DoW II: Free content for paying customers, no *stupid* DRM

More studios getting it!

from Elemental Forums

http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/warhammer40000dawnofwarii/interview.htm

Strategy Informer: Now this is a standard question that we always ask, but what do you have lined up in terms of expansion packs and DLC?

Jonny Ebbert: We have a lot of seriously exciting plans for DLC. We really want to give our players a top-notch online experience and we want to reward our players for playing our game. We want to give out steady doses of free downloadable content because we believe in rewarding people who buy the game and the reason we don’t like DRM solutions is because they punish the innocent and they have to jump through all these hoops. We don’t want to do that so we’re going with the approach that Valve pioneered to just reward the people who actually bought the game with cool stuff. Free downloadable, regularly accessible stuff that enhances the game and then that’s an incentive for the people who didn’t buy the game to buy it. So we’ve got a really bold, robust strategy for that and we’re going to be revealing more details in about a month, but I think players are going to like it. And everybody wins you know? The people who paid for the game don’t have to go through any fuss and they’re constantly getting new stuff, which keeps the game fresh.

(Don't forget about Stardock :D )

Anyway, I really support this approach. Encourage people to buy your game with free updates. Digital distribution is really cool because people who read about all these free updates can go and buy the game within a few minutes. With unlimited inventory and zero reliance on retail shelf space, devs can keep their games alive for many years (see GalCiv2). Hooray for our digital distribution overlords!

163,997 views 45 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Just one thing wasnt Stardock the one to pioneer this trend or was it really Valve that started it just asking.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

It was SD as far as I know. Although some would debate it since SD main business was/is not games.

Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Relic was also early, CoH for example has no copy protection at all, and in later versions (2.300->) also employed the online patching (with a login or cd-check as well though, but earlier versions had none of that).

So way to go, Relic/THQ! This is making buying the game a whole lot more fun! (Have had it pre-ordered since October, but well... ^^)

Developers should learn that the GTA IV approach is definately not the way to go, a big kick in the head to R* for that big mistake of a PC game.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

Hooraaay for no Digital Restrictions Movement :D

 

I know the R stands for "Rights" but what I have there makes more seanse.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

DRM punishes paying customers.  About time another major company switches to rewarding paying customers instead.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

I certainly wouldn't intepret the article as Ebbert stating flatly that there will be no DRM of any kind.  If it turns out that way, great, but I think it's far more likely that there will be some minimal and noninvasive DRM methods employed which I have no problem with.

The best news from this article when I read it over at the forums is the notion that they want to model the game's release after Valve's recent games and keep giving us frequent and free new additions on top of patching.

Now if they can just figure out their 114 different pre-order options before the game ships, I'll probably plunk down my money.  I'll still be a little cheesed off if one version simply can't get the paint schemes and SP items that the others have without a good chunk of cash.

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Mazuo, reply 6
I certainly wouldn't intepret the article as Ebbert stating flatly that there will be no DRM of any kind.  If it turns out that way, great, but I think it's far more likely that there will be some minimal and noninvasive DRM methods employed which I have no problem with.

The best news from this article when I read it over at the forums is the notion that they want to model the game's release after Valve's recent games and keep giving us frequent and free new additions on top of patching.

Now if they can just figure out their 114 different pre-order options before the game ships, I'll probably plunk down my money.  I'll still be a little cheesed off if one version simply can't get the paint schemes and SP items that the others have without a good chunk of cash.


I changed the title to reflect that. DoW II's DRM will provide benefits to the customer (like Impulse or Steam). In other words, it won't have the "dumb" DRM that Gabe Newell talks about. :D

Reply #8 from Demigod Forums Top

Fuck yeah. Sorry about the language, but this game is ... ... anticipated.

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

SP sounds a little meh from mixed-in RPG elements and frequent boss battles plus general repetitiveness, but I'm still very interested.  Plus, with the heavy focus on 3v3 multiplayer, I'm a lot more excited about the online scene as I've always enjoyed team combat over 1v1.

Reply #10 from Demigod Forums Top

IMO this game looks amazing from a single-player and multiplayer perspective. I have been waiting for a game like this for so long. One of the few games I am more excited about than Demigod.

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

Relic also seem to have a policy of removing CD checks from their games with patches. Which is nice.

I am very excited about DoW 2, maybe I should pre-order? Is it available on Impulse yet?

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

I wish I could say that I was anxious to see the release of DoW II, being a huge fan of the original DoW and it's expansions. Unfortunately, except the setting, I don't really see much of DoW in DoW II.

I'm even a bit suprised they kept the name. Probably some licensing issue, but possibly marketing, since I'm sure they wouldn't mind snatching some of the DoW fanbase.

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

Dow II isn't Dow 2.0, so what? It seems quite W40K to me. Not that i wouldn't have prefered something more original than some kind of mix of DoW and CoH but it seems quite interesting and fun.

Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top

TAKE THAT EA

 

finally another company does this

 

on another note, DoW II looks great but seems to be more about individual squads than big armies (which i prefer)

 

 

Reply #15 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Wintersong, reply 13
Dow II isn't Dow 2.0, so what? It seems quite W40K to me. Not that i wouldn't have prefered something more original than some kind of mix of DoW and CoH but it seems quite interesting and fun.
Yes, it seems quite WH40k. I didn't say it didn't.
I'm just somewhat annoyed that they still opt to call it DoW II, when it's not -really- DoW II.

It's like calling a hatchet "Shovel II" and then argue that both seems quite garden-y and therefore it makes sense to call the hatchet Shovel II.

:p

Reply #16 from Demigod Forums Top

How is it not like DoW? I just assumed it was.

Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top

Hate to break this to you Luckmann and Jagged but this game makes alot more sense fluff wise than DoW ever did

 

EDIT: It's not like DoW gameplay wise, but it is still a sequil...

 

EDIT2: This should go on impulse with it's own unique war gear and chapters, like the Gamestop and other store preorders!

Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top

Valve tends to be pretty good at revising history and then others tend to repeat it.  

Reply #19 from Sins Forums Top

Company of Heroes was completely DRM free, and a patch was released for it, that enabled the use DX 10 features (free content for buyers, in other words). It was heavily pirated, which was the reason for the DRM used in the Opposing Fronts expansion (disc in drive, or online authentication, IIRC). We'll see if history repeats itself with this, DRM free game will get pirated plenty, just look at World of Goo.

I'll propably skip this, i played the Winter Assault demo, and it failed to catch my interest, i haven't even played CoH trough, that i got from the bargain bin well over a year ago.

Reply #20 from Elemental Forums Top

Well, Soulstorm also has disk check unlike Dark Crusade... ask THQ why.

In any case, altough i'm going to buy a copy in my country or maybe the UK (quite cheap just now and better service with preorders), if Stardock gets the game for Impulse, i'll buy it again there. ;)

Oh, and there is open beta the 28th of this month (21st if you are a Soulstorm owner). I would suggest you to try it if you can, so you can judge if you could be interested in it.

And DRM free games get pirated a lot? That's not to worry as it's, unfortunately, expected (people likes free stuff without consecuences, right?). What is to worry is how many of those pirates (and legit users) will decide to buy the game because of the free DLC stuff, patches, maps... and the game itself.

Reply #21 from Elemental Forums Top

Well no one said that removing DRM would suddenly stop piracy. DRM or not, games will be pirated. Instead of punishing customers with DRM rootkits, stupid restrictions, etc., reward them with smart DRM that adds value to legit copies (unlimited downloads, free content, online matchmaking) This has always been Stardock's general philosophy, which is why I dig the company. WoG would've been pirated the same regardless of DRM. As an aside, the boxed version is in the top 10 best-selling PC games on Amazon.com

If the pirated version is superior (e.g. it doesn't have install limits or StarForce-type crap), then you lose.

Plus the pirating pricks justify their actions with the usual "WELL IT'S MY WAY OF PROTESTING DRM!1!1" Get rid of that excuse, and you'll finally get them to admit that they do it simply because they can.

Reply #22 from Sins Forums Top

I just wonder if the no DRM decision will get them more sales than lose them, but i suppose they've done the math. And Serik makes good points too. And thanks for the information Wintersong, i'll check it out (Funny i heard it here, and not the relic forums i also visit frequently).

Reply #23 from Elemental Forums Top

The idea of the first Dawn of War was to keep base building minimal in order to concentrate on the fighting. Dawn of War 2 is simply taking that concept to its logical conclusion.

Reply #24 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Nights, reply 23
The idea of the first Dawn of War was to keep base building minimal in order to concentrate on the fighting. Dawn of War 2 is simply taking that concept to its logical conclusion.


DoW 2 combines the best from DoW and CoH, and man does it look cool!  :grin:    Me likes to smaash!  :troll:

Reply #25 from PolMach Forums Top

we’re going with the approach that Valve pioneered

Blah.  That's crap.  Stardock was doing it first.