So I'm on topic: I wouldn't take the forums as a barometer of feelings toward the game. For every one person that's stood here offering feedback, be it good or bad, there's probably three others who aren't.
There's no evidence that TS4 is doing badly, but rather the contrary. It seems a lack of an announcement for GP3 and the news that TS4 won't be at EA Play is a little too much for people and we're back to the doomsaying.
Originally people were angry at the silence they gave us when we knew they can announce paid content at any time. The doomsaying came later as a reason as to why they were silence xD
I have been reading the forums, comments, tweets, pretty much anything and everyone seems to be very negative about the future of The Sims.
Don't take what goes on here on the forums as proof of anything.
@Gruffman I do not actually think The Sims is doing bad, I know it grew two-thirds, but I start wondering about the future, and wondering "what if". And I keep seeing so much negativity. But that is true.. There are people are just going to be negative and that doesn't mean anything about a franchise
Well it does mean *something*. Generally people aren't 'negative' for the sake of it-they often have articulated very clear reasons why they feel disappointed in the hope the situation will improve for how they enjoy the product.
I really dislike the assumption that feedback that isn't praise equals negativity.
People who didn't care about the game wouldn't bother. They would drop the game and be unconcerned about the future of the game. The passion this community (whether from those who like TS4 to those who don't and everyone in between!) shows towards The Sims means that it's important to a great many people. That should be appreciated and cherished. That sort of passion and commitment is very valuable and very difficult to recapture if it's lost.
That is not what I meant lol. When I said "Doesn't mean anything" I meant that negativity is not a fact about the future of the game franchise. And just because people are negative does not mean that the game will be going downhill.
I know that the negativity does come from somewhere, and it is because people expect more.
To me it's easy to be negative or simply voice your opinions for what change you want through these forums and other social media sites. I do think it has massive impact on decision making for corporations. With social media growing companies in general have to figure out how to deal with it.. as they can't and never will be able to please everyone.
The Sims isn't a new game and has been through many iterations and changes there will always be people who feel left behind or disappointed that their dream for the franchise wasn't realized. That happened to me when 3 came out and maybe if I had had enough time or been more involved in online pursuits I would have added my voice to the disappointment at that time. I wasn't though. I am now, I just happen to like Sims 4.. maybe I won't like Sims 5 though, maybe I'll be here to talk about it if or when it comes out.
These companies... I would think go by profitability mostly. However, I'm sure they spend a lot of money and effort in defense and marketing also. This game has baggage now and will in the future with anything they choose to produce. Personally, I hope they continue to release the Sims in the future, but if becomes a pariah in the media or a brand name people love to hate .... it might not be worth the trade off eventually.
Honestly, I think there is too big of a grey area, to go one way or the other. You have to factor in the "new" and "future" Simmers. I have a 6th grader that has started getting into The Sims, plus he knows a few kids in his school, that play as well. I know a few former Sims players, who have kids in the tween/early teen age group, whose kids are now playing.
If anything, I think they will start catering to that group of players, over the current players.
I don't think they are from my personal accounting perspective. There are usually patterns that companies follow that land them into financial ruin. From what I've read so far about the EA reports, it doesn't sound like the Sims 4 is in the red. True there is a red flag going in the fact that the Sims 4 is the first Sims game not to show sales figures of all four games. But besides that it is sounding good. The player base growing by 2/3rds is very good news. So no they aren't going downhill but I don't think they are financially successful yet as with the other iterations. Still sounds like they are doing well financially compared to other gaming companies out there. I guess if I would describe the Sims 4 to a hill, I think they are plateauing financially. But that is based purely on my gut intuition. I did go to college and university studying bad business practices such as Tyco and Enron and WorldCom. There are some scary financial stories. SimCity sadly followed that story kind of which actually did well financially too by selling 2 million copies. The fear part of me doesn't want the same to happen to the Sims 4. The Sims 4 has roughly sold at least 2.8 million physical copies based on VGChartz results.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
Since you've been reading MORE than just the forums, like some stopped reading your comment at, I would say the game is doing average.
I don't go to many other sites, not twitter or facebook so I have no idea what they are saying. I can say, for me, the game is on hiatus. It's average and kinda boring so I'm waiting for something to get my attention and my gaming money.
So, discounting the highest praises and the lowest slams, the game is average... from reading these forums. *and yes to all you others, I don't take these forums as gospel or I'd have left them long ago as so many suggested.
*I can't say what the CEO/Board will say or do with it in the future.
Personally, I hope TS will be also in my old age; I play this game since I was ten years old. I can't imagine a year without expect a new EP or GP or SP. Despite complaints - not mine, I really enjoy play TS4, I can't wait for season, toddlers etc etc, but I can wait too - I think TS4 isn't a complete fail. I know, everyone of us wants something there isn't in the game yet - coffocoff toddlers coffcoff where is the rain? - but be patience, be with TS. I think someone lost the love for this game, and it's so sad. I understand, but I can't give up something that is with me since my childhood. I want more implementations, traits, careers, TODDLERS :neutral: (pliiiiis, they're so cute! With that graphics, it's a sin their absence...). Some people loves TS4, some people hates TS4. Some people loves chocolate ice-cream, some people doesn't and prefer vanilla or milkshake. I have faith and I'll be patience. I'll wait for every EP/GP/SP they'll release.
I don't know about it being great about the game growing by 2/3 in nearly 2 years after it's release.... After 2 expansions/ game packs and lots of updates and stuff packs,... with less Hate of the game out there and more Let's Plays, the game ONLY grew by 2/3s... or did I read it wrong? Has it grown by 2/3s in the last few moths?
*Woaaah... Are they counting sales of Expansions/Game packs/Stuffs in that growth? Have no idea but...
I have been reading the forums, comments, tweets, pretty much anything and everyone seems to be very negative about the future of The Sims.
Don't take what goes on here on the forums as proof of anything.
@Gruffman I do not actually think The Sims is doing bad, I know it grew two-thirds, but I start wondering about the future, and wondering "what if". And I keep seeing so much negativity. But that is true.. There are people are just going to be negative and that doesn't mean anything about a franchise
Well it does mean *something*. Generally people aren't 'negative' for the sake of it-they often have articulated very clear reasons why they feel disappointed in the hope the situation will improve for how they enjoy the product.
I really dislike the assumption that feedback that isn't praise equals negativity.
People who didn't care about the game wouldn't bother. They would drop the game and be unconcerned about the future of the game. The passion this community (whether from those who like TS4 to those who don't and everyone in between!) shows towards The Sims means that it's important to a great many people. That should be appreciated and cherished. That sort of passion and commitment is very valuable and very difficult to recapture if it's lost.
I'm curious, and maybe it's been asked before and I've forgotten, but how do you expect them to show that they (the devs) appreciate the passion and commitment that we simmers have? I've seen them say a whole lot of times that we all show great passion (and in most cases that they enjoy it) toward the game. What else can they do?
It would be nice to see a blog post addressing the situation that some customers feel that they aren't appreciated. Not unlike the posts prior to release. It wouldn't take a great deal of effort but I think it would be good for the community to put this 'hater'/ 'negative' mentality to bed.
It's a situation within the community that does nothing good for TS4. Frustrations coming out from all sorts of opinions and directed towards other customers doesn't exactly inspire confidence or a feeling of all feedback being valued. Some of the interviews have contributed to this feeling. I liked to see @SimGuruRyan come out and say he cares and to 'keep yelling at us online' because it felt like he 'got' it but since he left I've seen less of this.
I have had huge respect and love for Maxis for many years. There *is* a problem when people who were such strong supporters start to lose hope. What's sad is that people want to love so much even an acknowledgement that they cared about a poor experience so far for some customers would probably help their hope for the future.
EA have been trying to turn round their reputation for customer service. This would be a great opportunity to show a different approach.
the only problem is that every single reiteration of The Sims is so different that it attracted a completely different audience to each. And that audience does not necessarily like other games in the series.
Person A liked The sims 1 to 4
Person B likes The Sims 2 only
Person C likes The Sims 3 only
Person D likes The Sims 1 to 3
Person E likes The sims 4
Person F likes The Sims 4 and The Sims 2
The problem arises when people B to D want to change The Sims 4 to something that they like, because they hate what it currently is. "Well how is that a problem?" you may say. It's a problem when what B to D dislikes is what E and F specifically like. So yes, B to D are very passionate in hating, but at the same time if B to D was listened to E and F will be sitting here hating. The Sims is such a broad franchise that it can't possibly satisfy everyone.
I can only speak for MYSELF, not others, but I happen to like ALL the versions of Sims games. The differences would be the ORDER of how much I like them, and why. I own practically every single version of a Sims game that was ever made, for Nintendo DS, GC, Wii, PC. (except The Urbz, Sims 3 for Wii, and Spooky Stuff for Sims 4)
There are so many different things between them all, I find things I like in all of them.
There is no set equation for what people like, because there are too many variables. And I refuse to be lumped in with others.
I am ME, a person, not a statistic of "A, B, C, D, E, or F, etc."...
I don't know about it being great about the game growing by 2/3 in nearly 2 years after it's release.... After 2 expansions/ game packs and lots of updates and stuff packs,... with less Hate of the game out there and more Let's Plays, the game ONLY grew by 2/3s... or did I read it wrong? Has it grown by 2/3s in the last few moths?
The number refers to basegame sales over the period April 1, 2015 to March 30, 2016. So if, in its first 6 months (since September 4, 2014), the game sold, say, 3 million copies (I read something about 2.8 million physical sales, so I assume my 3 million is very low), then in that year it gained another 2 million basegame sales, pulling it to 5 million. So that's going from 3 million people who are your potential market for all those add-ons to 5 million people who are that potential add-on market.
I know in my own cultural industry, the bulk of product sales happen within the first few months of release (and before Christmas, which is why so many releases are in the fall - you get initial-release sales + Christmas sales increasing word of mouth at the same time), then they become slower and slower over time. I don't know the pattern for games, and the only data I can find is for console sales, but I would assume that it's somewhat true there also, and that the pace of continued growth described is at the very least normal if not above normal.
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EA/Maxis opened a Pandora Box with Sims 3 and closed it with Sims 4 and some agreed with it for various reasons and some did not again for various reasons. It happens in every game that has a predecessor you introduce features people become accustomed to them and then to take them away might cause unrest. Sims 4 is not just a different game for the sake of it, it was engineered for low end machines out of an lost opportunity. The unrest with Sims 4 will go on until the game ceases to be produced by EA/Maxis.
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I don't know about it being great about the game growing by 2/3 in nearly 2 years after it's release.... After 2 expansions/ game packs and lots of updates and stuff packs,... with less Hate of the game out there and more Let's Plays, the game ONLY grew by 2/3s... or did I read it wrong? Has it grown by 2/3s in the last few moths?
The number refers to basegame sales over the period April 1, 2015 to March 30, 2016. So if, in its first 6 months (since September 4, 2014), the game sold, say, 3 million copies (I read something about 2.8 million physical sales, so I assume my 3 million is very low), then in that year it gained another 2 million basegame sales, pulling it to 5 million. So that's going from 3 million people who are your potential market for all those add-ons to 5 million people who are that potential add-on market.
I know in my own cultural industry, the bulk of product sales happen within the first few months of release (and before Christmas, which is why so many releases are in the fall - you get initial-release sales + Christmas sales increasing word of mouth at the same time), then they become slower and slower over time. I don't know the pattern for games, and the only data I can find is for console sales, but I would assume that it's somewhat true there also, and that the pace of continued growth described is at the very least normal if not above normal.
Thank you for the information. I"ve not kept up with this version as much as the others.
i will say, this might have something to do with the release of content which the console games don't do- so, this series has always grown through the years of its life- from what I can understand of the Universe and everything.
I think I would be more concerned for TS5 if they even make it. I do think that EA is moving towards their other games. I also think if they do make a TS5 that it will be the on-line game that TS4 was supposed to be and they will then lose a lot of their fan-base. So I am really not optimistic that TS5 will be better or even close to what this is. People go on to different interests, and maybe it is time for EA to move on from the sims games. Almost all the packs are re-makes of other packs added to the other games, they add more content or a little something different, but they have in some form been in the other sims games.
I would be very surprised if TS5 is not an on-line only game, so I wonder when people want to have them scrap this game and go to TS5, why they think it will be a better game.
I was ready to give up half way through sims 3 as it was so buggy and glitched for me it was unplayable. Others love the game, so to each their own. My stock in EA is going up while others are going down, so I think it is safe to say that the company will stay, the sims I have my doubts, but hey!
It's not about 'changing TS4' to remove something from others. It's about everyone having the opportunity to respectfully ask for consideration for how they play.
changing is not always about removing. One example of a group currently not being considered right now would be those that would like a realistic game. Every time when a non optional supernatural gets added into their game, their wish to play gets diminished. The same way that those that didn't want to see toddler lifestange are being considered for right now, but the opposite people are not. Every time when something is added someone somewhere loses the wish to play because to them its game breaking, while a different part of the simmer player base rejoices.
It's perfectly possible for different types of players to support each other. It happens here every day. It is not the case that any change is to upset another player or that it would-and given that TS4 is described by Rachel Franklin as a 'live service' no one knows what's coming in the future and if things will continue as they have or change direction. Evidenced by players like @kremesch73 who was very happy with the game for a long while until multiple patches changed things so much that she began to enjoy the game less.
It is the responsibility of Maxis to decide and when the decisions are made its not the 'fault' of fellow customers either if they change something. Again Maxis make the decisions.
No one here gets to tell another user they can't give their feedback no matter how they feel about the game. It's in the rules. You get your say and others get theirs. It is how it works.
True. However we can safely assume that EA changes depending on what they consider a good investment. Good investment would indicate that the change will please the majority. No side, no matter the issue knows they're majority or minority. For that matter in some cases not even EA can know, because it is sometimes people who have bought the game versus those that didn't, and those that didn't might not buy even if a specific change is made. But from EA's perspective they have to broaden the player base.
Meaning, every side wants to appear to be the majority. A lot of the times who is majority or minority is decided for who yells the loudest. Meaning with all that passion in the air the forum eventually goes down in a direction that has nothing but arguing.
I had my concerns much earlier on after GTW but at this point it seems to be doing fine. They've just announced new teasers and the return of Live Plays and there's a kid's pack following this GP. It seems like some moves are being made to calm players angst and I think if a shut down were close they wouldn't be going to those extremes. (Shrug) who can say for sure BUT EA just released their fiscal info. Go check their stock, if the stock didn't plummet then they are doing fine and the information recently released HAS TO BE ACCURATE. No matter what a small town business may tell it's employees right before locking the doors, a MAJOR PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY has to be honest with their fiscal reports to shareholders or risk extremely stiff penalties. I think we have the Sims 4 for a good couple of more years.
I wouldn't exactly call a national department store that was open for 80 years and invented Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer for an ad campaign a 'small town business', but my point was, what we see in the paper and what they tell the employees is never the full story. I don't want to see them fail, I hope they are doing well. But just because they say they are doing well, does not mean that they are. A lot of the time the guys at the top don't let on how a company is really doing. Do you really think that if 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Fabrics (another national chain, around for about 50 years) knew they were about to go under, they would have build several new stores? That information is kept close until there is no choice to keep it a secret any more.
I wonder how separate the EA sections are? Does money from all the games go into one big pile? Or is DA money only for more DA stuff in the DA department? (Simplified, I know, but you see what I am saying?). Can they use money from say, the EA Nintendo games to develop more Sims stuff, or is it all independent? If it's all one big pile, I don't think we have anything to worry about. If it is separate, then I really don't know what the future of Sims will be.
I had my concerns much earlier on after GTW but at this point it seems to be doing fine. They've just announced new teasers and the return of Live Plays and there's a kid's pack following this GP. It seems like some moves are being made to calm players angst and I think if a shut down were close they wouldn't be going to those extremes. (Shrug) who can say for sure BUT EA just released their fiscal info. Go check their stock, if the stock didn't plummet then they are doing fine and the information recently released HAS TO BE ACCURATE. No matter what a small town business may tell it's employees right before locking the doors, a MAJOR PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY has to be honest with their fiscal reports to shareholders or risk extremely stiff penalties. I think we have the Sims 4 for a good couple of more years.
I wouldn't exactly call a national department store that was open for 80 years and invented Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer for an ad campaign a 'small town business', but my point was, what we see in the paper and what they tell the employees is never the full story. I don't want to see them fail, I hope they are doing well. But just because they say they are doing well, does not mean that they are. A lot of the time the guys at the top don't let on how a company is really doing. Do you really think that if 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Fabrics (another national chain, around for about 50 years) knew they were about to go under, they would have build several new stores? That information is kept close until there is no choice to keep it a secret any more.
I wonder how separate the EA sections are? Does money from all the games go into one big pile? Or is DA money only for more DA stuff in the DA department? (Simplified, I know, but you see what I am saying?). Can they use money from say, the EA Nintendo games to develop more Sims stuff, or is it all independent? If it's all one big pile, I don't think we have anything to worry about. If it is separate, then I really don't know what the future of Sims will be.
It's not about what they tell their employees but what they are telling their shareholders- that's what the fiscal report is for. It has to be accurate, which is not to say a company has never falsified those reports BUT should EA for whatever insane reason they might chose, chose to so then kiss them good-bye as a company. There is much MUCH more difference between a fiscal report to shareholders and what they do or don't tell employees at a store meeting on Sunday morning. Sorry, but I think EA's fiscal report is accurate and the Sims 4 is a solid producer at the moment.
I had my concerns much earlier on after GTW but at this point it seems to be doing fine. They've just announced new teasers and the return of Live Plays and there's a kid's pack following this GP. It seems like some moves are being made to calm players angst and I think if a shut down were close they wouldn't be going to those extremes. (Shrug) who can say for sure BUT EA just released their fiscal info. Go check their stock, if the stock didn't plummet then they are doing fine and the information recently released HAS TO BE ACCURATE. No matter what a small town business may tell it's employees right before locking the doors, a MAJOR PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY has to be honest with their fiscal reports to shareholders or risk extremely stiff penalties. I think we have the Sims 4 for a good couple of more years.
I wouldn't exactly call a national department store that was open for 80 years and invented Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer for an ad campaign a 'small town business', but my point was, what we see in the paper and what they tell the employees is never the full story. I don't want to see them fail, I hope they are doing well. But just because they say they are doing well, does not mean that they are. A lot of the time the guys at the top don't let on how a company is really doing. Do you really think that if 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Fabrics (another national chain, around for about 50 years) knew they were about to go under, they would have build several new stores? That information is kept close until there is no choice to keep it a secret any more.
I wonder how separate the EA sections are? Does money from all the games go into one big pile? Or is DA money only for more DA stuff in the DA department? (Simplified, I know, but you see what I am saying?). Can they use money from say, the EA Nintendo games to develop more Sims stuff, or is it all independent? If it's all one big pile, I don't think we have anything to worry about. If it is separate, then I really don't know what the future of Sims will be.
I had my concerns much earlier on after GTW but at this point it seems to be doing fine. They've just announced new teasers and the return of Live Plays and there's a kid's pack following this GP. It seems like some moves are being made to calm players angst and I think if a shut down were close they wouldn't be going to those extremes. (Shrug) who can say for sure BUT EA just released their fiscal info. Go check their stock, if the stock didn't plummet then they are doing fine and the information recently released HAS TO BE ACCURATE. No matter what a small town business may tell it's employees right before locking the doors, a MAJOR PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY has to be honest with their fiscal reports to shareholders or risk extremely stiff penalties. I think we have the Sims 4 for a good couple of more years.
I wouldn't exactly call a national department store that was open for 80 years and invented Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer for an ad campaign a 'small town business', but my point was, what we see in the paper and what they tell the employees is never the full story. I don't want to see them fail, I hope they are doing well. But just because they say they are doing well, does not mean that they are. A lot of the time the guys at the top don't let on how a company is really doing. Do you really think that if 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Fabrics (another national chain, around for about 50 years) knew they were about to go under, they would have build several new stores? That information is kept close until there is no choice to keep it a secret any more.
I wonder how separate the EA sections are? Does money from all the games go into one big pile? Or is DA money only for more DA stuff in the DA department? (Simplified, I know, but you see what I am saying?). Can they use money from say, the EA Nintendo games to develop more Sims stuff, or is it all independent? If it's all one big pile, I don't think we have anything to worry about. If it is separate, then I really don't know what the future of Sims will be.
It's not about what they tell their employees but what they are telling their shareholders- that's what the fiscal report is for. It has to be accurate, which is not to say a company has never falsified those reports BUT should EA for whatever insane reason they might chose, chose to so then kiss them good-bye as a company. There is much MUCH more difference between a fiscal report to shareholders and what they do or don't tell employees at a store meeting on Sunday morning. Sorry, but I think EA's fiscal report is accurate and the Sims 4 is a solid producer at the moment.
I think you are right, as a shareholder, I get good reports, meaning that my stock is going up and that they are fiscally stable.
I think one of the biggest problems of The Sims 4 is due to its large amount of missing features that were present in previous games. Okay, we know that this game has brought many new tools and features, even more than its predecessors in terms of original content, but in my point of view, the new features were not able to override the removal of so many other things. This weighed heavily in the eyes of a huge slice of players, card-carrying simmers or not. The absence of so many previous gaming features, some important and some not so, created a very negative impact that was reported by the press in general. It is not for nothing that the game score is low in many specialized sites, especially Metacritic, which has notes of users, who gave only 3.9 to the game.
Unfortunately, The Sims 4 suffers a lot with the saying: The first impression, is the last impression. For many people, even if the game receive all missing content, they will continue thinking that the game is incomplete. I'm not generalizing, many people will change your mind about the game in the future, but what I said above does not cease to be a truth too. It's a hard truth and a little ignorant, but it remains a truth, unfortunately.
I do not think, anyway, The Sims 3 has undergone part dark times by many people, at least not to the degree that the The Sims 4 suffer since its launch, accompanied by many controversies and statements seen as bad in some interviews. The Sims 3 was not seen as a revolutionary game by critics when it was released. But of course, the game drew praise due to the customization tool, open world, mechanics of personality traits among some other things, and above all, it was not seen as an incomplete game, with the lack of tools because all the original structure of The Sims 2 was still there.
For many people, the game is very well, thank you. For many others, the game is not all right, thank you. It is normal, people have different points of views, feel satisfied or not in different ways, and the game may or may not meet them in different ways, or simply not.
I get sad when some people who are satisfied with the game try to minimize or reduce the importance of the complaints of so many others. Do you know why? Because it is hypocritical to say that there's not a huge amount of people annoyed with the game. This we can see clearly in this forum, in international versions of this forum on social networks like Facebook or Twitter. In the comments made by users on fan sites around the world, especially those popular as SimsVIP or ModTheSims, comments on YouTube videos, Metacritic, and various and extensive reviews considered middling by critics. If not for the noise from fans and the press, perhaps we would not have the pools as soon as we can, just two months after the game was released.
So yes, all the dissatisfaction and noise made by those who are not happy with the game worth it. We are not screaming to see a worse game, we are screaming and complaining because we want something better. It is our right as a consumer and no one has the right to question or reduce it.
I wish, with all my heart that this year, the game brings many features that are missing and are lacking for many players. The game deserves, players deserve, and everyone will be winners at the end of the story, not just one part.
I think I would be more concerned for TS5 if they even make it. I do think that EA is moving towards their other games. I also think if they do make a TS5 that it will be the on-line game that TS4 was supposed to be and they will then lose a lot of their fan-base. So I am really not optimistic that TS5 will be better or even close to what this is. People go on to different interests, and maybe it is time for EA to move on from the sims games. Almost all the packs are re-makes of other packs added to the other games, they add more content or a little something different, but they have in some form been in the other sims games.
I would be very surprised if TS5 is not an on-line only game, so I wonder when people want to have them scrap this game and go to TS5, why they think it will be a better game.
I was ready to give up half way through sims 3 as it was so buggy and glitched for me it was unplayable. Others love the game, so to each their own. My stock in EA is going up while others are going down, so I think it is safe to say that the company will stay, the sims I have my doubts, but hey!
Yeah I hope they don't try the on-line only attempt again or if they do keep it to a side game title and don't infect the main series with it again. I'm scared the Sims 5 might be mobile only too and I wouldn't like that. Either I wouldn't like. I like my single player offline experience. I'm a deviant Simmer, so other people's Sims just wouldn't be safe with how much I like fire in the Sims games.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
It's not about 'changing TS4' to remove something from others. It's about everyone having the opportunity to respectfully ask for consideration for how they play.
changing is not always about removing. One example of a group currently not being considered right now would be those that would like a realistic game. Every time when a non optional supernatural gets added into their game, their wish to play gets diminished. The same way that those that didn't want to see toddler lifestange are being considered for right now, but the opposite people are not. Every time when something is added someone somewhere loses the wish to play because to them its game breaking, while a different part of the simmer player base rejoices.
It's perfectly possible for different types of players to support each other. It happens here every day. It is not the case that any change is to upset another player or that it would-and given that TS4 is described by Rachel Franklin as a 'live service' no one knows what's coming in the future and if things will continue as they have or change direction. Evidenced by players like @kremesch73 who was very happy with the game for a long while until multiple patches changed things so much that she began to enjoy the game less.
It is the responsibility of Maxis to decide and when the decisions are made its not the 'fault' of fellow customers either if they change something. Again Maxis make the decisions.
No one here gets to tell another user they can't give their feedback no matter how they feel about the game. It's in the rules. You get your say and others get theirs. It is how it works.
True. However we can safely assume that EA changes depending on what they consider a good investment. Good investment would indicate that the change will please the majority. No side, no matter the issue knows they're majority or minority. For that matter in some cases not even EA can know, because it is sometimes people who have bought the game versus those that didn't, and those that didn't might not buy even if a specific change is made. But from EA's perspective they have to broaden the player base.
Meaning, every side wants to appear to be the majority. A lot of the times who is majority or minority is decided for who yells the loudest. Meaning with all that passion in the air the forum eventually goes down in a direction that has nothing but arguing.
Agreed but I have never claimed to be a part of a majority? I don't think anyone would ever know that but it doesn't change that people want to have their say to attempt to show that investment in said area would be worth it. I believe it would but it's up to EA to decide that or not. We don't know if implementation of certain features would amount to throwing good money after bad in trying to rework the game to accommodate said features.
It's not the case that all realistic players can't stomach supernaturals etc being a part of the sims experience as am example-I think that's a simplification of a grey area. I play largely realistic games but I fully support those who enjoy supernaturals and wish for their implementation. I enjoy that the sims has a wide range of fans from different playstyles and often enjoy reading their stories or experiences even when they don't mirror things I don't enjoy.
There would be easy compromises should the team implement better choices in game. Even if it's the ability to tick boxes to prevent certain features occurring!
If you look at mods like MC the appetite is there from players to see that sort of ability to craft the sims game around their own enjoyment. It would be nice to see Maxis implement some (even basic) tool which does similar things for their players.
I think one of the biggest problems of The Sims 4 is due to its large amount of missing features that were present in previous games. Okay, we know that this game has brought many new tools and features, even more than its predecessors in terms of original content, but in my point of view, the new features were not able to override the removal of so many other things. This weighed heavily in the eyes of a huge slice of players, card-carrying simmers or not. The absence of so many previous gaming features, some important and some not so, created a very negative impact that was reported by the press in general. It is not for nothing that the game score is low in many specialized sites, especially Metacritic, which has notes of users, who gave only 3.9 to the game.
Unfortunately, The Sims 4 suffers a lot with the saying: The first impression, is the last impression. For many people, even if the game receive all missing content, they will continue thinking that the game is incomplete. I'm generalizing, many people will change your mind about the game in the future, but what I said above does not cease to be a truth too. It's a hard truth and a little ignorant, but it remains a truth, unfortunately.
I do not think, anyway, The Sims 3 has undergone part dark times by many people, at least not to the degree that the The Sims 4 suffer since its launch, accompanied by many controversies and statements seen as bad in some interviews. The Sims 3 was not seen as a revolutionary game by critics when it was released. But of course, the game drew praise due to the customization tool, open world, mechanics of personality traits among some other things, and above all, it was not seen as an incomplete game, with the lack of tools because all the original structure of The Sims 2 was still there.
For many people, the game is very well, thank you. For many others, the game is not all right, thank you. It is normal, people have different points of views, feel satisfied or not in different ways, and the game may or may not meet them in different ways, or simply not.
I get sad when some people who are satisfied with the game try to minimize or reduce the importance of the complaints of so many others. Do you know why? Because it is hypocritical to say that there is a huge amount of people annoyed with the game. This we can see clearly in this forum, in international versions of this forum on social networks like Facebook or Twitter. In the comments made by users on fan sites around the world, especially those popular as SimsVIP or ModTheSims, comments on YouTube videos, Metacritic, and various and extensive reviews considered middling by critics. If not for the noise from fans and the press, perhaps we would not have the pools as soon as we can, just two months after the game was released.
So yes, all the dissatisfaction and noise made by those who are not happy with the game worth it. We are not screaming to see a worse game, we are screaming and complaining because we want something better. It is our right as a consumer and no one has the right to question or reduce it.
I wish, with all my heart that this year, the game brings many features that are missing and are lacking for many players. The game deserves, players deserve, and everyone will be winners at the end of the story, not just one part.
Excellent post. I agree completely. The Sims 4 deserves the best quality it can receive and every Simmer deserves a fun game to play especially after 16 years of the franchise being around.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
Don't know why you have made this post when SimGuruDrake has stated sims are doing fine.
The Sims 4 is doing just fine. As many of you have noted from our financial report that The Sims 4 player base grew by nearly two-thirds in the fiscal year <<this is fact, not opinion (and before it gets asked: no I will not be providing any additional information that was not shared in our financial reports.)
It's not the case that all realistic players can't stomach supernaturals etc being a part of the sims experience as am example-I think that's a simplification of a grey area. I play largely realistic games but I fully support those who enjoy supernaturals and wish for their implementation. I enjoy that the sims has a wide range of fans from different playstyles and often enjoy reading their stories or experiences even when they don't mirror things I don't enjoy.
There would be easy compromises should the team implement better choices in game. Even if it's the ability to tick boxes to prevent certain features occurring!
If you look at mods like MC the appetite is there from players to see that sort of ability to craft the sims game around their own enjoyment. It would be nice to see Maxis implement some (even basic) tool which does similar things for their players.
I never claimed that it was about you specifically, it's more a note on the forums as a whole. People are fighting because they have very different visions of what their perfect Sims game should be like. Some support the game as it is, others say that a single feature can be gamebreaknig to them (I've seen a topic from people who can't stomach supernaturals at all, and seen a few about people not wanting the clown that we got in an update).
Because how different 2 is to 3, 3 is to 4 and how everyone wants to shape what 4 is, I think that could explain the negative press surrounding 4. There are still a few million people that are happily enjoying it. Sales reports from EA are still good. However the forums, the youtube, the facebook? Largely very negative.
I think The Sims has been on a downhill trajectory since The Sims 3. Then, I think they made the error of trying to give everyone every bit if eye candy anyone could possibly want -- open world, millions of colors, unlimited textures. In the process they turned away from those things that made The Sims 2 the best-selling game of all time in its day -- the ability to play and nurture a whole neighborhood and all its subneighborhoods and college campuses from the start of that installment of the game until the end. The fact that each EP (except WA and University) came with a unique "World" that could not be added to your existing game was an indication they were intentionally trying to destroy rotational play. "Hey! delete Sunset Valley and come play in Bridgeport! We have apartments!"
I toughed it out. Bought every dang EP as it came out, started a new game every six weeks when my "open world" irretrievably crashed to desktop, but I never loved it like TS2.
I wasn't even going to get TS4 for that reason but, without reading any of the pre-release news and rumors, it seemed to me they were returning to their roots and in The Sims and TS2.
But it soon became apparent, with features like the population limit, Sim-culling (a bad idea poorly executed), and now relationship culling, that EA has decided not to return the game to its roots but to squeeze The Sims down to a qausi-casual game that can fit on laptops.
It's a business decision. Maybe they're right; maybe there's more money to be made sellling party-packs and eye candy to casual games than they were making selling a deep, nuanced, intelligent life simulator to serious games.
I hope this was a mistake and they realize it, and that they reverse course with The Sims 5. I'll probably continue to buy TS4 EPs and GPs when they go on sale, and SPs if the whim hits me. The graphics and animations are the best of the series, but it's disappointing to me in almost every other aspect.
They have a tough job. Some things many people love about TS3 like open world and unlimited textures and colors seem to me to be among the things that broke the game. I really like the multitasking that's available now (though some of it is way overboard. "I meant finish eating and then go play horseshoes, not stand at the horseshoe with your plate in your hand .") but the extra load that comes with multitasking means they've sacrifice other interactions, like chatting or reading or daydreaming in bed, and given up on the idea of adding lounge chairs altogether.
But they also seem to have abdicated the job. I remember reading that they added a lot of eye candy because they had lots of FX animators with a list of visuals they wanted to add but not enough game developers to really flesh out the gameplay. Se we have trams no one can ride, cars no one can drive, boats no one can sail. The FX team may have wanted to do that stuff, but I don't think any longtime fans wanted that in place of a deep, immersive game.
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Ideas on how to improve babies.
That is not what I meant lol. When I said "Doesn't mean anything" I meant that negativity is not a fact about the future of the game franchise. And just because people are negative does not mean that the game will be going downhill.
I know that the negativity does come from somewhere, and it is because people expect more.
The Sims isn't a new game and has been through many iterations and changes there will always be people who feel left behind or disappointed that their dream for the franchise wasn't realized. That happened to me when 3 came out and maybe if I had had enough time or been more involved in online pursuits I would have added my voice to the disappointment at that time. I wasn't though. I am now, I just happen to like Sims 4.. maybe I won't like Sims 5 though, maybe I'll be here to talk about it if or when it comes out.
These companies... I would think go by profitability mostly. However, I'm sure they spend a lot of money and effort in defense and marketing also. This game has baggage now and will in the future with anything they choose to produce. Personally, I hope they continue to release the Sims in the future, but if becomes a pariah in the media or a brand name people love to hate .... it might not be worth the trade off eventually.
If anything, I think they will start catering to that group of players, over the current players.
I don't go to many other sites, not twitter or facebook so I have no idea what they are saying. I can say, for me, the game is on hiatus. It's average and kinda boring so I'm waiting for something to get my attention and my gaming money.
So, discounting the highest praises and the lowest slams, the game is average... from reading these forums. *and yes to all you others, I don't take these forums as gospel or I'd have left them long ago as so many suggested.
*I can't say what the CEO/Board will say or do with it in the future.
I think someone lost the love for this game, and it's so sad. I understand, but I can't give up something that is with me since my childhood.
I want more implementations, traits, careers, TODDLERS :neutral: (pliiiiis, they're so cute! With that graphics, it's a sin their absence...).
Some people loves TS4, some people hates TS4. Some people loves chocolate ice-cream, some people doesn't and prefer vanilla or milkshake.
I have faith and I'll be patience. I'll wait for every EP/GP/SP they'll release.
*Woaaah... Are they counting sales of Expansions/Game packs/Stuffs in that growth? Have no idea but...
It would be nice to see a blog post addressing the situation that some customers feel that they aren't appreciated. Not unlike the posts prior to release. It wouldn't take a great deal of effort but I think it would be good for the community to put this 'hater'/ 'negative' mentality to bed.
It's a situation within the community that does nothing good for TS4. Frustrations coming out from all sorts of opinions and directed towards other customers doesn't exactly inspire confidence or a feeling of all feedback being valued. Some of the interviews have contributed to this feeling. I liked to see @SimGuruRyan come out and say he cares and to 'keep yelling at us online' because it felt like he 'got' it but since he left I've seen less of this.
I have had huge respect and love for Maxis for many years. There *is* a problem when people who were such strong supporters start to lose hope. What's sad is that people want to love so much even an acknowledgement that they cared about a poor experience so far for some customers would probably help their hope for the future.
EA have been trying to turn round their reputation for customer service. This would be a great opportunity to show a different approach.
https://twitter.com/sparkfairy1
It wouldn't overshadow nor be overshadowed by anything because they're different genres/types.
The differences would be the ORDER of how much I like them, and why.
I own practically every single version of a Sims game that was ever made, for Nintendo DS, GC, Wii, PC.
(except The Urbz, Sims 3 for Wii, and Spooky Stuff for Sims 4)
There are so many different things between them all, I find things I like in all of them.
There is no set equation for what people like, because there are too many variables.
And I refuse to be lumped in with others.
I am ME, a person, not a statistic of "A, B, C, D, E, or F, etc."...
The number refers to basegame sales over the period April 1, 2015 to March 30, 2016. So if, in its first 6 months (since September 4, 2014), the game sold, say, 3 million copies (I read something about 2.8 million physical sales, so I assume my 3 million is very low), then in that year it gained another 2 million basegame sales, pulling it to 5 million. So that's going from 3 million people who are your potential market for all those add-ons to 5 million people who are that potential add-on market.
I know in my own cultural industry, the bulk of product sales happen within the first few months of release (and before Christmas, which is why so many releases are in the fall - you get initial-release sales + Christmas sales increasing word of mouth at the same time), then they become slower and slower over time. I don't know the pattern for games, and the only data I can find is for console sales, but I would assume that it's somewhat true there also, and that the pace of continued growth described is at the very least normal if not above normal.
Thank you for the information. I"ve not kept up with this version as much as the others.
i will say, this might have something to do with the release of content which the console games don't do- so, this series has always grown through the years of its life- from what I can understand of the Universe and everything.
I would be very surprised if TS5 is not an on-line only game, so I wonder when people want to have them scrap this game and go to TS5, why they think it will be a better game.
I was ready to give up half way through sims 3 as it was so buggy and glitched for me it was unplayable. Others love the game, so to each their own. My stock in EA is going up while others are going down, so I think it is safe to say that the company will stay, the sims I have my doubts, but hey!
changing is not always about removing. One example of a group currently not being considered right now would be those that would like a realistic game. Every time when a non optional supernatural gets added into their game, their wish to play gets diminished. The same way that those that didn't want to see toddler lifestange are being considered for right now, but the opposite people are not. Every time when something is added someone somewhere loses the wish to play because to them its game breaking, while a different part of the simmer player base rejoices.
True. However we can safely assume that EA changes depending on what they consider a good investment. Good investment would indicate that the change will please the majority. No side, no matter the issue knows they're majority or minority. For that matter in some cases not even EA can know, because it is sometimes people who have bought the game versus those that didn't, and those that didn't might not buy even if a specific change is made. But from EA's perspective they have to broaden the player base.
Meaning, every side wants to appear to be the majority. A lot of the times who is majority or minority is decided for who yells the loudest. Meaning with all that passion in the air the forum eventually goes down in a direction that has nothing but arguing.
It's not about what they tell their employees but what they are telling their shareholders- that's what the fiscal report is for. It has to be accurate, which is not to say a company has never falsified those reports BUT should EA for whatever insane reason they might chose, chose to so then kiss them good-bye as a company. There is much MUCH more difference between a fiscal report to shareholders and what they do or don't tell employees at a store meeting on Sunday morning. Sorry, but I think EA's fiscal report is accurate and the Sims 4 is a solid producer at the moment.
I think you are right, as a shareholder, I get good reports, meaning that my stock is going up and that they are fiscally stable.
Unfortunately, The Sims 4 suffers a lot with the saying: The first impression, is the last impression. For many people, even if the game receive all missing content, they will continue thinking that the game is incomplete. I'm not generalizing, many people will change your mind about the game in the future, but what I said above does not cease to be a truth too. It's a hard truth and a little ignorant, but it remains a truth, unfortunately.
I do not think, anyway, The Sims 3 has undergone part dark times by many people, at least not to the degree that the The Sims 4 suffer since its launch, accompanied by many controversies and statements seen as bad in some interviews. The Sims 3 was not seen as a revolutionary game by critics when it was released. But of course, the game drew praise due to the customization tool, open world, mechanics of personality traits among some other things, and above all, it was not seen as an incomplete game, with the lack of tools because all the original structure of The Sims 2 was still there.
For many people, the game is very well, thank you. For many others, the game is not all right, thank you. It is normal, people have different points of views, feel satisfied or not in different ways, and the game may or may not meet them in different ways, or simply not.
I get sad when some people who are satisfied with the game try to minimize or reduce the importance of the complaints of so many others. Do you know why? Because it is hypocritical to say that there's not a huge amount of people annoyed with the game. This we can see clearly in this forum, in international versions of this forum on social networks like Facebook or Twitter. In the comments made by users on fan sites around the world, especially those popular as SimsVIP or ModTheSims, comments on YouTube videos, Metacritic, and various and extensive reviews considered middling by critics. If not for the noise from fans and the press, perhaps we would not have the pools as soon as we can, just two months after the game was released.
So yes, all the dissatisfaction and noise made by those who are not happy with the game worth it. We are not screaming to see a worse game, we are screaming and complaining because we want something better. It is our right as a consumer and no one has the right to question or reduce it.
I wish, with all my heart that this year, the game brings many features that are missing and are lacking for many players. The game deserves, players deserve, and everyone will be winners at the end of the story, not just one part.
Agreed but I have never claimed to be a part of a majority? I don't think anyone would ever know that but it doesn't change that people want to have their say to attempt to show that investment in said area would be worth it. I believe it would but it's up to EA to decide that or not. We don't know if implementation of certain features would amount to throwing good money after bad in trying to rework the game to accommodate said features.
It's not the case that all realistic players can't stomach supernaturals etc being a part of the sims experience as am example-I think that's a simplification of a grey area. I play largely realistic games but I fully support those who enjoy supernaturals and wish for their implementation. I enjoy that the sims has a wide range of fans from different playstyles and often enjoy reading their stories or experiences even when they don't mirror things I don't enjoy.
There would be easy compromises should the team implement better choices in game. Even if it's the ability to tick boxes to prevent certain features occurring!
If you look at mods like MC the appetite is there from players to see that sort of ability to craft the sims game around their own enjoyment. It would be nice to see Maxis implement some (even basic) tool which does similar things for their players.
https://twitter.com/sparkfairy1
I never claimed that it was about you specifically, it's more a note on the forums as a whole. People are fighting because they have very different visions of what their perfect Sims game should be like. Some support the game as it is, others say that a single feature can be gamebreaknig to them (I've seen a topic from people who can't stomach supernaturals at all, and seen a few about people not wanting the clown that we got in an update).
Because how different 2 is to 3, 3 is to 4 and how everyone wants to shape what 4 is, I think that could explain the negative press surrounding 4. There are still a few million people that are happily enjoying it. Sales reports from EA are still good. However the forums, the youtube, the facebook? Largely very negative.
I toughed it out. Bought every dang EP as it came out, started a new game every six weeks when my "open world" irretrievably crashed to desktop, but I never loved it like TS2.
I wasn't even going to get TS4 for that reason but, without reading any of the pre-release news and rumors, it seemed to me they were returning to their roots and in The Sims and TS2.
But it soon became apparent, with features like the population limit, Sim-culling (a bad idea poorly executed), and now relationship culling, that EA has decided not to return the game to its roots but to squeeze The Sims down to a qausi-casual game that can fit on laptops.
It's a business decision. Maybe they're right; maybe there's more money to be made sellling party-packs and eye candy to casual games than they were making selling a deep, nuanced, intelligent life simulator to serious games.
I hope this was a mistake and they realize it, and that they reverse course with The Sims 5. I'll probably continue to buy TS4 EPs and GPs when they go on sale, and SPs if the whim hits me. The graphics and animations are the best of the series, but it's disappointing to me in almost every other aspect.
They have a tough job. Some things many people love about TS3 like open world and unlimited textures and colors seem to me to be among the things that broke the game. I really like the multitasking that's available now (though some of it is way overboard. "I meant finish eating and then go play horseshoes, not stand at the horseshoe with your plate in your hand .") but the extra load that comes with multitasking means they've sacrifice other interactions, like chatting or reading or daydreaming in bed, and given up on the idea of adding lounge chairs altogether.
But they also seem to have abdicated the job. I remember reading that they added a lot of eye candy because they had lots of FX animators with a list of visuals they wanted to add but not enough game developers to really flesh out the gameplay. Se we have trams no one can ride, cars no one can drive, boats no one can sail. The FX team may have wanted to do that stuff, but I don't think any longtime fans wanted that in place of a deep, immersive game.
Annette Thayer butts heads with the late Eric Lewis on her first day as steward.