Star Wars Battlefront DLC...yet another slap in the face to the season pass holders.
So if you read my earlier blog about how the internet is ruining gaming, you may have noticed I devoted entire subsection on Season Passes pretty much exclusively to the new Star Wars Battlefront game.
And one of the big things I hit it for was the fact that the Season Pass costs nearly as much as the game did at launch (and now actually costs MORE, since they had to cut the price of the game weeks after its launch once people discovered it was near barren on content), and that they provided basically NO information on the Season Pass contents, meaning you were taking a huge gamble if you bought it. Well today you got to find out if your gamble paid off.
Now first off I do want to say that Battlefront isnt a bad game. The content thats there plays decently enough, and looks and sounds fantastic, and for a casual gamer who's only going to play when the urge strikes them, its not a bad game......provided you dont pay full price for it. Its a rip off at anything more than $40 (and anything more than $15 if your not going to play the multiplayer).
Thing is, if your a hardcore gamer and first or third person shooter fan. there are literally dozens of better games out there, that tend to be too hardcore for casual gamer. In fact the massive lack of content in the base game turned off a lot of hardcore gamers for that reason
(To be fair, this seems to have been a conscious choice by EA, they intended to aim for the casual gamer, and designed the game to do so. Not surprising given that they also make many of that dozen or so better games I mentioned, so this isnt actually a "fail" that the game only appeals to casual gamers)
So given all that, I tend to think most people who bought the season pass are kinda morons. Your either spending twice as much on a game you wont play that much, or you just spend double on a game you already dont like cause it didnt have any content, amd you did so more or less blind, as you had no idea what youd get for your money.
Now I say more or less blind because EA did give a couple of small clues about content, in that they promised their DLC would 2 additional play modes and 16 additional maps, but that was basically it, no details on the maps or the play modes.
So yea, IF you were the special kinda stupid and bought the season pass, did your gamble pay off?
No. Not even remotely.
First it appears EA may have "obi-wan'ed" the truth about the Season Pass. See the DLC WILL live up to their promise......just not the season pass.
From todays press release:
"We began our post-launch journey together last month with the Battle of Jakku DLC, adding two new maps and the new mode Turning Point. Tomorrow, we are adding more free content to the game for all Star WarsBattlefront players, including:"
So yea those 2 additional play modes you may have bought the season pass for......yea turns out one of them came out for free and for everyone....including those who didnt pay their money.
Actually did I say 1 new play mode? lets see what follows the "including" from the above quote
And one of the big things I hit it for was the fact that the Season Pass costs nearly as much as the game did at launch (and now actually costs MORE, since they had to cut the price of the game weeks after its launch once people discovered it was near barren on content), and that they provided basically NO information on the Season Pass contents, meaning you were taking a huge gamble if you bought it. Well today you got to find out if your gamble paid off.
Now first off I do want to say that Battlefront isnt a bad game. The content thats there plays decently enough, and looks and sounds fantastic, and for a casual gamer who's only going to play when the urge strikes them, its not a bad game......provided you dont pay full price for it. Its a rip off at anything more than $40 (and anything more than $15 if your not going to play the multiplayer).
Thing is, if your a hardcore gamer and first or third person shooter fan. there are literally dozens of better games out there, that tend to be too hardcore for casual gamer. In fact the massive lack of content in the base game turned off a lot of hardcore gamers for that reason
(To be fair, this seems to have been a conscious choice by EA, they intended to aim for the casual gamer, and designed the game to do so. Not surprising given that they also make many of that dozen or so better games I mentioned, so this isnt actually a "fail" that the game only appeals to casual gamers)
So given all that, I tend to think most people who bought the season pass are kinda morons. Your either spending twice as much on a game you wont play that much, or you just spend double on a game you already dont like cause it didnt have any content, amd you did so more or less blind, as you had no idea what youd get for your money.
Now I say more or less blind because EA did give a couple of small clues about content, in that they promised their DLC would 2 additional play modes and 16 additional maps, but that was basically it, no details on the maps or the play modes.
So yea, IF you were the special kinda stupid and bought the season pass, did your gamble pay off?
No. Not even remotely.
First it appears EA may have "obi-wan'ed" the truth about the Season Pass. See the DLC WILL live up to their promise......just not the season pass.
From todays press release:
"We began our post-launch journey together last month with the Battle of Jakku DLC, adding two new maps and the new mode Turning Point. Tomorrow, we are adding more free content to the game for all Star WarsBattlefront players, including:"
So yea those 2 additional play modes you may have bought the season pass for......yea turns out one of them came out for free and for everyone....including those who didnt pay their money.
Actually did I say 1 new play mode? lets see what follows the "including" from the above quote
"The introduction of Daily Challenges and Community Events. These are designed to rally the Community around certain goals and objectives, giving players the chance to earn credits and unlocks even faster. We'll have more news regarding Community Events and Daily Challenges in the days ahead."
As Daily Challenges and Community Events are two different versions of the same thing (timed missions basically) this might be that second play mode.....also given away for free.
Sidenote by the way, these two forms of play are aimed at hardcore gamers (those who would play every day) due to the time restriction. And you remember what I said before about WHO this game is a good fit for? Casual gamers.
So yea, turns out not only did they give away the two game modes for free, one of them is designed to be played by people the game wasnt designed for and wont appeal to those the game was designed for.
Anyways back to the detail, remember those 16 maps they promised? Well they already mentioned 2 of those being Jakku, so what about the other 14?
"In February, we will continue to add more free content for all players, including a new Survival mission on Hoth, and a brand-new Hoth multiplayer map[...]
In March, we will be adding another exciting new multiplayer map on Endor [...] and an additional Tatooine Survival map".
So yea, those 16 maps you thought you might have bought with the Season Pass? try 10.....
Sidenote by the way, these two forms of play are aimed at hardcore gamers (those who would play every day) due to the time restriction. And you remember what I said before about WHO this game is a good fit for? Casual gamers.
So yea, turns out not only did they give away the two game modes for free, one of them is designed to be played by people the game wasnt designed for and wont appeal to those the game was designed for.
Anyways back to the detail, remember those 16 maps they promised? Well they already mentioned 2 of those being Jakku, so what about the other 14?
"In February, we will continue to add more free content for all players, including a new Survival mission on Hoth, and a brand-new Hoth multiplayer map[...]
In March, we will be adding another exciting new multiplayer map on Endor [...] and an additional Tatooine Survival map".
So yea, those 16 maps you thought you might have bought with the Season Pass? try 10.....
And incidentally another major criticism of the game was that it only had 4 playable planets (as opposed to the dozen or so in both of its predecessors).....and guess what, after 3 different free DLC's...it now has 5. Not a whopping improvement
Now so far I've only mentioned free stuff......but theres a reason for that. From a chronological standpoint we havnt actually reached the stuff that was actually paid for by the Season Pass purchase.
This despite the fact we are already up to March as far as their DLC plan....that being a full 4 months after the games release.
Now for many games this might not matter. Hell it could even be an advantage. 4 months is usually enough time to beat most games, have time off, and then want to replay it. So in this case the DLC is kinda a welcome back bonus.
The problem is thought, as a rule those games are [at least partially] single player.
Battlefront is, for all intents and purposes clearly a multiplayer only game. And its an online multiplayer only game.
Meaning their have to be people on-line willing to play the thing, or its effectively a useless waste of space on your hard drive, cause it cant really be played alone.
And there in lies the rub. As people start to lose interest and stop playing, their will be less people to play with, thereby causing more people to give up the game due to inability to find anyone to play with, which spirals out to eventually no one playing. This is the evenual fate of all online multiplayer only games
Now yes, there are games like World of Warcraft, or Minecraft that buck this trend and seemingly will have players playing them forever, but the chances of Battlefront being one of those is, well slim.
So if they are going to wait 4 months before releasing the paid season pass DLC, it better be hella impressive to bring back the gamers who will have long tired of playing the same limited maps on the same 5 planets.
So do they excite? Well the first of the 4 Season pass DLC packs looks a bit like this
"Star Wars™ Battlefront™ Outer Rim (March 2016) - Fight among the factories of Sullust and battle within Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine"
Hey cool....(at least) two more maps.......on planets we already have.
And oh yea, the Sullust maps that already exist are all fighting among factories.....so your basically literally promising more of the same on that one.
So what about the 2nd pack?
"Star Wars™ Battlefront™ Bespin (Summer 2016) - It’s hunt or be hunted in this action-packed experience set in the Cloud City of Bespin"
Ok credit where its due, this is brand new location and therefore some unique maps. Of course depending on when in summer it wont be available for 8 months (give or take) after the game actually came out.
And again this is a game that was aimed at casual gamers......those being gamers who likely wont play to much and would be likely to return or sell the game when they get bored of it.....which given the dearth of content is much sooner than 8 months.
This distance in time from launch (and the aforementioned death spiral all online multiplayer games face) just becomes a bigger and bigger issue.
So when is pack 3 due out?
"Star Wars™ Battlefront™ Death Star (Fall 2016) – That’s no moon! One of the most iconic locations in the Star Wars universe makes its debut in Star Wars Battlefront."
Again, this is good, it *is* more content, 2 or 3 more maps and a new location.....but its also nearly a year after the game comes out.
So yea, season pass holders, good luck trying to find someone to play with.
And we still have one more Pack to go:
"Star Wars™ Battlefront™ Expansion Pack 4 – Title TBA (Early 2017) – We will have more details to share about this exciting new expansion pack in the coming months."Ok so everything here but the date is a kind of a lie. EA knows what they will call this pack and they know where its taking place. They just cant tell you because its going to tie in with Rouge One movie coming out at the end of the year. And I totally understand that, so I wont give them any grief for it.
Instead I will assume that like its predecessors we are looking at 2 or 3 new maps and another new location (for a total of 8). But the big issue here is the release date: 2017.
So yea, in 2015 you paid $110 for the game (assuming you bought the game full price and the season pass)....and finally in 2017, over a year later, you'll get the full value of what you paid for.....assuming anyone is still around to play it.....cause nothing in any of these packs seems likely to pull anyone back in.
And see technically EA lived up to their end of the deal.....not there fault enough people realized their game sucked before you got your full value.....sucker.
But hey, thats what happens when you hand over your money for a product sight unseen and with no set delivery date....they wait as long as they can before "paying up."
Oh and one final little slap in the face. EA has very little incentive to make that last packs spectacular anyways cause they likely wont need or want to pull you back into Battlefront
Cause you know what theyve just announced for 2017? A sequel. And since they already got your money for the DLC pack.....well they probably prefer you buy the new game so they can get even more money.
And well given how many people bought the season pass this time around, not only is there a sucker born every minute....but business is booming. So of course they would do it again.
Now so far I've only mentioned free stuff......but theres a reason for that. From a chronological standpoint we havnt actually reached the stuff that was actually paid for by the Season Pass purchase.
This despite the fact we are already up to March as far as their DLC plan....that being a full 4 months after the games release.
Now for many games this might not matter. Hell it could even be an advantage. 4 months is usually enough time to beat most games, have time off, and then want to replay it. So in this case the DLC is kinda a welcome back bonus.
The problem is thought, as a rule those games are [at least partially] single player.
Battlefront is, for all intents and purposes clearly a multiplayer only game. And its an online multiplayer only game.
Meaning their have to be people on-line willing to play the thing, or its effectively a useless waste of space on your hard drive, cause it cant really be played alone.
And there in lies the rub. As people start to lose interest and stop playing, their will be less people to play with, thereby causing more people to give up the game due to inability to find anyone to play with, which spirals out to eventually no one playing. This is the evenual fate of all online multiplayer only games
Now yes, there are games like World of Warcraft, or Minecraft that buck this trend and seemingly will have players playing them forever, but the chances of Battlefront being one of those is, well slim.
So if they are going to wait 4 months before releasing the paid season pass DLC, it better be hella impressive to bring back the gamers who will have long tired of playing the same limited maps on the same 5 planets.
So do they excite? Well the first of the 4 Season pass DLC packs looks a bit like this
"Star Wars™ Battlefront™ Outer Rim (March 2016) - Fight among the factories of Sullust and battle within Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine"
Hey cool....(at least) two more maps.......on planets we already have.
And oh yea, the Sullust maps that already exist are all fighting among factories.....so your basically literally promising more of the same on that one.
So what about the 2nd pack?
"Star Wars™ Battlefront™ Bespin (Summer 2016) - It’s hunt or be hunted in this action-packed experience set in the Cloud City of Bespin"
Ok credit where its due, this is brand new location and therefore some unique maps. Of course depending on when in summer it wont be available for 8 months (give or take) after the game actually came out.
And again this is a game that was aimed at casual gamers......those being gamers who likely wont play to much and would be likely to return or sell the game when they get bored of it.....which given the dearth of content is much sooner than 8 months.
This distance in time from launch (and the aforementioned death spiral all online multiplayer games face) just becomes a bigger and bigger issue.
So when is pack 3 due out?
"Star Wars™ Battlefront™ Death Star (Fall 2016) – That’s no moon! One of the most iconic locations in the Star Wars universe makes its debut in Star Wars Battlefront."
Again, this is good, it *is* more content, 2 or 3 more maps and a new location.....but its also nearly a year after the game comes out.
So yea, season pass holders, good luck trying to find someone to play with.
And we still have one more Pack to go:
"Star Wars™ Battlefront™ Expansion Pack 4 – Title TBA (Early 2017) – We will have more details to share about this exciting new expansion pack in the coming months."Ok so everything here but the date is a kind of a lie. EA knows what they will call this pack and they know where its taking place. They just cant tell you because its going to tie in with Rouge One movie coming out at the end of the year. And I totally understand that, so I wont give them any grief for it.
Instead I will assume that like its predecessors we are looking at 2 or 3 new maps and another new location (for a total of 8). But the big issue here is the release date: 2017.
So yea, in 2015 you paid $110 for the game (assuming you bought the game full price and the season pass)....and finally in 2017, over a year later, you'll get the full value of what you paid for.....assuming anyone is still around to play it.....cause nothing in any of these packs seems likely to pull anyone back in.
And see technically EA lived up to their end of the deal.....not there fault enough people realized their game sucked before you got your full value.....sucker.
But hey, thats what happens when you hand over your money for a product sight unseen and with no set delivery date....they wait as long as they can before "paying up."
Oh and one final little slap in the face. EA has very little incentive to make that last packs spectacular anyways cause they likely wont need or want to pull you back into Battlefront
Cause you know what theyve just announced for 2017? A sequel. And since they already got your money for the DLC pack.....well they probably prefer you buy the new game so they can get even more money.
And well given how many people bought the season pass this time around, not only is there a sucker born every minute....but business is booming. So of course they would do it again.
Comments
Post a Comment