Vagrus: The Riven Realms - Chunky DLCs and Price Increases

[HiddenX]

Lost Pilgrims Studio explain their pricing policy:

Chunky DLCs and Price Increases

Hey everyone,

This week we’d like to broach a matter for the sake of transparency. Reality in the context of global gaming industry trends has set in, and the result is hard times for everyone. We are no exception and, since we have an insatiable desire for creating quality DLCs, this has left us in a rather precarious situation.

Financially, our DLCs need to break even for it to make sense for us to produce them. Indie game development is a passion, that’s true, but it’s also a business that needs to sustain itself and the developers. To that end, we have decided to increase the price of our Sunfire and Moonshadow expansion (SaM), along with the Season Pass, which will of course only affect future purchases.

A Little Background

We were halfway through the development of SaM when we knew that its scope had grown far beyond what we had originally planned. We were, however, happy with the path it had taken, and wanted to keep a consistent quality throughout as well as enough “bang for your buck”.

Player feedback has vindicated its length and quality, with some saying that the expansion’s breadth encompassed hundreds of hours of additional gameplay. We are happy for it to have had so much good feedback, but there remains an issue.

Sales

Our revenue predictions were spot-on, but due to the increased scope of the expansion, our costs were far higher than expected. With inflation ravaging our studio much like it has most of the world’s economy, the expansion was very expensive for us indeed. This is why we will be increasing its price.

Old Acquaintances

This DLC took longer than we expected, but by this point, we had already learned our lessons from the previous expansion. Again, we put in a great deal of extra time and added many additional features, as it would seem we cannot help ourselves. Thus, we set a realistic price – one that we intend to keep the same. Unfortunately, however, sales on this DLC were not as high as we would have hoped.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

More information.

 

[Couchpotato]

I understand the price increase but not their decision to start releasing $1.99-2.99 DLCs to make more profit. Just start development of a new game and move on.

 

[Carnifex]

Nod, the nickeling and diming might really turn some people off.

 

[JFarrell71]

Have you guys bought the game? If not, I don't want to hear about how this is going to "turn people off." It's been great value for the money for 3 years. I have 171 hours in this game I've spent like $40 on.

There are people like me who want this tiny studio to stick around, and that's what the companion cosmetics DLC are about. And they ASK for feedback on it. They aren't even announcing here that they're doing it.

 

[Couchpotato]

Going by the kiss ass replies it's a given this will happen.

Sometimes I really despise modern gamer's.

You've enabled so many bad business practices.

 

[Couchpotato]

Ha....well my good man two can play that game.

You damn dirty enabler.

Seems.....you get an eye roll as well.

Don't like my opinions don't read read em.

 

[Redglyph]

I don't understand that reaction against the support packs. Others like Crate Entertainment have already done that because they keep adding stuff to the game long after its release, and there was nothing wrong with it. And as @JFarrell71 said, they're asking feedback about it. It's not as if they were a big, rich company milking their customers.

The reception of the post was rather good.

Maybe they could try a Kickstarter instead, but not everyone likes that route. I'm not sure it would work well for a DLC.

 

[Stingray]

Zero interest in this particular game, but I think it's great when small/indie developers make available "supporter" stuff for purchase, whether it's cosmetics or soundtracks or game guides or whatever. Typically I don't even care about the items themselves, but if the game was great then I don't mind giving a small developer extra support on top of the probably-too-low game price. It's not a "bad business practice" (it's actually a good one because it allows people who like the game to pay extra for it, just like you can on Kickstarter) and it obviously wouldn't prevent them from working on a new game.

Of course I would never pay extra like that for some big corporate game, unless I'm getting something I actually care about in return.

 

[SveNitoR]

Have you guys bought the game? If not, I don't want to hear about how this is going to "turn people off." It's been great value for the money for 3 years. I have 171 hours in this game I've spent like $40 on.

There are people like me who want this tiny studio to stick around, and that's what the companion cosmetics DLC are about. And they ASK for feedback on it. They aren't even announcing here that they're doing it.

I think this game could be something I'd really enjoy. What are your thoughts about it?

 

[Pladio]

I've played the game for about 45 hours I believe and it's pretty well done. I think there are many things to discover, but the gameplay loop became boring to me after a while.

 

[Carnifex]

Oh I'm not being entirely negative about the game, as for certain I've not bought nor played it yet. The principle, however, is something I'm not in favour of.

 

[JFarrell71]

I think this game could be something I'd really enjoy. What are your thoughts about it?

Have you played Sunless Seas or Skies? If you have, you're 75% of the way to understanding what it's like.

There are two main things you do. One, you're the leader (Vagrus) of a caravan (comitatus) that travels between settlements, taking on contracts that are in general either combat related (rescues, conquering an area, etc) or trade related (take two stacks/20 items of iron to another place).

Two, you're unearthing and playing through quests/stories that you find along the way. There are 10+ companions, each highly fleshed out and with their own goals and stories. There are also around 10 factions that you can advance in (or be hated by) that also give you quests (and rewards) as you reach certain plateaus. You have a reputation, and you can also get stories when you reach a certain level. And of course, you can find interesting things by just exploring.

Quests are explored and completed via text and text based choices, so you have to like to read, and read a lot. There's no inbetween there; if you don't really like to read, you won't like this game. For me, the world and characters are vivid and interesting, and the text is generally well written.

Combat plays out in two ways. Within quests it's almost always the tactical combat in which you control your companions, each of whom has several abilities. Your influence on that combat is as a leader ((you can gain abilities that bringng someone back from a "downed" (knocked out of the fight) state)). There's also combat in which your entire comitatus fights, and you'll mostly do that during random encounters in the wilderness and when completing combat related contracts.

Pladio mentioned getting bored with the gameplay loop, and though I never have, I can absolutely see that happening for some. There are times when you've exhausted the stories in an area for the moment and you're mostly managing your caravan, finding the best means to gain profit, and trekking back and forth through familiar territory. How boring that might get for you is something you'd have to find out through playing.

There's a lot more to it, but I don't want to subject you to a book. Though I guess that would be a good test of how much you like to read.

 

[SveNitoR]

Have you played Sunless Seas or Skies? If you have, you're 75% of the way to understanding what it's like.

There are two main things you do. One, you're the leader (Vagrus) of a caravan (comitatus) that travels between settlements, taking on contracts that are in general either combat related (rescues, conquering an area, etc) or trade related (take two stacks/20 items of iron to another place).

Two, you're unearthing and playing through quests/stories that you find along the way. There are 10+ companions, each highly fleshed out and with their own goals and stories. There are also around 10 factions that you can advance in (or be hated by) that also give you quests (and rewards) as you reach certain plateaus. You have a reputation, and you can also get stories when you reach a certain level. And of course, you can find interesting things by just exploring.

Quests are explored and completed via text and text based choices, so you have to like to read, and read a lot. There's no inbetween there; if you don't really like to read, you won't like this game. For me, the world and characters are vivid and interesting, and the text is generally well written.

Combat plays out in two ways. Within quests it's almost always the tactical combat in which you control your companions, each of whom has several abilities. Your influence on that combat is as a leader ((you can gain abilities that bringng someone back from a "downed" (knocked out of the fight) state)). There's also combat in which your entire comitatus fights, and you'll mostly do that during random encounters in the wilderness and when completing combat related contracts.

Pladio mentioned getting bored with the gameplay loop, and though I never have, I can absolutely see that happening for some. There are times when you've exhausted the stories in an area for the moment and you're mostly managing your caravan, finding the best means to gain profit, and trekking back and forth through familiar territory. How boring that might get for you is something you'd have to find out through playing.

There's a lot more to it, but I don't want to subject you to a book. Though I guess that would be a good test of how much you like to read.

Thanks! I'm an avid reader and the loop seems somewhat similar to mercenary band games as well, and I've enjoyed them for a while.

 

[Pladio]

I just want to clarify that I did enjoy the game as I did play it for over 40 hours. I just didn't enjoy it enough to play much more of it.

If I ever am in the mood for a text-heavy game again, I might give it another go.

 

[Couchpotato]

Oh I'm not being entirely negative about the game, as for certain I've not bought nor played it yet. The principle, however, is something I'm not in favour of.

Yep but we're not allowed to have or share that opinion.

Remember no one is allowed to share negative opinions on this site.

For the record bought the game and it's expansions.

 

[revjwh]

Going by the kiss ass replies it's a given this will happen.

Sometimes I really despise modern gamer's.

You've enabled so many bad business practices.

I despise people who go out of their way to be negative know-it-alls. Couchpotato fits the bill.

 

[Couchpotato]

I despise people who go out of their way to be an a-hole. Couchpotato fits the bill.

Thanks I wear that badge with honor as your correct and spot on.

So again thank you for the compliment and I'm not at all offended.

 

[JFarrell71]

Thanks! I'm an avid reader and the loop seems somewhat similar to mercenary band games as well, and I've enjoyed them for a while.

That's true! There are similarities to a game like Wartales.

 

[lackblogger]

Yes, the trading company games seem to be becoming more and more popular every year, they're almost their own sub-genre by this point.

I wonder... could it be that nostalgia for the old high street retail experience of yore is starting to bite in now that most highstreets are closing their doors in favour of a purely on-line presence. And those that aren't closed are just copy-pasted franchises.

Are there swarms of people out there suffering from retail withdrawals to the point where such games offer the perfect antidote?

 

[notdart]

I understand the price increase but not their decision to start releasing $1.99-2.99 DLCs to make more profit. Just start development of a new game and move on.

Well while it remains to be seen I think they are trying to milk a big investment. I.e, it cost a lot to create the frame work and probably not that much to do a little $3 dlc relatively speaking to the cost of making a new game.
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While i agree making a new game would hold more interest it is also a bigger risk and so it goes - take the risk or milk the product.... I suppose one should withhold judgement till they are actually released but that is my guess...