How would DLC work?

[Guybrush20X6]

Sakurai said (paraphrasing) they're not working on DLC but are not opposed to the idea either. but this got me wondering, how would that work? With an online component, DLC in fighting games becomes really tricky to work with. We all know Capcom's policies of locking characters ont he disk to sell as DLC didn't go over well. Here are some methods.

Injustice type
Characters get added to the code of everyone's game after release so you can fight people using the character but payment is needed to use the character yourself.

Costume ignore
When playing against someone with a costume not downloaded on your system, the default model is loaded instead.

Match-up lock out.
Can only fight against people with the same DLC packs or DLC characters can't be used online.

Anyone got any more thoughts on this?

 

[Homelessvagrant]

I think it would be quite simple actually. Think of Brawl in regards of the 'forbidden seven' or ditto in melee. The basic information is already there, unlocking them would just complete the files. Purchases for any wii u unlockable would actually unlock the char/item while others would recieve a patch of sorts that would make them combatable but not playable.

Of course the only way I see DLC happening in Smash 4 is in unfinished content being completed after the retail date (as in characters or items that couldn't quite make it before the release of the game).

 

[ForsakenProto]

Injustice type. At least then you could see how the character plays and possibly be tempted to buy it. Heck, maybe even allow a trial period to demo a character, like a 1 Week trial after release or a usage number, would certainly not hurt sales of DLC

 

[CF711]

So here is what I have seen with DLC in other games and how the different types might affect smash:

Injustice/Compatibility Pack: This is the most plausible style. This would basically allow players to play without restrictions against other players. As was mentioned above this could also help drive sales since players could essentially see how the new characters play before they buy them. This would most likely be accomplished by a game update (which I don't know if Wii U does those or not).

Costume Ignore: This doesn't need to occur as it can simply be mitigated by issuing a compatibility pack (think Fable II). Players would be able to see the costumes, but would be unable to use them for their characters until they purchased it. Also would be accomplished by a title update.

Match-Up Lock Out: This is the least desirable and the most destructive form of DLC. By doing this it essentially splinters the user base into the haves and the have-nots. Now say they release another pack of DLC you now have 4 different user bases; Base 1: Standalone Game, Base 2: Standalone Game and DLC 1 only, Base 3: Standalone Game and DLC 2 only, Base 4: Standalone Game and All DLC. Each time a new DLC is released it would create smaller and smaller player bases which would be very detrimental to the game's growth. This can be mitigated by when matching players up who have different Bases greying out levels which are not available to all of the players in the lobby, by making a separate DLC playlist for online and/or making the previous DLC free once a new one is released.

Personally, if the do release DLC for the game I hope that they do not create lock-outs with it. I have seen it hurt games which could have had a good online because not every player is willing to pay for additional content. I just hope that if they do make DLC for Sm4sh that they make the right decisions with how to handle it.

 

[ForsakenProto]

So here is what I have seen with DLC in other games and how the different types might affect smash:

Injustice/Compatibility Pack: This is the most plausible style. This would basically allow players to play without restrictions against other players. As was mentioned above this could also help drive sales since players could essentially see how the new characters play before they buy them. This would most likely be accomplished by a game update (which I don't know if Wii U does those or not).

Costume Ignore: This doesn't need to occur as it can simply be mitigated by issuing a compatibility pack (think Fable II). Players would be able to see the costumes, but would be unable to use them for their characters until they purchased it. Also would be accomplished by a title update.

Match-Up Lock Out: This is the least desirable and the most destructive form of DLC. By doing this it essentially splinters the user base into the haves and the have-nots. Now say they release another pack of DLC you now have 4 different user bases; Base 1: Standalone Game, Base 2: Standalone Game and DLC 1 only, Base 3: Standalone Game and DLC 2 only, Base 4: Standalone Game and All DLC. Each time a new DLC is released it would create smaller and smaller player bases which would be very detrimental to the game's growth. This can be mitigated by when matching players up who have different Bases greying out levels which are not available to all of the players in the lobby, by making a separate DLC playlist for online and/or making the previous DLC free once a new one is released.

Personally, if the do release DLC for the game I hope that they do not create lock-outs with it. I have seen it hurt games which could have had a good online because not every player is willing to pay for additional content. I just hope that if they do make DLC for Sm4sh that they make the right decisions with how to handle it.

The Wii U does allow for software updates, so its very plausible. Also nice avatar, hoping for his inclusion, but not gonna be let down too much if he isnt. I did that for Brawl lol

 

[The Original Robot boy]

Dlc characters always have bug or issue when release even after a update they still continue have some sort of problem im against the idea of this game having dlc due to fact it may make the game have issues with unfair or buggy characters though in a way i do wanna see some characters as Dlc

 

[AGreatProcrastinator]

I'd prefer the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 method: Everyone gets every new character for free as part of an update. Not very probable, but it's the absolute best scenario, followed up by the Injustice type.

 

[ForsakenProto]

I think free is the number one option for a lot of us lol

 

[PadWarrior]

I thought Sakurai said no DLC?

 

[LiteralGrill]

I admit, I wan, t the NO DLC method....

I've seen DLC make a game crumble before (PSAS) where we weren't getting it fast enough, they didn't pick the right characters, the DLC wasn't worth my money etc. It ended up essentially killing the game just by having it as an option to exist which is a powerful thing to be able to do and I would like to not see repeated.

Truly, I would not mind costumes, stages, or items. These wouldn't possibly have a character as DLC you have to buy to compete, and they could still help keep the game fun and fresh.

 

[AGreatProcrastinator]

I thought Sakurai said no DLC?

http://www.examiner.com/article/sup...3ds-game-director-talks-potential-dlc-support

"There’s no fundamental opposition to downloadable content if it’s something that felt like it worked. We haven’t really decided whether we’re going to do it or not. We’re not opposed to it, we just need to work on completing the full package."

 

[PlayerXIII]

I'd say the prefered method would be the Injustice/PSASBR method. Although it's true in PSASBR both DLC packs had OP characters (the first one probably capable of fending 3 Meta Knights at the same time...), in this game Nintendo being helped with the balancing and I am willing to bet they are doing a good job. No DLC character in this game is going to match the OPness of Kat in PSASBR or Meta Knight in Brawl (I hope...)

 

[The Original Robot boy]

But dlc like that always comes biting us in the rear so its not good idea for a game like smash to use dlc concept

 

[Bedhead]

Ehh, I'm not a fan of DLC. Sakurai is known to be a perfectionist and he's probably focusing on presenting a complete and well-rounded package for the game itself. Characters aren't just characters in Smash; they come with stages, items, Assist Trophies, music, regular trophies, etc., and those are unlikely to be included as DLC. Releasing a standalone character just to have more characters seems to run counter to the Smash game design ideology.

But as for how it could work, DLC doesn't necessarily have to feel like highway robbery; we're just used to that because Capcom.