SimCity?s first free DLC is a logo-plastered Nissan Leaf charging station

[putowtin]

Err they do this all the time in the Sims, Toyota Prius sets, Ford Focus sets, if they're free then you either download and go "Free Stuff!" or you don't! It's when they release branded stuff packs that cost £15 (Diesel) which are nothing but adverts you pay for, that's when I get fed up, but then again I don't buy them!

Captcha: genghis khan..... I'm sure he'd agree!

 

[Danceofmasks]

This is amazing trolling potential.

You get the DLC, claim a city in a region, plop the building down, and immediately abandon the city.
Then, when another mayor tries to reclaim it, they get "this city was created with content you don't own."

 

[Jamash]

I don't see what the big deal is, for years I've been able to drive a logo plastered Nissan Leaf (using Pirelli tyre data) around Mazda Laguna Seca in Forza Motorsports 4.

Automakers have had a symbiotic relationship with videogames for decades, so it's not like this is anything new or out of the ordinary, even if it is in a game that just features cars rather than being a game about cars.

Product placement in videogames isn't new at all, but at least electric car charging stations in a city building game are pretty harmless (or even positive as it promotes green energy), even if is plastered with Nissan logos.

It's not as bad as the product placement of the Barrett M82 and other firearms in many FPS games [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-01-shooters-how-video-games-fund-arms-manufacturers]... I mean how many electric cars have been used by terrorists to kill soldiers and policemen, how many Nissans have been used to massacre cinemas and primary schools?

It's a bit late complain about product placement in videogames, but if you are going to, there are far worse products to focus your ire on than electric cars just because they're in an EA game.

 

[Atrocious Joystick]

I don't really care. It's free. Would it have made you happier if it came without the company logo? You don't have to use it and its not really in your face or out of place. If this was a fantasy game I could see having your immersion broken by the "Nissan Sword of dragonslaying +1 electrical damage" but I don't really mind seeing real brand names show up in my city. Let them re-name some of the commercial zone buildings to McDonalds or IKEA for all I care. If EA sees this as a cash cow then maybe they'll stick around and fix most of the issues with the game and hopefully that reveals the awesome game that is hiding somewhere inside of this more mediocre game.

 

[ThriKreen]

So... artists have to work at something while the programmers and scripters and QA are busy with the big 2.0 patch.

 

[tehroc]

Doesn't seem too optional especially for the competitive type. It's a free building that uses no resources and provides benefits, sounds like it should be in every city.

 

[Ickorus]

Subtle. Maxis has a new SimCity building available for download starting today at no cost to your wallet, but with a slight hit to your integrity as a mayor. It?s a Nissan Leaf charging station. How can I tell? It?s probably because of the bright-red corporate nose-thumbing stretching across the station?s turf. Since it?s a plopable unit, the station provides additional effects for your population of a pretty lopsided nature.

Maxis explains: ?The charging station will be a new destination in player?s cities where their Sims will drive their Nissan Leaf cars in order to recharge them. Once they leave, the Sims will find themselves happier. Plopping down the station will add happiness to nearby buildings. It will not take power, water, or workers away from your city. Zoom in to the streets of cities, and players will start seeing a percentage of their Sims from all wealth classes driving the electric vehicles. The station produces no garbage or sewage, as well, making it pollution free.?

In other words, you?re handed a Mary Sue building doubling as a constant happiness generator with no significant downsides beyond the space it takes up. Oh, and the cheerily red logo made large enough so you can spot it at most zoom levels. I prefer to keep my city clean of overt marketing, but it?s sure going to get tough when the Nike sidewalks speed up pedestrian traffic by 150 percent and the Firestone streets make cars exhaust Simoleons instead of pollution.

If you still want the charging station, you can get it either by punching up the in-game store or visiting Origin.


Source: http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/04/02/simcity-dlc-nissan-leaf/

Um... You just copy-pasted the article you linked without adding your own opinion. I'm pretty sure the mods don't like that.

OT: This is just rage-inducingly stupid. Now I haven't played SimCity, but I'm still baffled as to why anyone would actually download and use this thing. If you want it easier, go in sandbox mode and use cheat codes. This is corporate whoring at its finest and most blatant.

My apologies but the article's sentiments were really my own so I thought adding my own opinion wasn't necessary. It is blatant corporate whoring at its finest, especially since you can see it at the furthest zoom. It just goes to show that EA is trying to stuff as much crap into SimCity as people will allow.

The best method in this situation is to have the article in a quote box, provide the source (also in the quote box) and have a short paragraph at the end stating your agreement with the article.

OT: I personally have never been against advertising in games so long as they fit with the style of the game and are non-intrusive.

Does seem a bit silly to give it next to no downsides though, not a fan of that. (If the article is accurate, of course)

 

[LordLundar]

Not the first time EA has done this.

Sim City Societies had branding on their Environmentally friendly buildings.

The brand? British Petroleum.

 

[gyrobot_v1legacy]

Also Sims has been doing the green shit with ecocars.

 

[Bostur]

So... artists have to work at something while the programmers and scripters and QA are busy with the big 2.0 patch.

And some gamers take a look at the work and find it wanting.

I don't mind that crap like this exists, as long as I don't have to see it in my games. But I imagine EA will put this kind of stuff in in-game stores/repositories with adds or news pieces that users can't turn off.

In a free game I will tolerate it, in a game that I paid for I will feel nickled and dimed and lose any interest in buying further games from that company. But of course they have every right to do it, and they may not need me as a customer. Although in EA's case it seems they think they can do without customers at all, at the rate they are pissing people off.

 

[Lieju]

Of course, some gamers have no problem with this kind of product-whoring. Just don't start bitching when you're suddenly seeing paid SimCity DLC packs that include Carl Jr.s and Coca Cola manufacturing plants for your cities.

Making it free for the player and asking money for it are two different things, though.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

I could sure go for a Nissan right about now! Not sure why...

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Non issue. Frankly, I'm amazed more games set in modern times don't aggressively leverage product placement. What does it matter if you're playing, say, The Secret World, and there's a coke machine at a gas station? Or if you're driving around in Grand Theft Auto and there are billboards for real world businesses? A stupid Nissan building doesn't bother me in the slightest. I don't need to plop it.

As long as this kind of DLC is free and optional and doesn't significantly damage the tone or integrity of the game it's utterly benign.

 

[Tom_green_day]

Reminds me of that scene from Wayne's World...
OT: Don't loads of games do this now? Fallout had Nuka Cola (basically Coke) I know it's the lore but still, I found myself buying loads of coke after that. I have a weak mind.
GTA had it's KFC lookalike.
SSX I'm pretty sure had branded boards
Hell, even my Skyrim character only wore Nike clothes.
Serious now: I'm sure any publisher would do this if it wouldn't jeopardise their integrity- and it isn't like EA have much anyway. Money is money is money, and I'm not one to say if it's right or wrong, but I really don't care either way.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

Non issue. Frankly, I'm amazed more games set in modern times don't aggressively leverage product placement. What does it matter if you're playing, say, The Secret World, and there's a coke machine at a gas station? Or if you're driving around in Grand Theft Auto and there are billboards for real world businesses? A stupid Nissan building doesn't bother me in the slightest. I don't need to plop it.

As long as this kind of DLC is free and optional and doesn't significantly damage the tone or integrity of the game it's utterly benign.

I see your point, but for me it takes me right the hell out of it. If you download the cinematic mod for Half-Life 2 (which is absolutely fantastic otherwise), it replaces the vending machines and soda cans with Coca-Cola ones and other similar real-life product placements. The idea is that it makes it more immersive (and cinematic, obviously), but the instant I see a Coca-Cola machine, I'm not in City 17 anymore. Real life has invaded my Half-Life and I can't do it. But people play video games differently and all that, I'm just sharing my piece.

 

[KungFuJazzHands]

Of course, some gamers have no problem with this kind of product-whoring. Just don't start bitching when you're suddenly seeing paid SimCity DLC packs that include Carl Jr.s and Coca Cola manufacturing plants for your cities.

Making it free for the player and asking money for it are two different things, though.

Only to the consumer. The end result is always the same for the companies doing the marketing: brand exposure.

 

[rodneyy]

they tried to do something simmilar with bf 2142 they had all these massive bill bords all over the levels they were supposed to have all these adds in the but most of the time they were blank or just talking about the expantion pack not sure what went wrong with them. maybe they were going for targeted marketing but never got enough info to target me or just never found the right people use the space.

 

[synobal]

A Tesla DLC would of been more neat.