Dragon Age - Day 0 DLC Plans

GameSpot has the scoop on BioWare's plans for Dragon Age DLC, with three pieces available immediately on release. Two will be free to new purchasers, while Warden's Keep will cost $7 (or the points equivalent) except for the Deluxe Digital Edition:

BioWare today announced that Dragon Age: Origins will get its first downloadable expansion on day one. Called the Warden's Keep, the DLC will add a dungeon-based quest to the game along with six new abilities, a variety of items, and a base where players can trade with merchants. It will feature a supernatural storyline set in an ancient--and possibly haunted--fortress once used as a redoubt by the Grey Wardens, the ancient order at the center of Origins' main storyline. (A magic suit of Grey Warden armor will be one of the items in the add-on.)

The Warden's Keep will be available for MSP 560 ($7) on Xbox Live Marketplace and $7 on the PC on November 3. It will cost the same price on the PlayStation Store when the PlayStation 3 version of Dragon Age goes on sale later in November. It is not included with the regular or Collector's Edition of Dragon Age: Origins, although it is included in the Deluxe Digital Edition offered by online retailers.

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Head over for the rest, including trailers.
In related news, IGN has a (brief) new video called Brood Mother.
More information.

DLC on day 0 ? - I don't like this new trend.

1. Make a game.
2. Cut the content.
3. Divide cut content into pieces.
4. Make DLCs from the pieces.
5 PROFIT!!!oneoneone

HiddenX said:

DLC on day 0 ? - I don't like this new trend.

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I concur. And there is also some kind of armor that you can only get via the collectors digital super exclusive limited edition? It's getting confusing. I want all the content but I don't want to spend my time searching for and buying different versions of the game to get the full experience. I just want to buy the vanilla version of the game, install it and press the play icon. And it should all be there on the first install.

LOL! How come I ain't suprised? I smell EA behind this move :

Milking from the day 1.
Even before the release, I can tell, this is worth my personal boycott.

Lemonhead said:

I concur. And there is also some kind of armor that you can only get via the collectors digital super exclusive limited edition? It's getting confusing. I want all the content but I don't want to spend my time searching for and buying different versions of the game to get the full experience. I just want to buy the vanilla version of the game, install it and press the play icon. And it should all be there on the first install.

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That armor is for everyone who buys the game, for all the different versions, same
as the Stone Prisoner. Only if you buy used, you won't probably get them since the original owner has already added them to his account. Digital collector's edition gets the Warden's Keep for free since they don't a metal box nor the cloath map.

The release got delayed so some of the DLC were finished in time for the release. The DLCs have a seperate team and a seperate budget, so naturally they won't just give them for free.

As I understand it this will allow everyone NOT buying the Digital Only Extreme Deluxe Super Collector's Edition to be able to acquire the exclusive material as a DLC ... I don't really see a problem with that, on the contrary.

I'm ok with that. My only (potential) problem is that since DLC content is entirely (obviously) optional, they may not feel like part of the game. More like 'random encounters'.

It's interesting that slowly, MMOs are turning into retail box games (i.e. no subscription fees, just pay for extra stuff) and single player games are turning into light-MMOs (no subscription fees, just pay for extra stuff). The only difference now seems to be if you can play with other people online or not (and not even that, as NWN crosses that line too)

Konjad said:

1. Make a game.
2. Cut the content.
3. Divide cut content into pieces.
4. Make DLCs from the pieces.
5 PROFIT!!!oneoneone

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To be fair, I understand that this is not the case here. According to BW employees posting here, they set up a separate team to work on DLC fairly early on. IOW, these are add-on developed the usual way, only they're ready on day zero. I would speculate that the reason they're ready may have something to do with the way the PC release was delayed because they were waiting for the XBox version.

When I first read the news I became somewhat frustrated, but I believe PJ is correct - the actual development of DA:O was probably done long ago, and the DLC team has been a seperate team all along, whose DLC content is supposed to fund the development of the DLC. They're probably on a completely different budget.

Yet another reason why they shouldn't have postponed it simply due to the XBox version - now people are getting confused regarding the DLC. It would've been much better if they had released DA:O in April, and then released the DLC as soon as it was ready. The XBox version could've contained the DLC, similar to the PC version of Mass Effect.

Well, I'm not sure if that would've been the best solution from an economic point of view, but it would've been significantly less confusing, and it would make them look a bit better. Now a lot of people will consider them greedy for trying to "milk" like crazy.

whatever reasons why, justified or fair in anyones opinion - still, sorry it just looks bad.

There are plenty of other games, I can wait for this one. All the content will eventually be bundled and sold as a single package and that bundle will eventually make it to the "Bargain Bin", I'll buy it then.

I think they did set up a separate DLC team to start working on content from early this year. And this was in response to the lack of Mass Effect DLC.

I am fairly sure this was not cut out of the main game. The main game has probably been content locked for a while so it can be polished, ported and optimised. Whilst the DLC team continues to create new content.

But I agree that it is a potentially bad PR issue. Bioware should have predicted there would be a backlash to this announcement. So either delay the announcement of paid DLC. Or explain that it was created by a separate team and that this is just the beginning of two years of DLC by that team.

It is a shame because in recent weeks there seems to have been more goodwill towards the game.

How does it look bad?

You can buy a complete game for the normal price. You can also buy some extra, optional content that was developped on a seperate budget if you want it. Or you can not buy it, and not be any worse off than if they hadn't released it.

This is a business, remember. You shouldn't expect them to pay people to develop extra content outside of the game's original budget and then just give it to you for free.

"Optional" extras on day 0 is nothing new in lot of other areas like cars, consoles etc. In fact many business depends on the "optional" extra to survive. So it's bound to happen to PC gaming soon or later.

First of all, no content was cut from the game to be sold later on as DLC for this game, DA: Origins.

The only content that was cut a fairly long time ago and to the lament of many forumites at Bioware, was the stone golem Shale. The delay made it possible for Bioware to add Shale, the stone golem in again. And they even brought back the original voice actors to make additional lines for the whole companion banter that's associated with Shale. Shale, the stone golem, and the blood armour will de downloadable via code for free in all editions of DA: Origins, both regular and collector's editions.

As for the DLC in general, I agree that it is very confusing, especially since the UK edition of both retail and Collector's Edition do not seem to have the same content as the US or get or even the rest of Europe. (some even say that it depends on aht game shop you buy the gamne in or where you pre-order?) The UK in generel seem only to be getting a plastic box, no cloth map, + the making of DVD+shale and blood armour while all other collector's editions will have a steel case, a cloth map and all the other content mentioned in the dlc thread at DA: Origins forums. (For some strange reason East Asia gets a wooden; however it looks way cooler than the box for DA: origins we get here in Denmark, Europe and the rest of the world).

I have to admit that even I am very confused; if you pre-order to CE of DA: Origins you get three items? for pre-ordering, if you pre-order the regular edition, you'll get two items (that are totally different from the three items you get when ordering the CE edition?); all editions, both regular and collectors get shale (the stone prisoner) and blood armour.

If you look at the trailers at gamespot for the dlc for this game, they' are calling this dlc 'expansions' for DA: Origins. I'm not sure, I like this at all, DLC is not expansions, not in the sense, we've been used to over the years. Of course, it could be seen as an expansion of the game universe, (whic it is) but it is definetely not a (full game) expansion.

And I thought you couldn't have a day O DLC plan, only a day 1 DLC plan?

edit:

Warden's Keep will set you back 7 US dollars (which is sort of an odd price tag?) if you buy the retail digital or collector's edition (those that come in a box), while it will be free for those who've bought the Digital Deluxe Edition (online-edition).

Plans are also to have dlc announced in the game via quest givers or in the game journal or at the start of the game; it is very confusing, I find.

ill skip the buy at release and wait for the cheaper complete goty version.

aries100 said:

And I thought you couldn't have a day O DLC plan, only a day 1 DLC plan?

.

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I take it you are not a programmer?

Dez said:

LOL! How come I ain't suprised? I smell EA behind this move :

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I smell ignorance behind your post . Here it is straight from the horse's mouth (the horse being BioWare's Derek French. Live Producer):

• I'm starting to get the impression that what we are seeing here are game developers working on a project that they were told to work on by others that control the money.

Huh? DLC for Dragon Age came from us, the developers. We had a good experience with it and Neverwinter Nights and we think it is going to work well with Dragon Age. Only time will tell for sure.

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... and...

If you have had any experience with a BioWare game launch I can firmly state that all delays and target platforms rest solely at the discretion of BioWare. We chose to delay the game. We chose the platforms we want it to be on. EA acquired BioWare and Pandemic about 2 years ago and they have been supportive about our decisions, not the cause of them. We are doing exactly what we want to do on this project.

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Source link: http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewstory&threadid=102952

I know that this sucks for all the EA haterz but the facts is the facts, ya know?