)

The difference with Shale is that Shale was meant to be in the game, she was originally recruitable in Redcliff, but was cut due to time constraints and they were able to get additional money to finish what they had started working on.

 

[Irridium]

Huh...it seems as though this thread is finally starting to wind down. Such a shame we can't keep it going forever. It was one of the funniest threads in a long time.

I know. Haven't laughed this hard in a good while. Kind of sad to see it wind down.

 

[Erttheking]

Huh...it seems as though this thread is finally starting to wind down. Such a shame we can't keep it going forever. It was one of the funniest threads in a long time.

We could start posting ponies, but it seems Zeel may have gone to find other people to yell at.

Oh trust me just wait, he'll be back before long. Until then I'm going to fire up some Dark Souls...wait a minute I just remembered that I haven't finished the ME2 playthroughs that I wanted. "Looks at date" CRAP!

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

snip

Understanding this insanity would require reading through the Omega 29-page relay. No soul has ever returned from doing so.

hahahaha thanks for the lols.

I really don't care, I'll buy it anyway. I'm a bit frivolous like that.

 

[anthony87]

I have a feeling that Zeel will come back. He doesn't strike me as the kind to leave something unfinished like this.

I really hope he never gets banned. Only The Cool Kids posts amuse me as much but he doesn't seem to post as frequently anymore.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I go to bed and when I get back, this thread is calm?

What are you people doing!?

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

People would be moaning if it was available to those that bought the collectors edition only. You would think people would be happy they get to use the character without having to buy the CE edition. Bioware didnt have to allow it. They are giving you the option to. It being day one dlc isnt an issue....how else are buyers meant to down load there code when they buy there game?

 

[tendaji]

In other Mass Effect News!

It would appear that those Mass Effect:Space editions ended up caught in trees at least 150 feet up in the air! Mass Effect had this to say about the event.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the San Francisco Space Edition launches. After two days of exhaustive search and attempted recovery, both launches have been deemed irretrievable. It is unfortunate, but we have to require all participants halt further investigations due to legal and safety reasons. We are floored at the support, involvement, and contribution of the ME3 community in the last 48 hours, it has been nothing short of an amazing adventure. And it's been the greatest honor to meet all of you.

After fans waited at the site, using slingshots to try and shoot the capsule down, EA finally decided that safety was too big of a concern, especially when folks attempted to climb that tree.
Because none of us had predicted something similar happening, right?

Cursed Renegade copies of the game, trolling those fans who got to the site.

Anyways, back on topic, I don't have a problem with this, because it is stated to be an optional character, which I quoted from the Bioware source before (OMG Bioware are liars!!!) And then the Community Manager not having any problem with the game (OMG Bioware Propaganda!!!) So I personally have no problem at all with this. Of course I won't be seen probably from March 6th until the 12th, but that's fine.

 

[Loethlin]

In other Mass Effect News!

It would appear that those Mass Effect:Space editions ended up caught in trees at least 150 feet up in the air! Mass Effect had this to say about the event.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the San Francisco Space Edition launches. After two days of exhaustive search and attempted recovery, both launches have been deemed irretrievable. It is unfortunate, but we have to require all participants halt further investigations due to legal and safety reasons. We are floored at the support, involvement, and contribution of the ME3 community in the last 48 hours, it has been nothing short of an amazing adventure. And it's been the greatest honor to meet all of you.

After fans waited at the site, using slingshots to try and shoot the capsule down, EA finally decided that safety was too big of a concern, especially when folks attempted to climb that tree.
Because none of us had predicted something similar happening, right?

"Sir... Our Ultimate Marketing Plan of Absolute Evil has failed."

"WHAT?! How did this happen! Who is responsible?!"

"Sir... It appears the games are stuck on some trees. The fans can't retrieve them."

"Ah, crap. It would've worked, too, if not for those meddling kids!"