Mode Pack #6 is apparently coming to Bad Company 2 next week according to this post. No details, and I haven’t checked the BfBC2 store but it fits in with their monthly giveaway of new maps mode packs.
So, we’re not going to see new maps. That’s clear enough already. What would you like to see? If I was a betting man I’d say we’ll get rush on Laguna Alta which could be like rush on White Pass. Alpha will be so close to the attackers deployment battle will be joined as soon as anyone moves an inch.
Or they’ll make a mode pack for SDM or squad rush and everyone will go YAAAAWWWWWNNNNN!
I was just thinking the other day how the lack of a level editor is such a missed opportunity for players. The Doom and Quake series had level editors, other shooters from that era had them too. I remember downloading mods for Doom 2 and having a blast! Are games companies so scared we won’t buy their next big product just because there’s a level editor (and hopefully active community) in a game? Really?
Do they lack the imagination to make a better sequel and feel threatened by amateurs designing levels? Do they think we won’t splash the cash if we have new levels for their old game?
The average age of games players is now in the early thirties. That means they’re probably working, have a family and have (some) disposable income. Sure, getting maps for free is great, but what about a map store? The Apple app store proved that people will buy in their droves if the price is right. Apple make a fortune from it and there’s a huge community around it. People talk all the time about their favourite apps. Why the hell haven’t EA or Activision replicated this for their respective franchises? All we get is what the company blesses and produces itself.
Would you buy maps built by amateurs or even semi-pros who didn’t work for the game publisher? What if they were priced like app store products? US$0.99 for a map?
Such a missed opportunity.
Edit: I forgot about Starcraft II. That has a level editor of some sort doesn’t it?
The map store is a really cool idea. If maps were priced at 0.99 I could see myself buying quite a few maps. They would have to control things a bit, otherwise the game would become flooded with maps and matchmaking might get a bit hard to to do.
I don’t think it will ever happen though. The call of duty series has sold more then 20 million map packs to date. The lost revenue would be massive. They make to much money from DLC now and with the game industry slowing down it wouldn’t make good business. Me as a gamer would love it. New maps for a different day of the week ?.
in my opinion i wouldnt as firstly it will be a trophy then people will put a level with a tree in it and bang 500,000 tree levels.
skate 3, far cry 2 had level editiors
All we seem to get most of the time a barely finished product and then squeezed as hard as possible in order for the publishers to extract as much profit from the consumers as possible. Instead of paying extra for added bits (or bits that should have been included *ahem* Onslaught), how about the developers pay us for every glitch that is found? That’d soon make them up their QA game!
But to the original question – no. I wouldn’t pay .99p for a community map. If I hadn’t come from PC gaming then maybe I’d think differently, but as it is commercialisation is destroying an sense of community. Can you imagine the amount of shitty maps that would be released? Just look at the app store now, how many of the gazillion apps in there would you actually pay for…. let alone use?
How about the developers allow us to use community generated maps in non-ranked games (so no boosting) for no monies? Create a community playlist using P2P to download the maps – et voila! Oh, but I’m missing something, and I can hear the publishers now…. “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?”
How about fan loyalty?