Games withholding content (and other insidious practices)

[Dogg Thang]

One of the dangers of expansion packs and downloadable content was always going to be that publishers deliberately remove content from a game in order to sell it to you later, making much more money in the process.

It's very difficult to tell when this is happening.

This is different when the downloadable content is offered free, isn't it? Maybe. As just brought up in the thread about the new Wipeout game, there was a facility to change graphics, posters etc. This wasn't offered to the consumer for obvious reasons - the purpose of this feature was to make in-games ads easy to impliment. So our Delta Pack, for example, was paid for by Puma and featured Puma ads all over it. Free to us in that it wasn't a monetary transaction but, given that ad space comes at such a premium, there is obviously a considerable value in us allowing ourselves to be exposed to such ads. So that should not be thought of as free.

Aside from actual added content, there are other ways to seperate us from our cash by withholding content. Capcom have made it a habit recently of removing the move lists from their fighting games when they go outside Japan. The programming is all in place. These moves has already been translated before. This can't be simple laziness - it requires changes in programming to remove the move lists, just as it does to translate them. My suspicion is that this is to sell licensed strategy guides. It's an added source of revenue. I don't know who actually buys these guides but, given the space they get in game shops (especially in the US) someone is buying them. The English-language version of the instruction manual for SFA3 Max is filled with mistakes. The English-language version of the instruction manual for the SFA collection doesn't even have a move list.

So you pay for the software, without being given the information needed to actually play it properly. For that, you can pay more for a strategy guide.


Then recently we had the Outrun C2C debacle - PSP/PS2 connectivity. What this 'feature' amounts to is: you buy two copies of our game and we'll actually let you play it properly. Eventually a code was released to get passed this but it opened up the entire game meaning that the play mechanic of working through the stages was killed in the process.


It seems Codemasters have taken this one step further. They have the PSP/PS2 connectivity 'feature' too but have added a new gem. On the back of the instructions for Micro Machines V4 (which I bought yesterday) is an ad that reads -

"Maximise the Micro Machines experience by purchasing bonus codes!"

With this, you pay Codemasters and they send you codes to unlock the actual content in the game you just paid for. As you can probably imagine, my reaction was along the lines of WTF. Here's the genius here - 'Requires touch tone telephone (fair enough) and Micro Machines V4 save file. IMPORTANT: Bonus Numbers and Bonus Codes supplied are unique to your PSP, game and saves'

So Codemasters have locked that content so the only way you'll get to it is by paying for it. You likely won't find general codes on gamefaqs for that PSP/PS2 connectivity because Codemasters will have made damn sure that there are no general codes - that would minimise the chance of people paying extra for the content.


Now this is the point where I'm wondering - is this actually legal? It's way passed pulling the piss. Can you sell a product and deliberately withhold the means to use that product and then charge extra for it?

[MonkeyWrench]

I think one of the worst examples of holding back content (that I can recall anyway) was Return to Castlewolfenstein where they actually included the maps on the disk but you had to unlock them via XBL. A dirty tactic indeed.

As for Wipeout Pure, I wouldn't have minded the puma branding if it was limited to just the billboards in the game, but no they had to plaster nearly every frickin' surface with the logo. Thankfully I have the US version of the game also so I don't have to put up with it.

[Matt]

Totally agree it's out of order, but until people stop paying, the practice will continue.

Most recent example of what I'd call an Insidious Practice is GRAW. You don't have to pay 1200 points for the expansion - unless you want to play one of the ORIGINAL maps with your mates who have downloaded the expansion. That's bollocks! Splitting a community in two just makes no ****ing sense at all.

I recall a time extra map downloads were free online from the devs, who understood keeping content flowing helped initial sales and kept a nice steady stream of new users buying the game months after release.

Will be interesting to see if this becomes common practice on the Wii and PS3.

BTW I know this isn't exactly withholding content, but it is another insidious practice....

[dot eater]

Single-player game developers are chasing the MMORPG model. You buy the game, get a certain amount of playtime for free, then pay a fee to continue.

[Yoshimax]

It's disgusting but unsurprising. Where they've missed a trick though is the likes of PGR3 - These car packs they could have plastered the cars in question with advertising for a specific company and then given the cars away free - everybody wins.

That codemasters example is disgusting - Sounds like someone will need to make a "key generator" type device as it must be an algorithm based on your serial ID or something ?

[Dogg Thang]

Yeah the Codemasters one is nasty. As Chain says, in general, as long as people are paying it they'll keep doing things like this. But over this side of the world there are some consumer protections in place and protections against dodgy business practices and I actually think this Codemasters one crosses that line. I don't know for sure so I have emailed Codemasters themselves about it and also emailed my local consumer advice place (which is in Ireland so if any of you have a UK one you could contact I'd love to get their take on it too).

If Codemasters don't respond, I'll mail them again ccing the consumer affairs people until I get at least an answer from them. I can't quite see how this wouldn't fall under the definition of 'scam'.

I didn't know about that Wolfenstein example. That is indeed nasty. It is a grey area but at some point we (as gamers) have to draw a line and say we're not having it.

[Yoshimax]

Agreed entirely - but I can't resist spending marketplace points

[ProgScan]

Codemasters have been doing that bonus thing for ages though, haven't they?

Looking at my PC version of TOCA Race Driver 1, it had that 'give us dosh for cheats/bonuses' thing.

However, those wacky crackers managed to break the algorithm pretty soon after that came out.

But I agree, it's the thin end of the wedge when companies are building cheats into games and then charging obscene amounts of money for it (by using premium rate phone lines, etc).

[mr_sockochris]

I think one of the worst examples of holding back content (that I can recall anyway) was Return to Castlewolfenstein where they actually included the maps on the disk but you had to unlock them via XBL. A dirty tactic indeed.

In fairness they were free and helped keep the game fresh for as long as it did

[Brats]

Most recent example of what I'd call an Insidious Practice is GRAW. You don't have to pay 1200 points for the expansion - unless you want to play one of the ORIGINAL maps with your mates who have downloaded the expansion. That's bollocks! Splitting a community in two just makes no ****ing sense at all.

It makes perfect sense if it re-invigours the community which is exactly what the download has done. I've done little else this week apart from play GRAW online, as have many others. According the chart on Major Nelson, GRAW has now shot to the number one spot of Live games.

I recall a time extra map downloads were free online from the devs, who understood keeping content flowing helped initial sales and kept a nice steady stream of new users buying the game months after release.

That's not true though. When I played UT a lot, Epic were very good at releasing map packs but the sales of the game had dwindled away despite the good community. I remember an interview with Cliffy B where he was saying that from a gamers' perspective he loved releasing new maps like this, but from a business perspective it was unsustainable.

There is a perception amongst consumers that anything related to the 'internet' should be free. You never heard anyone complain before about expansion packs released for a price on a CD, but when that content is distributed digitally, people explode. Their expectations are completely out of kilter with the real world.

I hear the comment about developers holding content back a lot, but I just don't buy it.

Here's the deal: Any developer will tell you that work has to stop on actually 'making the game' at least three months before it ships. The last period is then spent testing, optimising and fixing bugs. The gut who do this last part are the programmers and the testers, not the level designers, script writers and game designers. So any developer ends up with the creative part of the team with little to do. So why not use that three months to gt them to work on new stuff that can be released at a later date? It makes perfect sense to em and is nothing like holding content back.

I think one of the worst examples of holding back content (that I can recall anyway) was Return to Castlewolfenstein where they actually included the maps on the disk but you had to unlock them via XBL. A dirty tactic indeed.

Exactly the same thing happened with Counter Strike on the XBox. However, with both examples it wasn't a dirty tactic at all because the unlocks were released for free. IIRC there has never been any content locked away on the disc on any console that has ever required a premium payment to unlock it.

With Codemasters, their unlocks are either for content that can be unlocked in the game anyway (but some lazy bastard can't be arsed) or for stuff like invulnerability cheats. It's not like they've locked part of the actual 'game' away and if it means CM get more money from people who like to cheat, then good on 'em.

[Sketcz]

One of the dangers of expansion packs and downloadable content was always going to be that publishers deliberately remove content from a game in order to sell it to you later, making much more money in the process.

*cough*cough*

I mentioned something similar 2 years ago, and people said I was wrong. Though I never really bothered to try and put the argument across eloquently, my heart was certainly in the right place.

The last page there is great fun, with me and good old John having a bit of a heated debate.

It pleases me no end to see that you've made such a topic as this, Dogg Thang.

Good work!

I agree with you completely. There is always a danger of publishers removing content, and forcing us to buy it seperately later.

[Dogg Thang]

With Codemasters, their unlocks are either for content that can be unlocked in the game anyway (but some lazy bastard can't be arsed) or for stuff like invulnerability cheats. It's not like they've locked part of the actual 'game' away and if it means CM get more money from people who like to cheat, then good on 'em.

So how about the "bonus tracks" from PSP/PS2 connectivity? Can they be unlocked in the game through normal play?

[Matt]

It makes perfect sense if it re-invigours the community which is exactly what the download has done. I've done little else this week apart from play GRAW online, as have many others. According the chart on Major Nelson, GRAW has now shot to the number one spot of Live games.

OK it gets people playing it again. But I know a few people who won't get it, and they're regular GRAW players. By all accounts, if you don't have download you can't play the ORIGINAL maps against someone who has the download. How is that good for the community? It just forces people to buy the expansion, and a real danger is when they release Chapter 3 of the game, at another 1200 points, it'll lose more people.

Whereas, if they're released it for free it wouldn't be a problem

I'm not expecting expansions to be free. Maybe it's the digital distribution model. If I'd got a disc with the maps on in a shop, the transaction would have felt more real.

But maybe it's because I think 4 maps isn't enough to justify the price, though I rushed to get it

[Brats]

On Outrun 2 C2C? Yeah, that is a bit smelly, I'll give you that. Is it much different to what Nintendo did with Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime though?

I mentioned something similar 2 years ago, and people said I was wrong.

You are though ( ) as there's little evidence that demonstrates to the contrary. This type of debating, citing something as the 'thin end of the wedge', is always too simple an argument and it supposes, in this instance, that publishers will happily piss off their customer base. Which is nonsense.

Your argument was two years ago and in that time (a long time in technology cycles) little has changed. I still stand by my argument back then, that if Miyamoto decided to release another 30 stars for Mario 64 for download, how can this be anything but a good thing.

BTW, I didn't know you were otaku84. Hello .

[Dogg Thang]

On Outrun 2 C2C? Yeah, that is a bit smelly, I'll give you that. Is it much different to what Nintendo did with Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime though?

I've no idea - what did Nintendo do with Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime? With AC there was the e-reader stuff. Is that what you mean?