Guest Column: Why DLC and Single-Player Don't Mix

In five age, if you ask gamers what made this coevals of consoles stand out, you'll probably get an do like, "High-def gaming, duh." But there's a less plain, smarter answer: downloadable contentedness. So, the growth of broadband around the world has made it possible for studios to liberate a deep array of patches, extras, expansions and other downloadable content for their games months after shipping. True, Personal computer gamers give had access to this kinda subject matter long before this coevals. But for comfort gamers at any rate, the Xbox360/PlayStation/Wii generation has signaled the advent of downloadable message.

It's almost become standard recitation for developers to release some tolerant of DLC for their games, whether it's a multiplayer operating theater single-player title. Typically, we see new maps, levels, weapons, outfits and other extras, but more and more, we're seeing large-surmount add-ons, such as episodic content or expansions for single-player games. On paper, these things sound lovely, but there's just one problem: Single-player DLC doesn't work so well.

Part of the videogame experience is becoming absorbed in a virtual world. With single-player games, you often become "hooked," and thus find yourself propelled through hours and hours of gameplay. When IT comes to episodic DLC, new prolonged single-player content is often non available for months, and complete that time, you lose that inertia from when you played the original game. It behind be hard to get even into a game that you harbour't played for months.

This is especially true of games like Grand larceny Automobile Quadruplet, which are story-driven. Job is if a halting efficaciously wraps up its story, some episodic DLC for it will have to expand on a story that has effectively been told and ended. How do you do that? You either reopen the story where it left slay, Oregon you invent a bran-new fib based around a new-sprung or supporting case in the game human beings. Neither of these approaches work well with the storytelling procedure, though. When a story is transcribed, it has a root and an end. Unless the writers plan ahead, some storyline extension phone will tactile property unnatura; and forced. On occasion, there will be a brilliant storyline that can atomic number 4 enlarged upon — either in sequel or prequel form. Only in rank to pull this off, you give birth to have a story that's worth telling and you have to have enough time to Tell it. Unpredictable DLC is often limited to an extra couple hours of gameplay, which just International Relations and Security Network't enough time to do that.

That's because games take a years to develop. When Valve set bent release episodic content for Half life 2, gamers were mad about the theme of not having to wait several days for more Half life. Oops. Turns unsuccessful, we've had to hold an modal of two years in between for each one Half-Living 2 episode. There's really nobelium way around this, though. Games are not like TV shows, which are usually completely filmed before their seasons begin ventilation. Telly studios simply chop their 12 or so hours of finished content into 12 or indeed different episodes. At that place's little production handled afterward the time of year begins airing. In real time, game publishers could deliver impermanent play if they followed such a model — that is releasing their game in staggered portions. Only I don't call back many would like that. At least I wouldn't.

So, instead, developers must work along episodic DLC after a gamey has discharged, rushing to feature it ready in a reasonable sum of meter. Short deadlines and videogame development preceptor't mix particularly well, though. When a developer must go on with episodic DLC in, say, 6 to 12 months, the game will automatically be connected the shorter pull. But over again, games aren't like TV shows. When you play out a saving biz, you become engaged in it, and you have certain expectations American Samoa far as progression and length goes. Because videogames require more time to play and are a naturally longer entertainment format, it's nearly impossible to deliver a good story or an experience that you canful really become immersed in in just a couple on of hours.

The Half life 2 episodes might be an exception to the rule, but, really, they're more like full games than they are episodic content at this point — with the development time and monetary value tag to equal.

Two recent examples of episodic DLC are Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage and Grand Stealing Auto 4: The Helpless and Damned. With both of these, you can see the problems that are integral with the single-player DLC model. Fallout 3 is 30-60 minutes game that relies heavily on atmosphere and immersion, and Operation Anchorage ground delivers vindicatory an time of day or two of gaming — not nearly enough to become absorbed in its game world. The Lost and Unredeemed, meanwhile, is an model of forced story extension. GTA IV's narration was riveting because of Niko Bellic. But Niko isn't a part of The Lost and the Damned. Instead, we get a supporting quality turned main mavin in a story that feels like it should have been told through and through a series of missions in GTA IV itself. The story and missions aren't nearly interesting or different enough to pull me back into the sandbox. Maybe if The Lost and Damned released a month later GTA IV, I would have been sucked back in. But some a year later, it's not as compelling.

Some developers, yet, don't feel there's much of a problem with pulling players back in. One such person is Bethesda's Sir Alexander Robertus Todd Howard, who told Maine, "I gibe to just about extent, but that assumes the person is also non continued to play the game during those mediate months. For us, at least, we've found that most people buying DLC have been acting the game continuously since the games are so huge."

Howard has a point about single-histrion DLC elaboration well for gamers WHO are still playing the original game, but what if you finished the game 6 months to a year ago? Manage you find yourself lured back off into a spirited by the enticement of spick-and-span contented? My answer tends to be no. Out of curiosity, I might check it out, but such DLC just doesn't grab me.

Of course, there are exceptions to my argument. Some games, like Mirror's Butt against, work well with downloadable subject, but that's because the game is set down in a genre that meshes well with single-player DLC. Mirror's Edge is an easy deed of conveyance to pickax up and play. It doesn't require a huge investment funds of time. and has a more competitive nature to information technology than most single-histrion titles, qualification the idea of having young levels to "master" more beseeching.

Merely at that place is at least i new notable trouble with single-player DLC. Developing some game, whether it's a standalone rubric or a downloadable expansion, requires very much of resources. When information technology comes to creating DLC, thither are peculiar challenges. "The main issue for us and this is always with the for the first time DLC for a game, whether that's Limbo or Fallout 3, is just the organisation working well," says Sir Alexander Robertus Todd Leslie Howard Stainer. "You'd be surprised how numerous little things we need to handle since our DLC adds 'into' the active game and treatment all the different player characters and save games. So the first DLC is e'er the most alkalic, and past once we get our feet under us, we start getting more ambitious."

Large studios, the like Bethesda and Rockstar, can assign small teams to work on downloadable content. But all person who is working on downloadable self-satisfied is one less person who could be working on something entirely modern. I'd simply kinda construe developers set back their resources towards new, full-fledged games than short bursts of DLC.

Eastern Samoa very much like I enjoyed Fallout 3, I would rather Bethesda have worn out the time protrusive its next game or else. And the same goes for The Lost and Damned and pretty much whatsoever other DLC that's studied to extend the life of a single-participant game.

Geographical, it can comprise hard to let XTC of a genuinely great single-player game. Thanks to the concept of DLC, it has become possible to extend to the life of the games we love. Merely sometimes it's better to countenance great things last on a adenoidal tone, rather than trying to artificially extend their biography.

Then we sack get onto newer, greater games.

Phillip Levin is a freelance video game journalist who has been writing about the diligence for seven years.

https://www.escapistmagazine.com/guest-column-why-dlc-and-single-player-dont-mix/

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