Some of the maps, for me, are going to be a sniper's paradise. Others, not so much

I really do like the fact that they're adding zip lines for players to get across the map in Koowloon (sp?) and that it does leave you exposed if someone is targeting you.

Probably will make for some great uploads, lol.

Full review here.

As much as I hate the 1200ms points attatched too it, i'm going to be one of those people who doesn't protest it and buys the damn thing anyway....that stuff looks amazing too can't wait

DcsChick wrote:

As much as I hate the 1200ms points attatched too it, i'm going to be one of those people who doesn't protest it and buys the damn thing anyway....that stuff looks amazing too can't wait

Lol, I'm with you there. I hate having to shell out $15 bucks for just 4 maps but..these looks really good.

Hopefully we can get the other members to get them.

Call of Duty likes to get their moneys worth, only thing is, i know if i don't buy them, there are still gonna be 1mil other people who do, so its like, go against the crowd and don't buy it and don't get to play them, or have fun with them and buy them, though i'm sure if enough people didn't buy it the price would go back down to 800

hey DC is online! And awesome map pack, can't wait for it.

My butt hurts... stupid shots!

Honestly I am totally against paying 15 dollars for 4 maps and zombie map. I know it takes months' of hard work for Devs to make the maps but even at that the current state the U.S. economy is in you'd think they would keep the prices lowered

I am online and hanging on ty for noticing

yeah. Im glad your alive! if it makes you feel better, my butt hurts. ^^

Austynn wrote:

Honestly I am totally against paying 15 dollars for 4 maps and zombie map. I know it takes months' of hard work for Devs to make the maps but even at that the current state the U.S. economy is in you'd think they would keep the prices lowered

Yeah, but Microsoft is a company..their #1 motivation is to make a profit anyway they can. Unfortunately, it's the kind of economy we live in, capitalism. It NEEDS consumerism to thrive.

Love it, hate it. It's pretty much the duality of everything.

It really doesn't take months to make 4 new maps and a zombie map.

Yes Yes, your butt hurts, my knee is killing me and i can barely think straight, thank god for spell check aha

Damn you Microsoft! Damn you!

I'll go sit in my corner and wait another month.

i just have to say, though i am against pay 1200 MS points for the maps...im still going to buy it. i wsh there were a way around it but there isnt so i will bite my lip and buy it. here is a thing to think about though. these maps were in there testing phase when the game released, so...we should have gotten them with the original game.

that's how they get you though, they don't give you a complete game anymore because they know they can get people to buy these maps for expensive prices because people are willing to pay for them. Either way I don't think I've missed a map pack while i was playing multiplayer on cod, only map packs i never bought were WaW and MW because that was about the time I didn't have live anymore. I still have all my CoD2 Maps Packs.....speaking of CoD2 I should play some games of it.

Like I told them yesterday, I plan on being the idiot that does nothing but Zip Line!

Speaking of the dlc i actually came across a good read in the CoD Forum which is usually filled with "I GOT BANNED WAA WAA WAA" or "I HATE THE AK74-U" crap it was actually quite interesting about the price that is.

Pardon the little marketing gimmick but I wanted to grab your attention. I'll apologize upfront if this seems a little high brow or if you feel I'm talking down to you. Truth is, if you don't understand this... it's probably both.

The DLC release is imminent and I’m looking forward to it… but I feel the need to get ahead of the inevitable “don’t buy the DLC ‘cuz Acti is screwing us” threads. Instead, why not explain market forces and pricing instead of flaming? I'll leave the inevitable flaming to the responders.

For the purposes of this thread, I’m focused on the DLC as it relates to XBOX. Let’s begin.

What makes up a price point?

First let's focus on us, the consumer. There are two main forces at work with how we choose to spend our money.

* Perceived value.
* Realized value.


Perceived value, what does this mean? Well, the cost to manufacture a Mercedes SUV and a Kia SUV is roughly the same but the perceived value of the two is drastically different. You can't sell a Kia for a Mercedes price. You can see this at work with the DLC price. A number of people here don't perceive the value is there for 1200 MSP. They feel like they are getting a Kia for a Mercedes price.

The realized value is more difficult with video game DLC since it's not a tangible asset. What is known, is the amount of content and re-playability of the content. DLC content focused on multi-player has more replay value than campaign focused content. In this case, it's 4 multi-player maps and 1 zombie map – 5 in total.

Business Model at Work

Let's shift our focus to the content creators of DLC. While not an exact model, the closest example is that of:

* Manufacturer (Treyarch)
* Wholesaler (Activision)
* Retailer (Microsoft).


It’s important to keep in mind the business relationship between Activision and Treyarch. Treyarch is a private affiliate of Activision whose P&L is rolled into Activision/Blizzard through the P&L of Activision Publishing, Inc. Now… Activision has contracted with Treyarch to have video game content manufactured. Activison distributes this content through XBOX Live (Microsoft). Microsoft then sells the content to the end consumer. At all points in the process there are costs associated with them and each party seeks to make a profit (Treyarch, Activision, and MS).

These costs and the perceived value, along with what the market will bear (consumer interest/demand are a big component), make up the ultimate price point. With this DLC, there is an additional element in play -- the exclusive initial distribution rights for XBL.

Is the price right for the DLC?

Easy question, harder answer... and I have a point of view... but let's focus on how the above elements reflect the 1200 MSP cost for the DLC first.

* Perceived value of DLC is 800 MSP.
* Activision needs to cover costs (development, royalty payments, etc.) and make a profit.
* MS needs to cover costs (infrastructure, royalties, etc.) and make a profit.
* Consumer interest/demand in the marketplace is very high.


So, is the price right? Somewhat. A quick analysis reveals:

Price is the same as DLC from previous title. While we are still in a tight economy with a perceived lack of value and coupled with additional perception of lingering issues with the MP game, it may appear high. However, DLC for MW2 sold very well and Black Ops intial release was even better.
Content increased ~ 25% from typical DLC. 5 maps is more than the usual 3 maps. This brings the number of maps to 18 for standard MP (28% increase) with other DLC to be released this year.
MS paid for exclusive rights for 30 days. In other words, MS has more cost associated with this DLC than other content. Couple this with consumer interest/demand and an increase in price cannot be unexpected.


And the Right Price Is?

Right price to me is an even 1000 MSP. This reflects the increased development costs for Activision (sequels always cost more) and MS costs for exclusive rights. The value for the DLC is great even at 1200 MSP. Why? I've played for ~14,340 minutes for a cost $0.0042 per minute. When I bring my investment to $75, the cost per minute played to date jumps to $0.0052. Yeah… up to half a penny a minute. Not bad.

It'll be interesting to see the price point for DLC on PS3. I have thoughts on that and the long term price on XBL... but that's another post.

Are you able to get a preiview of the maps somehow before you buy it? like on a youtube video

they have the preview videos out

HartAttackKidd wrote:

yeah. Im glad your alive! if it makes you feel better, my butt hurts. ^^

What were you doing JK


Im in on buying the maps, I get paid the Friday before, so I will have at least 15 extra.

I'll probably end up getting the maps. I did my taxes yesterday and I'll have the money in my account by the time these get released.