Priorities are all wrong

Games Other Halo
1

Hello there!

I just wanted to toss this out there so that somebody sees it and maybe gives it some thought.

We all know that Halo 4 is a cash cow. It’s the largest franchise on Xbox, and is in all reality the reason that Xbox got it’s foot in the door with gamers.

My problem with Halo 4 is this:

Why in the name of god do we have a DLC pack released a month after the game hits store shelves, yet we still don’t have a stable set of matchmaking playlists. Still no Grifball. Team snipers for a couple days then gone. King of the hill gone (yet still requiring commendations).

As far as I can tell there must be a limited amount of resources available for playlists. I don’t see why else we would have to sacrifice some for others.

You give a complementary access to the Crimson DLC, trying to hook people who like me are thinking “what the hell? If this was released 1 month after the game, we should have gotten it with our $60.00 purchase. I sure feel ripped off!”

DLC should be a sizeable expansion of the game that adds content and improves the experience past the original polished release. This feels like you simple set a few maps aside and said “We’ll give these to em in a month or so, make em pay for a little bit more!”

Spending time baiting people with a sneak peak free trial to a DLC that in all reality should have been part of our game instead of making our experience all that it can be is a decision that clearly illustrates your motivations.

Are you wrong? Tough question. That’s the world we live in. Make as much money as we can and don’t worry about who gets burned. Don’t think this is true? You’re either too young to have seen it or still working a young persons job. Jump in and play with the big boys and you’ll see the real motivations behind it all.

So I can’t blame you for “playing the game”. I can, however, point out the fact that you could at least do it in a way that doesn’t call us all complete idiots, right to our faces.

This is a new group at the reins and I’m sure Bungie had the same obligations and expectations to fulfill. I never got the feeling before now that I was being taken for a ride though. Winning the consumer race by earning it is fading more and more today. To put it simply, todays attitude is now “What will they pay for?” as opposed to “How can we make this truely great?” The former is what I am really feeling about Halo 4. The latter is what it’s all been founded on, and was the goal once upon a time. Take a look at our economic crash and tell me it’s not true.

SO! In the end I guess what I hope I’ve illustrated here is that I am really very disappointed in this whole DLC over existing content decision. Stop trying to herd your cattle in a certain direction, and let us graze in a good decent pasture. If we enjoy it, we’ll check out the rest on our own, no herding necessary. Taking advantage of people simply because you can is in the end, the wrong way. Even though it’s the direction the world is taking. EARN it and you’ll keep it forever.

2

Welcome to the game industry of 2012. Where we release unfinished games, skip the testing, and cut pieces from the final product to sell as DLC. And last but not least where we ignore the loyal fans, so that everyone including your grandma and your 4 year old child can play our “M” rated game.

3

> Welcome to the game industry of 2012. Where we release unfinished games, skip the testing, and cut pieces from the final product to sell as DLC. And last but not least where we ignore the loyal fans, so that everyone including your grandma and your 4 year old child can play our “M” rated game.

This.

4

They’re a business, not your best friend. The sooner you realize they want your money and not your friendship, the quicker you won’t be disappointed in their actions.

5

Get used to it. This is the path the gaming industry is heading towards today.

In case you haven’t noticed, all games do what you have stated above, especially with DLC(Which I hate so much).

Do you really think someone makes games to make it a good game and nothing more? No. Wake up and smell the coffee. Everyone is in it to make the cash.

Halo isn’t an exception.

The difference is that when companies have a mutual interest, we can both benefit.

They get my money and I get a great game. I payed and got what I wanted with H4 and I’m sorry you don’t see it that way.

6

There you have it! Lay down and take it huh?

Way to put a value on your dollar.

Anybody else?

7

> Way to put a value on your Euro.

Fixed :smiley: Sorry couldn’t resist :stuck_out_tongue:

–snip–

In the end it’s all about the money. No developer is in it to entertain people anymore, no matter how hard they scream that they do.

8

It makes me laugh how many people who cry themselves to sleep at night, populate the forums. Everyone is so dramatic! LOL the real halo fans and gamers are playing the game right now, just playing ever so casually, just having fun. (I was before, had a nice 2 hour long custom game session) Yous need to chill, none of you are qualified to speak on how a video game industry works or thinks. And I’m fine with the crimson map pack, it felt fresh, and I was getting the DLC season pass for the excellent deal of $25 anways.

Just wanted to throw that out there…

9

It doesn’t matter how much 343i wants to please you, they still have to work through Microsoft. Microsoft, who feel completely justified in charging $40,000 bucks just for a tiny patch, whereas that’s been free on the PC for decades.

Eventually this all falls on Microsoft. Because of their unfair, and frankly really dated policies, the customer is suffering and only will a noticable negative response or drop in players will make them consider changing their policies.

Although, for all we know they’ll look at the low population of Halo 4 and merely say, “Meh, not our fault, the fanbase just isn’t interested in the game anymore. Close down 343i and attempt to buy out Infinity Ward”.

10

Not all developers and publishers care solely about profit over content. 343 may be ignoring their rabidly loyal fan base and holding finished content to sell for a horrendous markup at a later date, but there are numerous recent examples of developers doing right by their fans. I’m talking about some of the biggest developers in the world too. Rockstar’s DLC for GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption were essentially full game releases in themselves. All of Bethesda’s and BioWare’s DLC greatly expand upon their respective universes. BioWare cares so much about their fans that they released an expanded alternate ending for Mass Effect 3. There are also numerous PC games that receive developer support for YEARS after release. I’m no big fan of CoD, but even those developers had the common courtesy to balance out some obviously OP weapons and tweak certain elements of gameplay due to community outcry.

343 is going to end up losing more money in the end, because nobody is excited for the new DLC. After the Crimson debacle, and after realizing all of these new maps have been finished for quite some time, there’s no way I’m paying $10 to get three maps that will rarely get played. For $10 I can buy award-winning full-length games on XBL.