1993: The Birth Of DLC

8 responses to “1993: The Birth Of DLC”

1. 

   negativezero

   January 7, 2013 at 11:12 am

   Isn’t this describing an expansion pack, not DLC? Expansion content sold as separate products goes way back before 1993.

   Reply
   1. 

      piat

      January 7, 2013 at 11:27 am

      Well that kind of is a tricky question, if you define the above as an expansion pack and not DLC wouldn’t that make all DLC just expansion packs.

      Reply
      1. 

         negativezero

         January 7, 2013 at 11:39 am

         I’ve always seen DLC as being the same concept as expansion packs personally, though back in the day an expansion would be a bit more bulky and more expensive (great examples being StarCraft’s Brood War and Baldur’s Gate II’s Throne of Bhaal).

         So I guess you could say that all DLC is expansion content? But not all expansion content is DLC.

         Reply
   2. 

      tiberath

      January 7, 2013 at 11:35 am

      The only difference really between DLC and an expansion pack is the amount of content included.

      Trouble is, before the Internet was -that- popular, they had to release expansion packs in the same format as games (boxed, mass produced discs etc). In order to make it worthwhile, it had to contain enough content to warrant a gamer bothering to purchase it and thus the creator bothering to make it.

      Now days, DLC contains what I’d expect to find in a reasonably well made and cared for mod.

      Reply
      1. 

         negativezero

         January 7, 2013 at 11:41 am

         I guess nowadays the stuff that would have gone into a decent-sized expansion pack gets bundled up as a standalone game. I reckon a decade ago games like Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood & Revalations for example would have been expansion packs to AC2.

         Reply
         1. 

            tiberath

            January 7, 2013 at 1:29 pm

            This is the situation from what I’ve come to understand in my many years of gaming.
            Expansion Packs. (XP)
            Content Patches. (TP)
            Downloaded Content. (DLC)
            (Disc locked content (DCL maybe?) is another kettle of fish, and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it — I don’t play on consoles mind you. I imagine I’d be annoyed.)

            XP > TP >= DLC.

            The really are all one in the same. Each one adds content and presumably fixes bugs. It’s mostly the scale in which it’s done. Though XPs more-so than the others often updated the engine, so your initial replay value could take advantage of the new features — as well as adding new content. Where as TPs and DLCs normally just add content without much change to replay experience.

            Reply
      2. 

         duzz

         January 7, 2013 at 4:22 pm

         There are many mods that i’ve played that add far more content than 90% of the DLC I see today.

         Reply
2. 

   mrtaco

   January 7, 2013 at 12:42 pm

   I think they’re describing SMA4’s e-cards.

   Reply
3. 

   Zeuss Dr

   January 7, 2013 at 11:46 pm

   no where does it mention downloads

   Reply