SEs...Free content or original game package?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bwootzabaa
  • 19 comments
  • 2,615 views
Bwootzabaa

Bwootzabaa

Messages
142
Messages
BwootzaBaa
It seems that one major point of contention is the question of Seasonal content being a free gift or either specifically promised as completion of the general game, being online content, or as an obligation to adapt for an unfinished product.

If you see the content as free and nonobligatory then you have issues with complaints about it.

If you see this content as being promised either implicitly in the packaging of the game, or as a necessary token for an otherwise underdeveloped product that was purchased under false pretenses, or because of the posted indication on network cites, then you are repeatedly upset about missed deadlines.

The issue is not "fanboys" or "complainers."

This is what I think I know. Companies do not give freebies. They do market for the future. If said marketing is seen as a constant lie, build up to nothing, the company hurts itself. Bad business.

If you love this game and want to see it grow you may want to let it's makers and marketers know that they need to get straight. The product is terrific, if unfinished at that. Don't make a good thing a bad thing.

As Yoda said, " Do or do not."
 
I think it's free content and I'm not sure what the marketers have to do with that.

On a side note, you are a saint for posting this in the right forum!
 
No poll? :(

I consider Seasonals to be free content. I didn't do much homework before buying the game, but I don't see anything on the packaging indicating that there would be extra races periodically. I am thankful that there are extra races though because I finished all but the endurance events within a couple weeks. I hope that the lack of consistency with the Seasonals is merely a result of PD being new to updating online events, and they'll have better communication regarding the events and consistency in the near future.

I'm easy to please when it comes to this game though, so no real complaints from me.
 
im under the impression the seasnal events are an added online bonus, they are not free but i would not suggest for 1 minute that pd are under any obligation to provide them, they can end at anytime so enjoy them while you can
 
Good thread. I actually consider them an obbligation as the game is unfinished. I mean, GT4 had 502 different events, GT5 has about 100-something, and if you want to get to levels over 30, you need to repeat some events over and over. Or maybe race the endurance races - I did the first 2-hour event and don't plan on doing the rest, both because I don't have time and don't have patience. Not everyone has all the time in the world, and I simply have other obligations in my life that won't allow me to race for 24 hours in GT5.

I hope GT6 will bring us more events and more tracks, no need for more cars IMO. And I hope they do keep the endurance events, but with options like saving, racing in B-spec and fast-forwarding (pretty much like GT4, plus the saving option). There could be some special prize for whoever is brave enough to race in A-spec, but it shouldn't be pretty much mandatory for one to finish the game or reach the important stuff (like the X2010 in GT5).

That`s what I think.
 
To consider the seasonals a 'free gift' or similar I would have to think that there is the possibility they could be sold as extra content, and PD are doing a good deal to us by giving them for free. I do not get that feeling at all though, there is no way on earth the seasonals could be sold as extra content so in that case no, they're not free content to me.
 
cedpo
Good thread. I actually consider them an obbligation as the game is unfinished. I mean, GT4 had 502 different events, GT5 has about 100-something, and if you want to get to levels over 30, you need to repeat some events over and over.
Click to expand...

+1 Clearly the game launched half baked, without the seasonal events I would still be stuck at level 18 with a limited garage. These events should have been on the disc to beginning with. Thankfully they have been added via download but I really feel sorry for someone who buys this game later and misses out on these "extra" events.
 
It has nothing whatsoever to do with marketing.

It was never part of the original game. The seasonal events icon was never there on the original coding, nor was it mentioned prior to release. Therefore its a free add on.

Just because its free doesn't mean we can't moan about content or update frequency. How many people moan when Facebook is down, or changes its layout for example.
 
I don't care either way which it is. I will say this though...This is the only game where I got additional content through an update and not through the Playstation Store. Nothing that has been added so far could even be charged later, so to me that means it was PD's intention to do this without our (the consumers) knowledge.

The fact that the Seasonal event and OCD icon were not there before doesn't really mean much. I mean, when they did implement it there just happened to be enough space for it. I don't think it was a coincidence.

As far as seasonal events go though, I do not believe they were ever announced prior to the game launch. I did follow GT5 news a lot and knew about all the features that PD said would be in game. The biggest thing I can think of that was "promised" to be in the game but wasn't available at launch was the B-spec remote racing.

I don't feel I'm owed anything, but I think it was PD's intention for this to be part of the game from the beginning.
 
SimonK
To consider the seasonals a 'free gift' or similar I would have to think that there is the possibility they could be sold as extra content, and PD are doing a good deal to us by giving them for free. I do not get that feeling at all though, there is no way on earth the seasonals could be sold as extra content so in that case no, they're not free content to me.
Click to expand...


Every seasonal that has been released so far could have and should have been implemented as an A Spec event on the disc. Simples.
 
In all honesty it is new isn't it? Previous incarnations of the game never had the capability did they? You paid the money, you got the disc, you played the game you bitched to your mum/partner (delete where applicable) about the game. This is a new console, new format, new capabilities.

See that Sunday cup? Easy race. Do people moan about it being on the game? Do they ever race it more than a couple of times? So treat these the same. Yes they are easy but you can make them harder with car/tyre choice. This version has the capability to race so called 'intelligent' racers ie: Each other (though judging by some of the posts on this forum i would seriously question that) that in itself is worth the price for the disc. This game is not a year old yet and as far as i can see they will be updating it with races for a long time yet. It is a brilliant idea.

Who has the right to say that because the last game had this amount of races this game needs to have the same or more? It is tosh. They can release what they like.

I see this much like i see going to watch a film you have never seen at the cinema. You have to pay your money first then you get the content, if you do not like it, tough. No laws broken.
 
All they need to do though is get sponsors on board and put their logos all over bill boards in the Seasonal Events around the tracks where other brands would usually be, or just add new ad space. Worked well enough for Burnout Paradise and other games that synchronized bill board ads from online to current sponsors. If it would mean more free events then all means I would support such an action, if it was just to make new revenue from the same stuff, then hell no.

Maybe in the future see a Toyota series, or Honda series with all opponents and restrictions locked down to brand, etc.
 
For me it is a free and very nice feature. Instead of just giving one update to add a dozen of A-Spec-events, we get new events every week or two. So on one hand it is the same like updating A-Spec-events and on the other hand it is much more.
 
Free extra content in my opinion, the name "seasonal" suggest something temporary...
 
Neither, they are a patch for the bad a/b-spec carrer/economy planing. IMO.

Edit: look at the huge money/xp for the bonus races, they dont have anything related with the offline content.
 
I think it's free, but I also think PD is giving it to us to make up for all the shortfalls. Everyone seems to agree that this iteration of GT is far from complete especially when compared to GT4. I still haven't gone through all the cars available in GT4 & have well over $200 million in credits. I've played all the GT's. This one is lots of fun if you don't think about the XP, low payouts & credit cap. I do wish they'd fix the pit stops because in some (Tsukaba endurance for one) therew is no pit crew & the car isn't even jacked up!!!
 
Mubble
It has nothing whatsoever to do with marketing.

It was never part of the original game. The seasonal events icon was never there on the original coding, nor was it mentioned prior to release. Therefore its a free add on.

Just because its free doesn't mean we can't moan about content or update frequency. How many people moan when Facebook is down, or changes its layout for example.
Click to expand...

pay2021
Neither, they are a patch for the bad a/b-spec carrer/economy planing. IMO.

Edit: look at the huge money/xp for the bonus races, they dont have anything related with the offline content.
Click to expand...

PapaGnr
I think it's free, but I also think PD is giving it to us to make up for all the shortfalls. Everyone seems to agree that this iteration of GT is far from complete especially when compared to GT4. I still haven't gone through all the cars available in GT4 & have well over $200 million in credits. I've played all the GT's. This one is lots of fun if you don't think about the XP, low payouts & credit cap. I do wish they'd fix the pit stops because in some (Tsukaba endurance for one) therew is no pit crew & the car isn't even jacked up!!!
Click to expand...

There is no way that Seasonal Events were an after thought. You think those 2 blank spaces under Open Lobby were there by accident? No, they always had this plan but it was just one of the many features that didnt make it into the launch window. The game was released Nov 24th and we had our first Seasonal Event just a few weeks later. So you think in just a few weeks time they developed these events to over come short falls of money and XP? Preposterous, maybe they dont want/expect people to finish their game in a months time.
 
"or as an obligation to adapt for an unfinished product."

Look at my sig, A-Spec is a sad excuse for any game with "Gran Turismo" in the title. PD knows it, Kaz knows it. They are just trying to save face for their failure of a career mode in GT5. Seasonals aren't nearly enough IMO.

GT4 - 522 A-spec races
GT5 - 127 A-Spec races

Yeah, I would go out on a limb and say GT5, especially the A-Spec career mode (or whatever you want to call it) is no where near "finished". In fact it feels like a complete afterthought, something they started thinking about a month before they went Gold.

That is why the licence tests mean nothing in GT5 unlike GT1 - 4, and that's why they had no choice but to tack on the incredibly lacking xp system.. It was just to drag out the A-Spec so people couldn't finish it in a weekend (besides the endurance races).

Anyone who can't see that isn't looking very hard.
 
BWX
"or as an obligation to adapt for an unfinished product."

Look at my sig, A-Spec is a sad excuse for any game with "Gran Turismo" in the title. PD knows it, Kaz knows it. They are just trying to save face for their failure of a career mode in GT5. Seasonals aren't nearly enough IMO.

GT4 - 522 A-spec races
GT5 - 127 A-Spec races

Yeah, I would go out on a limb and say GT5, especially the A-Spec career mode (or whatever you want to call it) is no where near "finished". In fact it feels like a complete afterthought, something they started thinking about a month before they went Gold.

That is why the licence tests mean nothing in GT5 unlike GT1 - 4, and that's why they had no choice but to tack on the incredibly lacking xp system.. It was just to drag out the A-Spec so people couldn't finish it in a weekend (besides the endurance races).

Anyone who can't see that isn't looking very hard.
Click to expand...


+1 👍
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back