Gears of War 4 - Free map each month for a year, maps rotate, buy to keep for customs - NeoGAF

[Legend]

Gears of War 4 - Free map each month for a year, maps rotate, buy to keep for customs - NeoGAF

I had to truncate the title but the proposed Free Map DLC system for Gears of War 4 is different.
 - 1 New Map each month for a year
 - Maps Rotate in and out for online play
 - You have to buy the map to keep playing for custom games
 Really not sure on this one, free maps are great but the fact they drop out of rotation and you have to buy them seems really weird, especially when Halo 5 had it nailed where you just pay for cosmetics.
 What do you think GAF?
 

Not that bad, but I guess Microsoft wanted to try something different compared to how Halo 5 did DLC maps.

[the-pi-guy]

I expected a different meaning of "rotate". 
Oh well. 

I don't like the idea of buying something just to keep access to it. 

[kitler53]

weird. 

I honestly like rotating maps.  keeps it fresh imo.  but it is important that the number of maps at any given point is big enough to not make the month feel monotonous. 

so I suppose I don't mind this.  I never do custom matches though because I have no friends. 

[DerNebel]

I think it's stupid, people aren't going to buy the maps for custom matches anyway (let's be real) so just make them really free. I don't like this whole rotation idea.

This reminds me though, I still want to know what ND's plan with postlaunch multiplayer maps for UC4 is. D:

[Legend]

I think it's stupid, people aren't going to buy the maps for custom matches anyway (let's be real) so just make them really free. I don't like this whole rotation idea.

This reminds me though, I still want to know what ND's plan with postlaunch multiplayer maps for UC4 is. D:

UC4 will probably have pretty bad DLC and microtransactions too. ND loves them  

[DerNebel]

UC4 will probably have pretty bad DLC and microtransactions too. ND loves them  

I know, but it seems their plan for maps at least is going to be to make them free as well, so U wanna know how they plan on doing that.

[kitler53]

I think it's stupid, people aren't going to buy the maps for custom matches anyway (let's be real) so just make them really free. I don't like this whole rotation idea.

This reminds me though, I still want to know what ND's plan with postlaunch multiplayer maps for UC4 is. D:

why do people hate rotations so much?!?!

a game releases with 12 maps (i'm guessing).  after that 12 more maps release,.. in this case once a month.   when that 12th free map is released if you don't rotate maps then it is a new map among 23 other maps which basically means you'll never play the new map ever. 

it's one thing i hated about destiny,.. you'd buy the latest expansion patch and then spend all week playing old strikes because the new strikes never came up in the rotation.  alternatively,.. i bought the expansions for killzone 2/3 and they played on a seperate playlist.  so yeah i could those 2 maps but i played them over and over and over and over again.

christmas comes around once a year and that's perfect.  being christmas everyday would be boring.  being christmas only once a decade is too long to wait.  there is a balance and that's what rotation allows to happen.  at any given time have 12-ish maps.  enough maps to not be monotonous but few enough to see the new content too.  plus then when a retired maps comes back into play it feels fresh again instead of stale.


my only critique is a monthly rotation is too long.  i think a weekly rotation would be more appropriate to cycle though maps.


i swear,.. gamers care too much about the principle of ownership and not enough about what is going to make the game still feel fun a long time.

[DerNebel]

why do people hate rotations so much?!?!

a game releases with 12 maps (i'm guessing).  after that 12 more maps release,.. in this case once a month.   when that 12th free map is released if you don't rotate maps then it is a new map among 23 other maps which basically means you'll never play the new map ever.  

it's one thing i hated about destiny,.. you'd buy the latest expansion patch and then spend all week playing old strikes because the new strikes never came up in the rotation.  alternatively,.. i bought the expansions for killzone 2/3 and they played on a seperate playlist.  so yeah i could those 2 maps but i played them over and over and over and over again.

christmas comes around once a year and that's perfect.  being christmas everyday would be boring.  being christmas only once a decade is too long to wait.  there is a balance and that's what rotation allows to happen.  at any given time have 12-ish maps.  enough maps to not be monotonous but few enough to see the new content too.  plus then when a retired maps comes back into play it feels fresh again instead of stale.


my only critique is a monthly rotation is too long.  i think a weekly rotation would be more appropriate to cycle though maps.


i swear,.. gamers care too much about the principle of ownership and not enough about what is going to make the game still feel fun a long time.

I hate it because I'd rather have a lower chance of playing my favourite map than no chance at all for a whole month or even week or whatever because it's out of the rotation.

Also you say they should stay at like 12, Gears 4 is launching with 10 maps so let's stick with that for now. The thing here is that the Coalition is looking to add a new map every month, if they are really not planning to increase the amount of maps in rotation as new maps come out it will result in a situation where after less than a year 50% of the available maps will be out of rotation in any given month!! I don't wanna play a game where every month is a gamble for my favourite maps like that.

[Legend]

why do people hate rotations so much?!?!

a game releases with 12 maps (i'm guessing).  after that 12 more maps release,.. in this case once a month.   when that 12th free map is released if you don't rotate maps then it is a new map among 23 other maps which basically means you'll never play the new map ever.  

it's one thing i hated about destiny,.. you'd buy the latest expansion patch and then spend all week playing old strikes because the new strikes never came up in the rotation.  alternatively,.. i bought the expansions for killzone 2/3 and they played on a seperate playlist.  so yeah i could those 2 maps but i played them over and over and over and over again.

christmas comes around once a year and that's perfect.  being christmas everyday would be boring.  being christmas only once a decade is too long to wait.  there is a balance and that's what rotation allows to happen.  at any given time have 12-ish maps.  enough maps to not be monotonous but few enough to see the new content too.  plus then when a retired maps comes back into play it feels fresh again instead of stale.


my only critique is a monthly rotation is too long.  i think a weekly rotation would be more appropriate to cycle though maps.


i swear,.. gamers care too much about the principle of ownership and not enough about what is going to make the game still feel fun a long time.

I agree!

Although I don't think it's about the principle of ownership, but rather just a desire to play on their favorite maps anytime they want.

[kitler53]

I hate it because I'd rather have a lower chance of playing my favourite map than no chance at all for a whole month or even week or whatever because it's out of the rotation.

Also you say they should stay at like 12, Gears 4 is launching with 10 maps so let's stick with that for now. The thing here is that the Coalition is looking to add a new map every month, if they are really not planning to increase the amount of maps in rotation as new maps come out it will result in a situation where after less than a year 50% of the available maps will be out of rotation in any given month!! I don't wanna play a game where every month is a gamble for my favourite maps like that.

or... day-1 50% of the maps are already unavailable but you just don't know what they are yet. 

do you hate the seasons too because life should allow you to go swimming but also go ice skating on the same body of water on the same day?  i think the seasons are great.  I love that football lasts 16 weeks and then i can look forward to some hockey and then tennis before getting exciting about the next football season.

hell, the way you talk you might as well be against adding maps at all since change is such a hard thing to handle.  actually, let's get rid of sequels too.  okay here's the deal,.. we'll make 1 3rd person shooter game and forbid another one from ever being created ever again to ensure you'll always be able to play that favorite map of yours since it would be really unfair for people to move on to another game and leave you unable to play that 1 map ever again.

and yes i'm being a sucker but i'm a giant sucker.

[DerNebel]

or... day-1 50% of the maps are already unavailable but you just don't know what they are yet.  

do you hate the seasons too because life should allow you to go swimming but also go ice skating on the same body of water on the same day?  i think the seasons are great.  I love that football lasts 16 weeks and then i can look forward to some hockey and then tennis before getting exciting about the next football season.

hell, the way you talk you might as well be against adding maps at all since change is such a hard thing to handle.  actually, let's get rid of sequels too.  okay here's the deal,.. we'll make 1 3rd person shooter game and forbid another one from ever being created ever again to ensure you'll always be able to play that favorite map of yours since it would be really unfair for people to move on to another game and leave you unable to play that 1 map ever again.

and yes i'm being a sucker but i'm a giant sucker.

Dude, you know that's a stupid point you're making here.

[kitler53]

Dude, you know that's a stupid point you're making here.

i went out for dinner last night and the specials from last time were totally different this time.  i was outraged!! 

[DerNebel]

i went out for dinner last night and the specials from last time were totally different this time.  i was outraged!!  

Seriously man, your examples are horrible.

Would you have complained if you had the option to get any special you wanted? Or imagine you have a favourite restaurant and a favourite dish you like to get at that restaurant, now imagine you visit that place one day just to find out you can't get your favourite dish because the management had the idea to just rotate out half of the menu to "keep things fresh".

[kitler53]

Seriously man, your examples are horrible.

Would you have complained if you had the option to get any special you wanted? Or imagine you have a favourite restaurant and a favourite dish you like to get at that restaurant, now imagine you visit that place one day just to find out you can't get your favourite dish because the management had the idea to just rotate out half of the menu to "keep things fresh".

i live in chicago.  restaurants that do just that are the most desired and busy restaurants in the city.  updating your menu to reflect what is in season means better food and a gives me a great reason to come back again next month and the month after.  restaurants that only serve the same thing forever are easy to forget about for long periods of time,..  which means i go to a different restaurant to get some variety and maybe repeat that restaurant in a year or so.

its okay if you want to be boring on only eat/play the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over again.   ..but the rest of us move on to new games.  game companies are trying these rotations because right now mp communities are active for about a month and than crash as people move onto the next game.  they are trying to find ways to have their userbase remain engaged and keep playing.  complain all you want but rotating line-ups is a waaaay better option than going to play a static set of whatever and finding there isn't anyone else online to play against.

[the-pi-guy]

i went out for dinner last night and the specials from last time were totally different this time.  i was outraged!!  

That example isn't really 1:1.
I personally would be outraged.  I'm a very picky eater, and finding out the food that I eat at a restaurant isn't being offered at the time would not be good.  
I would legitimately have to leave.  

It's be like going to a hospital and finding out, sorry we don't do anything about heart attacks this week. Come back next week.  

I would say it's more like finding out that you don't have access to some of the rooms in your house.  "Hey sorry, in order to keep your house experience fresh, you're sleeping on the couch tonight. "

Yippee.