[Update and change of heart]: No thanks Stardock for maintaining the status quo

I agree completely - Fortunately, the few times I've been in this situation they gathered all the bonus materials into one package for the european market, since neither Amazaon, nor any of the other big retailers were big enough to do this kind of marketing.

Nice post, and thanks Stardock!

Agree completely with OP.

I don't want to be penalized or feel like I'm not getting the whole game because I wanted to read reviews before I buy something.  I don't want to feel like I am missing parts of the game because I bought from X retailer instead of Y retailer, etc.

I totally respect Stardock for the way they do business.

By itself I'm not against preorder bonuses. The problem is that the implementations really suck. Which is even worse if you have any kind of collector attitude. I remember the silliness of Dawn of War 2 case, where even extra colours were different depending on preorder choice!!! Different initial equipment for the campaign I could understand but colours for the army painter???

The only punishment is what you're inflicting on yourself. I mean if you pass up the optional sun roof on a car do you come away feeling punished?

The Civ 5 bonuses are a good example of the publishers loading "freebies" into a deal for perceived value which aren't actually as good as they appear. Free maps? Assuming you have a map of the region you can probably recreate them in an hour or so in the map editor, but then this being Civ it's pretty much a given that anything Firaxis come up with will be superceded by those smart modders and their NASA satellite imaging anyway. Also consider that if it follows previous Civ's, all one needs is the map files which will likely be available shortly after release in the first place.  The free DLC may or may not be worth it, depending on the quality of the DLC and the price difference between D2D and everyone else (another good trick to watch for; if D2D are a couple of quid more expensive than anywhere else then odds are you're simply paying for the DLC up front). And of course, presumably you could always buy the DLC later should you so wish.

TBH I thought Bioware had the best approach with Dragon Age. They stuck all of the pre-order bonus materials up for download from their website a couple of days after the game was released.

Personally I don't mind cosmetic changes. If for example the devs stick in a T-shirt for the ingame avatar with a different logo depending on where you pre-ordered that's fine; it's when they start offering actual game content it starts to get annoying.

I agree with the original poster 

I hate what developers are doing with pre-order/limited edition bonuses now adays, and have started to refuse to buy games where they clearly put developer time into stuff that not everyone gets.  If it comes after the game is out, fine, but I shouldn't be missing out on content just because I didn't pre-order (since I am paying the same), or wasn't willing to pay $20+ for an extra quest/area/whatever.  For example, that Commander game that came out not too long ago, which cut out RESOURCES (wood, wheat, and one other I think) and their respective production chains, as well as ships and commanders if you didn't pre-order.  I refused to buy it (even though I was otherwise interested) because of that.  Leery of Fable III because of their bonuses (quests/areas being cut out it reads like to me  , so I need to pre-order the LE version to get all the content, which just annoys me).  

I like bonuses like Elemental, a statue (which I have a few of from old games, think I still have the C&C2 pewter guy around here somewhere), book, etc.  I don't mind cosmetic items (ingame pets like in WoW, different unit versions, etc) or minor items (that help in the first few levels or whatever).  But when you start gutting the game for pre-order stuff it just annoys me 

I wasn't thrilled with the Dragon Age version, at least the Warden Keep bit I think.  I don't mind the new version only DLC, to let them make a small profit on used games, but would have preferred they had put the LE DLC in the regular game.  Civ 5... bleh, though admittedly nothing on the list is anything I am all that interested in, cutting out a civilization in a game called Civilization seems.... stupid. 

I don't like the sun roof example, since it is something that costs extra to add, where as pre-order/LE bonuses are something that could have been added at no extra cost, since they were developed for the same cost as the rest of the game I imagine, but were intentionally kept out.  

Erm, sorry for the rambling post.  

Lol!!! So the first Civ5 DLC will have 2 new civs + a scenario...buttload of new content...:D

I agree with the OP. I am not surprised we're seeing slim DLC probably at premium pricing, next up probably 10 bucks for one civ. Joy of gaming.

Bonuses are lame. Everyone who pays full price later and doesnt get them, will feel cheated. Not a great way to treat gamers.

I fail to understand how one's failure to take advantage of a particular offer constitutes being "cheated."

It depends on the game. If I'm playing, say, Fallout: New Vegas, missing out on the preorder bonus is no big deal. It doesn't affect the gameplay as a whole.

If I'm playing Civ, and I don't get to have one or more Civilizations because I did not pre-order or I pre-ordered from a different location, then I have every right to feel cheated, given the style of game.

Those types of things are not incentives, they greatly affect the gameplay as it is intended, and it's really pretty crappy that they're pulling that right now. In an FPS, or an RPG, or whatever, sure, it's not a big deal, because the core gameplay element is unchanged. Losing AI opponents or options for which Civ you're going to use is a serious issue in a game that is based on replayability, as the replayability is reduced dramatically by each additional constraint of less Civs to be surrounded by.

Edit: As an addendum. I have no issue with them releasing pre-generated maps as incentives. That IS an incentive in a strategy game that the core of involves randomly generated maps. More power to them on that. Releasing Civs as a preorder/retailer bonus, though? That's a crime against their customers.

2% of revenue is lost up front from those that want everything for nothing. Any business minded individual will know this and care less about those that feel cheated because they didn't get everything for one low low price. It's planned for nowadays and management just doesn't care about those that whine about price.

It's almost like piracy the pirates aren't going to buy the game anyways just like the whiners are going to whine anyway because they feel cheated because joe blow spent 100 dollars and got more content than he did spending only 50. He thinks he should get joe blows content for 50 as well. lmao

That's why they call them marketing schemes folks. They are made to make money not give it away.

Except we're not talking general content. The maps are cool incentives. Getting a credit from the retailer to a DLC download is a cool incentive. Leaving out CORE FUNCTIONALITY if you don't order from a particular retailer is not an incentive, that's a pretty poor business decision.

This is also not "wanting everything for nothing". I want to have access to the same Civs that everyone else that paid the same amount of money I did. If I spent $50 and you spent $50, we should have the same core features. Now granted, your retailer may have given you a DLC credit which I would have to pay for, that's fine by me, that's incentive. You may have a few maps that I don't have, also fine, the core feature is the random maps, not the pre-generated maps.

But you have Babylon and I don't because I bought it off a retail shelf and you bought it digitally, even though we paid exactly the same? That's a core feature I don't get while buying the same thing at the same price. That is the problem, not a sense of "entitlement".

Now if it were the Collectors Edition, we might have a whole different debate going on. When one person is spending $80 and the other is spending $50, you'd expect to get more for your money. But at the same price?

What you're arguing is unrelated to what people are making the complaint about.

Edit: Example time. You go to Loews, I go to Home Depot. We both buy the same Power Drill for $50. You would expect both Power Drills would be functionally the same, and in fact identical Power Drills. Let's say Loews had a sale (incentive) and offered a cigarette lighter adapter with it. I have no reason to complain, because functionally, our Power Drills remain identical. Now let's say that the same situation happened, but since I got it at Home Depot, it did not come with a power cable or battery in the original retail box, but the one at Loews did. For the same price. I would have every right to complain about the business practices being involved here.

The first one is what people are complaining about, the second one is what you're arguing against. It does not apply here.

For most companies, you are not a "gamer."  You are a consumer.  A number.  Realize that publicly traded companies, like 2K and Activision, have a fiduciary duty to their shareholders to maximize profits.  Most game companies don't care if you feel cheated by pre-order bonuses since it will not impact their bottom line.  Consumer are still going to purchase Civ5 regardless of whether or not there are pre-order bonuses and it is clear that the pre-order model works.

In this way, the game industry is a victim of its own success and is a large reason why I support Stardock.

@clockwerk

Their bottom line will suffer if I buy another game instead of the one they are selling. The problem is that it is impossible to really know how a game would have sold without the bonus. Since everybody else is doing it, nobody (of the large games anyways) dare sell without it seems.

Publicly companies would not be doing this if they were not earning a profit off of it.  Perhaps vendors like Steam and D2D are paying game companies to produce exclusive content for them in order to attract consumers to their services.  An inverse business relationship is also possible: perhaps vendors are threatening not to carry certain products unless they have exclusive content. 

Whatever game companies are making off of this offsets any losses from consumers that will not purchase a game based upon the existence of pre-order bonuses.  To put it another way, there's no reason for companies NOT to have pre-order bonuses. 

I do agree that they are problematic.  I mean, I love Babylonia from a historical perspective. I used to play them all the time in AoE.  Does this mean I am going to purchase from D2D as opposed to going to Ebgames and purchasing the game?  I don't know.  But I'm going to pick up Civ5 regardless.

Oh, I agree.  But, perhaps these vendors are paying companies to produce exclusive content.  As a consumer, are you going to use Steam to buy vanilla Civ5 or are you going to use D2D to purchase Civ5 with two extra civs?  Assuming that the prices are the same and you are not a fanboy of a certain services, you're going to purchase it from D2D.

Don't worry everything will be micro transaction soon enough.  Good games will make a fortune.  Bad games will get punished.

Exclusive items and bonuses are bothersome.  In fact I hate them....I always want them all.  I loathe DLC's, It makes me just want to go "shiver me timbers" and pirate the whole thing, invasive copy protections.....grrr...

That's why I love Stardock and their business ethics

Doesn't the Steam version come with a Civ?

At least they're not at Dragon Age complexity levels yet. That had so many different freebees from so many different vendors that it required a chart to sort it out. I don't see how anybody really wins when you get to that point, it's just frustrating.

Steam gets 1 Civ (Babylon) which D2D also gets, but D2D gives you a credit that the first DLC (2 civs + some scenarios and stuff) is free for you. If you buy the Steam version you will still be able to buy the first DLC, but with D2D you get it free. This, imo, is good retailer incentive (D2D is obv the one taking the hit here), as the DLC is available to everyone, but some people get it as a bonus for buying from retailer X because they have a special sale.

The issue with Babylon is there has been no indication anywhere that they will be released as DLC near release, much less ever. That, imo, is really the crux of the problem. How much do you lose out by wanting to have a nice, hard copy box to put on your shelf? A lot? A little? something you can buy later?

These types of things are what cause the consumer to get screwed.

I'm not sure.  I was simply pointing out why digital retailers may pay a game company for exclusive digital content in order to attract consumers to their service as opposed to another; it could be a additional revenue stream for a game company.

Erm, you're not. The Collector's Edition for Civ V is what comes with Babylon, alongside a behind the scenes video and the soundtrack. The pre-order bonus is the Mesopotamia map. The Collectors edition is £10 more than the standard edition (which as a pre-order bonus you get the map). Presumably the Deluxe edition will include the same extra Civ, video and soundtrack no matter where you buy it from, at a same hike in price.

 The only pre-order bonuses are the Mesopotamia map or the DLC credit on D2D. Since it is DLC credit, it argues that the same content will be available for purchase by those who didn't get it at some point.

There is no "collector's" edition. There's a special edition (100$, retail only, no babylon) and there's a digital deluxe edition (behind the scenes, soundtrack, babylon, etc.).

The only places where you can get Babylon is on Steam and D2D. Babylon has always been a part of Civ games. So they planned for it, made the civ, made its diplomacy screen model and animations, its special unit and building, etc. But they withheld the content for an edition of the game that is 10$ more than the standard game price.

It's just frustrating to deal with these practices. Yes, it will be more profitable for them, but from a customer's point of view, it's a decision that leaves me without a satisfying purchase either way:

A ) I don't pay for deluxe edition (or buy a retail box) and I feel like I am missing out on a key feature (A Civ in a game called Civilization is a pretty big deal)

OR 

B ) I feel like a sucker for paying ten dollars for an extra civ.

Best thing to do with Civ 5 which seems to be going with lots of DLC's is to wait for the "GOTY" edition which will be cheaper then the initial release and would most likely include all the DLC's so you won't get ripped off.  Still have to deal with Steamworks but that is another thread. 

I do not mind Pre Order Bonus, it allows the game maker and the Retailers to gauge the impact of the game, and for putting money down early you get a extra.

What I HATE is having 6-20 different Marketing Spawned confusion generating buy here get this, but here get this.

I did not buy STO just because they did that crap, glad I did not but thats another matter.

Marketing Groups are VERY Lazy, and this way they just cause more problems.

As I had to Explain to a Marketing Thingy once, IF you had to check with Legal Dept. before you brought the idea to us, it is NOT a good Idea.

Making customers upset and confused when buying your stuff is stupid.

But they get paid alot of money to do just that, and most work only 2-3 days a week.

Arggg how I dislike them.

Lee