*spin-off* Game Development Schedules & DLC Planning

[Laa-Yosh]

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17eig06xukt8apng/original.png

This may be the best explanation I've seen...

ModEdit:

So recently, there have been a number of voices booing EA/Bioware for the $10 Day 1 DLC character for Mass Effect 3, and there have been tweets defending it:

-On #ME3, content creators completed the game in January & moved onto the "From Ashes" DLC, free w/ the CE or you can buy seperately.
-DLC has fast cert and no mfg., so if a team works very hard, they can get a DLC done in time to enjoy it with your 1st playthrough on day 1.
-It takes about 3 months from "content complete" to bug-fix, certify, manufacture, and ship game discs. In that time we work on DLC.

FWIW, said content is not entirely on-disc apparently (several hundred megs download).

What are your thoughts on dev scheduling management? Is Day 1 DLC acceptable? Why or why not, what circumstances, and be very clear.

....and civil.

AlS

 

[Rodéric]

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17eig06xukt8apng/original.png

This may be the best explanation I've seen...

But there's no guarantee it's true.
Want to make sure ?
Try to ask the voice actors and such if they did record those parts afterwards, you'll have your answer.

A lot of people take holidays at the end of a project, so your DLC team might well be independent, if that is the case... It could have participated in making the game better, but instead it was chosen to make DLC which are much more profitable, at the original product quality's expense.

There's no telling unless you work at Bioware.

 

[Brad Grenz]

But there's no guarantee it's true.
Want to make sure ?
Try to ask the voice actors and such if they did record those parts afterwards, you'll have your answer.

That doesn't prove anything. The script for the main game could be finished 18 months before the DLC script, and that doesn't mean they won't record everything during a single VO session.

Besides, the point of that graphic is that gamers don't know enough about how modern game studios really work to criticize the way Bioware and EA manage their workflow. Nor should EA and Bioware be required to justify a model that allows them to avoid huge layoffs between projects. DLC has to pay for itself, so gamers aren't actually losing anything, in fact this kind of DLC gives them more of the games they love than they'd have otherwise, and the developers and publishers get the benefit of keeping every department staffed up and working all the time.

 

[AlNom]

Thought this should warrant its own thread. Play nice folks. ಠ_ಠ

-------

So recently, there have been a number of voices booing EA/Bioware for the $10 Day 1 DLC character for Mass Effect 3, and there have been tweets defending it:

-On #ME3, content creators completed the game in January & moved onto the "From Ashes" DLC, free w/ the CE or you can buy seperately.
-DLC has fast cert and no mfg., so if a team works very hard, they can get a DLC done in time to enjoy it with your 1st playthrough on day 1.
-It takes about 3 months from "content complete" to bug-fix, certify, manufacture, and ship game discs. In that time we work on DLC.

FWIW, said content is not entirely on-disc apparently (several hundred megs download).

What are your thoughts on dev scheduling management? Is Day 1 DLC acceptable? Why or why not, what circumstances, and be very clear.

....and civil.

 

[Svensk Viking]

I don't like the current DLC model at all...I just end up waiting until it comes a special edition with all DLC included, or not getting it at all

I wish all studios handled DLC like CD Projekt, those guys are great

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Buying the collector's edition solved the issue for me - I get the DLC. Also, it was announced like a year ago that the bonus content would include a playable character and a mission.

I expect it won't be as good value for $10, compared to the main game - that has like dozens of missions, 20-25 hours of gameplay worth, and an entire squad of characters, whereas the DLC has 1-1.5 hours of content and a single extra character.
Everyone else can make up their minds about it after reviews are out.

 

[Arwin]

I only don't like DLC if it amounts to selling the proper game ending as DLC (which I think it sounded like a Tomb Raider has done in the past). Otherwise, I'm fine with it. I'll judge individual titles on their own merit, and if they are worth their money, then I don't care if they add DLC to it later. If I like the game enough to want more, I'll be grateful there is more that I can voluntarily buy into if I choose to. There's a downside to it though in multiplayer games where they can lead to otherwise unnecessary patches and downloads. They should perhaps make that optional, so that you have the option to see placeholder art instead.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Businesses are free to price their products at whatever price they want, and consumers are free to choose to buy or not. I suppose DLC assets on disk does grate, but if you had to download the same content it wouldn't change the nature of the business.

One thing I've noticed with DLC is it doesn't price drop, which seems a bit dumb for the companies who are pricing themselves out of some markets. eg. Feeling very ill these past few days, I went looking for something to play, and DLC for 3+ year old games is as pricey now as it was all that time ago. It's like a fire-and-forget strategy without the same price shifting as other products, and I expect that backfires somewhat. After a year or so, drop your DLC's price so those who didn't care for it before may be inticed into a purchase now.

I don't think I've bought very much DLC at all. I have Uncharted map packs for coop play. Ummmm, that's it. No Civilization Revolution DLC, or Valkyria Chronicles, or Dungeon Siege content. I don't see the stuff being offered as much worth the asking price. Oh, I bought Borderlands DLC as that added whole new stuff, and not just a new map or different look. Typically DLC seems like worthless crap that adds nothing to the game experience, so once you've completed the game it's finished with. DLC has to be a whole new character class or extended experience, and not just a changing of VAR.LEVEL_CAP. Ahhh, I also bought the Warhawk DLC, which ended up worthless. They were poor additions, both the new vehicles and the new maps, and eventually everyone stuck with the original content.

 

[Svensk Viking]

There's a downside to it though in multiplayer games where they can lead to otherwise unnecessary patches and downloads.

It really pisses me off in multiplayer games, at least on the 360
I only use Live during free weekends and these trials included in games, but it was so bad when I was going to play Halo 3 on Live, only to find out that one must download all new maps to be allowed in all game modes

 

[upnorthsox]

One thing I've noticed with DLC is it doesn't price drop, which seems a bit dumb for the companies who are pricing themselves out of some markets. eg. Feeling very ill these past few days, I went looking for something to play, and DLC for 3+ year old games is as pricey now as it was all that time ago. It's like a fire-and-forget strategy without the same price shifting as other products, and I expect that backfires somewhat. After a year or so, drop your DLC's price so those who didn't care for it before may be inticed into a purchase now.

I've got to agree, if they're serious about DD then it's counterproductive to that model.

 

[Rodéric]

I only don't like DLC if it amounts to selling the proper game ending as DLC...

ME2 "The Arrival"
Optional (since DLC), yet canon

 

[Laa-Yosh]

It can also be summed up in like two sentences and has no extra content like weapons or characters.

Shadow Broker was far more interesting and important to the storytelling of the game - if someone hasn't played it, a few things will be quite a surprise in ME3.

Spoiler

Liara becoming the new broker is a nice twist in itself, but her character also got a lot better thanks to the quality writing. Didn't really like her in the first two games, but now I'm looking forward to have her as a permanent squad member.