Babylon with a box please?

[SalmonSoil]

I live in New Zealand, here our internetplans have caps on how much we can use per month. I am not going to waste a large portion of mine downloading civ 5 off steam when i could just buy it instore. However, I still want Babylon. Call me a consumer or what ever, I want it. Also I don't like the idea of having an entire civ closed off to people forever if they don't buy the collectors edition.
So basically, here's hoping for a release of Babylon, independently of the game, at some later date.

 

[xmen510]

You might see it in an expansion at some date, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I would imagine it will remain DLC. You might be able to get it as DLC separately as some point, but again, that is just a possibility and has not been confirmed.

 

[StStutter]

Unfortunately even if you buy the regular version in store, you'll still have to end up downloading it. I'm pretty sure I heard that the strore bought versin didn't come with a cd but only a code to let you download it from steam.

 

[Schuesseled]

umm well that would be crap

 

[StStutter]

I thought that was common knowledge? Thats why the whole Steam discussion is such an issue? If you cold buy the cd, noone has an issue.

 

[DefunKt]

Unfortunately even if you buy the regular version in store, you'll still have to end up downloading it. I'm pretty sure I heard that the strore bought versin didn't come with a cd but only a code to let you download it from steam.

And im pretty sure thats . Just another one on this steam paranoia.

Could you please give us a link? Or did you just "heard"?

 

[StStutter]

I'm not at all paranoid about Steam. I'm just as happy to buy from Steam as a physical copy. I just thought I'd heard that.

 

[DefunKt]

The thing is... do you really believe theyre going to just give you a piece a paper with a code in exchange of your money?

No steamworks game has ever been sold that way. They sell a normal dvd with all the necessary files for an install. You just need internet for activation afterwards.

And sorry if i over-reacted. But all this steam-related rumourology is 99% of the time plain non-sense.

 

[Frank Drebin]

with the mod possibilites, i wonder why it would be impossible to just add the original babylon content as mod to the non-collector's edition?

 

[StStutter]

The thing is... do you really believe theyre going to just give you a piece a paper with a code in exchange of your money?

No steamworks game has ever been sold that way. They sell a normal dvd with all the necessary files for an install. You just need internet for activation afterwards.

And sorry if i over-reacted. But all this steam-related rumourology is 99% of the time plain non-sense.

No worries steam complaints do get very ridiculous.

I see, glad to have that cleared up, I'll be planning on buying that disc from a retail store then.

 

[Gamemaster77]

Well it's not going to be illegal if someone makes their own Babylon as something to add to the game will it? I mean, couldn't someone make Babylon have the exact same advantages/disadvantages and UU's and all that stuff as the official Babylon. All they would have to do is use their own graphics.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

Well it's not going to be illegal if someone makes their own Babylon as something to add to the game will it? I mean, couldn't someone make Babylon have the exact same advantages/disadvantages and UU's and all that stuff as the official Babylon. All they would have to do is use their own graphics.

Yes, maybe all that is true.

But what if the multiplayer limits you to custom-content only lobbies? It will fragment the player base if that's the case.

 

[lietkynes]

This whole Babylon thing is messed up

 

[Snoopaloop]

agreed.

its just very likely they will be downloadable for a fee a few months after release (like so many other pc, xbox, ps3 game content) but the chance of never getting them is always there, and going to make me paranoid enough to pre-order

 

[timtofly]

There is a box, but Babylon stays with Steam.

 

[crismac]

Ok,I want to buy the box set.I also want Babylon.I wouldn't mind downloading Babylon from steam.Why wont they give us this option.

Someone has really screwed up the marketing on this one

 

[501st Legion]

Unfortunately even if you buy the regular version in store, you'll still have to end up downloading it. I'm pretty sure I heard that the strore bought versin didn't come with a cd but only a code to let you download it from steam.

I have a bad feeling in my gut that this might happen...

I recall last year when the "special edition" of Empire: Total War was released, it was advertised to have 6 exclusive units...

Special Forces Units
The following elite units are included as part of the Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition. This premium packaged edition for aficionados of the Total War series comes complete with a unique Steam unlock code. Once the game is installed and verified by Steam, players can enter their code and unlock these elite units which will then appear in the single player game.

HMS Victory - The Royal Navy’s most distinguished and formidable first rate ship of the line; Lord Nelson’s 104 gun flagship is one of the most heavily armed ships of the 18th Century.

Rogers’ Rangers - Major Robert Rogers’ company of rangers are highly trained elite light infantry, specialising in reconnaissance and special operations. They are extremely mobile in even the most challenging environments.

Ottoman Organ Gun - A viciously powerful field gun, able to inflict incredible damage on the opposing army. Emphatic proof of the Ottoman Empire’s advanced knowledge of gunpowder and firearms technology.

Ghoorkas - "Better to die than be a coward" has been the motto of these elite Nepalese soldiers for centuries. Disciplined, tough and courageous, they carry a deadly 18-inch long, curved knife known as the kukri.

Corso Terrestre Guerillas - An independent light infantry guerrilla regiment, experienced in skirmish and stealth tactics. Surprise raids and ambushes are the guerillas’ favoured tactics, a way to compensate for their limited number and light armour.

Bulkeley's Regiment - A French unit of Irish mercenaries with a fearsome reputation for hardiness. Exceptionally tough and resilient, they make for a highly flexible and dependable regiment.

However, it turned out that these "exclusive" units were in fact also in the standard version when modders began looking into the game files. If you bought the ordinary version, you also have those units in your game's install folder - but you can't legally use them without the special unlock code. For someone who had no experience with DLC, it was shocking.

But the idea that Babylon will also be available in the standard edition and just locked away to anyone who didn't bought the digital deluxe edition will mostly likely happen if Babylon can be used in multiplayer by people with the digital deluxe edition against players who have the standard version.

 

[Gamemaster77]

Yes, maybe all that is true.

But what if the multiplayer limits you to custom-content only lobbies? It will fragment the player base if that's the case.

I just hope someone from 2K will comment about this so I don't have to go reading through the whole license agreement searching for the part about that.

 

[Shiggs713]

Well it's not going to be illegal if someone makes their own Babylon as something to add to the game will it? I mean, couldn't someone make Babylon have the exact same advantages/disadvantages and UU's and all that stuff as the official Babylon. All they would have to do is use their own graphics.

Yes I believe this is true. There was a discussion about this in another thread. I'm pretty sure that XML files (or equivalent) cannot be copywritten, at least in the US. Basically you can't copywrite iStrength = 10 type of thing, that type of stuff is so common it could never be enforced even if it was law. Only the art is really sacred, and even still you can get around that with some editing. Most of the first custom LH's for civ4 were exact replica's of original civ4 LH's with their eyebrows and mustaches swapped out... nobody got sued. This is a different time now, with a new EULA so I could be wrong, but if I am wrong, they will have pissed off nearly the entire modding community.

 

[12agnar0k]

lol @ the box with nothing inside idea, pass the parcell with a tictac inside anybody?

But what if the multiplayer limits you to custom-content only lobbies? It will fragment the player base if that's the case.

Yes this is genuine concern but its not a Steam issue, it is a development one, will DLC be taken into consideration and development designed so that all DLC difference won't end up segregating the players. I.e will player A with no DLC be able to play player B with full DLC, I hope so is my answer. I hope the development is done to an acceptable standard. I'm not so much concerned that someone with DLC will have an advantage over someone without, hopefully this is too taken into consideration and that all civ's released be it in vanilla or DLC are balanced to not be overpowered. I'm sure it will be. But if downloading DLC will cause you to have less people to play against, this is not good at all.

Hopefully we will get a confirmation at some point that DLC will not result in combaitability issues.

....

As for the topic creators point, no Bablyon will not be shipped in any box version at retail stores, the only way that you will be able to obtain it on release will be via Steam DE edition. Its likely however that it will be released again via DLC or Expansion pack to generate more profits and then everyone will have the chance to get it even if they brought the box edition. So yes it is likely that if you buy the box retail edition standard or collectors, eventually via a small DLC which wont take up much of your monthy allowance you can get it. Though nothing has been set in stone.

Hope I was helpful.