View Full Version : STO Expansions Free?
IG_Slayer
03-26-2009, 05:07 AM
Should STO expansions be free? Why or why not? If you agree with expansions costing $$$, how much should they cost (:D yes, lets start another pricing war shall we :D)? Keep it civil, no hair pulling!!!
dyvimtorm
03-26-2009, 05:11 AM
Well, most minor content updates (new missions and such) probably should be free. Major updates (addition of a whole new faction, large expansions) that require significant development teams and time on top of keeping the game going will likely not be free, to make up for the additional costs of producing them.
Love to see it all free, but they have a bottom line....
Pavel Bester
Time-Lord
03-26-2009, 05:12 AM
Maybe we should let the game come out before we start talking about expansions and etc.
IG_Slayer
03-26-2009, 05:13 AM
Maybe we should let the game come out before we start talking about expansions and etc.
We could, but than there would be nothing much to talk/ argue over!!! :D
Time-Lord
03-26-2009, 05:21 AM
We could, but than there would be nothing much to talk/ argue over!!! :D
There is, the weather!
Sorayn
03-26-2009, 05:22 AM
I would like to see it handled as in LotRo. Minor content updates are fro free and then every once and while a bigger expansion can be purschased.
IG_Slayer
03-26-2009, 05:26 AM
There is, the weather!
Damn, your right! :eek:
IG_Slayer
03-26-2009, 05:26 AM
I would like to see it handled as in LotRo. Minor content updates are fro free and then every once and while a bigger expansion can be purschased.
So you don't have to purchase the larger updates?
Sorayn
03-26-2009, 05:30 AM
You don't have to per se..but of course if you want to play the content of the bigger expansions you'll have to buy them.
The good thing with LotRO is, that a lot of the upodates are for free and there is only avery little as of yet that you have to buy. The world as it is, is already huge and there has been only on expansion that you had to buy so far (Mines of Moria). The rest was free and autmatocally updated when you started the game.
Everything will be free! :D
Time-Lord
03-26-2009, 05:32 AM
Everything will be free! :D
Even the game?!
YAY!
Sorayn
03-26-2009, 05:32 AM
I hope not. :)
I am more than willing to pay for a certain amount of expansions if the money I'm paying helps improve and expand content.
IG_Slayer
03-26-2009, 05:33 AM
Yeah, if only! ;)
Still we get the two factions at start right? So i do believe for someone who wants to play as a Romulan or Cardassian i think it would be somewhat unfair if they would have to pay more to actually play their favorite characters and/or race!
Time-Lord
03-26-2009, 05:37 AM
Still we get the two factions at start right? So i do believe for someone who wants to play as a Romulan or Cardassian i think it would be somewhat unfair if they would have to pay more to actually play their favorite characters and/or race!
It depends on what else the update entails. Say we get the entire Delta Quadrant, several amazing new episodes, several new ships and the Romulan Empire. Then obviously there will be a charge because we're getting other stuff aswel as a new race.
IG_Slayer
03-26-2009, 05:38 AM
Still we get the two factions at start right? So i do believe for someone who wants to play as a Romulan or Cardassian i think it would be somewhat unfair if they would have to pay more to actually play their favorite characters and/or race!
Yeah, I cant wait to play as the Dominion and it would suck to have to pay for such added races. If you have to pay for them, they should be superior in certain ways to make up for having to pay! :D:p
Time-Lord
03-26-2009, 05:44 AM
I'd like to see a Timey Whimey Update, say we have a mission/quest where we get sucked into an Wormhole that sends us back to Kirks era or even Archers and we have to do some "stuff" to prevent changes in the timeline.
IG_Slayer
03-26-2009, 06:08 AM
I'd like to see a Timey Whimey Update, say we have a mission/quest where we get sucked into an Wormhole that sends us back to Kirks era or even Archers and we have to do some "stuff" to prevent changes in the timeline.
That would be very complex though. They would have to make more ships and stuff. Besides taking on those old ships with future advanced ships wouldnt be fair!!! :D
They did mention timetravel will be in the game, just some random mission i think!
Rivaris
03-26-2009, 06:54 AM
the content updates we get every month or 3 months will be free ( well not totaly free thats your $15 you pay each month to play at work). that will be the work of a smaller dev team bug fixes and extra content to keep the story giong.
the big expantion will probarly giong to cost 20-30 bux. since that will require a second dev team to work on it while also keep the content and bug fixes giong. and a payed expantion is big they will probarly add a other faction and open up a massive section of space like true the wormhole into dominion space. you cant add that in content updates that takes a year+ to make
if you think you buy sto and then everything afther that is free your wrong.
deeboboy
03-26-2009, 06:55 AM
lets get the game out first then we can talk about updates
TruthSeer
03-26-2009, 07:53 AM
Given Cryptic's track record I'm going to go with the hopes of all expansions being free.
While yes, it can be argued that City of Villains was an expansion that cost money that was really a whole other game that played along side City of Heroes at times.
ronaldheld
03-26-2009, 08:08 AM
yes we can squable over updates after the game is released.
Moryan_Sorg
03-26-2009, 08:15 AM
It depends on what else the update entails. Say we get the entire Delta Quadrant, several amazing new episodes, several new ships and the Romulan Empire. Then obviously there will be a charge because we're getting other stuff aswel as a new race.
Exactly, Id rather them come out with huge content additions (even if we have to pay), than to not offer us the option/new content.
Given Cryptic's track record I'm going to go with the hopes of all expansions being free.
While yes, it can be argued that City of Villains was an expansion that cost money that was really a whole other game that played along side City of Heroes at times.
I agree, the main expansion I can see right now is adding the Cards, Delta/jem hadar, and Romulans in some capacity. Things like ship interiors should come in the form of content update, unless it is lumped in with the other stuff in the expansion.
As Truthseer pointed out, Cryptic seems to follow the general rule of thumb that they only make you pay for an expansion, if the expansion is basically adding on a whole new game. I wouldn't mind seeing that continue, it would stink to have a bunch of people in my fleet with a bunch of different versions of the game.
Moryan_Sorg
03-26-2009, 08:16 AM
yes we can squable over updates after the game is released.
Yes, we can do it then too :D
Jerosh_Skitari
03-26-2009, 08:25 AM
I've only played two MMOs for any substantial length of time, and they have different ways of implementing expansions.
Eve online releases an expansion every few months for free that has a nice array of gameplay changes. New UI features, new ships, new equipment, new missions, etc.
World of Warcraft releases a content patch every few months for free that has a nice array of gameplay changes. New instances, new gear, new UI features, and the occasional zone (of a relatively small size). They then release an expansion every couple of years which releases a massive amount of new stuff (roughly equivalent to 10 content patches if you asked me).
By comparison, Eve releases more stuff in its expansions than WoW does in its content patches, but much less than is in WoW's expansions.
I personally, would be happy with either one of these models. Although, there's something to be said about the marketing involved with a retail release of an expansion. The excitement of going and getting a new box with new CDs for your game is great, but there's also something awesome about getting all your updates from your subscription fee.
Thibor
03-26-2009, 08:26 AM
A lot imo will depend on the frequency of and amount of content in their regular/semi-regular "patches".
There tends to a symantics/word game played around various MMOs in what constitutes a "patch" or "update" and what constitutes an "expansion".
And those definitions slide a bit depending on your MMO and/or other gaming background.
All entail adding something to the game whether it simply be bug fixes, minor content or major content.
To some a "patch" means the devs are fixing something so it's primarily bug fixes and tweaks to balance mechanics. Like you would patch a bicycle tire.
To some an "update" is a content update that also will likely include some things you would get in the previous patch definition.
And to some, an expansion is akin to a large-to-very-large update often with lots of new areas to explore, new races or classes to tryout, perhaps a raise in the level cap for games based on levels (which STO reportedly will not be), etc.
And often times the first two items there the player gets for free as part of being a monthly subscriber while expansions are in many cases a new box release that you have to purchase in addition to your monthly sub.
And with expansions as described above, often times developers incorporate them into the game as being optional and not a required purchase. For instance, there's nothing stopping you from installing the original WoW and just playing the content that came on the CDs plus that which was patched in prior to the release of their first expansion. Granted you wouldn't have access ot the new lands included in the expansion, etc. BUT, you could still play the game.
With all that said, I'm fine with the model I've seen many games use in that the first two are included with your intial box purchase/monthly sub and large expansions (as in something several times larger than their typical free content update) be released as a separate pay-for box/download.
A couple of the reasons I'm okay with this model is that:
1) I understand that how something new and as large as an expansion can help drive sales with proper marketing.
2) I recognize that in many cases, dev studios utilize two separate development teams post initial launch. One supporting the initial release with patches and updates (as described above) while a separate team works on the expansion. And similar to the intial game, that development time sees a decent amount of its investment recouped via box sales. But, since a lot of the core mechanics are in place (barring new ones being added like say aerial or sea combat if it didn't exist in-game before) they're not reinventing the wheel, just adding to it in a substantial way. Hence dev time for an expansion is reduced and is one of the reasons why the cost of an expansion is usually anwhere from $10-$30 cheaper than the original game, coming in at around $20-$40.
Short version: Give me fairly regular patches and content updates and every 1-2 years pop out a nice large expansion for around $30 and I'll be satisfied.
Cualtemuac
03-26-2009, 08:27 AM
I think the usual $30- $40 buck a pop is fair. Assuming that it's adding major amounts of content ie Star Trek Online: Wormhole to the Delta Quadrant