Next Oblivion downloads promise more than horse getups
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Apr 5th 2006 at 12:25PM }
Bethesda revealed details about two
Oblivion content downloads that will be released "in the coming weeks." The Orrery (the mysterious
and broken device that's locked behind a door in the Arcane University lobby) download will feature a full-fledged
quest, which will task players with rebuilding the celestial-tracking machine. Once reconstruction of the Orrery is
complete, players will gain access to special powers based on lunar cycles. GameSpot speculates that one such power
could be lycanthropy.The second download will feature the Frostcrag Spire, a wizard's tower, located in the snow-capped mountains of Cyrodill. While it's unclear if a quest will accompany the tower (maybe it just needs to be cleared of its current inhabitants), aspiring mages can take up residence there and will be able to grow herbs, craft spells, and learn to summon atronachs.
Both downloads will be available to PC users for $1.99 (the same price as the controversial horse armor), but Bethesda has declined to announce costs for the Xbox 360 version.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ronnie @ Apr 5th 2006 12:36PM
I can't believe the new business plan on consoles is to withold content from a completed game and then charge for it a few weeks after the release. The xbox market place is such a scam.
And don't flame me saying if you don't want it, don't pay for it. The reality is you're dropping $60 on a game that isn't as complete as it should be and then being charged extra for "bonus" content.
Its a scam, but i'll admist Oblivion is a superb game.
JodyAnthony @ Apr 5th 2006 12:41PM
out of curiosity, did they actually decline to announce the 360 price, or did they just not announce it, and noone asked
Gil @ Apr 5th 2006 12:42PM
You lost me at horse. Not buying.
Carl Winslow @ Apr 5th 2006 12:51PM
I didn't buy the horse armor, but I'll consider buying these when we get more info.
Ronnie, saying that Oblivion is a "game that isn't as complete as it should be" is the most insane thing I've ever heard.
John Riley @ Apr 5th 2006 12:53PM
FYI, this is actually the PC price, not the Xbox one. While I did not consider buying the horse graphic for even one second, new quest lines and gameplay is something I would certainly consider purchasing. In my mind, its not really much different than an expansion pack, just broken up into more little pieces that you can pick and choose from if you like the idea.
Plo @ Apr 5th 2006 12:53PM
When it comes to Oblivion, I disagree with #1. It contains such an amazing amount of content that it can hardly be called incomplete.
My question is why do they charge 360 owners more than PC people? THAT is the scam.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 5th 2006 12:54PM
#1 -
The game IS complete. The above two extras are quests.
When it comes to a cosmetic change like horse armor, yes, it is a bit rediculous to charge $2 for it. But, it is their perogative and they can charge if they feel like it, it is our right as comsumers to not buy it if we don't like it.
Now, as for adding in quests, that is a whole different story. Why was it so different when Bethesda released Bloodmoon and Tribunal as expansions for Morrowind at $30 each?
The main reason why they charge $2 per quest is the overhead required to make it work. Because every ounce of character dialogue is voiced over, Bethesda has to keep the voice actors on staff to voice over new quests. That isn't cheap. The $2 goes to cover the work on the quest plus the voice actor's labor to provide the audio.
Because of that, $2 for an entire quest is quite fair whereas $2 for a model swap is a bit outlandish.
bandit @ Apr 5th 2006 12:56PM
Vast inprovement, yes. Stimga of horsy feces still lingers though. Makes you wonder why they felt the suits of horse armor were worth as much as these mods.
While i dont particularly like the business model. I like the option if this is done right. As for the XBLM, they are likely in negotiations with MS right now. Seeing as it was only a .50 cent markup its reasonable to believe thats MS cut. Whether it will remain that way or if they are negotiating with MS for a smaller royalty fee if not, having them waive it altogether. In which case I say MS better, at least initially so that the can get more support at this crucial stage.
Sjohn @ Apr 5th 2006 1:04PM
If everyone would have bought the horse armor, and celebrated it, these new missions would have been $5 instead of $2.50, they were testing the waters with something that they expected would get a backlash, and if it went well they were going to double the cost of the new quests, however they were not recieved well so I see that they want to "make up for it" by giving us new quests like we asked for at the same price of horse armor.
Evil Inside @ Apr 5th 2006 1:16PM
This should make a lot of people happier than the horse armor did, although there will always be people who will complain and refuse to buy any content.
For anyone not willing to buy this for $2, simply wait for A)a community mod if you are playing the PC version(although it may not be the same or even close), or B) wait 6-12 months for an expansion pack to be released or a GOTY edition.
Scooby Doo @ Apr 5th 2006 1:25PM
I have no problem with paying for THIS kind of additional content. I can't speak for others, but on the whole horse armor thing, it's not as simple as "just don't buy it". My fear is that if even a very small portion of users purchased it, Bethesda may consider it successful enough (from a business perspective) to do other things like it. These "micro transactions", or whatever they're called, probably wouldn't follow the same marketing and sales rules of supply vs. demand or even needing a large market share to be considered a viable alternative to generate income.
For all of you who simply tell us, "shut up and just don't buy the mod", what if your logic doesn't work? Sometime you have to let a company know when they're doing something you don't like. I plan on voicing my comments to Bethesda and the rest of the world because I really enjoy their games and I will do everything in my power to stop this kind of nickel and dime tactics to get more money out of me. I'll be happy to give you more money for additional maps, items, NPC's, quests, etc., but charging ANYTHING for such a simple addition to the software when I'm willing to pay the $70 for the PC collector's addition is ludicrous.
Leto @ Apr 5th 2006 1:27PM
Basically they released a beta game, and they want you to pay extra for something that should have been finished in the first place.
Sense @ Apr 5th 2006 1:28PM
I find this stuff very interesting. I'd like to see if games take on a model similar to Halo 2. The maps in Halo cost money (excluding the earliest ones), after a few months, they were made free. I wonder if we'll see this with other games, like Oblivion.
Frankly, considering the game is already so damned big, I'm surprised to see this content so quickly. Has anyone played this game enough to need new quests already?
KilgoreTrout XL @ Apr 5th 2006 1:30PM
Let's put things in perspective here. Oblivion for the 360 is, at $60, an undeniably tremendous bang for your buck. There's nothing else to say really, except that this game is huge, beautiful, fun, and addicting. The difference between the amount of labor put into this game- versus your typical release- must be absolutely staggering.
I don't know about you guys, but my save lists shows me at about 34 hours of gametime. And I'm only Level 23- I *will* make it to the 53 ceiling. The last time I played an RPG in marathon sessions like this was Shadows of Amn. I'm having almost as much fun with this baby.
Now I agree that the horse armor is, well, it
wasn't my thing and it wasn't most of our things. But if they want me to pay $2.50 to make a great game even greater, then consider me sold. Hell, I'd have paid $100 for this game as is.
me @ Apr 5th 2006 1:32PM
evil inside,
hell, i refuse to even buy the game right now as it stands. i'm using my god given right to not purchase the horse armor, or these two mods, or the game even. all this crap will definately make me purchase the game in a couple of years when all the bugs are worked out and the expansion packs are added into a game of the year edition. i waited for morrowind and bought it at $30 with bloodmoon and tribunal. i'll just wait this time, even more so with all the bs thats going on now.
dan s. @ Apr 5th 2006 1:42PM
I worry that we won't be making these comments about a game that is as long and filled as Oblivion, but that one day we will be offered an add-on for a game that lasted 5 hours and clearly should have had the content included at no additional cost. This is a slippery slope and with M$ at the controls, I fear there will be a much greater amount of slipping.
Bloo @ Apr 5th 2006 1:47PM
"Basically they released a beta game, and they want you to pay extra for something that should have been finished in the first place. "
The highest reviewed beta game ever. LOL. This extra content is made during the production of the game specifically to be added on later for an additional profit. If there were no microtransactions, these quests would never have been made.
Mark Felps @ Apr 5th 2006 2:37PM
While some of you are worried that the evil game companies are out to screw you, I'm more worried that the game companies, after seeing the reaction Bethesda has received, will simply opt out of adding new content.
Bethesda released additional content for a game that was already full of replay value, and had the temerity to charge for that content. This has been their plan all along, and was one of the fundamental reasons for the existence of downloadable content on XBL, but instead of being praised for their release, or even just ignored, every gaming board on the net has been subject to the screeds of outraged fanboys. "How dare they charge me for new content! It SHOULD have been in the game!"
Where are you getting your should's from people? Is there some rule that fantasy games are required to include horse armor? Was horse armor a primary selling point of Oblivion that I've missed? Reading developer diaries you'll see that Bethesda planned after-market paid content for the game. When they went gold, they immediately turned around and began creating the after-market content with the intent to sell it both on their site and on XBL. That content was never meant to go in the game. Bethesda did not rip anyone off, and this betrayed, juevenile reaction will send a chilling effect into the development community that ensures no developer takes the risk of being tarred as "ripoff artists".
Those of us who are interested in online delivery of game content, including serial games and the future possibility of user-created mods, really wish the rest of you would calm down a little bit. If you don't like the horse armor, don't buy it, and feel free to let Bethesda know why you didn't, but this non-stop torrent of hair-tearing and garment-rending is ridiculous.
Dt7 @ Apr 5th 2006 2:42PM
Quests and new locations are worth 200msp.
Horse armour is not.
I will definatly buy these.
Leto @ Apr 5th 2006 2:48PM
Uh, Mark Felps, I don't know how old you are but back in the good old days (few years ago) we never had to pay for something that should have been in the game in the first place. The developers at Unreal Tournament continue to release content, FOR FREE. Every PC game I've played always released patches and extra content FOR FREE. Those developers volunteer their time to REWARD their customers, unlike the ingrates at Bathesda who are only volunteering to make a quick buck out of their customers.
Bennyboy @ Apr 5th 2006 2:56PM
12. leto
you are stupid the game is not beta or incomplete, many games have extra content available for download it doesnt make them incomplete at all.
The game was complete when it was released think of extra content as making the game 110% complete if that makes sense????
Bennyboy @ Apr 5th 2006 3:02PM
20.
True but the majority of developers who do this create content which is usualy sub par to the game anyway, anybody remember kotor's extra content??? if their is voice acting included which usualy is not in free content how do we expect bethesda to pay for it???
Scooby Doo @ Apr 5th 2006 3:20PM
Bennyboy,
I think you hit the nail right on the head with your statement. Most of us consider 'horse armor' to be subpar. That's WHY we're so upset. If they were offering new horse armor and another 100 items for 2 bucks, that's fine, but when all you get is a little extra flash on your horse, I feel like I'm being ripped off. It's horse armor today, I think most of us who don't like this are afraid it could grow into a very ugly...and costly...marketplace if we just sit by and do nothing. Isn't it bad enough that there are people who barter Everquest items as their 9-5 job?
OTAM @ Apr 5th 2006 4:04PM
I forget...how much was the Ninja Gaiden hurricane pack?? What about the extra 7-8 maps in Halo2 or the extra levels for Splinter Cell?? Oh,I forgot,they were fucking FREE because you were a member of XBOX LIVE ALREADY.
This marketplace shit is such a scam it's unbelievable. Apparently i'm not only going to have to pay $59.99 for a freaking game (which I refuse to do anyway,$59.99 + tax is absolutely insane for a videogame. $49.99 was pushing it to begin with),but I also have to spend MORE to get the entire game's value. This is such a sham.
jp007 @ Apr 5th 2006 4:29PM
The problem with the Orrey expansion is that it SHOULD have been in the game in the first place. The obviously pulled it in order to sell it for a relative premium to make a qucik easy buck. Characters in the vanilla game talk about the Orrey, and you are sort of invited to check it out by NPC's. The games loading screens talk about the Orrey as well. Then when coming upon where the Orrey should be there is essentially an unlockable door. I don't know how much more obvious it could be that they're trying to charge for content that should have already been in the game. They should have just delayed it longer, or given this as a free download.
dsub @ Apr 5th 2006 5:00PM
WHAT? THIS IS PROPOSTEROUS! They actually expect people to PAY for something that they put hard work into completing! GREEDY CORPORATE BASTARDS!!! What is the world coming to!!! $2.00!!! What!!! Do they think we are made of money! This is insane! DAMMIT! This means I'll have to sacrifice a WHOLE BOTTLE OF MOUNTAIN DEW! OH MY GOD!!!
hahaha. don't like it. don't buy it.
oblivion is a 100% complete game. Spending $59.99 is without a doubt getting your money's worth, and is getting you plenty of value for your money. The gae is huge, and offers over 100 hours of gameplay out of the box, the quests will only offer 10+ more hours. Now stop bitching. Expansion packs have always cost money, this is no different. Just cause a couple others did it for free doesn't mean they all have to.
Hitch @ Apr 5th 2006 5:21PM
Why do people have a problem with this extra content?
The game is amazing. To call it a beta is plain stupid. I beta test lots of games and can assure you that the quantity of quests alone in this game far surpasses any beta I have played. Thats not counting the amount of Dungeons, roaming and even idling picking flowers this game offers. It isn't the biggest game in the world but it is immense and well worth the money.
As for the content. You pay your 40UKP for a game then if you wish you can add to the vast content already included. Compare that to paying for the latest mobile phone, adding the cost of the monthly rental/phonebill fees and then buying all those stupid little wallpapers/ringtones/animations/games etc etc. You are not required to purchase those, nor are you required to purchase anything for this game. Hell its going to take me a long time to get all this game offers without buying a thing!
I do wonder why the PC version is cheaper though for the downloads. But then again my PC version cost a lot less than the full 360 game too despite it being the same game.
wAyNe @ Apr 5th 2006 5:54PM
Think of your favorite game ever. Now imagine that it never ended. It kept going because the dev's kept adding content. I wish I could download another level for BG&E.
Downloadable content is what we've all been waiting for. Yes, some seedy developers will take advantage of it. But that's why you put them in their place and only buy worthwhile content. If you support new quests, this game could go on forever. If you boycott horse armor, they will get the point and focus on what is making them money.
WyattERP @ Apr 5th 2006 7:17PM
Yeah, I'd pay 2.50 for this kind of extra content...but there is so much in this game, I'm surprised at how quickly Bethesda is pushing this kind of add-on stuff out. I would have expected at least 3 months or something - seriously, who here has exhausted the amount of stuff you can do in this game?
OTAM...the Halo maps only EVENTUALLY became free...I had to drop 20 bones or something to get my hands on them when they first came out. They were NOT free to begin with (well, I think a couple of them were free at first!
BTW, Oblivion is quickly ascending the ranks of "Best damn game I have ever played" - thx Bethesda for a fantastic experience!
Oh...one more thing Bethesda...can you work on optimizing the frame-rate issue on the 360 instead of developing new quests right now? Ok...thanks for listening... :)
Imadogg99 @ Apr 5th 2006 7:44PM
Mmm... lycanthropy. Sounds exciting.
I gotta try out being a vampire first then decide on how being a were-khajit could work.
calthaer @ Apr 5th 2006 10:04PM
Those who are concerned that Joystiq is pro-Nintendo may have a point. I have noticed that several posts criticizing some of Nintendo's "downloadable" content and its limited availability (or the fact that it's just plain broken - remember the Animal Crossing fiasco where some d/ls broke your game) have gone missing.
Content you can pay to get is content that you just can't get period.
Uy Tran @ Apr 5th 2006 11:34PM
Just thought you'd like to know it's "Orrery"
Patel @ Apr 6th 2006 6:36AM
The boxed game has over 100 quest and costs $60. That's less than .60 a quests.
At 2.50, the two downloadable ones are 4 times more expensive. It's not a matter of only being a few dollars, in the fact that Live 'content' is WAAAAAAY overpriced.
All 3 packs should be $.99 to $1.99
webbie Bud @ Apr 8th 2006 11:40PM
Re: 31 - calthaer . . . Missing posts?
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/27/beware-nintendos-red-tulips/
That was found after punching the words Crossing and tulips into Joystiq's search. T'was the tenth result down.
F Yer I.
Necrocyde @ Apr 24th 2006 4:09PM
i think its highly important to remember how the game is published and whom thats done by. oblivion was published and distributed by 2k games, while morrowind and all its expansions were published internally. while i think horse armor should have been free, i can see that paying a few bucks for extra quests is a good idea. its sad that xbox owners have to pay for add ons, while pc owners can get several add ons for free made by the public. bungie would still be a really cool company if they werent the ultra-sellout super tools they are nowadays, this is because there games are published by microsoft, they are also owned as a company by microsoft, so whats happening at bethesda is somewhat less severe. who knows perhaps the expansion will have these things, but im buying them anyway, play more of a great game or save my money for posterity and go by a barely enjoyable burger combo from a fast food joint. i find it funny that people are just disgusted by paying a few bucks for more gaming when they probably do something just as pointless as buying 3 cokes from a pop machine everyday for weeks or smoking an entire pack of cigs in one day.
im more angry that bethesda screwed up the interface (such as not being able to move and place any item almost anywhere you please, like in morrowind for PC) because dropping items and having them randomly spew out of you makes garnishing your houses IMPOSSIBLE!
arktor @ Apr 25th 2006 1:22PM
I totally agree with this fact : the arcane university orrey is missing in the normal (mod free) game, it isn't there and it is not normal, people speak of it, there are allusions of it. It was deliberately removed from the original game under money-driven reasons. It is obvious that :
IT WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO BE IN THE GAME. Period.
The horse armor is a joke, a very very very bad one.
But, the mage tower is another thing. It was obviously not designed originally to be in the game. So, why not pay for this one, but this one only.
The orrey should be free, the horse armor should not exist, and this one seems good enough to be sold, but not for 2 bucks, 0.5$ would be a better price, let's push it to 1$ max. But not at the price the sell it now.