"DLC may never see the light of day" say System 3

[Scaff]

Doesn't look like good news.....

System 3 has told CVG that extra download content planned for its PS3-exclusive racer, Ferrari Challenge, "may never see the light of day".

Releasing DLC was always on the schedule, said the System 3. "We were really excited about it because in theory it offers us developers the chance to keep working on little treats and make them available to loyal fans of the game."


But things don't always go to plan, evidently. "Unfortunately the realities and dead end streets of making licensed content available as a download, and then making it available in different territories have bitten us on the backside," the company told us.

"System 3 has tried and is still trying to make content available and we haven't forgotten the people who paid good money for Ferrari Challenge. The unfortunate reality is that the content we wanted to release, all of which has been sat around in completed form for months, may never see the light of day as DLC."

It's not going in the bin though. "Some of this has been used as a basis for new content in the up-and-coming SuperCar Challenge so thankfully it won't go to waste."

System 3 says it'll continue with efforts to release DLC for Ferrari Challenge, adding "we apologise that we haven't been able to give fans of the game more in recent months."

Source - http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=205392


....damn.


Scaff

 

[Hun200kmh]

damn indeed. But I already didn't have any hopes on DLCs for FC. And what they say about SCC can be true concerning cars like the Enzo (included in the only announced pack), but not for vintage cars like the P4. And I really like old "Le Mans" Ferraris. In fact, I like old race cars, ever since the first time I played GP Legends and later - in GT3 - I played with the amazing GT40 race car.

Scaff, I don't know if you noticed a PM I sent you this January 5th, if you did please answer me, even if your answer is only to say "no way"

 

[jjaisli]

Yeah, this pretty much mirrors what Candra from System 3 posted in the Eutechnyx forum nearly a month ago. I can't say I'm surprised to see nothing has changed. I'm convinced there is more to it. While I'm sure there are legal issues in selling DLC, I'm convinced the root issue is S3 doesn't want to pay for lawyers on every continent to draw up the legal agreements necessary to make this happen. But we'll probably never know for sure. What's interesting is that System 3 have mentioned DLC is a possibility at some point in the future for Super Car Challenge. Which leads me to believe the reasons are more financial than technical. If SCC sells 3 million+ copies you better believe we'll see DLC for it. If it flounders or is marred by poor reviews and bugs like Ferrari Challenge was upon it's release, history will probably repeat itself.

I'm convinced at this point, the only way we'll ever get our hands on that DLC is if System 3 decides to include it on a 'bonus' disc in the Super Car Challenge Box. I've suggested this to Chandra and think it would be a great cross promotion. I know it would probably push me to buy SCC earlier.

 

[Biggles]

Would the legal issues concerning DLC be any different from those involved in issuing new content on a disc?

My concern about SCC is that it's going to be focused on the Enzos, FXXs & Veyrons & leave out the kind of cars that were actually the most interesting to race in FC: the 348 & 355 Challenge cars, the 360GT & some of the older cars, like the 250 Testarossa, 250 LM or 250 GTO.

 

[amar212]

I agree with you Biggles.

My main concern are cars in <500 class. I really do not like overpowered cars, I prefer mid-power selection, from 350-500KS max. And thos +600KS monsters are fast and everything, but racing with them is just to "Wipeout" for me..

 

[Hun200kmh]

I guess "Super Car Challenge" means "Super Cars" game. However, since you guys are both beta testers, you are in a privileged position to ask for "almost super" cars to be in the game

 

[zazaza]

If we wanna see these DLC, I think that we'll have to buy Super Car Challenge... I think that the promised DLC will be in the stock Super Car Challenge. That are bad news, games are not cheap and they are kidding us with these promised things.

 

[jjaisli]

Would the legal issues concerning DLC be any different from those involved in issuing new content on a disc?

My concern about SCC is that it's going to be focused on the Enzos, FXXs & Veyrons & leave out the kind of cars that were actually the most interesting to race in FC: the 348 & 355 Challenge cars, the 360GT & some of the older cars, like the 250 Testarossa, 250 LM or 250 GTO.

Chandra did make a statement that releasing them by disc would not be an issue. That's not exactly how he phrased it (I would have to look for the quote) but essentially that's how it came out.

But I share your concerns about the cars in SCC. I didn't think I would but I really enjoy driving some of the older cars. In some ways, driving cars like the 333SP is actually easier because they have so much grip and power that it's easier to cover small mistakes.

 

[Ardius]

Thats a shame because I was thinking the other day that they could release the DLC to be compatible with both games, thus not completely excluding the loyal fans and making the DLC more valuable, but I can believe that they are having legal issues with it, its one thing to license the cars for a game disc and a very different thing to license them for a download in mulitple regions at once. It may not even have been the difference in medium, it may have just been the licensing each new pack of content would have been more time-consuming and costly than they felt was acceptable/profitable.

 

[TheRisingTide21]

I'm not suprised at all. I was thinking the other day that it's been nearly 5 months since the first DLC should have been released. At that point I knew it probably would never come.

It's a shame because the thought of showcasing every Ferrari ever made was something amazing. While I knew that was a tall order, the chance to have at least the most popular Ferrari's in the game would have been nice.

 

[danjama]

I agree with RisingTide. The concept was an amazing thought. Imagine, every Ferrari downloadable and raceable.

Although it is hugely disappointing, i will still say that i am more than happy with the games' content and depth out of the box. There's alot to keep you going back and the cars are so beautifully modelled they alone keep me in awe!

I look forward to SCC and will also buy that regardless of whether there is promised DLC or not. Final thought, it would be really cool even if they just made 1 new Ferrari available to download per month for a small cost. At least then you would always have a fresh car on the horizon. This is where the dissapointment lies for me.

 

[jjaisli]

I guess what's most disappointing for me is that Monaco was supposed to be available as a free download upon release. The track even appeared in a few videos and screen shots. I was so looking forward to that. I wanted it before I ever played the game. And now in retrospect, I think a tight and narrow street circuit with FC's wonderful FFB and Physics engine would have been a real challenge and a lot of fun.

 

[danjama]

I didnt know that!

 

[Mad Matt]

Nothing about the FF fix for Europe?

 

[Hun200kmh]

Just this:

http://forums.eutechnyx.com/index.php/topic,144.0.html

 

[jjaisli]

Just like the DLC and rest of the bug fixes, I think it's something like this:

 

[Hereward]

I think the issue here is everyone has been put onto the supercar project, The priority I would think would be to get the next title out and get the money in the bank.
If you look at FC it was severly hampered sales wise due to poor reviews and many stories on the net of bugs and patch delays. I would think supercars wont suffer these problems now that FC has "paved the way" Unfortunatly for those of us who have been hooked by FC it all means we are unlikley to see the "promised and advertised" car list nor any further refinements via patches. To be honest though I've no real issues with the game, a few wishes such as dead zone issues and kicking from lobbys but nothing that detracts from the cracking game which is FC.
What should be something to behold is what they've done with supercars! Theres limited info out there but what there is seems to be pointing to something a step beyond FC, heres hopeing

 

[Robin]

I saw this coming a mile off, it was a sus idea to begin with, that some small dev company was going to give DLC month by month for ages building to a huge collection not even one pack made it out the door and some people paid 40 quid for it!

Saying that 'oh we didnt see the reality of releasing dlc in different regions etc coming' is not an excuse for any developer, they should know better. Some bought the game totally expecting DLC seeing as it was like the most hyped part of the game other than the Ferrari licence.

To say that the dlc stuff hasnt gone to waste is an extra kick in the teeth as what it is literally saying is "buy the next game so we can screw you over for stuff that you should have already got but for more cash".

I didnt buy FC but I would personally never trust this dev again to deliver on anything other than whats in the box, and that even includes not trusting there ability to provide online. In this day and age saying oh its too hard to release DLC is a major cop out.

Robin.

 

[jjaisli]

Robin

It has nothing to do with the developer. It has everything to do with the Publisher. Eutechnyx produced a brilliant, although flawed, game. System 3 was the marketing and money behind it. They were in charge of DLC. They were responsible for making it happen. And they're hardly 'small'. Eutechnyx has confirmed at least the first batch of DLC was ready months ago. And we know Monaco exists. If it was up to them we'd have it already.

One can put part of the blame on the developer for releasing a game that had a lot of bugs and suffered poor reviews as a result. The lost sales from this may in fact be responsible for the lack of funds required to make DLC happen.

It doesn't make it any better nor easier to swallow. But I just want to clarify the point of WHO is actually responsible.

 

[Hereward]

Who is responsable? well ultimately the management at System 3 and I supose Mark Cale, they have come up against a problem they didn't plan for and can't come up with a workable solution. simple, I wonder if there will be a disproportionatly large amount of ferraris due to FC DLC being included in supercars? also I wonder how many cars will hit the final release? I really hope we dont see another "short" list with the promise of DLC LOL

 

[danjama]

Who is responsable? well ultimately the management at System 3 and I supose Mark Cale, they have come up against a problem they didn't plan for and can't come up with a workable solution. simple, I wonder if there will be a disproportionatly large amount of ferraris due to FC DLC being included in supercars? also I wonder how many cars will hit the final release? I really hope we dont see another "short" list with the promise of DLC LOL

yea then i think they would definitely have poor sales on it! Which would be a real shame because they have a great game package.

 

[marchi]

What I don't understand, is why they are making those that forked out money for this game pay for the DLC. They lied on the box about the amount of cars and then expect many to pay for it.

 

[Hereward]

What I don't understand, is why they are making those that forked out money for this game pay for the DLC. They lied on the box about the amount of cars and then expect many to pay for it.

Yep it was a "twisting" of the truth on the back of the box in regards the amount of cars in the game, or rather an omision of the fact they would be DLC......I think this was one of the contributing factors of the poor sales of this game, which you could say serves them right. Lets hope they have learned from that mistake, undoubtedly the problems with the launch of FC has led to a tarnishing of the companies name and future products, namely supercars, which is a shame as FC is a very good game as no doubt supercars will be, plus the amount of features that were added via the post release patches were quite considerable and they listened to what the users wanted, a rare thing these days!

 

[MJH]

What I don't understand, is why they are making those that forked out money for this game pay for the DLC. They lied on the box about the amount of cars and then expect many to pay for it.

+1. They misled/lied to us about the amount of cars in the game, then expected us/tried to con us into buying dlc which they can't even get released. They can't even scam us properly. What kind of companies are we dealing with here, unprofessional, immoral, incompetent springs to mind.

 

[Zathra5_]

I don't think that they were including the DLC in their car count. If you count the 22 unlockable cars and every different paint job for the Ferrari challenge cars you get a number really close to 50. So I think that they were counting the different paint jobs as different cars. How they thought that they could get away with calling 28 ferrari challenge cars as different cars, I don't know.