Dragon age origins : Has bioware sold us out?

Outkast_IRE

So in the game playing a few hours just starting go to differnt locations on map , at a camp i come across this charecter so i talk to him and he gives me details about how Duncan promised to help him and he gives you all the info and i think great nice little side quest here , then instead of the usual accept the mission theres a (purchase downloadable content button)
Jesus christ i wouldnt of listened to all the charecter and mission details if i knew id have to pay extra after just shelling out for a collectors edition .
Are bioware just testing the waters here or does this happen throughout the game .
I hope they dont take this as their business model i found it too blatent and in your face .......... Dam EA they are corrupting bioware.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

So in the game playing a few hours just starting go to differnt locations on map , at a camp i come across this charecter so i talk to him and he gives me details about how Duncan promised to help him and he gives you all the info and i think great nice little side quest here , then instead of the usual accept the mission theres a (purchase downloadable content button)
Jesus christ i wouldnt of listened to all the charecter and mission details if i knew id have to pay extra after just shelling out for a collectors edition .
Are bioware just testing the waters here or does this happen throughout the game .
I hope they dont take this as their business model i found it too blatent and in your face .......... Dam EA they are corrupting bioware.

I will have this game soon enough, and this is pretty shocking to discover. You have to pay for the extra side quest? Are they taking the piss? If this is the way the gaming industry is going, expect more downloaded and hacked material... Accountants shouldn't run these companies.

Nehaxak

No that shouldn't happen you. Did you get the deluxe version ? If you did, there's a second key/code that came with the deluxe version which will allow you download all that extra content/maps/quests for free.

Niska

Nehaxak wrote: »

No that shouldn't happen you. Did you get the deluxe version ? If you did, there's a second key/code that came with the deluxe version which will allow you download all that extra content/maps/quests for free.

Nah, the "Warden's Keep" DLC is only included in the Digital Collector's Edition. Everyone else has to buy it (think it's €6.50 or there abouts).

And, yeah, it's not a pleasant development in gaming.

Nehaxak

Well yeah that does suck alright
I got a second key with the deluxe version which allowed me download all the other content available for no extra charge.
Wouldve thought the collectors edition would also give this benefit.

Wossack

well thats disappointing...

Kiith

While its not ideal, its not like they have skimped on content in the main game itself. Minimum of 60 hours gameplay, up to a possible 120 apparently. Thats a hell of a lot of content right there. The two DLC's that are available are quite good. Warden's Keep is an interesting side quest, which i completed today, and Shale, who is a new companion, is very good. He actually has conversations throughout the game (although this highlights the fact that he was originally supposed to be in the main game from the start).

While i'll admit that they probably should have included them in the original game, they were always going to need some benefits for getting the deluxe/collectors edition.

Niska

AFAIK, Shale (The Stone Prisoner) and the Blood Armour DLC are given away with all copies of DA:O - probably as an incentive against (or punishment for) buying the game second hand.

As for the retail collector's edition (as opposed to the digital version) there was a DLC code for a set of items (think they're origin specific), but the main draw wa the extra DVD - mainly for the soundtrack. The Digital CE got the Warden's Keep DLC in lieu of the bonus DVD.

I think.

Nehaxak

Digital delux edition via the EADM also included the full soundtrack download (mp3's) and a load of high quality desktop backgrounds. Along with all the extra download content in game. Not sure what other digital delux editions came with though.

dyl10

This is ridiculous.
Creating new content and selling some kind of expansion or new map that was created after the game has gone on release is one thing, but holding content back in this way, that you could have put into the original game is greedy.

grizzly

Is the DLC quest available throughout the game or just at that point?

Like has been said, there's so much content in this game that I could easily forget about 1 side quest.

Overheal

Oh I knew I should have raised this issue sooner.

But then why am I always the guy who has to break all the really juicy news? Read some blogs people.

DLC is going to send the Gaming Industry to Hell.

http://kotaku.com/5082290/howd-you-like-your-game-ending-to-be-dlc

http://kotaku.com/5387213/fable-iii-may-also-get-in+game-microtransaction-shops

http://kotaku.com/5384534/guitar-hero-madden-eliminate-play-the-monetization-game

http://kotaku.com/5372503/sleuths-dig-up-microtransaction-language-in-old-republic-tos

http://kotaku.com/5308823/dont-rule-out-microtransactions-for-world-of-warcraft

http://kotaku.com/5397229/blizzard-starts-selling-in+game-world-of-warcraft-pets

I could go on...

Spear

Penny Arcade have a strip on it of course.



And one of the conversation lines does say "Purchase Premium Content".

Coriolanus

I have zero issue with buying DLC. Fallout expacs for ex, were worth it imo, but this kind of thing absolutely reeks.

I was looking forward to getting and playing this game in a week or two once some reviews had been posted. Gonna have to think long and hard about it now and I know a lot of other non-instant buy people will too.

Spear

Nevore wrote: »

I have zero issue with buying DLC. Fallout expacs for ex, were worth it imo, but this kind of thing absolutely reeks.

I was looking forward to getting and playing this game in a week or two once some reviews had been posted. Gonna have to think long and hard about it now and I know a lot of other non-instant buy people will too.

It is an undeniably good game and worth buying. The Wardens Keeps DLC instance is the only example of this so far, distasteful as it is.

Coriolanus

Spear wrote: »

It is an undeniably good game and worth buying. The Wardens Keeps DLC instance is the only example of this so far, distasteful as it is.

Well, Activision eventually released the bonus content for free in a patch (that's if you hadn't performed a stupidly easy edit of a couple of game files).

I really think if people lie down and take this, buy the game anyway, Bioware will get the message that it's ok and they can keep on doing it.

Correct me if I'm wrong but there was no warning at all about the way this DLC was going to be implemented, so they knew it was an almighty skank to begin with and were counting on enough people to buy it in a rush to mitigate the bad press created.

Again, I don't mind DLC but this isn't the way to implement it.

humanji

Personally, I don't see a problem. If you don't want the DLC, don't buy it. If nobody buys it then Bioware, and most importantly EA (as I wouldn't be surprised if it's all their idea) will realise that they're not making money from it. The toolset will be released soon enough, so you won't even need to buy any more content for the game.

Spear

Nevore wrote: »

Well, Activision eventually released the bonus content for free in a patch (that's if you hadn't performed a stupidly easy edit of a couple of game files).

I really think if people lie down and take this, buy the game anyway, Bioware will get the message that it's ok and they can keep on doing it.

Correct me if I'm wrong but there was no warning at all about the way this DLC was going to be implemented, so they knew it was an almighty skank to begin with and were counting on enough people to buy it in a rush to mitigate the bad press created.

Again, I don't mind DLC but this isn't the way to implement it.

There was plenty of warning for months beforehand, though maybe not about the insertion of an NPC that has a conversation option of "Purchase Premium Content" (I'll get a screenshot later of this to show how blatant it is). The Wardens Keep was also free to all digital download collectors editions. The Prisoner of Stone was free to all first time purchasers only, to undermine the second hand marked.

wes

Well, the game is pretty good, but I won't be buying the Wardens Keep DLC, Bioware are taking the pi$$ with it imho, so I won't be rewarding there dodgy behvaoiur with anymore of my money.

noodler

It is a joke alright. They can't even pretend it was stuff made after the original game's development.

humanji

noodler wrote: »

It is a joke alright. They can't even pretend it was stuff made after the original game's development.

The thing is, I think it originally was. The game was delayed so much that all the DLC was ready by launch.

Shiminay

OK, so if I was to buy this for PC and didn't want to be annoyed with things asking me to get DLC, what version of it do I need to get?

Wossack

Kharn wrote: »

OK, so if I was to buy this for PC and didn't want to be annoyed with things asking me to get DLC, what version of it do I need to get?

Not 100%, but has Nevore implied that all the DLC is free with a patch/hack?

Spear

Kharn wrote: »

OK, so if I was to buy this for PC and didn't want to be annoyed with things asking me to get DLC, what version of it do I need to get?

The boxed CE has the extra items and Stone Prisoner. It's the digital download deluxe edition that also includes the Wardens Keep.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/901037/

Spear

Wossack wrote: »

Not 100%, but has Nevore implied that all the DLC is free with a patch/hack?

He was referring to a different game. Stone Prisoner and Wardens keep are several hundred megs extra in filesize alone.

Making It Bad

I was also really pissed off when I spent the time talking to that dude only to find out I'd have to pay to do the bloody quest. The DLC should add the NPC to the game. Please for the love of everything good in the gaming industry do NOT buy this. Buy the game, it's amazing but do not support this. If you really want the DLC there are "ways" you can get it and in this situation I fully support them.

Azza

I'm fine with this DLC. Its just a method to promote people buying new rather than second hand.

To clarify the regular edition gives you the Stone Prisoner content and the Blood Armour iteam

The Collectors Edition give you the above plus 3 in game items. You also get a cloth map and bonus DVD.

The Digital Deluxe Edition give you all the game content plus the Wardens Keep DLC. You don't get the cloth map and only some of the bonus items on the DVD.

Additionally 1 exclusive item is obtainable by pre-ordering from various retailers. This item is different to each retailer. As far as I'm aware you can't get the items any other way.

You can also obtain 1 free in game Item by using the character creator and uploading it to the Bioware community site.

Finally 3 items are available by completing achievements in the online flash game Dragon Age Journey which is free to play.

All of this has been known about for quite some time, so I don't see that the fuss is about.

Coriolanus

Azza wrote: »

All of this has been known about for quite some time, so I don't see that the fuss is about.

No one here has said they mind DLC, or Collector Editions etc. What people do have a problem with is an NPC in the game pretty much telling your character to buy premium content.
I'd be quite content to pay whatever the asking price is if the implementation wasn't so hamfisted.
Was there really something wrong with the previous model, where you buy the DLC, load a save game and get letter/radio signal/system notification/stumble across a campsite and find out that there might be something of interest in location X?

Azza

I don't see whats so bad. Does he actually break character and say log on into EA online to download DLC or does a text prompt come up or what?

mewso

humanji wrote: »

The toolset will be released soon enough, so you won't even need to buy any more content for the game.

Toolset is already out. Looks good.

Outkast_IRE

Azza wrote: »

I don't see whats so bad. Does he actually break character and say log on into EA online to download DLC or does a text prompt come up or what?

Yeah eventually one of the converstion lines where usually you accept the mision had been replaced with purchase premium content.