Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Post in Which I Defend MK DLC...

I'm going to break my traditional "Blog form" and actually talk about Mortal Kombat. Specifically, I'd like to talk about the sometimes downright angry response from a minority of forum dwellers ever since people saw that pesky "DLC" character slot at E3.

The inspiration for this article comes from the response to Ed’s Kotaku interview posted at Kotaku.

Let's start with a couple complaints from the forums, shall we?

"We aren't being offered "extra" characters, we are being offered content that was built into the original cost of development, that is covered by the box purchase, but is yanked from the game and then put into a little side bin, and then sold as "extra" content. "

"You are being charged money to access content on a game that you already bought.

Not content made later as an addition. "

I'm going to try clarifying the DLC issue as it applies to our game. Mortal Kombat has no evil strategy wherein we're going to cut content from the game to ship it as DLC later. None. It has never been discussed. Period. We're going to be polishing all of the content that will be included on the game disk right up until the game is ready to go to store shelves to make sure that the final product is perfect.

What we are trying some strategies on, and this is what Ed alluded to in his article, is a method that once we start working on DLC, we can get it in the hands of all players, whether they purchased the DLC or not. We are still working out if this is possible, but in an ideal world, you'd be able to fight against a DLC character even if you have not purchased it...and that somehow requires us to get the content onto your machine. We're going through a lot of negotiations to see if we can make this happen...it may not be possible, but we are certainly trying to do something we think would be a very cool way to make DLC "seamless" in terms of both those who chose to purchase any new content and those who would prefer not to.

"...I refuse to pay full price for a game not to be able to access all the characters. And then to be teased by characters that I can't access after I payed FULL PRICE for the game?"

"You know how to solve the problem of DLC fracturing the community?

Bung all the characters on the disc - remember, the way things were before - and stop nickel-and-diming us to death"

This opinion, and there are quite a few people out there, just plain confuses me as a video game player and developer. There is no reason for us to make a game if we work on it indefinitely and it never ships. Every single developer would love to literally spend decades working on a game...constantly adding new features, maps, characters, etc. If we did that, though, there would be a great deal of Duke Nukem Forevers still being toiled away on that you would never get to play. At some point, development has to stop and the game has to ship. At that point, the game is 100% complete, and you need to make the decision as to whether what is on the disk is worth your hard earned cash. With the shear volume of content we plan on including in MK, we definitely think it will be an easy choice.

This is why DLC, when done in a non-malicious nature, is so awesome. It lets those of us who really enjoyed a game get even MORE of the game without having to wait years for a sequel. In the case of MK, if we add new characters, for instance, it will literally let players extend their enjoyment of the game by mastering all-new strategies long after the game has been on store shelves. How is this bad, again?

If you don't want the DLC experience, then by all means don't purchase it. You can keep playing the same game you purchased in the store for years. All it means is that the other people who _do_ want some new experiences have the option to do so.

One last point on the idea of DLC characters in MK specifically. If we choose to do these, they are certainly not trivial in terms of the time and manpower required to complete them. Since just a small portion of the press has seen the game, it is tough to judge just how awesome our characters are from screen shots.

Characters in the new Mortal Kombat not only have the exterior model you see, but don't forget we are also modeling the character's skeletons, muscle systems and internal organs. We have to make it so their skin and cloth can be ripped, damaged and bloodied. All of this is character-specific to ensure each character looks and feels unique. For this game they all have unique animations, fighting styles, special moves, particle effects, sound effects and in some cases, unique bits of technology specific to each character. They have X-rays and fatalities. And even after all that is in there is the ridiculously comprehensive period of balancing and tweaking. It is no joke that, even with some of the most talented and efficient artists in the industry, each of the characters in Mortal Kombat takes a VERY, VERY long time to complete.

Why do I mention this? It sort of hearkens back to my original point at the beginning of this overly long post. Specifically, that NetherRealm isn't some evil studio planning to rip people off with DLC, as some of the forum reactions seem to imply. We LOVE the game we are working on, and we think that after you get an opportunity to play it, you will too. All we are saying with the infamous "DLC button" is that we (and hopefully you) will love the game so much that you'll want to continue seeing new, optional content for a long time to come.

5 comments:

  1. I like that you're posting more frequently. I AM ENTERTAINED

    ReplyDelete
  2. *applauds* I agree. I'm a longtime MK fan, and I wouldn't mind spending more to expand my game. What people would be paying for is the extended manhours that go into creating the new characters, fatalities, backgrounds, etc. NOT stuff that was made for the game then cut out.

    To think, people complained for years about things that didn't make it because they ran out of time. Now with the option to expand the game after it comes out, spending a little more seems to make people whine. What did I miss?

    Either way, I'm REALLY looking forward to the next Mortal Kombat, and I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing what Boon and co. have in store for DLC.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree, DLC gives you a choice. And if a game isn't your cup of tea then you most likely won't be bothered by what's on offer as DLC.

    Focusing on possible dlc characters: As an artist myself I know how much work goes into designing a character. The guys at NetherRealm even have to make the designed character come to life (background story, kicks/punches, special moves etc.) - plus let's not forget those lovely fatalities! And all we're forking out is a few bucks to add one to a game with an already large roster of characters.

    For me personally DLC has become that little surprise gift after buying a game I love. It's something I look forward to, my dessert after a great meal.

    Can't wait for MK in 2011, it's going back to its roots and it's going to rock!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Strange you mention this, my current blog entry revolves around the upcoming Mortal Kombat, and the one I'm working on will revolve around DLC. In short: I think DLC is a good idea, but it seems more often than not, it's fallen into the wrong hands. Most pieces lack the polish of a final product. I'm optimistic that you guys will do right with your additional content and not remove secret characters from the final build in order to nickel and dime the consumer.

    I also acknowledge that it's a street that goes two-ways: where is the line drawn where the consumer has a legimate cause for concern about feeling ripped off for things that should have been in the game but were held aside in order for publishers to reap the rewards of additional content, and exactly where is it just an angry mob of greedy consumers wanting more for their dollar? This is the biggest problem the whole debate wages, and the line is most definitely unrefined, blurry at best. The thought of this upcoming blog entry already gives me a headache in scouring through both sides of the hyperbole.

    Anyways, please check the blog if you get the chance. It's a bit of a gushy love letter to the franchise and has made the rounds amongst MK fans: http://whichbuttonjumps.blogspot.com/

    -Zoop

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad MK isn't doing what Capcom did: CHARGE FOR 2 CHARACTERS THAT WERE ON THE DISC. I have it preordered at gamestop for the sweet scorpion klassic skin.

    ReplyDelete