To be honest old games like CK2 are probably worth a lot more in terms of enjoyment than a lot of the newer games with the free additional content and the bug fixes as said before, its all to do with hype and you know what.
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To be honest old games like CK2 are probably worth a lot more in terms of enjoyment than a lot of the newer games with the free additional content and the bug fixes as said before, its all to do with hype and you know what.
The prices might be misleading. I Live in Argentina and the displayed price in steam store is never the one i pay for in my credit card. They convert the USD value to ARS and display it in ARS but they still charge the original USD price in Credit Card. I have seen games displayed at 100 ARS (3 USD) and get charged 5 USD+CC tax. DOnt know if it happens the same way in other countries.
I guess they have a fixed value to convert USD to ARS and its not the correct one.
I do since they are the only company that makes games I enjoy. I haven’t fully enjoyed the total war series games since medieval total war 2, everything after that has been disappointing.
I have brought a lot of Paradox games/DLC on sale, but equally if a Paradox DLC/Game pecks my interest because it looks really good, I buy it just after it comes out
i usually buy them at full price if i have to money to begin with. i didn't with I:R so i'm waiting for its first 25% or 50% discount sale.
Working 70 h/week is insane.
Topic related: got my game(s) and all of the DLCs at full price. I am only a EU4 maniac though and given for how long EU4 has been out on the market and how much fun I had with it 300€ are a very fair price.
Well, this thread has been an eye-opener for me.
Why are Paradox games not cheaper for buyers in Serbia?
My main games are CK2, Stellaris and Cities Skylines, i buy everything at full price when the games/dlc are new, i only buy old games and dlc for the "sidegames" when they have a discount equal to 75%. I plan to buy all DLCs for EUIV in six months.
If they fix Imperator before the first DLC arrives i'll be buying the DLC at full price, as i want that game to be one of my "main games". The same with EUIV, but that game lack something... a soul as i always say.
Exceptions are when they release something interesting, for example i bought Golden Century at full price because i love playing as Spain even if EU4 its a sidegame for me, and when they release that i consider boring for a main game, for example the latest DLC for Cities Skylines, i'll be buying that at 75% discount, i dont care about Campus.
If they fix Imperator before the first DLC arrives i'll be buying the DLC at full price, as i want that game to be one of my "main games". The same with EUIV, but that game lack something... a soul as i always say.
Exceptions are when they release something interesting, for example i bought Golden Century at full price because i love playing as Spain even if EU4 its a sidegame for me, and when they release that i consider boring for a main game, for example the latest DLC for Cities Skylines, i'll be buying that at 75% discount, i dont care about Campus.
I do. Every time, and I preorder if I remember. I do follow dev diaries closely so that I know I want that game.
Ultimately, I've personally never felt let down in the end. Products have been underwhelming, but for me my faith has been rewarded in the end. CK2 is brilliant now, Stellaris just keeps dragging me back, I keep finding myself dipping back into HOI4 multiplayer with my mates. EU4 is a bit bleh right now, but I'm starting to like what I see in their big upcoming update.
Ultimately, I've personally never felt let down in the end. Products have been underwhelming, but for me my faith has been rewarded in the end. CK2 is brilliant now, Stellaris just keeps dragging me back, I keep finding myself dipping back into HOI4 multiplayer with my mates. EU4 is a bit bleh right now, but I'm starting to like what I see in their big upcoming update.
normally i'm highly averse to preorders, but having dev diaries does make it much easier to gauge whether this is what i'm looking for in PDS games.
- The hardcore strategy game niche is extremely loyal and, as a rule, spends premium prices on mid-tier products simply because there is so little competition. As such, you can usually maintain higher prices, and longer, than most other game genres and niches.
- However, Paradox has admitted they are trying to expand their audience, and in that regard, their overall price point is insane. For a normal, non-Paradox loyal player trying to get into an older Paradox game, the total price of all the DLC is enough to scare them away (anecdotal, but I've gotten about a dozen people interested in Paradox games only to have every single one of them look at the DLC page and respond with "nah, if I like it I can't afford to buy all that.").
- I absolutely do believe that Paradox's DLC policy is having a negative effect on their fans and their public perception. (See link in my signature below for my own personal feelings/opinions on that and how it negatively affected by own experience with Paradox games).
They then hope they can pick up some the mid-core audience with special deals like Steam Sales, or putting Imperator up on Xbox.
But I do think they'd see an instant uptake in regular sales and player conversion if they regularly packaged all DLC that is older than 1 year old together with the base game into a semi-complete "Commander Pack" for around $60. Every time a new DLC comes out, they update the "Commander Pack" with older stuff. That way you can still monetize your most hardcore players, and then still convert the normal players who showed up late but are really interested.
The real question is how big the "interested, but not at that price point" market is. Despite moves to expand their audience, their current price points imply that they don't believe there's much of a market there, or that there isn't much mid-core or casual conversion potential in general.
Sometimes...
I am pretty sure I preordered EU4 at full price, possibly CK2 at release, and around half of all DLC of CK2 and EU4 too. And HOI4, I got the preorder bundle... and Imperator:Rome base game, full price.
Most everything else I got on a sale.
I am pretty sure I preordered EU4 at full price, possibly CK2 at release, and around half of all DLC of CK2 and EU4 too. And HOI4, I got the preorder bundle... and Imperator:Rome base game, full price.
Most everything else I got on a sale.
Bought EU4 + dlcs basically almost full price since i buy them when they’re out (or i wait for the first slight discount like 30%), stellaris base game full price (rip me) but dlcs discounted, CK2 mainly discounted, HoI 4 got given for free by a friend (i played it like 4 hours ahahahah)
All this to say that to this present day i’m not buying really pdx products right when they are out cause 1: i got a backlog of beautiful games which atm sell for way less and 2: the new base games never inspired me to play much since they are a framework for new dlcs, like I:R (at least on release, now its getting better but still not worth buying on release), and i got more fun by spending those euros on an actually finished product who doesnt need me to check in the forums to see if devs still care about the game or fixing their bugs. The dlc policy is too much expensive, it was okish when CK2 and EU4 were the only games receiving it but i cant sustain to buy every dlc for every paradox game OR paying more than 120 euros for a game and not having everything lol, the only game for a different company i bought that has as many dlcs as a pdx title might be Borderland 2 which i bought 2 years ago for 3 euros the whole thing, 3 euros not 93 with discounts
ofc this is the other extreme, but a middle ground would make lots of people happier to have a truckload of dlcs to sort and imo would lead to more people buying it cause if there is one reason left on pirating a game its cause one has to part hundreds of euros to have the whole experience. I know some friends who have the game cracked for the sheer amount of dlcs, I talked with them many times about buying the base game to play in MP but none of them is gonna do that because the base game to this day is worth very little, aint actually even maintained well and the whole “balancing” revolves around the game with ALL or most of the dlcs. I agree with them on this, if i had to buy europa universalis 4 today with 0 dlcs i’d simply pass, it was a great game when it was out but today there are just too many lacking features of which some are simply quality of life and locked behind dlcs...i could go on and on for days recalling that people on game release could have the bonus diplomat and leader that today you got by ranking up the government to kingdom and empire without having to pay a dlc for that but whatever i think everyone spots the elefant in the room but we’re just done talking about it after so many years, idk if they will change and at this point i’m not really interested to that cause i’m done trying to get my friends into these games much simpler this way, i get to keep my liver intact also, this is their battle tbh and they want to fight it that way, amen
All this to say that to this present day i’m not buying really pdx products right when they are out cause 1: i got a backlog of beautiful games which atm sell for way less and 2: the new base games never inspired me to play much since they are a framework for new dlcs, like I:R (at least on release, now its getting better but still not worth buying on release), and i got more fun by spending those euros on an actually finished product who doesnt need me to check in the forums to see if devs still care about the game or fixing their bugs. The dlc policy is too much expensive, it was okish when CK2 and EU4 were the only games receiving it but i cant sustain to buy every dlc for every paradox game OR paying more than 120 euros for a game and not having everything lol, the only game for a different company i bought that has as many dlcs as a pdx title might be Borderland 2 which i bought 2 years ago for 3 euros the whole thing, 3 euros not 93 with discounts
ofc this is the other extreme, but a middle ground would make lots of people happier to have a truckload of dlcs to sort and imo would lead to more people buying it cause if there is one reason left on pirating a game its cause one has to part hundreds of euros to have the whole experience. I know some friends who have the game cracked for the sheer amount of dlcs, I talked with them many times about buying the base game to play in MP but none of them is gonna do that because the base game to this day is worth very little, aint actually even maintained well and the whole “balancing” revolves around the game with ALL or most of the dlcs. I agree with them on this, if i had to buy europa universalis 4 today with 0 dlcs i’d simply pass, it was a great game when it was out but today there are just too many lacking features of which some are simply quality of life and locked behind dlcs...i could go on and on for days recalling that people on game release could have the bonus diplomat and leader that today you got by ranking up the government to kingdom and empire without having to pay a dlc for that but whatever i think everyone spots the elefant in the room but we’re just done talking about it after so many years, idk if they will change and at this point i’m not really interested to that cause i’m done trying to get my friends into these games much simpler this way, i get to keep my liver intact also, this is their battle tbh and they want to fight it that way, amen
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Well, I mean EU4 and CK2 were like 10$ at full price when I bought them, Stellaris was 20$ and HOI4 was 25$. I wouldn't buy the DLCs at full price, tho.
The games are pretty cheap here.
The games are pretty cheap here.
In theory I am willing to pay full price for Paradox games and DLC however, with Paradox, especially with Stellaris (Which I want to love, and almost do now), and now Imperator, it is clear that Their new products are all early access titles(just lacking an appropriate label advertising them as such).
So I guess I am fine paying full, base price, for a game that isn't in early access, its just that we have to treat any modern paradox product as being an early access item at least up until the point that they release the next paid expansion for that product line.
Example I am still only playing the most recent PRE-Holy fury patch, and I don't plan on buying it, or updating to the current version until they either release the next paid expansion, or until they officially stop working on CK2, whichever comes first.
Example 2: Imperator, clearly should have an early access disclaimer on it, peaked at a recent dev diary, and it looks like they are completely overhauling base mechanics (Remember stellaris 2.0? and the removal of the tile system? Thats about when Stellaris exited early access and entered buggy real release i'd say), completely replacing the mana system, if thats not an early access move... (granted I do like the direction they are going with it.)
I do on the whole like paradox, and so far no one else is making games quite like they do, its just that I think they really need to be clear with their fans that these days when they release a product you are paying for a pre 1.0 version (in reality, if not in name)
So I guess I am fine paying full, base price, for a game that isn't in early access, its just that we have to treat any modern paradox product as being an early access item at least up until the point that they release the next paid expansion for that product line.
Example I am still only playing the most recent PRE-Holy fury patch, and I don't plan on buying it, or updating to the current version until they either release the next paid expansion, or until they officially stop working on CK2, whichever comes first.
Example 2: Imperator, clearly should have an early access disclaimer on it, peaked at a recent dev diary, and it looks like they are completely overhauling base mechanics (Remember stellaris 2.0? and the removal of the tile system? Thats about when Stellaris exited early access and entered buggy real release i'd say), completely replacing the mana system, if thats not an early access move... (granted I do like the direction they are going with it.)
I do on the whole like paradox, and so far no one else is making games quite like they do, its just that I think they really need to be clear with their fans that these days when they release a product you are paying for a pre 1.0 version (in reality, if not in name)
I've come to employ a frugal approach with regards to buying games almost to the point of compulsion, even though I'm financially fairly secure. Must have something to do with my upbringing. I only really buy games at full price these days if I have absolute trust in the developer, usually based on their track record, which I exceedingly rarely do. PDS isn't one of those developers for me.
When it comes to PDS games in particular, though, you're better off waiting, anyway, even if it weren't for the deeper sales, due to the extent of the post-launch development. I try not to buy into pre-release hype too much, and in the case of something like Imperator, it has arguably paid off. I can wait, I have other games to play in the meantime.
When it comes to PDS games in particular, though, you're better off waiting, anyway, even if it weren't for the deeper sales, due to the extent of the post-launch development. I try not to buy into pre-release hype too much, and in the case of something like Imperator, it has arguably paid off. I can wait, I have other games to play in the meantime.
See this makes 0 sense to me. Holy Fury has been out a while now and is pretty widely viewed as the best CK2 DLC & free patch content ever and one of the best PDX DLC/free patch releases ever.
I've done a mixture of the two since the days of Steam and real game sales.
I will occasionally buy a game or DLC at full price right away if it's something particularly interesting to me, otherwise I wait for a sale as my gaming money is limited.
Imperator was very nearly a first day buy, I refuse to do pre-buys on games. Thankfully I waited and will let the game sort itself out a bit and pick it up on sale if it gets better looking.
I will occasionally buy a game or DLC at full price right away if it's something particularly interesting to me, otherwise I wait for a sale as my gaming money is limited.
Imperator was very nearly a first day buy, I refuse to do pre-buys on games. Thankfully I waited and will let the game sort itself out a bit and pick it up on sale if it gets better looking.