Concerning Paradox DLCs

[Badassistanian]

I am pretty sure a general paradox thread already exists but Im wanting to get opinions on this specific part of Paradoxs business strategy....

Before I pose the question, lets look at some stats mainly concerning the two biggest flagship games that Paradox Interactive sells

CK2 Collection (All DLCs) - $267
CK2 Starter Pack (Early Essential DLCs) - $74
EU4 Empire Bundle (Essential DLCs) - $234 (On sale now for $96)

My question is how do you feel about the inflated prices that major/essential dlcs have created for games that are rather old? Do you feel like these prices discourage new players? Do you believe that the amount of time you can theoretically spend enjoying these games justifies such inflated prices?

Personally, I believe that the non sale prices and even sale prices on these games are pretty ridiculous and definitley discourage new players from picking up the games however the amount of time you can spend in game (into the hundreds) can justify the price of the content. I just think Paradox wold be better off if they cut the prices of major dlcs by about half and then even further when a sale comes around. This would make a game like EU4 with all DLCs cost more around sixty dollars during a sale and maybe 100 or so normally. I just dont believe Paradox is hurting for money enough to justify these prices but Im interested in the thoughts of others.

[Sefy the Great]

you forget the golden rule:
In the case of bigger companies, giving them your wallet is a horrible decision.
But in the case of Paradox Interactive, they have your wallet already.

[Dawetid]

PDX and EA (recently) use the same tactics, but strangely enough PDX is getting less blame.

[Valrifell]

you forget the golden rule:
In the case of bigger companies, giving them your wallet is a horrible decision.
But in the case of Paradox Interactive, they have your wallet already.

PDX's games are good time sinks if you get into them and will oft pay back what you put into them.

I'm approaching 1000 hours in CK2 as we speak.

[Great Celestial China]

At least it's better than CA and Total War.

Announcing faction dlcs and culture packs before the game releases, and blood and gore dlcs.

Hey kids, want blood and fire in your war game? Pay extra!

[Ithalian Empire]

Number one rule is to never pay full price for Paradox DLC. They will always go on sale and they will always go on sale cheap. Also to note, you could get enjoyment out of a DLCless paradox title, but when one of there DLC lets you join a warrior lodge as a Norse Viking and go on a half-drunken ramage in Byzantium...

[Badassistanian]

Number one rule is to never pay full price for Paradox DLC. They will always go on sale and they will always go on sale cheap. Also to note, you could get enjoyment out of a DLCless paradox title, but when one of there DLC lets you join a warrior lodge as a Norse Viking and go on a half-drunken ramage in Byzantium...

That's my issue, I find base paradox games to feel extremely empty and boring... like in base CK2 you can really only play as the Christians and you have little options as far as storytelling goes (arguably the games main draw). I found base HOI4 to be extremely disappointing, thanfully the modding community is great at making these games better for no cost at all. I just find it strange to have to invest money like that in a game, as if I have to pay a monthly installment but then again MMOs do that all the time as well

[The Ottoman Porte]

Number one rule is to never pay full price for Paradox DLC. They will always go on sale and they will always go on sale cheap. Also to note, you could get enjoyment out of a DLCless paradox title, but when one of there DLC lets you join a warrior lodge as a Norse Viking and go on a half-drunken ramage in Byzantium...

This, this this, this...

It's still stupid that EU4 is 96 dollars but Victroia 2 on sale is almost 20 in total.

I found EU4 to be really unenjoyable and hard to play. When I saw that there were dlc that made the game a bit more playable, but for a big fat sum of money, it turned me off.
I still haven't played a lot of EU. Maybe the lack of blame is that Paradox has almost a cult following of sorts?

[Sefy the Great]

Number one rule is to never pay full price for Paradox DLC. They will always go on sale and they will always go on sale cheap. Also to note, you could get enjoyment out of a DLCless paradox title, but when one of there DLC lets you join a warrior lodge as a Norse Viking and go on a half-drunken ramage in Byzantium...

This, this this, this...

It's still stupid that EU4 is 96 dollars but Victroia 2 on sale is almost 20 in total.

I found EU4 to be really unenjoyable and hard to play. When I saw that there were dlc that made the game a bit more playable, but for a big fat sum of money, it turned me off.
I still haven't played a lot of EU. Maybe the lack of blame is that Paradox has almost a cult following of sorts?

Cult? there's no Cult here...
*turns around*
no, don't stop the ritual, there's another DLC coming if we keep appeasement high.

[Minoa]

I stick to community mods: I grew up at a time when video games came with everything to get going, and then you push it to the limits with mods.

Furthermore, cheats at the time were either for fun (e.g. sports cars in the Age of Empires), or for homebrew development or creative storytelling (e.g. the Sims 2 developer cheat).

Now some games do not allow mods at all for some reason or another, while charging full price for what seems to be like a demo from the early-2000s and then requiring you to activate with your personal information and keep the internet on at all times. It is ridiculous.

[The Huskar Social Union]

I love paradox games and play them a lot, but the sheer amount of DLC for them is ridiculous and i feel that they rightfully get called out for this dlc strategy of theirs a lot by people, especially in recent years (such as the price hike in some regions the other year which they went back on after people got pissed)

A lot of their dlc could use a reduced price, and a lot of the smaller ones focused on cosmetic stuff should be bundled together for larger packs for a few quid at the most.

[Teachian]

Paradox DLCs are a fun debate topic for my friends. We play together all the time, and it’s usually at random who hosts, and thus whose dlcs get used. I would say I play Paradox games more (definitely own more than him, and put more time), but he’s spent hundreds of hours on them too, so he’s no chum either. While he’s mostly pretty against the DLCs, I’m generally in favour. I think they’re a good way to keep a sandbox game profitable and relevant, while making it fresh and new for the players. Though, that really does depend...

I think the best PD game so far with DLCs has been Crusader Kings 2. Any expansion is mostly access to new groups, timelines, or other useful-but-extra game mechanics. I bought the base game first, and could do a whole playthrough without wanting much. But once I got the hang of things, I was like, “What if I was a Republic/Nomad/Caliphate/etc?” It’s made my growing collection of DLCs more natural, since it really is me expanding from the base game and seeing it in new and different ways. I feel mostly satisfied with the content I pay for, and I’m not paying for groups/mechanics I don’t want (until I decide I do). Plus, CK2’s newest expansion looks absolutely amazing, and is probably my go-to example of making new content that deserves its price tag.

However, I started out with EUIV, and I have to say that I’m more or less disappointed with it. Unlike CK2, EUIV isn’t a Europe/Feudalism/Crusader simulator, but rather a sandbox that allows you to play any country across the world. As a game mechanic, I love it, but when compared to CK2 you can already see where it’s a deathblow to DLCs. I can play any country, anywhere, at anytime, which I love but will readily admit takes away a number of expansion possibilities. The game’s also built in a way that’s fundamentally different than the social simulator of CK2, so that the difference between governments is a lot more limited (Republics only differ from kingdoms by stats and the occasional event). What’s left? To add wave after wave of flavour expansion, new but mostly unnecessary mechanics, or necessary mechanics that’d probably have been convient to have in the base game. There’s some I’ve bought and been mostly happy with (Art of War comes to mind) and some I never really plan on touching. Not like the “don’t want” CK2 dlc (since I will impulse buy eventually), but like I wouldn’t get it even if someone else paid for it.

The three other big games that come to mind fall somewhere in between. Vicky2 was before the DLC/micro transaction era, but it has 2 fun dlcs that I enjoy (one updates mechanics, other adds some new stuff and a U.S. Civil War timeline). I’ve never been invested in Stellaris to get any of its dlcs, but from what I’ve heard from friends it ranges from bad to pretty good. I will never buy a DLC for HoI either, but that’s for more nuanced reasons.

There are days I will curse the name of Paradox for such stupid, unnecessary and expensive DLCs. But most of the time, I’m eyeing up the expansion list on steam, seeing which new thing to tortue my bank account with next...

[-Ocelot-]

I tried getting all of CK2 after the base game went free but it's just impossible. I bought Way of Life and Legacy of Rome and regretted it shortly afterwards. The game feels like a dated demo without all the DLCs released afterwards.

I was never fully against expansion packs or DLCs but when it comes to Paradox games, pirating their titles to get the full experience is essential. Even if you have the money to buy their DLCs, it's still unethical to support this DLC scheme. Don't make the same mistake I did.