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[KingV]

I don't see this game being nearly as popular as L4D. The concept was interesting, but the more I hear about it and the more I've been exposed to it, the less interested I am.

The DLC is just icing on the cake. $40 all in is basically a lot of dough for 4 playable hunters + 1 monster. It makes The Dark Below look like Mario Kart 8 DLC.

 

[RyanPierre]

So I am going to attempt to bring some reason to this thread. Probably won't work but I am going to try.

Always nice to start off with a condescending tone.

If you adjust for inflation that is about $80 - $95 in todays money. Most games now cost $60 which is about two thirds LOWER than they were in the SNES days. In short we are getting a HUGE discount right off the bat.

Technically "two-thirds lower" than $90 would actually be $30. $60 is two-thirds of $90, making it one-third lower than $90.

One of the most well loved and respected games this generation is League of Legends. They have over 100 different DLC champions now, each costing roughly $7. If someone bought all of them they would have spent over $700. Yet people are ok with this. Sure, you can unlock them by playing the game but the vast majority of people don't have the time to spend to unlock all the characters. For most people, if they want to play a certain character the only option is the buy it and they do it all the time. Lets compare that to Evolve. They have 15 characters in the base game for $60. That is $4 each, cheaper than LoL

I don't play LoL, but after some research, it's my understanding that there's always free access to 10 rotating characters. So let's make it even and say someone buys 5 LoL characters at $7 each, bringing it to the same 15 character total. Then you have 15 characters at $60 for Evolve and 15 characters at $35 for LoL. Taking the fact that LoL is a free-to-play game into account changes the math a bit.

And I'm not sure "our DLC characters for our $60 game are priced the same as the DLC characters for their $0 game" is a very convincing argument that it's a good price.

Using a little math and rational thought you can see that these prices are very reasonable, especially if you pre-order.

It's odd seeing "rational thought" and "pre-order" in the same sentence after some of the games released in 2014.

So what about pre-orders? Most would say they are a scam to get you to shell out before the reviews hit. In fact they are something created by Gamestop and other retailers to help them judge demand and make sure they order enough copies. Do you notice that games hardly ever sell out anymore? It is because of pre-orders. Retailers are much better able to judge demand for a particular title if they push pre-orders. Retailers demand pre-order bonuses from developers to give people more incentive to pre-order. In exchange they create signage and other in-store marketing for your game. If you give them EXCLUSIVE pre-order bonuses then they will push your game for you even more. That is why so many games are doing pre-order bonuses, sometimes retailer exclusive ones, because it gives the title a LOT of cheap marketing. It has absolutely NOTHING to do with tricking people into buying bad games; that is what review embargoes are for!

So if it has nothing to do with getting people to buy games before the reviews hit, it's safe to assume Evolve's review embargo will lift ahead of release, correct?

 

[Firebrand]

The only silver lining to the way they're approaching this is that you can still play with anyone using the dlc hunters/monster and that all the maps will be free.

That's preferrable, but people are going to complain about "DLC content being in the game files!!!11".

 

[GHG]

This game is going to flop so hard and they know it so instead they will drain every penny possible from the poor souls who buy it.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

The price of the DLC is certainly laughable, assuming it's just a monster, but I don't see any problems with the act of giving out a free future piece of DLC for preordering. Shit, so many games nowadays do it with day one DLC, that is when I feel like something was actually removed from the game to spur more day one sales. A DLC pack coming 2-3 months down the line, actually sounds like a good deal. Especially something as big as a monster.

The rest of that shit is worded terribly but basically it seems like if you pre-purchase, you can preload the game (duh, makes sense). Anyone can preload the beta now, and then there is a PC exclusive deluxe edition that has some more content, and a season pass.

 

[Chobel]

I know Agrius is banned for acting like a shill and all, but he said some interesting info

In fact they are something created by Gamestop and other retailers to help them judge demand and make sure they order enough copies. Do you notice that games hardly ever sell out anymore[...]Retailers demand pre-order bonuses from developers to give people more incentive to pre-order. In exchange they create signage and other in-store marketing for your game

The pre-order trend is driven by retailers and not publishers. Is this true?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT: And lol at pre-loading being exclusive to XB1. It must be some kinda mistake/misunderstanding, right?

 

[Revolutionary]

That's preferrable, but people are going to complain about "DLC content being in the game files!!!11".

Up to $75 worth of 100kb unlock keys is kinda bullshit, though. Ugh, this gen...

 

[Super Stardust]

I know Agrius is banned for acting like a shill and all, but he said some interesting info


The pre-order trend is driven by retailers and not publishers. Is this true?

So they advertise your game for you for free as long as you give them pre order bonuses?

 

[ship it]

I respect the intention of the dev to shine some light on how the game industry works, but their tone and approach was all bad.

I imagine the PR machine is scrambling to brush this aside ASAP.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

I respect the intention of the dev to shine some light on how the game industry works, but their tone and approach was all bad.

I imagine the PR machine is scrambling to brush this aside ASAP.

It wasn't even shining light. It was just a condescending post that tried to make us feel bad for thinking they're nickel and diming us when they're nickel and diming us.

 

[Cheesewheel]

Have we reached pre-orderception whereby pre-ordering now means that publishers pre-order our dlc for us? Pre-orders in a pre-order?

Maybe on day we'll go deeper. Pre-order an exclusive alpha, which allows you pre-order the full edition at a slightly reduced cost and as a thank you the publisher will pre-order you the dlc.

 

[CryptiK]

Beta was incredibly boring. I highly doubt that this will be worth $70. Give it 2-3 months and it will die.

 

[Camp Freddie]

That PR-spin is awful.

The impressions I've heard have all worried about the game's longevity. There are obvious win tactics and once you've figured out a good plan, there's no challenge.

It's going to be a glitch hunt that makes Destiny nightfall missions look like fun.

 

[Paertan]

Added to wishlist and maybe buy on next years Winter Sale.

 

[Deacan]

They made pre-loading an exclusive feature, get the fuck out of here with that shit.

I really am starting to loathe some of the practices in this hobby.

 

[Hazaro]

Thoughts go out to the devs on this one.

 

[Maximo]

Yeeeeeeeah sure as hell not buying this game, what shitty practices.

 

[Stone Ocean]

15 bucks for a monster? What in the moist barrels of fuck

 

[fedexpeon]

Ah, the pre-order to save money BS.
It works for a lot of games, and usually, those games are bad.
The latest one was Destiny, they got me good with the CE+"expansion packs".

 

[barit]

I have the bad feeling that publishers really want to push the 99$ pricetag on us this generation. Destiny CE, CoD:AW Deluxe, DA:I Premium Pack and now Evolve Monster Master Race Edition. I fear the worst for my hobby

 

[glaurung]

I have the bad feeling that publishers really want to push the 99$ pricetag on us this generation. Destiny CE, CoD:AW Deluxe, DA:I Premium Pack and now Evolve Monster Master Race Edition. I fear the worst for my hobby

If the quality of those $100 titles does not improve, the second hand market will bloom instead. Big publishers will fight this with the reintroduction of Online Passes and by focusing on selling digital in favor of physical.

 

[DSix]

Welp... no more Evolve for me then.
Either sell me a full game for full price, or sell me the content for a free game.

Don't sell me a barebone game full price so that I can buy the missing content from it.

 

[SapientWolf]

I actually have no problem with the addition of DLC whatsoever. I know how features can impact budget and schedule.

My problem is that the vanilla version of Evolve seems content light at $60, so I'm not feeling very motivated to throw even more money towards additional content. The value proposition has to be there at $60 before you can start adding paid DLC to the equation.

 

[FatboyTim]

Thanks but no thanks.

 

[tok9]

Long time reader and first time poster!

Can't say I'm a big fan of the messaging. I just hope the review embargo is a few days before release so I can decide if I really want this game or not.

Definitely a bit more concerned though.

 

[Agent Gibbs]

so for the standard price you get the game with 40% of the content locked out, and for the higher price tiers they unlock parts of the content

atleast the mugger in the street is honest about his robbery

 

[fastballspecial]

Long time reader and first time poster!

Can't say I'm a big fan of the messaging. I just hope the review embargo is a few days before release so I can decide if I really want this game or not.

Definitely a bit more concerned though.

I agree. Reviews will play a large part in my purchase of this game. Initially, upon its announcement, I was 100% on board, but as time has went on I've slipped off the hype train almost completely. Something about it seems off and now all of this DLC nonsense is off-putting. How about the game gets delayed enough to finish all the extra stuff and incorporate into the final package? Duh.

 

[motorised mallard]

Long time reader and first time poster!

Can't say I'm a big fan of the messaging. I just hope the review embargo is a few days before release so I can decide if I really want this game or not.

Definitely a bit more concerned though.

If I had to guess, the embargo will probably lift on the day of release. It would fit this "Buy this content light MP only game for full price YESTERDAY or you will regret it!" theme they are painting on the walls.

 

[BrassDragon]

Spits truth.

Not sure that infuriating post needed to be dignified with a thorough response like yours but I appreciate the effort!

 

[JoeNut]

DLC before the game's even out, garbage.

 

[Gravy Boat]

Well, I mean... they're either selling new characters, new weapons, or new environments. There's no good way to do paid DLC in competitive multiplayer games.

DOTA is one of the most competitive games being played at the moment and it's 100% free to play. All you pay for are cosmetic items. Releasing a 'full' game at full price then saying 'Hey, we're going to sell you all this extra stuff later on' is a bit dirty. Like someone else said, the variety in this game is going to come from the different hunters and monsters, the maps not so much. Shipping with 3 monsters then selling 2 additional ones smacks too much of a rip off for me.

 

[Carcetti]

They're really selling the game in (expensive) pieces, aren't they? Doesn't look too appealing.

This is exactly the stuff they focus on at any mobile games conference these days. 'Game is not important. Content is not important. Delivery systems and payment systems are important'.

 

[Masquerader]

Ooooookay. Better buy it used instead.

 

[Sanpei]

I really wonder of this game's review scores and sales numbers

 

[Novocaine]

What little interest I had in this game is now gone. I'm not supporting that kind of behavior, day one or on sale later down the track.

 

[daammyy]

I really wonder of this game's review scores and sales numbers

With all the awards they got i doubt the reviews will be bad.
The game is fun a couple of hours or a entire weekend but it feels like it would get dull after that. And i doubt reviewers really play enough time for them to notice it. Doesnt CoD get good reviews everywhere already? Yet that game is riddled with dlc's.

 

[Marvel]

Disgusting really.

 

[m@cross]

Actually, it contains $59.99 worth of content for $99.99.

well said

 

[Comfort Jones]

I agree. Reviews will play a large part in my purchase of this game.

If I went by this horribly flawed logic I'd have bought every CoD and all the stupid dlc they slap onto it.

 

[samurai1226]

"The four playable Hunter characters will be available for purchase individually outside of the Evolve Hunting Season Pass for $7.49 each."
This is a f2p game right?

 

[Monster Zero]

Fuck this shit, I'm not paying $60 for half a game, I'm getting tired of this, 2k is real close to shit list for me.

 

[PrivateRyan]

Kudos to all of you who read through that press release and made sense of it. Absolute gibberish to me and a complete turn-off.

 

[SneakyStephan]

Yep. What's even worse is he was defending it with faulty logic (SNES price bit completely ignores manufacturing costs of then vs now, where we have digital options) and stating that "with some rational thought" that the prices are reasonable.

Not to mention the market for games is ten times bigger than it was 20 years ago...
100k copies sold used to be a resounding success, now that is the kind of numbers a decent indie game sells.
EA closes studios that 'only' sell 1.5 million copies of a game...

Meanwhile Unknown worlds (natural selection 2 devs) :
-managed to sell a game with more content and fancy graphics
- mod support (and mod tools that are supposedly expensive to create and maintain , at least that's the wafer thin excuse people use to rationalise battlefield and cod no longer supporting mods)
- on their own engine (having to fund engine development)
-WITH multiple free expansion packs
All for a launch price of 20 bucks.
They sold 'only' a few hundred thousand copies (a decent amount of them at sales prices well below 20 bucks)

edit: oh and it had proper dedicated servers too, both ran by Uwe themselves AND giving the community full access to run their own.

End result? They made enough money to pay for development of NS2 and to entirely fund their next game... And they are content.

Meanwhile these assholes at turtle rock sell this barebones anti consumer, anti gamer modern DLC factory for way too much money and will apparently somehow manage to lose money on making it when it eventually bomb horribly. (Which it will, at least the definition of a AAA bomb sales wise, it'llprobably still undeservedly sell similar numbers to ns2 at 3x the price).

Learn to budget, and stop lying to and alienating your fan base with your excessive greed

That monster race quip is just a condescending cherry on a shitcake.
'guys guys people are so easy to manipulate we can use this meme to rally people behind our game while ripping them off at the same time'

So many layers of insulting the intelligence of their (former) fanbase.

 

[SerTapTap]

Kudos to all of you who read through that press release and made sense of it. Absolute gibberish to me and a complete turn-off.

What's outstanding is how LITTLE it's actually saying. It's basically

Some more hunters
Some skins
One (1) monster
Only Xbone users get preload
Preorder or pay $15 to get the preorder DLC pack
$50 of DLC day one for a $60 multiplayer only game
Hilarious PC master race epic meme xD

Still a complete turn off when you do understand it.

 

[OsirisBlack]

Well the game is actually very fun I was in the alpha on PC and PS4 just signed up for the Beta on XB1. Still have access to beta on PC and PS4 also. I do think the pricing is a bit excessive for the additional dlc but I planned on getting a season pass anyways. The media spin was a bit offputting but I have not played a game as enjoyable as Evolve in a while.

Its very strategy oriented and not just all shoot bang so It may not be everyones cup of tea. The biggest issue I see it having moving forward is that the hunters actually

Spoiler

need to use teamwork

in order to defeat the monster. It felt much like a moba (Addicted to Smite,Dota2 and LoL) and even came with the community BMing when a particular hunter wasn't doing their job.

I still feel if they can get a bit more creative with the level and creature design and add a lot more overtime this game could be a big hit for this studio.

Why they don't have at least one stage with insane verticality is beyond me especially as it would cater to the monsters strengths more.

 

[Z3M0G]

Fuck this shit, I'm not paying $60 for half a game, I'm getting tired of this, 2k is real close to shit list for me.

First NBA 2K14 and now this...

Their games should be F2P, given the micro-transaction schemes they have...

 

[Fularu]

Evolve? More like Devolve.

No way I'm buying this game now.

And really, PC MONSTER race?

 

[red731]

Will watch it being played on Twitch instead.

You know where you can go, 2K.

 

[5amshift]

Yeah not even buying this game anymore. Most likely just a rental if anything..

 

[Spacejaws]

Well I admit I am a big fan of the beta and have preordered but I think I will be sitting out the additional 4 characters and 1 monster is my maths is right (it rarely is)

7.99 for each of the four characters and 14.99 for one monster? Thats about the same price I paid for the full game. I can't justify paying for all those characters when it doesn't even closely match the amount of content in game for comparatively the same price.

I do like the fact I will be able to play against those new monsters/hunters though without paying.