by Karen Hertzberg on Nov 12, 2006
by AgonThalia
Developers have paid a lot of attention to the potential of
micro-content—and not only in massively multiplayer online games
(MMOs). Once a strategy used mainly in the MMO arena, micro-content
partially started as patches, bug fixes and balancing. However, very
quickly companies realized that players were tearing through the
initial content faster than they expected. Gamers needed and expected
new content. Naturally, the companies responded with micro-content
updates that weren’t relegated to fixing things. Gamers got fresh new
content, and companies kept gamers interested (and paying). For
example, companies like Bethsoft, makers of The Elder Scrolls:
Oblivion, have been developing and selling for download micro-content
for gamers. However, the old system of expansion packs never lost its
usefulness. Expansion packs tend to be ambitious and add much more to
the world than just a mere content update.
When discussing micro-content vs. expansion packs, the debate is not
which one is better because each one serves a specific purpose and has
its own place in the life cycle of the game. The debate revolves around
which one the community feels is more appropriate to the game and the
needs of the players.
In April 2006, one month after the launch of Dungeons and Dragons
Online: Stormreach (DDO), Turbine released the first of its larger
module updates,
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=163">The
Dragon’s Vault. In July 2006, they released
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=247">The
Twilight Forge, and
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=334">The
Demon Sands came in October 2006. As modular updates, each includes
improvements in the technical aspects such as UI or minor tweaks to the
basic system. They also include adjustments to advancement and
balancing of character abilities. However, what each module has in
common is the introduction of new thematic content. While the Dragon’s
Vault seemed more of a combination of different stories, The Twilight
Forge and The Demon Sands have a unifying story or theme behind them.
Future thematic upgrades could be modules that add content focusing on
the undead, the necromancers, or even dragons. The lore is wide open
for Turbine to add new modular content that fits well within a new
story line.
In other games, modular releases have focused on things such as player
housing, player cities, new factions or faction quests, new
story-driven instances or other additions to the game. The overall
principle of the modular release is that it stays within a theme.
When you’re not downloading a new module, you’re getting updates,
patches, and. While the terminology may change, the fact of the matter
is that for these smaller updates, you’re generally getting smaller
quests about smaller things in the world. Consider these the appetizers
of MMO’s. They’re usually not big enough to take an experienced gamer a
long time to go through, but it’s new, it’s attractive and it gives
guilds, groups and individuals more stuff to do. When you examine one
of the
href="http://ddo.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=196">first
updates to DDO, you’ll see that Turbine added quests that ranged
from Harbormasters to kobolds to issues within the fighter’s guild.
Another aspect of the smaller update is that often, there are targeted
quests. Unlike modular releases that generally apply to everyone,
smaller updates can have specific classes in mind. New quests might
force a rogue to pick a lock or a barbarian to bash down a door.
Information is starting to surface on Turbine’s first expansion pack
for DDO, Forsaken Lands. The expansion pack is usually handled a little
differently than the free update. Firstly, information is closely
guarded by the development team. They release information grudgingly at
first, permitting speculation to run wild. Sometimes (as conspiracy
theorists would suggest) information is “leaked” out to the general
public: a guy whose roommate works at Turbine said something about an
expansiont while at the local pub. The marketing theories aside,
expansion packs usually incorporate a significant amount of money,
time, programming and effort to make them integrate seamlessly into the
world. This is the key difference between any of the micro-content and
the expansion packs (for pay); on a certain level, you cannot play the
game without the micro-content updates. The client must be running the
exact same version as the other players. However, with paid expansion
packs, if you choose not to buy it, you can still play the game; you
just won’t have access to all the new stuff. Micro-content is similar
to small upgrades to the house: a new ceiling fan, new sink fixtures,
etc. However, an expansion is more like adding a deck or a new level to
the house. The levels of integration go much deeper into the game with
an expansion pack than with a simple addition of a module upgrade.
Again, the debate is not about which is better but which is more needed
by the game and the community. In this, the company has to listen to
the player base. In games where there are massive bugs plaguing the
core game systems or massive imbalances between classes, generating
micro-content is absolutely necessary to address such glaring problems
with the game already. In this case, time might be better spent working
on the core game system before adding new content that could
potentially compound the issues. In DDO’s case, Turbine’s been very
diligent in ensuring that as many of the major bugs and balancing
issues are being addressed before they release an expansion pack. The
micro-content is needed and the module updates give new blood to the
game, but it’s really the expansion pack that adds a new dimension to
the game.
In general, DDO has a content upgrade every month. Turbine adds new
quests or items monthly. Roughly every quarter, Turbine gives us new
content or thematic-based content. Approximately a year after launch
(if the rumors are accurate), a new expansion will be released to give
those players who have pretty much done all there is to do in the game
in the past year something to do for the next few months—when the next
content update will be published. It’s no coincidence that Turbine’s
development schedule for DDO mirrors the trend of giving the audience
just enough (information, entertainment, content) to keep them going,
but not enough so that they feel completely satisfied found in TV,
movies, music and literature.
MMOs are uniquely qualified to keep the cycle of entertainment going
through updates. I can say that I’ve beaten Oblivion, but I can’t beat
DDO. Each time there’s new content, there’s a need to experience and
accomplish the new goals. While all of my concerns may not be met, I
know that soon there’s going to be an expansion pack, and I think I can
keep playing until then because it’s going to be amazing!
How should Turbine handle content updates in DDO?