I don't get it. Everyone has the DLC already on disk, so providing it as part of the base game wouldn't split the player base. I think they realise they've been caught out, and are trying to come up with excuses.

Bullshit. That doesn't even make sense. If the data's there, and they don't want to "split the player base", why not install it for everyone when the install the game. For free. Arseholes.

Everyone has the same thing = split player base. Charge so that only half the players can play together = united community.

Yeah, makes sense.

Shens

so what happens if one person pays for the DLC and then plays with a group of people who haven't? do all of the people who haven't paid benefit from the playing with the person who has?

The way I see it is the DLC contains the textures etc. for the additional characters weapons etc. so you need to have it installed to see other people who are playing as these characters, even if they're not accessible to you as playable characters.

Here's how I think they've made a huge **** up and I'll use my favourite example again: Quake 3 Arena.

Q3 has an Sv_Pure system which prevents any client connecting to a pure server having files different to that of the server. This means he has to have a replica of the server content if he wants to play on that server.

Lets say in Q3 that the server has some new custom maps which cost him an unreasonable amount of money to buy and play. The people who bought that content can still play on normal Q3 server as they have all the original game files and this new DLC doesn't alter them. They can also go and play on their DLC servers. What can't happen is regular Q3 owners can't play the DLC cause they obviously don't have the files.

Here's what's happening in Bioshock 2:
All players HAVE to be given all the original game files AND the DLC, cause if they didn't then there would be a client mismatch and they wouldn't be able to play together. That's like saying the original Q3 owner can't play on an original Q3 server on original Q3 maps with out having the custom DLC maps he doesn't even own (some might argue he does cause they were on the disc he purchased).

It's complete bullshit and shows a huge flaw in their system of creating games. This isn't rocket science people. Developers have been doing this for ages successfully, whys it so hard for this game in particular? What also makes this absolutely ridiculous is the fact the "DLC" isn't even DLC any more! Developers getting sloppy.

So what happens if they to decide to release a DLC that they've genuinely worked on post release?

It's not "REALLY" a DLC anyway, the name itself implies what it is.

Downloading the "key" to unlock the content doesn't mean that it's actually "DLC".

I really don't why they did it like this, if everything was finished come release and they're putting it on the disc then they shouldn't under any circumstances, charge for it.

great. so if you want to play the multiplayer you're going to have to buy the DLC otherwise you're just going to get your ass handed to you over and over with the weapons you can see but can't have.

I like how they're still calling it DLC when they've admitted it's not DLC

Besides, just about every other developer has managed to release DLC after the game's release without splitting the player base, so why can't 2K? Are they really that s**t at coding or do they just assume all their customers have a single brain cell between them and are too stupid to see the truth behind their lame excuses. I'm not sure what's worse to be honest.

If they really had to have everyone install it, they could just make it a compulsory patch to play online while only people who pay get the extra features, but here they've just admitted they're simply charging extra for something that was created in the standard development cycle of the game, yet they have partitioned it off from the main game to get extra money from it instead of charging more for the game itself. What's worse is that this DLC seems to be almost compulsory if you want to do well in the multiplayer side of the game, thereby holding the consumer hostage.

This is not a trend I (or for that matter any self-respecting gamer) would like to see continued, and should not be encouraged. Kill them with fire.

thats bollocks and you know it, Aztec is dead and we aint got....oh wait, wrong game

**** i need help :(

2K Games wanted to avoid splitting the player base and was so forced to include the data on the disc at launch

That doesn't even make logical sense.

If you're letting people download the same data, everyone has the same data.

If you're giving people the content on the disc and unlocking it, everyone has the same data.

I don't think there's an interpretation of this that doesn't end with the publishers looking, first, unbelievably cynical, then second, pathetically unwilling to own up when rumbled.

I have not got this yet and not interested in the multiplayer, but it just shows whats coming. You buy a game with half the content locked and have to pay later to unlock it.

Its a good way to increase revenue. Look at Fable 2 on xbox live, they are selling that online in segments and it aint cheap, such a rip off when you can buy the full game for £10 now.

Why is it suddenly smelling like cow dung around me...

Greedy liars.

DoW2 was recently updated to include all of the Chaos Rising units so that owners of the original can still play multiplayer and Last Stand with people who have CR. So that excuse is bollocks. In fact, I don't think they have done anything wrong by having it on the disc. Hell, it saves bandwidth and benefits everyone. I can see why they would do it this way.

The thing is though, that having it on the disc means it was developed and finished before the game was even launched. That is the issue, and I don't see anyone actually complaining about that. Frankly, if they had released this as true DLC this close to launch, I would still be miffed. The only difference between finishing it before release and putting it on the disc, and finishing it before release and making it true DLC at this time is that now we know they finished it before release, with the former we would only suspect it.

Originally Posted by Mentai
Everyone has the same thing = split player base. Charge so that only half the players can play together = united community.

Yeah, makes sense.

+1

Originally Posted by Jamie
Shens

If by Shens you mean shenanigans then +1

Highly HIGHLY disappointed here.

Originally Posted by mi1ez
The way I see it is the DLC contains the textures etc. for the additional characters weapons etc. so you need to have it installed to see other people who are playing as these characters, even if they're not accessible to you as playable characters.

Thats how I've interpreted it from the article too.

Although, in Forza 3, with their download packs. I've only got one of them. I was playing with someone, who has one of the packs I don't. They picked one of the DLC cars, and in the menu it showed their car as 'DLC car'. However, in the game, I could see the car fine.
With the track pack, I think its a different matter. But the cars all seem to display fine even to people who haven't bought the packs.

It sounds like 2K are telling the truth.

"[The DLC] is not interfering with our patching capabilities, which are a top priority and are still being actively worked on," added the spokesperson.

Really, i would hope that something they already finished before they even released the game would not effect their patching capabilities. Now that would just be sad...

Originally Posted by Cerberus90

Although, in Forza 3, with their download packs. I've only got one of them. I was playing with someone, who has one of the packs I don't. They picked one of the DLC cars, and in the menu it showed their car as 'DLC car'. However, in the game, I could see the car fine.
With the track pack, I think its a different matter. But the cars all seem to display fine even to people who haven't bought the packs.

It sounds like 2K are telling the truth.

I can't speak for Forza 3, but the way many games implement such things is by having all users download enough of the DLC to play against others. You might have had a small update that gave you the required files from the other packs. Several other games handle it this way, such as DoW2's recent Chaos Rising expantion, or Killing Floor's character skin DLCs.

With so many other games handling this issue through far less debatable means, maintaining a solid player base is not a good reason. Yes, it does allow everyone to play together regardless of DLC purchase (like other methods do), they aren't lying about that, I will give you this. But it also allows 2K Games to make more money with far less effort than other developers.

The way WoW does it is that non expansion pack players can see and use expansion items and gear, but they are prohibited from going to expansion areas (or leveling) Thus way everyone has the same information base (although I don't think it forces you to install the full expansion data if your account isn't updated) so they can play together.

However Blizzard never charged people for information that came on the original disc and called it a "expansion pack"

If they are releasing a full game, then sending unlocks for people at best it's dishonest. It's kinda like the free 2 play MMO model, accept they don't flat out tell you that they are charging you for stuff you could of had theoretically day one for free.

just dishonest.