Dear Mr Battlefront...

[Wodin]

I'm WEGO so am I a cultist?

[undercovergeek]

I'm WEGO so am I a cultist?

no youre just a cult

[Wodin]

no youre just a cult

hehe...do I take that as a compliment or not..does it show what kind of person I am by deciding which way I should take it...well I take it as a compliment! Then again replace the "l" with a "n" and that wouldn't be so nice..May the Cult be with you.

[nimtz]

A related question, if someone decides to skip the 2.0 upgrade, will he be able to get the 3.0 update for $10?

That is, if you wait can you get 1.0 > 3.0 for $10, or do you have to do 1.0 > 2.0 > 3.0 ($20 total).

Also, supporting games indefinitely might be rather large a task even if you are charging $10 for upgrades, imagine once this model has say five base games, that will mean a lot of work just to bring the other four products to the latest version. Possibly slowing the pace of future releases.

[Battlefront.com]

If you guys are a Cult or a Sect, you suck at it. Why? Because we all know that Cult/Sect leaders have sex with your wives/girlfriends, are gifted mountains of money to buy fancy stuff that you haven't already given up for the privilege of being a member. Not to mention being named executor of your estates. As your esteemed Cult/Sect leader (GLORIOUS LEADER, mind you) I have yet to see any of this transpire so far!!! So hear me now my brainwashed brethren... send me your women, money, and worldly possessions or I will be forced to FedEx you some Dixie cups and CoolAid. Then you will face Judgement Day (disclaimer: you have to provide your own hoodies and Nikes). That's what must happen for you to get to the promised land or a comet of your choice. I know, because my cat told me so.

On a more serious note, I want to express my thanks for being supportive of the Upgrade. We feel it is the right thing for both of us. This way you get the features you want and you get them sooner than you would have got them before (if ever!) for a nominal amount of money. In the end, less money than rebuying everything all over again. And for us, we get a happier bunch of customers who have more incentives to continue to play. That in turn gives you more opportunities to buy Modules and Packs from us compared to the old method of watching your favorite area of combat fall behind the times.

On a personal note, I have to say I for one am SO VERY HAPPY that I don't have to keep telling people "sorry, I know you want that feature, but you can't have it at any price". I've done that enough to know it never gets easier or better for anybody.

Steve

[Battlefront.com]

A related question, if someone decides to skip the 2.0 upgrade, will he be able to get the 3.0 update for $10?

That is, if you wait can you get 1.0 > 3.0 for $10, or do you have to do 1.0 > 2.0 > 3.0 ($20 total).

A good question that hasn't been asked in a while. Each Upgrade only updates the previous version. Which means the v3.0 Upgrade must be applied to a v2.0 product (whether bought fresh or previously Upgraded). We will probably offer a v2.0/v3.0 Upgrade Bundle for $15, but don't hold me to that.

Also, supporting games indefinitely might be rather large a task even if you are charging $10 for upgrades, imagine once this model has say five base games, that will mean a lot of work just to bring the other four products to the latest version. Possible slowing the pace of future releases.

It is a lot of work, no doubt about it. It's why we didn't immediately start this with CMSF. This is why I have said we don't really expect to make any money off of the Upgrades themselves. They probably will just pay for themselves, maybe a little profit or loss depending on the product. Where we expect to gain from this is keeping interest alive in a particular Family to a degree that would be impossible if the engine kept aging.

This is a sound long term strategy that offers well balanced benefits for all. The best benefits for us is staying in business, the best benefits for you is a steady release of top quality products that nobody else makes. Good deal

Steve

[nimtz]

The only "problem" I can see with that is that it becomes a good strategy for the customer to just wait as long as possible before buying any game.

That is if you have to pay a total of $55 + $10*number of versions to get the latest version. lets assume v4.0 so that would be $95 (maybe a bit lower with a discount for multiple upgrades).

On the other hand if you wait a couple years you can get that same game for $55 (and maybe even cheaper if you wait for a holiday sale).

Don't get me wrong I think continued support is great and I want this model to succeed, but presented with that choice the latter option sounds much better to me.

[stikkypixie]

The only "problem" I can see with that is that it becomes a good strategy for the customer to just wait as long as possible before buying any game.

That is if you have to pay a total of $55 + $10*number of versions to get the latest version. lets assume v4.0 so that would be $95 (maybe a bit lower with a discount for multiple upgrades).

On the other hand if you wait a couple years you can get that same game for $55 (and maybe even cheaper if you wait for a holiday sale).

Don't get me wrong I think continued support is great and I want this model to succeed, but presented with that choice the latter option sounds much better to me.

Given the pace of the releases I think I'd rather spend my money than wait 1-3 years to have to buy the game . It's trade-off we all have to judge for ourselves.

[MikeyD]

How much of a skin flint does someone have to be to wait a year to (perhaps) save 10 bucks while spending a thousand on bad cable TV over the same period? Yeh, 90 bucks a month to watch "Honey Boo Boo". I can see why you're balking at a sawbuck for a CMBN upgrade. Ten bucks = a six pack of beer, depending on the beer. A 14 inch cheese pizza without any toppings, depending on the pizzaria. You leave the house, come back ten dollars poorer and can't even recall what you spent the money on.

[Battlefront.com]

I agree that if we were putting out Upgrades every few months people would likely wait and skip some if there was a financial incentive to do so. Or just skip them entirely if it added up to serious money. However, with roughly one Upgrade every 12 months I don't see the bulk of our customers (the ones this is aimed to please) waiting.

The type I do expect to see wait is someone who gets really into one game at a time. They might not be playing a particular CM Family for a while and then figure they'll just wait a little longer for the next Upgrade. % of customers? Very low.

Steve

[Battlefront.com]

How much of a skin flint does someone have to be to wait a year to (perhaps) save 10 bucks while spending a thousand on bad cable TV over the same period?

As an aside, I ditched mine around January 2006 and haven't looked back. Netflix comes to the rescue when we want to watch something other than current run over-the-air programming. And when we do tap into Netflix, we watch exactly what we want when we want for about 1/5 the price of *basic* Satellite TV (DirectTV in our case). Looking at the numbers I'd say we have already saved $4,000 when Netflix' cost is accounted for.

So yeah, anybody who has cable/satellite TV should not be complaining to us that they have no money. If you can afford $1000 a year for 350 channels of absolute garbage, then you can afford $10 for a high quality gaming experience.

(TV disclaimer voice) This rant is paid for by Citizens Against Crap Entertainment and its subsidiary, You Bastards Cancelled Firefly And Will Burn In Hell.

Steve

[MikeyD]

You Bastards Cancelled Firefly And Will Burn In Hell.

Oh ouch, I nearly coughed up a lung laughing too hard.

[altipueri]

Wot? No Firefly in CM. You Bastards. Etc.

[Ithikial_AU]

So yeah, anybody who has cable/satellite TV should not be complaining to us that they have no money. If you can afford $1000 a year for 350 channels of absolute garbage, then you can afford $10 for a high quality gaming experience.

(TV disclaimer voice) This rant is paid for by Citizens Against Crap Entertainment and its subsidiary, You Bastards Cancelled Firefly And Will Burn In Hell.

Steve

Sum's up my thoughts on Firefly verses a lot of today's 'entertainment.'

[Mord]

On a more serious note, I want to express my thanks for being supportive of the Upgrade. We feel it is the right thing for both of us. This way you get the features you want and you get them sooner than you would have got them before (if ever!) for a nominal amount of money. In the end, less money than rebuying everything all over again. And for us, we get a happier bunch of customers who have more incentives to continue to play. That in turn gives you more opportunities to buy Modules and Packs from us compared to the old method of watching your favorite area of combat fall behind the times.

On a personal note, I have to say I for one am SO VERY HAPPY that I don't have to keep telling people "sorry, I know you want that feature, but you can't have it at any price". I've done that enough to know it never gets easier or better for anybody.

Steve

See, this is what irritates the crap out of me when one of these guys start with the complaining. Here, after 12 years we get the best news about CM we could ever get, our games will no longer suffer feature envy and they gnash their teeth, and bitch and whine because we have to pay a nominal fee for the privilege. And YES, it's a privilege because I only know of one other game that does this and from what I gather the priority is adding what the military wants. Most other companies could give a crap and walk on to the next FULL PRICED version. So, in the grand old tradition of cut off your entire head to spite your nose, guys like the thread hijacker would rather wait another ten years for BFC to REMAKE Normandy and PAY FULL PRICE, than pony up a ten spot here and there to keep it as fresh as the latest releases, throughout the coming years. It's retarded thinking in the truest sense of the word. 10 bucks? SCREW THAT, I'll wait a decade and pay 55! WTF? Seriously...WTF? This is so shortsighted it's beyond comprehension. He doesn't need glasses he needs the Hubble Telescope.

It took three years (five if you wanna count the entirety of all the releases) or so to hammer the CMX2 engine into the state we now have. Most of us here rode that bull and can appreciate where we were in 2007 and where we have arrived in 2012. It's a world apart. The game is expanding and getting better with every release...new FEATURES are going in...OLDER games will BENEFIT...FREE patches take care of the niggles and irritants. With the NOMINAL upgrade fee BFC has an incentive (outside of our bitching) to keep the game fresh and new. Players are rewarded with the latest and greatest in shiny new awesomeness. It's a win win situation...if you USE the cognitive portions of your brain. I am a glass half full type, some are glass half empty...then you have the people that use the glass for a toilet. My view is, you can't reason with'em...and you sure as hell don't drink after them.

So, yeah...I am a zombie, clone, BFC fanboy because after 12 years they finally gave me what I have been begging/hoping/dreaming for since October of 2000...and *GASP* they expect a bit of money for it! What a bunch of evil, blood sucking, b*stards!!!

Mord.

[Buzz]

Some folks won't get it…worse... don't want to get it. Our current CM "Magic Carpet Ride" = many years of dreams, Blood Sweat & Tears as well as some Aladdin's lamp nubby.

Well, you don't know what we can find

Why don't you come with me little girl

On a magic carpet ride

Close your eyes girl

Look inside girl

Let the sound take you away

On a magic carpet ride

Oh, but it cost $10 for the magic carpet ride!

Off to clean the hog guts off my boots, me and then play someCM magic carpet ride.

Satisfied Customer of CMFI, CMBN / CW V2.0 & CMSF MAC.

[Battlefront.com]

Some folks won't get it…worse... don't want to get it. Our current CM "Magic Carpet Ride" = many years of dreams, Blood Sweat & Tears as well as some Aladdin's lamp nubby.

Well, you don't know what we can find

Why don't you come with me little girl

On a magic carpet ride

Close your eyes girl

Look inside girl

Let the sound take you away

On a magic carpet ride

Oh, but it cost $10 for the magic carpet ride!

Kinda scary to me knowing some of my customers remember this song from when it was on the charts

Off to clean the hog guts off my boots, me and then play someCM magic carpet ride.

My first thought was "man, late December? Were you playing too much CM during the Fall?". Then I noticed where you hail from. Guess for you any time is as good as another when you don't have feed hogs through the winter.

Steve

[nimtz]

I don't know how much of a minority I am but I will probably keep upgrading CMBN as new upgrades are made available (since I already have CMBN 2.0). But I will wait for 3.0 or 4.0 before buying CMFI, A game I would have bought sooner otherwise. I still have lots of hours of play left in CMBN and CMSF so i'll just keep playing those knowing I will probably get double value for my money by waiting a year or so.

As I said, I just hope I am in the minority because this continued support idea is great for everyone of us.

[Battlefront.com]

That's perfectly understandable. And in fact desirable. With the old system someone might spend all their time on Product A for 1-2 years, start to tire of it (no new features of course!), then look at Product B (released a year earlier) for a possible purchase. But by that time Product B is already getting "long in the tooth" and so the incentive to buy it isn't as strong as it was just being released. Which means he might wait another year and buy it discounted or not buy it at all.

With the new system this isn't a problem any more. Whatever is passed will be just as lively and fresh (relative to the current day) in 2 years as it is now. It's a fair concept, but it is also a patient one

Steve

[sburke]

*snip*

So, yeah...I am a zombie, clone, BFC fanboy because after 12 years they finally gave me what I have been begging/hoping/dreaming for since October of 2000...and *GASP* they expect a bit of money for it! What a bunch of evil, blood sucking, b*stards!!!

Mord.

Amen to all that brother. I couldn't have said it better myself even if I hired an expensive ghost writer. Although I would caveat that in that CMSF is a friggin awesome game, I didn't have to wait all that long. Still I was really hoping to see CM returning to ww2. That there will also be a CMSF 2 (and next year!! You believe it? Just next year!!) just blows my mind--though perhaps that isn't saying much. :-P

I have given up on those who are too hyped on the cost. If it were money for nothing, yeah I could see griping, but this IMHO is simply the best game series out there bar none. Value for the money I couldn't even estimate. It is simply too early, but there aren't many games out there that will keep my interest on a daily basis for a year and a half and that is only just getting started.

[Michael Emrys]

The only "problem" I can see with that is that it becomes a good strategy for the customer to just wait as long as possible before buying any game.

Yeah, but then you might get hit by a truck tomorrow and die, never having played the game at all. Tricky question, huh?

Michael

[MikeyD]

...is that it becomes a good strategy for the customer to just wait as long as possible before buying any game.

Try that strategy with girlfriends. I held out all these years for Christie Brinkley and now Christie Brinkley is 58 years old.

[Michael Emrys]

Kinda scary to me knowing some of my customers remember this song from when it was on the charts

Hell, I go back even further than that: I remember "The Pusher" (great song). That was when the band called itself The Sparrow.

Michael

[beatmasta]

It is quite funny to see how many people here complain about the cost of the 10$ upgrade and can't see the difference between a patch and an upgrade even it has been explained by Steve and others countless of times already.

And on the other hand people who play for example EA Sports NHL series are happy to pay a full game price each year even though the improvements are mostly very small ones.

[Childress]

Meanwhile, for those of you who feel that this is a real essential, I've been looking at a lot of combat photos lately, and the thing that struck me is how much the time soldiers did advance in files. If they were good, they might spread out some when under fire...but then again, they might not. The lesson here is don't get too depressed when your pixeltruppen don't pick the optimum squad formation. Chances are they didn't in the real war either.

True, in the archival photos they always seem to be moving up Indian style. The most useful reason for resorting to a spread formation is scouting. Which the pixeltroops already do, after a fashion, in CM when using Hunt.