Wolfenstein Xbox Map - Downloaded Or Unlocked?

Thanks to EvilAvatar for pointing to a Boomtown.net article discussing whether the new Xbox Live-exclusive Return To Castle Wolfenstein maps released a couple of days ago were actually downloaded. It seems the size of the files downloaded from Xbox Live were way too small to have been an actual level, despite the official press release indicating it was a "downloadable map", so it's possible the maps were on the game disc all along, and all that was downloaded was an 'unlock levels' message. The Boomtown article puts its own spin on this: "Providing these levels as a sweetener for Live Subscribers would be all very well, if extra development - over and above that of the game itself - is involved. But if the levels are already developed and present on the disk, then the publishers are inviting flak from the many Xbox gamers who don't have broadband."

Comments

Unlockables vs New Content

[MBCook]

There is a big difference between Unlockables and New Content. I don't think they would be getting any heat if they has simply said "Plus new level(s) will be unlockable with X-Box Live!", instead of saying that it was brand new and downloaded. If you make unlockables, you should make a way for people w/o X-Box live (like those w/o broadband) to get them. You should be able to go to a website to get a password, send in a postcard, or have some special code that you enter at the main menu that gets published in game magazines when they announce that a new level can be downloaded. Now in this case it seems a bit pointless to release a multiplayer map to people who in all likely hood don't play multiplayer nearly as much as those who have X-Box Live. But if it was something like The Sims and they had furniture that couldn't be unlocked, I could see a big fuss over that.

Still, none if this would happen if there were just clear up front. Now if they DO start to make levels that are ACTUALLY DOWNLOADED then that's fine with me too.

PS: All of this is on the assumption that it's not downloaded, because if it is then this whole argument is moot since the article is moot.

Re:Anybody else feel like..

[Anonvmous Coward]

"I think the point was that Microsoft is misrepresenting this as a "feature" when in reality all you're doing is downloading a code that lets you access the levels that are already on your disc."

Assuming that MS (actually this'd be Activision) never ever makes a downloadable map, then I'd say you're right. However, it's really not that clear. 8 blocks (roughly 128k, if I did my math right. Corrections appreciated.) is a LOT of information to say "okay, unlock this map."

So what can be stored there? Well, I have Lightwave running right now. I made a mesh with 10,000 polygons, saved it, and zipped it up with Winzip. I got a 130k file with 10,000 polygons in it. I'm not sure how many polygons are in a map, but it strikes me that 10,000 could define a pretty decent level. Now that's just Lightwave's format. I imagine game meshes would have an even slimmer format.

Okay, so we've got enough polygons to play with. What about the rest? Why couldn't the textures etc be on the disc? You don't need megs and megs of space to create a map. It's not in the XBOX's best interests when they have 8 meg memory cards to splurge on large map download.

Personally, I think they did download the levels. The comparison between the size of a map and a save game is not apples to oranges, especially if the game reserves a number blocks so that it always has n save game slots available.

Re:What's the problem?

[August_zero]

I think what gets people mad about this, is the fact that the "downloadable" content schtick that MS assured everybody would be a primary focus for x-box live content is continuing to disappoint.

When you promise people "new levels", if they have x-box live and then those "new levels" turned out to be on the disk in the first place, this angers people. You can liken it to getting a "super-sized" meal at mcdonald's only to find that the extra fries were hidden in a false bottom in the fry box all along.