It's not downloadable content, it's licensable content :)

[daniel.mantione]

Did anyone notice that when you purchased After Dark, not a single file is being downloaded and if you tick or untick the After Dark DLC checkbox in Steam, not a single file changes modify time on disk?

So all After Dark content must be already included in the game, the game just checks if you have a license for the "DLC" and if you checked the checkbox.

[methaniel]

Plushie の投稿を引用：

Some of the basic After Dark stuff was free, mainly the bugfixes and day/night cycle. It's only really the extra buildings, cars, bicycles, roads etc that you pay for.
Besides. great price so why not buy the expansion ? ;)

daniel.mantione の投稿を引用：

Of course I am aware of the patch, but it is still an interresting observation. For example, I think there will be "After Dark" unlocker programs, perhaps it could be as simple as a mod that you copy in the right directory.

Annnnnnd those things are deemd illegal and if it was a 'simple' mod it'd be taken down and burnt. To be honest if you like the game that much, surely you should support the devs, it's not like they've been charging £50 for a buggy city builder with real life buildings as paid-for DLC that could've been modded in, is it ? ;) ( And I don't mean you personally Daniel ) On the other hand, it doesn't matter how the Dev's did the DLC, the pirate community would crack it anyways so isn't it good that we get this all hassle-free seeing as most "drm" harms us, the legitimate customer and does sweet F*A to stop pirates ?

If the content is already in the game and is locked im pretty sure you are able to unlock it as you own the game and can do what you want with it. Not sure how that is illegal as people have done it on games multiple times. Why would you lock it anyways? It makes your company look worse as it's already in the game yet you have to pay just to unlock and it enable it

[Aytum]

They do it this way so that there don't need to be multiple active patches for the game.

Glad I could clear that up for you.

[Hatchet Jack]

Contrary to popular belief, software isn’t purchased. The price you pay is for a license to use it.

[Emjay]

I love how people are crying over something that isn't quite what they are claiming to start with yet the gaming community in general feel its quite plausable to massively crowd fund a game like Star Citizen and then pay extra on top for stuff in-game. If anything needs to be complained about its how they are double charging people for a pay-to-win experience, not how a cheaply priced city builder has created content at a cheap price.

There was a patch on the release of the DLC that added all the stuff to everyones game, the reason being that its all somewhat tied into the day/night cycle that was given FREE to everyone. Had they not let eveyrone have that im sure those who havn't bought the DLC wouldn't have had a patch.

[lnomsim]

Yeah, so that's totally normal that people who didn't pay for the dlc, have the content installed on their computer (wich take some place, mind you), but can't access it, right ?

[Mansen]

lnomsim - Fidget is the best の投稿を引用：

Yeah, so that's totally normal that people who didn't pay for the dlc, have the content installed on their computer (wich take some place, mind you), but can't access it, right ?

Yes - Especially in modern games. It makes development a LOT easier for everyone involved - including the customer.

Having to worry about less variables means less work for the coders, which means they can work on other things, which means the customer gets more fixes/content.

Again - This is not the same as "On Disc" DLC. That is an entirely different discussion.

[methaniel]

Mansen の投稿を引用：

lnomsim - Fidget is the best の投稿を引用：

Yeah, so that's totally normal that people who didn't pay for the dlc, have the content installed on their computer (wich take some place, mind you), but can't access it, right ?

Yes - Especially in modern games. It makes development a LOT easier for everyone involved - including the customer.

Having to worry about less variables means less work for the coders, which means they can work on other things, which means the customer gets more fixes/content.

Again - This is not the same as "On Disc" DLC. That is an entirely different discussion.

Your forgetting it's locked dlc. That gave a lot of companies bad reputation. You shouldn't have to pay to unlock content already in the game. They could of just made it separate not that hard.

[Zefnoly]

Simcity did the same. If you join a server where people got stuff you don't have you need to download content "you don't yet own" you can see it in the other cities but can't build it yourself. And if someone with content you don't have leave the server you cant even take thier cities until you get those DLCs. Same with ARMA3. There also is some DLCs on that game you can see and even touch on servers using them. You will be spammed with ads that tells you it is DLC content you need to pay for and you can only sit as passangers in the DLC aircrafts if you don't yet have the licence... So welcome after Cities skylines having stuff you don't yet own installed...

[Mansen]

cheatmeister の投稿を引用：

Your forgetting it's locked dlc. That gave a lot of companies bad reputation. You shouldn't have to pay to unlock content already in the game. They could of just made it separate not that hard.

The difference is - The content was sent to your machine as part of the DLC. Not beforehand. (See "On Disc DLC" arguments). Let's say the content hadn't been included and simply locked off.

You would have missed out on a patch with a sizeable amount of free content - The workshop modders would have to release two version of every mod and asset. One that was compatible with basegame - And one for AD (Add another one for every DLC released)

In addition, the programmers at Colossal would now have to keep TWO different builds up to date, with their own unique bugs. Which directly translates to less manhours spent on each build.

So let me ask - Which scenario would you prefer?

[NoirMoutton]

The human brain works in weird and wonderful ways. Reading posts on Steam confirms this as fact.

[daniel.mantione]

Hmmm.... You are now comparing the scenario where base game would not have been updated at all. I don't think this is a reasonable view, as "downloadable content", the words says it, is just about additional content. It would techically be perfectly possible to update the games' executables, so all players have the same software and just the assets would be downloaded if someone buys the DLC.

Anyway, seems I started a big discussion :) For me it's not so important, and I am content with the situation. I look at it mainly from a curiousity point of view. The fundamental discussion about copyrights, DRM, locked stuff is interresting though.

[Mansen]

While that is technically true, it still means they likely wouldn't have included free features at all, only fixes. And then we're back to the whole problem about running two different builds with different bugs.

Not to mention the return to a split Workshop community.

[methaniel]

Mansen の投稿を引用：

cheatmeister の投稿を引用：

Your forgetting it's locked dlc. That gave a lot of companies bad reputation. You shouldn't have to pay to unlock content already in the game. They could of just made it separate not that hard.

The difference is - The content was sent to your machine as part of the DLC. Not beforehand. (See "On Disc DLC" arguments). Let's say the content hadn't been included and simply locked off.

You would have missed out on a patch with a sizeable amount of free content - The workshop modders would have to release two version of every mod and asset. One that was compatible with basegame - And one for AD (Add another one for every DLC released)

In addition, the programmers at Colossal would now have to keep TWO different builds up to date, with their own unique bugs. Which directly translates to less manhours spent on each build.

So let me ask - Which scenario would you prefer?

It's locked dlc what's your point? Various companies did it and got ♥♥♥♥♥♥. You never lock ♥♥♥♥ and then have people pay to unlock it

[Mansen]

No - Various companies did not do it. I'm getting rather tired of having to repeat the "This is NOT the on DISC DLC drama" again and again, when people ignore it.

Please regail me - Link me a story about the drama of a game developer pushing out DLC post release that is seeded to the client, but locked off until purchase. Please - I'll wait.

[lnomsim]

Nothing in the addon is a requirement for modding. Nothing at all, since, well, the road are already in traffic ++ that existed before AD, and the network mod add even more new road, once again, since before AD.

The district specialisation ? Sounds a lot like well, the mod that does the same thing with a better interface and liberty. (it existed before AD by the way)

Maybe the lights are a requirement, but... they are in the free content, so no need for AD.
What in AD is a requirement for modding ?

AD just add new buildings, the only changes in gameplay are the district specialisation for commerce, and the prison.

So, modders could do mods that wouldn't require AD.
And if they did (like adding new prisons or assets for the new commerce/leisure district), well, that would be like right now, only people having downloaded the content could subscribe to them.

Or maybe you're implying that modders could make new content with AD and make them available for people who didn't bought it ? So, what's the point of buying it ?

So I absolutely don't understand your agument.