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 5.
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88.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 15:34
88.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 15:34
Apr 7, 2006, 15:34
 
I agree with you that their probably is a large untapped demand for co-op games.

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.

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.


Having said all that, I want Oblivion a mod to come out for oblivion to make it co-op.

Its not that im against co-op,i just dont believe that the dev's will attempt anything potentially risky.

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$1 tax for the national debt?
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Diablo & Diablo 2 for the DS, it makes sense Blizzard!
87.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 15:08
87.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 15:08
Apr 7, 2006, 15:08
 
And what happens if the dev's deem that making horse armor is more profitable than making co-op (Not that the situation can possibly get any worse than it is right now with co-op, but i think my point still stands :-) )

You seem to be making the opposite point. The only real reason they would think this is if it were actually true, and people were really more willing to cough up the money needed to create horse armor than for cooperative campaigns. With the nickle-and-dime method, there would actually be fairly clear data to show which specific item was preferred, whereas currently, given the existing sample size of coop games, it's totally up to the company to decide based on someone's gut instinct.

If people really would rather pay for glitzy bits than for co-op, then I won't blame the designers/publishers for catering to them. More power to 'em. I like to think that there's an untapped demand, though, which is where content downloads could theoretically shine. There almost has to be, given how often I see people talking about compared to the number of games that release with it.


This comment was edited on Apr 7, 15:10.
86.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 14:51
86.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 14:51
Apr 7, 2006, 14:51
 
I want more cooperative campaigns

And what happens if the dev's deem that making horse armor is more profitable than making co-op (Not that the situation can possibly get any worse than it is right now with co-op, but i think my point still stands :-) )

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$1 tax for the national debt?
------
Diablo & Diablo 2 for the DS, it makes sense Blizzard!
85.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 14:44
85.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 14:44
Apr 7, 2006, 14:44
 
I personally hope this idea branches out, so that at some point I'll be able to pay money specifically to tell game developers that I want more cooperative campaigns, and developers will have stronger data to show whether or not they're actually worth the investment of resources.

84.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 14:41
84.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 14:41
Apr 7, 2006, 14:41
 
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.

83.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 14:36
Com
83.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 14:36
Apr 7, 2006, 14:36
Com
 
You're missing the point. Very few people care about the stupid $2.50 horse armor. If every publisher starts doing this and it catches on

And you don't even have a point. If very few people care about it, how can it "catch on"? The two are contradictory. On the other hand if it DOES catch on, it's because enough people care about it that it makes business sense to create polished extra content. Supply and demand.

82.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 14:36
82.
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 14:36
Apr 7, 2006, 14:36
 
Bhruic I disagree on user made levels and content. Warcraft 3, and Starcraft have a ton of user made maps that probably not even concieved of when Blizzard started making Warcraft 3. Well I take that back, and change Warcraft 3 with Starcraft.

The fanbase for games like NWN, Morrowind, Oblivion, Starcraft, Quake etc, IS A HUGE REFLECTION of the company. Many a game would be bargin bin trash if it wasn't for the fan base and fan created content. From Doom to Oblivion in the end, the developers, publishers and gamers look for long term goals. Warcraft 3 for example is limited by the engine true, but at the same time there is only so many times you can zerg rush someone before you get bored of the game, no matter how many free maps you release. So the community got very creative. And the same can be said of the Doom/Quake/Half Life/Battlefield/Unreal community. From CTF, to Counter-Strike anything inbetween.

As for playing time vs additional game content. If you don't get it then I shall explain it too you. No matter what game (with the exception of Windows Solitare) you will get bored with a game, it's only a matter of time. With the cost's of games, and hardware upgrades to play the latest and greatest game, gamers are looking at their wallets to see how much gameplay they will get out of the box. User Created Content is a HUGE factor to me for the games I decide to purchase and is for others on this board.
Example: I bought NWN when it first came out, I think for the retail price of either 49.99 or 59.99. I believe the average playthrough was estimated roughly 30 to 40 hours, taking into account the entire game (side quests). Now I consider that a pretty good investment compaired to what else I could spend the money on for entertainment purposes. Now factor in the community. The community is the largest of any game to date on user created content. Now I got to a couple of the fan sites that host these files and I go looking through them. Now there is a god aweful amount of stuff out there, alot of extremly professional and well done. Not to mention the Persistant World Servers. Now my 30 to 40 hours of enjoyment has now become something I can't measure, due to the vast amount of stuff out there. And all of it for free, with maybe the exception of the power for the computer, net connection, and cd's/dvd's to store it on.

Now along comes Bethesda, who has given us free content for Morrowind, now charging 2 dollars for 2 pieces of horse armor.

Why are people angry? Cause after all is said and done, the community with it's custom created content will keep selling copies of Oblivion long after it's hit the bargin bin. And if it does really well it won't even hit the bargin bin, they will do like Morrowind, release a few expansions then sell it in Bundle, kinda like Blizzard is doing with Warcraft and Starcraft.

What would I pay 2 dollars for? Item shadows like shown in the first video, when you start the game in the jail cell. Hell I'd pay 10 bucks for that.

Why are we made to pay for it? Because there is a console version of this game, and god forbid that the console users pay for and we don't have to.

I really like Bethesda, and I was introduced to their universe with Morrowind, but the content that was released to purchase compaired to what was given for free with Morrowind really has me scratching my head.

And here is a list of the items that were released for FREE for Morrowind by Bethesda. http://www.morrowind.com/downloads/updates_plugins.htm

Avatar 12670
81.
 
Re: deal with it
Apr 7, 2006, 14:34
81.
Re: deal with it Apr 7, 2006, 14:34
Apr 7, 2006, 14:34
 
Nah, this isn't anything really new and groundbreaking. It has been done before with many online games and there will continue to be this niche market where you can get items-on-demand. It's not going to replace anything, and you can take advantage of it only if you choose to yourself. Otherwise it's just there and you can ignore it and go on living a normal life.

Avatar 571
80.
 
Re: deal with it
Apr 7, 2006, 14:27
80.
Re: deal with it Apr 7, 2006, 14:27
Apr 7, 2006, 14:27
 
Oh, come on. You all knew this was coming. Ultimately, you'll be paying for your entertainment by the minute. The internet and its succeeding technologies make this an economic reality. It's the wave of the future.

79.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 14:11
79.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 14:11
Apr 7, 2006, 14:11
 
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.

This comment was edited on Apr 7, 14:15.
78.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 13:54
78.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 13:54
Apr 7, 2006, 13:54
 
This so-called problem is self-regulating. If the game companies limit modding and piss people off, their next title will not sell nearly as many copies. Already they're losing customers. That's the best message to send. If you don't agree, don't buy the add-ons or even the game itself.

77.
 
Re: Fancy Pants
Apr 7, 2006, 13:52
77.
Re: Fancy Pants Apr 7, 2006, 13:52
Apr 7, 2006, 13:52
 
Good grief - no one's getting ripped off. You got a great game for your money. And if for the price of a Big Mac you want to go riding around in your single-player game with some fancy horse armor - well, then more power to ya. No one's twisting your arm.

You're missing the point. Very few people care about the stupid $2.50 horse armor. If every publisher starts doing this and it catches on, that's pretty much the end of free extra content and user-generated mods for all games. That's the real problem here.

76.
 
The Danger Here
Apr 7, 2006, 13:41
76.
The Danger Here Apr 7, 2006, 13:41
Apr 7, 2006, 13:41
 
The real danger here, will game companies continue to make their games mod-able if they can sell and control the content?

If game companies see mods as money machines vs a selling feature, game editors and modding tools could become a thing of the past.

I can see it now, buy a six pack of Coke and get a free download for your favorite game!

75.
 
EA Business Model
Apr 7, 2006, 13:28
75.
EA Business Model Apr 7, 2006, 13:28
Apr 7, 2006, 13:28
 
EA Business Model

Stop sell expansion packs and start selling every Sims object as $0.99 a download!

Content in a $30.00 expansion pack will now cost $180.00 but, you only have to buy the items you want!

This comment was edited on Apr 7, 13:29.
74.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 13:07
74.
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 13:07
Apr 7, 2006, 13:07
 
I think that $2 for the tower etc is a pretty fair price.

But $2 for two different models is an absolute rip off, they should have delayed and released the tower mod first, or at least released the horses for a cheaper price (See my post below)

------
$1 tax for the national debt?
------
Diablo & Diablo 2 for the DS, it makes sense Blizzard!
73.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 13:05
73.
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 13:05
Apr 7, 2006, 13:05
 
I hope there's a package deal later on myself, that would seem like the smart thing to do once many have been released.

The reality is, however, that when it comes down to it, I wouldn't have much of a problem with what they are doing if they had have started with a somewhat substantial content addition. Asking people to pay for horse armour struck me as almost insulting. It definitely set a negative tone to the whole thing, which they seem to have realized based on the subtext of their announcement.

So do you have problems with the tower being $2, or hopefully future addons of similar or larger scale for similar prices then? (real question, since you seem to be talking about the horse armor alone)

Something like that sounds quite fair to me. I think Bethesda wanted to do something small to experiment with the Live Marketplace, and PC versions, since this is all new to pretty much all companies, but people (in my opinion again) overreacted, and B had to try and make good of it by announcing the tower early.

This comment was edited on Apr 7, 13:07.
72.
 
Re: Do I want it for free?
Apr 7, 2006, 12:45
72.
Re: Do I want it for free? Apr 7, 2006, 12:45
Apr 7, 2006, 12:45
 
Because the time that needs to be invested into a War3 level is minimal compared to the time needed to design a level in 3D for Q4. Blizzard have released MORE than id or Raven in Q3 or Q4, but I'm not going to neccecarily commend them on that because you can't compare the two.

Yes, you're right, the time should be a factor. But as a factor, it can be scaled into the decision making process relatively easily.

The reality is, however, that when it comes down to it, I wouldn't have much of a problem with what they are doing if they had have started with a somewhat substantial content addition. Asking people to pay for horse armour struck me as almost insulting. It definitely set a negative tone to the whole thing, which they seem to have realized based on the subtext of their announcement.

I would, of course, much rather they simply put the content into an expansion pack. Hopefully they'll do something like that (package up all the extra content in some fashion).

71.
 
err
Apr 7, 2006, 12:44
71.
err Apr 7, 2006, 12:44
Apr 7, 2006, 12:44
 
the horse DOES attack rats and wolves...not sure why i've seen people saying anything to the contrary. I've personally had my horse (the one that previously belonged to the deceased Friar..) kill 4 or 5 critters.

Fighting from horseback WOULD be nice, tho.

^m^

edit: PS, figured i'd join everyone else...THE SKY IS FALLING OMG OMG A COMPANY THAT WANTS TO MAKE MONEY OMG OMG

This comment was edited on Apr 7, 12:46.
70.
 
Re: horse mod
Apr 7, 2006, 12:40
70.
Re: horse mod Apr 7, 2006, 12:40
Apr 7, 2006, 12:40
 
I think a horse mod that would be worth paying for would be one that allowed you to fight on horseback. Or at least, allow the horse to slay those pesky wolves and bandits with a well-placed kick.

69.
 
Re: I don't get it........
Apr 7, 2006, 12:39
69.
Re: I don't get it........ Apr 7, 2006, 12:39
Apr 7, 2006, 12:39
 
So, you feel that releasing a game that mentions and includes a door to a place that you can't even get to (the Orrery), and then makes people who want to GET to that area pay $2 is fair?

Yes, it *is* fair. Judge the value of the game for what it delivered. If you think that what you got is not worth your $50 then bitch away...

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