RE: "Upgrade" options between Dominion series.

[Gandalf Parker]

Gooles said:
I'd also though, like to elaborate on my original statement in that my main concern was that we pay the same amount of money for a game in which many of the game's elements have been recycled from a game I already have paid for.

Personally I PREFER it that way. I get really irritated when I like a game and buy the next version only to discover that it has nothing at all to do with the previous game.

And the recycling has little to do with the cost anyway. Just about everything in the game went thru major changes. I dont think that any of the games code, interface, graphics, sound wasnt reworked and upgraded not to mention the tons of new things added. About the only "recycled" thing is the concept of the game which I am very happy they didnt change.

[MaxWilson]

Gooles said:
I actually got the idea from a game called Wall Street Raider where updates (which are usually major additions to the game, higher res. options, etc) are only $7 as compared to the $20 to originally purchase. It's not that I can't afford the game, it's just other games with much higher costs in production are cheaper to purchase. Upon rethinking it though, I suppose bigger isn't better and that dev. quality is what counts.

Hmmm, maybe Shrapnel should have charged an extra $7 for monthly site-searching in 3.08, and another $7 for the Great Boar of Carnutes and Fomoria, and $7 for the Tuatha? Naah. Illwinter is generous with their free updates--and so I'm not inclined to be stingy in return.

On the other hand, if Illwinter *did* start selling expansion packs, as Megalobob suggests, I probably wouldn't buy them if they were just more nations. The UI/AI improvements are more important to me than the content, and perhaps this is why I feel that Dominions 3 is more than just an "update" of Dominions 2. From what I know about 2, 3 is a lot smarter and more usable.

-Max

[Archonsod]

Gooles said:
I'd also though, like to elaborate on my original statement in that my main concern was that we pay the same amount of money for a game in which many of the game's elements have been recycled from a game I already have paid for.

You're in a minority there, if EA's business is anything to go by

The thing is, you pay for the game not the code. One could ask why you should pay full price for any game based, for example, on the Unreal engine if you've already bought Unreal, despite the fact that they may be radically different games. It's not the amount of code which is changed that's important, it's the effect of those changes on the game.

=/ I'd find it morally asinine to ban me from forums (or worse if much care is truly felt necessary) for admitting I pirated (and then purchased) a game.

Well, announcing the fact on the publishers forums is rather akin to going around to a house you burgled and trying to sell the owner their possessions back. Can't blame them for being a little annoyed.