Marketplace 10 Commandments

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Photolysis — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:44:08 GMT

All I really want to see is from XBL Marketplace and Live overall is it not being abused.

For instance, I don't want to see games cutting out features to ship earlier, so they can be patched in at a later date (especially if you have to pay for the privilege).

I also don't want to see bug filled games being released and passing certification with the "we can fix it later" attitude in mind.

The ability to patch games to fix issues and add new features is a great one, and likewise the ability to add content into a game after release is fantastic, but recently they seem to have been abused, and I would like to see this stop.

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

maas — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:44:08 GMT

Thou shalt not charge for "cheat codes".

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

itchyeyes55 — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 06:57:08 GMT

I realize I'm a little late to the party, but I just heard about this and I thought I'd throw my two cents in. I'm sure a lot of these have already been said.

1. Thou shalt not lock thy users of of content they have already paid for. If I received a replacement 360, I have to be logged in to my gamertag to use content I purchased on the original. I know there's an a way to get a refund, but frankly it's more trouble than it's worth right now. I know there's a more elegant solution here. This applies to movie rentals too. 24 hours is pretty strict. I know the MPAA are bastards to deal with, but try and work something better out.

2. Thou shalt have some minimum matchmaking requirements. Halo 2 nailed it 3 years ago, so why are we still putting up with sub-par online multi-player?

3. Thou shalt not nickel and dime yadda yadda yadda... I'm probably as tired of hearing this line as you are, but it's not without merit. People know a good deal when they see it and a lot of the stuff on marketplace is not a good deal. I know you guys have this philosophy about choices, but choices for less money is even better. People like to harp on Sony for squandering the good will of their customers. When Microsoft lets someone like EA post cheats or videos on Live for $3 that's exactly what you're doing. It may not be hurting anyone, but it's not helping your image with us.

4. Thou shalt do something about the assholes. Anyone who's played for more than 15 min of Halo 2 knows just how low humanity can stoop. I read today that Halo 3 might include a "mute the jerk" button. This is a good start. Just make sure that's not the only game that has it.

5. Thou shalt expand your video selection. Again, I know the studios are probably a pain in the ass to deal with, but you need more movies up there, and faster than 2 or 3 a week. The video marketplace is, by far, the best video download service there is. The problem is, I only find something I actually want maybe 1 in 10 times I check it.

6. Thou shalt offer a larger hard drive. Speaking of videos... Ok, you've probably heard this gripe a million times, and you guys would be foolish to not have something in the pipes. Still, the sooner we see one of these the better. Also, try to price it reasonably this time. The $5/gb feels like a bigger rip off than downloadable EA cheat codes.

7. Thou shalt expand XBLA file limits. I realize that there are some really good reasons why they're in place, but 50mb is really strict.

8. Thou shalt lower some prices over time. This one is just basic economics. That map pack that came out 6 months ago just isn't worth the same money now. Again, Halo 2 got it right 3 years ago.

9. Thou shalt offer some game tracking functions. This one is just a personal wish of mine. Live is a great service, but it can be tough to find what you want in the midst of all that content sometimes. Take a page out of sites like Gamespot and IGN that let users track games and notify them when new updates and/or content is available.

10. Thou shalt keep doing an awesome job. Despite all the gripes and complaints, I think everyone here would agree that, overall, Live is a fantastic service. Keep up the good work.

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

mike — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:58:50 GMT

Here’s an idea, after seeing the misrepresenting titles for the newest achievement point promotion I thought we'd get something for doing great things in our games and all that hard work would pay off. How about, Redeeming your Achievements Points for Microsoft Points like a promotion like from a soda company where you collect such number of points to grab yourself a hat but in this instance I want a few HD Movies^^

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Najaf — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:43:35 GMT

1. Live Arcade demos played shall not be included in the overall Gamerscore tally. Only games that one can actually receive achievements in (games one owns) should be included. This distorts your true achievement completion ratio.

2. Never should we pay for a demo. Ever. (nor should we ever pay to take part in a Beta test)

3. Giving is a good thing. One should be able to purchase marketplace content with one's own MS points for someone else. (or should be able to gift MS points from one account to another)

4. Content available elsewhere for free (be it the PC or other consoles) should not be charged for.

5. Content that is bought on the Marketplace should be content not on the disc. One should not pay to simply unlock material that is on a disc they own. Downloadable content should be just that; downloaded content.

6. Microsoft needs to set guidelines for publishers regarding the cost of content. There should be a standard cost for map packs, accessory/clothing packs, and gamerpics/themes. Just as we expect to pay 59.99 for a game, it would make since to have a standardized price point for various content. This way the consumers know what to expect and the publishers are kept in check.

7. There also should be restrictions on how many MS points may be spent on one title. If there were a point limit per title, this would force publishers to heavily weigh the timing and quality of content. We would likely see more polished material and less nickel-and-diming of the consumer.

8. No content should be available for set time after the game's release. When extra material is ready from day one, this simply shows the publishers withheld content from the title to milk money from the consumer. Also, a time restriction would likely favor more polish on said content.

9. Prices of content should fall over time just like any product in the entertainment industry.

10. One should be able to give others their purchased Live Arcade games and downloaded content. Obviously restrictions should be in place to prevent 'loaning' said content. Perhaps a restriction that any one piece of content can be given once from the buyer and then no longer can be transferred.

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

jchapman — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:24:39 GMT

Commandments for Content Developers/Owners:

Do not sell a "complete" game (either live arcade or retail) that requires a marketplace purchase for full functionality; the game as purchased must be complete. Additional maps, levels, etc *can* be sold, but a reasonable balance must exist between the game content as shipped vs. additional content.

Content that is available at no cost on other platforms (PC, PS3, Wii, previous generation and handhelds) must be available at no cost on the XBox 360. This includes "cheat codes" that enable or modify additional gameplay options. In-game currency and items that require significant gameplay to obtain *can* be sold, but a clear distinction must be made between "cheat codes" available on all platforms and "shortcuts" available in the marketplace.

All game content shipped on a retail disk must be available to unlock either through gameplay or cheat codes. Content stored on the original retail disk cannot be a purchasable item.

Marketplace pricing is not fixed, prices can be changed (either up or down) to reflect customer or developer interests and feedback. XBox Live members cannot receive a refund or be charged additionally if/when the price of a previously purchased item changes.

All purchasable marketplace *game related* video must be available in High Definition (minimum 720p). Television and movie content is excluded from this requirement as high definition sources may not be available.

Downloadable content cannot affect multiplayer gameplay unless it is available at no cost to all Gold members.

Complete descriptions of downloadable content must be made available. Each individual item included in a package must be described. Descriptions do not need to be incorporated into the Marketplace UI, but must be publicly available elsewhere online.

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

theOSUman365 — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 21:10:48 GMT

thou shalt not charge for maps. and thou shalt release maps that ACTUALLY work. cod3 cough cough

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Fubar jr — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 18:59:53 GMT

1. I like the idea of a news feed

2. Add a calendar of events. Do worry about commitment issues. Keep it vague if you must, but give us a heads up on All Nighters, Outages and confirmed Arcade and demos.

3. Don't hype. You (Microsoft Xbox team) are notorious for it. We know Halo 3 is coming. I don't need twenty different ads telling me. The more you tease, the more we froth & demand and then put you into uncomfortable positions to spin. Plus, what's the point to having a theme if you're just going to cover it up with ads?

4. Don't abandon Backward Compatible games. Some (Star Wars Battlefront 2) still have emulator issues. We know it takes time to fix, just don't drop us after the emulator is out. The Conker community is extremely grateful for it's BC. It took forever, and we'd like wide-screen support at 720, but we're glad it's out and working perfectly.

5. I like the Rent to buy idea up above. Look into By Season purchases.

6. How about an Auto Downloader for Demos as well?

7. Keep Live organized. Look at GRAW. Huge lists of fan movies, gamer pictures, Themes and FINALLY... Chapter 2. Put separate tabs/buttons for movies, pics, themes, and game content.

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

clashfan — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:15:46 GMT

Thou shall have classic PC games on XBLA like Kings Quest, Fate of Atlantis, Ultima 7...

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Stormy — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:01:39 GMT

*Thou shalt grant us the right to choose our own set number of marketplace points we want to purchase.

There are many times I have had to buy more points than I needed to. Like when I only needed 100 points to buy the new Call of Duty 3 maps and ended up having to buy 500.

*Thou shalt have special sales on marketplace items.

I know there are already specials on the marketplace right now such as the Lumines packs, but I'd like to see it more often. Especially on map packs and the l

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Yert — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 09:20:53 GMT

1. I am the Xbox Live Marketplace, who brought you out of the land of standard definition, out of the house of arcade collections; you shall have no other service before me.

2. You shall not make them pay for the content that should have shipped with the game, whether in the form of horse armor, or cheat codes, or that that is necessary to enjoy the game. You shall not pay them or buy them; for I Xbox Live Marketplace am a jealous Marketplace, punishing publishers for the greed of parent companies, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject these commandments, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth gamer point of those who love me and keep my commandments.

3. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of downloadable content, for the Marketplace will not acquit anyone who makes people pay to unlock content on the disk.

4. Remember Wednesday, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a day to the Marketplace; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female characters, your pinatas, or the rival console fanboys in your house. Remember that you were a slave in the land of poor quality games, and the Xbox Live Marketplace brought you out from there with a mighty console and a still warm download; therefore Microsoft commanded only one arcade game a week.

5. Honor your customers and your fans with free maps, so that your days may be long in the land that the Xbox Live Marketplace is giving you.

6. You shall not charge for something free on another platform.

7. You shall not lock content down to one region.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your customer's gamer score then not make a patch that fixes it.

10. You shall not covet your customer's Microsoft Points; Neither shall you covet your customer's wallet. You shall not make profit from your customer's want to have maps, or male or female character's wish to have new armor, or that new car, or horse armor, or anything that belongs in the game when you ship it. Neither shall you profit from your customers’s wish for gamer points, or headshots, or male or female character skins, or the ability to finish the game, or cheat codes, or anything that belongs to your customer because they bought your game.

(This was harder then I thought... limiting it to the Marketplace was very hard. Nine references some Arcade games that have unattainable points... Notice I left one as the original. It fits well.)

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Sam — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 07:47:28 GMT

Here's Mine:

1) Thou shalt offer game developers the option of publishing their non-xbox arcade title on Xbox live marketplace. Digital downloads are the future.

2) Thou shalt offer customers a larger 360 hard drive. The Hard Drive should be at least 80 GB

3) Thou shalt require multiplayer shooter games such as Lost Planet and Gears of War to have the matchmaking, clan play, and quit-back-to available games (not to the title screen) built in from day 1. This is a fundamental part of Xbox Live Gold, give us quality multiplayer games with stamp of quality. Xbox must differentiate Live from Sony, which is free, by quality. Multiplayer Games should be guaranteed multiplayer friendly.

4) Thou shalt improve 360-pc streaming interactivity. It doesn't work very easily right now.

5) Thou shalt continue Major Nelson's podcast at all costs. New IPs require buzz and long descriptions, Major Nelson provides the ideal platform to showcase new IPs, which Microsoft needs to build and then make system exclusive. The way Nelson talked up Crackdown, had a developer on to discuss it... This should be standard procedure.

6)Thou Shalt make player 'self-descriptors' important. I put in recreational, yet whenever I play Gears I am stuck with a bunch of swearing Underground players and pro players. I know this is hard and will inevitably make problems, but really, if these tags are to be offered, they should somehow be meaningful.

7) Thou shalt continue to support Xbox Vision. Games like Rainbow Six vegas, which have custom features for Xbox Vision should be encouraged. Every sports game and every RPG (i'm looking at you Mass Effect and Madden) should have this 'put your face on the digital model' feature.

8) Thou shalt put Lord of the Rings on video marketplace in HD.

9) Thou shalt give Live players the option of putting in their geographic location for their profile and allow players to search other players online in that same location. This will allow city v. city matches, and will allow 360 owners to make friends with other 360 owners in their area.

10) Thou shalt standardize micro transactions and get EA in check.

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Poor Dude — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 19:16:20 GMT

Make it so that I don't have to buy a $20 prepaid card for 1600 points just to buy a 400 point xbla game. You should be able to buy 400 point prepaid cards.

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Jesse — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 07:17:48 GMT

Have an option to separate age groups you want to lay with.

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Rey — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:54:19 GMT

Everything the first people said:

* Don't abuse micro-transactions,

* None of this charging for cheat codes

* Releasing stupid classic games for more than what they cost, that is starting to anger me

It just really seems like you guys are really trying to squeeze for money rather than looking to do what would be particularly right for marketplace, but what you fail to recognize is that that will hurt you in the end, somebody deciding between a PS3 and an Xbox 360 will take into account the advantages and the shortcomings will notice that.

And believe me, I recently made this decision, and I decided Xbox 360 because IT IS a superior system, but it still irked me for a couple of reasons

* How Need for Speed you could buy cars that you couldn't get otherwise with the actual game, totally lame and abusive, EA is being really abusive with microtransactions btw

* How I am being charged for stupid gamer pictures, you have to wonder how much money you guys have made off of this so far, and ya that's great, you guys are a company, it's your job to rake in that money, and you could make an argument and say that you don't have to buy the pics, but to charge the amount of points that you charge on them, and add in the fact that other people are downloading this same pic, taking into account all the money you are making off a stupid picture (which should be theoretically free, I can download a FREE picture off the internet right now), it's just quite abusive and I remember things like that when I buy products from companies and such (big reason why I switched from Playstation to Xbox, tired of Sony's abuse, tired of Kutaragi's big mouth).

I think I can state many more commandments, but all the valid points have been brought up, I need say no more.

re: Marketplace 10 Commandments

Irishturtle2 — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:17:29 GMT

THOU SHALL BESTOW THY GAMERTAG WITH MS POINTS FOR ACHIEVEMENT POINTS