Download Packs

[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

[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.

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.

[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!