Which Dev Caters to its Fans the Best?

Which developer do you think has supported the fans of its games the best? these developers need to continuously deliver content or value to the players and keep their game at the forefront.

Is it bungie with multiple Halo3 map packs, title updates, matchmaking tweaks, double XP weekends, and crazy forged gams playlists?

Is it Criterion with delivering 3 free significant (bikes pack was almost enough for its own game) updates to Burnout Paradise this year, and continued, though not free, support next year?

Is it Harmonix, delivering several new songs to the rock band store every single week, and making it easy to keep your old tracks in the new game? how many other devs would do that?

Is it Valve? continually delivering updates and expansions and maps and additions, for free on PC, to its most popular games?

Or is it another dev i am forgetting?

I cannot pick just one. I feel there are quite a few very good hearted dev teams out there.

CDProjekt, Stardock, Valve, Mythic, and Turbine are just some that come to me off the top of my head.

Criteron, Valve, and Insomniac. Not in that order, of course.Bentham

I really can't add Insomniac to my list. They've made amazing games but I've never seen them go out of their way to please the consumer. There hasn't been any free content or even trophy updates to their PS3 games, just the standard purchasable maps and expansions. So while I still love their games and own them all, I can't put them above and beyond for service.

[QUOTE="Bentham"]Criteron, Valve, and Insomniac. Not in that order, of course.Velric

I really can't add Insomniac to my list. They've made amazing games but I've never seen them go out of their way to please the consumer. There hasn't been any free content or even trophy updates to their PS3 games, just the standard purchasable maps and expansions. So while I still love their games and own them all, I can't put them above and beyond for service.

I disagree. Not many developers did add trophy support, and thosse that did probably had alot of spare time. Insomniac work flat out to make games every year. They are a small company, so it is amazing how they can manage to produce 1 great game every year this generation.

That's:

Resistance 2006/7

R&C:ToD 2007

Resistance 2 2008

That's the best I could possibly hope for.

Valve...I just wish they were a little faster...Jodan77

same, valve is great

[QUOTE="Bentham"]Criteron, Valve, and Insomniac. Not in that order, of course.Velric

I really can't add Insomniac to my list. They've made amazing games but I've never seen them go out of their way to please the consumer. There hasn't been any free content or even trophy updates to their PS3 games, just the standard purchasable maps and expansions. So while I still love their games and own them all, I can't put them above and beyond for service.

they make a game a year, thats pretty cool

[QUOTE="Velric"]

[QUOTE="Bentham"]Criteron, Valve, and Insomniac. Not in that order, of course.WasntAvailable

I really can't add Insomniac to my list. They've made amazing games but I've never seen them go out of their way to please the consumer. There hasn't been any free content or even trophy updates to their PS3 games, just the standard purchasable maps and expansions. So while I still love their games and own them all, I can't put them above and beyond for service.

I disagree. Not many developers did add trophy support, and thosse that did probably had alot of spare time. Insomniac work flat out to make games every year. They are a small company, so it is amazing how they can manage to produce 1 great game every year this generation.

That's:

Resistance 2006/7

R&C:ToD 2007

Resistance 2 2008

That's the best I could possibly hope for.

You're missing the point a bit though. Making great games, one could argue, is the best service any dev can provide to their fans and I wouldn't be able to disagree, but when I think of which devs care about their players the most, I think of those that have taken the extra step to provide something special.

For example, CDProjekt, which is based out of Poland (I believe) has done two things recently. First, they rereleased The Witcher with two additional campaigns, new artwork, new animation, a soundtrack, and modding tools. How much did this cost for the 1 million players who had already purchased the game? Nothing. They offered it as a completely free download to everyone with a registered copy of the game. Two, they opened of a new website named GOG.com which offers DRM free downloads of older PC titles that are compatible with current hardware. So now players can get Fallout 1 and 2 or any of the other PC hits from the past.

Insomniac has never done anything like this beyond the normal bounds of developing games. I respect them and enjoy what they do, but it hasn't stood out to me.

[QUOTE="Bentham"]Criteron, Valve, and Insomniac. Not in that order, of course.Velric

I really can't add Insomniac to my list. They've made amazing games but I've never seen them go out of their way to please the consumer. There hasn't been any free content or even trophy updates to their PS3 games, just the standard purchasable maps and expansions. So while I still love their games and own them all, I can't put them above and beyond for service.

Then you haven't paid close attention to them. Look at all the additions they've made to Resistance.

[QUOTE="WasntAvailable"][QUOTE="Velric"]

[QUOTE="Bentham"]Criteron, Valve, and Insomniac. Not in that order, of course.Velric

I really can't add Insomniac to my list. They've made amazing games but I've never seen them go out of their way to please the consumer. There hasn't been any free content or even trophy updates to their PS3 games, just the standard purchasable maps and expansions. So while I still love their games and own them all, I can't put them above and beyond for service.

I disagree. Not many developers did add trophy support, and thosse that did probably had alot of spare time. Insomniac work flat out to make games every year. They are a small company, so it is amazing how they can manage to produce 1 great game every year this generation.

That's:

Resistance 2006/7

R&C:ToD 2007

Resistance 2 2008

That's the best I could possibly hope for.

You're missing the point a bit though. Making great games, one could argue, is the best service any dev can provide to their fans and I wouldn't be able to disagree, but when I think of which devs care about their players the most, I think of those that have taken the extra step to provide something special.

For example, CDProjekt, which is based out of Poland (I believe) has done two things recently. First, they rereleased The Witcher with two additional campaigns, new artwork, new animation, a soundtrack, and modding tools. How much did this cost for the 1 million players who had already purchased the game? Nothing. They offered it as a completely free download to everyone with a registered copy of the game. Two, they opened of a new website named GOG.com which offers DRM free downloads of older PC titles that are compatible with current hardware. So now players can get Fallout 1 and 2 or any of the other PC hits from the past.

Insomniac has never done anything like this beyond the normal bounds of developing games. I respect them and enjoy what they do, but it hasn't stood out to me.

Technically Good Old Games shouldn't really count, because it's not part of their development services, more like a side project. As for the Witcher, that is pretty sweet of them, but then how many games have they really made? If this is early days, then it's a good way of gaining support, who's to say they will keep up such a charitable attitude when they start brining in real cash? Reagrdless, I still feel Insomniac should be in the top 5.

Nippon Ichi

They are the best at catering to there fans

Blizzard.

did you seriously forget the undisputed winner?

Blizzard

I'll go Valve and Bungie.

Bungie because they get out there and play with their fans, they are consistantly hold new Double EXP weekends and comps, their home site is a massive fanservice site (weekly updates, heatmaps etc.). Halo 3 Recon is pretty much a pure fanservice game. and during halos Development they really listened to the fanbase.I could go on you know :)

and Valve because...well its just Valve...need I say more? :P

I would say Square Enix because they seem to be remaking plenty of the games for gamers that what to play then again or for the first time...

But, Out of the list I would say Value because they did so Much for Counter Strike for free...

Nintendo. What kind of company would listen to what their fanbase wants, and then when they give them it, they *****, whine, and moan about how it stays "too true to the formula," when that's exactly what they wanted. They gave us Twilight Princess, and we gave them hate.

Then they give us Super Paper Mario, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, New Super Mario Brothers, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Mario versus Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Yoshi's Island DS, Super Princess Peach, Star Fox Command, a **** load of Kirby games, and many more games, all in this generation.

They have also made a lot of announcements that should make people wet their pants with joy, but we still get more *****ing from "hardcore gamers," of course.

blizzard and valve. cdprojekt looks to be another company that cares for its customers but since it has released only 1 game it's too early too tellnaval

Yeah, separating one game into three separate games is exactly what fans want. :roll:

Kojima Productions.

He literally ruined his story and whored out the series for the sake of his more vocal fans. Everything that came after MGS2, especially MGS4, has been fan service. Then even though MGO barely has a fanbase (usually only about 800 -1000 people on at busy hours) he still has his team cranking out amazingly well thought out and high detailed maps, great variants, weapons, special characters, new codec presets, survival tournaments fri-sun, the reward shop, constant balancing of overpowered/under-priced weapons, and more damn appearance customization then you will ever see in any online shooter. Basically they are throwing money and time away on a dead game.

Kojima literally caters to his fans too damn much. To the point where it brings down the overall quality of his games single player games and at the same time makes him throw away money on his online games.

[QUOTE="naval"]blizzard and valve. cdprojekt looks to be another company that cares for its customers but since it has released only 1 game it's too early too tellDeathScape666

Yeah, separating one game into three separate games is exactly what fans want. :roll:

Yea I'm sure the fans don't want each of the starcraft races to have a full 30 mission non-linear campaign. If you don't care for the campaign you only need to buy one copy and play online. What's the problem here?

[QUOTE="naval"]blizzard and valve. cdprojekt looks to be another company that cares for its customers but since it has released only 1 game it's too early too tellDeathScape666

Yeah, separating one game into three separate games is exactly what fans want. :roll:

The amount of content is going to be the size of three games.

And multiplayer is included in full in each version.

What's the problem?

My choices are Blizzard, Crytek, and Valve

Yes Crytek because their online system for downloading and installing custom made maps is so easy.

[QUOTE="naval"]blizzard and valve. cdprojekt looks to be another company that cares for its customers but since it has released only 1 game it's too early too tellDeathScape666

Yeah, separating one game into three separate games is exactly what fans want. :roll:

I would definately say Bungie, then probably Blizzard.

After that, valve I guess, although I don't really know of them doing anything for their fans, other than releasing great games, and adding new maps.

i'm sorry but how are valve catering to the ps3 fans they basically shunned them out...not coolozmatic77

It's because consoles lack in areas where Valve excels.

I would definately say Bungie, then probably Blizzard.

After that, valve I guess, although I don't really know of them doing anything for their fans, other than releasing great games, and adding new maps.

diped

Free content valve gives out.

Stardock and CYAN by far.

Stardock has gone beyond anything other devs do when it comes to supporting their games with free content updates.

CYAN was the most fan-supporting dev ever when it comes to non-game activities. We(fans) learned about their projects years before the press got any sights of it, they made elaborate web puzzles that when solved gave hints about projects, they organized huge free conventions where they let players wander around dev studio. And even when URU was killed they went out of their way to provide means for players to play it on their own servers.

i'm sorry but how are valve catering to the ps3 fans they basically shunned them out...not coolozmatic77

My vote is for Blizzard. Eltroz

I'm not even into Blizzard games, but even I can see how their record is pretty much flawless.