Mothership Zeta on Disc

[Bmobius]

First off, let me start by saying I absolutely love what Bethesda has done with Fallout 3. As a fan of the original Fallout series, I had some reservations about FO3 going into a first-person perspective. Happily, my doubts about it were diminished once I had it installed and running. Overall, I would say it's a success.

 

However, the enjoyment I get from the game is starting to decline. Not for lack of what has been created so far for both the vanilla game or the mod content. I'm talking about some of the decisions that Bethesda seems to be making in regards to the direction of the franchise.

 

First on my mind is the fact that I am FORCED to install Games for Windows Live. This is my computer built from the ground up by myself. As I am cautious about what I install on my machine, I am fully aware of what every application and background process is doing. Having been a system admin and IT technician for several years, I have grown to become acutely aware of what different programs are doing and what their effects are. Games for Windows Live is unnecessary for any reason whatsoever save for those committed to unlocking achievements. I don't enjoy it and see no point in engaging in that. This was a bad bad move on Bethesda's part.

 

Second point I need to mention is the way that the DLC material is being handled. I have no desire or wish to download my content at all. Hard drives can crash. Data can become corrupted. Information on either the client end or the provider side cane be mishandled. So when Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt, Point Lookout, and Broken Steel were released as the Game Add-On Packs, I was satisfied to have a hard physical copy of that content. Also from a collectors standpoint, I was very happy.

 

However, from all I've been able to find while looking up articles and going over Bethesda's official website for FO3, I seem to see something wrong. If I'm not mistaken, Mothership Zeta will not see a Game Add-On release. It is in that I take most issue. Am I to understand that I will either have to use GFWL to download Mothership Zeta or worse, purchase the GOTY Edition to obtain the content I want to complete my FO3 experience? If I am forced to use GFWL, then I will not have the physical copy of the content. If I purchase the Game of the Year Edition, then I am actually re-purchasing a game and it's additional content that I have already legitimately paid for!

 

Let's say for example the GOTY costs roughly $50.00. The 800 Microsoft Points that GFWL states is the cost of the Mothership Zeta is roughly $10. Simple math that even an elementary school child possesses would indicate that overall, I am overpaying for content I currently do not have by $40! So then, what exactly is Bethesda thinking? I myself and many other gamers around the world that have been supportive gamers for Bethesda and it's game library over the years no longer mean anything to them? I remember how much they applauded and praised us during the Morrowind era for our support and made sure we could could the content we desired by the best of all means. Now, Fallout 3 seems to be the changing point.

 

I sincerely hope Bethesda seriously rethinks their position on the way the Mothership Zeta content is being made available. If they do indeed already have plans to release a Game Add-On Pack, then I will most assuredly step right up and apologize for doubting them. If not, I will give a great amount of consideration to no longer supporting them at all. I will even go so far as to encourage as many other people as I can, some of who are Bethesda fans, to cease their support as well. I'm confident in the fact that with enough people no longer purchasing their products, Bethesda will have to take a sharp clinical look at how they do business with their core consumers.

 

Thank you all for your time and for reading this.

 

Be well,

bmobius

[gsmanners]

So, just dump your old discs on eBay or hand them down to a friend, and buy it already. Or a wait a year or two for the price to hit $20.

 

I totally agree about GfWL. Bethesda made a mistake in using that, even assuming the rumor is true (that Microsoft drove a truckload of money to their doors to do that and the Xbox 360 exclusivity deal). GfWL is utterly worthless, and actually causes game instability.

[Bmobius]

So, just dump your old discs on eBay or hand them down to a friend, and buy it already. Or a wait a year or two for the price to hit $20.

 

I totally agree about GfWL. Bethesda made a mistake in using that, even assuming the rumor is true (that Microsoft drove a truckload of money to their doors to do that and the Xbox 360 exclusivity deal). GfWL is utterly worthless, and actually causes game instability.

 

I had given some thought to selling off the separate discs and repurchasing the content through with the GOTY. That would undermine the collection aspect I mentioned earlier, however. For example, I have the Oblivion box, the Knights of the Nine expansion, and finally the Shivering Isles expansion. Three distinct "volumes" as it were. Another point I'd like to make if I may is that should I sell my current FO3 collection, more than likely I would lose money as very few people are willing to purchase something used for the same price I paid for it new.

 

Overall, the cost element notwithstanding, I am mostly concerned about the way Bethesda is starting to do business. My complaints about Mothership Zeta are minimal when compared to what Bethesda may be doing to alienate it's core audience in order to make money. I am aware that like any company or other fiscal entity, that the bottom line at the end of the day is all about the money that can be made. It is my most ardent hope that Bethesda will remember that they can "do good" by the consumer and still make their financial goals.

[Skotte]

this is evidence (for me at least) that it's not a good idea to impulse buy a PC title.

 

I bought the Collector's edition last year & bought the GOTY for the add-ons. the GOTY case now resides in the lunchbox & the original case is on my cd shelf.

 

but I do agree, my oblivion set is lie yours. Beth didn't need to make it so to get the last DLC your choice is an unreliable digital distribution system or essentially buying the game again.

[GETbacon]

If you listen closely enough you can hear Microsoft sucking off everyone to get exclusivity for their PC'S and xbox 360. But goty is a huge joke which at best trys to emulate

 

xbox's LIVE and at worse try to emulate the XBOX'S LIVE as done by a nock-off hong-kong producer. And Bethesda has gotten way greedy and goes "you know what we will make an AWESOME game then release it for 60$ then charge an extra 10$ which would be like Russian rulet with 3 bullets in the cylinder with 3 empty hahahaha."

 

but you could just put it on a blank disc saying mother-ship zeta and below that screw you Bethesda.

 

Just saying.

[Bmobius]

The not-so-surprising things here is that despite my best attempts at doing so, Bethesda is not available to comment. All of my phone calls and emails go unanswered.

 

I can only hope that now they're no longer creating content for FO3, that they will instead seek to rectify this scenario with the way TES V is released. I know for a fact that I will not be purchasing the game myself upon it's release, however. I believe Bethesda harbors no good will for it's fan base and thus they will not receive my business. Saying that however, should they in fact release Mothership Zeta as a stand along Game Add-On Pack or similar, I will indeed state a public apology to them for doubting their strategy.