Speaking in this week's Bungie Weekly Update, Frankie talks about all kinds of Halo 3 updates going on and mentions the DLC pricing saying that the it is "not something we decide unfortunately – but in the long term, like those Halo 2 maps they'll eventually be free of charge". Which is true, the fact that the maps will eventually become free content. But the fact is that diehard Halo fanboys want the content now and 800 points is, well ... 800 points. Maybe we have to accept that Microsoft Game Studios loves their spendy DLC and sometimes we just have live with it and not buy a latte this week. But lattes are so good ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
12-01-2007 @ 3:39PM
thisissparta said...
cool.
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12-01-2007 @ 3:45PM
Louis said...
This is pricey, and it normally wouldn't bother me. Take Forza 2 for example. I feel like their aren't as many hardcore fans willing to pay the DLC cost, so in the end it makes it harder to recoup the development cost.
But with the insane number of Halo3 players, they will probably have made their money back and a ton more even if this was priced at 200 points. I just think that there is a perfect price point where you sell enough to make up for the difference. (eg. sell double at 600 points)
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12-01-2007 @ 4:04PM
L said...
YEY 600 would be a Sweet Spot 200 for each map ^__^
12-01-2007 @ 6:10PM
vanhelsingh said...
you can actually calculate the maximum price for most potential profit with a bit of differentiation.
12-01-2007 @ 3:48PM
Edge said...
I might spend 800 on that Foundry map if it has the right features. I think the price is fine. I'd always like to pay less, but this is a price I would pay. As long as it isn't 1,200 point GRAW packs. Over 1000 points is like trying to sell a $600 console.
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12-01-2007 @ 4:05PM
AnOffday said...
Well of course they are going to charge for it. They know it'll make them a ton of money, since it is for Halo 3.
I waited for the gears maps to be free, but I think I'm going to have to buy these right away for my Christmas break.
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12-01-2007 @ 4:06PM
Sky Shark X2 said...
Dear god, what's with all the cheapos this day in age. Three maps that took a lot of time to build, design and test and will all end up most likely being great, is it not right for them to be able to get a good amount of money for this? If the last time I checked 10 dollars isn't that much. Heck you could by some single packaged toys for 10 dollars. Either buy it or shut up and wait for them to be free cause your moaning isn't going to change anything. The Forza 2 thing was a mirciale. Besides this pack you get more than double what the Forza 2 pack would have at 800 .
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12-01-2007 @ 4:14PM
Mighty Healthy said...
Paying 1/6th of a game's cost for less than 1/6th of content does not make those who disagree "cheapos."
It just means that if MS could figure out how to price the first DLC for a game better than just "5, 10, sometimes 15 bucks", then there wouldn't be as much complaints.
The pricing system is flawed, and many times, the pricing of DLC does not justify the content.
Despite your defense of paying 10 bucks for a mere three Halo 3 maps, you have to realize that:
a) you can't play these maps unless you buy them
b) who knows how much you will _actually_ like the maps
c) for folks who have drifted off to the other half a dozen AAA titles out there, there's not much incentive to come back to Halo 3
Idiots like you who defend DLC pricing, have allowed it to get so out of control.
12-02-2007 @ 5:56PM
Anticrawl said...
Being a veteran map maker for several games (Unreal 2004 and Farcry being to most recent games used) I can assure you they hardly broke a sweat making these maps. It's probably 2-3 people did one weekend when they were bored or perhaps they were maps not good enough to make the initial cut so they went back and put a new coat of paint on them and pushed em out to us at a premium price to create pure profit with nearly no production costs.
There is no coding or effort putting into making these maps, the first thing the did was make tools to design these maps quick and effectively early in the Halo 3 production when they were designing a new engine or simply modifiing an old one.
12-02-2007 @ 5:56PM
Anticrawl said...
Being a veteran map maker for several games (Unreal 2004 and Farcry being to most recent games used) I can assure you they hardly broke a sweat making these maps. It's probably 2-3 people did one weekend when they were bored or perhaps they were maps not good enough to make the initial cut so they went back and put a new coat of paint on them and pushed em out to us at a premium price to create pure profit with nearly no production costs.
There is no coding or effort putting into making these maps, the first thing the did was make tools to design these maps quick and effectively early in the Halo 3 production when they were designing a new engine or simply modifiing an old one.
12-01-2007 @ 4:09PM
JAKEJAX said...
Well thanks Frankie. It is really reassuring that you don't feel that you own work is worth $10.
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12-01-2007 @ 5:42PM
David W. said...
That's not what he's saying though...he's not saying the value isn't right...he's just saying he would LIKE to charge less...Bungie is and still seems to be FOR the fans...they would prefer to give it away for free but just weren't given the option.
and no...I'm not a Halo fanboy, I've gone on to other games...namely COD4
12-01-2007 @ 4:13PM
Otis Whitaker said...
Wanting something for free, that historically has been free isn't being cheap. It's being logical.
Only naive console gamers expect to pay for maps. It's a damned fact. I'm a console gamer, yes, but at least I'm not oblivious, and open to being raped from being naive.
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12-03-2007 @ 12:46AM
Grant said...
agreed.
developers of PC games have been releasing new maps after the fact for free for long as hell.
It's also happened a few times through XBL until they got the marketplace running.
Now MS wants people to get used to paying for content so they set the price for things comparatively to what "other similar things are priced".
i think it's crap, but all my friends will probably buy the maps and tell me how awesome they are, so i'm sure i'll succumb.
12-01-2007 @ 4:13PM
Yuccadude said...
I feel as if it's a ripoff, because last time there were DLC maps for Halo 2, we got 9 maps for $20, so this is one and half times the cost, and I don't think Forge is any good, since you can't play Forge maps in matchmaking anyways.
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12-01-2007 @ 4:20PM
Aero said...
Due to the sheer amount of games coming out this year, I haven't even been playing Halo much, so I'll just end up ignoring this until Spring. It's nice to know though that you will still be able to do matchmaking without the maps though.
The problem is that as long as you have the hardcore Halo fans that will shell out for this stuff on release date, Microsoft will never change.
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12-01-2007 @ 4:22PM
mcatrage said...
Am I the only one that doesn't believe them? I mean it seems rather easy to just blame Microsoft because it's not like they care what people think of them.
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12-01-2007 @ 5:50PM
David W. said...
I don't know...I would tend to believe them...From what I've seen for the most part, Bungie does try to look out for their fans...Microsoft on the other hand tends to not really care, haha
12-01-2007 @ 4:32PM
Conbus said...
This is highway robbery- $10 for 3 maps? 3 !?!!? What the hell? Even Socom has 4 maps for $6- yea, I know Socom largely sucks now, but still.
I'm having more fun with COD 4 and Team Fortress 2 right now anyway, so I'll just wait it out.
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12-01-2007 @ 5:10PM
Robert said...
can't we get an advertiser to pay it for us?
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