In-game Advertising?

Ads in the game?

  • Yes, I love the immersion that advertisements give me

    Votes: 14 18.4%
  • Yes, but only made up / fantasy companies

    Votes: 15 19.7%
  • Maybe, not sure, let's start by making a list of possibilities and then decide

    Votes: 5 6.6%
  • Maybe, depends on how it's done

    Votes: 27 35.5%
  • No, I definitely don't want any real company ads in the game

    Votes: 12 15.8%
  • No, I definitely don't want any kind of ads in the game

    Votes: 3 3.9%

  • Total voters
    76
  • Poll closed .
I'm fine with real world advertising in-game, if it helps FD pay for their servers.

I am the same, with the condition that all adverts must look 'right' in game.. i.e. a banner for coke is OK, an advert for an offer at PC World would not be...

I would even go so far as to offer to add products to the items trade-able by players... think about it, ship a few tons of coke from Sol to the outer systems for a nice profit... or a few tons of an 18 year old Scottish Single Malt...
 
I am the same, with the condition that all adverts must look 'right' in game.. i.e. a banner for coke is OK, an advert for an offer at PC World would not be...

I would even go so far as to offer to add products to the items trade-able by players... think about it, ship a few tons of coke from Sol to the outer systems for a nice profit... or a few tons of an 18 year old Scottish Single Malt...

And its about at this stage, I'd chuck the game in the bin and set it alight.
 
I like the idea of in game ads. It would be interesting what the marketing departments see their company being in 1200 years time. Their branding people would have a headache though as surely the branding will have changed by 3300 yet they are advertising in 2014, would their branding rules apply or not? Perhaps they could get round it by showing today's advert and adding 'great in 2014 even better today.'.
 
As I remember, Anarchy Online was the first game to try this sort of stuff. They even introduced a slash command that would let you order stuff direct from Domino's Pizza if you were in the USA.

I can understand it's use in a sports games such as the NFL, FIFA or Formula 1 series but unless a game is set in the real world here and now (Call of Duty is an obvious example) then there's no game design rationalisation that could justify including real world advertising without some sort of back lash from the players.

I'm hoping this is part of FD's standardised EULA that it uses as the base legal document for all its internet connectable games and doesn't apply in any way directly to ED other than maybe the launcher. I'm sure either DB or MB has already said that there will not be real life adverts and only adverts for in game companies and institutions so I'm not too worried about the sections implications over and above a simple legalised 'cover our backsides' exercise.

If real life dynamic advertising does turn up I'm hoping that FD has the good grace to allow us to turn it off or one of the boffins on the forum comes up with a filtering add on that will block them.

This! I will want FD using some sensibility in how they would do this; perhaps only in the launcher for (3) seconds.
 
First anyone outside of alpha's heard about this?

Personally, I think it stinks.

Seems to be rather all-encompassing.

I do not want any advertiser to have any details about me whatsoever thank you very much (or eat into my bandwidth or data allowance), and do my level best to ensure they get as little data from me as possible.

Come on FD - what kind of crappy ad spam are we now to expect in the game?

Well Rog I do agree with you on this....! the question is, what? where? and how we'd accept it...
 
This kind of idea, I could tolerate. As you say the servers and wages need to be paid somehow. I think if we HAD to have adverts I'd much prefer them to be in the launcher only and nowhere near the game proper for exactly the bad example given. If there's no choice but to have advertising in-game though it would have to have an in-game context and mixed up with fictional company advertising as is in the starport now.

As for FD's silence, I don't blame them. I'd be lurking in this and the other relevant threads to see what the community will and won't accept and start making my super-evil plans to take over the world from there as well.

Looking at it from a personal and pragmatic stance, if in-game advertising meant no microtransaction shop then I'll reluctantly take the advertising. But then I'd much rather have the option of paying a small monthly subscription to make the advertising - or a microtransaction shop - disappear as well.

(Yes) on the "small monthly subscription" to make them disappear.
 
I actually love the idea of in-game adverts that are themed in a non-immersion breaking way. Unless E: D is going to attract millions of players (I do hope so) I can't see a sustainable revenue stream for the continuing upkeep of the game. Maybe Frontier could give a choice to not see adverts/have IP etc. collected, and pay a monthly subscription instead - everyone's happy?!?

I'd go for that...
 
Themed ads for pizzas or joysticks, I could just about tolerate. Trash ads for virus scanners or other unmentionables would make me angry enough to take out the floor.
 
Did people see this before? because whilst a bit naughty it demonstrates the issue..



What I do think we need to do is have a conversation with Frontier about what is acceptable. The reality is the game needs to make money but how?
 
This is the sort of advertising I'd have no truck with, as long as it was in a futuristic context:

blade_runner_02.jpg


This is NOT what I'd want to see as it'd kill immersion completely:

10690-dominos-kirkcaldy.jpg


For those suggesting that a monthly subscription could be paid to block out advertising, the answer is no. This isn't a 99p game from Google Play, it's a premium product which many of us have already paid a lot of money for and no doubt many people in the future will also pay a lot of money for as a full-priced game.

Perhaps they could release a cheaper or free version which is loaded with ads? I would have no problem with that.
 
Perhaps they could release a cheaper or free version which is loaded with ads? I would have no problem with that.

Interesting idea. My view is based upon having dropped a ton of money on the game so I would object to ads.. If I paid £25 in a steam sale for the game I would probably think differently. :)
 
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Interesting idea. My view is based upon having dropped a ton of money on the game so I would object to ads.. If I paid £25 in a steam sale for the game I would probably think differently. :)

Oh, if it ever makes its way onto Steam then I think the money they'd make on sales would render the need for ad revenue etc obsolete!
 
Oh, if it ever makes its way onto Steam then I think the money they'd make on sales would render the need for ad revenue etc obsolete!

I can't disagree with you at this point. :) I suspect there is much deliberation going on in house re this..

Released upon steam they'll have more money than they know what to do with.. The game by all standards is pretty jawdropping so far. ;)
 
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Wow, this got blown out of proportion very fast.

Knowing FD putting any ads will be last resort and if done so, it will be done with style. I never had problems with properly designed ads in-game.
 
Did people see this before? because whilst a bit naughty it demonstrates the issue..



What I do think we need to do is have a conversation with Frontier about what is acceptable. The reality is the game needs to make money but how?

For an obvious start, then, all ads should be for in-game brands. We don't wanna see ads for real-world products that have no in-game presence beyond the advert....

So if it's a show being advertised then there has to be somewhere we can go in-game to watch that show.


Another biggie: Real-world merchandising may reference in-game merchandising, but NOT vice-versa. So for example, sponsors may plug their in-game presense in their real-world marketing (ie. 'inbound' merchandising), but there can be no explicit out-bound merchandising, beyond the product placement and brand recognition factor..

Ie. an in-game transaction might feature a nondescript 'promo code' that has a real-world value (might be redeemed for a free Coke at McDonalds, or discount payday loan or whatever) but in-game it's just a promo code, with no reference to its redemption or real-world value. All the relevant explanation and T's & C's must remain in the advertiser's real-world domains. So a real world can of soda might have a promo code to receive perks in-game, with full explanation and T's and C's, but an in-game transaction that awards me a real world perk cannot mention this fact - it just gives an unintrusive promo code. All instuctions on where to find it and redeem it are on the advertiser's own real-world merchandising.

This will preclude jarring anachronisms and immersion-breaking out-of-place intrusions... in short, following the dramatic rules of not breaking the fourth wall and never breaking character.

Lastly but not leastly is how to regulate artistic licence. Whether this can be codified, or needs to be constantly overseen by FD will be an issue. But if it's turning big bucks then FD could organise a dedicated department and keep stylistic control in-house.

Also, FWIW, Cosmos's choice of brands in that image are pause for thought in themselves (good selection mate) - and i'm given to think that if all of these are in-game products and services, their range and extent of influence might warrant some kind of general-purpose plugin system - where a player taking on regular interactions or affiliations with brands might install or uninstall brand-supplied plugins as appropriate. Not unlike the versatility of the VST system for audio tools. Where marketeers currently urge us to 'download the app!', we might see Elite plugins along the same lines.

So a Windows plugin might offer your ship a shiny new OS, a Union Carbide plugin might help manage your mining operations, Monsanto and Nestle plugins for your agricultural interests. And likewise for freight haulage, taxi services, security firms etc. etc. - basic point being that a plugin system could interface the specific requirements of individual product / service providers with the general game mechanics, offloading their complexities from the game proper... Just a thought..
 
In-Game Advertising?

What is actually this ingame advertising from the new EULA?

Will I se pop ups during my flight to buy razor shards or the new eyeliner from Maybelline?


From EULA:

The Game may incorporate technology (which may be provided by Frontier or third party service providers engaged by Frontier (each a "Dynamic Advertising Provider")) which enables advertising to be uploaded into the Game on your PC, and changed while the Game is being played on-line. In order that the Dynamic Advertising Provider is able to direct advertising appropriate to your Game and geographic region, as well as to the correct location within the computer game, certain non-personally identifiable data and information may be retrieved and retained by the Dynamic Advertising Provider including your I.P. address, geographic location, in-game position, and information concerning the appearance of advertising visible during your gameplay (for example, the length of time an item of advertising was visible, the dimensions of the advertisements). In addition, the Dynamic Advertising Provider may assign a unique identification number which is stored on your PC and which is used to monitor and calculate the number of views of dynamic advertising during gameplay. None of the information collected for this purpose including the identification number can be used to identify you.

The technology employed by Dynamic Advertising Providers may be located outside your country of residence (including outside of the European Union).

Where a Game incorporates dynamic advertising technology, the technology which serves the provision of dynamic in-game advertising is integrated within the Game. This means that if you do not want to receive dynamic advertising, you should only play the game when you are not connected to the Internet.
 
Well Frontier already had advertising logos in startport docks (though of imaginary corps ofc) :p so i don't think that would be too bad

Curiously I actually had that idea already haha "hey, could do those ads from frontier but with real things"
 
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