Oblivion Patch/Content Plans

The Update on Patches-Updates-Content-Etc. on The Elder Scrolls Forums (thanks Voodoo Extreme) has word on plans for an upcoming patch for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to address a number of reported issues. The patch will appear in beta form for the PC first, and when finalized will also be made available for the Xbox 360 edition, and following all that they will be releasing a patch for the European editions of the game to address localization issues. The post goes on to describe the next couple of bits of content they will be offering for sale, the quest to repair the Imperial Orrery and a structure called the Wizard's Tower. The update concludes by justifying the high price of add-on content, but admits they are experimenting in finding a price point that reduces sticker shock:
We hope to have The Orrery available for purchase next week. This plugin will cost 150pts on Xbox, and $1.89 on the PC. The Horse Armor Pack has been very popular, and exceeded what we thought it would sell. Despite that, we’re still trying to find the right spot, so we’re putting a much larger plugin out for less than the last one and we'll see what happens. Your feedback as we move forward in this is invaluable. Tell us what you want to see, how much of it, and what it might be worth to you. No, don’t say you want it free, because these plugins take a surprising amount of time to create, polish, and test (much more then Morrowind's).
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168 Replies. 9 pages. Viewing page 4.
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108.
 
Re: No subject
Apr 7, 2006, 18:39
Re: No subject Apr 7, 2006, 18:39
Apr 7, 2006, 18:39
 
Get used to it.

“micropayment” is a term that’s giving a lot of folks in the industry a serious boner right now. And don’t just blame the console world and their online services, either. In some parts of the world people are getting filthy rich by selling micropayment content for cell phone games. The fact that countless PC gamers have paid real money for MMO goodies has also gone a long way towards validating the concept. People pay 99 cents to download a song on iTunes. Etc, etc.

You don’t have to like it, but you are going to see more and more of it so get used to it. The industry is going to adopt micropayment as a perfectly valid model for selling games. Why? Because it is.

Is there a moral line? I guess. If the content for sale actually fixes something that’s broken then sure, you’re getting jerked around. But whoever does that will be putting the nails in their own coffin. Besides, we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about armor for your fucking horse here. Not exactly vital to the game, is it? And that’s the key. It’ll work, and work well, because by definition what they’re selling is stuff that’s completely extra. It’s a little something to tweak your game experience and make it personal.

Is that so bad? I don’t think so. If I could download additional Guitar Hero songs for a couple of bucks a pop, I’d whip out my credit card faster than you could say “Back in Black”.


/end prophecy


107.
 
No subject
Apr 7, 2006, 18:37
No subject Apr 7, 2006, 18:37
Apr 7, 2006, 18:37
 
I agree the horse mod was retarded, but the potential for more acceptable purchases definitly exists, the mage tower is a good example...I cant exactly say the orrery is, because thats part of the Mages Guild and as such should have been in the game to begin with.

I think Bethsoft should give us some new areas to explore as pay mods. An island off the coast perhaps, maybe some ship travel, maybe the scientists of Tamriel could implement some new experimental technology like an airship. I dont know...something unique, not armor for horses.

This comment was edited on Apr 7, 18:40.
106.
 
Bethesda, if you are reading this...
Apr 7, 2006, 18:19
Bethesda, if you are reading this... Apr 7, 2006, 18:19
Apr 7, 2006, 18:19
 
Bethesda, I have a confession to make. Because I knew that your latest game was going to be a hit, I spent the extra $$ for the collectors edition against my good judgement. This is the FIRST time I've ever done something like that! Oh well, At least I got a neat coin and an extra book.

Unfortunately, I for one will not be buying the Horse Armor. Reason?

I will probably get a different Horse Armor mod for free from the Oblivion mod community - if I think my Horse needs it...(um, nah).

It's also waaaaaaaay too pricey. I'll wait till the price comes down until I take another look. Well, probably not.

Good news! You want me to be a happy consumer? Cool! I'll GLADLY pay another $39.99 for an expansion that adds CO-OP and 30 more hours of gameplay! That's $10 more than any expansion pack I've bought before! Retrofit Morrowind back in or something with some more quests - or even put the original shtuff back in...That's how much I like your product! Ya hear me?!?!? 39.99 more gold septims from my pocket to yours! Is it a deal?!?!?

One condition: You cannot go back on your deal. You must give me CO-OP AND 30 hours more of gameplay - not one or the other. Be nice and I'll pay with a smile on my face!

hmm, are they reading this, do you think?
This comment was edited on Apr 7, 18:26.
Avatar 24396
105.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 18:06
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 18:06
Apr 7, 2006, 18:06
 
Com is right, and that's my point. If the vast majority of gamers is fine with this, we as a minority are SOL, and we'll just not buy those games, end of story.

This is not a subsistence issue like utility monopolies. This is entertainment. There's no moral reason to provide anyone anything for any particular price.
heh you guys are great.
Supply and Demand, Supply Side Econiomics, Trickle Down Theory.

You're still in school right?

104.
 
Re: No subject
Apr 7, 2006, 17:51
Re: No subject Apr 7, 2006, 17:51
Apr 7, 2006, 17:51
 
Re-posted from the other Oblivion thread...

An overheard conversation at Bethesda a few months prior to the game's release...
people who've never worked in game dev have no idea how close that is to reality.

103.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 17:48
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 17:48
Apr 7, 2006, 17:48
 
Sounds like a plan

Anyone know what the name and address of someone imortant at Beth is?

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$1 tax for the national debt?
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Diablo & Diablo 2 for the DS, it makes sense Blizzard!
102.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 17:45
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 17:45
Apr 7, 2006, 17:45
 

Please Please people who feel this way WRITE A LETTER (Not an email)

YES YES!!

It's amazing how powerful those real-life actual letters are these days too. They've always represented something to those marketing types, but now when people see that you've actually taken the time to create one of those things, obtain an envelope, find a mailing address, acquire the correct postage, and relocate yourself to a mailbox.. they know you probably mean business

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It may be that one day a young man will adore a Pinata.
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I'm not even angry. I'm being so sincere right now, even though you broke my heart and killed me.
101.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 17:39
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 17:39
Apr 7, 2006, 17:39
 
Shew I thought I was gonna be spending enough just on upgrades to run the game...!

--Infantryman

"Is it so hard to teach a child not to shoot people?"
Huh? I'm sorry, I was thinking about cake.
100.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 17:36
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 17:36
Apr 7, 2006, 17:36
 
Free is good!

Avatar 12670
99.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 17:29
99.
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 17:29
Apr 7, 2006, 17:29
 

No, don’t say you want it free, because these plugins take a surprising amount of time to create, polish, and test (much more then Morrowind's).

I.

Want.

It.

Free.

98.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 17:25
98.
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 17:25
Apr 7, 2006, 17:25
 
I have no intention of buying the missing parts of my games a couple of bucks at a time. I hope I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Please Please people who feel this way WRITE A LETTER (Not an email) expressing this opinion to the Publisher's and Developer's Customer Service Manager, and anyone else higher on the organizational chart that you can find.

Speaking from personal experience it does in fact get discussed in staff meetings. Be The Squeaky Wheel!

97.
 
No subject
Apr 7, 2006, 17:10
97.
No subject Apr 7, 2006, 17:10
Apr 7, 2006, 17:10
 
So they are going to nickel and dime us for plugins? Please, people will come up with better plugins than anything bethesda comes up with and best of all they will be free.

This comment was edited on Apr 7, 17:12.
96.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 17:09
96.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 17:09
Apr 7, 2006, 17:09
 
Dont get me wrong Orogogus I desperatly want Co-op in almost every single game i play (I have 5 brothers, spread accross the globe, and we would kill for the ability to play Oblivion, Halo etc via the interweb co-op).

From my understanding though putting co-op in game requires a lot work within the games code (AI, Network etc), so much so that it really has to be something added in from the start. I think this is most evident by the lack of co-op mods out there, and the games that contain co-op have no real AI to speak of.

I would shell out a TON o money to add co-op to my games, and i think a lot of people would as it would be a large undertaking, the problem with this thinking is, if people are willing to pay for it, why not just produce the game with co-op built in, release the game at $60 with co-op removed and then charge another $30 to add co-op to the game as an add on.
Thats what B has done with Oblivion, all this stuff was in the game before release, (Evidenced by the door in the mages guild), and now they are charging for it.

Thats the real problem here, not that Horse armor is a rip off, but that given a good reason it will happen with everything, driving the overall cost of games up.

------
$1 tax for the national debt?
------
Diablo & Diablo 2 for the DS, it makes sense Blizzard!
95.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 16:48
95.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 16:48
Apr 7, 2006, 16:48
 
However i fail to see how going to this content method will help. Why bother to make massive changes to the way the game is designed, coded, compiled etc and then to release it to a lot of uncertainty when they could just throw together another horse patch knowing that they will make a good chunk of change from it.

Because if more people want co-op, then it will make more money. I wasn't talking about Oblivion in particular in my post, however, and I think it's extremely unlikely that it's ever going to see co-op grafted onto it. But for all the FPSes coming out, yes, I would hope that some of them implement purchasable content, put up co-op campaigns, maps, skins and then see their co-op campaigns sell like gangbusters compared to everything else. I am essentially waiting for the chance to show game companies that I will pay money to buy co-op games, and direct purchases seem like a very effective way to do this.

Right now, from the publisher or developer's point of view, it's hard for them to know whether co-op is something people really want. You can't just take, say, Far Cry, which didn't have co-op, and compare it to System Shock 2 or Serious Sam, which did, and draw any solid conclusion, because there are dozens variables which could explain a difference in sales, and furthermore, it's impossible to say how much people would pay for co-op on its own. In my case, I'm willing to say "Quite a lot"; people who are dismayed at buyers inflating the worth of virtual horse armor would probably be upset to see how much I'd shell out for co-op to be added to any given shooter (or heaven forbid, a mecha sim). And if there a lot of other people who think the same way, then companies absolutely will take the "risk" and follow suit if they can charge a ton of money for games with co-op. Ideally this would lead to competition and lower prices as the situation stabilized, but it the end result is just 5 more games a year for which I have to fork out $70 in total, I'll still be happier than I am now.

More over if you look at the community to see what they have released first in helping to decide what sort of content you should release the sort of stuff they have lined up is what will work, hardly anyone makes a co-op mod and there are very few successfull ones out there.

Mod communities usually have to start with what's easy to implement, or what's been done before, though, while a company has the resources -- professional voice talent, for instance -- and incentive to go directly for what people want, as well as access to the entire source code if needed.

94.
 
stolen!
Apr 7, 2006, 16:41
94.
stolen! Apr 7, 2006, 16:41
Apr 7, 2006, 16:41
 
A friend of mine bought the horse armour and gave me a copy...So now my horse really IS stolen

93.
 
Re: No subject
Apr 7, 2006, 16:40
93.
Re: No subject Apr 7, 2006, 16:40
Apr 7, 2006, 16:40
 
you can't even name your saved games

Has a mod fixed this yet? I haven't seen one, but haven't been following closely. If not, you can always use the console to do it. Kinda sucks to have to do it that way, but it works just as well. Think it's 'savegame YourNameHere' or somesuch.

Avatar 6700
92.
 
Re: No subject
Apr 7, 2006, 16:17
nin
92.
Re: No subject Apr 7, 2006, 16:17
Apr 7, 2006, 16:17
nin
 
I'm Sepharo, and I approve this post.

Vote Quimby!


--------------------------------------------------------------
GW: Nilaar Madalla, lvl 20 R/Mo / Tolyl Nor, lvl 20 E/Mo / Xylos Gath, lvl 16 W/Mo

http://www.placeboworld.co.uk
This comment was edited on Apr 7, 16:18.
91.
 
No subject
Apr 7, 2006, 16:13
91.
No subject Apr 7, 2006, 16:13
Apr 7, 2006, 16:13
 
This so-called problem is self-regulating.

Only up to a point. If most people buy into it and this becomes the norm while you and I still hate it, we're screwed. Already, they're getting the console folks to accept that this is the norm. Just look at how well the Halo2 extra maps sold to people who were already paying for something that should have been free (xbox live). On the PC scene, publishers release extra MP maps for free all the time.

That's why making noise about it now before it's too late is important.



I'm Sepharo, and I approve this post.

This comment was edited on Apr 7, 16:14.
Avatar 17249
90.
 
No subject
Apr 7, 2006, 15:58
90.
No subject Apr 7, 2006, 15:58
Apr 7, 2006, 15:58
 
I'm pretty sure that they said they'd be releasing a full expansion or two for Oblivion on top of the mods, I don't have any linkage though.

If people are gonna get pissed ad Bethesda, at least get mad about somthing that actually impacts you. Their bald faced lies about adapting the UI for the PC version, for instance. They obviously spent almost no time even trying to make it more PC friendly, you can't even name your saved games. The viewable map area is tiny, huge crosshairs, ginormous fonts, no map notes, ect ect ect. Luckily most of these have been fixed or are being fixed by the mod community. They shouldn't have to though, it's not a ton of work to modify th UI in this way.

"We're not the same, I'm an American, you're a sick a--hole." - William 'D-Fens' Foster
"Pants! Pants! Pants!"
89.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 15:44
89.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 15:44
Apr 7, 2006, 15:44
 
Its not that im against co-op,i just dont believe that the dev's will attempt anything potentially risky.

You don't think this is risky at all? This is tremendously risky for a company to do: forego the traditional expansion pack, and sell pieces individually.

168 Replies. 9 pages. Viewing page 4.
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