Support NeoGAF

[EviLore]

I don't get it. Is this in-game content Bethesda is selling or is it a user-created mod someone is selling? (like how some people sell the clothes they make for The Sims)

Bethesda is selling it.

 

[scissorfight]

Even last year they were hinting at this.

This is what games are going to turn into. Ideas during development that, instead of being added to the game, will be held until after release and made avaiable for purchase. What a joke.

Anyone who buys this shit deserves to be kicked in the junk.

 

[Great Poster]

Horse armor for $2.50? What a deal!


$2,350.00 Here!

 

[Sysgen]

Because you are already overcharged for the game itself compared to the pc version, now they want to charge you for mods?

hey, I'm with you. I'm just trying to get in their heads. "Hey, they paid $70 for th egame, what's another $3 for horse armour".

Maybe if they commercialized it a bit. The offical Horse armour of Pepsi. :lol

This is why you buy a 360. MS: "We've got the best damn horse armour on our market place".

This month, $3 for horse armour, next month $3 for the guy that cleans up after the horse :lol

It's insane!

 

[GreekWolf]

Meh, I don't have problem with it. Would it be nice to offer this stuff at a 50 cents a pop? Definitely. But Bethesda is a business just like any other, and they have a right to charge whatever they'd like for their products.

Considering that we ( as console owners )even have the option to purchase additional game content, without compliling a huge petition, is a great bonus. Without the efforts of a few select individuals, Xbox owners would have never even seen a Morrowind GOTY edition with the two expansion packs.

 

[KiNeSiS]

I just put a premium pack on layaway I'm psyched about the 360 but if this is the future of gaming forgetabout it. I'll stick with the game i pay for. Hopefully we don't get forced to have to pay for different features in the future. The future is looking bleeker than memphis.

 

[Wollan]

Weren't Xfanatics hammering on MotorStorms 2.50$ circuit the other day? :lol

 

[DenogginizerOS]

People payed $10 xtra for a small paperback and a piece of metal so why not $3 for horse armour.

I didn't.

Spoiler

The retail elves at Best Buy price-matched the CompUSA deal of $44.99 for the Collector's Edition.

 

[belgurdo]

So I take it this is why the game has no epic loot at the current moment. Weak

 

[Patrick Klepek]

Some new info -- also, the PC version's armor download will be cheaper: $1.99

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3149261

$2.50 (or slightly less, depending on your hardware preference) isn't too bad for a completely new item, and Bethesda says the price won't fluctuate very much for future items. "We priced it [the armor] at a level we think is reasonable. I would imagine all of our content would be around the same range," he said.

 

[Eel O'Brian]

I would pay $3 for some crazy ninja armor which allowed me to infiltrate other people's 360s and steal the loot from their last saved game.

But only then.

 

[TemplaerDude]

I'm not paying for something I can get for free.... make my own damn armor...

 

[GreekWolf]

So I take it this is why the game has no epic loot at the current moment. Weak

Are you kidding? There is a ton of epic loot in the game.

I should know, I own about half of it.

 

[SteveMeister]

So I take it this is why the game has no epic loot at the current moment. Weak

I take it you haven't done any of the Daedric quests. Weak.

 

[The Faceless Master]

guys guys guys, you are all over-reacting...

it's not $3... ... ... ... it's $2.50...

:lol :lol :lol

anyway, all you people who loved the idea of microtransactions can enjoy your $2.50 horse bling bling kit...

 

[Eel O'Brian]

Does the armor have ground effects?

 

[Pimpbaa]

Some new info -- also, the PC version's armor download will be cheaper: $1.99

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3149261

It's still crazy, even if it's released for PC too. Bethesda released a mod for morrowind that added a small island with a castle/dungeon for you to raid plus quests to go along with it completely free. Rather than nickle and dime people for small items. They should just save it all for an expansion or maybe even a mini expansion (one that adds a bunch of new armor and weapons).

 

[Confidence Man]

Incredibly fucking lame. They couldn't have just squeezed this into the retail game that came out two weeks ago?

 

[The Faceless Master]

someone remind me again, how long does it take for marketplace content to get approved?

 

[Space Runaway]

Hasn't Namco already given over 10 free new cars for RR6(Assuming those weren't just instant unlock d/ls, please correct me of I'm wrong).

That being the case, it makes paying for horse armour even lamer. Which is a shame because I would actually use a horse again if I could outfit it with some nice protection.

 

[Wario64]

Horse Armor - $3

Coming next moth:
Staff of Vanquish - $5
Invincible Armor - $10
Mace of love - $20
...


http://www.majornelson.com/

awesome! looks like i will be using my free Verizon points to decorate my horse.

 

[Dr_Cogent]

Incredibly fucking lame. They couldn't have just squeezed this into the retail game that came out two weeks ago?

I remember hearing they didn't finish it in time to get it into the game (some guy in the Gaming Steve interview) and he made mention that it would be available for download after the game was shipped. I could have sworn he said for free, or implied it, but maybe I am mistaken. Regardless, this is so obvious of a cash grab it's not even funny. I am not mad at Steve per-say because I can't know for sure if he was directly involved with said matter or not (I doubt he was). Even so, I think the move in general is complete bullshit and I hope everyone spreads the word to not buy this overpriced bullshit.

This sort of action simply show that devs are doing what I expected them to. Leaving content out deliberate or not, to have it available for download at a price. This is unnacceptable.

 

[GhaleonEB]

This is disappointing. If this was a really big extras pack - lots of new armor, weapons, horse gear, etc. I can see charging $2.50 for it. But this is just petty. I'm looking forward to Oblivion (should arrive any day now) and hope we see some real expansion packs go up ala Morrowind down the road, but there is no way in hell this should cost money.

The guys on Major Nelson's site are going postal. Some good comments in there:

Armor for the horse is cool but 200 points isn’t cool. Thats half the price of some arcade games. After we pay 60 or 70 for the game, the least they can do is give us this downloadable content for free dont you guys think? Halo gave us whole maps for free, and here we are paying for a fashion statement for our horse.

I’m wondering… why was this not included in the game? Would it have taken that much longer to add horse armor to the retail copy?? Or is this the beginning of what everyone feared would happen to XBLA… exclusion of material from games? At the very least this should have been on the $70 collector’s discs.

The $60.00 to 70.00 dollar price tag that oblivion carries would seem to vindicate a download of such little enhancement to be free of charge.

I have to agree, 200 MP is very pricey for horse armour….it is down right ridiculous. I didn’t expect it to be free but come on! It did not take that much work to make horse armour, is this were some quests then I’d jump on it, but horse armour!? The sad part is I imagine too many people will buy it anyway which will simply reinforce this happening again in the future.

The really sad thing is Microsoft is wasting the potential of the marketplace by being greedy. They really could use it to their advantage, but nope, it’s all about the $.

For example they could of made the horse amour free as a way of thanking their fans for spending $60 on their game. This would also make the average gamer think, “wow if I buy oblivion, I’ll get cool stuff like this free!!” – thus leading to more sales. By all means charge us for content that has value - don’t take the piss with 200 point horse amour.

 

[Wario64]

But Velocity Girl needs to make a living.

 

[GhaleonEB]

But Velocity Girl needs to make a living.

She doesn't have the game. She's busy making t-shirts.

 

[----]

On a massively multiplayer online game this might make sense. On a single player game where nobody will ever see this stuff and it has no real trading value this concept makes no sense at all.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Another question. When you buy this, does it just show up in your inventory, or is it integrated into the gameworld so that you have to buy it there as well?

 

[Comfort_Eagle]

After Morrowind came out, didnt Bethesda offer complete armor packages to download for free(although you still had to buy/steal it in the game)? Now they want to charge PC users $2 for one horse piece?

At least PC users have user mods that will come down the line, hopefully. 360 guys are really going to get screwed if they want cool stuff later down the line. Surely something like this should have been in the game to begin with.

 

[Pimpbaa]

After Morrowind came out, didnt Bethesda offer complete armor packages to download for free(although you still had to buy/steal it)? Now they want to charge PC users $2 for one horse piece?

Yes they did, plus the small island that was added by a mod that I mentioned above.

 

[ToxicAdam]

This is the best news I have read all day.


It's like a tax on stupid people.

Spoiler

should do well

 

[kaching]

anyway, all you people who loved the idea of microtransactions can enjoy your $2.50 horse bling bling kit...

I don't mind the idea of a microtransaction, but this isn't what I'd call 'micro'.

 

[aaaaa0]

If you don't buy it, they won't do it again.

 

[MattPeters]

I wonder how long it will take for someone to make the exact armour for the PC version and release it for free.

 

[GhaleonEB]

I don't mind the idea of a microtransaction, but this isn't what I'd call 'micro'.

It's small enough relative to full game purchases that I think it qualifies as a "micro"transaction. It's what you get for that cost that is the problem. I'd need at least 10x the content to buy at this price.

I wonder how long it will take for someone to make the exact armour for the PC version and release it for free.

One week, tops.

 

[Spencerr]

I wonder how long it will take for someone to make the exact armour for the PC version and release it for free.

Garr

Spoiler

Don't pirate

 

[BuG]

Another question. When you buy this, does it just show up in your inventory, or is it integrated into the gameworld so that you have to buy it there as well?

Do guards still conviscate all your stolen goods when they arrest you? If so I hope you have to steal it or something and then the guards snatch it away from you. Ten days hard labour only to be released to see a guard riding away with your new kit would be too much. :lol

 

[Pimpbaa]

Garr

Spoiler

Don't pirate

I think in this case it's less pirating and more Robin Hood'ing.

 

[Spencerr]

Speaking of Oblivion and Pirates. My pirate sword is my favorite thing ever.

 

[The Faceless Master]

I don't mind the idea of a microtransaction, but this isn't what I'd call 'micro'.

sure it's micro... a small price for a small item... you can't even get a proper meal at wendy's for $2.50

 

[kaching]

It's small enough relative to full game purchases that I think it qualifies as a "micro"transaction. It's what you get for that cost that is the problem. I'd need at least 10x the content to buy at this price.

4-5% of the cost of the game itself is not "micro", esp. when the retail game in comparison has thousands of items packed in for $60...and NPCs and creatures and a vast land to explore and...well you get the picture, I hope.

Also, the origin of the term "microtransaction" harkens back to the heady, pre-burst Internet bubble days when it was intended to be a method to charge literally only a few pennies for digital content per transaction. Of course, it wasn't found to be a profitable approach at the time (cost of overhead for managing so many tiny transactions outstripped the revenue it would likely bring in) but a happy medium seems to have been achieved around the $.99 mark right now.

 

[tuco11]

Bethesda can choke on their horse armor. Paid $70, should be in the mother f'n game. FU.
Also FU EA for your shitty non feature added ports i.e. BMC 360, and FU to whover made Top spin 2 for not allowing 4 player (sperate console ) online doubles. end rant.

 

[SuperPac]

Is it just the two pieces of horse armor shown, or are there more? If it was a half-dozen or so different types of armor to choose from I could see it being 200 pts. They often offer most themes and gamerpics for 160, and that's all material that easily could have been included in the $60 purchase price of a game as well.

IMO they should have better pics of the stuff up on the web so you can see what you'll be buying instead of having to do a blind-buy. Who knows, there might be some cool shit in there for 200... *shrug*

 

[GhaleonEB]

4-5% of the cost of the game itself is not "micro", esp. when the retail game in comparison has thousands of items packed in for $60...and NPCs and creatures and a vast land to explore and...well you get the picture, I hope.

Also, the origin of the term "microtransaction" harkens back to the heady, pre-burst Internet bubble days when it was intended to be a method to charge literally only a few pennies for digital content. Of course, it wasn't found to be a profitable approach at the time (cost of overhead for managing so many tiny transactions outstripped the revenue it would likely bring in) but a happy medium seems to have been achieved around the $.99 mark right now.

To your first point, I think we agree. The price:content ratio is absurd.

To the second point, I don't think Microsoft ever defined their use of "microtransactions" that way. It is intended to be a way to reduce the cost per transaction to allow for small transactions by users. The system keeps the cost/transcation almost nil. At any rate, it seems MS is using the term for any add-on purchase for games, regardless of actual cost. Obviously that does not fit your idea of "micro".

 

[Ghost]

I agree with the sentiment that this is way overpriced for a novelty, gimme a Kvatch patch in 3 months with a few items and a couple of new fun quests to do, and i'll bit for 800 points, but shelling out 200 points for individual items (especially ones that dont do a lot to actually enhance the game) seems steep.

 

[Dr_Cogent]

This sort of behavior is only going to give a lot of gamers a bad taste in their mouths. I think devs should think twice about this sort of horse shit (pun intended).

 

[kaching]

Obviously that does not fit your idea of "micro".

It's not "my idea" of what a microtransaction is, it's what the term was coined for in the first place. It's not a big deal, but MS is misappropriating the term, I think, mostly for the marketing angle of how it sounds.

 

[GhaleonEB]

It's not "my idea" of what a microtransaction is, it's what the term was coined for in the first place. It's not a big deal, but MS is misappropriating the term, I think, mostly for the marketing angle of how it sounds.

I think the term is flexible enough to be used in this context. At any rate I'd never heard of it before now.

 

[kaching]

Well, of course it's flexible when you've never heard of the term before!

 

[Shompola]

it would make more sense if they would make an exclusive(for each buyer that is) armor say for 5 bux or so.

 

[SuperPac]

So does anyone know if it's just those two pieces of armor in the picture on Major Nelson's site, or are there more? $2.50 for two pieces of armor would be mega-lame.