I never quite got how expansion packs really work , for online games that is. Take WoW for instance,if it's online then why do people have to buy a new copy to enjoy new content in the game. why isn't there just an option for in-game upgrade? I mean from a fiscal point of view it sounds the wiser business option seeing as there's no cost of production, shipment etc.
thanks ahead
ID:755596
 May 20 2012, 7:57 am
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May 20 2012, 8:01 am
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Stephen001
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For Guild Wars, you could just buy the keys through NC Soft's store (or elsewhere) and plug it in for new campaigns, and download them. So yeah, it's really up to the business.
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Because back in the days, CDs were good for business.
Now people learned to get money through the internet. And the reason you don't quite udnerstand how expansion packs really work is that because you're comparing the past (in which people never thought of making money through the internet) and the present (in which people know how to make money using the internet). Also, maybe because they thought downloading such huge amount of files through the internet would require huge amount of time. At least that's what i think | |
In the future I could probably see the switch to using flash drives and memory sticks for game distribution, just due to the technology being capable of advancing without the need for buying a new disk drive or something like that every few years. Heck, we already have memory sticks that can hold way more than a DVD... but I imagine there will always be a demand for a physical medium. Just because it's nice to have, and pretty convenient. Definitely faster in most cases, too.
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Ok then riddle me this, using WoW as an example again, if in the said expansion pack stats gaining and curves had changed and someone didnt buy it. will he be subject to the old game's design or will he be forced to upgrade? how does that work?
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Of course not. What you lose access to in WoW is the new areas, professions, classes, and races introduced in the expansion. Trying to introduce stat changes to the world when not everyone recieves the changes is obviously going to be problematic.
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Gi Money: You are actually asking about two different things. Changes to essential mechanics are generally considered updates and processed as a mandatory download. Using an older client will not allow you to connect until the update is applied.
Expansion content is generally server side (though it may also include client side updates or upgrades, such as new HUD options) and may not require any updating of the client. If, for example, a game added a new area to explore, it would not require any client side changes as that data is saved on the game server. | |
OHHHHHHH , ok now i get it, thanks Jmurph for explaining it to me. I also asked a friend who actually played WoW and he helped me make the distinction between an Expansion Pack and the so called Patch.(however I still don't get why it's sold via a physical mean, CD's, and not online but forget that for now).
And on to another issue, lately I've been exploring the notion of an actual Back Story for online games. You see in most byond games(anime games that is) the player's raison d'etre is no more or less than to get stronger and defeat other players which in itself isn't that bad but it could be so much more. An actual time line for the game, with many quests and side-quests if you will, which culminates with defeating the main antagonist. How to approach the idea practically is another matter, what with say 20 or 30 players all attempting to fight the same boss. My friend suggested that the Big Bad Boss should be confined in some area and that way every time someone would want to challenge him he would have to wait until the person before him has tried his luck. The problem with that is I'd have to come up with a considerable amount of quests to entertain those who are left waiting... So yea any comments or ideas on that one? | |
Might want to start a new thread for that, but I don't think anyone would mind plots and sub plot driven quests in a game. As to boos fights, take a look at Realm of the Mad God. It combines instanced worlds with players defeating certain guardians to unlock the Big Bad (and to get the real one, you have to get the wine cellar key....).
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Jmurph what do you mean by instanced worlds?
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Instanced content is just what it sounds like. Everyone experiencing the content has their own unique instance of it. In most MMORPGs, this is limited to dungeons. Basically, once you walk into the dungeon, you are transported to your own unique version of the dungeon. If you are in a group, everyone in the group is transported to your unique version, too. In Guild Wars, everything is instanced content. The moment yo leave town you are in your own version of the world, and you can either choose to join other people's instances, or people can join yours if you want them to.
It's basically the only way to do RPGs with dungeons and stuff online, because otherwise someone is gonna be emptying out your dungeons all the time and you'll probably never get a chance to do it yourself. With instancing, everyone gets an equal opportunity to access the content. | |