cogadh: Are you sure retail editions get a game guide? I'm looking at a couple of retail listings and none of them list a guide. It might be part of the collector's edition set, but the regular edition, which is what GOG is selling, actually comes with less than what GOG offers and no guide.

KiNgBrAdLeY7: You are correct. My mistake.

Also, this time around, seems we got *it*.

Not only game gets a season pass that must be purchased extra, while all previous titles housed ALL extra content for free, but now, strategy guide has to be purchased EXTRA too, instead of the gog version getting for free a pdf in "extras" as usual.

Thanks a lot, people, for this one...

misteryo: First, mark the guy as the answer to your question.

Second, the season pass is an expansion to the game - the exact kind of thing GOGgers long for - a big meaty long expansion to a game they love, rather than the piddly horse armor bleed you dry DLC that is rampant today. How dare you complain about getting exactly what you want. Just like the good old days.

Third, since when are these "guides" standard fare? Manuals, yes. But as far as I can tell, "guides" have always and everywhere been a pay-for-it extra.

KiNgBrAdLeY7: First, i decide the answer to my question, which also wasn't answered; "Whether we get a strategy guide here, or not".

Second, it is a season pass and a preorder. Hadn't it been for GoG service or the witcher series, i honestly wouldn't spend a cent on it. This is exactly the type of stunts and marketing i hate the most and steer clear away, when facing those in other services (steam etc).

Third, strategy guides had been standard here, since the days of witcher 1 and 2. And 2, of which i had bought the SIMPLE retail edition too, back in the day, NOT collectors, had a hard physical copy of the guide within it, besides the digital one upon code redemption here on GoG. Both witchers had one of these, at least here on gog. Now with 3 it is charged extra and quite the sum, mind you...

misteryo: There is no strategy guide mentioned anywhere that I am aware.

You tell me why a 30-hour expansion is bullshit.

KiNgBrAdLeY7: http://www.primagames.com/games/witcher-3/news/witcher-3-official-guides-announced

Enjoy spending a hefty sum, instead of this item being offered for free in game-shelf, as in past?

Well, excessive monetizing, especially when it comes to contradiction of past policies, is not exactly my turn on. In the past, i had different service, in the present, i receive different things...

Expansion is not BS. Game is good. The move and the way it was applied over, was BS. As well as what it stands for (season pass).

misteryo: Prima Guides were not offered before. Prima is it's own company and always charges for it's guides.

cogadh: Besides, I'd be really surprised if someone hasn't already put a much better guide up online for free. The way things are now, I really don't get how Prima can even stay in business, with every game getting multiple walkthroughs, strategy guides and full wiki's online, often before a game is even released.

Tallima: Mr Bradley (we don't use noble classes in the US :-P),

I think you'd be surprised by how many people are very willing to pay for a huge expansion to a game. This game was $60 with a hefty 20% discount for loyal customers making it almost as cheap as Kerbal Space Program and Demonicon on release. I think many people would argue that W3 is vastly superior to those games -- and it certainly took a lot more money to make them.

Strategy guides are certainly not the expectation, but they do come with some games on GOG. But for every newer game that I have (developed in the past 4 or 5 years), I don't have one that comes with a strategy guide.

Also, pre-orders are not some evil marketing scheme built to injure people. It's usually a way to market and get some additional funds to finish the game. If you don't want to pre-order, that's okay. You don't have to. They're not trying to be mean to you by offering pre-orders, they're just trying to make a bit of money and create a bit of stir.

And in CDPR's case, offering a free NWN game out of their pocket, giving early access to some printed content and throwing a 20% discount into a pre-order is quite generous. Most of the time, all you get is buyer's remorse and a shoddy cloth map. So I thought the deal was outstanding.

And the same thing goes with the expansion. They are offering it for pre-purchase. You can get it now or wait a year and get it for cheaper or another year and probably get the platinum version. Those are all your call. It's not bad marketing, it's just the market.

I hope that helps you see what most of us see. If not, close your eyes, spin around real fast, then read this post again.

tinyE: Bradley makes an ass of himself in here more than I do which many had thought totally impossible. :P