Why the ME3 ending DLC shouldn't be free.

[Daystar Clarion]

If the indoctrination theory turns out to be true, then that means the game didn't end.

The Reapers are still fighting the fleet and the Crucible hasn't been deployed.

If Bioware are doing what I think they're doing, then they need to be very smart and very careful. If they want it to have the desired effect, the DLC needs to be free, and there needs to be a way that those without internet connections can get a hard copy.

This while either be a master stroke, or a complete botch job.

There isn't any way to get it to people without an internet connection. People without internet are probably not as angry with this because well, they don't have forums like these with hundreds of people to hear how bad it is from.
Personally I reckon anything Bioware does will be seen as crap by most people, if it's an amazing DLC that you have to pay for everyone will call it crap because you have to pay for it. In my eyes if Bioware basically does Broken Steel but with the ME3 ending I'll be happy.

What I mean, is that those who want the DLC but don't have an internet connection should be able to send a request to Bioware and have a CD delivered to them with the DLC on it. It wouldn't be something mass produced, but it should be an option for those who want it.

I trust Bioware, the game was absolutely brilliant, and if the theory is true, which i think it is, they can completely turn all this negativity around. They just need to do it right.

 

[chadachada123]

The problem is that they sold a AAA game for full price, and then left out the ending, making you spend more money for a product that you should have got in the first place.

They deliberately created an incomplete game and sold it for full price as if it was a full game, and then ask you to pay more money to actually be able to complete the game. It's not an expansion pack, it's not extra content, it's not cosmetic items, it's the ending of the damn game!

You wouldn't buy a book that leaves the ending out and makes you pay extra for it in a seperate purchase, or a movie, or a song, so why is it acceptable to do in videogames? It isn't. The companies are profit driven, and they are screwing their customers over to see just how far they can push us, just how much profit they can drill out of us with the implementation of DLC.

Bad Ending =/= no ending! The reapers are dealt with in all of the endings, the normandy crew is trapped on an unknown planet and we KNOW that. That's the ending, it may not be good but there is an ending.

But I'm sure you can admit that there's a huge difference between "bad ending that is actually fleshed out" and "a coffee-stained napkin taped into where the last chapter would be." It's fair to feel cheated, in my opinion.

That said, I haven't bought ME3 and likely won't until the price drops to like $20. So yeah.

 

[SajuukKhar]

It should be free because it's a core part of the game they are being forced to retcon. They advertised a much different ending than the one in the game at present, that's false advertising. You shouldn't have to pay extra later to get what you were promised out of the box.

If that is the way the world worked Peter Molenux should be in jail for life.

but it isn't.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Snip

Yeah that should be done. But still, whatever Bioware does I'm sure there will be angry fans. There always is with Bioware.

Snip

No matter how bad the ending is it's not game breaking and it does not make the rest of the game shit. Therefore I don't see why people expect Bioware to do another ending without getting any income from it, it's a business after all.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Snip

Yeah that should be done. But still, whatever Bioware does I'm sure there will be angry fans. There always is with Bioware.

Snip

No matter how bad the ending is it's not game breaking and it does not make the rest of the game shit. Therefore I don't see why people expect Bioware to do another ending without getting any income from it, it's a business after all.

Without a doubt, some people will not like Bioware not matter what they do, but the game was never meant for them anyway.

It was meant for people like me and you, people with high expectations, but not impossible expectations.

 

[Jodah]

Throwing around things for free isn't a sound long term business strategy.

Hey, that shit works for Valve. They throw out tons of free DLC and they're swimming in so much money they don't know what to do with it. They're using thousand dollar bills as toilet paper...



...in the company breakroom.


I don't even want to know what denomination resides on the bog roll in Gabe's personal loo.

He actually wipes his posterior with gold leaf.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Snip

Yeah that should be done. But still, whatever Bioware does I'm sure there will be angry fans. There always is with Bioware.

Snip

No matter how bad the ending is it's not game breaking and it does not make the rest of the game shit. Therefore I don't see why people expect Bioware to do another ending without getting any income from it, it's a business after all.

Without a doubt, some people will not like Bioware not matter what they do, but the game was never meant for them anyway.

It was meant for people like me and you, people with high expectations, but not impossible expectations.

No doubt the member beginning with Z will get angry. But still, if Bioware makes a DLC like Broken Steel, it makes a new ending where say different galaxies get destroyed or the reapers win or the reapers are destroyed forever and it shows what happens to the characters and races after the ending and such. If people are angry after that Bioware has every right to tell them to piss off.

 

[a ginger491]

Throwing around things for free isn't a sound long term business strategy.

Hey, that shit works for Valve. They throw out tons of free DLC and they're swimming in so much money they don't know what to do with it. They're using thousand dollar bills as toilet paper...



...in the company breakroom.


I don't even want to know what denomination resides on the bog roll in Gabe's personal loo.

I knew someone would use that as an example. Yes it did work for valve, but my console friends and I had to pay for that free DLC you're talking about. Not to mention valve's main source of revenue is hats at this point anyway.

 

[Jodah]

Throwing around things for free isn't a sound long term business strategy.

Hey, that shit works for Valve. They throw out tons of free DLC and they're swimming in so much money they don't know what to do with it. They're using thousand dollar bills as toilet paper...



...in the company breakroom.


I don't even want to know what denomination resides on the bog roll in Gabe's personal loo.

I knew someone would use that as an example. Yes it did work for valve, but my console friends and I had to pay for that free DLC you're talking about. Not to mention valve's main source of revenue is hats at this point anyway.

There is the problem of bad PR though. It is true some people will be pissed no matter what. However, a great deal more people will be pissed if they require money for the ending DLC. In all likelihood the PR shift will make up for any loss in revenue from giving the DLC away free.

 

[a ginger491]

He actually wipes his posterior with gold leaf.

I guess he does it very carefully considering gold leaf is only about 500 atoms thick.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

He actually wipes his posterior with gold leaf.

I guess he does it very carefully considering gold leaf is only about 500 atoms thick.

He triples up. That's how rich he is.

 

[a ginger491]

There is the problem of bad PR though. It is true some people will be pissed no matter what. However, a great deal more people will be pissed if they require money for the ending DLC. In all likelihood the PR shift will make up for any loss in revenue from giving the DLC away free.

How many people do you actually think are going to follow through with a boycott? In fact I remember the shitstorm Valve caused by releasing certain survival horror game "too early" As far as I know almost everyone caved when that was released.

 

[a ginger491]

snip

Sorry to derail this a bit but you pressed the button twice?!

 

[Jodah]

There is the problem of bad PR though. It is true some people will be pissed no matter what. However, a great deal more people will be pissed if they require money for the ending DLC. In all likelihood the PR shift will make up for any loss in revenue from giving the DLC away free.

How many people do you actually think are going to follow through with a boycott? In fact I remember the shitstorm Valve caused by releasing certain survival horror game "too early" As far as I know almost everyone caved when that was released.

Oh, I don't doubt that the DLC would sell like hotcakes. That won't be a problem. The problems with the PR will arise when the next IP comes out. With Mass Effect and Dragon Age there were a lot of people that bought it out of good faith in Bioware. At the time those were new IPs with little actually known about them and they still sold very well. Much of that good faith, however, will have been ruined if they demand money for the DLC. It will end up being much harder to reach initial sales figures when their consumers are pissed at them and not willing to risk a brand new IP.

Established IPs rarely have problems with sales regardless of how good the game is. Call of Duty is a huge example. Not much changes between each game and it really doesn't do anything ground breaking. However, it still sells like hotcakes. PR mistakes only really show up with new IPs where the developer/publisher is asking for a leap of faith.

Also yes, I am a glutton for punishment.

 

[GloatingSwine]

If they make a new ending it will constitute an admission that they fucked up. If they do make a new ending, they should not ask people to pay for their fuckup.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

If they make a new ending it will constitute an admission that they fucked up. If they do make a new ending, they should not ask people to pay for their fuckup.

Well if the indoctrination theory is true, then it was always their intention to release the 'real' ending afterwards, so it's hardly an admission of failure.

As long as the DLC is free, that is.

 

[Jodah]

If they make a new ending it will constitute an admission that they fucked up. If they do make a new ending, they should not ask people to pay for their fuckup.

Well if the indoctrination theory is true, then it was always their intent to release the 'real' ending afterwards, so it's hardly an admission of failure.

As long as the DLC is free, that is.

The problem then is that the ending now was never intended as the true ending. In which case they will be withholding key parts of the game to get more money, a nasty precedent that won't go over well with the community.

It really is a catch 22 for them if they ask for money.

 

[a ginger491]

There is the problem of bad PR though. It is true some people will be pissed no matter what. However, a great deal more people will be pissed if they require money for the ending DLC. In all likelihood the PR shift will make up for any loss in revenue from giving the DLC away free.

How many people do you actually think are going to follow through with a boycott? In fact I remember the shitstorm Valve caused by releasing certain survival horror game "too early" As far as I know almost everyone caved when that was released.

Oh, I don't doubt that the DLC would sell like hotcakes. That won't be a problem. The problems with the PR will arise when the next IP comes out. With Mass Effect and Dragon Age there were a lot of people that bought it out of good faith in Bioware. At the time those were new IPs with little actually known about them and they still sold very well. Much of that good faith, however, will have been ruined if they demand money for the DLC. It will end up being much harder to reach initial sales figures when their consumers are pissed at them and not willing to risk a brand new IP.

Established IPs rarely have problems with sales regardless of how good the game is. Call of Duty is a huge example. Not much changes between each game and it really doesn't do anything ground breaking. However, it still sells like hotcakes. PR mistakes only really show up with new IPs where the developer/publisher is asking for a leap of faith.

Also yes, I am a glutton for punishment.

Well, you know what they say *clicks spinning button* misery loves company.... WOW.... How did they do that???

 

[Daystar Clarion]

If they make a new ending it will constitute an admission that they fucked up. If they do make a new ending, they should not ask people to pay for their fuckup.

Well if the indoctrination theory is true, then it was always their intent to release the 'real' ending afterwards, so it's hardly an admission of failure.

As long as the DLC is free, that is.

The problem then is that the ending now was never intended as the true ending. In which case they will be withholding key parts of the game to get more money, a nasty precedent that won't go over well with the community.

It really is a catch 22 for them if they ask for money.

That's why Bioware have to be very careful about how they do this.

It terms of narrative, what better way for us to believe Shepard was indoctrinated, than to make the player 'indoctrinated' too?

This DLC will have to free, or they will lose all the good will they've built up over the years.