DLC policy

[LodovicoAriosto]

HoI3 DLC policy

Check this video - from 3:20 to 4:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yangb-ClkPw

and the results of the poll about HoI3 DLC:
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?413935-DLC-Content-Whats-your-opinion

Please note that the poll multiple choices were suggesting that the first option is the best one. Saying "I like any DLC" is different from "I want DLC content released separately" (that is - not included in the game or expansions), isn't it? Plus - the poll choices are confusing DLC with expansions. The option 3 would be redundant otherwise because option 2 clearly says "no DLC please" as well as option 3. So the real score of DLC fans would be even lower if the choices were properly formulated.

 

[Darkrenown]

Surely it's pretty obvious "I like DLC" means not stuff included in expansions when the other choice is "I just want expansions" ?

 

[LodovicoAriosto]

It's not that clear as you may think. I have been making questionnaries for some time and even a slight formulation change can dramatically affect results.

But what I wanted to say is that even if you don't count a certain "pro-DLC" perspective of the poll, the results seem to be in a partial inconsistency with the interview. Players outside the forum might love DLC but I think that DLC is usually bought by fans of the game, not just casual one-time customers. So the DLC are often oriented towards core players. And if we talk about dedicated players, then a sample of them is on the forum and voted in the poll.

There must have been other motives to introduce DLC other than DLC being the current game industry trend I hope. But it definitely was not any demand from the core players present on the forum. IMO it should be remembered that a sample (over 1 thousand) of core players voted against it.

 

[Easy1]

I agree this is bad quantitative resarch by paradox. Allthough I don't like DLCs I actually voted for them in fear that some material would be DLC exclusive only. If I, with many others I assmune, where given a more clear question on wheter we want the SAME expansion material released as a DLC OR an expansion, the poll would have been more scientifically trusthworhty.

The best argument for DLC is simply more money

 

[Johan]

We kind of looked more at "how many people buy DLC" instead of what a forum poll tells us. If people didnt buy them, we wouldn't keep making them.

A poll is just a poll after all.. But sales data is a REAL argument that the fans love dlc's.

 

[Chromos]

Hi,
But was does the sales department tell us?

Do we have the numbers for the DLC's sold?
I wouldn't be suprised if these numbers show a different opinion on the topic..


And IMHO the DLC's sold from P for HOI3 are "real DLC's" as they should be.
Just additional(!) things to the game.
No "patch" stuff or somethig that makes someone better in the game than someone without..

And so far all are made by Third-Party.. P is just the Publisher.
With this system so far, you support also somekind of "Fan-Made stuff"..
And the "core" Dev's could focus on the "main stuff"..

Kind regards,
Chromos

Edit:
Ah, "Emued" by Johan.. I should not write an do other stuff at the same time..

 

[pheonix02]

When new DLC will be release? I wish cold war DLC . I love to play with sprites , the game is more realist

 

[jju_57]

A poll is just a poll after all.. But sales data is a REAL argument that the fans love dlc's.

Bam the ultimate poll results. Sort of like political polls. the only one that really counts is the election day one.

 

[Greybriar]

We kind of looked more at "how many people buy DLC" instead of what a forum poll tells us. If people didnt buy them, we wouldn't keep making them.

A poll is just a poll after all.. But sales data is a REAL argument that the fans love dlc's.

I knew I shouldn't have purchased that HoI3 DLC when it was on sale. Now we will never be rid of it.

 

[Baltasar]

the fans love dlc's.

I wonder if you would release some numbers of HoI 3 specific DLC sale numbers for the forum mob.

 

[RedRalphWiggum]

I wonder if you would release some numbers of HoI 3 specific DLC sale numbers for the forum mob.

They never release sales figures, so I doubt it

 

[Baltasar]

Just wondering because Paradox people keep saying that DLCs are just soo successful when the common forum user can only see the poll mentioned earlier which doesn't exactly support that.

(I'm not opposed to DLCs , just wondering.)

 

[RedRalphWiggum]

Just wondering because Paradox people keep saying that DLCs are just soo successful when the common forum user can only see the poll mentioned earlier which doesn't exactly support that.

you really have a bee in your bonnet about this, don't you? Can you honestly think of any good reason Paradox would lie about this and keep releasing them if they were losing money on it? Can you really imagine Johan looking at bad sales figures for DLC and saying "better keep this under my hat.... I'll lie to Baltasar if he asks how popular they are"? Seriously?

 

[silenced]

But sales data is a REAL argument that the fans love dlc's.

I wouldn't call it 'love', it's just an illness that crept 'back' (we had it once before, see below) into the industry to get more buck for the same bang. Look at all those unfinished games like Dragon Age or Mass Effect where parts of it were not finished in time and have been put in the shops later as DLC though it originally should have been in in the release.

I'm pretty sure we will most likely see a pervertion of that in the near future.

I wouldn't call most of todays games as full price titles, they're much more what we once knew as shareware. Remember how a lot of companies once started? Like id software. Release the first part as shareware for free and offer the final parts as paid content. Just today it's called DLC.

Just my 2 €-cent

 

[Lauri]

1,038 voted for Expansions only.
Now, that means 3-4000 DLCs sold on average. For the ones who voted Expansions only... I can see Paradox's choice in this, and I don't see any problem with it.

I would also believe that many buy the DLCs just to support Paradox because they're so cheap. I personally bought the sprite packs, but that's because I play with sprites.

 

[nestorius]

HOI3 dlcs have only been different types of sprites, music and 1 mod. It really isnt game related, and you really get much the same experience with them as without. I agree I am not too keen on the way that dlcs for Mass effect work. I bought each one but frankly I felt a bit cheated. Specficially with regard to the weapon/armour/outfit dlcs, which should have been tagged on to other released stuff.

Frankly though I am confused by the OP, an expansion is not a dlc, dlcs should be small additions to the game that can improve certain aspects but are not vital. Something like changing things visually or adding additional scenarios seems like a very good thing. Frankly I am mostly going to play the 1936 campaign in HOI3 but I wouldnt mind trying some scenarios. I personally think dlcs are the best way to introduce this content.

 

[Danevang]

I wouldn't call it 'love', it's just an illness that crept 'back' (we had it once before, see below) into the industry to get more buck for the same bang. Look at all those unfinished games like Dragon Age or Mass Effect where parts of it were not finished in time and have been put in the shops later as DLC though it originally should have been in in the release.

I'm pretty sure we will most likely see a pervertion of that in the near future.

I wouldn't call most of todays games as full price titles, they're much more what we once knew as shareware. Remember how a lot of companies once started? Like id software. Release the first part as shareware for free and offer the final parts as paid content. Just today it's called DLC.

Just my 2 €-cent

To anyone who's angry at DLCs: Note how most (all?) the grand strategy DLCs (non-expansions) so far have been made by gamers outside Paradox, adding and changing things in the game that they thought would be cool (i.e. Common Weapons of WW2 (HOI3 by Devildread), Secret Weapons of WW2 (HOI3 by Devildread), Old Vic (V2 by me ), and as far as I know all the sprite packs) . How could that be a pre planned strategy by Paradox, that someone might want to release some changes they prefer to their fellow gamers for a few bucks? If anything the Paradox dlc strategy is to let gamers with skill let other gamers benefit from that skill, and at the same time taking a chance and releasing this "out of house" material from unknown gamers. How could anyone have a problem with such a policy? It's great, and as far as I know quite unique.

 

[LodovicoAriosto]

Frankly though I am confused by the OP, an expansion is not a dlc...

Read my post again. I am completely aware of the difference between an expansion and DLC. Among other things, I tried to show that makers of the poll either were not or acted as they were not as well as familiar with the difference as you or me. To illustrate the fact that the choices caused some confusion among voters, see the post 14 on the poll page I posted above (quote: "I think that ANY KIND OF DLC equals Expansions AND dlc... Cheers, Nick"). The point again is that the poll would be more skewed towards "no DLC" results than it already is IF this difference between exp. and DLC was properly reflected in the poll choices.

As for the answers of Johan, Darkrenown and others - they are fair enough. If DLC sales are good then it is a no-brainer for the company. The other thing is that, according to the poll, it might hurt prestige in the eyes of a small but core group of gamers. But I am sure that PI learned about the importance of prestige more than enough from their games

 

[unmerged(139259)]

Well, I don't see any point why we should have arguments againts DLCs. As long as they are just for flavour (like sprite-packs) and are not adding any core content of the game (like events, for example), I'm fine with them.

Therefore, any complaints about the fact that DLCs are available to the players are somehow same as complaints that certain televisions are broadcasting soup-operas. Don't like them? Don't watch them. Don't like DLCs? Don't use them then. It's fair, isn't it?

 

[jju_57]

Well, I don't see any point why we should have arguments againts DLCs. As long as they are just for flavour (like sprite-packs) and are not adding any core content of the game (like events, for example), I'm fine with them.

Therefore, any complaints about the fact that DLCs are available to the players are somehow same as complaints that certain televisions are broadcasting soup-operas. Don't like them? Don't watch them. Don't like DLCs? Don't use them then. It's fair, isn't it?

+1

BTW off topic the best soap operas in the US are on the Spanish language channels.