Rage.....terrible move as a game developer!

So I am playing Rage for PS3 and I am driving along the desert and I spot this sewer cover, I try to go in and it tells me that I need to redeem a code or purchase the content. This really pisses me off. I am not a hardcore gamer so if stuff like this keeps popping up, then i will probably stop getting games developed by these guys. I don't mind that they develop stuff to purchase online, but seriously, to actually tempt me with a sewer cover, let me hit the enter button, then tell me I can't enter and need to spend more money first. That is something that will make casual gamers go away. I am thinking of returning my used copy right now.

 

It is some clever marketing

 

This is precisly why i don`t have my 360 no more.I`ll try and keep this short :-D
But lets just say i can`t stand some developers as they **** and moan about people buying preowned games, EA and THQ are two of them, and when i had my 360 i had similar problems to you, like on certain demos, you are doing pretty nothing like repetitive stuff yet you only have 30 mins of gameplay like battlefield 1943, i loved that game but by the time i got the hang of it my time was up.

It`s all greed nowhere days, yes i respect the fact it took them ages to make the game, but not everyone can afford £30-£50 for a game, agame that`ll once you`ve completed, won`t be played again in ages, and one last thing, don`t you just hate it when in games, they don`t implement simple things that`ll take that game from being good to brilliant, e.g not being able to drive the train in GTA IV or not being able to fill your car up with petrol/gas.

 

In my opinion this is a 6 of 1 and half dozen of the other argument.
I'm guessing but the Sewer cover probably unlocks a form of extension pack, this is obviously a way to make more money... which lets face is the reason they make games.
It's like people who complain that Casino's are just there for the money.... well what other reason would they be there for. I'm sure people say the same thing about pretty much all of us in whatever our job is with few exceptions.
Also you bought it pre-owned so they have made exactly nothing from you yet you have gotten something from them and the store you bought it from made all the profit by doing nothing more than taking the game disc and box in and then selling it to you.
So really the complaint about those who are making the money should be directed towards the store you bought it from.

Then onto the price of games, this complaint has always annoyed me, while until very recently I have always been fairly poor, living cheque to cheque and frequently having to decide WHICH game I can buy IF I can afford one at all.
You see I look at it like this, a game like Rage will give you 20-40 hours (possibly more) of enjoyment, this works out to $1.50ish per hour. If you play it through twice it's only 75c.
A game with MP like COD you may put 600+ hours into it before putting it down, that works out to 10c per hour. Not a bad deal when you think that most people will happily pay $15 to watch a 2 hour movie.... once!

When you think about it like that it doesn't seem so bad, then there is the counter argument that you don't like the game so it was a waste of money, while annoying this also is NOT the fault of the devs. We spend money on many many things we then consider to have been a waste of money. From a new drink in the cooler to a new car.
Basically I doubt if ANY game has ever been made where the devs played the finished product and thought "Man this is kind of crap, but hey lets sell it anyway"

I work in retail and constantly hear ridicules moanings about stupid things, I myself am guilty of it, but sometimes I just think logically and understand why or how.
Might not like it but in the same position most of us would be the same way, very few people go to work for any other reason than to make money.... only the lucky ones.

@Lonewolf... lol I almost feel like you think I'm following you just to argue with you, I assure you that is not the case. In actual fact I didn't notice it was you at first since your avatar has changed :-D

 

Nedlamar i don`t want to start an argument, so don`t take this the wrong way, but a game developer should be a GD because they love making games, and so should care for their audience, not keep making expansions a requirement to complete a game etc.
Just like me i wanna be an it tech because i love tech, solving problems, i like a good challenge and i`d like to see people walk away with a happy face/satisfied knowing that you`ve helped them do something that they couldn`t (not meant in a nasty way).

And at the bottom bit yer i do abit lol.

 

lol No I'm not following you.

And you're not arguing, nor am I, we are debating opinions

I do know what you mean, I deal with the same thing every day, I want my clients to be happy and come back. But I wouldn't do it for free, would you?
In IT yes you will probably do friends and family stuff for nicks, I have many times.
But you wouldn't do it for hours a day for nothing for complete strangers.

And yes Devs are in it because they love doing it, but it's not that they love doing it for US, it's that they get paid to do something they enjoy. They are making a product and are doing so to make money and in most cases they do what they consider a great job.

Of course they want to see great comments and feedback from us, but the fact is they know they can make a phenomenal game that thousands of people will say is trash.
Look at MW3, it's received so much grief yet is an awesome game, probably the best of the series online.
Skyrim is an outstanding game but there are plenty of haters.
Rage is a great example, bare in mind I have it on PC and it is very glitchy, so much so I wont play it until they patch it. But I havn't complained once because I know I will get to play it soon.
As for dropping a sewer grate that you need to pay to unlock, it's no different than DLC you pay for, just better marketing.

Temptation is the key to successful marketing.
The first bite is with the eye.

Etc etc.

Have you ever do any kind of game development whether using an in game engine editor or fresh engine etc?

I have played with several editors, Arma 2 being the one I spent most time on, they handed us the engine to make whatever missions/campaigns we want.
Hours and hours and hours of painstaking work to make a 1 hour mission.

It sounds like a great job, but if you're not into staring at stills and reams of code for hours and hours every day then it's not for you.
I actually don't think I'd want to do it.

So yes of course there is a love for what they do, and they care what you think.... but they wouldn't do it for free.... would you?