Thinking with Portals

Quoting lbgsloan,

Seems like a suckers bet to buy any Valve game at day 1. Not because the game will be bad, I imagine it will be pretty fun, but because it will probably be on sale for 25-50% this summer and 75% off during Christmas. It's a single player game, so there's really no rush to own to day 1 IMO.

But it has some new multiplayer elements. And day 1 DLC. Looks like I won't be spending a dime on this after all. I miss the Valve that brought us Half Life. Now we have poke-hat collect them all, and micro transaction for the infantile minded valve.

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Quoting Kodiak888,

reply 26

Quoting lbgsloan, reply 23Seems like a suckers bet to buy any Valve game at day 1. Not because the game will be bad, I imagine it will be pretty fun, but because it will probably be on sale for 25-50% this summer and 75% off during Christmas. It's a single player game, so there's really no rush to own to day 1 IMO.

But it has some new multiplayer elements. And day 1 DLC. Looks like I won't be spending a dime on this after all. I miss the Valve that brought us Half Life. Now we have poke-hat collect them all, and micro transaction for the infantile minded valve.

I don't see any DLC for sale on the store page. What are you referring to?

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Played through the first dozen or so levels.

So far, so good.

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Quoting TheProgress,

reply 27

I don't see any DLC for sale on the store page. What are you referring to?

From what I've read and seen, it's set up similar to TF2 DLC, and by that I mean it's hats, animations, and other "piss in the face of gamers" collectibles. Not level packs or anything that could be considered good.

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Quoting Tridus,

reply 24

Quoting lbgsloan, reply 23Seems like a suckers bet to buy any Valve game at day 1. Not because the game will be bad, I imagine it will be pretty fun, but because it will probably be on sale for 25-50% this summer and 75% off during Christmas. It's a single player game, so there's really no rush to own to day 1 IMO.
You could apply that line of reasoning to almost any game, including Sins (where you happen to be posting).

Valve is pretty well known for having big sales on their own titles during summer and Christmas. It is a very safe bet you will get Portal 2 for a major discount if you hold off a few months. Big Impulse sales are more random, and they don't tend to have the deep discounts Steam does. If you want to buy Portal 2 on day 1, by all means go ahead. I'm not sure why you're comparing the buying incentive of a puzzle game to a RTS BTW. Multiplayer games are better to get into early while the community is at its strongest (MMOs excluded; generally better to wait a year or so on those). Buying a RTS after the multiplayer community is dead is like buying 25% the game.

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Quoting lbgsloan,

reply 30

Valve is pretty well known for having big sales on their own titles during summer and Christmas. It is a very safe bet you will get Portal 2 for a major discount if you hold off a few months. Big Impulse sales are more random, and they don't tend to have the deep discounts Steam does. If you want to buy Portal 2 on day 1, by all means go ahead. I'm not sure why you're comparing the buying incentive of a puzzle game to a RTS BTW. Multiplayer games are better to get into early while the community is at its strongest (MMOs excluded; generally better to wait a year or so on those). Buying a RTS after the multiplayer community is dead is like buying 25% the game.

The Sins playerbase is so overwhelmingly single player that calling it a multiplayer game is an overstatement.

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This is what the store looks like

http://i.imgur.com/9j9Ta.jpg

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Portal... gaah... The internet goes nuts about it...

Portal 2. Not getting it, not right away anyway. Does it have split-screen coop on Xbox 360? If it has, then i'll grab it when its cheap. Otherwise pass. Animations did seem to be good though... and the robot characters look funny. I guess that is good.

Portal was fun but didn't have any replayability in my opinion... and is a bit overrated game overall.

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Quoting Kodiak888,

reply 26

But it has some new multiplayer elements. And day 1 DLC. Looks like I won't be spending a dime on this after all. I miss the Valve that brought us Half Life. Now we have poke-hat collect them all, and micro transaction for the infantile minded valve.

The "day 1 DLC" is cosmetic. It's for if you want a pink robot wearing a funny hat in co-op. That's it. There is zero content DLC.

The complaints about it are so loud in some places that I expected to find half the maps behind a paywall. What's actually there is fluff and that's it. The complaints are wildly overblown.

Also, the game is pretty fun too. I really recommend playing Portal 1 first though.

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Quoting Tridus,

reply 34

The "day 1 DLC" is cosmetic. It's for if you want a pink robot wearing a funny hat in co-op. That's it. There is zero content DLC.

That is my exact complaint. It's a sad money grab and not respectable, in any form, from any business. You can get X achievement to get the XX special item, or pay $1.99 and get it now, but for just $1.99 more you could get item YY!!!!!!! I'm not sure I'll ever understand the insurmountable idiocy of someone willing to spend money on DLC like this, or be able to support a company that shovels it out.

I'm not raging or wanting to start any petitions, but it does mean that I won't spend any money on the game in any fashion. Sadly for myself and the point my lack of funds to valve try to make, I'm sure there are thousands who don't share my view, and thus the $50 lost for me will be made up tenfold by people wanting to make their droids do a fart animation for $1.99 a head.

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Quoting Tridus,

reply 34

Also, the game is pretty fun too. I really recommend playing Portal 1 first though.

It was too easy. SP lasted just more than 4 hours. Hopefully Coop will be fun.. (if I can find someone to play with).

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I enjoyed it. Single player should take 5-10hrs. 10hrs if you look for all the hidden stuff like seeing the robot companion buddies pop in time to time. Now Coop I will be starting part 4 soon. Its been challenging so far. Thank god if you die you just respawn and laugh it off.

I think that 40$ is still a little much for this title but time will tell on the dlc front (hoping a lot of content is free). Ya I have to agree on shelling out money for more animations is kinda crap, hopefully you can get most through with free dlc, random drops, achievements, etc...

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"When you die, I'm going to laminate your skeleton and pose you in the lobby." glados

I'll probably wrap up SP tomorrow. If anyone would like to team up for some co-op, shoot me a pm and I'll give you my steam ID. Really looking forward to the co-op as well.

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Also:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/portal-number-mega64/712980

Enjoy

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Quoting OMG_pacov,

reply 38

"When you die, I'm going to laminate your skeleton and pose you in the lobby." glados

I'll probably wrap up SP tomorrow. If anyone would like to team up for some co-op, shoot me a pm and I'll give you my steam ID. Really looking forward to the co-op as well.

Lulzy line is lulzy. Hehehehe.

Quoting OMG_pacov,

reply 39

Also:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/portal-number-mega64/712980

Enjoy

Obnoxiously funny video is obnoxiously funny. Hehehe.

Seriously though, that video was pretty hilarious, especially the end. And for that first post, the "when you die" part is epic funny.

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Just finished it, and enjoyed it. Final boss wasn't nearly as challenging as it should have been, but the ending is fantastic. I love Animal King Turret.

Overall, was great. Co-op looks more challenging and intense, but I've only just peeked.

As for the optional items/animations for sale, I don't understand why anyone would complain about it. As Pacov said, it's all unnecessary fluff, for people who really want something unique. They didn't gut levels from the main game to "encourage" customers to sink extra money in, as some games in the recent past seem to have. It's cool for those who want it, and it doesn't hurt those of us who don't.

Oh, and the reviews mention split-screen co-op. Which, actually, sparks a thought: The puzzle design seems to have been changed from Portal one. The first game had a number of puzzles which required fast timing and/or very quick reflexes, while Portal 2 rarely requires anything on that level. I can't help but wonder if the consoles had more trouble with quick and accurate aiming. Either way, it is a less... intense... experience overall.

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Quoting Kodiak888,

reply 35

That is my exact complaint. It's a sad money grab and not respectable, in any form, from any business. You can get X achievement to get the XX special item, or pay $1.99 and get it now, but for just $1.99 more you could get item YY!!!!!!! I'm not sure I'll ever understand the insurmountable idiocy of someone willing to spend money on DLC like this, or be able to support a company that shovels it out.

I'm not raging or wanting to start any petitions, but it does mean that I won't spend any money on the game in any fashion. Sadly for myself and the point my lack of funds to valve try to make, I'm sure there are thousands who don't share my view, and thus the $50 lost for me will be made up tenfold by people wanting to make their droids do a fart animation for $1.99 a head.

You do realize that if it wasn't meant to be sold, most of that fluff wouldn't have been created at all, right?

This wasn't stuff the artists spent weeks on then someone said "hey lets make a store!" It was only made at all because they could sell it. Without the store, you get the same game and no fluff at all. What's the problem here?

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Quoting Kodiak888,

reply 35

Quoting Tridus,
reply 34

The "day 1 DLC" is cosmetic. It's for if you want a pink robot wearing a funny hat in co-op. That's it. There is zero content DLC.

That is my exact complaint. It's a sad money grab and not respectable, in any form, from any business. You can get X achievement to get the XX special item, or pay $1.99 and get it now, but for just $1.99 more you could get item YY!!!!!!! I'm not sure I'll ever understand the insurmountable idiocy of someone willing to spend money on DLC like this, or be able to support a company that shovels it out.

I'm not raging or wanting to start any petitions, but it does mean that I won't spend any money on the game in any fashion. Sadly for myself and the point my lack of funds to valve try to make, I'm sure there are thousands who don't share my view, and thus the $50 lost for me will be made up tenfold by people wanting to make their droids do a fart animation for $1.99 a head.

I have to agree with Tridus that your overreacting here. How is this any different then games charging extra for a collector's edition with a few extra cosmetic features on day 1, something they have been doing for a much longer time them the existance of DLC? I never had any interest in buying collector's editions, but the fact that they existed never impacted my enjoyment of the game.

I do agree that I dislike DLC and extra paid features in general, and would prefer never to see any of it, cosmetic or otherwise. But I don't think particular case is all that big of a deal.

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Oh, biggest annoyance with Portal 2 (aside from no longer being able to pick stuff up and throw it - seriously, wtf?) is the trajectory correction. While falling, you'll be guided so that you enter the nearest approximate portal. Only problem is it totally fucks you up if you've yet to re-position the portal you're going to be aiming for.

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Well I am obviously talking to the wrong crowd of gamers. 8) I don't care that much to try to convince anyone otherwise, and I'm sure that my tone and intent is misconstrued by the lack of any clues beyond text. We are just from different generations of gaming and react differently when being shilled for money.

I just happen think that putting resources into developing nonsense that adds nothing to but barbie-dress up features to the gaming industry (excluding the games that are actually meant to be dress up simulators) is a waste. Many other people don't, so again, I'm sure that my lost $50 to them was made up before I was even aware of the in game store.

I don't agree with the practice, and I don't support companies or games that do. I won't go into a long rant of DLC or make melodramatic statements that the end of gaming is nigh. If valve having micro-transactions was going to disrupt the universe then the hat collecting frenzy would've ended us all by now. I'm just saddened that this is what gaming has evolved into, and that it's greeted with cheers.

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Yeah, give it up Kodiak888. I did that a long time ago.

The majority of people don't care about it and a sizable percentage will spend money on stuff that is never worth the cost. "Micro"-transactions are here to stay and will only expand in the future.

Quoting FadedC,

reply 43

I have to agree with Tridus that your overreacting here. How is this any different then games charging extra for a collector's edition with a few extra cosmetic features on day 1, something they have been doing for a much longer time them the existance of DLC? I never had any interest in buying collector's editions, but the fact that they existed never impacted my enjoyment of the game.

The differences between a permanent shop ingame and a one time preorder bonus are obvious enough, I'd had hoped.

Quoting Tridus,

reply 42

This wasn't stuff the artists spent weeks on then someone said "hey lets make a store!" It was only made at all because they could sell it. Without the store, you get the same game and no fluff at all. What's the problem here?

Because that's not true?

Give me some proof, that before there were microtransitions there never was fluff in games.

There was. With moneytasion of those, it just has gotten less likely that you'll get them for free.

After all, it's stupid as a developer to forego such returns you get with that in popular games. (Developing costs in the 1000, sales in the 100'000. It's almost like being a banker.)

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I have no plans on using the store, I find the prices outrageous and over all it's a bit insulting. But I've heard that you can unlock most of the content for sale for free anyway so I don't really care all that much.

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Quoting Vandenburg,

reply 46

Yeah, give it up Kodiak888. I did that a long time ago.

snip

It's almost like being a banker.)

I have given up, I just get bored and feel like shaking my fist at the kids on my lawn every so often. 8)

And it is indeed like printing money. Selling a single animation for $2 is brilliant from a business standpoint. I can't wait for Call of Duty: Whatever (should be out in about two month.) It's only a paltry extra $10.00 DLC pack that lets you go prone. /troll

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Quoting TheProgress,

reply 44

Oh, biggest annoyance with Portal 2 (aside from no longer being able to pick stuff up and throw it - seriously, wtf?) is the trajectory correction. While falling, you'll be guided so that you enter the nearest approximate portal. Only problem is it totally fucks you up if you've yet to re-position the portal you're going to be aiming for.

I have a feeling that that's another concession to the console gamers, in the vein of auto-aim.

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Quoting Vandenburg,

reply 46

The differences between a permanent shop ingame and a one time preorder bonus are obvious enough, I'd had hoped.

Yep, the collectors editions are usually a lot more expensive then anything in the store.

And pre-order bonuses are even worse. Content that you can only get by shopping at a specific store? It's a joke.

Because that's not true?

Give me some proof, that before there were microtransitions there never was fluff in games.

There was. With moneytasion of those, it just has gotten less likely that you'll get them for free.

After all, it's stupid as a developer to forego such returns you get with that in popular games. (Developing costs in the 1000, sales in the 100'000. It's almost like being a banker.)

Nobody said there was never fluff in games, yeesh. There also wasn't this amount of fluff (there's quite a lot of stuff in there). Nobody at Valve woke up one day and said "hey lets have the art team spend a couple months on fluff!" and then woke up another day and said "I know, lets sell it now!" It was budgeted.

Elemental had its own fluff. The order from Walmart bonus was created specifically because Walmart paid Stardock to do it. That's how these type of things work.

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