Space Age DLC is a Cash Grab - It Should’ve Been a Standalone Game

[apriori]

Selling F2 as a DLC is the best thing i saw in game industry as a whole.

First of all they added many QoL features and mechanics to the original game. The game is not forgotten, and as a player I'm glad devs made my life in the game much better.

The second, F2 expands the original. I'm glad I can play the same game but with new experience. On demand: I can switch on or off the expansion.

The third, the expansion perfectly fits F philosophy IMO: reuse (F1) and expand (F2).

The fourth, as a software architect I greet the way devs made legacy (the original game) a basis, not obsolete.

The price you pay for the game and DLC is negligible in comparison with play hours you (already spent and going to) spend in them.

[Gaagaagiins]

Perhaps this is just the communist in me talking, but, I couldn't care less how they frame or justify accepting money in exchange for their software. They deserve to be compensated for their labour one way or another. That's, at least, the logic imposed on this economic interaction between us as people who play the game and those who create it. If WUBE were sponsored by the state and received a living wage from the state to develop and distribute Factorio, I could see the sense in expecting them to give away their software for free, but, well, at least going within the pre-existing logic of capitalism, they have the freedom to decide how to structure and justify that. The way they've done so seems uncommonly balanced between being pro-consumer as well as pro-developer, which I have always appreciated and respected.

In no uncertain terms, in paying for Factorio and Factorio: Space Age, I am not paying for "content." I'm paying for a piece of software that a team of people put work in to produce, distribute, and continually support. Certain qualities of the product will determine for me whether or not I will choose to purchase it with my limited means to buy entertainment products, true, but I don't think those qualities are totally relevant in terms of whether or not the developers deserve to charge a certain amount or charge for an expansion instead of a standalone new product. They should be paid because they did the work.

For whatever reason this question made me reflect on how Alexey Pajitnov distributed Tetris copied to floppy discs to nerds all over the Soviet Union without a second thought about doing so for profit, since at that time at least in the Soviet Union there wasn't a conception of software as intellectual property that could be bought and sold like that, even as it seemed to fascinate and hypnotize anyone who played it.

I haven't actually gotten to Space Age content yet but from what I can tell, calling it a continuation or sequel that could be considered standalone seems specious. Space Age as a gameplay experience clearly would not exist without its synergistic relationship to the base game and its core mechanics. It is an expansion in the sense of the convention in videogames, but it's also an expansion in a more directly literal sense too, I would say.

[BlueTemplar]

Tetris is a nice little movie.

[MechBFP]

And completely upend/split the entire modding community in the process? I am glad they didn’t.

[Gaagaagiins]

Tetris is a nice little movie.

I haven't seen it! But I have seen the BBC documentary on the creation/localization/international distribution of the game, Tetris: From Russia with Love. It's available for free on Youtube: https://youtu.be/6ohCy4ktA5w?si=PcDnsmde73piHOWN

[MisterDoctor]

When playing Gleba it did sort of feel like Factorio 2, but Gleba is definitely the exception. Everything else so far is a bit underwhelming and makes more sense for a DLC than a new game. It really is an expansion that extends what we already had, rather than giving us something new. Gleba is the exception where it IS more of a completely new experience from top to bottom; but that's the exception.

For it being a "cash grab", I am torn. If we compare to Nauvis/Gleba, then large parts of it do feel unfinished to me. So I think they did release before they should have (IMO). So maybe they did it out of a need for revenue and not because they thought the product was done, hard to say for sure. But we don't know how further they will extend what we have so far; maybe they will improve it to where it does feel more finished. Or maybe they are happy with it where it is. And I've definitely had a good solid fun time even with it feeling unfinished, probably worth the cost. I just hope it is improved some more going forward.

[Quirkz]

This is the strangest complaint I have ever read in a forum on the internet.

A high quality expansion to a game comes out, and someone complains that... it's a DLC? That somehow it's ripping fan's off at a modest $35 dollars in the age of Diablo 4's $40 jpeg pair of shoes?

I rarely say it, but I feel that there is only one response to this righteous rage:


Ok, Karen.

[BlueTemplar]

I agree, but no slurs please.

[ividyon]

A deplorable little thread. Space Age is more than deserving of its price, and if its classification as "DLC" confuses you, look up the definition of a video game expansion, such as Brood War for Starcraft or The Frozen Throne for WarCraft 3.

Expansions improve and overhaul the base game (happened plenty in Space Age) and add fresh new content (happened plenty in Space Age). They're also, overall, still the same game, and build on its core (happened in Space Age). It is an expansion pack, and that is how they work.

I would feel "cheated" if Space Age, with its many similarities in the early game of Nauvis, was somehow a separate game for some reason. It also makes no sense to do it this way for many, many technical reasons.

Furthermore, look into the controversy of Left 4 Dead 2 releasing as a full standalone game a year after its predecessor Left 4 Dead 1, while bearing many similarities. People were not happy, and a lot more would've been unhappy with such a decision for Space Age than they currently are.

This thread is proof to me that people on the internet will get mad over literally anything; not that it needed any proof in the first place.

[Apthorpe]

We shall deal in simplicities, which one hopes will help justify Wube's business decisions for the skeptics.

I don't have a problem with how Wube has structured Space Age as an expansion of Factorio. Both provide incredible value. A DLC can be small; a DLC can be big; expansions tend to be big. And Space Age is a massive expansion. Expansions also tend to require separate purchase of the base game to play. That's fair and has been an acceptable convention for decades.

An indie game costs what it costs. A few major reasons indie games tend to cost less is b/c indie games tend to cost less to make and will fail to win over a lot of prospective buyers at the typical AAA price points. Factorio is an indie game, but it is certainly AAA in quality. It easily would have been worth $60, but Wube priced it at $35 for the US, which I feel is more than fair. Just like how the base game costs $35, which has always been a very fair price point considering the value. For the manifold hours we spend in Factorio, it tends to translate to our paying pennies on the hour for the experience.

Wube is a business that needs to make $ in order to fairly compensate their employees and sustain the quality of their games, considering their paradigm of long-term support. Most indie devs leave their games unsupported after a year or two, if that. IMO, that alone justifies Wube's decision to require purchase of the base game to play Space Age.

To make more $, Wube could have gone the route of microtransactions, even only the appearance-based ones. But I think they recognized that this would sully the game to some degree and presumably have no passion for that particular path. Let's be glad they decided to offer us gameplay for $ and shunned the alternative.

Could Space Age have been a 'Factorio 2'? Yes. But there were a lot of compelling reasons to keep it as an expansion, which others have already detailed in this thread. It was ultimately up to Wube's discretion, and I think Wube chose wisely.

Relatively speaking, Wube is a paragon when it comes to business practices in the game industry. They respect their players and avoid the all-too-common pattern of attempting to maximize cash extraction from said player base. If you perceive Wube as some money-grubbing evil entity, you must perceive the rest of the industry as nothing less than the embodiment of Mammon.

[SauerkrautPudding]

I don't know, I see 35 bucks for literally ANYTHING in the industry as pretty cheap (aside from cosmetics and other worthless microtransactions in other games - but I do not buy that anyways).

In addition to that you got all the exact info what you get for that price, along with the fact that you need a basegame for a DLC. So either you want it and pay the price or its not worth it in your eyes and you skip it.

Complaining how and why its a DLC and not Factorio2 is pretty pointless, don't you think? I mean even if everyone agreed with your view, did you expect them to roll back and release Factorio2 at the current state?

[BellaAbzug1]

Space Age DLC feels like a cash grab, as it introduces content that should have been a standalone game. Instead of enriching the main experience, it feels like an afterthought.

[Kyralessa]

To make more $, Wube could have gone the route of microtransactions, even only the appearance-based ones. But I think they recognized that this would sully the game to some degree and presumably have no passion for that particular path. Let's be glad they decided to offer us gameplay for $ and shunned the alternative.

Now I'm thinking back to this great FFF:

https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-132

[Brkfstfd]

The only thing that’s greedy and evil here is the attitude that the thing should cost what you want it to cost “just because”. If the value proposition isn’t there for you then just don’t pay for it. If it is you do.

[1WheelDude]

this thread is still going? i thought this was a troll post, but it keeps popping up at the top

[BlueTemplar]

OP hasn't posted here in two weeks, but I guess we keep getting baited...

[eloepp]

Alright, I have to say it: Space Age being a DLC is absurd. Ten years later, we’re handed this massive expansion that’s practically a new game in itself—new planets, space travel, tons of content that easily outscales the base game—and they slap on a purple DLC ribbon like it's a minor update. I mean, really? What on earth (or space) justifies this as a DLC instead of a true standalone Factorio 2?

There’s zero logical reason for this move except to cash in on existing owners, forcing everyone to buy the original game just to play the expansion. When I saw it on Steam, I nearly laughed out loud at how blatant it is. A sequel is expected to bring fresh gameplay, sure, but Factorio is unique. It’s a fully completed game, not some subscription-based service or MMO. And now they want us to treat this 10-year-later update like a small add-on?

Honestly, calling this pure evil feels fair. They’ve created a whole new experience, loaded it with content, yet we’re supposed to pay for the base game just to access it. The space update alone has more to offer than the original Factorio. It’s obvious they’re trying to squeeze extra out of fans who have already supported the game over the years, making us buy the DLC with full price to access what should have been a fresh title.

The whole setup screams cash grab. If they had just released Space Age as Factorio 2, it would make sense, be respectful to the fanbase, and attract even more players. As it stands, it’s frustrating and just plain disappointing.

"Pure evil", you've got to be kidding me. I literally thought this was going to be a sarcastic post but this guy is serious. First of all, games cost up to $70+ now, so Factorio even with the DLC isn't asking too much. I don't care if it's not considered an "AAA" title, that means nothing; Factorio is a better, more polished, and offers more content than probably 99% of other games out there. Wube is also just awesome and constantly communicates with it's fanbase through FFF and Reddit. They've done nothing but a good job and have continuously updated the game over the years. Have you encountered ONE bug? Ever? Have you ever thought they cut corners with ANYTHING? In a time with so much shady practices in video games - think rushed and unfinished games, pay-to-win practices, micro transactions that cost $100+ (yes, check the new mount you can purchase in WoW), and you are going to complain...about Factorio!? This is a literal joke. I just...I can't even. Wube/Factorio stand out as examples of how games should be developed and maintained, maybe more so than literally any other game. Even with the DLC just releasing I bet 99% of players never encounter a single bug.

Games are already such an incredibly cheap forms of entertainment (and yes, you absolutely can compare Factorio to going to a movie. DUH.) I know I'm an extreme case but the game has literally cost me less than 1c an hour to play. I never complain about the price of any game, it's absurd. I have so many games in my steam library I haven't even played, or played for 1 hour and realized they are flops and I just wasted my money. You don't have to worry about that with Factorio unless you're really getting into something that isn't your style. I fully support Wube and the cost of the game, absolutely. This post is a shame.

[BlueTemplar]

And baited...

BTW, you realize that pretty much all of these points have already been made ?
(Probably not, I guess you've just started writing your answer as soon as you read the first post, and might not even have read any other answers...)

I know it must feel nice to act on your anger after you've read such an outrageous post,
but then you waste the time of other people that have to read the same arguments yet again...
(So if the troll's goal has been to waste people's time, you're actually helping them.)

An advice : you don't have to post it : the job of venting having been accomplished by typing it out, you can just delete what you wrote (at least most of it).

[testnewbie]

And baited...

BTW, you realize that pretty much all of these points have already been made ?
(Probably not, I guess you've just started writing your answer as soon as you read the first post, and might not even have read any other answers...)

I know it must feel nice to act on your anger after you've read such an outrageous post,
but then you waste the time of other people that have to read the same arguments yet again...
(So if the troll's goal has been to waste people's time, you're actually helping them.)

An advice : you don't have to post it : the job of venting having been accomplished by typing it out, you can just delete what you wrote (at least most of it).

I wish I could simply "thumbs up" and not reply but here we go.

[adam_bise]

I have to whole-heartedly disagree with this. The value of games when you compare them to a $35 steak dinner is like comparing hundreds of hours of entertainment with a turd being flushed down the toilet.

I would have paid twice as much.