Comments on: Valve announces Left 4 Dead: Crash Course DLC

By: Artheval_Pe

Artheval_Pe — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:37:18 +0000

Just be Fair..if it is Free then make it Free all the way around, if you must Charge then Charge all the way around.

Well, the thing is : If you charge for it on the PC, you’d better not release it at all. The difference lies in the fact that on the PC, Valve basicly tells the community to add value to the game by creating maps for free. If Valve (or Epic for that matter), starts charging for maps on PC, they can pretty much say goodbye to their customers, and they will piss off modders who will demand (as it is their right) to be paid for their work as well.

The other reason is that if you charge for maps, what happends is that a bunch of modders buy the maps, copy-paste them in Hammer and distribute them for free, and the developper can’t complain because the studio asked the community to use the tools at their disposal. In the end, if you rely on mods to build further the success of your game, you can’t charge for maps.

And, when Valve was announcing the Survival Pack, they already said that basicly, Microsoft didn’t want to allow them to release it for free, and Doug Lombardi implied later that having the Survival Pack as a free update on the 360 was a very difficult thing to achieve.

By: Hunam

Hunam — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:34:05 +0000

1750 is the new rule actually…

By: Pyrix

Pyrix — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:08:52 +0000

Indeed, Microsoft’s rules are that games are allowed to add 250 points of achievements to a game with paid DLC. However, it is unlikely Valve would let a 560MSP price be whacked on it just for the achievements, and Microsoft’s achievement rules are broken all the time nowadays anyway (Halo with 1750, Fable with 1350 etc.).

It’s more likely Microsoft just forced the 560MSP price, and to be honest, that’s about £5 and I’m prepared to pay that price for the DLC.

By: odessa

odessa — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:46:23 +0000

It will cost on Xbox LIVE because they will have included new achievements. You have to charge if you want to include them, which is why the first free DLC didn’t have them.

By: frostquake

frostquake — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:11:40 +0000

@32 “The financial side of the gaming world is balanced on a thread, free just isn’t viable any more.” Good Point..more then a good enough reason to charge for it on steam!

By: freedoms_stain

freedoms_stain — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:49:55 +0000

@31, given Valve publicly refuses to support MS competitors they’d pretty much be shooting themselves in the foot by taking future L4D titles away from MS, particularly in light of the fact that L4D2 is almost complete on an MS system and they’ve already plowed a ton of money into it.

And why should MS have to host content for anyone for free? The financial side of the gaming world is balanced on a thread, free just isn’t as viable any more.

By: frostquake

frostquake — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:40:53 +0000

@29 I understand what your saying. Valve has quite a bit clout however, and I would like them to push a little against the big Green Monster known as Microsoft. I don’t think Microsoft would like Valve removing L4D from their system and putting it on another Console! For once I would like to see Microsoft absorb the costs on content they would like to keep only on their console and not another console!

By: Michael O'Connor

Michael O'Connor — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:37:46 +0000

It’s an unfortunate set-up, but the blame in this case should go to Microsoft, not Valve.

By: freedoms_stain

freedoms_stain — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:34:38 +0000

@27, it’s not about profits, I’m sure it would be free on 360 if they could deliver the content via their own servers like they do on Steam, but MS charge for everything that goes through Live, Valve already released the Survival Pack for free, which cost them money, now they’re releasing more DLC which MS is going to charge them more for, it makes sense for them to put a small charge on this one so they’re not bleeding more money to release content via Live.

By: Michael O'Connor

Michael O'Connor — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:31:36 +0000

“Could you contact Valve and find out Why it is free on the PC and Cost on the 360???”

Microsoft puts mandatory prices on downloadable content on Xbox Live. The only way a developer can release something on it for free is if they take a cut of the cost, essentially paying Microsoft to allow others to download their content.

Which is pretty retarded.

By: frostquake

frostquake — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:19:48 +0000

@24 It would make a TON of more sense to Charge on Steam…Valve would rake in 100% of the profits instead of just 30% of the profits on the 360. I am sure the Microsoft has something to do with this, but Valve has a TON of clout behind them, unlike the indie company that did Braid! Valve could have said Fine you won’t let it be free, then were moving over to another Console and you can kiss our green assess goodbye!

I would just like to hear it from Valves own LIPS!! I would like to hear them say..We gave it for free to Microsoft but they insisted on charging for it, and we are making ZIP on it! I have a feeling the 360 MS points went to Microsoft’s Coffers and 200 MS Points goes to Valve Coffers.

I am just saying there should be NO preferential treatment. Let me Say that I HAVE NO DOUBT that if it were FREE on the Xbox 360 and cost $7.00 US on Steam…PC Advocates would Be Crying Out and Spewing forth Steamy Hot Magma! Just be Fair..if it is Free then make it Free all the way around, if you must Charge then Charge all the way around.

By: Psychotext

Psychotext — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:17:43 +0000

“Anyone remember the stuff with Braid, how Microsoft force the price even though the developer wanted to release it at 800MSP?”

The Braid stuff was a bit different… they were Braid’s publisher.

By: ecu

ecu — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:09:03 +0000

I’d bet 560MSP that the 360 pricing is Microsoft’s fault.

Anyone remember the stuff with Braid, how Microsoft force the price even though the developer wanted to release it at 800MSP? And how they also wanted to release some free themes, but Microsoft told them to fuck off and slapped a 200MSP price on it/them.

Yeah, it’s Microsoft at work here, too. They probably have premiums just to put something on XBL.

By: freedoms_stain

freedoms_stain — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:37:11 +0000

@23, and now perhaps they’re recouping the losses?

edit: plus I really don’t think they could’ve got away with charging for Survival Mode, it should’ve been there from the start.

There was really nothing new in that DLC pack.

By: frostquake

frostquake — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:31:02 +0000

@22 But they have already distributed DLC for free on L4D on the 360….I smell a dirty stinking rat!

By: freedoms_stain

freedoms_stain — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:29:17 +0000

@18, probably something to do with the fact that on PC they’ll distribute it via Steam which will cost them next to nothing anyway since they own it and on Xbox they have to distribute it via Live, for which Microsoft will charge them.

By: Patrick Garratt

Patrick Garratt — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:24:23 +0000

haha

By: Tonka

Tonka — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:16:57 +0000

YEAH! FUCK YOU VALVE! FUCK YOU TO HELL!
/signs petition

By: Patrick Garratt

Patrick Garratt — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:14:03 +0000

I’ve just mailed Doug. Cross your fingers.

By: frostquake

frostquake — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:10:07 +0000

ATTENTION PAT or STEPH:
Could you contact Valve and find out Why it is free on the PC and Cost on the 360??? Does it have something to do with the fact that it was mostly PC people signing the petition? Do we need to start a petition for a free version on the 360? Set My Left 4 Dead Content Free!! We know it can be a free update on the 360, because there has been other content that was FREE! Don’t let Valve get off either by passing the buck and saying that Microsoft Decides if content is free or must be charged for, because that is udder BullShit!

By: Patrick Garratt

Patrick Garratt — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:46:28 +0000

I’m pretty pumped, to be honest. In fact, I can’t believe I haven’t been playing it all the time since it launched.

By: odessa

odessa — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:43:52 +0000

New Achievements incoming!

By: Johnny Cullen

Johnny Cullen — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:38:31 +0000

Keighley better ask that question to them on that GTTV episode next week.

By: Hunam

Hunam — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:31:01 +0000

Anyone remember Episode 3?

By: Hunam

Hunam — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:30:35 +0000

“Valve did say there was DLC planned for L4D1 before L4D2 was announced.” That’s the line they’ve been running since they announced L4D2 though. Like, it’s the fanbases fault for getting upset. Like it was mentioned in passing, or at the same time they said Episode 3 was coming.

By: Psychotext

Psychotext — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:30:22 +0000

I pretty much always buy Valve games on the PC… for these sort of reasons.

By: Johnny Cullen

Johnny Cullen — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:24:28 +0000

I too have a PC.

Which cant run L4D.

It was barely managing yesterday, let alone for L4D

By: Psychotext

Psychotext — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:23:09 +0000

“Free for PC \o/”

I haz a PC! \o/

By: Johnny Cullen

Johnny Cullen — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:19:38 +0000

Valve did say there was DLC planned for L4D1 before L4D2 was announced.

By: Hunam

Hunam — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:10:22 +0000

Is this Valve’s move to smooth things over with the PC crowd or to upset the console crowd? I dunno, but it’s glorious!