Free episodic content. New horizon or new annoyance?

[Vindekarr]

So, with Halo 4, I've seen the introduction of a feature I never have before, an episodic, DLC driven campaign. DLC-chaptered games are nothing new, what's unusual is the delivery system. Every weekend 343 releases a FREE "episode" pack containing a cutscene and five 10-40 minute Chapters. Initially the campaign had 2 episodes, with an initial target of 10. It's an interesting idea, and as long as it remains free, I can see this as a great way to enlarge a game vastly beyond what a conventional disk based game can deliver. The game already has a very sizeable multiplayer, an 8 hour single player campaign, a map editor, and now a 25 mission second campaign. That's a LOT of content, considering the original $90 covers all of it, and all future DLC. Thoughts? Edited December 17, 2012 by Vindekarr

[Vagrant0]

It only works for Xbox, since it encourages people to keep paying into their Xbox live subscription, and in the case of game data, buy extra storage space. Given that Halo is one of the mainstays of Microsoft's console, it wouldn't surprise me if this is the whole intention behind it. Depending on the layout, most of these missions could simply be "phoned in" by re-using set pieces, generated terrain, and using waves of enemies, or a twisting network of dimly lit passages as the main factor for how long it takes to complete each mission. Their only significant cost would likely be the cutscene, since that takes time to plan and render, and then have voice actors narrate.

 

 

Episodic DLC type content isn't anything new. Champions Online, and Startrek Online have been doing it for awhile now as a means of keeping players playing. The only real difference here is in the payment model used and consoles finally being in a state where they can download and store large amounts of additional game data.

[ziitch]

It's okay as long as it's not overdone, and for extra stuff that's very complex but couldn't be done within the development timeframe - TES could actually very much benefit from this model, as they could first release VI as a core adventure RPG game, and then add all the little details in that users want to see in the game the most, like character relationships that are actually meaningful but not a burden to your own character, and side quests that are creative and really go into depth instead of all the bland and shallow quests we've gotten the last time. That kind of open-endedness at the end of production depends on the game, and I'd say that open-world games like the Halo and TES series would really benefit from it in order to hone on what players want to see added (or removed/redacted).

 

Now, the rate of content that is released also matters as well. I feel like TF2 does it way too often, which seems to be every 2-3 new days because they have to add a hat or did some change with the engine or server. Once every month can very well also be too long; once every 1-2 weeks definitely keeps the game fresh and the content flowing, and shouldn't burden the buyer from trying out all the new additions.

Edited December 17, 2012 by ziitch

[Vindekarr]

I think it, in Halo's case, is a very effective use of limited resources and fanbase expectations. One of Halo's core modes was Firefight, a wave defense co-op mode, however it was limited by only a handful of maps, the same spawns every game, and the same objective every game. This campaign only uses the same 5 areas, but there's fairly decent sized arenas, different parts are used, and the radically different objectives, spawns, and races make it more interesting. Players went into Halo 4 expecting an improvement over Firefight, so when they got Firefight with a storyline and about 50% more diversity, it made them happy.

 

In general gaming terms I think it's a highly effective stratergy but it has to be free or atleast cheap. I remember feeling ticked off that Forza 5 had day-one DLC, selling cars which were launch vehicles from the previous game. It has a monthly episodic system of car packs, and while they contain desirable cars, many are put-off by the comparative expense of a season pass, which costs about as much as the game itself. This is a very bad example of the idea working against developers. Similarly Borderlands 2 causing a backlash among some by having a season pass which only covers a tiny proportion of the game's eventual DLC, only 3 packs, out of as many as a dozen. Saint's Row 3 also set a similar bad example, selling even cheat codes.

 

Players hate being faced with "hey, here's the bit we didn't stick in, that'll be $30" however, the concept of "it's sunday, here, have 5 more objective sets for Spartan Ops, a matchmaking update and some new in-game achievements, free of charge" has had a funny effect on Halo players, who seem genuinely to like their devs. 343 are not paragons. They released paid DLC within a month, however the community was so mellow from being cuddled and tickled and getting friendly "we love our fans" messages with free dlc, that nobody even noticed that they could have launched the maps with the game. I doubt sincerely you could create any of these three maps in a month. Especially Harvest.

 

Halo maps tend to be outdoors, with immense painted skyboxes that give the illusion of being in a massive open environment, some of them animated such as the volcano on Shatter. Just making those would take weeks, but the community welcomed the pack with open arms. Free stuff and gathering good will can be powerful things in marketing it seems.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Vindekarr