[NFP] Frontier pass - Paying in advance and quality

[ezzlar]

I can´t really decide how I feel about their upcoming business model. I see two possible lines of reasoning:

• Paying in advance shows strong interest in the game and motivates the developers to put more effort in the packages which then increases sales and profits (and further development)
• Paying in advance creates incentives to release crappy packages since they are already paid for and minimal effort/resource allocation increases profits

Right now it is also very unclear how the development efforts are distributed between making new skins for the existing AI or developing new ´game modes´. People obviously prefer new civs - mechanics very differently as can been seen in the large thread about the Frontier pass.

This boils down to buying them as parts as they realease them or paying up front. What do you think?

 

[Deggial]

I think, that there is no need to buy in advance, if you don’t want to. The pass probably(!) will not go away anytime soon. As far as I understand, even the leader variations associated with it will be available without preorder.
So, if you are unsure, just wait and see.

If you are not eager to get the leader variants, even purchasing all the DLCs separately won’t be that much more expensive, if you don’t like one specific DLC.

Personally, I like to purchase such stuff in advance, if I am halveway sure I will buy it anyway.
Admittedly, it’s a really silly psychological effect in my case: I enjoy not needing to evaluate every time anew, if the DLC is worth the spending. If I’ve already spent my money in advance, I can completely focus on my anticipation and the new stuff that will automatically be added to the game over the next year.

But that’s just me and there is no need to act likewise. Actually, waiting and evaluating each DLC would be way more wise.

As for the developers: it’s certainly a benefit to know that the bills will be payed over the next year and working on the game will be funded.
For us consumers, it’s a good thing, too: we will know for sure, that the game is not abandoned, but still actively worked on. The devs will have a high motivation to fix bugs and improve the game in the timeframe of the pass, because they want to sell the new DLCs separately to those who didn’t purchase the pass. With a one-off expansion, bugfixes might take way longer.

 

[Laurana Kanan]

I can´t really decide how I feel about their upcoming business model. I see two possible lines of reasoning:

• Paying in advance shows strong interest in the game and motivates the developers to put more effort in the packages which then increases sales and profits (and further development)
• Paying in advance creates incentives to release crappy packages since they are already paid for and minimal effort/resource allocation increases profits

This isn't really different than the initial season pass back in 2016 or really any kind preordering scheme, so I don't see it as really being anything new. As long as the package price is discounted and there's some kind of bonus I'm all for it. Regardless, I don't think paying in advance or not gives any incentive for FXS to create an inferior product. Any bad product release is going to hurt their reputation and sales for any future product.

 

[Socrates-]

Buying in advance is no problem for me. Especially since the content will be released over the course of a year the later additions will feel like 'free' because the money has been spend that long ago

Furthermore, I don't think getting paid upfront will lead to a crappy product. As a producer/designer I would see it as a token of trust & encouragement to deliver something of great quality.

 

[Kibikus]

They're just pushing the envelope and seeing how much money and in what ways they can get out of users.

They already know there is interest in the game and the franchise. Firaxis and 2K/Take Two already have the money to pay for the development and get their money when they sell the finished product. But if they can get the money from users now and do the work later, of course they'll do that, all the business developers and marketers are pushing for that. Remember, we're not talking about a one-man indie dev coding in their bedroom, these are multi-billion dollar companies.

 

[bite]

With me, I think back to the DLC run after the release of the base game. Of those DLCs there was only one I was a bit annoyed that I bought as a bundle and that was the city states dlc, however even there I have come to enjoy the inclusions.

So at this point I have no problem preordering (and there are few companies I would say that about)

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Paying in advance shows strong interest in the game and motivates the developers to put more effort in the packages which then increases sales and profits

I don't that's what motivates the developers, I'm sure they enjoy working on Civ and will do their best whatever. However in these uncertain times knowing they're probably going to have a job for the next few months is reassuring for them I'm sure!

 

[blackcatatonic]

Firaxis (well, specifically the Civ franchise) is literally the only game developer that I pre-order. I didn't even pre-order Borderlands 3, and the second iteration in that franchise is still the best co-op game I've ever played.

I don't normally like pre-ordering games or buying on early access, but on the other hand, I still have a lot of trust in Firaxis. I have to say that while no game or DLC I've bought from them has been without problems, I've never felt let down or regretted any of those purchases. I'm a little warier of this than usual, because while we know the rough shape of what's coming, we don't know exactly which Civs or new game modes, but, being honest with myself, what we've seen so far and the roadmap guaranteeing DLC every two months, I'm going to want to buy it all anyway - not 'no matter what it is', but because realistically I have that confidence that it's going to be good.

 

[Chefofrats]

It is usually cheaper to buy a season pass rather than individual DLCs that make up the whole package, at least for console games, which I have had the most experience with in the past dozen years or so. Buying individually makes sense when the price of the single items you want to buy does not exceed the price of the season pass, and the other single items do not interest you at all. In this case, when we do not really know what the exact contents of the individual DLCs will be, it is hard to make an informed decision at this time (which to be honest does not seem in line with European consumer law, but I digress).

So far I have generally liked all the previous Civ VI DLCs and expansions - while the stuff I do not enjoy at all, Red Death, was actually free - so I will probably purchase the season pass, even though I am 100% sure I will never launch the Apocalypse mode. I mean, the new civs can't all be as bad as Canada, can they?

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

I can´t really decide how I feel about their upcoming business model. I see two possible lines of reasoning:

• Paying in advance shows strong interest in the game and motivates the developers to put more effort in the packages which then increases sales and profits (and further development)
• Paying in advance creates incentives to release crappy packages since they are already paid for and minimal effort/resource allocation increases profits

Right now it is also very unclear how the development efforts are distributed between making new skins for the existing AI or developing new ´game modes´. People obviously prefer new civs - mechanics very differently as can been seen in the large thread about the Frontier pass.

This boils down to buying them as parts as they realease them or paying up front. What do you think?

Well they have to maintain their reputation and releasing low quality Product is not a smart thing for long term profitability.

 

[pokiehl]

As Noble Zarkon alludes to, I'm more than happy to pay in advance to help secure their financial position in these weird times. I also have complete confidence that all of the dlc will be well worth the money.

 

[Loderingo]

I’ll probably buy the pass but want to see the price of the individual DLCs first. Looking back at the original DLCs I paid full price for 3 but only got Australia and Vikings fairly recently when they were on sale.

I would also like to know a bit more about the personas as this is the only part exclusive to the season pass.

As mentioned above if they had sold previous expansions as DLC there are some like Canada, Chandra and Mapuche who I wouldn’t have got

 

[TheBlueKing]

I do not see an option to buy Frontier Pass at Steam. Is it not available for purchase until 21st May?

 

[criZp]

Gonna be buying them individually on release (if they look good), out of principle. The bonus leader rework is something I have little interest in anyway.

 

[Futumch]

I think it works out as a net saving buying all of the DLC in one hit. At one sixth of whatever the pass costs for each package, that's pretty cheap entertainment. The quality side remains to be seen, but given that the DLC delivered so far for Civ 6 is quite fun and engaging, I'm willing to reserve judgement there.
Speaking as an Aussie, the AUD / USD exchange rate, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

Just an aside : In the Sims 4, with its plethora of DLC, EA have this thing where you can pick a selection of DLC to make your own bundle, which I think is a pretty good idea. So for example you might choose Expansion 2 plus Stuff pack 8 plus Game pack 4, rather than having to pay for DLC you're not really interested in exploring.
Something like this (in the future) might be feasible for Civ if they end up with lots of content separate from the original game.

 

[leandrombraz]

I don't see how paying in advance could encourage them to create crappy packages. If they do a poor job, people won't come back for a potential second pass next year or if they use this model again in Civ VII. Also, they still want to sell this content later for people that won't buy it now, so if they do a shoddy work, it will be a hard sell later. Firaxis won't take our money and run away, they still need us to be excited about their content a year from now. This kind of worry makes sense for a new studio that still need to prove themselves, but jesus, I think Firaxis showed over and over again that they care about delivering an experience that the community will enjoy. They don't always get things right, but they listen and they clearly have passion for their work.

 

[WillowBrook]

This isn't really different than the initial season pass back in 2016 or really any kind preordering scheme, so I don't see it as really being anything new.

With one crucial difference, IMO - they're telling us how many new civs, leaders, etc come with each pack. It was a big mistake not to with the first set of DLC, as the disappointment with the Vikings DLC led to many unnecessary negative reviews.

I didn't buy the deluxe edition because of their lack of transparency, but I plan to buy the New Frontier pass because they have told me how much "stuff" I'm getting, even though the details are hidden.

 

[Sostratus]

Well they have to maintain their reputation and releasing low quality Product is not a smart thing for long term profitability.

Yeah- people are way too paranoid about this. You can definitely leverage your reputation into scamming players for money, but you can only do that once.

I for one think that this is a good move. Adding 1-2 civs at a time is not a huge commitment for them, we can save money buying up front if we know we will get them all anyways, and they’ve given themselves about a year of runway so that if frontier pass sales flop they’ll know they need to turn up the spice and change course.

On some level I trust Firaxis to not “horse armor” any of these. $8-9 would be a little steep for a single civ with nothing else added but that’s about the worst they could do.

 

[Brutus2]

I think it all comes down to reputation. Generally speaking I don't like to pre-order stuff. I have been burned with games in the past that I pre-ordered and they turned out a bug filled mess at launch and I have also bought games a year or so after they launched that were awesome (and cheaper) because they had been patched and improved before I bought it. For these reasons, I generally take a "wait and see" approach.

However, in this situation we are talking about add on content for a game that is well established and has been around awhile. I'm not saying it will be perfect from the start or there won't be need for hot fixes or balance patches but I'm pretty confident that Firaxis will put out high quality leaders, civs, wonders, districts, etc without much issue and with good quality. I will be getting the pass as soon as it is available.

Remember this game is now on PC, XBOX and Switch. That means a lot of people are watching and I'm sure they want to put out high quality stuff that will make all of those people want to buy Civ 7 someday regardless of already having your money from the pass.

 

[Sostratus]

However, in this situation we are talking about add on content for a game that is well established and has been around awhile. I'm not saying it will be perfect from the start or there won't be need for hot fixes or balance patches but I'm pretty confident that Firaxis will put out high quality leaders, civs, wonders, districts, etc without much issue and with good quality. I will be getting the pass as soon as it is available

Exactly. They are primarily selling the new civs. We have some 40 examples of their civs to judge as whether or not they do a good job. I don’t love all of them- but if they have the distribution of a typical Xpac, it’ll be well worth it.
For me personally, I don’t expect to love every new Civ. I expect them to be well made but I recognize sometimes they capture lightning in a bottle (Inca) and sometimes not (Mapuche.) fortunately different people can like different civs!