Questions about price policy (future addons/modules)

[CHSubZero]

For me right now the price policy is like a black box...

 

What happens when Nevada is released?

As a Warthog beta tester I will get it free (or has this changed?).

But do I have to pay for BS2 to play on Nevada?

 

When the next DCS module will come out (F-16/F-18/F-???), do I have to pay for BS3 and Warthog2?

Will the next module automaticlly include the Nevada map or do I pay for this again?

 

Don't get me wrong. 19$ is not too expensive for me, but if I need to pay 19$ twice or three times for a module to get it compatible with the rest of modules then I will at the end pay 70$ and more for just one plane/copter.

 

Thank you ED for a clear statement.

[Settingz85]

good question!

I really would like to know what are the future plans for the DCS series.

Hope someone answers this before ED goes into trouble again (like ED went into trouble when releasing BS2)

[EtherealN]

ED went into trouble when releasing BS2? Didn't notice.

[GGTharos]

These are not easy questions to answer and there are no answers yet - there might not be for a while - simply because everything is always subject to change.

[Insanatrix]

ED went into trouble when releasing BS2? Didn't notice.

 

It depends on whether you consider customer dissatisfaction/dissent to be trouble for ED. Said with the utmost respect I might add.

[Settingz85]

ED went into trouble when releasing BS2? Didn't notice.

 

Well, i ment the discussion over there:

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=80907&page=73

 

If its not trouble what do you call it then? Quite a few people are very upset.

[Settingz85]

These are not easy questions to answer and there are no answers yet - there might not be for a while - simply because everything is always subject to change.

 

I Understand. Really, i do! And i dont want any answers right now, but it would be very nice to inform the community asap. Even if things might change over and over again.

 

 

 

*edit: sry for double posting

[159th_Viper]

Quite a few people are very upset.

 

As is their right.

 

Kindly ensure that any discussion pertaining to that thread takes place in that thread and not here - This is not the place for it.

 

Ta

[EtherealN]

Look, here's the thing: damned if you do, damned if you don't. No matter what ED does, there will ALWAYS be a very vocal minority that get annoyed. That is life.

 

Aside from that: what GG said, and what Matt's signature says:

 

"Everything is subject to change."

[Ells228]

And change is good ;)

[Bodo]

There is the idea that no one else does this kind of sim so they have us by our balls, so to speak, but I really don't see ED as exploiting that. Even if they were I couldn't care less, I don't have to spend the money if I don't think it's worth it.

 

When ED released BS2 I was very happy. Always under the impression it would be free but never fully sure of that as fact, we're left with a $20 bill to satisfy this need. And? I find that fairly reasonable and it really isn't all that much to give.

 

As they say, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

 

When it all comes down to dust I suppose ED is just another business and what they want is money! I will support them for a long time to come knowing that what they do, they do it extremely well. I have been waiting for this BS patch/upgrade for a while and no matter what, within reason of course, will pay the small fee to get my fix! :)

 

ARMA's DLCs weren't far from the price but are lamented by some as bringing entirely new features and content and, for me, weren't really worth it. I'd like to see more problematic issues addressed other than new units and vehicles that they added. That said, it's a small amount of money to spend and I did enjoy the features. I believe they just shouldn't be compared to what ED are doing here.

They're entirely different companies with entirely different titles and I reckon that unless one has that sorta original Operation Flashpoint fascination as I do with Black Shark then people will always feel hard done by when it comes to keeping their 'hobby' alive. Maybe I'm of that same ilk when it comes to how I view BIS and the ARMA series. It just seems to have lost something since Flashpoint and have a pessimism about whether ARMA 3 will be all that much better/improved. Well, time will tell and I do still love ARMA and I still love BS/A10.

 

This leads me to the irony of the responses to the post I made over on BIS forums that announced the release of BS2. Not one person was positive about it! I'll probably address that soon, if I can be bothered, cause as someone else has said in this thread and I paraphrase, ya can't please all the people all the time.

 

The irony is that BIS have released ARMA 2 with immersion killing bugs like AI walking through walls, unintelligent AI path finding, poor team/squad intelligence, strangely buggy player/AI animation etc etc and most of these, although made slightly better by modders are, from what I can understand at this early stage in its development, still there in ARMA3. I should be fairer than that, though and I'll hold judgement until it is fully released. Still, the point is there has been content which has been paid for that really hasn't addressed some of the more annoying and long in the tooth issues. When ARMA3 comes out I very much doubt we'll be able to access an upgrade price either, although I make this point without really believing that should be the case.

 

The collidable trees issue seems to be the big one for ED here, though. It is one of those game breaking issues for some/most I suppose. For me, it can be lived with but also live in hope it may well be addressed at some point.

 

If I can justify it I'm happy to spend the money on future modules, updates/upgrades and so on, as long as my interest stands and as long as I don't think ED are taking the piss. In this case, I really don't think they are. I think they deserve the money. Maybe I'm wrong but that's where I stand.

 

In keeping with their original plan to update modules as they go, I think it must be a very daunting task for them to keep this promise of the series and one that I can justify having to show them support, especially financially. I'm not sure they'll be able to upgrade BS/A10 with every future module but I for one will pay this $20 if they do.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Bodo

[44th_Rooster]

Personally I think that this compatibility issue and upgrading engines will pass into a memory soon. I would say that since the DCS engine is the common denominator,.....I would be willing to bet that all things DCS in the future will be compatible with all things DCS.

 

Just my 2 cent opinion and guess.

 

Sincerely,

"Rooster"

[Grimes]

As is their right.

 

Kindly ensure that any discussion pertaining to that thread takes place in that thread and not here - This is not the place for it.

 

Ta

 

Good to know that the discussion of the price of the game does not belong in a thread titled "Questions about the price policy (future addons/modules)"

 

 

@Bodo. Since you brought up ARMA2 DLC I should point out the following.

-Arma 2:Operation Arrowhead is multiplayer compatible with Arma 2 given you own both games. Aside from the intial purchase of the actual game, no extra charge is exists for this to occur.

 

-BAF and PMC DLC sound and object content is still available without purchase. Players simply have the "lite" versions with poor texture and sound quality when they join a server using those assets, and it is only limited to those assets. Players are however locked out of the campaigns and missions that come with each pack without purchase.

 

Plus you can launch either games content at the same time with "combined operations." It remains to be seen if one can use the BS2 multiplayer executable to fly an A-10C in a compatible mission.

 

To summarize my feelings regarding BS2.

 

"BS2 Full" priced at 40$- Makes sense, thats what I bought the game for when it came out and people who buy new should not have to make 2 purchases to play online. However still selling "BS1" at multiple locations is a questionable practice as unknowing consumers might still buy BS1 without knowledge of BS2. BS2 gives them a better value for (at my locations) the same price.

 

 

BS2 upgrade without purchase of WH - I can understand some price associated with it. Perhaps then give a discount on a purchase of WH since much of what is new in WH would have previously be gained by BS2.

 

BS2 upgrade with purchase of WH - Same thing goes as the previous situation, but it is reversed. I already received much of the "upgrade" with my purchase of WH, why is the price the same?

 

PS. I have a gaming budget that I try to stick to. I only seem to get new games under the circumstance of looking forward to said game. Everything else I buy is either on sale or 3+ years old and is pretty cheap. So believe it or not, most of my gaming purchases are under 15$. I can't look forward to a game I don't know is coming out the day it is announced. Believe it or not, I probably woulda got BS2 in a heartbeat if it was 5-10$ (if I already owned WH) and 15-20 if I didn't own WH. But it costs 20$ for me no matter what, and that gives me pause. Furthermore, EDs failure to make the additional cost clear before the release date of BS2 greatly disheartens me. I guess the price isn't subject to change once you take orders for it without angering alot of customers. In a few months the price certainly could be subject to change and if it gets to a reasonable price, I shall make a purchase, but not until then.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Grimes

[159th_Viper]

Good to know that the discussion of the price of the game does not belong in a thread titled "Questions about the price policy (future addons/modules)"

 

Aye - almost as good as the selective perception displayed ;)

 

To be clear, I was referring to the angry outbursts of righteous indignation that permeated the other thread mentioned and was wary of the same filtering on down into this thread which would have been a shame as the OP asked an intelligent question and deserved for the thread not to be sullied by malcontents.

 

CHSubZero - as to your original question:

 

.....Thank you ED for a clear statement.

 

Dealt with adequately as per EB-1's post as linked:

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=1319675&postcount=724

 

Relevant excerpt:

 

Unfortunately I cannot comment much regarding future DCS integration plans, other than to say that it continues to be our goal to develop a unified electronic battlefield in which players can control a variety of realistically modeled platforms.

 

At this stage, that is as good as it gets. No point belabouring the matter further I would have thought.

[winz]

What I expeded to see from ED is a little more transparency. Instead of saying outright in an annoucement 'We discovered that the compatibility upgrade is too much work for it to be a free addition to BS, thus it will be a payed addition, the price of the upgrade is still beeing discussed', they choosed a smart word-play with their customers by using 'upgrade' instead of 'patch'.

 

Even big milking company like Activision or EA are very clear about what will be free and what will be a payed addition. ED choosed to keep it a secret even if they had to know for a long time that it will not be a free addition. It's the same story as with 'master server required for lan play'.

[Cali]

What about this apporach, maybe they could of made the compatibility patch free and the upgrade separate. That way people could fly with other DCS models still and if they wanted the fancy eye candy they will have to pay for it.

[sobek]

What about this apporach, maybe they could of made the compatibility patch free and the upgrade separate.

 

That would be opening another can of worms. E.g. the current state of the mission environment can handle A FRIKKIN LOT MORE triggers and fancy stuff, how will missions ever run in the non updated BS? Also, it would be a lot of additional work that generates no additional revenue, as well as lenghtening the development and testing process by nothing less than a large margin. You see where this is going.

Edited November 4, 2011 by sobek

[Cali]

I understand that, just trying to think of something, a can of worms has already been let loose.

[sobek]

a can of worms has already been let loose.

 

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. :dunno:

[Cali]

It's a win/win/lose/lose situation :D

[GGTharos]

Your track record seems to selectively go only as far as the most recent release.

 

1. We are told what will happen with next release , is it going to be $20 for A-10C to upgrade and then another $20 to get BS2 upgraded. I suspect

given ED's track record this information will only be given out on release day.

[rattler]

Well maybe everyone should wait and see what is going to take place instead of a purchase right out the door.

 

Personally I would be very happy if ED toke longer in beta testing and pre- release tests and pay maybe $70 for a finished product. Now don't all jump I know all software has some bugs but they should be minor and perhaps given in a free update as it should not take long to fix.

 

If this $20 dollars gets Ed back on track with how the DCS Modular Series was supposed to play out then it is worth every penny of the $20 dollars.

 

A communication form ED/TFC on the future of this Series would be very welcome but this is up to ED/TFC. We have asked.

 

 

rattler

[GGTharos]

ED can't arbitrarity set the price point for retailers, so it won't be $70.

[rattler]

ED can't arbitrarity set the price point for retailers, so it won't be $70.

 

Well I don't know how things work over there but you do get my point. I think? There is a formula I think, wholesale versus retail and that depends on type of products. ED would get what they need as a profit margin and the retailer would sell based on their profit margin, just used $70 as example. could be slightly higher or lower but you get my point.

 

 

rattler

[GGTharos]

I get your point, I'm telling you it isn't realistic when you start mentioning pricing. Raising price above a certain level instantly halves sales. Just like that.