DLC and Microtransactions

[FinalxxSin]

This is a video with me covering my thoughts on DLC and Microtransactions while playing some Heavenly Sword:
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What are your own thoughts on it? Do you like them, hate them, or is it more situation based?

[Ayen]

Not a fan of how DLC is abused, and won't pay for it in most instances. I haven't really had any experience with microtransactions to have much of an opinion on them.

[Sephex]

Thanks for sharing the vid! In the future please keep stuff like this in General Gaming! Thanks!

[escobert]

I don't mind DLCs as long as they aren't released right after the game launches. That pisses me off. Not a big fan of micro-transactions but they aren't terrible if it's done right and not pay to win.

[Mirage]

Conceptually, DLC is not really different from the expansion packs back in the day. How it is used to get the absolute maximum amount of money out of every single title, however, is pretty sickening. Intentionally reducing the content of the base game in order to sell it as optional extras makes the game community poorer. There's less common ground for people when they talk about their games, as each player could in the worst case scenario end up with two entirely different playing experiences.

Player A (who bought the day one DLC and preorder bonus with 5 extra weapons and an additional character): I loved player as OtherDude. Game was a bit easy, though.
Player B (just got the base game): Uh, I dunno what you're on about. It was pretty difficult for me. I found the character to be pretty boring too.

I refuse to pay extra for any DLC that is designed while the game is still being developed. This includes preorder bonuses and "digital collector's edition (what a fucking horseshit concept that is)" bonuses, as these are just day one DLC in disguise. I'll grab them as part of a "goty" or "complete edition" for 40 bucks the next year, however.

[Formalhaut]

I refuse to pay extra for any DLC that is designed while the game is still being developed. This includes preorder bonuses and "digital collector's edition (what a smurfing horsetrout concept that is)" bonuses, as these are just day one DLC in disguise. I'll grab them as part of a "goty" or "complete edition" for 40 bucks the next year, however.

DLC, if done right, can be so memorable. Mass Effect's story DLCs, particularly in Mass Effect 3 (Citadel, much?) were some of the best parts of the game, and were a great send-off for the trilogy. I typically stick to purchasing story DLC, and avoid spending money on 'weapon packs': who needs them?

Microtransactions are more of a mobile gaming concept, if anything, and are far more insidious. They so easily become 'pay to win', and can rack up bills rather quickly. They typically ruin immersion, too.

[Mirage]

Like I said, proper DLC is closer to expacs, and I have no problems with those. I mean, Steam lists Gods and Kings and Brave New World as DLC for civilization 5, but they're practically the exact same thing as the Yuri's Revenge expansion pack I bought for Red Alert 2 15 years ago. Actual massive expansions to the original game that significantly change the way you play the game.

I can't think of any story DLC for a retail game that was also day one

Now that I've watched the video, I'll say that I mostly agree. There are a lot of games coming out, probably more games than most people have time to play. It is definitely possible to steer clear of titles that are bursting at the seams with DLC, and still have access to a large amount of games to play. Most of the games I have bought this year and last year have been mostly self-contained without a need for DLC to complete the experience. Then again, I have bought several complete/goty bundles, so there's that.

[Fox]

I can't think of any story DLC for a retail game that was also day one



Mass Effect 3: From Ashes.

God that was a mess. The DLC was good, the mission and little story you got was pretty cool. And the extra character was a freaking Prothean! That's such a huge deal in the Mass Effect universe, I still can't believe they cut that our for DLC. And launch DLC at that.

[Mirage]

ME3 is actually the only of them I didn't buy, for various other reasons, so I didn't know that.

[Ayen]

Microtransactions involve play to win, eh? Not a fan. Defeats the purpose of Free 2 Play, IMO.

[Skyblade]

Microtransactions involve play to win, eh? Not a fan. Defeats the purpose of Free 2 Play, IMO.

They can. Depends on the game. They can also just be selling cosmetics.

[NorthernChaosGod]

I used to be vehemently against microtransactions and all that . Then I started playing League of Legends and now I own many skins. :shobon:

[blackmage_nuke]

As long as the base game gives me a satisfying gaming experience for the price Im happy to fork out some money for dlc

[Loony BoB]

Outside of the odd pre-order bonus, I can't think of many times I've paid for DLC - I think I paid for that Lightning fight back in FFXIII-2. I'm pretty sure that's all I've ever paid for above and beyond the initial purchase price of a game. Hard to say for certain though, I've been gaming a long time and my memory is pretty hazy.

[FinalxxSin]

Thanks for sharing the vid! In the future please keep stuff like this in General Gaming! Thanks!
Ok Thank you Sephex. My apologies.


I don't mind DLCs as long as they aren't released right after the game launches. That pisses me off. Not a big fan of micro-transactions but they aren't terrible if it's done right and not pay to win.
I know how you may feel with day one DLC. It would be understandable to look at that as vanilla content simply cut for resale purposes. Micro-transactions are ok if done right, but I feel they can never be right on the console front. PC has a lot of F2P games, while consoles do not.


Not a fan of how DLC is abused, and won't pay for it in most instances. I haven't really had any experience with microtransactions to have much of an opinion on them.
That's understandable. I think due to the few companies out there that do abuse it, it makes some people extremely cautious when it comes to the overall concept of it. Luckily, not every company abuses DLC every chance they get. I just wish that took place more often.


Conceptually, DLC is not really different from the expansion packs back in the day. How it is used to get the absolute maximum amount of money out of every single title, however, is pretty sickening. Intentionally reducing the content of the base game in order to sell it as optional extras makes the game community poorer. There's less common ground for people when they talk about their games, as each player could in the worst case scenario end up with two entirely different playing experiences.
I agree.




I refuse to pay extra for any DLC that is designed while the game is still being developed. This includes preorder bonuses and "digital collector's edition (what a smurfing horsetrout concept that is)" bonuses, as these are just day one DLC in disguise. I'll grab them as part of a "goty" or "complete edition" for 40 bucks the next year, however.
That irks me quite a bit when devs are talking about DLC when the game isn't even close to being complete in most cases.

[FinalxxSin]

DLC, if done right, can be so memorable. Mass Effect's story DLCs, particularly in Mass Effect 3 (Citadel, much?) were some of the best parts of the game, and were a great send-off for the trilogy. I typically stick to purchasing story DLC, and avoid spending money on 'weapon packs': who needs them?

Microtransactions are more of a mobile gaming concept, if anything, and are far more insidious. They so easily become 'pay to win', and can rack up bills rather quickly. They typically ruin immersion, too.
I agree that DLC when done right can be memorable. I've been reading some good comments lately in relation to some of the Bloodborne DLC. I don't know if that is a good indicator of how the majority feels toward the DLC in that game though. Microtransactions can eat through a wallet extremely quickly, more than paying a set price for a game that may/may not have a subscription fee. I know from personal experience dealing with F2P games.


Microtransactions involve play to win, eh? Not a fan. Defeats the purpose of Free 2 Play, IMO.
Yep. A lot of times many games that are "Free 2 Play" try to work off of the "competing" aspect of people. It would be like trying to keep up with the Jetsons. A lot of companies want people to want what the top dogs have, whom have already forked over a lot of cash to get to their position. There are almost always those niche of people that have to have the "top everything", which only makes things worse for those that have the mentality of not wanting to be left out. Some games even incorporate random loot type Micro-transactions that have a super low chance of getting the best items. The rest of the items tend to not be nearly as important in several cases. That's the biggest type of gamble scam I have seen thus far.


I used to be vehemently against microtransactions and all that . Then I started playing League of Legends and now I own many skins. :shobon:
I don't see anything wrong with cosmetic Micro-transactions. The ones that give other people an advantage over other ones, especially when the item can not be obtained easily through means of grinding/questing are the ones that I have an issue with.


As long as the base game gives me a satisfying gaming experience for the price Im happy to fork out some money for dlc
Agreed. I remember doing that for Dragon Age Origins years back. I know I put in well over 100 hours into a single campaign run. Granted, I'm a bit slower at playing RPG titles in comparison to other people.


Outside of the odd pre-order bonus, I can't think of many times I've paid for DLC - I think I paid for that Lightning fight back in FFXIII-2. I'm pretty sure that's all I've ever paid for above and beyond the initial purchase price of a game. Hard to say for certain though, I've been gaming a long time and my memory is pretty hazy.
FFXIII-2.....I didn't care for that games DLC model. I also didn't care for how they slapped Claire on the cover knowing damn well you'd only get to play as her once in the game unless you bought the DLC that you mentioned. That one vanilla content play was put into the demo. I got fooled on that one expecting Claire and Cauis to bump heads multiple times throughout the game.