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Well, it turns out I don't actually have to buy or play id Software's Rage after all. Man, is that a relief. I really dodged a bullet there, because id's basically made the same game over and over since 1992, right down to the ugly fat guy you've got to kill. Sure, it looks fantastic graphically, but when I play Fallout, I like it to have a Fallout-ish sense of humor.
And bless 'em, id handed me the "Get Out of Jail Free" card themselves. They're locking in-game content — specifically, a bunch of optional, sewer-based missions — accessible by using a one-time-only code. Or you can pay extra for it, should you pick up a second-hand copy of the game. That lets me dismiss Rage purely on principal.
Now where did I leave my car keys…?
It's their version of EA's Online Pass. When Mass Effect 2 shipped with its free, day-one downloadable content for first-hand buyers only, I wrote how this would and should become an industry standard. Now that's happening (under a multitude of different names), and surprise surprise, everyone's taking one good idea and bolting all their horrible ideas to it.
So it's time to establish some ground rules going forward for what an Online Pass-like program should — and shouldn't — be.
1. Stop pretending it's about copy protection.
Not to downplay the issue, but if piracy topped the list of publishers' concerns, an Online Pass code would activate the entire game, not just one small corner of it. Industry leaders have long struggled to copy-protect their products, but now it's less about thievery and more about countering the rental and used-game markets. You might not appreciate it as a consumer, but from a corporate standpoint, Online Pass content nails the problem in a fairly brilliant way. Buy the game new, or you won't get everything it offers! Not a bad angle, particularly if you're addressing a bunch of obsessive completists…like, say, gamers.
Once you make that distinction, the approach simplifies. You're not punishing criminals; you're catering to your customers.
Not that there's anything wrong with criminals.
2. Never block someone from playing the game.
Epic Games President Mike Capps took some heat a few years ago for claiming — without specifically endorsing the idea — that some developers wanted to make the final boss fight in their games Online Pass-protected. That's a nonstarter, period. Let's put aside how punitive it sounds for a moment, and how it implies you're screwing someone by picking up a second-hand Gears of War 2 for $30. Anyone who plays without an Internet connection doesn't get to finish the game, and nobody pays 100 percent of the price for 80 percent of the product. By the same token, nobody pays an extra $15 to read the last three chapters of a library book, so forget that as a business model, too.
Something else to ponder: Games with a heavy multiplayer focus (like many of Epic's titles) tend to pick up new players through re-sold discs to replace those who drop out. If people stop buying used games because the content's locked, developers will see their online presence rapidly dwindle.
3. No locked on-disc content.
If I buy a game, I've purchased a licensed to access everything on that disc. Developers don't get to charge extra for something I've already bought…though several have tried and succeeded. The developers behind Beautiful Katamari and BioShock 2 both sold unlock keys to hidden on-disc content and called it DLC. Anyone who bought the Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack basically paid twice for it. Now id's adapting this scam for Online Pass usage, only they openly advertise the practice. Try to go into the sewers without the pass code, and a message pops up inviting you to pay a surcharge for content already in your legal possession.
Take a tip, id. It's a bait-and-switch lawsuit waiting to happen. Plus, we'll all hate you.
Gonna drill you like I'm looking for oil.
4. Carrots, not sticks.
Do you despise the very concept of Online Passes and everything they stand for? There better not be any pre-order bonuses saved to your hard drive. That's just another day-one unlockable by a different name. Hell, people actively seek out the specific bonus content they want from the list retailers offer.
And you know what? Early adopters deserve a little something extra for their $60 act of faith. You bought the game new? First round of DLC's on the house. A smart Online Pass presents itself exactly the same way pre-order bonuses do…as a reward. New areas. Exclusive missions. Special items. I'd even tie the two programs together, just to make the Online Pass a bit more invisible and a bit less invasive. And though that DLC can't be vital to the game, I'd make it indispensable for fans, because….
5. Pass-protected DLC should lead the secondary market.
Here's the dirty little secret most developers don't get: You never had a shot at those second-hand buyers. They do not pay retail. They rent, or they wait — if they rent, they don't buy DLC. That's the primary point-of-purchase for those consumers. Instead of penalizing them, split the market off and target those cheaper customers with cheaper DLC. Hit them with a soft-sell for the same $10 mission packs Online pass users got for free. Make it good enough to stand on its own.
Primary market buyers believe they got everything at one reasonable price. Secondary market consumers happily pay more in smaller doses. Everybody walks away feeling like a winner. Believe it or not, that's the goal.