this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2024
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Endless DLC is literally the paradox business model. I happen to find it an acceptable compromise for continuous development of the games I like, at least the way paradox does it, but lets not pretend like this was going to be different from a business model perspective.
My problem with endless DLC isn't the cost, but the fragmented result of each 'feature' needing to stand separately and not interact with any other DLC feature. You end up with some really janky gameplay where nothing works intuitively and the stuff you can implement is all hurt by those limitations.
Not to mention the sheer code hell that all this results in with an exponential increase in possible install states to account for. Which the devs just give up on and the game becomes a little buggier with every new expansion.
Honestly think they should move to a sort of MMO model. Charge for the most recent expansions and older DLC eventually gets merged into the base game. Cuts down on complexity and most of your sales will happen in the first year anyway.
While PDX-published games may suffer from the decouplement of features between DLCs, at the very least PDS-developed games have a built-up expertise when it comes to managing this.
As for MMO model, it's a hard sell because purchased things get made "free" for new comers. It's one of the crux that EU4 faced when they rolled many DLC features into the base game.
Nobody seems to care that WoW expansions get rolled into the base install later on.
The trick is to have the merge happen a lot later. Like 1+ years, not a few months. That's long enough that anyone who's a decent fan and actively playing is going to typically shell out the money. It also makes it easy for new and returning fans to jump in. I'm absolutely certain that there are lots of potential Sims 4 players that see the $500+ worth of DLC and just... never start playing because it's completely overwhelming. Especially when you see the titles and realize stuff that seems basic isn't included in the base game: seasons, pets, etc
Different model, unless you’re advocating for a monthly subscription model for these games. That’s the only reason that “roll up” happens, to try and get people to subscribe. Much harder to subscribe if I need to buy 10 DLCs + base game first.
Make the purchase an early access for a couple weeks or month.
While true, I think Paradox does it better than Maxis. First, you almost always get some stuff for free. Second, it's usually more substantial (or it's art packs or whatever, which you don't need but are fairly cheap). Would this game do it well? Who knows. Just having them competition would force them and Maxis to do better though.
All this said, I pirate most of the DLCs for Paradox games. I'll buy the first few near release, but when I want to revisit a game after a few years, likely just for one playthrough or less, I don't feel like spending $100+ to catch up, and I'd like to see where the new content went. I've given them plenty of money where I feel no moral issue with doing so.
I feel like the amount stuff paradox are putting behind dlc is better than what it was before either games like ck2, however, the quality of the stuff in the dlc has gotten a lot worse
CK2 dlc was mid as fuck. Every single one adds a few features at most that don't meaningfully change anything, just enhance things slightly. Some changes are borderline QOL but all of them leaving you with fomo when you watch streamers. It's always been bullshit and predatory.
I never played ck2 but I know that eu4 with and without dlc are like different games
For $500 I would bloody well hope so.