Seeing that many DLCs, to me it’s an invitation to wait until a sale. I did this with CK2, and I’m going to do with this EUIV. (especially with events appearing to be DLC now)
One thing I know I do is I factor in expected DLC cost into the purchase price of a game. Cases like FE where I got the game free and expected DLC’s at some point are a unique case, and certain companies do get more benefit of the doubt.
I’ll expect say, GalCiv 3 to effectively cost more than its purhase price now due to the DLC being put out for FE. (That said, GalCiv 3 will still be a pre-order, I have good faith in Stardock making a great space 4X because of GC2 and the improvements made to Elemental/Stardock over the past 4 years)
I might be a hypocrite on this issue, because I will buy fluff DLC for fighting games, but I tend to value those games super-highly since I get a ton of hours on them, and I have a thing for costumes in general.
I guess what I’m saying is that I kinda wish companies give an upfront option that said: this is what the whole package will cost- you can pay it in one gulp (with a slight discount for bulk purchasing)- say if Stardock expected to put out GalCiv3 (as an example) - $40 game+ 2 $20 expansions + $10 DLC. If they had a deluxe pre-order at $80, I’d rather just pay it once and get it over with.
2 excellent points made I’d like to reinforce. PI threads a fine line with their DLC and it’s obvious to many people that much of the DLC (graphics and songs) are a way to say, “thanks for a great game I want to continue supporting the development of this franchise”. But when you have that much DLC it does beckon you to wait for a sale, otherwise it’s too much. So when you have a great game with plenty of content, DLC is a fantastic way to continue its development and expand its content. The fine line is making sure customers don’t feel like content was withheld for the prime purpose of extorting more money out of the gamer. Want to see DLC done wrong look at Simcity V. Their major priority was making sure they had a train of DLC (and it was obvious to everyone it was already done when the game was released), so it showed a callous disregard for priorities. They made sure the DLC was there, but the main game was broken, missing features, and a disappointment to what long-time Simcity players were hoping for. So for the most part DLC from PI is good (though I wish the major DLC had a bit more content even if they cost more), where-as Maxis just angered already miserable people (and worse created some balance issues in its multiplayer scenarios).
Something people don’t talk about is I think it’s important companies do not pre-plan all their DLC. Create half the DLC that reflects the path users most want to see the series go. When companies do all their DLC ahead of time, I beleive it de-focus’s the company on making the initial product the best it can be. It compromises the design too much.
I pretty much agree with everyone you just said, at least for strategy games.
For other genres, I think you can pre-plan DLC, and another use of DLC is to extend the lifespan of games by adding content. Stuff like the loot pack for FE, the later good Paradox DLC, or new characters in fighting games+ revision does this.
For companies, it’s a way to capture more revenue from the folks who are willing to part with it. DLC shouldn’t come too quickly with a game though, because what DLC does to me is force me to decide at that point do I keep investing in the game, or do I cut my losses.
