BioWare lied to you.
Two weeks ago, a listing on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace inadvertently revealed details for the "From Ashes" downloadable content for Mass Effect 3. Many fans expressed anger at the confirmation of "launch day" DLC. Consumers are typically enraged by the premise of "Day One DLC" because, as they see it, the DLC is game content which could have been included in the game but was instead removed so that it could be sold back later. In the case of Mass Effect 3, the prospect of Day One DLC is particularly irritating, since failing to buy the DLC removes an entire character from the game - a curious design decision for a product so focused on narrative and characters.
Han Solo character for $10, or free with purchase of Collector's Edition ($20 extra).Bioware addressed these concerns by saying that the DLC was developed only after the game was fully completed and submitted to a separate quality assurance team, meaning that these assets were developed separately and at extra cost, justifying the additional price tag for the DLC.
However, with the release of the final game, fans have been poking around the files and making some surprising findings. There appears to be content on the game disc that shouldn't be there based on previous statements by BioWare. For instance, the build which leaked in November, the official demo, and now the standard retail release of Mass Effect 3 all contain voice files for the Prothean squad member. There's also a full set of model and animation files for the Prothean, but file encryption makes it impossible to open these for further inspection. These files are just as big as they are for other, non-DLC characters, suggesting that the art, animation, and voice assets for the DLC character were developed at the same time, not after the completion of the project. If these assets were developed after end of development, they would have to be downloaded - not unlocked directly from the disc.
The model information for the character seems to all be there. With the proper tools, you can open it up and look at the Prothean squad member.
Finally, decompiling the game's Coalesced.bin file reveals many references to the Prothean squad member. Highlights include the Prothean's HUD and team screen images, his weapon loadout, and the appropriate script ids to call when he is added to the party.
Why is this such a big deal? The loudest complaint from fans was the cynical belief that BioWare had removed content from the game only to sell it back later for a DLC cash grab. BioWare is on record stating that "From Ashes" was developed AFTER the main game was done:
"[BioWare] completed the game in January & moved onto the 'From Ashes' DLC... It takes about 3 months from 'content complete' to bug-fix, certify, manufacture, and ship game discs. In that time we work on DLC."
- Casey Hudson, Executive Producer
"The content in 'From Ashes' was developed by a separate team (after the core game was finished) and not completed until well after the main game went into certification."
- Michael Gamble, Producer
"Sure. What a lot of people don’t know is that… We’ve got 150 people who worked on the Mass Effect game. When we get towards the end of the project, we get into the certification phase, and everything that we’ve ever wanted to do with the core game is actually finished. And now we just need to get it certified and put on the trucks and manufactured on discs and stuff. That takes three months or more. Three months or more for a team of 150 people, that equates to millions of dollars of development time. So we either would move on to the next game, which you might not see for several years, or we’re a multi-team studio, so they might move on to Dragon Age or The Old Republic. But we know that people really enjoyed the DLC for Mass Effect 2. So we wanted to start working on DLC." - Casey Hudson, Executive Producer
What's going on? Most likely, "From Ashes" was conceived early in Mass Effect 3's development cycle and was worked on side-by-side with core game content to ensure a seamless integration into the final product. The real "From Ashes" DLC that's up for purchase may just be a collection of easy-to-package assets while a good portion of the DLC-related game code sits right there on the retail disc. Speculation? Certainly, but this evidence would suggest that BioWare worked on "From Ashes" well before the game was completed and then lied about the development process.
Fuck you bioware
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's fair to blame BioWare. They just want to deliver kickass games. It's EA that wants to rip off their customers.
DeleteBioware could fight for their right to party...or to stop this DLC bullshit, rather. I still blame them.
DeleteCan't they both be at fault? One being guilty of this doesn't exclude the other.
DeleteThe developers at BioWare worked really hard for this game, and I'm pretty sure they all wish everyone got the full experience. Alas, being a subsidiary of EA means that what EA says, goes. The order to make DLCs comes right from the top. It's a major business strategy.
DeleteThe hate should be aimed at EA and other such bully/moneygrubbing/asshole publishers, not the devs. Talking about how BioWare didn't fight to stop this DLC bullshit isn't really fair considering that we've no idea what goes on in-office during their conferences. The BioWare team might've yelled themselves mute for all we know. The only thing that gets out to us is the results, not how they got there, which means (since EA owns BIoWare and therefore get the final word) that things go the way they go. I doubt BioWare aim for this type of deception, or all the hate they've been getting on the forums.
DeleteNo no no, I'm sure BioWare is not owned by EA, EA is a publishing Company, where as BioWare is the Develpment company. There's a HUGE difference there. EA does get the final say as to what and who make the final cut onto the final product, meanwhile BioWare only gets to Develope the product and many things get cut out that EA isn't willing to give the nod to, as it's thier money that will be putting this game on the Shelves.
DeleteI in turn fully believe that EA is to blame, they get to decide if something is held back or not, not BioWare.
Actually Bioware is owned by EA, hope this helps.
DeleteBioware is a Division of EA :)@AnonymousMar 8, 2012 06:36 PM
DeleteI'd definitely blame EA instead of Bioware. Have you seen the amount of day one DLC they release with their sports games nowadays?
Deletetime to clear the air. bioware was going to release the dlc as part of the main game. but ea over ruled this because bioware had came to a concencess to end the mass effect title by having shepard die in mass effect 3. so stop giving the bioware staff heat. mass effect is done as far as a major game title goes.
DeleteA video game company screwed its fans over?
ReplyDeleteSHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING.
This is news right here.
I agree. There is no reason to ever point out bad business practices or spread awareness on anything ever as long as it's just a First World Problem. Pack it in Joe and shut down your blog!
DeleteGood to see that Bioware has its propaganda drones working overtime, wouldn't want anyone to get any negative ideas about the blessed company.
DeleteIt's such a sadness when people are so used to getting bent over by game development companies that they no longer care when they are essentially being lied to by them.
DeleteI agree its hilarious that Bioware...Lies about content on disc, Steals a photo from deviant art for its ending, uses a stock photo and photoshops it for Tali's face, rip Deus Ex's endings. I mean where does the lying & plagiarizing cease?
DeleteSpeaking of Tali's face, I am BITTERLY disappointed that they didn't take the golden opportunity to make Tali look like one of the more hideous Geth. Ideally the one whose face opens up into three mouthparts as it hisses at you, with all the rows of teeth.
DeleteI just don't buy games with that sort of remorseless and obvious greed. I don't what to feel like a victim when I boot up my comp.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, are you okay? I know how hard this time must be for you. Bioware is a real arsehole for victimising you like that. You're a fucking hero for putting up with it frankly.
DeleteIn fact, you're not only /a/ hero, David r, you're my hero.
Hey everyone: God bless David R, and support him in his time of need!
David R! David R! David R!
Hey David, I'm there with ya bud.
DeleteI'm there with you too David! Stay strong.
DeleteKeep it up mate, you're doing really well.
DeleteDaniel is obviously better than David as he points out in his direct assault. But Becky likes David more, and Becky is the hottest girl in school. Anyone else still confused about choosing sides?
DeleteAlso, we all don't want to shell out money for rehashed or content already created. I've played MMO's and other games where I either pay monthly or buy once and play for free where they update content without additional charge (paid MMO's I get it) but it's not right to launch with DLC to drag in the cash. Really think about what that 50, 60 or more dollars covers in initial cost. That is all.
Agreed with Anonymous... seriously fuck you bioware.
ReplyDeleteWhile this is frustrating, it's not nearly as bad as not being able to import my character... rendering the single-player portion of the game utterly useless. Good thing I bought the Collector's Edition. FML.
ReplyDeleteWhat? why cant you import?
DeleteThere's a work around I think or you can just buy the mass effects on steam when they on sale for like $10. Now can you not import at all? or just the face? The games that are only origin I bought a disc copy in case otherwise sticking to one system works best either discs or steam if possible. There's a work around somewhere if you google it.
DeleteWhy is this an issue? Bioware decides what is and is not the "complete game", not consumers. If you don't want to buy the game then don't. It's really that simple. The only thing that will make Bioware notice is if ME3 sells noticeably less than they expect.
ReplyDeleteThe game will probably sell well despite. Hopefully if it doesn't Bioware won't see this as a piracy problem. Since most people that are "boycotting" this game are pirating it anyway.
Youre right, they do decide what is a complete game and thats what they put on the disc. Don't sell me a disc that I dont have full access to and then sell me the ability to unlock more of it.
DeletePersonally, I'd prefer if the game company preplanned its DLC. Better that than the idea of a group of 150 developers without a solid project plan. It's almost weird to think that the project can't be pitched with DLC in mind lest they piss you off.
DeleteBioware totally has a right to decide what is and is not gonna be in their final product. And they also have a right to sell more content later, in the form of DLC, at whatever price the market will bear. Some people hate day 1 DLC but that's not the real issue here.
DeleteNow, people objected to bioware stripping out parts of the game they had already made and which were intended to be a part of a normal player's experience, in order to sell it to us separately. Nobody likes being held up, and while you might say we are free to buy or not buy as we like, you can't deny that it is not the act of a company that is focused on making the best product possible.
And then, when called on this, Bioware's response was to say that they had not worked on the DLC until the game was done, that it was a totally separate product and thereby not disrespecting the consumer at all. Which turns out to be false. So people are mad because Bioware is more mercenary than they had previously believed, and because the community reps lied about it. Sure it's not the end of the world, but it's a real shame if you are one of those people who thought you had some kind of claim to BioWare's loyalty and it turns out they see you as a rube.
fuck you EA....this will be the first mass effect im not gonna buy
DeleteOf course they have the right to do what they want... nobody's discussing the legality of it. We're just discussing how fucked up it is.
DeleteI can walk around naked in my house all day. It's perfectly legal and it's my house... but my roomates wouldn't like it one bit.
But why shouldn't I walk around naked in my own home? Because it's a douchy thing to do.
FUCK EA. :D
I have the right to own a gun. Doesn't mean I have to buy one.
DeleteBioware has the right to do whatever they want with their game, doesn't mean they should.
Lazy old strawman used by fanboys.
Wait. That last part does not make sense. If the folks that normally pirate the game are allegedly the only ones that might not buy it (where do you get your omniscience?) then how could there end up being lowered sales at all due to this?
DeleteAnywho EA is doing some unethical crap here. They have rights, sure. But the right to do something does not make it ethical in nature. Nor does it mean it should go on being "a right." But then again, I'm considered a bit radical (read: sane) when it comes to the ways (read: new laws) in which we need to crack down on companies. ;) Whether this is one of them is up for debate, imo, as it is a bit of a vague sort of thing, but regardless it is at least unethical and a clear indication of how corporations in the US have been going more and more drunk with power and greed.
Actually, if one want to bring legality into this, one could by asking if what EA and BioWare did is false advertisement.
DeleteEA/BioWare states that they are selling the consumer a finish product and that the DLC is a seperate but also complete product. However, based on what we see, either the product was not finished and consumers are roped into buying addition content so that they have complete content as the publisher intened or the product was completed as intended and consumers are paying for extra, yet completely unrelated content.
Unfortunately it seems as the case is the former. We were promised one thing, but sold something else and forced to make a seperate purchase for the original item.
Now people are sayin that EA decides what's going to be on the final product. This is true. But think of it in this regards if you don't understand how this is illegal.
You go to a car dealer to buy a car. The deal say he has a car fully equiped and offers to throw in power window for an additional charge. You buy with the windows. Days later you're looking at the manual and find out that power windows is supposed to be a standard edition with the car. THIS IS ILLEGAL IN THE US AS IT FALSE ADVERTISMENT. As a consumer you have a right to know what you are buy and if what you purchase is not what they say it is...guess what?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis.
Delete"This comment has been removed by a blog administrator."
DeleteWell, that's cute.
it contained a racial slur.
DeleteI blame EA for this more than Bioware. Ever since EA has become a big part of Bioware's existence, shit has been going downhill.
ReplyDeleteEverything EA touches for that matter.
DeleteNo. Credit where credit's due. Bioware are money-grabbers. The fact that they sell their DLC from their own store with their own currency (Bioware Points. How original.), as opposed to selling it from EA's Origin, supports this.
DeleteI won't accuse you of intentional dishonesty. Perhaps you're just unaware of a fairly common practice. Allow me to illuminate:
ReplyDeleteIt is not uncommon for developers to include major, completed DLC assets on-disc when they submit for Cert. This way, when they release the DLC, the download is a lot smaller, and they just have to download what wasn't finished yet, and patch and integrate what was included on-disc. This is completely insufficient evidence to assume that the DLC was *complete* when they shipped the disc.
Uncommon or not, it's still a questionable practice.
Delete"I won't accuse you of intentional dishonesty."
Good, call. It was pretty obvious to me that the writer was in no way attempting to be dishonest.
The point was, *apparently* Bioware only started working on the DLC *after* they sent the original (completed) game for certification.
DeleteYou know what is a smaller download than day 1 DLC? Having it on the disc. Which it is. Which people pay for. And if they want to patch it, that's fine, but to pay for a patch of material already on the disc?
DeleteIf this is a questionable practice, then i guess game companies need to stop allowing pre-downloads of games, which is in essence what they did here. Or does that not count in the eyes of the hypocrites.
DeleteIt only counts if, after you preload the game, you have to pay another ten bucks to play part of it. And the extra cost is justified by the claim that the part you are paying for wasn't part of the preload when it actually was.
DeleteIt doesn't fucking matter what "standard" business practice is. Day 1 DLC is outrageous on its own; to have it included on the disc in advance is absolutely appalling. The fact that BioWare lied about it only makes the situation less forgivable.
ReplyDeleteIf you actually think no one should be faulted for forcing you to pay extra for content that was included on the disc you bought, then you're one hell of a consumer sheep.
I've seen a lot of EA gaming companies screwing over loyal fans lately, I say blame the publisher not the developers who wouldn't have nearly as much of a say than the company that owns origin (EA) and therefore controls the sale of DLC and the such themselves.
ReplyDeleteHey, I'll try to explain it a bit from the "developer" point of view.
ReplyDeleteAll xbox and ps3 games need to pass full certification and testing, before they can be burned/released on CD's. Theese tests are really expensive, and since the end of the certification process, time needed for the game to be actually shipped and available at your local store is still significant. At the end of the production no major changes are usually done, and only full testing/programming team is needed at all times, to ensure no critical bugs get through to final version. That gives about 2mnths before the actuall release for people from other teams (graphics, concept art, modelling, design) to do some extra job (since they are not so needed on main game). This is usually where DLC comes in.
In the end xbox and ps3 certifies main game and a production/shipping process starts. During that time developers usually have more/over finished dlc product which they can start certifing at time. Since it's smaller and much less testing is needed to ensure certification, and internet shipping might be done in a day's work (rather than actually producing and transporting cd's to stores etc) it comes out naturally that at one day we have - full cd version of certain product, and DLC available at the internet.
This is not done by maliciousness, but usually to fill time frame that's created during processes not dependant on developer's actions. As for scripts and models placed on cd itself - few reasons for that:
- xbox and ps3 have maximum size for DLC specified. The more assets are put on cd in the first place, less downloading and limiting for users, which is good.
- Code that needs to handle DLC is usually put in game at first release stage. The construction of DLC ensures that little or none programming changes are needed. To put it into example: programmers have created hidden DLC button, which is visible only when a certain file in package exists. Therefore they can add new DLC map as an asset whithout changin xex/exe file which is the main application itself. Having old exes and only adding assets reduces time needed for testing by weeks, or even by months, so this is a common practice. As for files already at cd, they might be some assets that they finished before releasing final certification build. They might be some "placeholder" assets for testing purposes only, which will be later exchanged by final files, ensuring that none exe changes are needed.
Hope it cleared out the case for some of you.
PS: I'm not native english speaker, so all grammar nazis go to hell.
I love this post.
DeleteSeriously? Look just buy the frigging game & enjoy it. Oooooh 10$ more, big deal. Do you know how much these games cost to make? And don't give me the line "Yeah but they make all that money back & then some." good for them they earned it, even if it was 20$ (which that's what the difference is with the collectors edition) I still don't care, I love & I purchase the Collectors edition. So suck it up, shut up & shoot em up.
ReplyDeleteShepard out.
That's great and all but has nothing to do with anything. Nobody is complaining about the idea of charging money for things. The problem is that they tried to justify it to the fans with lies and condescension.
DeleteThanks for the massive spoiler. Asshats.
ReplyDeleteGuess I can be the voice of reason as a game developer. There is a difference between a game being gold status and a game being in bux fix. It is very easy for a team to create a single character, especially since similar models were already developed to exist in the game. This DLC could be created in the 3 month window of bug fix, with ease, and could have been placed in the master file system before gold and disc burning.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally... Everyone keeps going insane about content created for the Collectors Edition, promised for the Collectors Edition, planned all along for the Collectors Edition that was later decided to be made public as DLC for non-Collectors Edition owners. There was not a last minute decision to make take this DLC out of the beta version of the game, there was a last second decision to make Collector Edition content available to non-Collectors Edition owners.
They did not lie. They admitted that the voice acting to integrate the DLC with the game was done at the same time as the rest of the game. what you have here is evidence that they also designed the character. You seem to be forgetting the whole new location and mission that also make up the DLC, which is what they were working on after the game went into certification.
ReplyDelete"Casey and I have explained how the development timeline on these DLC go, and in order to have our DLC flow with the main game, we do have to integrate the VO into certain places in the core product (Certain ME2 DLCs followed this same pattern). But there's a lot of work to crafting a great DLC, outside of the VO and script."
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/323/index/9403705/1&lf=8
When the script was leaked back in June/July the Prothean was in there so I'm not sure why people are so surprised he wasn't in fact developed after the game was 'finished'. If you play the game he's integrated so tightly into a lot of scenes that it's clear he was always in there
ReplyDeleteWho says BioWare was lying? So they made placeholder animations and such, but they did the same for Kasumi and ME2, and unless I've forgotten something, that didn't start a wave of anger, because they were just that, placeholders. Unless someone's opened those files and found that they have the finished models and animations, there is no need for this anger.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.onelastcontinue.com/13272/new-mass-effect-2-kasumi-video-appears-online/
http://youtu.be/JOokc1j1Ue8
I guess there wouldn't be any Day 1 DLC outrage for Mass Effect 3 if the game was distributed only digitally right when it's gone gold and still it would take few moths to create and completea DLC, or it would take them more time to include the potential DLC into the main game and then go gold... Regarding the development issues they have their reasons and aren't suppose to be fully transparent about any of their actions, development, management although should maintain high loyalty rate among gamers. And believing in EA/Bioware megacorporation plot is pointless,stupid, too subjective... Vote with your money and not nonsense comment on forums, yeah and don't pirate and second market it...
ReplyDeleteI've heard extremely mixed reviews of ME3 so I'm not buying it anyway. This is the nail in the coffin.
ReplyDeleteIf that coffin is miss information by people who don't understand game development.
DeleteWhat's to understand? they said "the DLC was made completely separately, after the core game" which is an obvious, even ludicrous falsehood. No one cares that they made DLC, that's fine, they are allowed to do that. But lying about it is just ridiculous.
DeleteI highly doubt your rejection of this product will ever influence anything James. However I applaud you sir, if you don't like it, don't buy it, well done sir, well done.
DeleteThey are lying a lot. If the content is on the disc, then it went into certification at the same time as the main game. What you submit to cert IS the disc, you can't change it after it's been submitted. So if it is on the disc, that means it was ready to go at the same time the game was and they are lying through their teeth to get people to be quiet.
ReplyDeleteI vote with my dollars and I refuse to support this practice, reason why I watched the entire game stream for free on Twitch TV.
ReplyDeleteMy issue with the complaints on this whole day one DLC deal?
ReplyDeleteOriginally, the goddamn character/mission was supposed to be Collector's Edition exclusive. People are bitching about something that they never would have got in the first place if EA wasn't greed.
This was also the case with Kasumi in Mass Effect 2. I made her available in my party after editing my saved game by hand (before the saved game editor existed). This was about one week after the game's release before her DLC was announced. I ranted about it over at the Mass Effect Wiki and uploaded a YouTube video of her in action during the suicide mission. Several gaming news websites and blogs picked up my video before it was taken down by an Electronic Arts cease and desist letter.
ReplyDeleteAs far as her assets go, she is present in the game's files and fully voiced for the suicide mission without the DLC installed (on disc). She also had preliminary artwork for the squad select screen and codex. According to file timestamps and syntax, Kasumi was intended to be finished by release, but BioWare ran out of time. They polished the DLC in February of 2010 and released it shortly after.
STOP BUYING GAMES ON RELEASE DAY!
ReplyDelete- They are expensive
- They are buggy
- The extra stuff they give is lame
Once people stop pre-ordering games, then prices will drop.
Okay, I'm not in the games industry any more, but as someone who's been on the other side of this while working at a game company in the past...
ReplyDeleteFrequently — and especially as you approach release — development timelines become tight, and so a texture made for one level might get used on another. A model for one enemy might be re-textured and used for another rather than designing a new mesh. And when content is left unfinished for gold master due to time constraints, it's easier to still leave resources in the final game image than pull things out and risk realizing that, oh, that OTHER level was using those bits.
As a result, many games release with some sort of unused content in the assets, and this is not a new development. This actually dates back to the cartridge era, such as with the 'lost levels' still on the Super Mario Brothers 3 cartridge. Another great example is the infamous Hot Coffee patch for Grand Theft Auto. Not to mention unused/not-yet-ready content in MMOs that data miners find when building MMO DB/data/tooltip sites.
You can find many, many games where people have been poking about in the assets and found models for creatures that were taken out, half-finished level files and so on.
In the pre-internet days, lost content that got restored/finished/used properly after release showed up in expansion packs or level packs. These days, that content gets turned into DLC when/if finished. But the presence of assets on the disc does not mean that the content was completely ready/finished/done by the time the game went gold, any more than development detritus on any other game image does.
I would *strongly* bet that the From Ashes DLC was originally going to be finished by gold master and only unlocked/available for Collector's Edition folks as a bonus for that edition. When they didn't finish it on time, they probably went "well, we'll be able to have it ready by launch, so we'll give that to the CE folks for free." I *think* the 360 policies wouldn't let them have it be downloadable without making it purchasable by everyone, though, so they probably then went "okay, free DLC for CE folks, and we'll have to sell it as an extra for others."
This is not being a BioWare apologist, this is "I've been on the developer side of things, and from my own experience I am guessing this is what happened." :)
Er, to clean up one part of that: I suspect the Xbox Live Marketplace policies for developers don't allow you to have significant game content (i.e., entire major DLC) that is only available via redemption code and not for purchase. This might be true for PSN, as well. Either way, if one of those markets required the DLC to be available for purchase for those who didn't have the CE, I think EA would just release it on all the markets rather than have people howling about it being unfair that people on ONE platform could buy the CE content without buying the CE itself, but not on the other platforms.
Delete(Mind you, making it available for more than CE folks could've just been greed and marketing on the publisher's part anyway. If the content had to be DLC regardless due to time constraints, EA might've gone, "Eh, let's just make it purchasable by anyone without the CE; more money for us!")
This is all very reasonable and even likely, but doesn't that make the fact that they explicitly said they hadn't even worked on the DLC during normal production even more of a ridiculous lie? Like, they could have said "We planned on making this, but it couldn't done on release, so we focused on polishing the parts we could finish and will release the From Ashes part later, when it is done, as DLC." that would have been reasonable and hard to find fault with. They could even have just straight admitted that they were planning day one DLC, that's our perogative, deal with it, and that would be A-OK.
Deletebut "we didn't work on it at all until the game was done, and you can't complain about things like DLC anyway because entitlement/it keeps people from being laid off/whatever other excuse is used just smacks of a lack of respect for the consumer. I dunno about you but I don't like to be lied to, especially when it's this transparent.
I'll readily admit a lot of my stuff is guesswork here, so take this with a grain of salt. But I know that in my own development experience, we sometimes figured out very early on that something wasn't going to get into the timeline. I can easily see the voiceover work being done (because honestly, you group everything into as few recording sessions as possible) but the rest being cut from the timeline really very early on, before level design or much of anything else was done.
DeleteSo it's quite possible they pulled From Ashes from the development timeline early on, before level design or any actual major code work was done, and said "We'll put people on it after certification." Certification can happen well before release, after all, and they've said they didn't work on From Ashes in any significant way until after certification. Some of the assets might've come *after* certification but before gold master, to limit DLC. Some might've been from before they pulled things from the timeline.
Or, to put it another way: this all seems very possible/reasonable to me as a former game developer, though — as a gamer — I think they handled this really badly from a PR standpoint. My own experience leads me to think the statement isn't a lie or meant maliciously or to mislead, but that doesn't change the fact that they handled this discussion with their fanbase with a degree of clumsiness that makes me wince.
(On the other hand, I can point to my fair share of "oh, god, the publisher/marketing department/our CEO said WHAT?" moments during my own time as a developer where things got handled poorly, so I guess I'm not really *surprised* either.)
Day one DLC is a way for companies to charge more than the usual full price for a complete game. That's the bottom line. If the publishers are the ones imposing this, maybe it doesn't seem that way for the developers themselves. But that's still exactly what it is: a way to charge more than full price for a complete product.
DeleteFucking idiots with short attention span. Look at every Bioware title released in this generation. Every.single.one.of.them had launch day DLC. Christ...
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to insult others for a short attention span (which has nothing to do with your proceeding claim btw) you may wish to actually pay attention yourself.
DeleteThe previous day one DLC, while stupid as hell, was given free to everyone who bought the game new. Now it's limited to CE versions, which were sold out conveniently int he first month, forcing people to buy what should have been free. Especially considering how little there is to the DLC.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteFUCK YOU BIOWARE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8VZX4sHn-4
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to know what is involved in the DLC downloading and unlocking process. I got a little trigger happy on your comment(sorry) because I'd prefer that people didn't outright talk about pirating software, but please post again.
DeleteUhh, it's worth noting that the download for this DLC is around 900mb, while the screenshots above indicate there's something trivial like 5mb worth of data on the shipped disc. So... this offers basically zero evidence that the DLC was done at the same time as the rest of the product.
ReplyDeleteThe download isn't 900MB. The "sfar" file itself in the DLC_HEN_PR folder is 567MB. What's inside that file is uncertain, but arguably texture and level resources if I'm interpreting the article correctly. What appears to be on the game disc is are files related to the character that is unlocked by the DLC: namely sound files, models, animation, code snippets, etc.
DeleteErm...that's ***6,4MB*** of content. I'm pretty sure that's a negligible amount of the DLC's complete data by any rate, which was a 630MB download, so I'd say that they're not lying about it- the bulk of the work truly seems to have been done after Gold status. But hey, let's find another reason to fuel hate at BioWare by people who don't stop to think for a second, shall we?
ReplyDeleteOk.
Delete1. Tali's Face being a cheap, poorly executed photoshop of a Getty images stock photo.
2. Ripping off Deus Ex:HR ending options point for point.
3. Fucking charging ten dollars for the already weak DLC, rather than giving it free, to people who bought the game new, like they did with ME2. Because only EA/Bioware can look at $59,146,620.00* and think "You know, maybe we can squeeze a little more..."
4. All three endings sucking, hard. Having nothing to do with ANYTHING you did in any of the three games.
Fuck you, you apologist, fanboy scum.
*Total preorders according to VGcharts = 985,777 x $60.00
They don't get the full $60 from anywhere but Origin though. Also they ripped of Deus Ex for the endings, not Human Revolution. And mass effect has always been Star Control fanfiction anyway so I'm not sure why people are only objecting now (this is a lie, I know perfectly well why, it's because not enough people have played Star Control 2)
DeleteYou would have more of a point without the unnecessary insults, you know?
DeleteThe question is though: when you found the DLC weak, why do you care so much?
As for the ending and Tali's face- do these two factors destroy the otherwise- for the most part- well made game?
Basically this is a $70/£47 game if you think the game is worth that and don't mind other releases following suit then fine.
ReplyDeleteBut consider this both EA and Bioware did this then lied about what they did. Make as many excuses about as you like but bottom line they intentionally deceived their customers.
Sorry, it doesn't matter much about "DLC development cycles". The character was intended to be a main part of the game, period. Anyone who's played the game can tell you that:
ReplyDelete(SPOILERS FOLLOW)
- Javik has major conversations with almost every squad member if you bring him in missions (which means his dialogue was recorded at the same time as the main cast)
- He has several character-specific cutscenes on Thessia (giving a vision to a Asari Lieutenant and interacting with the Prothean VI)
- He had a full set of battle and dialogue options already included in the demo (which was months old, according to BW)
- The DLC production credits are included in the main game
(SPOILERS END)
This arguably comes down to one question - do you believe you own the assets on the disc you bought? And if not, do you believe in paying extra money to "unlock" content you already own?
I don't know what people are complaining about, this dlc WAS free.. to people who ordered the collectors or digital deluxe editions.
ReplyDeleteThat's right, this is content that was supposedly 'exclusive' to the collector and DD editions but that is now available to every Tom Dick and Harry. And on Day One, no less. Had i known it would be available I woulda bought the DLC rather than the CE and saved myself some money
ok.... so games these days can have DLC that fits in what, 4MB??? are you seriously telling me that 4MB of files is having the DLC on the disc??? the voice acting alone could never fit in 4 freaking MB...
ReplyDeleteplease how about people stop using some common sense, and writers start getting some integrity instead of writing sensionalist (and false) articles just for the sake of getting some hits...
When you spend tens of millions to develop a game, and untold millions more to market/advertise it, you can do what you want with your property. You don't like it? Don't buy it. You have choices, you have options, stop acting like you have none. And whatever you do, stop whining. You sound like little bitches. The extra character and bonus mission were announced months in advance. Even though we did not know who the character would be, we all had ample opportunity to preorder the collectors edition. The only legitimate complaint would be if EA/Bioware made the content completely unavailable to those who purchase the "regular" version, and you simple could not download the prothean character and mission at all. Then you bitches really would have something to cry about.
ReplyDeleteI regret purchasing the from ashes DLC, not worth $10 at all!!!! And easily apparent that it was originally part of the game. Bioware might have made a great game here, but I don't like being fleeced. Treat your customers right and they'll treat you right. Screw them over and they'll never forgive you. I don't think I will purchase another Bioware game again.
ReplyDeleteBullshit.
DeleteI'm not really upset about this situation, but I wonder why people keep telling the complainers to stop complaining? If you dont like something or agree with it the comment sections are the place to express that. If you are totally happy with the situation then I don't see the point of arguing with complainers to stop complaining. Go enjoy your game. Why waste time telling others to quit whining. What do you actually achieve by telling others to quit "bitching"? Why should they quit bitching?? If they are upset then they should whine as much as they want. Whether or not the dlc was created before or after going gold isn't certain, but hopefully companies like EA will realize that gamers are very sensitive to the nickel and diming that is going on in the industry and this will cause them to curb these practices at least somewhat. Yes the goal is to make money but its also our goal as the consumers to save money. It reminds me of the practice some banks have of raising fees in certain areas of the country as a test to determine how the public reacts to them. If the public doesn't raise much of a fuss then the new fees are implemented permanently. If people complain and threaten to switch to other banks then they remove the fees.
ReplyDeleteThese whiners and complainers may save you money in the future. Will you thank them then? or would you rather send in the extra money you would be saving to EA?
Regardless, we are all still going to buy it. They have us by the balls, people. We can sit here and bitch... but in the end we are going to pay whatever they demand.
ReplyDeletehelp help I have no self control
Deletefuck you bioware for giving us some fucktarded day 1 dlc
ReplyDeleteand
fuck you for the fucking ending
this game series is complete screwed thanks to your genius script writer who simply writes a shitload of crap destroying the ending that would have been a lot fucking better if you were to put your heart in it. fuck you bioware
It Doesn't matter what people say or do, there will always be consumers and people will still buy the game, its a shame that it has come to this, where graphics are everything rather than game contents.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather they simply sell a game for $60 instead of $50 and forego any DLC. Just go ahead and charge me what you want to for the game and give me everything the first time.
ReplyDeleteTime to make some sense of the DLC inclusion situation. When you buy a software package, technically, you do NOT own that software. You have purchased a copy of the software and, more importantly, a LICENSE to use it as explained in the EULA or whatever disclaimer the publisher has included.
ReplyDeleteOK, that said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with including multiple pieces of software into a single package and then selling individual licenses for each piece of included software. It doesn't sound like a nice thing to do and it sounds misleading but it's up to the publishers to decide how they want to distribute it.
Example: you DL the full version of some software online but it's a trial version, so most features are still locked. You need to register and pay for a key to unlock the rest of the software. That registration is your purchase of the license for that software.
Now, let's compare this to a game like ME3: You pay however much for the original game, which includes the game itself and a basic license to use it on whatever device it was meant for. In it's current state, the game can be played through and completed WITHOUT the inclusion of any DLC (notice that any necessary patches and updates are free to DL and install). So you've paid to be able to play the game at your discretion, which differs from the previous example only in that the aforementioned software was locked such that you wouldn't have been able to do all that much beyond test it's capability, but then the software was free before registration. All in all, for the price you paid, you have received the full game minus the additional bells and whistles. And here's the catch: that game disk/package that you received may very well include additional locked out material, but you have not yet paid for the right to access it. And, assuming this is the case, that is where the DLC comes in. The additional content may have always been in the works from the beginning but it was not necessary to complete the game and its exclusion did not hinder your gaming experience (as "agreed" upon in the disclaimer), thus the publisher is well within their right to charge an additional fee for this material. And so they can offer the consumer the opportunity to pay for the the DLC, which, as with the software, may only be a registration to key to unlock the additional material.
Now that's I've gone through all that, I suspect that this isn't the case. It's more likely that the ME3's DLC was meant to be part of the main game but was cut due to resource constraints. However, in a more of foresight, the already developed material was probably left packaged with the rest of the game in case they decided to bring out a DLC that would include the remaining material and patch and implement it all together into the game. Again, I suspect that was the plan, but someone pulled some extra time and resources out of the ass with which the complete the now Day One DLC, but by this time, the main game was completed or near completion and it was too late to go back and implement this material. And what do you do if you're EA and you have a ravenous hunger for money? You charge a fee for this extra material that isn't integral to the game but adds a nice touch to it.
TL;DR
Bioware and EA could include the DLC with the game if they wanted to and then make it inaccessible until you pay for the license to use it because it's not integral to the game itself, and thus does not violate the EULA. However, it's more likely that the extra content was cut from the game before it could be fully implemented but was then completed on the side, by which time it was too late to implement, so they probably left what was already in there and decided to make us download the rest after paying for the license to access it.
The Prothean models and files linked to animation are right here on this page for developing squad members.
ReplyDeleteMachining center
webpage is not really listed in search engines http://casinogamesonlinee@blogspot.com
ReplyDelete