Potential Dlc Subscription Scheme

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by Hodor, Aug 18, 2022.

  1. Hodor

    Hodor New Member

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    Hi,

    First of all, I love playing train sim world and it’s one of my favourite games.

    However, I have to state that I’m not happy with the development cycle and the DLC. Not that it’s bad, it’s just that I can’t afford it. I was curious if in the future would anyone else be inclined towards a subscription service for DLC?

    Pass or season pass to allow people to get access to the DLC’s for a monthly pass, like 5-10 pounds per month maybe?

    I’ve no objection to buying a game, but to pay the exact same for the dlc as I paid for the game is tough for me, even with the multiple different timetables, even though it’s repetitive I enjoy it.

    Regards,

    Hodor
     
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  2. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    This is the idea that N3V have with Trainz and their "Silver" and "Gold" memberships and I totally oppose it. A computer game is not Netflix or Amazon Prime and, while I know technically purchased software is licensed not "owned", nevertheless I would not subscribe to a game on an ongoing basis and lose everything when I decide to unsubscribe.

    If DTG were to ever adopt such a system as the only business model, that would be the end of interest in TSW.
     
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  3. Jamy

    Jamy Well-Known Member

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    Not a chance. I was going to get Trainz until I saw the subscription price
     
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  4. davidh0501

    davidh0501 Well-Known Member

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    You don't have to buy Dlc's immediately. It's best to read the reviews and wait for the frequent sales.
    I hate subscription models.
    It's one of the reasons I've dropped Adobe products and sought alternatives elsewhere.
    Frankly I'd drop Microsoft too, as they keep pushing me towards their store, but I have to keep windows for TSW.
     
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  5. Scorpion71

    Scorpion71 Well-Known Member

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    The day that ever happens is the day I give it all up
     
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  6. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    It’s a big no from me…

    NO

    Did you see it?
     
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  7. SJA

    SJA Active Member

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    Hmmm... If I were strapped for cash I'd just wait for sales. At least you own a copy of it then, no matter what.

    Content for TSW comes out at a snails pace, so a monthly subscription to use the same old thing over and over again will fail to appeal to most, despite some extensive timetables. If we had new routes coming out every week or fortnight for an even subscription price, it might be a different proposition.

    But we don't, so I think sales are arguably the best prospect for cash-strapped players. Just my thoughts though :)
     
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  8. erg73

    erg73 Well-Known Member

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    Another big NO from me.
     
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  9. Maik Goltz

    Maik Goltz Well-Known Member

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    Also a NO from a 3pp developers sight.
     
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  10. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

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    You are not expected to buy all the content, much less at release.
    Most people buy at release only what they really like a lot, then wait for a sale for everything else.
    I have not been following the Epic store much since I bought TSW when Steam was the only option for PC, but it seems the general consensus here is that Steam has more and better sales overall. So chose your platform wisely.
     
  11. Blacknred81

    Blacknred81 Well-Known Member

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    TSW and TSCs DLCs go on sale ALOT on Steam over the course of the year, if you are patient enough, you can get DLCs for a better price (Assuming you aren't playing from the Epic games store)
     
  12. Tigert1966

    Tigert1966 Well-Known Member

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    The day TSW become a subscription is the day I stop playing. You can build DLC in the sales (though that’s taking a lot of patience on Xbox).

    So no from me.
     
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  13. BigMountain555

    BigMountain555 Well-Known Member

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    NO. I'm tired of everything becoming subscription-based. Enough is enough. How many people cut cable to sign up for a streaming service only to sign for more and more such services over time?

    I will stop playing TSW altogether if they were to go such a route.
     
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  14. redrev1917

    redrev1917 Well-Known Member

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    Subscription was the primary reason I didnt get into Trainz. If TSWx ever became a subscription service I like many I suspect would walk away.
     
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  15. sceptre#1685

    sceptre#1685 Member

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    A definite NO! The main reason I got TSW over Trainz was that TSW didn’t have it. Trainz even throttles the download speed of the free content if you don’t have that subscription (first class ticket). It’s 2022 I don’t wanna be downloading like it’s 1998
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2022
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  16. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    The FCT is purely for the Download Station, though I admit I haven't bothered after my last one expired. Just watch the files coming down at dial up speed. It's their more expensive Silver, Gold etc. which give you access to the actual game and the DLC.
     
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  17. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

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    Absolutely not. PC players can just wait for sales. Subscription based dlc when dlc doesn't even come out often would be pointless
     
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  18. dhekelian

    dhekelian Well-Known Member

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    I feel for players that cannot afford the DLC that they want especially in these 'cost of living times' but I think having a subscription based service would kill the game for many. As has been said wait for sales and if you wait for a bit longer usually the price comes right down
     
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  19. junior hornet

    junior hornet Well-Known Member

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    I don’t like this idea. You would end up spending £25 - £50 every 5 months, whether or not there are any releases (or indeed, any that you want) during that time. As soon as you stop paying, all those pounds will be wasted as you won’t be able to play the game or use the DLC that you have spent loads of money on. At least under the present system, you only buy the DLC you want and it’s yours to keep. You don’t have to pay a penny more if you don’t want to.
     
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  20. Birita

    Birita Well-Known Member

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    No thank you...if this sub thing becomes reality i am out.
     
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  21. highland beastie

    highland beastie Well-Known Member

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    DTG have done some daft things before, but I don't think their daft enough to do this.
     
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  22. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    If it was compulsory then that would be the end of TSW for me certainly.
     
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  23. DTG Protagonist

    DTG Protagonist Has left the building Staff Member

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    I asked this question in a survey about 18 months ago, purely because I wanted to test the water.

    If you disregard the neutral voting fence-sitters the result was 1/3 broadly in favour of a monthly fee in exchange for access to everything, 2/3 against. The single biggest group was the strongly against vote which, I suspect forums users represent based on evidence above. Although this probably correlates with the number of add-ons owned: typically, the more immersed in the community, the larger the collection. To which end the "yes" voters would likely represent those with maybe the base game + 1 add-on, making the subscription the greatest value.

    We also asked what price people felt would be reasonable for the subscription and it came in at a shade over $13 per month. That said, I hadn't had the opportunity to clean that data (tip for surveyors out there: always delete polar votes, they've been made by the unthinking) so it's a guideline only.

    Regardless of this there are zero plans to introduce a subscription to the game, and were we to do so there'd be a lot of people within DTG pushing for it to be optional (anything else would punish existing collectors unreasonably). Anything could happen in the future but there's nothing of the sort on the horizon.

    The same survey also asked about interest in a season pass of add-ons (three routes at a discounted price). This was before Rush Hour had been announced as a season pass approach and, I believe, it was positioned as multiple routes from a single country rather than the split-up of our annual release. Effectively, this hasn't been properly tested in the real world as the season pass offered was different to the proposal in the survey. Anyway, the result was 60% in favour, 40% against - the fence sitters were the biggest block vote, which I interpret as a "depends what you offer" kind of vote. The suggested price, again untreated, $32. As above, no plans to introduce this on a regular basis but I thought you might find it interesting.
     
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  24. Trainman525

    Trainman525 Well-Known Member

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    In the same way that TSW3 deluxe edition coast a new player £44.99 with discount but the equivalent for me costs £39.99 on top of the £60 odd that I have already spent on the addons included (Over £100 total)?

    Existing collectors regularly get punished for buying DLC before it gets bundled up.

    I have paid for Sand Patch Grade/CSX Heavy Haul 4 times now... I bought a TSC route to get access to Beta TSW, then I bought it again to play GWE as it was the base route, then again with TSW2020, then again with TSW2.

    GWB was the same, I already owned all of the included locos, so I paid £14.99 essentially for a timetable, while newer players got a better deal.

    Always being punished for buying non bundled new releases. And by not providing a bundle of the completely new routes for £35 for example, buying TSW 3 is a punishment for anyone who has already bought SEHS and the class 465 (Which is now no longer an independent addon, just included.)

    My problem isn't the price, its that I pay multiple times for something a new player only buys once at a much discounted price as what I've bought becomes the next bundle.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2022
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  25. chieflongshin

    chieflongshin Well-Known Member

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    Subscription….. got enough, I want to own my dlc, not rent it
     
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  26. fanta1682002

    fanta1682002 Well-Known Member

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    very like buy
     
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  27. junior hornet

    junior hornet Well-Known Member

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    I’ve rebought both TSW2020 and TSW2 voluntarily in the past, most recently to get the UK bundle which included Tees Valley really cheaply.

    You’re not being punished for buying the 465. You’ve had the benefit of playing it in TSW2 since it’s release which those of us who didn’t buy it haven’t (I didn’t buy it because I didn’t consider it worth it for the short piece of track you could drive it on). The fact that it is included in the new SEHS for TSW3 is neither here nor there. You chose to buy it for TSW2, for which you still have it available.

    As for SEHS, with TSW3, you’re getting the extended version. If you only want one of the brand new routes, buy the appropriate pack for £29.99 and you get the new SEHS thrown in. If you want both, buy the standard pack. It’s only £10 more, which is cheap for another brand new route (and only another fiver if you want SOS as well), so you are hardly being ripped off by having to buy SEHS again.
     
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  28. orb

    orb Well-Known Member

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    I can't see how a subscription would come cheaper for you than buying once, playing at any time. Each month I'd want to play I'd need to be paying for it, making it definitely much more expensive than buying 1 or 2 DLCs every couple of months at a sale.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2022
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  29. Trainman525

    Trainman525 Well-Known Member

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    I am being punished, I have paid for the development of this DLC already, and DTG have said the 465 has minor changes, it isn't like it is brand new. Now it is included, I am paying a second time for something I have already bought. It happens time and time again, buy this loco, now we'll bundle it in the next relevant route. It is continuous punishment.

    The point is for me to play the 465 on TSW 3, I will have paid a minimum of £66.97 with buying the class 465 TSW2, SEHS TSW2 and TSW3 starter pack... That includes my 'free' copy. As I would like both the US and German route, I will be paying £76.97 to get 3 routes, 1 loco that is now included. New players pay less than half of this - £39.99. Does that seem a fair deal?

    I may be getting the extended version, but I'm being told that I am entitled to a free upgrade which would be nice, if there was a cheaper bundle with just the new content. As there isn't, and I would like both new routes, I'm having to pay AGAIN for something apparently I'm getting a 'free' upgrade for... Doesn't really make much sense why DTG is still punishing the existing collectors.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2022
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  30. junior hornet

    junior hornet Well-Known Member

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    OK We’ll agree to disagree.
     
  31. fabristunt

    fabristunt Well-Known Member

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    I'm against the subscription.

    Now, about punishing existing collectors... Would you kindly STOP giving away loco DLCs?
     
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  32. tbaac

    tbaac Well-Known Member

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    "You're punishing me by including a loco that I already liked enough to buy as DLC, in a route that I also like... Next time please only include routes and locos that I don't like in route bundles. Thanks muchly."
     
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  33. Jeannot41

    Jeannot41 Well-Known Member

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    I don't want the American road (boring) or steam, because I already have it, what do I do? No options for my purchase.
    So I'm not buying.
     
  34. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    If this is not an option, you still may think about a loyalty program. I own 52 DLC now and for 70% of them I paid the full price for various reasons. It feels a bit annoying that having spent a lot of money on Sos, still very new and SEH, not so new, I have to pay for SEH again and to see the tremendous discount for new players for Sos. There is no pre-launch discount for the standard edition and for me that sucks somehow. This combined with the lack of game save and not any time frame set for when we will get it back makes me very hesitating to buy TSW3 now. I seriously think to leave it for the moment and wait for nice sale. In between, by removing TSW2 from sales I feel put under pressure, because I can no longer complete my DLC collection for TSW2.
     
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  35. Trainman525

    Trainman525 Well-Known Member

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    They don’t have to include it in the bundle, could remain as a layer. I’ve got nothing against them adding the 465 to SEHS, including in within the route is the bit I oppose.
     
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  36. tbaac

    tbaac Well-Known Member

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    Don't get me wrong, I've got SEHS and the 465 already, and SOS. So it leaves me with the option of either not getting the German or US routes (buying the other as a starter pack) or just buying the Standard Edition and living with it.
    Hopefully DTG will spend my money on some development, as I want both of the above routes :)
     
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  37. LastTrainToClarksville

    LastTrainToClarksville Well-Known Member

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    How about something not-quite-completely different? DTG could make new versions of TSW and new DLC on a trial basis for a small fee. As the end of the trial period nears, the potential buyer would have the choice of paying the remainder of the price or having the product removed from his or her system. Or, perhaps, the product would become available for on-line use during the trial period.

    I do play Trainz, but have not bought into any of their subscription plans.
     
  38. stijn.claessens

    stijn.claessens Well-Known Member

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    Hi Maik, do you notice an increase in sales when your products go on sale?
     
  39. trainsimcz

    trainsimcz Well-Known Member

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    Why they will do subscription plan if they can milk your wallet with every 2 year payware update which include the same bugs and slowly removing promised stuff since TSW 1 :)
    - editor (cancelled when TSW 2 was announced)
    - multiplayer (cancelled when TSW 3 was announced)
    - Planner and Livery Editor 2.0 (expecting to be cancelled when TSW 4 will be announced because its for them too complicated to release v2 - we have been waiting 2 years - like for that multiplayer - still remember those BS when Matt was talking about in that dev diary about TSW and multiplayer that they build the game from the begining to be multiplayer friendly and now they wrote that that will require tons of core changes - who cares that MP was usually the most requrested feature in their surveys... lets add umbrelas - less code work)
    and there is of course more :)
    For those who forget quickly (DTG made that video private but there is some youtubers who comment that announcement and that video is up so:
     
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  40. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    The (UK) Class 70 never materialised either, then.
     
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  41. antwerpcentral

    antwerpcentral Well-Known Member

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    I am not against subscriptions but that all depends on quality of the product and pricing. I don't believe in "owning" content anymore. I used to own vinyl, I used to own CD's, I used to own DVD's. Besides the PS4 I don't own any hardware anymore with a discdrive so all that owned content is worthless today. I own a lot of TSW DLC and that already became obsolete by switching from PS to Xbox. All my owned content has become obsolete, physical or digital.

    That said, I don't think I would go for a TSW subscription if it became available. I don't think DTG could offer a pricing that would be tempting to subscribe. When I read €13 for a subscription for TSW, it's way too much. I pay that amount for Game Pass but it gives me access to hundreds of games instead of 20 DLC in one game.
     

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