Sorry for this, but I have to have a rant about EA.
 
This company sells BF3 for $59.99, then puts out what amounts to a DLC (BF3 Premium) - for the same damn price as the base game.. and just to make sure people buy it, they give all Premium owners priority over base game owners when joining a full server (total slap in the face for every single person who purchased BF3 base).. in fact I wonder how legal that is - selling software, then later releasing an optional expansion package that if you don't buy it you are going to have your original purchase effectively gimped.
 
Not only that, but BF3 Premium is being rolled out over time, the last part not expected until March 2013 apparently.. so you're paying now for software that isn't even completed yet!
 
If that isn't bad enough, shortly after scalping its existing customer base with the release of BF3 Premium, it makes a public announcement that BF4 is coming... so you know you will only have a limited time before the new purchase you just made becomes outdated. I wonder how many people would have decided not to buy BF3 Premium had they known BF4 was following soon.
 
Here's where they really get nasty though; the beta for BF4 will be available not for BF3 Premium owners.. noooo.. it will be available for anyone who buys the new EA Medal of Honor release - Warfighter, which is another $60 to buy...
 
Oh, and of course they refuse to release any of it through Steam - no, they have to have their own platform because they're too greedy to allow anyone else to get a cut for selling their software for them.
 
Can you believe these people? As much as I like the BF series, I hope EA go down in flames for their greed.
 
/rant.
 

boredgunner

Meh, most of what you say would certainly anger people who like EA games, but to those who don't it doesn't matter much.  Now this is plain ridiculous. 

Yeah I saw that.. just unbelievable. If that is true, EA should not only fire the rep responsible, but prosecute him/her. I wonder how many people he/she has done this to? All the victims should be compensated - I imagine there are some out there so clueless that they would have had to pay someone like the Geek Squad to come out and reinstall Windows because of this fool...
 

robhall86

boredgunner

Meh, most of what you say would certainly anger people who like EA games, but to those who don't it doesn't matter much.  Now this is plain ridiculous. 

wow wth, really?

that guy doesn't deserve a job in tech support. give him a job at a register where all he has to worry about is sliding a product across a scanner.....

 
I think it's a bot to be honest, since the same steps were given by another "tech support guy" in a picture in that thread.  Still no excuse though, even if it's a bot someone programmed it to say that.  As for all of the problems in the first post, there's no artificial intelligence behind that.  

I bought premium because you 1. get access to the expansion packs 2 weeks early and 2. It was cheaper overall.
 
Its not so much of a DLC than it is a true expansion pack. Do you guys honestly never remember going out to wal mart or whatever to go pick up an expansion pack for BF2, BF2142, or even the sims? Those were MINIMUM 20 bucks each. And for 2142 i think it was 40.

Remorce

I bought premium because you 1. get access to the expansion packs 2 weeks early and 2. It was cheaper overall.

Its not so much of a DLC than it is a true expansion pack. Do you guys honestly never remember going out to wal mart or whatever to go pick up an expansion pack for BF2, BF2142, or even the sims? Those were MINIMUM 20 bucks each. And for 2142 i think it was 40.

Waiting for people to come in and bash you because your statement has common sense in it.  Also, you are just an EA fanboy. 

I think the priority over other people who didn't but it is complete bs.

boredgunner
 Any EA hate seems to be illogical and unreasonable to you, and I doubt you read any of the above posts before copying and pasting that response.  So what does that say about you?

The ONLY logical part of this thread is the server-que priority.  For sure I can see that as a legitimate gripe, but that's it imo.

boredgunner


Server-que priority may be a bit unfair, but the "tech support" mentioned is the only bothersome EA deed I see in this thread.

Most definitely.  
 
But I wouldn't condemn all of EA for that one, seems like an a-hole employee or something like that.
 
Just to clarify about the OP, nothing wrong with a rant from time to time, I'd just think context would be useful.

 
LOL at some comments. Yes it was a rant at the time. Still quite valid though, imo.
 
Call it an expansion pack instead of DLC if you wish, but even expansion packs are normally not as expensive as the base game - except for this case. And again, you're paying this full (inflated imo) price now for an expansion pack that is being rolled out bit by bit over many months, so you only get part of the EP now, yet you're paying the full premium price for it (no pun intended). Really that sounds fair to some of you?
 
Instead of compensating those who paid top dollar for this Premium EP/DLC by giving them access to BF4 beta, you instead have to buy a totally separate game at $60 if you want access.. that's pretty underhanded I think, but that's just imo. Logically, who better to beta test BF4 than BF3 players? You'd think that would be pretty obvious, but hey, force them to buy another $60 title if they want access to beta BF4 to get a head start on it.. yeah real nice, way to squeeze as much money out of your own client base as possible.. that was my point. If you're ok with that, then good for you - I guess you can afford it. Not all of us can. Great business plan for EA ($), not so great for the end-users, and in the long run is clearly creating some resentment among existing users (Google it if you don't believe me), which may end up biting EA in the butt in the long run... but by that time the EA execs who made all this short term profit and been rewarded for it will have moved on, and so it continues.
 
You don't have to agree with me - it just bothered me that EA appear to be putting profit far ahead of a once-loyal following, so please leave out the personal attacks such as calling this a "EA-hate-circle-jerk" and I'll will refrain from returning the insults, ok? If you have constructive criticisms, please put forward your argument, otherwise you are nothing but what you claim to despise.
 
Despite how it may sound, I'm really not that worked up over it - I'm not on some crusade to boycott EA or anything, just the apparent lack of ethics annoyed me.
 
I still enjoy the game greatly - even if I suck at it, lol.
 
 

Hopefully all this is taken in the proper spirit, as I don't mean this to come off as combative or anything.
 
But if it's about the price, or the cost of all expansions being more costly than the base purchase, you could always buy them one at a time for $15.  I've said it before, but it seems $15 is about the going rate for expansion packs these days.  Heck, I remember paying $15 for the BF2 expansion packs 7 years ago.  
 
For premium, it just seems EA is willing to take less money if they get all their money up front.  
 
My thing as I said is more so about "context."  You are using the phrase "force them to buy another $60 title,"  which is one of the things I find strange?  There is no need to be "forced" into anything.  It's like saying that because Chevy builds a new car after you have purchased a car the year prior, Chevy is forcing you to buy that new model.  They are simply producing a new product, the choice to purchase that new product is a choice.
 
And you are right, EA is about making money.  So is every business.  Like, when they develop products, they have to hire employees, who have to pay rent, and pay for gas to get to work, etc....... EA is ALL about the money.  But so are all businesses that are non-profit, and if a company tries to convince you otherwise, they are lying to you.
 
None of us will go work for our bosses for free, does that make us just as "Evil" as EA is?!?!?! 

forrestang
Hopefully all this is taken in the proper spirit, as I don't mean this to come off as combative or anything.

No worries 
 

forrestang
But if it's about the price, or the cost of all expansions being more costly than the base purchase, you could always buy them one at a time for $15.  I've said it before, but it seems $15 is about the going rate for expansion packs these days.  Heck, I remember paying $15 for the BF2 expansion packs 7 years ago.  

For premium, it just seems EA is willing to take less money if they get all their money up front.  

Are EA releasing these as separate EP's? As far as I know, the progression is

• Back to Karkland
• Close Quarters
• Armored Kill
• Aftermath
• EndGame

So ok, yes you do make a valid point - if they released these separately at a smaller price each, it may have cost more for users in the long run -  I will concede that point. Getting all the money up front is a huge windfall for EA though, and we are still paying now for content we will not receive until next year... we are also going on faith that they will produce something worth paying for, so pricing it a little cheaper than the base game and giving access to BF4 beta isn't unreasonable, imo.
 

forrestang
My thing as I said is more so about "context."  You are using the phrase "force them to buy another $60 title,"  which is one of the things I find strange?  There is no need to be "forced" into anything.  It's like saying that because Chevy builds a new car after you have purchased a car the year prior, Chevy is forcing you to buy that new model.  They are simply producing a new product, the choice to purchase that new product is a choice.

Context exactly - so put the full context in there: "force them to buy another $60 title, IF they want access to BF4 beta." ..see? Now it is in context, lol. If you want access to BF4 Beta, you are forced to buy another $60 title, which is a totally separate game from the BF series.
 

forrestang
And you are right, EA is about making money.  So is every business.  Like, when they develop products, they have to hire employees, who have to pay rent, and pay for gas to get to work, etc....... EA is ALL about the money.  But so are all businesses that are non-profit, and if a company tries to convince you otherwise, they are lying to you.

None of us will go work for our bosses for free, does that make us just as "Evil" as EA is?!?!?! 

Context. Most other software producers do not charge the same price for EP's as they do for the base game, nor do they disadvantage those who will not pay for the EP's by giving them lower priority in server queues. Making a profit is one thing, and of course that is the reason for any business (other than NPOs), but being greedy and abusing your client base to attain it is quite another. If other companies can continue as a going concern without such questionable practices, then one has to conclude that EA are not just the same as the rest in that context...

Hopefully that is clarifies my point a little better.
 

Remorce
Well you really aren't getting what I said at all. For example here: Battlefield 2 had the expansion pack special forces. It brought in 8 new maps, 10 vehicles and multiple weapons as well. Its cost was $20. I believe there was a total of 3 or 4 expansion packs for bf2. With each one running about $20 that brings the total cost for the expansions alone to $60/80. The same thing with the sims, etc. 

What you are confusing here is the difference between a DLC and Expansion pack. They are very similar, but DLC's add little content to a a game. Even if, lets say, the expansions for BF3 were $10 a pop the price would still be justified considering you are not purchasing ONE expansion pack. You are getting all of the expansions that they will produce for BF3 along with early access, extremely in depth strat guides to each one, and special in game stuff. 

But anywho, you seem to be viewing the expansion pack as one single thing for $50 bucks. That would be outrageous.  This is FIVE different add ons to the game, throughout its life for $50. If you just bought each one individually they would cost $15 each (cheaper than past expansion packs for other BF games FYI) bringing the total to $75 with no early access, and none of the bonus stuff. That is pretty basic math/economical view point which you seem to pass over.

Yup, just conceded that point to Forrestang. I was viewing it that way, but justified to some extent in my reply to Forrestang above. There are pros and cons to paying for EP/DLC a year in advance.. debatable as to who is more advantaged though. Let's call it even, lol.
 

Remorce
Lastly, with your reference to the MOH early BF4 beta access, this was too done with the other MOH for BF3 beta access. As we all know, that was only for EARLY access. EVERYBODY could then download the OPEN beta for BF3 at a later date. All the MOH thing is doing is giving you early access to a closed beta. 

My point still stands.
 

Remorce
Personally, I hate the queue skipping. It's pure douchebaggery. I also think EA likes to stiff many of its customers, and doesn't provide proper support to its customers.

Thanks for agreeing lol.
 

Remorce
TL;DR
You: OMFG WHY ARE 5 EXPANSION PACKS THE COST OF THE GAME I ALREADY BOUGHT OMFG
Me: Dude you save $25 bucks b/c each expansion is $15 bucks a pop! Which is pretty cheap compared to all past expansion packs for EVERY BF GAME IN EXISTENCE. 

Some people....  

  
Yeah ok, no need for that last comment - nothing constructive about it.
 
Don't know if I can reply more now - I have a 5 month old baby to look after.
 

As much as I was urged to boycot the Premium package, I purchased it because it was cheaper than buying each DLC package individually. Correct me if I'm wrong but if I didn't already own BF3 couldn't I have purchased Premium for $59.99 and still get all of the DLC included? I'm not sure but I think we all purchased the same game twice. BTW, if I wasn't currently boycotting BF3 for all of the AIMbotting, glitching and hacking, I wouldn't be lurking at these forums.

Zuhl3156
As much as I was urged to boycot the Premium package, I purchased it because it was cheaper than buying each DLC package individually. Correct me if I'm wrong but if I didn't already own BF3 couldn't I have purchased Premium for $59.99 and still get all of the DLC included? I'm not sure but I think we all purchased the same game twice. BTW, if I wasn't currently boycotting BF3 for all of the AIMbotting, glitching and hacking, I wouldn't be lurking at these forums.

BF3 base is required for BF3 Premium to work... afaik lol.
I honestly was not aware EA were selling separately Back to Karkland, Close Quarters, Armored Kill, Aftermath and EndGame. Are they???
Yes, I despise hackers / cheaters..

The problem is, the way they strategically dish out DLC content, they hope to make up to $150 off the game, not merely $60. THis is what I take issue with. We're talking a title that 4-5 years ago would have dedicated server apps, map SDKs and a community of modders ensuring an awesome game. Instead, you now have rectal penetration by a software company into your wallet. Regardless of what is said, you'll get people who will staunchly defend BF3 DLC policy because they're emotionally invested into the game.