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An Open Letter to SimGurus (Original SimGuru response November 2009 - Updated letter May 2010)
tea_and_blues
Posts: 889 Member
Hello again SimGuru's.
I wrote the first message in this post in November 09. I appreciated the response from SimGuruBrent that came later in the month. However, it's now May 2010, and one of the most serious glitches in WA - one your team has acknowledged since December - is still unaddressed. Still dealt with in the unprofessional silence of developers/managers made quieter by the deafening roar of your marketing teams for the store and for Ambitions. This is what I'm referring to:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/143547.page
"Sims become unrelated to their parents when a family member travels to a World Adventures location."
There have been numerous patches since November and then. The issue was acknowledged in December. There is a FAQ in the inaccurately-named "support" centre that hasn't been updated since December. There has been no fix, despite the fact that this issue has "been noted and implemented into our system for further investigation."
The customer base has a pretty strong interest in asking: Why?
Will a fix be forthcoming with Ambitions? If not, when?
Sincerely, tea_and_blues,
A New Zealand customer/client.
(OP in quote box below)
I wrote the first message in this post in November 09. I appreciated the response from SimGuruBrent that came later in the month. However, it's now May 2010, and one of the most serious glitches in WA - one your team has acknowledged since December - is still unaddressed. Still dealt with in the unprofessional silence of developers/managers made quieter by the deafening roar of your marketing teams for the store and for Ambitions. This is what I'm referring to:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/143547.page
"Sims become unrelated to their parents when a family member travels to a World Adventures location."
There have been numerous patches since November and then. The issue was acknowledged in December. There is a FAQ in the inaccurately-named "support" centre that hasn't been updated since December. There has been no fix, despite the fact that this issue has "been noted and implemented into our system for further investigation."
The customer base has a pretty strong interest in asking: Why?
Will a fix be forthcoming with Ambitions? If not, when?
Sincerely, tea_and_blues,
A New Zealand customer/client.
(OP in quote box below)
Hi SimGuru_BGY_11,
I'm not looking to put you on the spot, but I do, as a client, have some concerns over the lack of serious communication we are getting. Over the past week, it has looked increasingly as if you alone are the customer service team for the Sims 3 and WA. I have left questions with the official channel (EA Help and Support) and had no response across a number of days, despite the informal written commitment to reply within 24 hours. Other members, Archivist for one, have had the same experience. I work in a role that is equal parts management and editing, so I have a lot of sympathy for the role you're playing on these forums (and I've no idea what your official role is or how cursory your forums role might be to it). The response we are getting from EA and The Sims 3 team over the hectic and - to be honest - entirely unacceptable launch state of WA really feels, at this point, like an unprofessional policy of silence. As a businessman and a professional, I find it deeply disturbing that a company as large and successful as EA is simply not managing client expectations. The promotional work is very professional, but it means nothing without the more genuine, down-to-earth communications with the active client base.
Can we have some information about the errors that so many of us are encountering? Is another patch on its way soon, one that will make sustained, many-generation gameplay possible for us once more? I doubt it will be here soon, but can you commit to a ETA? If not, simply saying so will go a very long way to restoring confidence. Perhaps these are questions you need to take to your superiors. I hope you are passing the widespread concern of the client base here on to your superiors, it strikes me that the issues this expansion/patch have are so widespread in the community that it warrants serious reassurance from your management team and developers. Perhaps, though, I'm mismeasuring the reaction as it actually is. I do understand that there are more vectors for errors with a game as heavily modded as The Sims 3, but this customer for one is not using any mods or CC (although I'd quite like to) due to the (base and now expansion) game's instabilities as it stands. My computer more than matches the required specs, and I am regularly shutting down unnecessary background processes. The issues, it appears, either lie in the game not being compatible with some mainstream systems (I can post my dxdiag again if you like), or in the code itself. For these reasons alone, I feel justified in calling WA's state 'unacceptable'.
All communication, however unsatisfying it might be for we on the ground trying to make heads or tails of your product, is appreciated over the current lack.
Sincerely,
tea_and_blues
0
Comments
You guys are so anoying!!!
(And I don't mean EA!)
Ahhh UrbyKris, you cute little two poster wonder, you haven't seen annoying yet. You missed 100+ forum pages full of people's problems and of people way more annoying then us. If your annoyed, here's a tip-stay out of the tech section, especially during patch or EP time.
amen to both you and the OP. /clap
Seriously I had ZERO problems with the hacked version, hence why I dumped the 50$ into the legit version. Guess that wont be happening with any future releases...at this point I dont even think Id take the time to crack them.
Hope you will get through.
Hmm I have been wondering, my game haven't had any problems (except for the error 16 which were fixed in the newest patch) Everything works fine and there is no problems, my computer is old but not to old for sims 3. All my stuff is updated and run smoothly.
I find it odd that so many people have problems with the game, which makes me think back on sims 2 a lot of people had problems there as well, sims 3 is more advance and has higher requirements, I can't help thinking that it might be the people's computers and not the game, but not sure.
Beside sorry to tell you this, but as far as I know EA isn't entitled to make patches or make announcement. I don't think there is a law that a company has to do that (correct me if I am wrong please)
Mainly it is the "If you do not like the game or service, then don't play/buy/use it"
I am not trying to be mean or rude here, sorry if I offended anyone, I just stated the way I see it.
Ideas on how to improve babies.
(I think that depends on the laws where the game is sold. WA is in apparent breach of the New Zealand Goods and Services Act, but clicking the EULA on it might void that protection for end-users. Likely, though, it's the other way round, with the EULA not capable of removing the producer's responsibility to their product. I don't know, and because I can't afford a law suit, I don't care. I'm certain EA would settle out of court with any individuals who could afford such a suit at any rate, no good would come of it for the community or the game.)
Here's my take on BGY - you do great work! Because of you, I was able to fix my Error Code problem in advance of the patch. I went into the help chat service, and they were really sweet but made me think it was just my problem and one that was caused by WA.
I came to the chat area, and I saw the first true evaluation from you, BGY - it said there was a change in the way the games saved that was put there by a patch EA sent out. As soon as I knew it was a save thing, I was able to track down what was causing my Error Code - plain and simple. Had the help tech chat been honest and told me it was a problem with a patch/changes in the save game method, I could have fixed my problem faster instead of sitting around thinking it was a WA problem.
So... BGY - that spurt of honesty was really appreciated on my part. Now, let me go on to say - EA, bread and circus, very uncool. You send out continual disclaimers that so many of the problems are our faults when really it's yours. Speak honestly and don't keep telling us to clear our browsers, yah-de-da, jump through hoops. Lastly, Sims FANS - when they speak honestly to us, don't keep threatening - whine a little, but let them have time to fix the issues.
K, I'm through ranting... Bump.
LOL, I hope that's what a bump is!
Most professional fan thread I've seen concerning the issue; yet, still not one 'professional' response from EA.
They had time to delete my post then warn me for going off-topic (when the post concerned BUGS and why I returned the game)... yet they can't type a simple newsletter saying "We're working on X issues!," "ETA another week," "We (EA) are clueless," or just man up and say what they've been saying silently all along, a simple "**** you customers."
"Lets not admit we have a problem, we'll lose holiday sales!"
It really wouldn't hurt to at least acknowledge our questions!
excellent post, OP
God knows I have a long standing feud with EA because I have to deal with them on a very personal level. I can tell you that if I shared with you what's been said to me then a lot of you would never buy a Sims game ever again. That being said, I still try to buy the games because I'm trying not to force yet more people out of a job. BUT I would say if you're that adamant about your games not working there is only ONE way to get through to a company. Vote with your dollars. Return your game, get your store credit and get something else. This will in fact show EA that you mean business and at least make them open their mouths. My game has been running ok so far, and I'm scared that it'll stop at some point, my heart goes out to all of you who's games aren't working. And at this rate I still haven't gotten a response back from my free car and strategy guide I was supposed to get at launch...so what does THAT tell ya.
I'd say start a protest thread saying very kindly that if we don't at least hear SOMETHING for the good or bad, we will not be buying another expansion or anything for the store and will be returning the games for store credit (if you didn't do direct download that is..and even then there are some forms or recourse. Man I'm so gonna be banned for starting a riot, lol. If you are suddenly unable to reach me, find me at lajab--(internet connection suddenly dropped, muffled screams heard as she's dragged away)
And I accept your friend invite with pleasure!
Kendra
Hey hey now!! I'm a stock holder and I've never rushed them to release anything. Don't blame us stock holders. But now that you mention it, I do believe I got an email about voting for someone for something or other at EA..I think I'll take a look at that again. Perhaps some folk need fire'n over there.