New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

[kbmnm247]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

Are the people who are mad at this only mad because they feel this is open a pathway to charge for other things in the future(which is understandable) or are y'all mad because y'all want to use this option but don't want to pay for it.

I'm just trying to figure out people arguments. I understand people mad because EA didnt say it was a fee at first I just wonder why the debate is going on for so long

This reminds me of Apps for your Iphone or Droid they usually offer an app for free but if you want to do something extra they charge you for a different version yea they could offer it for free but for whatever reason they charge.

I'm upset because it's being boasted as a new feature for online dynasty but you have to pay extra for it besides the $60 you already pay for the game + if you buy the game used you have to pay for an online pass.

I'm also upset and more upset with this than the other thing, that it is opening a door for future DLC for more and more "new features". What's stopping them from creating a new mode and charging us for that too? I'd be fine if I could buy this stuff a la carte but I can't. The fact they waste ANY resources whatsoever on mascot mode is bad enough.

[arobbi3]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

I'm upset because it's being boasted as a new feature for online dynasty but you have to pay extra for it besides the $60 you already pay for the game + if you buy the game used you have to pay for an online pass.

I'm also upset and more upset with this than the other thing, that it is opening a door for future DLC for more and more "new features". What's stopping them from creating a new mode and charging us for that too? I'd be fine if I could buy this stuff a la carte but I can't. The fact they waste ANY resources whatsoever on mascot mode is bad enough.

They aren't going to charge for any modes. This isn't a doorway for more charges. You pay to help the servers.

The only way they were going to add these features was to find a way to offset the server costs they would need to add to support them (with development costs on top of that but infrastructure costs alone justify this).

Also, mascot mode is essentially play now with mascot skins on the players and different juke animations. It does not take up as much space as you're implying.

[Legionnaire]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

I don't mind most DLC.

Lots of it is just extra goodies that aren't honestly necessary. As long as you don't have to pay for DLC in order to "complete" the game, I don't really care. It's the difference between asking for money and demanding it at gunpoint.

My main complaint with it is that it seems mostly aimed towards less-serious gamers much of the time (like, instead of allowing "cheat codes" to make the game easier like 99% of games have done, they make you pay for the thing that help you cheat in recruiting and all that... or in MLB The Show they let you buy the luxury of having a bigger budget to spend in franchise mode). Or those dumb ultimate team card-collecting schemes. That's aimed at children and people who are obsessive compulsive (not necessarily obsessive about gaming in particular, just obsessive in general). Or, in Sony's baseball title, they sell historic stadiums, which I think no longer even exist.

Ideally, I'd like to see them use DLC as a reason to implement more content for the hardcore gamers. For years, when they get ripped for games being too arcade-ish and not sim enough, they explain they make their money by focusing on the kind of things that will suck in casual gamers. So when the community asks for something kind of hardcore that wouldn't appeal to casual gamers at all, they almost never take it seriously as something worth putting time toward putting in the game. I wish they'd start using DLC as a justification to put resources toward features the more hardcore crowd would dig -- since those people would then throw some money at the DLC to essentially "make it worth their while" to put those things in the game when they otherwise never would have made it in.

Or maybe the prospect of DLC could be used to tempt the developers into fighting to put something in the game that they currently give excuses for why they aren't allowed. Like a playoff system in NCAA.

EA claims they aren't allowed to. But the history of EA Sports is littered with games that featured the option to implement rules/formats in those sports that aren't what the real-life sport actually uses. Like when they'd let you use a shootout in hockey games before the NHL moved to the shootout format. Or letting you change how many games are played in NBA playoff series. Or the designated hitter rules in baseball.

I accept that EA hasn't gotten NCAA to let them give you a playoff option in the game yet. Just like, before last year, I'm sure the NCAA wouldn't have let them re-name conference divisions or create Super Conferences or completely change sponsored bowl game tie-in's. It just shows nothing is permanently off-limits; things are just off-limits until they're not anymore. I don't think EA tries that hard to get the permission to do this because I don't think they care at all (especially since they probably put in work to secure all those real bowl games). If EA thought a high enough number of gamers would pay 7.99 or whatever to unlock a playoff format for dynasty modes, though, if they were looking at enough money dangling there if they just get the ability to implement this feature, I think they'd be a lot more motivated to do that finally.

DLC can be used like they do now, selling children packs of cards and cheat codes. It can be used to squeeze money out of the "graphics" crowd who pays for more uniforms/outfits and locations/stadiums/maps to look at. Or it could be used as motivation for putting features in the game that otherwise they would never care enough to get done.

[kbmnm247]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

Once you pay $60 you get your disc. That $60 now belongs to the company to spend how ever they see fit. When you pay $60 you are not paying for future copies of the game you are paying for the current version. So if you don't like that current version then don't buy it. See the problem is that people feel that b/c the buy the game every year they are "investing in EA". But your are not. Your $60 does not make you a share holder. You chose to trade money for the product they currently provide. B/c you spend $60 that doesn't entitle you to determine how they make future products. Again if you don't like what they are doing in the future then as a consumer you respond by not giving them your money.

If this feature was created with only money from the DLC that's fine, but my $60 is going towards the production/maintenance of it, is it not? So why don't I get a feature I AM paying for, no matter how you want to look at it. Now they are just asking me to pay for it twice because it's "extra".

You don't see a problem with that?

[roadman]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

If this feature was created with only money from the DLC that's fine, but my $60 is going towards the production/maintenance of it, is it not? So why don't I get a feature I AM paying for, no matter how you want to look at it. Now they are just asking me to pay for it twice because it's "extra".

You don't see a problem with that?

Please link me where your $60.00 is going for in EA. As the poster above you said, the $3.00 is going towards the maintenance of the servers, not the production of the game. Your $60.00 is a standard price for a video game that goes back into the production budget of next years game. Everything else is an extra service with an additional cost.

Do you see a problem with that?

[kbmnm247]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

The "advance dynasty" entitlement is included in the $6.99 fee that will be required to commish multiple OD's this time around.

If you don't want to commish more than one dynasty at a time, the $2.99 option is the way to go. Note that this is a one-time fee good for the life of NCAA 12 (so it can apply to multiple dynasties, just not at the same time).

And in NCAA 13, I'd have to pay again?

I can't believe this isn't being looked at as totally ludicrous, even more unbelievable is the fact that people are HAPPY paying it.

[mattbooty]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

If this feature was created with only money from the DLC that's fine, but my $60 is going towards the production/maintenance of it, is it not? So why don't I get a feature I AM paying for, no matter how you want to look at it. Now they are just asking me to pay for it twice because it's "extra".

You don't see a problem with that?

I think this is a fallacy... your $60 isn't paying for the production/maintenance of the web-enabled content (or ANY part of the game for that matter). Your $60 buys you whatever incarnation of NCAA 12 EA sports decides to put on the disc. EA pays for the development of the game and then they hope enough people buy it to make that money back (and some profit obviously)... you didn't FUND the development of the McDonald's secret sauce either, you just bought a burger with it on it (I don't eat at McDonald's they may not even have a secret sauce so feel free to flame if I flubbed that analogy).

In no way were these features made with "your" money. Now if EA came out back in July after 11 came out and said "OK people, we want to start working on NCAA 12, here is the features we hope to incorporate, but we need to get some cash so we can get it made, who can give us $60 right now so we can make a game with these features".... THEN they came out afterwards and said some of the those features were going to cost additional money... then yes, they spent your money on developing this game and cheated you out of promised features.

They are telling you 6 weeks ahead of the game coming out what features are included in the boxed copy of the game and what will cost extra $$$. You have that time to decide if you will or will not purchase the game. If you do purchase the game you are doing so with full knowledge of what product you are getting. If you feel the game is only worth $60 IF you get those web features for free... then this year's version isn't for you... but I see no way that Ea is trying to trick you.

[mattbooty]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

And in NCAA 13, I'd have to pay again?

I can't believe this isn't being looked at as totally ludicrous, even more unbelievable is the fact that people are HAPPY paying it.

Those of us who are arguing the justification of the cost are not "HAPPY" paying it.... we are HAPPY that the feature was added, we understand the justification behind the added cost, and feel that it is worth the relatively low price-tag associated with it.

Would we all like everything to be free? Of course, but just because I want something to be free doesn't mean I don't understand why I have to pay for it and am satisfied that its a fair price.

[coogrfan]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

And in NCAA 13, I'd have to pay again?

Well...yeah. That's how the real world works.

[kbmnm247]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

I just don't get it b/c all games sell DLC whether they have competition or not. Don't get me wrong, I understand your POV with DLC but if you continue to buy the game every year you are just as much at fault. The only way to eliminate the company that "monopolized" the industry is stop buying their product.

My problem isn't with DLC in games. However, I'm not really sure what other sports games have DLC other than EA games so I can't speak 100% accurate on the DLC in sports genre issue.

The problem I have is that the way EA does it just SEEMS wrong, can you at least agree to that? While other DLC will be almost full new games from what I've seen, EA is charging you for recruiting adviser, AFL unis (that were worn during regular season, they didn't just create them and add them for the hell of it, they took something the NFL was doing special for the year and made you pay for them), keeping a player on a team, boost packs for online single player experiences which pretty much ruin the mode unless you pay for them or obtain them someway, extra commentary languages, etc etc. None of those features are a new game, some are simply options that should be in a single player mode as is.

Also, I won't be buying NCAA this year I don't think, but I do like football sports games and so I probably will purchase Madden down the line. I suppose I could buy it used to take away some EA profits but I'll still have to pay for online pass which goes in their pockets anyway. That's the problem with the monopoly because if I want an NFL football game, I have to buy an EA sports product or I simply can't have one. It's pretty crappy for the consumer.

[kbmnm247]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

They aren't going to charge for any modes. This isn't a doorway for more charges. You pay to help the servers.

The only way they were going to add these features was to find a way to offset the server costs they would need to add to support them (with development costs on top of that but infrastructure costs alone justify this).

Also, mascot mode is essentially play now with mascot skins on the players and different juke animations. It does not take up as much space as you're implying.

EA Fifa Ultimate Team has online access for free. FIFA is their #1 selling game and you bet your *** plenty of people are using that and on those servers far longer than they would be to just advance a week in OD. Why is that?

So then why even waste ANY money on mascot mode? If it takes up any space at all it's as much space as I'm implying.

[coogrfan]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

My problem isn't with DLC in games. However, I'm not really sure what other sports games have DLC other than EA games so I can't speak 100% accurate on the DLC in sports genre issue.

The problem I have is that the way EA does it just SEEMS wrong, can you at least agree to that? While other DLC will be almost full new games from what I've seen, EA is charging you for recruiting adviser, AFL unis (that were worn during regular season, they didn't just create them and add them for the hell of it, they took something the NFL was doing special for the year and made you pay for them), keeping a player on a team, boost packs for online single player experiences which pretty much ruin the mode unless you pay for them or obtain them someway, extra commentary languages, etc etc. None of those features are a new game, some are simply options that should be in a single player mode as is.

Also, I won't be buying NCAA this year I don't think, but I do like football sports games and so I probably will purchase Madden down the line. I suppose I could buy it used to take away some EA profits but I'll still have to pay for online pass which goes in their pockets anyway. That's the problem with the monopoly because if I want an NFL football game, I have to buy an EA sports product or I simply can't have one. It's pretty crappy for the consumer.

So...you aren't actually addressing the subject at hand (NCAA 12's online dynasty enhancements) at all, are you?

[kbmnm247]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

also, they already have charged for other modes. AFL mode in Madden. So obviously no doorway opened there since it's already swinging wide open as is.

[coogrfan]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

EA Fifa Ultimate Team has online access for free. FIFA is their #1 selling game and you bet your *** plenty of people are using that and on those servers far longer than they would be to just advance a week in OD. Why is that?

So then why even waste ANY money on mascot mode? If it takes up any space at all it's as much space as I'm implying.

Because they aren't making the game solely for you?

[kbmnm247]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

Please link me where your $60.00 is going for in EA. As the poster above you said, the $3.00 is going towards the maintenance of the servers, not the production of the game. Your $60.00 is a standard price for a video game that goes back into the production budget of next years game. Everything else is an extra service with an additional cost.

Do you see a problem with that?

Keywords in bold.

And yes, I do have a problem with that.

As I already stated, my $60 from last year went ,at least partially, towards the creation and coding of an online dynasty control system, did it not? Or are you telling me they put this project on layaway and are paying for it with the DLC transactions? The budget they had, which was paid for with the consumers' $60 from last year, was for everything NCAA 12, graphics, gameplay, advertising, marketing, coding, web features, review payoffs, EVERYTHING. So, my $60 and your $60 from last year at least somewhat went towards this "new feature". And now we have to pay extra to use it.

Problem with that?

It's just funny that in the same post where you are asking me where my $60 went, you mention that it goes to production for next years game, which is exactly where I said it went. So why even ask me?