A question about the DLC

[Ooyah]

Wooh!

The DLC is finally here!

:atari:

The new levels seem really good, and they feel very different from the original ones. There are new locations, which is wonderful, and there seems to be a lot more going on in the levels then previously.

Which makes me wonder... I heard that these extra levels are already on the disc, they just need to be unlocked. A lot has already been said about this... even some of the achievements explicitly state the need to download levels in order to obtain them. But, the DLC levels are so distinct from the existing ones (including new locations), they really do feel as if they were done after the original game was finished. ... it would be nice if someone from Atari could clear this up for us!

But, in the meantime... :atari:

[kalniel]

DLCs usually use assets both from the disc and that are downloaded. That makes sense if you think about it - all the character models, graphics engine, some textures etc. might be reused from the original game, what you need is just new level data which re-organises those existing assets in new ways (and perhaps adds a few assets as well).

[Ooyah]

Hey Kalniel!

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, I understand what you're saying... but I heard that the actual *levels* were on the disc. Maybe this rumour was started because in the US they had the downloadable content at least a week after the initial release of the game?

I myself would find it hard to believe that ATARI would do such a thing... but... out of interest... how did the US get the extra content so soon?

Also... and I guess that this is the bigger issue... there is no denying that some of the achievements (at least three of them) state that you *must* download the DLC to obtain them. In a way then, we were forced to get them, being unable to 100% the game without them. And they're not free. So you have to pay extra to complete a game you have already purchased... just seems a bit... odd.

As I have said in the past, I adore the game, and have been playing it for over 150 hours now, so I am in no way having a go at you guys!!! I would just like to figure out what happened, and would hope that :atari: could avoid such a thing happening again in the future?

Regards,

Ooyah... Kenta obsessive. :)

[kalniel]

Hey :salut2:

I confess, I don't know much about the achievements system, not having an x360 myself. Isn't it just a number? I'd have thought that completing a game is about doing everything in it, not some arbitary score :p

As for where the data sits I don't think it really matters whether they managed to squeeze it onto the discs for one version or not, did they still have to pay for the DLC in the US? As for finding out.. I'm afraid I can't really help there - probably better to ask someone at Atari Inc (US). And I certainly don't know how DLC distribution models compare between the states and the EU! I would guess that microsoft being american it's fairly common that they might get dlc content earlier, but obviously I don't know for sure :)

That sounds like a bunch of excuses.. when I'm not even involved! Sorry :nuts:

At the end of the day, the main thing is whether you enjoy the game or not, as you have it in your hands, regardless of what happens for other countries :atari:

[Ooyah]

Hello again! :)

The whole achievements thing has been quite a phenomenon. Thing is, you say that it should be about doing everything in a game, which I fully agree with. But the achievments are like extra challenges... which means that you haven't really 100%'ed a game until you have all of the achievements. And we had to pay to get the DLC to get the achievements.

Yes, the US had to pay for the DLC too. And they're at least 200MS points a level... and there are seven levels... that's quite a bit of extra dsh on top of the £40 I originally paid for the game.

Because I always thought that DLC would come *after* the launch of a game, as, truly, extra content. But the fact that the achievements mention the DLC means that it was (at least) already planned before the development of the game was completed, which surely isn't quite right?

In the end (so it seems) you can't 100% the game until you've paid for the downloads.

As for your other point... Europe always seems to come last when it comes to games, so maybe we can complain about that a little bit, no? ;) And as I say, the fact that we didn't have the downloads meant that we did not have the game in our hands... not all of it, anyway.

Thank you for replying, and I really can see what you mean, but hopefully you can see what I'm getting at too.

It would be nice if such a thing did not happen with Beautiful Katamari 2 (oh please oh please oh please... ) mdr2 :atari: :chapeau:

[kalniel]

As for your other point... Europe always seems to come last when it comes to games, so maybe we can complain about that a little bit, no? ;) And as I say, the fact that we didn't have the downloads meant that we did not have the game in our hands... not all of it, anyway.
But did you enjoy what you had? And think it was worth the money?

Now I remember it, I recall something from MS or a developer talking about MS, talking about reserving a portion of achievement points for DLC. I think it was something along the lines of not being able to give extra achievement points for DLC, so if you wanted to have any points for DLC it would have to come out of the original game's quota.

I do get what you're saying though, and expressing your opinion is what these forums are for tup:

[Ooyah]

:salut2:

Yes, I enjoy the game very much. Do I think it is worth £55 (around what I've paid now) ? Yes, to be honest, I do. I just think it's a bit :nono: to mention the downloads in the actual game like that. Because this game really does blur the line between DLC and stuff we should have had in the first place, if you get what I mean. I believe that the decision whether or not to purchase DLC should be a choice... but BK makes you download the stuff if you want to 100% the game. It does not appear to be 'extra' stuff, simply because the original game mentions it.

Actually, I think that DLC *can* add achievement points to a game. Didn't PGR4 do that?

I dunno... maybe I'm looking at it wrong / got the wrong end of the stick / am being stupid. (Delete as appropriate, or apply all three). :)

[kalniel]

Actually, I think that DLC *can* add achievement points to a game. Didn't PGR4 do that? I have no idea :p I could easily be remembering wrong anyway :)

[Ooyah]

:salut2:

I'll have a check tonight, I'm pretty sure it does add achievement points.

However, what I do know is that the PGR4 DLC adds new stuff which was not mentioned in the original game, and none of the PGR4 original achievements depend on the DLC download. It is totally optional. You can 100% PGR4 without the DLC. Same can't be said for BK.

Labouring my point? Yeah, maybe, but I do actually know some people who did not buy BK *because* of this DLC issue. Not because of the long wait we've had, but just because it seems compulsory. This ia a massive shame. It is one of the best games on the 360, and I'm sure the retail figures in the UK were not too impressive for it, so it needs all the support it can get.

[Catmoo]

I saw this post this morning before work and immediatley turned on my 360 and downloaded the levels :) It's still not as amazing as we love katamari, but the extra levels has given it a bit more depth in my eyes, and I will continue playing it forever like the others :)