I get it. It bugs me somewhat but obviously not as much. I do get it. There were multiple ways to handle this whole shebang and it wasn’t exactly handled in a way that I agree with. Personally I think it was a bit of a mistake to price the season pass the way they did. The pricing was fine to me. All 4 pieces are worth $10 each to me. And getting them for $30 in a season pass made that even better for me. However, not everyone sees as much value from each piece in the season pass.
Here’s the problems as I see it.
a) TPS released and no xbox one version announced until 4 months later to be released 2 months after
being announced. - solution? IF they knew it was going to be released for xbox one, they could have announced that it would come out for the xbox one back then. Some people would have waited. - counterpoint? We should suspected that it would be released on next gen at some point. Seems inevitable.
b) TPS season pass didn’t specify exactly what it would contain - at this point we know it has at least 2 characters, 1 super arena + 10 levels, and 1 campaign + 10 more levels. - solution? they could have told us precisely what they were planning to throw into it. Counterpoint? Us consumers could have waited until more details became available and/or the content was released.
c) TPS shorter than BL2. They told us that it would be. I think it’s length is just fine. Feels longer than Borderlands 1. And I like the improvements that were made to player classes and the new mechanics.
d) TPS season pass too pricey; should be cheaper now that handsome collection is out; should be cheaper regardless. Somewhat covered above. I don’t think it needs to be cheaper just because of the handsome collection. Primarily because I think of the handsome collection as a new release for a different platform altogether. That said, I think it would be wise to make the season pass cheaper.@Jack_Frost does have a point in his thread. Even though it got out of hand. The people on the older platform would definitely appreciate a discount. It doesn’t help anyone who already bought the season pass though.
e) level cap raises released in two parts. 10 levels here/then and 10 levels there/now. Would have been nice of them to let us know they were going to do that. Counterpoint? I suspected it was going to happen. It didn’t surprise me.
All of that being said I think Gearbox and 2k have their reasons for doing things the way they do. Maybe those reasons make sense, at least to them. Personally I would have preferred more open communication about their plans when they knew their plans. Counterpoint? Perhaps they plan all kinds of things but prefer to only announce things when they are absolutely certain IF they will be implemented and WHEN they will be implemented. Maybe they have plans/ideas to release 2 more DLC for this that would be included in the season pass. But perhaps they aren’t sure yet.
And finally, sure I’d like more communication if only so the players will be happier about all of it. Personally I’m fine with all of these “issues”. I don’t find any of this too surprising or insulting the way things did happen.
I want to +1 everything you summed up in your comment. I am in complete agreement with you on every level.
Although I think things could have been handled better, I don’t see any huge injustices being done. Most complaints I’ve noticed seemed to stem from things I already assumed would happen. So like you said, even though communication was poor most of this seemed inevitable from day 1. It’s refreshing to see someone with a little perspective give an opinion instead of the usual raging and entitlement.
f) the DLC having less campaign/missions than the DLC in previous Borderlands. The playerbase is more used to having 3 or 4 story campaign DLCs of at least 2 to 5 hours of missions and a bunch of new areas to explore. It was an interesting choice this time to release only two mission based DLC (one of them being only 1 map/area, the holodome) and the other being the campaign DLC we’ve been waiting for (claptrap’s claptastic voyage inside his mind). While we have yet to see how long it is, how many maps are in it, how many missions, and how good this content is, we hope it is at least as long as Tiny Tina’s from BL2. I suspect it will be somewhat equal to that. And I suspect I’ll enjoy it. But inevitably people will claim that it’s too short or small or they don’t like the theme. Lastly, I do think the wise part of this structure is that the players who only want another campaign DLC can spend a mere $10 for what sounds like a fantastic deal of good content.
How many times do you try to travel with randoms online and discover that they are missing that area (maybe they had pirates but not hammerlock for example)? This simplifies that problem by making that price of entry only $10. You’re more likely to see people with it than not. And sure, yes, the holodome is another area to worry about, but that’s less likely to be traveled to once this new content hits. And it’s far less than the 4 to 8 DLC based groups of fast travels we had in BL2.
edit: And final point on this. I will however still wish for more content regardless. I love the new classes in TPS and wish to enjoy them as long as tolerable in as many interesting places as possible.
@Matrixneo42 - I apologise for my original snarky response, you didn’t really deserve that. Thanks for taking the time to at least try to understand what I was saying rather than just arguing with me that I was completely off base. A point I want to make up front is that this is not “entitlement”. I do not think I’m entitled to anything. I’m not asking to get it for free, I’m just asking for a bit of fairness pricewise given my support on the older system. That’s just good consumerism.
Anyway:
a) The problem is that they officially announced they wouldn’t be making a next gen version. Pitchford even gave an explanation of why they weren’t doing it predicated off the “low install base” of the One/PS4 at the time. So it didn’t seem inevitable, they said they weren’t making it.
b) I did wait until more details were available and I still think it’s too much at $29.99 for the Season Pass. Them giving it away in the Handsome Jack Collection only emphasizes my contention that the DLC is overpriced.
c) I too enjoy BL: TPS - more than BL2, even - so I have no problems with the game itself. In fact, I played 2 again recently and immediately found myself missing the low gravity and the butt-slam. And my CL4P-TP.
d) But you can transfer your saves between the consoles so they have a connection to each other. They are only separate releases due to being on different consoles. And I sincerely apologise to anyone who paid full price for the Season Pass, if I knew how they could make it right for you, I’d argue for it, but I just don’t know how that could be achieved beyond giving you something for free. But you’ve already bought everything, so I really don’t know…
The reason I’m suspicious of the timing of their announcement that they were not making a next-gen version and subsequently surprising us with its existence is that 2K’s parent is Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two is also parent to Rockstar Games, they also announced there would be no next-gen version of GTAV when they released it originally - until there was one.
I can’t prove that this was deliberate, but it certainly seems fishy enough to warrant some skepticism.
I wanna toss a few things in here just for the record.
I picked up BL1 GoTY for like 35 40 bucks. Vs anybody who paid full price plus cost for dlc content. Whill your arguement is from last to current gen this is still same concept. “Here buy our 6 month old last gen game and we are throwing this in”. I may not agree but they gotta make money.
Also they had good offers on pre-release. Because i preordered TPS i also recoeved a 30$ gift card which i used to but the season pass. So i have 0 room to complain about anything. And i pre ordered like a month in advance.
I understand the frustration but i feel its not worth it. For every arguement will be a counter arguement equally as valid. For instance had i paid full price id be okay with the handsome pack coming out for 2 reason. I have been playing for 6 months more than XBone and because i dont have an XBone. While that may sound silly it goes back to what i said earlier about a technically outdated game being adapted to next gen.
@KingDuff - The game isn’t outdated, it only came out last October. That’s only 6 months.
And that’s totally awesome you got a deal, very jelly.
But that still doesn’t make it right that they’re gonna charge me top-dollar even after the Handsome Jack Collection comes out.
I totally agree with you that they have to make money which is why I’m not advocating that they give it away. But they could at least drop the damn price. Hell, for BL2 they had a sale for the Season Pass at 50% off before all of the DLC included in it was even out, so I think there’s ample precedent for them discounting the thing for TPS on the 360/PS3.
I dont mean the games itself is outdated sorry for the confusion. I mean as far as tech wise its outdated graphics etc etc as far as how the gaming market in general will treat it (i know us BL fans probably have few complaints about that kinda stuff).
So to sell it on XBOne its still a 360 game that got ported over. So they will still look at it as outdated. Atleast i would to a point.
If you want to make a statement with these companies ripping off consumers people need to vote with their wallets… Unfortunately we are in a society of people who are impatient and want gratification immediately instead of thinking about what message they are sending these companies.
Look at all the games on phones that are “pay to play” the entire system is a complete scam. Yet because people have bought into these scams they continue to exist.
Further frustration is the yearly fees some apps are trying to charge. It’s so frustrating that people can’t think enough to realize if people didn’t give them money they wouldn’t exist.
Granted I am a bit off topic but you can see where this applies to dlc content. DLC content prices continue to climb, the content remains the same or even less… People continue to buy.
Until people start thinking about what they are actually supporting when they buy this stuff, they will continue to push prices higher, lower content until finally people say it’s enough.
The problem there is that none of it is outdated, the story DLC is releasing the same day as The Collection, for full price on older systems but at a discounted price for current systems.
That right there to me is a screw you to anyone who got the season pass early, or cant afford a current system ( we exist) Granted, yes we who did that get to play it for a extra 6 months and got to experience being a bit disappointed by a certain dome first hand but to me that doesn’t excuse overcharging for everything now
Also in the way of paying more to get to play earlier, we don’t get to play claptraps voyage earlier at all, we payed extra to play it at the same time on old systems
I can certainly see that point. (Also i am one of those people lol) idk i guess i see the problem is but i dont stress it anymore. Itll continue to be this way. I may not like it but i doubt itll change
I think the decision they made in BL2 season pass has already had and effect on who bought into BL:TPS early. Next time around given how the season passes have panned out the last two times personally I will wait until everything is released and pick it up then and by that time it will be much cheaper too. Yes Gearbox make decisions but these decisions have consequences, now fans are more likely to question if it is wise to buy into BL3 early or wait and see. If a lot choose to wait and see what we end up getting in DLC then this will end up hurting Gearbox’s / 2K’s overall profits. They want as many people to buy upfront as they can at full price and for this they need to be more upfront (clearer) with just what we can expect and what is different from what we got in the previous games.
What people seem to not realize with the price in dlc going up and stuff like this when they complain about it is even though a dlc may be short it takes a significant amount of work and man hours done by a team of people. I am going to school for video game art and trust me it is no easy task, and that is just the art part, when you get into coding and all that crap its almost like rocket science or performing brain surgery (okay these comparisons are a bit drastic but you get my point). The point is yeah they are making these to make more money from their already sold product but it also gives us more stuff to enjoy with our product, instead of making a new game that you have to purchase at full price you get more entertainment with a game you already enjoy. The fact that the Handsome Jack pack comes with all the dlc doesn’t bother me at all, in a way they are losing money at the same time they are gaining money, they could have easily charged for the dlc as well and people would still buy it. The thing with this is there is still very few games on next gen console to make it worth the transition by providing a deal like this it can sway more people to convert, Borderlands fans can have a game for the next ten console to kill some time without breaking the bank to do so. I do not have a One yet but when I do get one this is one of the games I am getting for sure even though I own all the games and dlc on the 360. I’m not trying to be rude or antagonize anyone but before you guys complain about prices and want companies to drop prices on stuff that is still basically brand new you should look into the whole process it takes to do this kind of thing. Once you see how long of a process it is and how difficult figuring out all the problems is, not to mention all the pressure consumers provide you might be glad the season pass only costs $39.99, I for one see it as an amazing deal.
Edit: A lot of us have been spoiled with the last gen consoles, they have been out for so long compared to the rest of the industry. I mean there is a whole generation of gamers who have never had to deal with a console upgrade. I remember when I was a kid going through NES, Super NES, Sega Genisis, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, Playstation and Playstation 2, Gamecube. They need these kind of deals to get more people into the next-gens, out of all the games for One that I have seen the only ones I want are Dragon Age, Handsome Jack Pack, and Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls all games of which I already have on the 360. Just throwing that out there so you can see why releases like this need to take place.
It’s pretty simple. They said they were not developing it for next gen, so people begrudgingly bought it for last gen along with the season pass because that was the only way they would get to play it. When you have made the investment into a next gen platform no one wants to keep spending money on last gen if they can get the same thing on next gen. This was a big issue leading up to launch leading to a lot of hate towards Gearbox’s steadfast last gen only stance. Fast forward a mere three months and they announce they are releasing the same thing much cheaper on next gen. I can understand how people would be pissed off. It is double dipping on your most loyal fans. It’s like they knew the fans would pay twice and basically lump it. Not a good way to treat your customers IMHO.
Those reactions are probably why Gearbox changed their minds and released it for next-gen, it is a very “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. Consumers do not have to buy the new one for next-gen if they don’t want to, it is entirely a choice made by the consumer no one else.
This is why I have been and always shall be a PC gamer. As a kid I had an Atari 2600 and I bought a N64 with a few games to play with my kids when they visited.
I do know what kind of work goes into making games. I was studying game design a few years ago.
This whole argument/complaint thread reminds me of all the similar threads about the pricing of MMOs back when I was doing a lot of beta testing. “OMG $15/month is way too much, make it free”, yet those same folks would go out and spend $20 - $30 at the movies (show and snacks) for a mere 2-3 hours of entrainment while getting as many hours a month as they wanted on whichever MMO it was for less.
When you consider a DLC that gives you approximately 5 hours of entertainment, if you only play it once, for a mere $10, that’s a better value than going to the movies and foregoing the snacks. It’s comparable to renting a standard definition movie on Vudu. Oh, but wait, most folks are likely to play that new dlc with multiple characters, so that’s easily 15+ hours of entertainment if you run 3 characters thru it. That’s not even figuring in the all the hours they’ll spend grinding for the new weapons or playing around with the new arena.
I’ve only had TPS with the Season pass for just over a month and I’ve already logged 242 hours. I got TPS on sale but the SP was full price, so I paid $59.98 total. That come to about 25 cents per hour of entertainment. That’s a far better deal that I could have gotten for any other form of entertainment.
Hardly, it would have taken way more than 3 months to port it to next gen and test it. I would say this was already well in the works at the launch of BL:TPS. We should have been informed that this was the plan the we could have made a choice. There is no choice to be made when there is only one option at launch and a steadfast no that it was not coming to next gen.
Randy Pitchford (FTA) - “I don’t think I would have to stretch far to suggest
there’s probably a lot of demand for more Borderlands. That demand lives
on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. We don’t know to what extent it’ll live on
the next-gen. I imagine over time – maybe by the time we get to the
third or fourth Christmas – there will be enough of an install base.
“If you try to image the set of Borderlands players who have already
upgraded, that’s not 100 per cent. But if you try to image the set of
Xbox One or PS4 owners who do not have an Xbox 360 or a PS3, the
difference there is so close to nil you can’t make a business
rationalization around that.”
The install base has hardly changed since these comments and it is certainly not 3 or 4 Christmases since the release of next gen. Last gen still dwarves next gen 10x.
BL:TPS steam stats are bad. 4x as many people are playing BL2 (#17) than BL:TPS (#66) and that game has been out since 2012.
Exactly, that is why companies are releasing games that are already out and have been successful, even if there was no original intent to do so, to bring more people in to the next-gen era and to bring new fans into a game they may not have played before. Examples, all the Halos, Handsome Jack pack, Grand Theft Auto V, Devil May Cry, Dark Souls 2, Tomb Raider. I’m sure I might have missed some, the point is no one seems to discredit these other companies for re-releasing previous titles. With no backwards compatibility on these consoles gamers need something to fill the void between new releases. If they do not do something to entice people over to the new console then people will spend as much time as possible on the old-gen, I currently haven’t switched over yet but releases like Handsome Jack are getting me closer to the switch. Point is even if they did do it on purpose and were planing to release it on next-gen it doesn’t matter, you do not have to buy it for next-gen if you don’t want to, if you want to discredit the company for trying to double dip then don’t buy it, no one is putting a gun to your head after all.
