Expansion Pricing

[LuciusEsox]

It will be impossible for FD to go from pay once to pay monthly unless they are going to give all existing players a life time pass or a refund. Also I think you will find that there are a long list of games that have gone from pay monthly to free to play/pay to win. As far as I am aware DB is opposed to either model and so is pursuing the pay once model. In a year or so we will most likely get the first big expansion and by then I think most players will take it up ans would envision it being priced around the £20 mark, they would I expect offer the full game with the expansion for about £10.00 more than the game on it's own which will draw in more new players and allow the next development stage to be funded.

Well,, I haven't looked but I suspect I wouldn't find anything that has been said by FD that wouldn't allow them to make the game pay to play, do you honestly think something like that wasn't considered in the EULA ?

Pay to play for me is a just a personnel preference as all my pay to play experiences have been very positive. I can't comment about Elite yet because I haven't really played it yet, nobody has. But I honestly can't help thinking a dedicated team working to keep everything running smoothly when the game goes live is preferable and I am not to sure about the way this game is resourced lends itself too well to that, but we shall see.

Also there seems to be 2 distinct groups on these forums, those against and those for pay to play and I wonder does the argument just come down simply to cash and people seeing a monthly/three monthly/yearly premium as a charge to far.

Can't help thinking you get what you pay for though and at a one off £35 a chuck for the VAST majority of uses I am worried.

 

[Herik]

It's not going to be an expansion from the way it's been described, but a whole new game that is linked to the one we now have with regards to the future out of the cockpit and walking around game release.
So people not wishing to purchase it won't be affected detrimentally by it. Hence the price is likely to be around the £35 mark again, but I'm sure if more recent news has been posted someone will correct me

I don't think it will be 'linked' as your describing. I have been led to believe it will be fairly seamless; perhaps orbiting, atmosphere passage to at least selected landing sites with appropriate content. From previous statements by DB 'Planet landing' will be phased; meaning rocky (airless) bodies, large asteroids and moons first. The rest later.

The keyword here is airless, to begin with. How that's implemented is guesswork.

 

[MASTER_DEATHDEALER]

Im new here. (please dont bother with the silly comment of "search")..

Has there been any word on expansion pricing, because personally I think paying more money for content is silly.

If its a few quid, thats fine, but more than that for a couple of content patches that should be core features isnt great.

FD r rushing like mad to meet the rushed release date for Christmas so why r u worried about expansion packs that likel wont come for at least 6 mths and probably longer?

 

[Herik]

Oh im aware of that, and I did buy it knowing that... So be it and all that. Im not going to be one of those special people who boycott a game that they will enjoy just because they dont agree with one thing.

I do have a problem with this method of marketing, though, which means I have more than enough reason to complain and discuss it. As far as I see it, while its very unlikely that my little discussion about it will make a difference or instigate a change, Im more than willing to open the conversation about it in the hopes that there is a change. Staying silent about such a thing helps nobody. Nobody can be truly happy with having to pay over the odds for this games content.

You can have a problem with my stance all you want, but I still view the content as something that should have been core content. Nothing will change that view.

The whole point of this thread was more to discover if there has been any news about actual price points. I would be far happier with this awful technique if the price is reasonable, say £5-£10, but if they charge much more for that, my good will goes out of the window, regardless of how good the product is.

My problem is that they have done it in the first place. They make the game you have always dreamed of playing, then make you pay three times as much as a normal game to access all of it.

Yes (you) have a problem with their marketing of that; (I) have a problem/worry with them cheering on Eve metagaming ideas like 'blockades'. Also the deep disappointment of Offline mode ending up on the cutting room floor. These things, and probably much more are going to happen. Give a sigh and hope your game won't be ruined by other decisions...

 

[Harland White]

I'm willing to pay as much as a whole new game costs for the expansions to this particular game, because the expansions in ED will be adding so much more new content to the game that it will essentially double the current game's awesomeness. And I'm broke as well, but I'll find a way. It's worth it, especially if the money will help keep Frontier on the ball with ED.

 

[xaccers]

Well I can say that, if thats how I consider it to be.

We arent 10 years back, we are now. Regardless of the worth of a product to an individual, like yourself, someone is well within their right to view a game as content incomplete if they feel the expansion content adds to the game in such a way that the base game is no longer adequate or complete.

This is how I view it, simple as that.

Im not sure youve read all of the responses, though I would assume not.

The point I am making, is that yes I will buy them, because I will be somewhat forced into it to play the game that I want to play.

Im not sure whats more confusing to me... that people misunderstand the idea of discussing whether or not there have been any pricings and turn it into a defend frontier session, or that people are genuinely ok with paying more rather than less... and indeed actively encouraging a higher price.

We are now, where costs have increased, the content proposed is increased to what other games have previously provided as a paid for expansion.
You are honestly suggesting that for the expansions proposed £10 is the maximum you expected to pay?
I'm not sure you've read the comments from Frontier regarding the proposed expansions, though I would assume not.
The game is the 4th instalment, none of which had the ability to leave your ship and go on planetary adventures, so how can you justify saying Elite Dangerous is incomplete without the ability to leave your ship and go on planetary adventures?
I know you and handgas (who hasn't the guts to justify himself) don't agree with me, but I'd like you to actually back up what your saying with more than "It's just my opinion"

 

[basicpaul]

We are now, where costs have increased, the content proposed is increased to what other games have previously provided as a paid for expansion.
You are honestly suggesting that for the expansions proposed £10 is the maximum you expected to pay?
I'm not sure you've read the comments from Frontier regarding the proposed expansions, though I would assume not.
The game is the 4th instalment, none of which had the ability to leave your ship and go on planetary adventures, so how can you justify saying Elite Dangerous is incomplete without the ability to leave your ship and go on planetary adventures?
I know you and handgas (who hasn't the guts to justify himself) don't agree with me, but I'd like you to actually back up what your saying with more than "It's just my opinion"

Honestly, I've got the information I originally asked for from this thread, so there is really no point in dragging out what I have already talked about over and over.

I can justify saying it simply because it is how I feel. Thats all the justification I need, even if its not enough for you.

As I have explained though, it doesn't matter how the development team see the full game, I cannot think of the game without the expansions. These 'expansions' are the things that have the potential to make or break it. I classify these kinds of colossal features as core.

I can understand the cost of development, but I have said numerous times that, if they dont have the funds, alternative funding would be a much better thing to do than charge for this content.

I think its fair to say that this release has been rushed, and that the PR and Marketing for this game has been somewhat poor.

Why did they spend so much on a huge press/hype event rather than pump the money into development?

I mean, we can go back and forth on this all day, but I see no reason to.

the answer to my question was: No official word, but it will likely be around £10-15 if we are lucky, more (£35 up) if they decide to push our resolve.

 

[obliterator]

1990's called and told me you were wrong... Content was once free, and came with updates that you got on a thing called a floppy... They even put it on this magical thing called CD's...

Yeah and those CD's where obviously free! Right?

 

[Splette]

I also think there is not much point worrying about the expansions as of now.

Some of the features we'd expected won't make it for release, so I think FD will be busy for the next couple of months to complete the core game before investing time in expansions. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes a year until the first major expansion will come out. The planetary landings will be a huge amount of work. And the walking around feature will be too.

I would have never bought ED if it was based on a subscription model or on some pay-to-win scheme. I'm really happy that FD took the path it did. But they will have to keep making money with the game one way or another. Who knows if paintjobs, bobbleheads or merchendise alone will cover the cost for further development? I doubt it. Personally, I wouldn't even mind some ingame advertisement (at the station's billboards) as long as it's subtle, not immersion-breaking and not excessive. The nice thing about the paid expansions is that noone will be forced to buy them. If you think the expansion is worth the price, buy it, if not, leave it. But clearly we cannot demand FD to work another entire year to give away the expansion at the same price as one of their exclusive/limited paintjobs. I'd find a price of 30-35€ for a major expansion justified.

 

[Phelix]

Yeah and those CD's where obviously free! Right?

Most of them actually came with magazines, so they were bundled with plenty of other patches and content. Magazines weren't free, but the cd did contain content for several games though, so if you split the cost of the magazine prize down per game you did not pay much per game (we are talking cents here). Nothing stopped you from sharing it with friends either, and later came the patches over the internet with content, which also was free btw (though internet was far from cheap) Alot has changed since the 90's, and not always for the better...

Edit:
Let me just be clear, I am not currently backing the OP's opinion that the expansions should cost next to nothing, I was just trying to be clever with my first post. I understand that FD has to make money on their development, I just hope they actually add a bit more content than what is actually in the game atm by patching the game, right now it does feel a bit shallow. And I hope they do so swiftly after release, and don't hold it all back for the expansion, cause that would be a move....

 

[insidah]

Thargoids stole my Imperial Trader.

 

[SAB380]

OPs opinions are all fair enough .....but starting a thread with "I'm new, don't tell me to search for info, by the way everything is wrong and should be like Star Citizen" is never going to be the best way to start a discussino

 

[Chek]

I'd be all good with paying full game price for planetary landings and all that entails. I'd blow 3 or 4 times that on a good night out and it would be all used up in a few hours, so no problem here with that.

 

[AndyC77]

I really wonder how many gigs the full game will be with planetary landing content in.

 

[mitth'raw'nuruodo]

There are major launch features still missing. So I hope we will see quite few free expansions first before we move on to paid ones.

 

[basicpaul]

OPs opinions are all fair enough .....but starting a thread with "I'm new, don't tell me to search for info, by the way everything is wrong and should be like Star Citizen" is never going to be the best way to start a discussino

Well fair point I did start with telling people to not just tell me to search.... I'm not completely new to the concept of forums and sarcasm.

I didnt say anything about star citizen being better until somebody said some silly things and I had to use an example. I cant help it if SC is the best comparison. I'm not on a side, so it doesn't matter either way.