I never have and won’t pay subscriptions for any game, ever. If Paradox does subscriptions as an option, while leaving purchases as a different and viable option, I’m good. But if they go full subscription (like most MMOs and the like), I’m out.
As for the reason for not paying subscriptions: I like to play many different games, and I’ll play what fits my mood at the moment. Paying a time-based subscription makes me feel one of two ways: 1) I must play that game because otherwise I’m losing money, but I’d rather play this other game, or 2) I’m playing this game I want to play, but because I’m not playing subscribed game, I’m losing money. And I hate feeling like that, so I just don’t do subscriptions, period.
If people stop paying for the subscription, will they lose access to all the DLC? Or will you have a “lease” kind of system, in which they can pick from time to time a DLC to be permanently assigned to their account, so they “own” it after some time?
I buy my games, not rent them. If they adopt this model I’ll just stick to playing EU4 and CK2 and HOI4 and Vic2. Plus the other tons of steam games in my backlog.
I know a few people this would really benefit. For me, I play their games a lot and continue to go back to them over the years so a subscription isn’t a very appealing option. I’ll just continue to buy the expansions as they roll out.
While my friends can get access to all the DLC when they’re playing MP with me, sometimes they want to try out a game first on their own before jumping in to a game. If they can drop a few bucks for a month to get all the expansion content to see if it’s something they’re interested in, I think it’s a good deal. I also think it’s a pretty good deal for dabblers who might want to play a bit here and a bit there over the years. Definitely not for me, though.
Why wouldn’t they lose access. It’s a sub service. Theyr’e not buying anything. If all you had to do was sub one month and get all the DLC, everyone would do that. The problem isn’t paying for DLC, is just the number of them, their varying quality, the three… maybe four different types and the ridiculous cost it takes to buy in. And no, not vanilla. I know that’s a rallying call behind this approach but the game came out 6-7 years ago?There’s no reason for someone not to jump in at this point in time with a number of DLC. If guides tell them not to use it… then not use.
Besides, vanilla is long gone anyway, they add free updates with all/most(?) these expansion, so it doesn’t really play the same as day 1 anymore anyway.
I might be the only person who really enjoys the Paradox DLC model. It has greatly extended the life of those games for me, and I personally really appreciate the constant iterating and expanding that they are doing.
As a consumer, it gives me lots of choice as well. Cities Skylines, for example. I was able to just play the base game then buy a few of the interesting DLCs to get full enjoyment out of it. I didn’t feel a compulsion to buy every DLC. EU4 on the flip-side has taken thousands of hours of my life, and I don’t particularly mind paying for DLC a few times a year to keep the experience fresh and to experience all the new content and features.
Not sure how I would feel about a subscription service, because a game like EU4 is one that I come back to when I get the urge, not one that I play regularly. When I come back to it is when I decide if I want to pay more to play it for another 100 hours or if I’m good with what I have. Paying a sub doesn’t really feel right to me with that mindset.
It’s not like a sub is going to charge you less because you only want 5 out of 30 DLCs in the game. I guess some people would see some value in just getting the choice even though they never… choose it.
One thing that appeals to me is it would give me a chance to try one of their games I haven’t kept up on. I own all of CK2 and EU4 but only the very first expansions for Stellaris and only the base of HOI4. If I could pay five dollars to play the full version of one of those for a month I’d be much more likely to play a campaign.
I’m also a big fan of Paradox’s dlc model. I love that I can fire up a game of EU4 (a game I’ve had since launch) and still have new systems to explore and learn about.
I don’t begrudge them for trying a subscription model, but also subscriptions are a really bad value proposition for me. Part of the problem is an irregular play schedule, and I’d have to prioritize playing the subbed games to feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. Another part of the problem is that the marginal value goes down as I acquire additional DLC (e.g. through bundles).
I don’t think anyone is telling them to stop making DLC. Their current method is excessive, confusing and not an easy entry for new players.Apparently they’ve heard that enough times to try and address it.
