Day One DLC. Whats the point?

[Fappy]

To prevent people from pirating the game in some cases.

I don't think it's that at all really.

Game Devs have to know that their DLC will be pirated almost as easily as the game themselves.

It's a matter of timing.. using workers to the best efficiency.. and sometime's it's about getting money.. Day One DLC should probably be free... I'm not saying their time isn't worth the money.. just doesn't seem worth it on Day One, when I just bought a brand new game for 70 bucks and are being asked to pay more to see it all..

If it's part of a promotion that I missed, like a collector's edition, etc, then yeah, ok, I get that.. I'll pay, but if it's not.. it hurts a little.

I totally understand why they do it, I'm just really happy Bioware made their Dayone DLC new for new users.. I just hope they make that a policy from now on.

That's why I said some cases. Bioware's strategy is entirely counter piracy and encouraging people to buy new copies instead of used.

 

[timax]

You obviously haven't read anything here have you?

 

[Void(null)]

There are a few reasons. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.154083#3719305]

Yep, that sums it up nicely.

DLC is something to work on while the main game is in feature lock, with the advent of DLC developers who are not shifted over to Q&A can work on content without interfearing with the main titles development cycle.

Sometimes its free, sometimes its not, but simply amounts to better management of time and resources.

 

[Agayek]

What exactly is the point of having day one DLC in a game? If it is ready to go at launch, then why bother keeping it separate from the rest of the game?

Just curious. No I am not talking about Mass Effect 2. I know that the Zaeed DLC is delayed.

I can understand releasing something maybe a week or two down the line, where you have time to fine tune it, maybe to come along with a bug patch, but releasing something separate even though it is complete alongside the game at launch doesn't seem to make much sense.

Zaeed DLC was out day 1. I downloaded it as soon as I got the game.

The thing with Day 1 DLC though is two main reasons:

1) Combat Piracy. Usually, with day 1 DLC, either pre-orders or retail bought games come with codes to get the DLC for free. It's mostly just an incentive for people to buy the game.

2) Money. Everyone that pirates the game or buys it used would need to pay for the DLC to get the full content, thus the publisher continues to make money where without they would make nothing.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

What exactly is the point of having day one DLC in a game? If it is ready to go at launch, then why bother keeping it separate from the rest of the game?

Just curious. No I am not talking about Mass Effect 2. I know that the Zaeed DLC is delayed.

I can understand releasing something maybe a week or two down the line, where you have time to fine tune it, maybe to come along with a bug patch, but releasing something separate even though it is complete alongside the game at launch doesn't seem to make much sense.

Actually I have the Zaeed dlc. It was delayed 24 hours.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Okay, you guys bring up some very good points.

But what if there is DLC on the gold copy, that can only be unlocked by purchasing it?

Right now I am looking at Empire Total War: Special Forces Edition. The special forces units were on the standard disc, as well as the SP edition that cost ten dollars more.

Six months later, the Special Forces units are on sale for standard owners for only three dollars. For something that was already in the game. That other people had already been overcharged for.

 

[Weaver]

I don't know. I don't know enough about video game development and production to really say why they would do that or to criticize them for doing it.

that's actually the best thing to do.

If you don't know, don't make an ass out of yourself by loudly proclaiming that what you don't know about is done wrong.

If you want to learn however, there are several good posts in this thread, particularly Amnestic's link to a forum Mod Explaining it, and several posts under that in the linked thread is an actual quote of a game dev explaining it.

While I certainly understand the post and the arguments (being a software developer and all) I don't understand how this person can possibly expect every person who plays games to grasp the complexities of the development cycle. The layman consumer is not going to give a fuck the reasons for any of it, they're simply going to see it as the company trying to gouge them for money.

 

[heavyblues]

There's 2 reasons that come to mind.
1: Disc space. Since the 360 uses regular DVDs, it's understandable that something might not fit - hence DLC.
but the more likely reason is extra revenue. Money makes the world go 'round, you know

 

[JEBWrench]

There are a few reasons. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.154083#3719305]

This person has it right. Please, people, read this post. Learn why Day One DLC exists without just firing off "money-hungry" and "nickel-and-dime" catcalls at the developers.

Shh! Logic bad!

 

[Amardor]

As always, the answer is money. How do you make more money on something? Release something with the game that should have been ready (and is actually inside the game for some of them.)

Precisely. Not to mention usually what a rip off the crap is then its free later on i.e Halo Map packs.

 

[sms_117b]

I'm all for day one DLC.

There are a few reasons. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.154083#3719305]

There's that, and I'm not sure if it's covered therein but, sometimes I don't get the collectors, the special or the digital deluxe editions of a game, and it's nice to see that I can still access the extra stuff if I change my mind quickly, is it cheaper to go all out in the first place, yes it is. But not everyone has the extra money for the special edition straight away.

 

[JEBWrench]

D1DLC can even be quite beneficial. Look at The Sims 3. It would kinda suck to be given a handful of Sims points when you bought the game and not be able to use it.

 

[scnj]

Because there is a significant time after development on the game has been finalised and release date. In years gone by the development team would be moved onto new projects or let go. This way, the creative team can stay together and create DLC. It's sometimes ready in time for the release of the game, so they release it. The DLC is budgeted seperately from the main game, so they have to charge for it in order to recuperate the money spent on creating it.

If you don't like the day one DLC, don't buy it. But there's no point in whining about it without looking into the reasons it exists in the first place.

 

[PissedGrunty]

[where you have time to fine tune it]

One thing to remember is that the games are finalized weeks, if not months, before the release date. So even if they start working on the DLC at that point, they may have 2 months or more to work on it.

Personally, I'd rather have it out earlier rather than a few months later when I probably wouldn't care anymore.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I don't know. I don't know enough about video game development and production to really say why they would do that or to criticize them for doing it.

that's actually the best thing to do.

If you don't know, don't make an ass out of yourself by loudly proclaiming that what you don't know about is done wrong.

If you want to learn however, there are several good posts in this thread, particularly Amnestic's link to a forum Mod Explaining it, and several posts under that in the linked thread is an actual quote of a game dev explaining it.

It's like the saying goes "It's better to keep silent and be thought a fool, then to open your mouth and prove it." ...or in this case, post and prove it.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Tell that to Creative Assembly

 

[Plurralbles]

one thign I wish companies would do is make sure they keep their DLC available. It wouldn't bother me so much if they could just do that little fucking bit. I just got Oblivion and expected a quick way to get all teh add-ons. Nope. Have to either buy the entire game off steam, buy the Knights of the Nine that includes all the others except one from D2D and then pirate the Stronghold, or just go without. Lame as lame gets.

 

[JEBWrench]

If the day-one DLC is free, then it's understandable because it was most likely just content the developer wanted in the original game, but didn't have time to put in there before the publisher started printing/shipping.

There's no excuse whatsoever for charging for day one DLC, though.

Yeah, sure there is. It's premium content beyond the base game itself.

You get what you pay for. Not what you pay for, and then other stuff that was made as well.

 

[Avatar Roku]

There isn't one as far as I can tell - The Saboteur one is the most ridiculous I've seen.

Why not just include an option in the menu to turn nipples on/off?

That was a way to get around controversy; the DLC can only be downloaded to accounts which say they are for people over 18, so by putting it as DLC, they can reasonably say they aren't selling nudity to minors. Nevermind that most smart minors (myself included) put the wrong birthdate in the account screen, but no plan is perfect.

As always, the answer is money. How do you make more money on something? Release something with the game that should have been ready (and is actually inside the game for some of them.)

The answer is not always money. Sometimes the developers create something that ultimately doesn't make sense or looks out of place in the final game so they cut it out of the finished version and then decided to sell it as DLC rather then just throwing it away completely. I think all of peoples complaints about DLC are largely baseless unless we are talking about EA style DLC where they use games like The Sims to suck as much money from the consumers as possible.

There's no excuse for Day-1 DLC though. If it's readily available on launch, it should be in the game. Hell, you can just add an 'extras' menu and put it there if it doesn't fit. I enjoy DLC to an extent, but on Day one it's unacceptable.

At the risk of stealing Amnestic's thunder, please read this. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.154083#3719305]