Hot Take: Remove different editions and just put out one complete game?

[East]

Stop the madness with First Blood Edition, Unsanctioned Edition and Blood Moon Edition. Offer the main game and have a deluxe edition DLC for pre-orders that include things like artwork, soundtrack and whatever makes sense.

BG3 did it pretty well, maybe give the deluxe DLC to everyone who pre-orders before launch.

[_veleron]

You propose 2 editions. What's so mad about having 3?

[Coffee Break Hero]

_veleron lähetti viestin:

You propose 2 editions. What's so mad about having 3?

The second midway edition is a psychological trick to make the 3rd edition more financially palatable.

[East]

_veleron lähetti viestin:

You propose 2 editions. What's so mad about having 3?

Depending on the publisher, it tends to spiral out of control until we get the eventual spreadsheet. Plus what Coffee Break said.

Base + Deluxe DLC is an easy decision: Do you want the soundtrack and artwork or not. If you pre-order you do not even need to choose as you'd get it for free like with BG3.

[_veleron]

So 2 editions - good, 3 - pure madness?

[East]

_veleron lähetti viestin:

So 2 editions - good, 3 - pure madness?

What about 4 or 5?

[_veleron]

You said that what they used to have - 3 editions - was madness:
"Stop the madness with [3 editions]".

So I'm just trying to understand how it's good to have 2, but one more is 'madness'.

[Coffee Break Hero]

tbh though as long as they have a "buy everything edition" I don't care.
the moment they introduce a battlepass or microtransactions I stop paying

[East]

Coffee Break Hero lähetti viestin:

tbh though as long as they have a "buy everything edition" I don't care.
the moment they introduce a battlepass or microtransactions I stop paying

This is my core concern.

_veleron lähetti viestin:

You said that what they used to have - 3 editions - was madness:
"Stop the madness with [3 editions]".

So I'm just trying to understand how it's good to have 2, but one more is 'madness'.

The "Unsanctioned" Edition was pretty much a typical Deluxe edition (which I am fine with), whereas the "Blood Moon" included the "Season of the Wolf Pass": Story Pack 1, Story Pack 2 and another Expansion DLC.

Getting expansions is nothing I worry about too much, but in this case where there wasn't any information about these 2 Story Packs or how they differ from the expansion. Gives me very much Shadow of War vibes where the "Story Packs" and the "Expansion" turned out to be utter meaningless and insubstantial content (tribes and the tedious Galadriel + Baranor missions).
Obviously I wanted the complete experience so bought the Season Pass, hoping for quality content. That might be just my bad, but I'm a burnt child at this point.
For me this feels like incomplete content at launch again, idiots like me feel the temptation of going all in (because hell yes it's a Masquerade game). In my opinion this just leads to bad practices from developers or publishers, or at least makes it very easy to take our money now and then have a card blanche to throw out whatever they come up with.
If there is an actual plan for story content for 2 packs (!) already, why not have it as part of the game they sell?

I'm not gonna debate about making games is expensive these days, but Paradox Publishing isn't really known for being pro-consumer when it comes to these things.

[Leon]

East lähetti viestin:

For me this feels like incomplete content at launch again

Sadly , its been the game industry reality for what, a decade now x(

Sometimes a developer break the mold, like Baldurs Gate 3 did, but i imagine you saw how Lariam Studios was attacked for that

Best thing is to wait for a Complete Edition or something, and only get it on sale at high discount

[East]

Leon lähetti viestin:

East lähetti viestin:

For me this feels like incomplete content at launch again

Sadly , its been the game industry reality for what, a decade now x(

Sometimes a developer break the mold, like Baldurs Gate 3 did, but i imagine you saw how Lariam Studios was attacked for that

Best thing is to wait for a Complete Edition or something, and only get it on sale at high discount

Completely agree. By the time a complete edition comes out we most like had a bunch of patches and know if the additional content was any good to begin with.

[Coffee Break Hero]

Ya'll are absolutely right.
I haven't played a game on release for a decade now I think.