Download Packs

[DawnFireDragoon]

Hey, i remember reading a while back that download packs would be available at launch, i'm not in any hurry to get them, but does anyone know of any solid release date or content yet? personally i would like to see some re-made tracks (but using full graphics, rather than the simplified stuff in Pure, which is great, but those tracks would have been soooooo good in full graphics)

[Task]

Oh, I wouldn't expect anything till Jan. 1st at the earliest.
Holidays and all, it slows down software releases when everyone needs to spend some time _not_ at work. 8 )
I've seen it written somewhere around here that the first download pack is definitely on its way. More craft is the main content, I believe. We shall see!

[mdhay]

That's probably right, the first download will most likely contain ships, since Auricom has always been a mainstay, and the can't be absent for five or six months for another pidgeon to shoot down.;)

[Chrono]

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, my prediction for the first pack is: Auricom, Icarius, and the four tracks that cycle on the official page. The other two ships wont be in pack one.

[jacen]

auricom and new tracks would be like 2nd christmas.

i just wonder if the new tracks will spawn new grids in the singleplayer campain like they did in pure.

[Fascia]

4 tracks, 4 ships, 4 packs, I think it's most likely we'll see 1 ship and 1 track per pack, as well as a few extras such as skins, music, backgrounds. I think this time round they're going for quality over quantity.

[Rapier Racer]

So we're having ourselves a little spot of the old prediction lark eh? OK I'm gonna guess, a pack of ships first.

[Asayyeah]

3 empty packs ( sorry try next time) and the last containing all the precious stuff :pirate

;)

[BARTgai]

:blarg

i sure hope not

[tapioca]

3 empty packs ( sorry try next time) and the last containing all the precious stuff :pirate;)

Well, it looks like you were right Asa… Despite no announcement, the 3 empty packs are even available right now. But hey, i'm much more waiting for real content. Do we have any news of it that wouldn't be just "soon" ?

Now that i've completed the phantom grids, i need more Pulse !

[Au_Xtr3me]

I reckon the packs will be released just before (3 hours) the official US release. The first pack will have Auricom to sate the want for national identity :cowboy

[Dogg Thang]

There was an article on neogaf a while back saying that WO pack 1 would be coming on the 31st of Jan and pack 2 would be the 7th of Feb. They sound very close to me but, if true, it means not a huge amount of waiting now.

[tapioca]

Well… considering that the packs were supposed to be available at launch, an official word from SL or Sony would be appreciated.
If we link this to the US release date, Jan 31st and Feb 7th seem believable.
That would be a great news, indeed !

[Frances_Penfold]

I will be very excited to have the downloadable packs :hyper

Part of the reason for releasing downloadable content would seem to be the additional value it provides a peice of software. For example, it might convince a gamer to keep a particular game because they want to experience the additional content that would be rolling out in the future.

So from Sony's perspective, wouldn't it make sense to wait until Pulse has been released in all territories before making the download-able content available?

Anyway-- hope I'm wrong about this, 'cuz I want to play the new tracks!

[Rapier Racer]

Considering how cheap Pulse was being sold for in some places its extra extra value :p

[zargz]

I'm still learning the tracks (all 24 of'em!) so I won't mind if the packs come late march :nod

[Frances_Penfold]

Considering how cheap Pulse was being sold for in some places its extra extra value :p

Heh, true enough ;)

To be clear, I'm NOT complaining about the price of Wipeout Pulse, which I think is a damn bargain.

It just seems that, financially speaking, Sony would want to have the downloadable content as soon some of carrot to dangle in front of gamers-- otherwise, why not just include it on the UMD?

[TearsToShreds]

I can't wait for the new content and seeing how Icaras will perform online and on the time tables.

[rdmx]

why not just include it on the UMD?
I'd hazard a guess that at a certain point in development, everything thats going to be included in the UMD is locked down as a certain inclusion, so they work on those elements first so they won't get sidetracked, while the dlc is still in concept.

[Dogg Thang]

And there's a certain value in offering extra content. It makes you think you're getting more for free. Which, considering there was easily enough content in both Pure and Pulse on the UMDs to begin with, you are.

[Mobius]

31st January? Sounds like a plan to me. I need a few more tracks. Yuo reckon any will have a Zone conterpart?

[tapioca]

And 31st January is… today !

[x3pwnage]

Yea it is, its not up and hopefully it does go up today but we could be waiting for a while yet

[stin]

Patience guys, time will come eventually! I just want to keep playing Pulse at the moment because I`m still not there yet, I do feel it`s still alot of work to do even I done over 90hrs of Pulse so far.

stevie:hyper

[Dogg Thang]

It may or may not be today but, if it is, I've found that usually the download sites (for PS3 and the PC store) seem to happen closer to the evening. That list said the download would go through the Playstation PC store so that would be the one to check if the list turns out to be true. Who knows though...

[Dogg Thang]

Well the Playstation Store has been updated. No Pulse packs and they've added stuff that wasn't on that list I saw (Fade to Black and Theme Hospital) so I'd say that was false. Sorry about that, guys.

[zargz]

fade to black!!!? wow! that came out at the same time as w'o", didn't it?

[Fascia]

I have a theory, the Auricom pack will come out on the american release date, the Mirage pack will come out on the middle-eastern release date (?!) and Hirmanu will come out on the asian release date.

and uh... Icarus... well that blows my theory out the window.

I do somewhat hope there's a track in the same country as the team, I've longed for a track set in london, imagine a strip of track going through the tube, swinging around parliment, and going down Canary Warf... I can dream.

[phl0w]

You mean like this (http://freenet-homepage.de/sausehuhn/galerie/sonstiges/wipeout.ad.jpg)? :hyper

[BARTgai]

wait, its going to be on the Playstation store? crap, i can only download stuff from the NA section.

[NeXaR_QroN]

You mean like this (http://freenet-homepage.de/sausehuhn/galerie/sonstiges/wipeout.ad.jpg)? :hyper

:eek:eek:eek:eek

[Dogg Thang]

wait, its going to be on the Playstation store?

Maybe not. The list I saw that said it was going to be on the PS store turned out to be competely false so it may go through the wipeout site or elsewhere.

Only Sony people know for sure I guess.

I wish we'd got a download pack... I had convinced myself it was coming on the 31st.

[zargz]

convinced yourself??! http://geocities.com/zargz/leenden/lol.gif

heh, I wish things worked that way.

[swift killer]

You mean like this (http://freenet-homepage.de/sausehuhn/galerie/sonstiges/wipeout.ad.jpg)? :hyper

off topic: I've had that magazine page spread add since it appeared and i have it cutout, mounted and stuck on my wall. :)

[rejj]

I just had a quick browse over to wipeout-game.com and noticed the following on the home page..
http://troutlake.net/~zharradan/gamestuff/edgewinter.jpg

could be a sign of things to come very soon?

[QirexAAX]

Um... the following what?

[rejj]

There's an image there... do you have images disabled?

[QirexAAX]

Not as far as I know, did you insert it with HTML?

[rejj]

No, just using the built in [ img ] (without the spaces of course) stuff in the wysiwyg editor here.

http://troutlake.net/~zharradan/gamestuff/edgewinter.jpg
is a link to it if you can't see it in the post above (which is odd, cause it shows for me)

[QirexAAX]

Oh, the image just isn't loading for me, which would probably explain why it isn't showing up in the thread either. Although, by the name of the image, I guess it's something to do with the unreleased track names appearing in the rankings section?

[rejj]

Something like that.. ;)

or has that always been happening and I just didn't notice?

[QirexAAX]

I think they've been showing up for a while. There's also a Vostock Reef and Gemini Dam. I'm pretty sure they've been discussed in another thread somewhere, not sure where though...

[lunar]

Mirage team and two tracks are up on the PC - PSP Playstation Store. :hyper

It costs £3.49, a lot less than the real ship though. :)

[Fascia]

They're charging? Oh well, while a little unexpected the original price of pulse was so cheap I have no problems paying. I wonder how many packs they plan on releasing in total.

[Dogg Thang]

I have no problem paying for packs either but I'm very surprised. The teams are all listed on the site as standard with no mention of having to pay for them and they are all over the game in billboards. That just seems a little cheeky.

And with only one team here and three more to go, the cost could rack up. One team and two tracks for €5? Seems steep to me.

[DjManiac21]

What?

We need to pay for this? I do care! I spent 45 euros for my copy, that's a normal price, and besides, they never said they were going to charge!
And now ships can't be used in multiplayer... another downer...
Do we know if this restrictions are definitive?
No ad-hoc with these ships either?
Sl could come up with a patch...
I'm not happy about paying 5 euros for this pack, I probably won't until I cool off.
This is outrageous, if things keep going this way next WO game we will get the menus only, and then we'll pay for every track separately...
Who decided on this? SL? Sony? :(

What about people with no access to credit cards?

This feels very eerie...

[phl0w]

Just checked and it really is up... Mirage Pack: One ship and two tracks with their Zones for €4.99 ... I think they've gone too far. Seeing that Harimau and Icaras are missing and maybe some other content too... If Icaras gets the Piranha beater everyone suggests it to be, then the two-class WipEout gaming world is reality. I won't pay, Pulse wasn't "cheap", it came at €39.90 which is a regular price for PSP games, so the retail cost doesn't justify the "expansion's" price. I hope many others will refrain from paying either. Unfortunately there are many WO fanatics- just like in other games, e.g. Oblivion- that pay without a second thought about the consequences in the long run.

[Fascia]

hm, so there's 4 (8 B/W) tracks and 4 ships announced, all 4 then will cost £3.50*4 £14. Still, more than worth it :D, they could charge £20 per track and I'd still pay. Here's hoping for an addition 4 tracks after that!

[Dogg Thang]

Well I went ahead and got it. Not like I wasn't going to. So we get Mirage craft, Edgewinter track White and Vostok Reef Black. Am I right in thinking that the other directions of those tracks are going to be a separate paid download? If I am, that is nasty.

Many (most) people on this board I'm sure will end up getting them but those 'mainstream' gamers they're so desperate to hook in? Not a chance in hell.

The tracks - Edgewinter is blue. Like, everywhere. It's a city setting and looks like a Pulse Sinucit-alike in a way but more city. Not very inspired looking but the layout seems like fun. It's short but the layout was quite surprising on first play.

Vostok Reef opens with a Pulse-by-numbers section but then moves into a beautifully lit cave-like section that is just gorgeous. Really nice and looks very different. The entire track is underwater. Seems like there's a cool jump in the White version but... that doesn't appear to come with the pack. Pants.

So very first impressions, yeah, a good pack. Worth €5? Well, I'm going to end up paying for it so I guess for me it is but for most it won't be. And shouldn't be. And now that it's a paid download, I'm wondering if I buy the bug-fixed US Pulse version, will I have to buy these packs again for that? As if using the UK and Europe as bug testers isn't enough to piss off the fanbase.

Ah well.

[phl0w]

That's naive reasoning, Fascia, and shows that the concept of micro transaction has settled in peoples minds as normality.
However, the market doesn't work the way your calculations are based on. Given, a million people pay €4.99 for that one pack, who says SL/Sony won't take this as a sign, that people are willing to pay even more? Next pack comes at €5.99... ad infinitum... You see where I'm going with this?

Still, more than worth itWhere do you get the idea that the content was worked on seperately and isn't part of the whole game's production process and just held back for the right moment when the novelty for the casual gamers has worn off?
Dogg: I think it's especially the casual gamers that gladly pay, because by now they are tired of racing moa and talon's over and over again (they don't work on their laptimes and try to "break" the game), and need new, exciting content, until they get tired of that... But then maybe the next pack gets released. However, when the releases stop, they stop playing Pulse. But who knows,maybe the next WipEout is available by then, as a version DJ suggested ;)
It's just wrong

[Fascia]

I understand what you're saying there, and I also agree with it entirely, you're completely on the money (so to speak). And for the record, this'll perhaps be one of my first micro transactions, I own neither an xbox, wii or playstation, so the whole charging for DLC is new to me. That said however, this is WipEout and while it is naive reasoning, it is still WipEout, and I am a WipEout nut, as are alot of people here. I'll be buying the packs, as will alot of other people both on and off of these message boards. I just hope that the majority of the money goes into the developers pockets, they deserve it. If it were any other game, I'd proably skip it, but, again, It's WipEout!

[Dogg Thang]

I don't know, phl0w. I can't see the masses going for them at this price. Or certainly not more than one pack. The less devoted Wipeout players will likely just move on to the next game.

I'm thinking now it was probably a little hasty of me to buy them so soon without knowing the US situation. I mean, I'm in the position of being annoyed about the ambient sound bug, which never should have got through, and the other many bugs in Pulse. I don't know yet how much will be fixed in the US version, though we know some bugs will be fixed. But then, if I get the US version and can't use the packs I've bought here, that would be crap but I don't even know if I'd be able to buy the packs for the US version because it would have to go through the US store.

So, starting from a bad place of feeling like I've paid to test bugs, as much as I enjoy Pulse (and I do), this has just got a lot more complicated.

And all a bit crap really.

I should have waited until we know what the US situation will be.

[tapioca]

I kinda hate that… Not even a picture of the tracks, only one white and one black and 5€ for this… No additional music, no online patch

The second point is i'm on a mac and the PSstore is incompatible with it. I tried to install the downloader via Crossover but it doesn't work. I'm not buying a windows licence for you, Sony.

Well, it sounds like Wipeout isn't ready for the mass market yet…

[stin]

Dogg Thang,
I'm thinking now it was probably a little hasty of me to buy them so soon without knowing the US situation. I mean, I'm in the position of being annoyed about the ambient sound bug, which never should have got through, and the other many bugs in Pulse. I don't know yet how much will be fixed in the US version, though we know some bugs will be fixed. But then, if I get the US version and can't use the packs I've bought here, that would be crap but I don't even know if I'd be able to buy the packs for the US version because it would have to go through the US store.

I would buy it too but that I was thinking too.

Foxy, can you enlighten for us please?

stevie:)

[infoxicated]

I cant comment on that right now, I'm afraid.

[TearsToShreds]

This is downright bullshit. I had such a positive view of Pulse and SL before, being under the impression that all this enjoyable content would be free. I like to have some entertainment but not when I have to pay for every little bit of extra content. Everything thrives on money these days, producers selling a minimum of extra's in fancy looking packages and brainwashing everyone into buying it. I'm done with the current gaming industry, and shall go back to Wipeout XL.

[lunar]

Shame that Mirage isn`t available for online. It flies great and has just the right stats for me. I wonder if this is because opponents might not have the download pack, but then it seems you can use the new tracks, and people also might not have them. Maybe the downloadable ships are too good and would unbalance the game?

Given that Pulse was a relatively cheap UMD to buy, and I paid less than a very reasonable RRP of £25, I`m not averse to the idea of buying downloadable content. I`d rather it was all in the original cover price, but I`ll go with it if it`s value for money. We`ve been over all that, imo. But if all the content is going to add 4 lots of £3.49/5euros to the price, and the extra ships can`t be used in multiplayer, then it does seem a little overpriced on top of an RRP of £25. For someone who`s not a Wipeout-nut it`s certainly stretching the value for money concept, at least. Still, better than Puma.

[Tomahawk]

I bought Pulse and with it 24 tracks (white and black runs) for 40,- euros. There's no way I'm going to spend another fiver just for 2 more tracks and another ship! Sorry SL and sorry Sony, I'm not someone to satisfy your greed for money. And as already said, the only ones who will get these packs at that price will be some spoilt-by-their-rich-parents-kids and the real hardcore fans of the series. For me this is just wrong - you're picking the pockets of the people and fans who have helped to keep the series alive and kicking and helped wipeout to become a huge success over the last ten years... :naughty

[TearsToShreds]

Amen.

[zargz]

they are up!!?? have to check'em out!
.

[Fascia]

3.49 or this:

http://pspmedia.ign.com/psp/image/article/641/641107/CokeoutPure_1123722595.jpg

I can't find the coke-bottle craft, it would've had a larger impact :/

[supersocks]

So both the ship and tracks are not available for infrastructure? Ad-hoc?

[Frances_Penfold]

Fascia has a point-- somebody has to foot the bill for development / distribution costs. So the options are to have a more expensive game to purchase initially; to have sponsorship; or to charge for download-able content.

I would MUCH prefer the first option but Sony may have determined that the third option is more effective.

Another thing to keep in mind-- Wipeout Pulse has had poor sales in PAL territories-- never reaching the top 10 of PSP game sales (much less game sales overall).

(UK and selected western European PSP sale rankings for 2007/2008 are searchable here, for those interested: http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p/software/ire/archive/index_test.jsp&ct=210013&arch=t)

So, I dunno. It's disappointing that Sony is pushing purchase-able DLC for Wipeout games but it's not surprising, either. And dammit, people need to start buying the new Wipeout games or the franchise is going to receive a lot fewer releases :(

I do have one major complaint-- as a mac user, I can't use the Sony store AT ALL-- can't purchase DLC for Pulse, can't purchase the original Wipeout game to play on my PSP, can't purchase the electronic-only version of Wipeout Pure. Sony-- in case you are listening-- if you are going to have an electronic store, and push DLC, you need to make the ****ing store accessible to Mac and Linux people for Christ sakes!!!

[TearsToShreds]

And maybe also the option of using Paypal accounts...

[lunar]

Sox, I tested the pack on ad-hoc and you can select the new tracks, but not the Mirage ship. :( Haven`t tried online yet.

I agree with you Frances, one wider issue of this is that game content is difficult to access for some people. Also the Playstation Store should clearly state that Mirage can`t be used in multiplayer. There`s some general disclaimer, but the people putting up the store information should give clearer information there.

[Dogg Thang]

Expecting people to pay €20 for 4 tracks and 4 ships is not exactly going to help push those WO sales figures up.

But I agree with you - for a decent amount of content, I'd far rather pay than have sponsership. But 4 tracks and 4 ships for €20 is beyond crazy, especially on top of the initial cost of buying the game.

[tapioca]

Does it add a new grid in campaign mode or is it just for racebox ?

[lunar]

It seems the RRP is relatively higher in the Eurozone than in the UK, the accumulating prices do seem pretty crazy there.

[DjManiac21]

Now that I had a look, this is the official information listed in the PSN:

"Full Game Support: 1 Player, Memory Stick Duo™ compatible: 544KB Minimum, Wireless Compatible (Ad Hoc Mode): 2-8 Players, Game Sharing Compatible, Wireless Compatible (Infrastructure Mode): 2-8 Players"

This is really misleading for everyone, I'm sure casual players which are enticed to download the pack only to find out they can't use this online will be REALLY pissed...

I'm wondering why would SL let this classic game get mistreated this much... (bugs, incompatibilities, charging for packs...)

I totally agree that these are tracks that were worked with the game, and now we have the very answer to our initial question, Why would they announce a game that it will include packs downloadable "shortly" after its release? Wasn;t it easier to release it all in one go? There's plenty of space in the UMD! Well, the answer in the end was, money...
And they wanted us to beta test the game for the US release, nice going pals... :mr-t

[Sausehuhn]

Same problem here, Frances_Penfold. At least we have another Windows computer here.
Anyway: I won't buy it. 2€ Okay. 3€ Maybe. But 5€? 20€ for 4 ships and tracks? Plus the game? And the ships are not available for multiplayer?

Sony: you just shot yourself in the foot.

[Rapier Racer]

Well, oh my God the is utter outrage, how dare Wipeout and SL start this new and previously unseen trend of charging for additional content whilst every other developer is giving it away for free. :rolleyes:

On making that point however, it is in my opinion that £3.50 for a ship and 2 tracks is very greedy and overpriced, try £1.50 like Motorstorm instead of trying to rape my wallet. They even have the utter cheek to put black and white runs in seperate packs and class it as a seperate track!! It's essentially charging for the same track twice and I can only summarize how I feel about that by saying **** right off.

[KANDANG]

get the icaras pack and forego the rest :coffee

i jst got the mirage one, vostok reef looks nice but if i were to get all 4 packs...
:naughty anyone wanna trade? ;) heh !

[lunar]

That`s it, Stephen, DLC is a fact of life, but the level of the pricing is cheeky. Locoroco for your PS3 costs just £1.99 for the entire game, and the PSN, generally, is very competitive compared to its rivals. On the continent they are potentially looking at 60 euros for the full game.

Having said that, of course I downloaded it. I don`t buy any other games, I`m not really even a gamer, and this is all I want to do with my PSP. You do get a "Mirage Grid" with 14 challenges, let`s hope they`re ball-breakingly tough.

[KANDANG]

You do get a "Mirage Grid" with 14 challenges, let`s hope they`re ball-breakingly tough.

:mr-t finished all 14 challenges in one sitting. they're not ball-breakingly tough at all. i was actually hoping for 1 ship + 4 tracks, and if the ship was playable online , i wouldn't have minded what I just paid.

[supersocks]

Maybe the high price has something to do with low sales? I might be wrong but Motorstorm and Loco Roco at least seem far more popular titles than WipEout Pulse.

[Frances_Penfold]

Just for my clarification-- the new tracks are NOT available for online multiplayer gameplay?

I assume that the new ships and tracks ARE available for online time trial leaderboard rankings, yes?

[Vincent_VII]

edit: ok ok.. it's gone

[omega329]

This is an outrage! pure had free content, why doesn't pulse? I want to know who made this decision now! I can feel an angry horde of wipeouters gathering wanting to know the same thing.
Seriously though, I am disappointed in SL and sony, you've go and ruined my day, there I was looking forward to that same felling that I got as downloaded my first pure pack, now I just feel angry and mistreated. We bought pulse, we bothered to spend our hard earned money on a piece of plastic and we are now forced to pay more for extra content when its predecessor had extra content completely free? If the situation doesn't change by the 17th, why it may change the way I feel about wipeout forever.

EDIT:sorry about that, it seems I worked myself up a bit, still a bit miffed about extra content though.

[Rapier Racer]

I understand some of your frustraition but stop being an assclown! Remove the name of that site, could get yourself banned for posting it.

[Tomahawk]

...it is in my opinion that £3.50 for a ship and 2 tracks is very greedy and overpriced, try £1.50 like Motorstorm instead of trying to rape my wallet. They even have the utter cheek to put black and white runs in seperate packs and class it as a seperate track!! It's essentially charging for the same track twice...

I'll second your thoughts completely RR. I'm not crying because you have to pay for the download packs, I always suspected that they wouldn't be free of charge. What makes me angry is the way they're released right now, with only 2 tracks (each only black or white run) and one ship that isn't even useable for online play and the price for the pack is set at one eighth of the price I paid for the full game! For me this just doesn't feel right, but everybody has to make his own choice if they'll buy it or not. I, for one, certainly won't.

[tapioca]

I hope that if the downloadable tracks are not available for online, it's only a matter of time before we get a patch for this.

With an update, i don't get how this wouldn't work.
Races, or tournament games would appear red in the list when the user doesn't own the required pack. And if the user is already in a lobby when a downloaded track is added, then he gets a message and gets kicked / unless it's impossible to add new tracks when some users in the lobby don't have it. Users with no packs would appear red in the lobby / Or maybe a flashing red light asking the users to buy if they want to enter a game… Welcome, fellow pilot ! Only 5€ ! Cheap ! Amazing ! Come play with a billion other racers ! Plenty of 8 players games inside !

A little more complicated, but hey, if we charge for it, it has to work, right ?

[Roadster]

All right, I can understand them charging us, but £3.49 for two tracks and one ship? That's the price of a PS1 game on the store!

If it had the same amount of content that the Pure packs had (four tracks, two ships and a few extras) then the price would be justified. I only paid £18 for my copy of Pulse, but still.

[Jenze]

Sony should get a really good kick in the b*******!

5 euro's isn't something make a profit out of. It's to utterly annoy every fan on this great game.

[omega329]

sorry about that earlier post Rapier, teenage hormones and all that, one moment your flying like a kite, the next miserable as sin, then angry at the smallest thing (that jumping smiley is REALLY getting on my nerves, look at it! dancing around like hasn't a care in the world!) As i was saying, I was too hasty with my opinion, I think we all subconsciously knew with the absence of a link to download content via the psp that extra content was probably going to cost money.

[Chrono]

What is this about Mirage not being playable online???

[Rapier Racer]

There is no need to apologise to me, I was just trying to save a fellow Assegai pilot from a possible ban stick beating :p

[DjManiac21]

Another thing that pisses me off is that the game itself tells you that Eliminator mode should be playable online, but never happened.
It says so in the loading screen "Online"...
They better get a patch out or they'll lose more than they think :|

[Amaru]

I was just about to actually buy it when I noticed it saying:
"Sorry, you do not meet the eligibility requirements for this product."
And now I can't seem to find it in the store, the pack banner now saying:
"There are no items available for your account."

Any idea?

[Chrono]

I just think it's insane that the tracks and ship wont go online

[Rapier Racer]

I think its just the ships you can't use online.

[DjManiac21]

Edge Winter is completely uninspired...
Vostok Reef is quite good though, underwater track, quite open and good for fast and slow speeds.
It sucks that you can't use Mirage online, it's a really good ship :(

Patch, patch, patch!

[Chrono]

Still, why would they not let the ship go online

[Dogg Thang]

I imagine that wasn't the intention. It's a symptom of just wanting to get it out there, I'd say.

As I've always said, I have no problem with paying for content. But there are a few problems with the way this has been done -

1) That all the ships are listed as if standard on the website and have been included in screenshots everywhere, with special mention being made of Mirage. This is misleading. We know many people have already asked how they unlock these ships - a fair question as there is no reason to assume they aren't standard. Certainly no reason to assume you have to buy them after buying Pulse. There's no mention of purchases and cost on the loading screen saying to go to the website for the latest downloads - of course, that link brings you to the page with all of the craft listed.

2) The price. €5 for 2 tracks and a ship and not even both runs of the tracks? €20 for four tracks and four ships. Quite ridiculous. Going on roughly on tracks as an example, that would value Pure at, what, about €120? Are there 24 tracks in Pure? Nuts.

3) The fact that it's a bit of a piss take for European players given that the game was released with a good number of bugs. To ask them to pay that much more on top is plain nasty.

4) That Mirage can't be used online - that, as I said, I imagine is not deliberate. Like Eliminator not being available online in spite of saying so, I'd say they couldn't get it working and chucked it out anyway. Bugs upon bugs perhaps?

5) The technical issues - can people get them on a mac? Can they be used on the US version? What's the deal with buying them the US version?

It really is all a bit of a mess. Thing is, it seems to have frustrated many members already and it makes it much harder to forgive other things that we've let slide. I guess the only worse thing would have been if we had paid for them and downloaded them and found they were full of advertising. At least we're spared Puma this time around.

I'll be curious to see how this works out for them. It's certainly made me very wary of WO HD. I can't imagine I'll go for it as it will likely end up being an ongoing cost.

[Mobius]

Im glad I dont own a Debit card, I wouldn't wan't to do something stupid like erm, ooh, download these. :cold

Im not much of a gamer anymore, but to pay £15 for that is waay too much. Should use an honesty box system...

[Animagic]

I'll be curious to see how this works out for them. It's certainly made me very wary of WO HD. I can't imagine I'll go for it as it will likely end up being an ongoing cost.

I was just thinking the same thing. Definitely am not as excited now.

I can't stand microtransactions... :(

Great points about putting crossover value on Pure using the Pulse DLC pricing method.

[Sausehuhn]

You say it all, Dogg.
I wonder if we'll get some officiall words about it :?

[Fascia]

To all those who've mentioned Studio Liverpool as the source of blame. I highly doubt the charging for the content was SL's decision, rather, that of the fat cats at sony HQ and most likely a last-minute decision in response to the less than spectacular sales of Pulse. As for the bugs in pulse, I just hope that the next batch of PAL Pulse discs have the fix, or better yet, a fix in the next firmware update.

I would absolutely love for Colin or Fox to tell us SL's side of the story.

[Lance]

A couple of thoughts: I always assumed that when Sony put out downloadable content for Pure for free, it was a test of the technical system for doing it, and that future games would require payment for the DLC.

But, even though I expected the Pulse DL content to require purchase, the price is too high for it to be a good value. I suggest that the use of the word 'cheeky' to describe insolent greed is inadequate to the task.

Particularly if the content of the packs cannot be used as fully as the original content. There should be no restrictions on its being used in any mode and any race.

Sony is not the only corporation that behaves like this; it is the standard mode of operation for corporations. You should be used to it by now. It is of course, still evil. :g

[Animagic]

...It is of course, still evil.

I wouldn't say it was evil as much as I would say it makes me feel dirty.

[0L4F]

OK, so February 7th 2008 is going to go down as the worst day in WipEout history.

I've been coming to this board every day since I got hold of my copy of Pulse, hoping for news about the promised download packs, which were to be, as promised on the box, available on the day of the game's release.
Now, exactly two months late, we get the first pack, and it has
- only one new ship
- two new tracks, but only one run for each
- none of those are available for online multiplayer, which is one of the great additions in Pulse
- they aren't free, but cost € 5,- to buy

A serious, serious letdown, after buying all PS WipEout games (some twice), buying a PS2 just to be able to play Fusion (ahem), and buying a PSP just to play Pure, with the promise of a second PSP-WipEout in the future.
So no, I'm NOT going to get a credit card (which I don't have or want) to be able to get these downloads, eventhough I've been a WipEout addict for 10+ years.

I would, and would love to, IF:
- the new tracks had both black and white runs available
- the new ships and tracks were available for online play
- the packs were, say, half the price

Please, SONY, fix this, and I'll be right back in your camp.
And I know SL aren't to blame for this mess, so despite of all this, RESTEPC to them!

[richchestmat]

I'm returning this game for a refund. I have been mis-sold this game. Stuff that is advertised in the full product is now pay extra for. I paid £35 for this. I'm not paying anymore.

[tapioca]

I expected to wait for Wipeout HD to buy a PS3, but after many considerations, i might as well be attracted to a 360. I'm getting sick of Sony's arrogance. Prices, lack of features, lack of exclusives… Those download packs are just icing on the cake. As a longtime sony user, i never thought i'd say this one day. Microsoft was supposed to be the big evil, right ? Do they plan on making a portable console ? Oh, and there's still Nintendo.

[Mobius]

I've just had a though, are SL getting much of the money per download, because if they are costing that much, they should get some royalties, heck, they made it, how does the system work, I dont know.

Anotherr question, are we just being tight (no!) or are Sony once again brassing off what could be called a hardcore fanbase, who are - or were - loyal due to a sucessful series. They have tried to whore us out before, and im not falling for that one again.

Im off to the wonderful world of rock and roll, cya later Sony!

[lunar]

I suggest that the use of the word 'cheeky' to describe insolent greed is inadequate to the task.

Well it`s just the British way of understatement. If an online race is described as "a bit rough" then translate that to "total and utter carnage". :)

I do think there`s a bit of over-reaction going on here, though. Firstly, as Lance also said:



Sony is not the only corporation that behaves like this; it is the standard mode of operation for corporations. You should be used to it by now. It is of course, still evil. :g

Nintendo and Microsoft are generally thought to charge a lot more for DLC, and I think this is true. I`m very surprised at how much Sony are charging, and I think they`ll come to realise it`s not a good move.

And secondly, if somebody could point me to the part that said all the DLC would be free, I`d be glad to admit that Sony has broken some sort of contract or Act of Parliament. Pure did not create any precedent. As Lance said, and I`m not getting the quote marks out again, Pure was just a way of trialling the service. If you don`t like DLC, get out of 21st century gaming. It`s just that the price is too high for what we`re being sold, and they deserve a bit of flack for that. I`ve noticed even on Eurogamer they`re moaning about the price, so it`s not just us. But then, equally, there are some people who expect to get things for nothing because it doesn`t suit them to shell out, and with those people Sony can never win.

[stin]

Mobius, you just read my mind there! That is exactly, what I`m thinking.

stevie

[Seek100]

Hmm, I was absolutely ecstatic when I logged on to the zone a few minutes ago and saw the news... Then I read it.

I'm not gonna rant like some people have here. I will only say this: Sony, you've lost a lifelong fan and a (formerly) ardent supporter and advocate. After the unmitigated disaster of the PS3 (try releasing a decent game or two on it) this is just the last straw for me. Anyone who asks I'll advise them to get a 360 and steer well clear of Sony.

I can't believe I just said I'd advertise Microsloth, but there you go, least of evils and all that...

[Rapier Racer]

Hmmm any good 360 deals out there?

[Lance]

I hear that the ones that make the little grooves on the disc are going cheap. ;)

[Tomahawk]

Ahhh, c'mon guys! There's no need to be talking about returning your copy of pulse for a refund or to buy a 360 and throw all your PS1s, PS2s and PS3s out of the window and replace them with a 360! Pulse still is a great game, the best futuristic racing game on the PSP up to date for me. If you're really going to take drastic measures like I mentioned above, you're kicking the butt of the game's developers who have really done a great job on pulse and not Sony's! As it has been said before the only thing that seems to piss off almost everybody (including myself) here on this board is the price for the download packs. So the best way to show Sony or whoever is responsible for setting a price for DLC way too high like the pulse packs is: Just don't buy it! You've got 24 beautifully done tracks and 8 great teams on your UMD! The price you all have paid for the game itself was right, the price for the download packs now isn't. So I have to repeat myself: Just don't buy the DLC. Imo that's the only way to show that this kind of rip off is not going to work to whoever is responsible for it.

[Rapier Racer]

And what if they go and pull the same stunt with Wipeout HD? Even if they delivered new teams that worked online £3.50?

[Tomahawk]

I'll be doing the same thing like I do now. I won't be buying the DLC for HD if it's set at too high a price. I'd really love to be racing a few laps on the new tracks right now, believe me, RR. But I've chosen not to support this kind of rip off and if Sony is going to do the same thing with the wipeout HD DLC, then I'll be surely doing the same. I'll buy the game for sure and I'm also sure that I'll be pretty happy with what I get on the disc. If the price for DLC is too high, I just won't be buying it. Simple as that. I'll be having more time to spend on other games like FF XIII or I'll be doing more sports in my sparetime.

[Amaru]

Well, I already bought the Mirage Pack which entitles me to some form of opinion about the quality of my "purchase" so, on that part, I won't complain too much about the price of the pack or the rather lackluster Edgewinter but I will agree on the fact that the way the Mirage ship is implemented negates the majority of its potential appeal and same goes for the two new tracks who already started clustering the already frail Infrastructure experience.

Summed up, compared to the overall quality of WipEout Pulse, this first expansion pack disappointed me, as a client, and I hope it will be either fixed or that the uppcomming packs will not follow the same trend.

That said, the original WipEout Pulse remains a great game and the Mirage Pack does offer some extra offline challenge but its acute negative impact on the online experience should be reconsidered by the development team if they if they want to see this title's popularity not fall more than it is already doing as of writing moment.

[Frances_Penfold]

For me, it's the technical issues that are the big problem here-- How does a mac user buy this stuff? As a North American user with a North American PSN account, how do I purchase and download the tracks? I gather that PSP units can be tied to only a single PSN account-- how is that going to work for buying DLC when my PSP is tied to my North American PSN? :dizzy

But those of you complaining that Sony is worse than Microsoft and Nintendo about these things-- I don't see that.

Microsoft has and is pushing microtransactions in a BIG way with Xbox Live and arcade. The Xbox runs some $6 billion USD in the hole since it's creation, and arguably its main purpose is to fight off Sony dominating the living room media center. As we all know, Xbox 360 was rushed to market and has big reliability issues. It's hard for me to see Microsoft as a gentle giant that is looking out for consumers' best interests.

Nintendo, it is true, doesn't do microtransactions, at least yet. But they are also incredibly conservative with developing and releasing software. So while Mario Kart DS and Wipeout Pure released in roughly the same time window, there has been NO action towards releasing a second Mario Kart game on the DS platform. And the Nintendo online system is really barebones, and you can forget about having any sort of patching or DLC, ever. I love Nintendo, and always will, but if there's one thing you have to give to Sony, it's their more aggressive software and hardware releases.

So, I think it makes sense to let Sony know what you think about the sales scheme for DLC on Wipeout Pulse-- and it is understandable to be angry-- but let's not over-react! ;)

[Rapier Racer]

Yeah thats exactly the problem with paid downloadable content it can and most probably will create divides online, even if it was reasonably priced like £1.50, some people are tightwads :p just kidding.


It's hard for me to see Microsoft as a gentle giant that is looking out for consumers' best interests.

lol yes, great quote you did there.

[Dogg Thang]

I'd hesistate to class it as a 'microtransaction' - announcing four packs coming together at €20 with enough content to justify maybe one transaction. And turning it into a 'which is worse' issue sidelines many of the problems here.

[supersocks]

http://www.omamoka.com/stuff/iontrail_comic_pulse_dlc_overpriced_web.jpg

[Frances_Penfold]

I'd hesistate to class it as a 'microtransaction'

Heh, I just remembered somebody's tagline from Neogaf.... "MACROtransactions, bitches" (or something to that effect)

Not sure where the line between micro and macro starts and ends, though ;)

[The Gracer]

haha, oh wow. this is brilliant.

i already paid like 60 NZD for this game....i really dont think a PSP game is worth more than that full stop. Being charged for the extra content we were promised from the start (even before the start) is a bit of a let down, really. i wouldnt mind so much if the game itself was a little cheaper, but i cant really justify paying another 20 dollars to complete my game when i could have used that 80-90 dollars buying a game for my console.

[NeXaR_QroN]

I've been told a single PSN download can be installed in up to 5 PSPs, but I don't really know if that's true.

Can anyone confirm this? (or viceversa)

If it's true, I may consider picking it up in share with my friends. No way I'm paying 5€ for an offline ship and 2 half-tracks on my own. Not on top of the 40€ (well, 39,95) I already paid for the game.

It is a pity Sony have to screw SL's work like this.

[defor]

Personally I couldn't care about the cost.. every modern game system on the market right now is pushing their respective "marketplace", and personally i've been a huge fan of both sony and microsoft's setup.

The big issue that comes to mind is as follows:

I live in the US. Having a PS3 means that I can download and play content from other regions' stores although Sony doesn't like me doing this for whatever reason.

First off, my collection of legal, and rare, import PS1 and PS2 games is larger than my domestic collection, and gems like PaneKit PSX on the Japanese playstation store let me finally carry one of my favorite games with me wherever I go, as toting my SCPH-1000, controller, and lcd doesn't work too well, and fear of destroying a game currently worth over 150$ on the market currently doesn't sit well.

To get this done, I had to get a prepaid card, and create a fake user account due to regional restrictions. Now, sony has always endorsed regional restrictions of playstation games.... up until the psp and ps3. All's fine and good, but now i've QUASI-LEGALLY bought a game that appears it may or may not cease to be mine if the network one day up and says "you can no longer sync this to your PSP, because you don't live in Japan."

Next up is the matter of Wipeout. I don't want to even explain how bad my search for WO3SE was back in the day. Now up comes the PSP, truely regionfree, and first out of the gates is Wipeout.. Yay! regionfree games and system! ERR... NOT SO! So now that I've paid 30$ for my US copy so i can play my american friends, 19$ to replace the disc after the UMD case fell apart 2 years later, 45$ for my PAL copy to play on Kai and actually attempt to beat TT's that everyone else in the community is competing with, and 55$ for my Japanese copy to play with two of my college buddies from Japan, I've made quite an investement. Personally, I don't mind having to buy import games and the like to compete a collection or get added features, but I don't do it because i need to be "first off the line".

Next is Pulse, and I found an import copy for 35$ and have my US copy on reserve.

After looking at the structure of the files, etc, I'm HOPING that unlike Pure, all regions will share the same GID so that saves, ghosts, expansions, and skins can be shared. The ability to use my US PS login reinforces this, but suddenly, the release of Pulse's pack as a pay-only download on the EU store means that if this DOES NOT happen to be the case, unless someone starts stocking prepaid cards like for the Japanese store, I'll have a copy of the game that I can never get expansions for, and even if prepaids do come out, is a crackdown on store accounts going to lock me out of content I paid for? Now, if the american packs work on the PAL release, that'd be pure gold, but I'm not placing any bets.

A word from SL would of course make this matter easier to stomach.

My final question is in regards to ALL store-based purchases and game systems:

What is the real lifetime for modern game systems once they become "vintage"?
Over half of my purchases on XBL add content to games and a number are full games. When the Xbox 720 / Playstation 4 has been out for a few years and I want to play my 360/PS3 games or do multiplayer with a friend, how's this going to work with Microsoft/Sony no longer supporting or running the backend servers for the systems?

For addon content, will I be doomed to never experience it because I didn't buy it when the service was running? When my system's drives die, does that mean a few hundred dollars of gaming is down the drain? At what point are WipeOut Pure's pack no longer going to be hosted online, and I'll have to rely on a backup copy i happen to have made for reinstallation, but someone who is interested, will never be able to get them (legally)?

What ever happened to physical media and the ability to freely use your games...?
Don't get me wrong, I love the store concepts, but having a rather large vintage gaming collection makes me wonder if XB360 and PS3 games will be truely as "playable" 20 years down the road as any Nintendo or Atari game is to this day.

Sorry for the rant, hopefully SL hasn't locked me out of my import copy simply as a result of sony regioncoding regulation.

[Asayyeah]

Do i have DL it : yes
Do i want to comment this DL : :naughty

:mr-t

[BARTgai]

we have to pay? no thanks, ill stay with the normal game... :-

[BravePotato7]

Could the gimick of paying for downloadable be Sony's way of making a buck from the lost CFW-piracy profit? That wouldn't really make any sense, cause you can litterally find ANYTHING online.

I'm mad as hell about having to pay for a download! Now I'd pay to download the whole game, but not freaking add on. Or rather I would pay more than say, $2 per DL. Psshhh. This is the kind of thing that helps internet pirates justify sticking BACK to mega companies.

[sakerbax]

Lol this is going to be a long thread =)

I'm also shocked with the news how did this happen?
This forum is full of avid supporters of the wipeout series, and even game creators wander around and answer questions like on the "10 things i hate about pulse" topic.
It's really a wonderfull forum for a fan of the game, and i really find it creepy that not even here did we get some kind of head's up.

ppl were all excited making predictions not complaining about their favorite ships being missing in the game etc.. and then Bam.. it's just not right.

sony store has some wonderfull psp games for the same price of this add:on like beats and soon N+, how can they even think about making addons the same price of full games?
Cmon. i read somewhere on the forum that some tracks on the game were already designed since Pure, I think its fair to assume most if not all of these addon tracks and ships have already been outlined and have probably been tested already.

I can't dream of a reason that justifies a price of 1/6 of the lowest price ppl said paid for pulse on this thread. plus if anything would drive ppl to buy this pack would be so they wouldn't be left out of races online.

I wish they took a hint from blizzard and their expansions. release a bunch of tracks and ships all toghether and make it possible to use online with ppl with the same pack.
and while we're at it.. if content can be downloaded how about giving us a (free) patch for the bugs once they're fixed for the us release..

[BARTgai]

and the worst part is, is that you cant even use them online!

wow, this is really a shock...

[BravePotato7]

I think by shock you mean slap in the face to its fan base.

[Chrono]

I don't think Sony is completely to blame here. And as far as the discussion about gaming companies and digital transactions, Nintendo is the worst of them all. Their Virtual Console prices can be downright ridiculous, and are unfairly priced for games that I could A: emulate for free with a simular experience, or B: find a copy of the game for cheaper. Anyway...

Personally, the fact that Mirage can't be raced online isn't sony's fault. SL made it that way, or it's a bug, which shoulda been fixed before release. I could validate paying that money (which is find is outragious considering US players will undoubtedly pay less) if Mirage was raceable online. And the tracks, to my knowledge there isn't a black verison (major let down) and I'm confident (still haven't shelled out the bread for the pack yet) you can't do the tracks in zone. That's just upseting.

[Task]

Speaking as a software developer, I would have to say that since the game is regionalized (as in, adjusted for local languages) then the packs will be similarly regionalized. More than likely, the packs will only work with the version of the game from the region it was released in.
Of course, they could have a better implementation that allows any pack to be used with any release of the game, but if I had to place a bet...

However, the game is made for all regions to be able to play together, so a US pack of Vostock Reef should be able to play with an EU pack of Vostock Reef without problems.

In my opinion though, I'd say don't get any of the EU packs, wait for the US packs and the (presumably superior) US version of the game. Give it enough time and I'm sure they'll release packs in... packs... for a substantially cheaper rate.

I wouldn't be surprised if this high initial cost was just their way of making the most of the download pack, charge a high price when the pack is new, ding those who can afford to pay for the newest thing the most, lower the price a little later and get those who were waiting for the price drop, lower it a lot more and offer it as a bundle when interest has dropped to nearly zero.

Like Lance said, corporations, marketing, this is how they work. You choose to go along with it or not. They're testing the waters, seeing how profitable the DLC can be.

[Medusa]

Yeah well thanks a lot Sony - for such a big Microsoft "rival" you sure did well making sure I can't get the rest of my Pulse game without upgrading my PC system. Would've liked to use Linux on PS3, haha...this makes me question in a big way my plan to buy a PS3. Maybe HD would end up costing me 1000.00 by the time I get HD and all its packs.

I have to say I expected to have to pay for the DL content, but give me a break. I don't want another stupid ship. Tracks, sure, but I'm not going to have ships I'll never use taking up valuable mem stick space.:mr-t Go to ** and have tea with Bill Gates, Sony.

[BARTgai]

woah, i fear this may get out of hand soon with all the angry members :| ...

[Ash-Omen]

This is fcking bull! i cant believe they have the cheek too make us pay for a addon that cant even be used online WTF?! and the price £3.50 ffs the same price as a full ps1 game so its £3.50 for 2 tracks (not reversable) and 1 ship LAME!

i was really looking forwad too these packs but im not willing too pay the stupid prices, why couldent they just have the downloads on WipeOut-game.com and be FREE! like with pure LAME LAME LAME LAME LAMEE!!!!!!!!

there ive had my complain.

[Medusa]

LOL, oh it's out of hand alright. TOTALLY out of our hands. Which is why we feel the need to complain!!

I have to say, what really gets under my skin are the hoops you must jump through to acquire the stupid packs. By the time I get a new PC, you can bet I'll have gone back to my W3O SE. It's pretty bad when wipeout fanatics are the first ones ready to jump the Pulse ship, is it not?

[Animagic]

Pulse isn't out yet in the US.
I won't be buying any packs but I've already pre-ordered my copy and paid in full.

I'm sure theres plenty to enjoy on the game itself without having to download the packs...
...but I'm upset that I won't be able to play as Harimau...

I think wishing for the pulse add on packs to be free one day is a pipe dream.
You either agree with the pricing or you don't.
Just look at it from the other perspective...
If you bought all the packs for 20 bucks and then 6 months later they were free how pissed would you be?
Exactly.

Eventually people will give in and buy it and thats what they're hoping for.
I don't know if I will at this price point, because I would rather spend the 5 bucks on remastered PS1 games for my PSP, which cost the same and give me much more.

[q_dmc12]

Being away from pulse for awhile, I can only sit back ponder and then laugh about this whole situation..... good point you made Jay :+

[Lion]

I hope Task is right about starting the price high to ping early adopters
I have no objection to paying for the download, but I have a serious objection to the price. $9.50 in my currency.

also, can we get some info on why mirage can't be used online? downloaded ships worked fine in Pure as long as both parties had the content.

[The Gracer]

Jay - does that mean the general consensus (read: WTF IS GOIN ON, THIS IS CRAP) will deter the companies from charging for DLC, or will it encourage them to jack up the prices to make the profit they expected off the people who are prepared to pay?

Or does it mean companies will just refuse to create DLC for games?

I hope this is not the case. To be honest, thinking about it after my first (heated)reaction, id rather shell out a few dollars extra to keep the extra cool stuff coming than flatly refuse and lose the privilege - it is a privilage and we shouldn't expect these things to just be handed to us.

To finish, id like to offer an apology to Colin, Rob and the team at SL for my (and perhaps our) reaction to this news. Rather than getting angry, we should be thanking them for the effort they put into this - and offering constructive criticism so that future updates can be better suited to our needs (er, wants) as gamers as well as the needs of the developers.

Sorry guys - we love ya really. :D

[Dogg Thang]

the fact that Mirage can't be raced online isn't sony's fault. SL made it that way, or it's a bug, which shoulda been fixed before release.

Sony own SL. It's a tricky distinction. Either Studio Liverpool couldn't get the game to work and let a game go with bugs, or Sony told them to get it out the door in whatever state it was in. Either way, both Sony and SL would have been aware of what worked and what didn't.

The difference, I guess, is that Sony could ultimately have made the call to delay things to get it right, put more resources on it, and decide on pricing and so on. SL probably had no hand in that.


Task, yes, this is how corporations work but that doesn't really greenlight everything and there are knock-on consequences. Ultimately, I think this will be damaging to Wipeout rather than Sony. It's only a small part of huge Sony but the perception of Wipeout will be damaged here. It's unlikely to kill the game or anything dramatic like that but perception plays a huge part and can get to a stage where people see a game or franchise as damaged goods. Already, I'd say it's a fairly safe bet that the next Wipeout (HD) will be pretty buggy and will come with a limited amount of content, the rest being held back as add-ons. I imagine (hope) they'll revise the pricing but I would be unlikely to get myself into that.

And, as I said in my more detailed post on it, the fact that these teams are shown as standard is quite simply misleading and that is not something that happens with comparible games on something like Live.

[Lion]

a thought just occurred to me.
I don't think the prices are likely to drop. Motorstorm content for the PS3 hasn't moved in price and some of that has been out since pretty near the console's release.
Speaking of Motorstorm content, it makes for a good comparison; the most common price for addon packs is $4.90. They do go all the way up to and even past the same $9.50 that is being asked for the pulse packs (most expensive is 11.50, for a 9 race event, 1 track, 4 vehicles with 3 skins each, music, and additional unlockable content), it's just not as common.

would you pay UK£1.80/US$3.49/EU€2.57 each for the packs?

to my mind it's a price that would initially have had me saying "its a bit high" but I'd probably buy it anyway.
at the current price I am not likely to get the packs unless someone buys me them as a gift

[jacen]

Pulse still is a great game, ...
exactly.
pulse kicks ass, so why the heck should i buy download content?
i still play pure sometimes, and would more often if it would have infrastructure mplayer ...

i would have got the mirage pack if the volume/price ratio would have been ALOT better, but i don't feel i am missing some key factor here ...


Nintendo, it is true, doesn't do microtransactions, at least yet.
what about classic games?


It's really a wonderfull forum for a fan of the game, and i really find it creepy that not even here did we get some kind of head's up.
i like to believe that this is purely a marketing decision and, if it were for SL, they would have released the pack free of charge.

[Nadia Elenova]

I bought Pulse and with it 24 tracks (white and black runs) for 40,- euros. There's no way I'm going to spend another five just for 2 more tracks and another ship!

That's right, I'm not going to pay 5€ for this pack, they should make a better offer when all packs are released.

[T-Rex29]

Same for me, I'm not going to pay 5€ for this pack.:-

[DjManiac21]

I already did and I regret it, it sucks not being able to use it all online...

[chri5]

I wont be paying for any download content, they've made the wrong decision charging for them. Why not keep it like pure?

[Dogg Thang]

Because they can't make free content endlessly. I agree that this has been done the wrong way but the fact is, work has to be paid for.

[richchestmat]

But anything advertised as the full game should not be costing extra. Harimau and Mirage...

The first pack or two should have been free to deliver what was promised. After that if they want to add brand new crafts then by all means charge for it. You are going to have to cost it a bit better though.

Not to mention that the PSP Store doesn't let you spend any less than £5 at a time. I bought WipEout for £3.49 but had to pay £5. The remainder is stuck inside the store and not in my pocket. Rip off.

[Dogg Thang]

Oh I totally agree. The Mirage craft especially was used all over to sell Pulse. Not Pulse paid download packs afterwards. Pulse itself. All over magazines and online sites. And, of course, the official site.

That it's not standard with Pulse I would have thought gets close to actually breaching trading standards.

I was simply answering the question of why extra content can't be free. But this Mirage in particular was never advertised as extra content.

[lunar]

Thanks to Asa for some great races on the new tracks. I like them both, Vostok the most for being a kind of groovy underwater Platinum Rush. I`ve already had £1.37 of fun on these tracks, so bring it on! However, Asa killed me with a plasma on Edgewinter, which took 17p off the amount of fun I was having. I do like the little flying bug things on Edgewinter.

I agree the whole thing could have been handled better, particularly with regard to the information consumers were provided with in advance. But some of the anger is over the top. Presumably the problem with Mirage is that it would cause too many problems with people not having the content, as it would pop up all over the online games, whereas the tracks would cause less of an issue. It`s a shame a way to deal with this couldn`t have been worked out, so others could see the ship even if they can play it. But let`s not be too mean here, please, even game developers have feelings. It`s not as if they`re demanding the entire contents of our bank accounts and our first born child, and it`s not as if we`re talking about boycotting South African Chardonnay to stop Apartheid.

Anyway, I think the pack content is very nice, and the underwater track is going to be madness on fast classes.

[borell]

Not that I will add anything to the discussion... but I am annoyed by this as well.

1) If I buy a pack I want to be able to use it in multiplayer.

2) I cannot buy the pack unless I first buy at least one computer and at least one Microsoft product (this is really annoying). Microtransaction?

If it was not for the above to problems, I would probably buy the pack. But I agree it is a little expensive. On the other hand, I do not need any more tracks for the moment. I have yet to learn racing the tracks I have.

[zargz]

here's another point of view:

at the moment I got no job and no money but I'll still buy it.
I don't care coz it is wipEout! :nod


// borell

you can buy it from my pc ;)


// lunar

I'm looking forward to race you on those new tracks 8)

[sakerbax]

Presumably the problem with Mirage is that it would cause too many problems with people not having the content, as it would pop up all over the online games, whereas the tracks would cause less of an issue.

please.. if you don't have a real explanation don't try to make one up..

most of this content was most likely already made. (not all ships and tracks make it to the final game) dont try to explain that 5e is a small price. because it's not that small for someone who doesn't work. and if you compare it with the price of the game it's a huge margin of profit.

if you support this type of policies fine you're entitled to it but be aware there are valid reasons for both ways of seeing this issue.

(i'm sorry your post had kinda parental tone that i didn't like but the message wasn't for anyone in particular)

[guillaume]

After looking at the structure of the files, etc, I'm HOPING that unlike Pure, all regions will share the same GID so that saves, ghosts, expansions, and skins can be shared.
It looks like saves at least won't be compatible (http://wipeoutzone.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4608&p=80996):

[About US version] I'm getting one, for sure - it's actually thrown cold water on my Pulse play, as my current profile has some borked times and I'm going to have to start a new one all over again, so I cant be bothered wasting time with the current one.
This adds to the disappointment... I'm still playing Pulse, only to get better for the Convention. Once I know which version is bug-free and played on multiplayer, with compatible packs (in case I ever buy them, I won't for now), then I'll buy this version, and sell the EU version I have now. Or maybe keep it, because I'd advice anyone to buy the bug-free version as well...

[Roz]

Well, I wont be getting this pack anytime soon, that's for sure. 5€ for only 2 tracks and 1 ship? And to add for the insult, the ship can't go online and the tracks are just one run? I would expect the full track, that is, both runs.

What a way to milk.

[lunar]

Sakerbax, sorry if I offended you. I`m speculating about Mirage, I thought that would be obvious and I`m hardly the only speculator in this thread. I`m not defending the price, and you won`t find me doing so. As you say, my post wasn`t addressed to anyone in particular. I`m not blaming people for stating their views, but some of the moaning is creating a bad atmosphere. I guess this is one of those situations where any contribution can only add fuel to the fire. I`ll just keep my head down until it passes I think. :)

[Lion]

my guess as to the single-player-only mirage (and probably future ships?) is that has not been as finely balanced against the other ships, so it's considered an unfair advantage? in which case it's irrelevant anyway since all involved players would need to own the ship to be able to see it anyway.

Regardless of the reason, if we'd been told months ago that the addon ships were going to be offline only, I think the outcry would have been somewhat less (or maybe just quieter, spread over a longer time)
The PSN store page doesn't say anything about this limitation either, the closest I have seen to an official statement to that effect is the front page of wipeoutzone.com. "oh, by the way" as a means of delivering this info doesn't help the situation

[Frances_Penfold]

Thanks to Asa for some great races on the new tracks. I like them both, Vostok the most for being a kind of groovy underwater Platinum Rush. I`ve already had £1.37 of fun on these tracks, so bring it on! However, Asa killed me with a plasma on Edgewinter, which took 17p off the amount of fun I was having. I do like the little flying bug things on Edgewinter.

I agree the whole thing could have been handled better, particularly with regard to the information consumers were provided with in advance. But some of the anger is over the top. Presumably the problem with Mirage is that it would cause too many problems with people not having the content, as it would pop up all over the online games, whereas the tracks would cause less of an issue. It`s a shame a way to deal with this couldn`t have been worked out, so others could see the ship even if they can play it.

Lunar, so it IS possible to play the DLC tracks with normal online multiplayer if both players have purchased the content? Or is this only via Kai or another tunneling application?

I think your explanation about Mirage and other DLC ships not being used online makes sense-- displaying the ships in game is a HUGE deal, of course. Unless the "DLC" was ALREADY on the Pulse UMD, I don't see how this would be handled.

And can you imagine how pissed off people would be if the "DLC" was already on the Pulse UMD, and the file that you downloaded only allows access to it? I can't imagine Sony would want to go that route.

[lunar]

Yes, Frances, you can play the download tracks in the normal way, so long as everyone has them.

[Dogg Thang]

I think your explanation about Mirage and other DLC ships not being used online makes sense-- displaying the ships in game is a HUGE deal, of course. Unless the "DLC" was ALREADY on the Pulse UMD, I don't see how this would be handled.

Well the content may not be on the UMD but the Mirage, among others, was ready long before release so it's odd they wouldn't have thought of putting the model in there for easy online recognition.

[rejj]

Whinging about it in this forum isn't going to achieve anything, so instead I'm just going to vote with my wallet.


end transmission.

[leoalexus]

any news on when the next DLC packs will be coming out?

also, can you copy and paste the content to another psp without having to DL it?
I doubt it.. but worth a try

[Dogg Thang]

There's a pack a week for the next three weeks. Icaras is next.

[stin]

Mine is paid and I`m away to have a nice hot bath while playing this game!

Why?, life too short and I`m a hardcore wiper and I want it!

stevie:mr-t

[Fascia]

There's a pack a week for the next three weeks. Icaras is next.

Score it up!

[Alex_Se]

I won't be able to buy any packs... I don't own a credit card nor does ANYONE in my family. :(

In portugal we use another type of credit card, it doesnt work online anywhere.
Of course i can get one but my parents wont let me.

I'm so sad. The old pack were free... Don't get it why we need to pay

[leoalexus]

here, this is the file that contains the DLC
probs wont work
extract and put in PSP>GAME folder

[infoxicated]

Goodbye - thanks for playing.

The above member had been banned for three months for posting a link to the downloadable content for WipEout Pulse. He then re-registered, so I'm banning his IP address and his account for good.

I can understand that some of you are angry right now and if you feel the need to vent then go for your life.

However, being angry does not excuse breaking the rules of this board. :-

[DjManiac21]

Hehehe, now that was funny Rob :+
Oh well, the pack, you gotta love it in the end, it's Wipeout!
Zone is pretty fun on the new tracks :)
You see? I'm not pissed anymore, i just caved in to DLC capitalism ;)

[Fascia]

Just for the record, you don't need a credit card, you can use a debit card (I used my visa debit card, don't own a credit card)

[Rapier Racer]

In response to all these people who are simply whining about a charge and not specifically the price, come on, get real. We we're spoiled with all the stuff for Pure, I'll also point out here that Pures download service was experimental to see what the response would be like. If you open your eyes and look at how other games with extra content work you'll find there is a charge. We should expect Wipeout be different and not follow this trend because?

[Alex_Se]

Yeah i guess you're right. Wipeout Pulse was so cheap to me (25€) so i guess the packs can count as a price of a normal game (in my country arround 50€ - 60€)

[Dogg Thang]

You did well getting Pulse for €25. It cost me €35. Still a pretty good price though.

[MarcoM]

I think so too. Pulse was rather cheap compared to other titles. It's high quality gaming. So the extra costs for these four packs are not to bad.

I do not know if it was already mentioned, but on Insidegamer.nl they said that each week in February a downloadpack will be available. Sorry if this is already mentioned.

[Task]

Jay - does that mean the general consensus (read: WTF IS GOIN ON, THIS IS CRAP) will deter the companies from charging for DLC, or will it encourage them to jack up the prices to make the profit they expected off the people who are prepared to pay?

Or does it mean companies will just refuse to create DLC for games?I can't imagine what would deter charging for DLC. They exist to make $, content will do that, they're just looking for the best way to do it. Once a good method has been found, expect to see global adoption, but digital content is a tricky issue and has been for almost it's entire lifespan.

Either way though, you can count on companies continuing to create DLC. At the very least, it expands the software lifetime. When it takes a year to make even a basic game, anything that'll keep people buying the game for more than a week or month is going to be aggressively pursued.
Also, once the game is released, you still have everything in place to create additional content, and you're actually at the point where it's as easy as it possibly can be for you to do so, but you just can't put it on the game disk anymore. DLC allows you to utilize your most effective software production period (the end, when the tools are in place and everyone knows how to get the most out of them) and continue producing for a game that's already generating sales. I'm sure you can see the power of that!


please.. if you don't have a real explanation don't try to make one up..

most of this content was most likely already made.Now come on, you're criticising somone and then you go right ahead and do the exact same thing yourself? That's kinda weak, and quite the double-standard you're driving there.

Additionally, you're completely wrong.

This content was NOT already made, it wasn't made until after the game had been frozen for release. I'm not in SL or anything, but I know enough about software development to guarantee that as much as anyone outside of SL possible could. There's no time in the development phase to create content for after launch. There's no time for it until it's launch time. You're busy making the game itself, everything that will actually be on the UMD. The DLC is additional content not on the UMD.

Putting together a high-quality game takes more effort and teamwork than you'd believe, it's pretty close to impossible to do what you're suggesting.

[Intera]

I do think that £3.50 for a ship which you can't use online and one variation (not even white and black) of 2 tracks is a little stingy.

However, I think people are overracting. It's true what the person above says, in my experience too pulse has been around 20% cheaper than other PSP games, even when it had only just come out.

That could just be in my area though, admittedly.

[Dogg Thang]

Task, the Mirage ship was all over promotionsl stills long before release. You're just speculating too.

[Lance]

Total speculation on my part ---> ...... uh, now I can't think of anything to say. :)

[rageagainstgeorge]

Well I was already fairly cold on Pulse anyway. Loved it to start with but then the novelty wore off.

I paid £30 for this game from a Game store and now if i want to download packs i've got to pay £3.50 for each one!? No thanks.

This next bit is just speculation but:

This isn't new content they've been developing since it was released. All of the ships were done before the game was out. How else would you be able to create a skin for Mirage from the day of release if it was developed after(?)

So to me it looks like SL or Sony have decided to create a game with lots of content, cut 30% of it from the released game and then charge lots of £££'s for "new" content afterwards.

Not very happy.

Before anyone (else) says it, I know Sony exist to make money and not make me happy but this is taking it to new extremes.

[Fascia]

For those interested here are a few shots of the awesome looking mirage concept ship, enjoy :D.

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/2041/wo20080208212835oa2.jpg
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/1549/wo20080208212820yv1.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5951/wo20080208212802oo2.jpg
http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/1236/wo20080208212732vd6.jpg

[BARTgai]

:eek *jaw drop*

[Alex_Se]

Oh... my... god!
It looks like Goteki on Pure!

[Ash-Omen]

looks kinda ugly lol, wat track is that in the bottom screenie? im guessing vorkos reef because i can see water reflecting

[phl0w]

I don't want to nit-pick Lance, but what with your being the boards' grammarian and all, shouldn't

for almost it's entire lifespan read its?

@topic: I made my points clear on, what, page 5? And I'm still not willing to fork out 5 Euros a pack. Maybe if they offer the whole package (4 teams and 4 tracks) for €5 at some point, I consider a purchase.

[sakerbax]

Now come on, you're criticising somone and then you go right ahead and do the exact same thing yourself? That's kinda weak, and quite the double-standard you're driving there.

Additionally, you're completely wrong.

This content was NOT already made, it wasn't made until after the game had been frozen for release. I'm not in SL or anything, but I know enough about software development to guarantee that as much as anyone outside of SL possible could. There's no time in the development phase to create content for after launch. There's no time for it until it's launch time. You're busy making the game itself, everything that will actually be on the UMD. The DLC is additional content not on the UMD.

Putting together a high-quality game takes more effort and teamwork than you'd believe, it's pretty close to impossible to do what you're suggesting.

well i had another post on the page before that and i didn't feel like repeating myself. there i mentioned this and based myself on this post from colin on the "10 things i hate about pulse"


Little known fact to share with WoZone
The Amphiseum was originally designed for Wipeout Pure, it was designed to be Sinucit, but we were never quite happy enough with it, so put it on the back burner and chose the track that ended up as Sinucit. We returned to it for the Pure downloads, but again we didnt get it how we wanted it so it stayed in the back ground. Come Pulse time we returned to it as priority and tweaked it, the tilted long straights and horse shoe bend were redone slightly and we actually cut a 'stepping stone' section out.

additionally I am aware that making a quality game takes time and money.
that's why i bought the game. i have no problem with piracy especially with dumb pc ports like halo2 wich requires a pc better than a 360 to play a game that ran on the original xbox.. but for wipeout and other series (quake starcraft/warcraft/diablo) i really feel like my money is well spent.
if it's not enough don't sell it so cheap (my copy was actually 50€) and the idea of free content isn't that original like you seem to think. quake games and most fps have map packs for download and even player models, stuff that programmers liked and weren't able to put into the game but wanted to share with the community.
lately it's been proven that ppl don't mind paying for this, and it's true but cmon it has to be a decent deal. and ill end this post the same way i ended my other 2 on the thread. it's too expensive for the ammount of content/features it adds to the game.

[Lance]

I don't want to nit-pick Lance, but what with your being the boards' grammarian and all, shouldn't

for almost it's entire lifespan read its?

Indeed it should, but though I'm very aware of language, I am not always perfect in its execution. Close to, but not quite. :g

[Dr. Angryman]

OMG! :hyper New info on the packs! http://www.wipeoutpulse.com/en_US/index.html I simply can't wait! My favorite circuit on first glace is Vostok Reef. It's an underwater circuit, what's not to love? :g I love the Mirage craft. I think it'll hold well during racing. ;)

[Dogg Thang]

Just to follow up on Task's point, the very first screenshot on IGN from 4th of April 2007 features Mirage prominantly. Other shots from that date feature Auricom. The first teaser trailer features Edgewinter track.

Now, we can't know whether they were finished or not. Quite likely not for the tracks (but, again, that's speculation) but there is no doubt some elements were in advance stages and I can't imagine that the ships weren't well finished given that Mirage and Auricom actually look the most finished of the craft back from April of last year. That's enough to disprove your point.

From that point, things get a little conflicted. The later trailer clearly lists the amount of tracks you get and the amount of teams that come with Pulse and, as I stated, for the price of Pulse I think there is loads there and it's very good value. There is tons of game for the price. But then the official site lists all the teams as if standard, and has done from the European launch. And, of course, the in-game advertising implies the teams are all present and correct (this is unlike Pure which added th new team ads when the packs began to become available - a far cleaner way of doing it if the packs are being paid for). So it's easy to see how people would think the teams at least should be standard.

But then I think the biggest issue is simply the price. Yeah, some people expect content for free but I think, if these packs were a good bit cheaper, there would be far fewer complaints.

[stin]

I did completed the Mirage Grid and seriously, I do really enjoyed the tracks and I AM getting next pack 2, when they become online.

stevie:)

[Dogg Thang]

I'm enjoying Vostok Reef and I love the visuals on that cave section. It's really nice. The layout feels really short but I quite like it. I could take or leave Edgewinter. That wavy section (that's in the trailer) looks great but actually doesn't really do anything and I find the visuals and layout a little dull when compared to the main bulk of the Pulse tracks.

[zargz]

I like better edgewinters layout coz no BS .. eer .. BRs

I'm sure the BR bas.. masters will find one soon enought but atm I'm enjoying it!

[KANDANG]

:sonar haha there is one on edgewinters !

[PjotrStroganov]

Yes, Frances, you can play the download tracks in the normal way, so long as everyone has them.

I really don't like this. It's going to split up the already small online community...

[zargz]

:sonar haha there is one on edgewinters !I knew that! :D

so where is it?

[Asayyeah]

guess ;)

[zargz]

ok, a wild guess:
over the small bump, before the magstrip, using the boost? :p
.

[Ash-Omen]

I really don't like this. It's going to split up the already small online community...

i agree this is stupid its gonna screw it all up, I for one aint played pulse since i found out about the packs costing so much too pissed off

[Ricanebleu]

Well, last night I realized the packs were out. Reading all this made me think about it and I came out with bitter taste. I don’t have a card and because of that it will be a long time until I’ll be able to have them. Why all the quotes? Because under all the rage that spurred here, exists some common sense. The bitter part is that in all this the image of WO has to suffer especially in the eyes of the people that were just beginning to see wipeout for what it is. This people are lost and most certainly will drop wipeout as just a simple game or turn over to piracy. It is sad.
The same “cheap” price of the game, from some countries, becomes enormous (up to half of a monthly paycheck) in others but it would have been more fair play to ask for a bigger price for the game and let the packs free. I just can’t help not thinking that drug dealers do the same: first dose in on the house, second is cheap and then …..you are hooked up.
But just to see the funny part ….does Overtel corporation rings any bell? ;)

---------------------------


This is the kind of thing that helps internet pirates justify sticking BACK to mega companies.

well I believe this IS true. In fact I believe with this kind of attitude Sony is loosing more money then they actually win.


I've just had a though, are SL getting much of the money per download, because if they are costing that much, they should get some royalties, heck, they made it.

But I doubt it. I could bet most of the money are going into Sony’s pockets especially from the pack sales.


Maybe the high price has something to do with low sales? I might be wrong but Motorstorm and Loco Roco at least seem far more popular titles than WipEout Pulse.

I believe this is going to bring the sales down even more. Some of my friends were planning to buy it and now thy changed their minds

[Alucioj]

Ive had trouble adding my debit card to the Playstation Store, clearly they dont want my money :p

[Nadia Elenova]

For those interested here are a few shots of the awesome looking mirage concept ship, enjoy :D.

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/1549/wo20080208212820yv1.jpg
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5951/wo20080208212802oo2.jpg


Too similar to Goteki ship from Pure, I prefer the original Mirage design. (another reason for don't download the pack).:naughty

[Alex_Se]

I know this is off topic, but...
Is There any other way to pay on the store other than with a credit card?
If so, how can i select other payment types? When i try to add funds it asks me a credit card number and no other options.

It's like this:
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9849/screenshot125db4.jpg
Image <50Kb

[stin]

You don`t need a credit card even it`s written on it, now, it can be used Maestro, Solo and other two names which I can`t remember.

But, just click and you will see.

stevie:)

[Dogg Thang]

I think that may depend on your country, Stin. You could be right but I think debit cards only work in some places.

[stin]

Yes, always check the type of credits if we got them in any country, if not, why not just e-mail to them and they should help you.

stevie:)

[P52Smith]

Going back to what Task said about the DLC being created after the release and the subsequent evidence as to otherwise:
also consider that the UMD only holds a certain amount of data and this may not've been enough for the extra tracks/ships!

Sorry for any bad grammer/spelling/mistakes but I am using my PSP to write this and it's not exactly easy!!

[Ash-Omen]

The game is around 500mb's in size and a umd can fit somthing like 1.5gb's 8)

[CR4SH3D]

anyone noticed the new download agreement on the pulse site? wonder why thats suddenly there and wasnt before

also, technically there might only be 4 original tracks in these packs since its 4 white and 4 black and SOME of the standard in game variants arnt too different really

more locations for tracks and not just variants in each pack would have been awesome and justified the price a little more

i think what really makes it seem expensive though is just how much you got for free with pure

[P52Smith]

The game is around 500mb's in size and a umd can fit somthing like 1.5gb's 8)

Ok
Just a thought!

Besides,
You only need 8 ships and leaving:
4 white runs
4 black runs
4 teams
out of the game means 1 of each can be released each time without making the files too big.
If this means that one track has to be held back (we've only seen Edgewinter before) then so be it.

I must say that I haven't got the pack yet because I don't like paying for stuff now when my birthday's March!

[Task]

Just to follow up on Task's point, the very first screenshot on IGN from 4th of April 2007 features Mirage prominantly. Other shots from that date feature Auricom. The first teaser trailer features Edgewinter track.

Now, we can't know whether they were finished or not. Quite likely not for the tracks (but, again, that's speculation) but there is no doubt some elements were in advance stages and I can't imagine that the ships weren't well finished given that Mirage and Auricom actually look the most finished of the craft back from April of last year. That's enough to disprove your point.8 ) I'm afraid it isn't.
There's a point in time where what's going to be on the UMD is decided, and from that point on nothing can change it. This point in time would be something like 2 months before you can actually buy it in stores. You can easily give or take a month (perhaps even two) in either direction depending on the software being realeased and who's in control of the process, but you get the idea.
Sure, the extra craft might have been finalized, but they're hardly the majority of the content of any particular download pack. I'd estimate that about 10% of the time required to release a download pack was in the extra craft, skins, music, etc. combined. Tracks are what take all the time. The basics of a track might not take too long to put together, where the turns are, elevations, location of starting grid, all the basics, but then the environment, the sounds, and most of all the playtesting are what really take the time. So you can pretty quickly have a track that you can show a bit of demo footage for, but that's a far cry from having a track good enough to release. They put a lot of time into flying these tracks to make sure that they're as good as they can make them, Colin has already mentioned the insane amounts of tweaking done to a track before it makes the grade.

And that's exactly what I mean about it being pretty much impossible that the DLC could have been on the UMD. There's just no way the tracks could have gone through all the required playtesting and adjustment to be available at the time where the content of the UMD was decided.
The only assumption I'm making is that the DLC is of lower priority than fixing known bugs. With all the known bugs in the game, I'm taking that as evidence that they just didn't have the time to fix them, which should mean that they really didn't have the time to finalize the DLC until after they'd gotten the main game ready for release.

So there were images of DLC in trailers, this is hardly news to me, and you can see why it doesn't really change anything.

And now everyone knows just a little more about the software development lifecycle. 8 D


From that point, things get a little conflicted... But then I think the biggest issue is simply the price. Yeah, some people expect content for free but I think, if these packs were a good bit cheaper, there would be far fewer complaints.Pure truth Dogg.
As always, price is the main issue.
Obviously, $10 US is an outlandish price for two (non-reversable) tracks and one (non-multiplayer) craft, and only a few people would be complaining about a $0.25 price tag (after being shown the flying coke bottle), hopefully the price will drop to an agreeable point between the two extremes.

[Dogg Thang]

I'd estimate

I think much of what you say is probably true, Task, but this is the important bit. You are just estimating. Unless you're on the team, you really can't know one way or another. It's an educated guess, possibly based on good knowledge, but you made some pretty definitive statements, representing them as fact. Which they really aren't. If you go back and look at your post I replied to, I think you'll see what I mean.

[P52Smith]

Ask Colin Berry

[Task]

Absolutely, Dogg.
Simply a very educated guess. Something that I wanted to make clear from the beginning:

I'm not in SL or anything, but I know enough about software development to guarantee that as much as anyone outside of SL possible could.
I'd also bet that we're not going to get a definitive statement from SL or anyone on this, not any time soon anyway, or else we'd already have one! 8 )

I think I'm making very reasonable assumptions though, so while none of what I say can be taken for absolute fact, it's a lot more likely than the idea that the DLC is already on the disk and the charge is just to make it available in-game. I'd put that in the same likelyhood category as "The US faked the moon landings!".

Granted, it's somewhat more likely that the DLC could theoretically have been put on the UMD somehow, but I'd never entertain that as a plausible theory knowing what I know about software development in general. Who puts bug fixes at a lower priority than DLC generation? I just don't see it being possible.

[Dogg Thang]

Oh, I think we can safely say that the content isn't in the UMD. After all, it's downloading about 10megs for the content and, if the Mirage was on the UMD, there wouldn't be an online issue.

And you're spot-on about priorities. And, given that many bugs made it through and at least some would have been known, I'd certainly hope they weren't putting anything ahead of fixing those. Totally agree.

[Amaru]

If the DLC already was on the UMD then I'd really want to know why it now bugs me with the same usual loading times I had when selecting a custom skin when now selecting the new ship or one of the two new tracks. ;P Of course, they could be simulating the loading associated with reading from the memorystick but that would be just as "useless" and evil as simulating loading times in emulators. XD

[sakerbax]

What i want now is some kind of answer.
I can understand this:

I cant comment on that right now, I'm afraid.
For the time being no answer would really sastify. But eventually, after things calm down, we will right?

[xEik]

Count me in the "Unfortunately not going to get the packs" group.
The person who decided the content/money ratio got it awfully wrong.
Even if I wanted to get the packs, no support for OSX means I cannot use the PSN Store

[P52Smith]

Hey, don't worry about it, I'll probably be on that list too!

[Hybrid Divide]

I'm not so mad about the price of the packs as I am about the fact that Mirage can't be used online. Will this be the same for the other online ships?

I'll pay for those packs, but is there any way that the multiplayer issue can be fixed?

[infoxicated]

For the time being no answer would really sastify. But eventually, after things calm down, we will right?
Not from me.

[Dogg Thang]

Complete 100% speculation from me here -

I imagine it must be quite tough for Foxy and the SL team. I suspect they initially didn't know what the exact plan was for DL content, hence nobody really being able to say anything. That or they were told they couldn't say anything in case it affected initial sales, though I doubt that as they would have held off with the content until after the larger territory US release. Either way, it would be tough and nobody on the team would be able to comment as it might be mistaken for an 'official' stance.

I'm sure everyone on the team just want people to enjoy the game. It must suck to read the comments on the way the content has been distributed but I'm suspect they also understand and probably anticipated the reaction.

Any answer that came from anyone connected would be jumped on by everyone with a hundred more questions. So I totally understand there being a radio silence on this.

And you know we still love you guys.

[DjManiac21]

I agree with you Dogg, I'm sure these reactions were mainly caused by the high level of secrecy and lack of oficial information around Wipeout lately...
Oficial page was without updates for more almost 2 months, no one mentioned anything about the packs and on top of that there are several misleading bits that drove people crazy, at least that's what happened to me and fellow pilots I know.

More info before hand would have been better.

[Alucioj]

Just bought the packs...

new Mirage ship is pretty cool and I like the two tracks preferable edgewinter white at the moment.

I really hope in time the playstation store can be accessed directly through the psp I had to use another laptop because my pc is only win2k; bit frustrating but at least I have work around.

Now I can use these tracks online :D

Probably the main reason I got this pack and will get the future ones is for the online experience, I dont wish to be kicked out of races etc.

On a side note, noticed more faint scratches on my psp screen when its switched off, annoying as hell!

-Also must I always keep the download on the memory card file?!, at first I wasnt sure how to access it but it loaded automatically through the UMD playing.

[DjManiac21]

Yes, you have to keep those files there, though they don't take much space ;)

[infoxicated]

That is sort of dependant on how much space you have in the first place! ;)

//strokes 8Gb Memory Stick Pro.

[Alucioj]

safe @ DjManiac21

@ infoxicated, Im rolling with 2gb so not as much as yours but I do alright :D

[0L4F]

Since I can't find any mention of it in this thread since feb 8th, has anyone seen this...?

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=92360

...for those too lazy to click ; ) , let me just quote from eurogamer.net:

"Sony has said it will be releasing fresh tracks and craft for WipEout Pulse every week throughout February.

The first of these was released yesterday. This Mirage Pack introduced the all-rounder Mantis craft and fresh tracks Egewinter White, based in a busy city on a storm-racked island, and Vostock Reef, an undersea circuit with fishes and things.

Following on 14th February is the Icaras pack. Inside is a speedy craft with bad shields, alongside Egewinter Black and fiddly Moroccan course Gemini Dam White.

The Harimau Pack will spring up a week later, containing a relatively fast craft with good handling, subterranean track Orcus White, and North African course Gemini Dam Black.

Finally the Auricom Pack will arrive on 28th February. Its ship is a mystery but is said to be very fast, with Orcus Black and Vostock Reef White courses rounding out the bundle.

All of these will be available from the PC Store to download and transfer to your PSP, and each will presumably cost GBP 3.49 like the Mirage Pack.
"

...all this would have made me jump with joy, if it wasn't for that last alinea...

[miufs]

Ok, this is how the story goes...

I spent 40€ on "Wipeout Pulse" because i love the series (we all know that PSP games are not hard to find in ISO files...) and now they charge 5€ for the download packs?

In PURE they were FREE!

No sir, i wont pay for the packs.

As a long WO fan (since 1996) i feel disapointed for the first time... :(

[Kyang]

I don't feel disappointed at all. After all, these developers, and whoever else is getting a cut of those five euros, have to earn a living as well.


That said, I don't feel like shelling out additional cash for some bonus features that have a low probability of being used online, since it appears that in order to enjoy a pack online, everyone in the game needs to have it as well, in addition to the fact that these packs only split up an already small online community.


I simply won't be buying them.

[miufs]

I know that mate but i didnt say where to find them or that i used them.
I just said that they are easy to find, which is something we all know...

If i say that a person can be killed by a gun that does not make me a killer at all... lol ;)

[Mad-Ice]

I think you are about to be banned!! Or am I missing something!?

[miufs]

For what exactly!?

[infoxicated]

Alucioj has been banned for being a piece of excrement, and this thread has been merged into the existing download pack discussion.

[Dogg Thang]

Going through the two tracks, Edgewinter has some nice sounds, though most of them seem to be from Arc Prime and Metropia, but I'm surpirsed there doesn't seem to have been much made of the underwater setting for Vostok Reef in the sounds.

Though I guess as soon as I go to sleep mode it wouldn't matter anyway (poor Stephen O'Callaghan must feel like he wasted his time a bit there), but I would have thought there was loads of potential for some deep sounds of water and those subs and stuff.

[Animagic]

Alucioj has been banned for being a piece of excrement....

did I miss something? all he said was he had a 2gb memory stick??

[Hellfire_WZ]

The offending post has more than likely been deleted

Anyway, I've also splashed out on the download pack. Not so much for Mirage as it'll take something special to drag me away from Triakis ;) but mainly for the new tracks. Edgewinter seems quite tricky, plenty of sharp corners to keep you on your toes in Phantom, haven't tried Vostok Reef yet

[Fascia]

subterranean track Orcus White

Interesting, looking forward to it :o

[Flashback Jack]

did I miss something? all he said was he had a 2gb memory stick??

Thy answer. (http://wipeoutzone.com/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=4629)

- F

[P52Smith]

From looking at the WipEout Pulse official website (www.wipeoutpulse.com) I am looking forward to trying Gemini Dam, eventually when I'm allowed to buy the packs

[Ricanebleu]

In the end I think the biggest problem is not necessarily the price of the DLC but the fact that the ships are not on line playable and that do to the absence of a credit card not everyone can have it, which is frustrating to want it and not being able to get it for technical reasons. After all you don’t have to buy them all at once, and putting one buck aside each … month lets say, you won’t even feel it.

:(………probably I shouldn’t say anything but still, ……I believe we made already a point about what the arrival of the pack in its payable form means to us, so …probably it is enough. After all it is just a game and the free will of buying or not is still there, it is really not necessary to curse anybody or be disrespectful, we are supposed to be a “family” no ?.

OFF TOPIC :When I first posted in this thread I used a lot of quotes. The reason I did this is because I felt that somehow things were going towards pure fury in here, fueled by each post that it was placed. I wonted to make an (clumsy) x-ray picture of what it really mattered. I suspected I over did it and I came back on my post to see if I’m right or not. It seems I was right and Lance corrected my mistake. My apologies for my bad and thanks (I assure there is no sarcasm in here, I’m new in the forum area, in fact this is the only one I visit, and there for I appreciate all your help and input)

Also, I know it isn’t much but…. my condolences infoxicated and thank you for a wonderful site.

[infoxicated]

Good post there, Ricanebleu. :+

I'd echo your statements and encourage everyone to sit tight and wait for the "end game" in this saga. Like I said before, I cannot comment specifically on the matter because of the position I'm in, but rest assured there are people listening to the (occasionally) reasoned comments posted in this thread.

[the_Admiral]

Currently I'm enjoying the 2 new tracks in the 1st download pack at the moment, as they give the game a bit of a refresh IMO. Certainly looking forwarded to the up-coming packs.

Infoxicated, do you know whether the Rankings part of the Wipeout site will be updated to include uploaded profile data for the new tracks? I was kinda hoping with loads of good zoners boycotting the DLC, I might have a chance to get a good ranking :D (Before they inevitably relent and buy it.)

[jacen]

Good post there, Ricanebleu. :+

I'd echo your statements and encourage everyone to sit tight and wait for the "end game" in this saga. Like I said before, I cannot comment specifically on the matter because of the position I'm in, but rest assured there are people listening to the (occasionally) reasoned comments posted in this thread.

i just hope SL has something to say about the way they release their content.

i really do.

[Lance]

:D (Before they inevitably relent and buy it.)

lol. I see that you are a true student of human nature. :D :+

[Alex_Se]

the absence of a credit card not everyone can have it

Indeed.
I e-mailed Portugal Sony staff and i got a reply in -12 Hours.
In my country i can only use credit card :(
However i cannot afford one, and i'm underage...
Using services such as paypal, pay by phone, would greatly help me...

[Chrono]

Did we not get a pack today like last week? Or was that Thursday?

[Dogg Thang]

Yeah, I think it was Thursday. And the Icaras pack was announced for the 14th I think.

For some reason, the pack has seriously bumped up my loading times. It's rather unpleasant.

[Chrono]

I've noticed that too. It's ridiculous online sometimes.

[zargz]

heh! don't you remember pure with all the packs?
longer loading time was expected. by me anyway :)

[Dogg Thang]

Yeah, that's true. I guess I was hoping Pulse would be a lot more efficient with them - like it is when it loads up at the start.

[Kansas]

Okay...what gives?

I went to the PlayStation Store to download the expansion packs for Pulse...

Well...where the hell are they?

I can't find them anywhere...

[Dogg Thang]

Hmmm... is it possible they've held off releasing them in the US?

[Kansas]

That would suck.

I went to wipeout-game.com and it said the expansion packs were available for download via the PlayStation store :(

[Dogg Thang]

Well I think the PS store is updated on a Thursday so check back later and maybe they'll have put one up.