Please make option with less fragmented content purchase

[=VARP=Cygann]

Hello,

 

This is about BOS, but let me just explain issue on the ROF example so everyone can better understand what I hope BOS will somehow avoid.

 

 

I have bought ROF 2 times, regular and steam version. Have also half of steam DLC with some planes, and many plane purchases on regular version.

Together I maybe own all ROF content or very close, hard to tell and that is one problem right there.

 

Whatever account I log in to, I feel like playing half product. It is already an annoyance to me, but it is how it is.

BOS should avoid this kind of thing up front thinking of how to add ability to merge bought content from Steam to yours version (since I recon reverse would not be possible due to Steam rules about DLC and other content). We all know Steam version will be released, so make it right this time around.

 

Sim community is quite small to start with compared to other genres in the industry. Then that little numbers are fragmented even more then ever before because nowadays there are quite a few options as opposed to decade ago when IL2 was in it's full glory. This makes it even harder for you to get critical numbers to keep game on top (and new titles are in the making, from WWII to space ones and this is a great thing actually).

 

Now, those things you can't change or have much influence over. What you can influence (and did very wrong IMHO in ROF) is not to fragment your existing customers even further, separating small community to even smaller groups by content they purchased. If you need financing development and don't have investors, just start kick-starter and pre-orders to get you going until you have enough to release expansion and once we buy it, we all get all planes from it again and everyone can play together.  

 

Even with my two separate purchases of the ROF, it is still not possible for me to enjoy it in full because I need to swap between to get the map, or the bombers or whatever. And then, even when I personally have everything server mission is running, some of my friends don't because map just changed and they don't own a single plane to fly even tho they bought a version of the game with 10 planes. They would probably buy 10 more and a map if it was bundled as an expansion (like buying IL2 game, then Forgotten Battles, then Pacific Fighters...and at the end of the production, 1946 to unite it all and make simple to new players that come to the party late).

 

It just feels bad for a customer to join a game and see half of the content unavailable and he can play one round, but not the other with his friends. Some go and buy what they miss, but many just give up as it's to much hassle and to complicated with all those micro transactions and tracking what you have and don't have. You can't even see up front if server is running in rotation content you do not have.

This is free2play model in pay2play game, simply does not work well for end consumers.

 

You can keep current model for those of us that will buy planes as they come out. But you need to make proper bundles along the lines every time you released enough content to create a meaningful bundle (lets say a map, campaign and 10 planes with all their mods make a decent expansion).

 

If all your expansions/bundles need to cost as much as game itself to keep you going, so be it. But make it simple and adjust packages-prices as time passes and game gets older. Just look at ROF product line across the timeline for both game versions, it's a mess and getting full ROF content seems like more work then buying PC component by component.

 

I don't think you realize how much people that like to pay their games no matter the price, but then own them in full, actually despise f2p business model and micro transactions. Some I know, so much so, that they don't play games using that model regardless of their quality. You should think ahead how to combine both options. This is as important to the sales as having Steam version is (many will buy only games on Steam/Origin and I actually understand their reasoning even tho I don't care for it personally).