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Why can't they tell us if toddlers are going to be in the game or not?
rshell193
Posts: 284 Member
I don't want any arguments here please. Just a simple question. It's been two years and all we really know is that they listen to us and they know most of us want toddlers back? Why can't they just tell us if we're getting them or not? Next thing you know, The Sims 5 will be coming out and we still have nothing about the toddlers.
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I mean really people think about what I said.
Side note: If the answer were no then I could definitely see a lot of the fan base dropping out for financially supporting the rest of TS4 cycle.
Apparently they're listening. I think that's a crock. Toddlers are either coming or not. It's a yes or no question if you ask me. With, maybe a "we are working on them but make no promises and will keep you updated with every step of the way." I can make peace with them not coming for a real reason. But I need a real reason. A legitimate reason. Not a load of waffle.
--T
ETA: typos are on fire this morning.
They must know after 2 years what they are capable of.
They are stringing it along as to keep a steady flow of cash, imagine if they said it wasn't possible the amount of people that'd stop playing or not buy the game.
It's clear that they aren't being as "honest" as they want to be.
It definitely feels like that are running in circles or have no idea how to proceed with the new system of sims.
clearly not a solid foundation from the start.
Sigh.
here's hoping the next iteration of the sims will be solid.
I hope they're working on toddlers somehow. I mean I know what it's like to have so much stuff going on and you can only focus on certain things but somewhere in my head I feel like maybe they have at least one tiny thing done for them. I don't know
I also feel that if toddlers were going to be in the game, we would heard from the developers about a year ago. They have been giving us game play and features that we've been asking for... but I'm guessing toddlers costs a lot more to develop rather than a locking door, a sad clown, a basement, and a neon-colored transparent sim.
I am just as bummed out as those who enjoy family play and must have toddlers to tell their stories. Also, if toddlers do come in the game I'm 100% positive their not going to give them to us for free. We would most likely pay for them and we already know the war that would go down within the community. They would have to release new objects tied to toddlers, new game play interactions between toddlers and the rest of the life stages, new CAS items, new animations... and knowing EA they want $40.00 a pop for our beloved toddlers.
I've stopped playing TS4 at the moment. I've been playing Planet Coaster and City Skylines, while flipping to The Sims 2 from time-to-time. But as for toddlers... it's been 2 years and still no answers... I just have a feeling we will never, ever, EVER... see toddlers in TS4.
I don't think I am going to buy the next Sims game if there is one. I was looking forward to the Sims 4 having everything (well not everything but the things you'd think would be in a base game for the Sims). Yes I did check what was in the game and not before I bought the Sims 4 but I figured they'd have the major things back already. And just a quick little thought I got. I feel like it's (Sims 4) downgraded or whatever. I was watching this funny moments thing of the Sims 2 earlier and the Sims 2 is WAY older and it was more to it!!! I mean I know it was the Sims Olympus at first but still. I'd rather go buy the Sims 3 again and a bunch of packs for that before the next Sims game.
The last official word we had on Todders was:
So...
* She knows we want news.
* She understands that we are frustrated.
* They are talking about toddlers in the studio every day.
* They are not ready/able to discuss them yet.
* They asked us to try and be patient.
Everything else is just speculation.
They also have said that there are laws and regulations regarding what they can and can't announce or talk about. I'm not 100% on the details of this but basically there are different rules for paid and free content, and regulations about when they announce something and how long they have to deliver that content.
I can also say that adding toddlers would be a HUGE task. Every single object that you'd expect a toddler to interact with would need new coding and animations. If toddlers can be picked up, they will need to look at multi-tasking. Not only will it be very time-consuming to make them, they could run into a multitude or issues that need addressing before they are ready to be released. Plus our own high expectations mean the pressure is on to get them absolutely right.
We don't know for sure what is going on at the studio. I'm as frustrated and impatient as anyone else here about toddlers. But if they can't tell us, they can't tell us. Throwing ourselves on the floor and having a tantrum isn't going to get us toddlers any faster, I'm afraid.
Oh I second this. I believe the direction they have taken this time has put me off.
Unless they really deliver. I have been a long time sims fan but as it stands I can't even play ts4 it does feel utterly rushed.
I had hoped after a few years they'd redeem themselves.
TS5 has to be amazing to make up for ts4.
That or another competitor should make a life/building simulation game.
Maybe that is what they need some serious competition.
That's why it is such a shame they didn't take/get the time needed to get toddlers right before launch. No matter how this pans out the 'toddler issue' is going to be remembered for a very long time and not in a good way.
“Instead of putting players in the role of Luke Skywalker, or Frodo Baggins, I'd rather put them in the role of George Lucas.”Will Wright.
XD hahahaha I was going off if what Drake said in that post. Like how they know we want toddlers back
I have a feeling that I'd they had delayed it again in 2014 to say January 2015 because they wanted to put the toddlers in there then people would have been like oh okay cool they're giving us toddlers. But then we would've started questioning why they weren't in it in the first place. Hopefully they now know that they probably lost a lot of customers and long time Sims fans because of not including toddlers too.
I don't think the silence has to do with sales, seeing as the game has already supposedly sold upwards of 5 million so that argument doesn't hold up in my opinion.
In comparison, SimCity's offline mode wasn't announced until it was in its beta testing stage. Until then, Maxis never alluded that they were developing it, just "exploring" it.
You know what? So what if it's a huge task! Are they not in the frikken game making business? Huge tasks are supposed to motivate them to better themselves. Not say they 'Can't do it'.
And if it is such a "huge task" (don't buy that crock for a second, not my fault they decided to remove them in the first place, only have themselves to blame if so) then tell us that. It's pretty simple. It's called communication for a reason and I'm tried off hearing only excuses.
If you can't make a good game don't make one. End of.
--T
ETA: I also want to address what you say about laws and regulations. I don't fully understand this (don't care to either) but it's not like the police are going to arrest anyone. As far as I know these 'rules' are made by EA. I know other game companies screaming their games from the rooftops without fear of 'laws'... Why is it JUST TS4 that have these rules? I want to know the deal with toddlers. Are they coming or not or are they being worked on? Talking about them in the office means NOTHING if there is no action. What are they physically doing about it. I want to know. Besides talking.
Whilst I agree it'd be a huge task. They have done it in the past with sims 3 and sims 2.
So they would have known how or at least had an idea how to do it.
if we look at it like this it all is an undertaking for them but they got it done in previous games.
I mean we don't even have legit real teenagers in ts4.
they are just copy and paste young adults - elders.
We had all life states in ts2-ts3 and there really should be no excuses.
It's ridiculous how we don't have all life states and yes I am throwing the other T (teenager) in as well.
I believe time management was.. no is an issue with this game.
back on topic just a solid "honest" answer to this issue would be good.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_us/discussion/comment/14732539/#Comment_14732539
@To7m @nasTdude yeah, adding any life stage to a game is a huge amount of work but after all that is part of being an adult and in paid work... you know... doing stuff at work that you're paid to do. It doesn't really factor in as a reason as to why content is missing. There are other factors at play here.
“Instead of putting players in the role of Luke Skywalker, or Frodo Baggins, I'd rather put them in the role of George Lucas.”Will Wright.
Well you would think that they whouldve just put them in in the first place. Cause either way they probably lost a lot of sales with not having toddlers. My friend bought the Sims 4 and saw there we're no toddlers and hasn't played it since. I thought they said toddlers were going to be in it anyways, didn't they?
(Dont take this as a sarcastic reply please)
I hadn't seen that one from Graham but Drake has said something vaguely similar
To be honest I don't think there's one straight answer, but a multitude of reasons why they don't say exactly what they're doing about them.
My personal belief is that:
a) They're not being worked on (please remember personal belief)
b) They don't know if they'll ever be worked on
c) Because if they ever do decide that they will work on them they then fall under their label of future content and can't be discussed.
d) If/when there's a final decision they'll let us know. Be it via directly saying so (a negative answer) or via the quarterly teasers.
Also they're stuck between a rock and a hard place. If you're in a business and you've got people who are playing and are happy, or at least not stuck on them, who say that a bunch of them will walk if they're forced on them (that is patched in) vs a bunch of people who say they might buy if they're added, how do you make the decision?
It was confirmed way before launch in an interview with SimGuruGraham I think, but during production things changed. Although later Rachel (last name escapes me... probably due to dancing-trauma) said in another interview that the decision to leave toddlers out was the best decision to date. (not exact quote).
It's all a bit vague as information is, well... not very transparent shall we say.
“Instead of putting players in the role of Luke Skywalker, or Frodo Baggins, I'd rather put them in the role of George Lucas.”Will Wright.
Toddlers are being worked on, and they will be a free update. EA cannot announce free content outside of its release quarter. We hate this but I think the reason makes sense, as explained in the long Q&A Gamescom thread: Say that today they announce "Guess what guys, toddlers WILL be in the game at some point, 100% guaranteed, and it will be a free patch to the base game, maybe two or three quarters from now!" A bunch of people then buy TS4 base game that quarter because there will be toddlers patched in at some point. However, those people are not just buying TS4 base game as is - they are buying "base game + expectations" about what will be added to it. That's where you run into the problems because people have bought a base game because of content that isn't actually in it yet, and so the sales of the basegame are connected to content that isn't actually in the game yet. (I think @luthienrising can explain it better than I can but she might be getting sick of explaining it, haha.)
Now, a lot of people are angry because they feel that they already bought "base game + expectations" when they got TS4 at launch with the promises of a strong foundation, dreams coming true, toddlers cuddling unicorns pooping rainbows yada yada yada. But since now we're talking about free updates to the base game (which TS4 does more often than a lot of other games), it's a different thing from the accounting POV so, as much as it is a plummy pile of plum sauce, it IS a different kettle of fish and IS bound by these restrictions.
I mean, if they're talking about toddlers every day at the studio, they're either a) working on them and planning to release them or b) working on them and still struggling to fit them into the game so don't actually know whether they'll be added.
@rshell193 to answer your question "I thought they said toddlers were going to be in it anyways, didn't they?" - there was an early statement that the game would include toddlers, and then they reneged on that between the first pre-orders and the base game launch.
ETA: The only way they could announce that toddlers were coming outside the quarter they're coming in is if they're going to be paid content.
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Wow. Okay I know like you said it's not the exact quote but how could that be the best decision? Did they ever think that they'd probably of sold more copies if they did have the toddlers in it? I feel like there's a huge like hole in the game now. But now I can't get over how taking out a major thing in the game can be the best decision for it....