Schmooples' Den! The DA News Discussion Thread

Couldn't they always do free updates before? They released hot fixes and gameplay patches all the time. They could also add areas to the game easily enough. Black Emporium comes to mind. If its something they can already do, like simply patching in free new content, they wouldn't have needed to retool the game's structure for it. I really doubt the live services model is just referring to an idea of free content updates tiding us over between paid DLC.

Yeah, even on the few occasions you can get some of them on sale, the sims 4 dlc totals to something like 400 dollars. I worked it out for myself once cus I actually own the base game and like three content packs. Decided too rich for my blood. lol

Satinalia events in midwinter! ;D

We do not really know the nature of that 'reboot' or what has really changed - all we have is Casey Hudson's assurances that they are story and character-oriented and that live services for Dragon Age means designing a game for "continued storytelling after the main story".

What that entails we cannot say - but keep in mind that it seems that at some point Trespaser's fate wasn't certain. Like I said - a lot of pre-life-service support for games seemed to be extracurricular and sometimes even pretty incidental (Descent happened only because Austin had some free time in their hands).

So what happens if they get new directives making post-launch content a vital part of the game, rather than just an after-thought meant for hardcore fans? Like... do we even know how much it changes things that the character relationships or storyline can be added or expanded after launch? If such is the case, then I can hardly see how they wouldn't have to make changes to the project 

With ESO you pay initial full price for the game and have to buy all DLCs/expansions (known as Chapters), but other than that the game can be played for free with no sub. What paying subscription gives me is access to ALL DLCs save for Chapters. Similar models can be utilized with EA Access, especially if - like in case of Sims 4 - the amount of paid content released over years gets pretty pricey. Imagine that you're not as hardcore of a fan, or don't have money for all DLCs but you still want to play them... you then pay for a month of sub and use that month or two to play it all.

So the subscription offer may not be targeted specifically at us - but we're a very small percentage of people that buy and play this stuff repeatedly. Most players just play games (esp. of this scope) maybe once, so them getting access to the full game with all the goodies to play once or twice would be a decent deal. And if they like it enough, the sub could bring new hardcore fans that will buy the content permanently for themselves.

Talk about solid evidence that appears to go in line with my reading that 'vague plans' of yesteryear's support period for games are something markedly different than a tighter, more deliberate stream of post-launch live service content - and I really don't see how switching from one to another would NOT result with changes to the main game that some could call a 'reboot'.

Depends ion who the protagonist is in DA4. If the Inquisitor, agreed. If not, then it is the worst DLC they ever made. 

Jaclyn Tan @electrifried
Yea I'd consider Trespasser to be the proper ending of DAI, it's annoying especially if the next game jumps off from the DLC's conclusion instead of the base game. I thought the story for DA was outlined for the next 5 games or did I read the wrong info?

John Epler @eplerjc
Vaguely, but even then, we adjust and shift. Even within the development of a single game, the first version of the story and what we shift are rarely the same, because we find problems/opportunities through production.

*what we ship, not shift

I can understand the elves who romanced Solas feeling that way, but a one-handed archer Inquisitor is not going to be a lot of use in a battle. It is time to hand over the torch to the next lucky winner of the "Here is the end of the world, go sort it out." award.

I think thats the poiny. The smaller stuff will be "free" while the larger stuff...the stuff that was dlc not too long ago will likely be paid.

Of course the interesting thing is for Anthem they promised free expansions too. Now DA is probably going to be a SP game so that may imply a different pay model...its the only real question still outstanding.