Many a site has done a great job translating things from one language to another without needing to paraphrase. When you run a site it is important for you to report things as clearly and accurately as possible, this includes translations, regardless of whether it is fan run or is a big site like IGN - Polygon - etc.
As for your edit: I had nothing to do with the removal of the article as that is not my decision to make and I also had no part in the events in Europe. I made sure all of the people that I worked with for my Sims Camp event provided clear and concise disclosures for things (including any one on one interviews with members of the team --of which only 3 attendees requested 1:1 interviews-- and that we paid for their travel, food, and lodging) so they are very transparent with the community. We also had a producer round table led by Lyndsay and Grant along with several other members of the team.
I think it is fair to demand that the English sites use direct quotes only (currently English sites are posting a translation of the polish site, so it's English-Polish-English translation), however direct translation is impossible without at least some paraphrasing.
With your previous post as to why the article was misleading and closing a topic about it, it really seems like the translation errors were minor.
edit: to show what I mean:
1. doesn't matter the traveling statement is towards old, or new players, it's still reads as being offensive.
2. "can't afford it" no matter it refers to man hours, or money, is still "can't afford it". For one thing if there's enough money, you can get more man hours, in the fact that you can have multiple DLC teams, creating some time buffer for each other (let's say that two teams would be working to release a yearly expansion. Well if they're working at the same time, the second has an extra year of buffer time).
So if that was all that was phrased wrong, then the statements made by a developer don't read any better.
I think probably two, which would take us to 2018 and then maybe kick it goodbye with some stuff packs or the last Game Pack early 2019? Who knows.
I do have to point out, that Guru's strongly believe that TS4 is not on a timer. Meaning potentially we'll never get TS5. It will just die when TS4 becomes less profitable.
I think too there will be no Sims 5. Maybe they will create something else more mobile since they already did the merger between Maxis and the mobile division. Good for them.
Everything I post is an opinion here and I think every post of others is as well.
I think probably two, which would take us to 2018 and then maybe kick it goodbye with some stuff packs or the last Game Pack early 2019? Who knows.
I do have to point out, that Guru's strongly believe that TS4 is not on a timer. Meaning potentially we'll never get TS5. It will just die when TS4 becomes less profitable.
I think too there will be no Sims 5. Maybe they will create something else more mobile since they already did the merger between Maxis and the mobile division. Good for them.
Sadly I think this is the direction they are going. Instead of TS5 we will get TSFreeplay 2. Features will get slashed even further and micro-transactions out the whazoo. I hope not but my dreams for a TS5 seem to be pretty faint.
At the end of the day if communications are getting mixed up then it is up to the provider to correct the misinterpretations, not the consumer. Our part of the bargain is simply to fork the money over. If we can be convinced to that it. Nothing is a given in an environment of disgruntled consumers I'd imagine.
In this instance the provider was a fan site and it was their job to provide the responses in full not paraphrasing them for their convenience to avoid this very scenario.
Granted not everyone is going to like the answers we have to provide. People can shout at the top of their lungs that they think they are excuses, etc but they are our reality and there are many boundaries we have to work in. So yes, some things get cut in favor of other things that may be better for the overall pack - it isn't done because we "hate" the players or think they are "plum" or any other thing stated in threads like these.
Again, people may not like the answers we provide but they are provided just the same and if anyone has something constructive to add (even including their own ideas of how they would like to see something that was omitted be implemented in the future to favor all parties) then they are welcome to provide it. That can be done without insults to either the team or other members of the community.
I don't think people are angry about the interview more than they are angry about the shortcuts that are done to the packs. That interview is just a reminder to us that this game is not meant to be what it was supposed to be. It has the name Sims 4 but it is actually not. It went back to its root of being that online game which was cancelled.
Dear Drake, we don't need to shout, we don't need even to read the interviews whether they are represented fully as they were intended or misrepresented. It is shame that you guys are going after such small issues instead of looking into the bigger problem which is this game itself.
We, the players would not talk negatively about something if we didn't feel it is genuinely negative. I for example used to be very enthusiastic about this game. I am not anymore. I think this game has no present and no future. I truly think it is dying already and you know what is the worst thing about all this? That I have reached to a stage I actually want it to die because I am fed up from the players being treated as if they are kindergarten kids. The sims franchise has gone so much backwards beyond words. I know you will defend the game or the company since you are representing it, but that does not matter. I don't think even a miracle will change the mess this game is getting into with each pack.
Every pack that is released reminds us that this game does not belong to the franchise of The Sims and every pack that is being released confirms that TS4 days are numbered.
Everything I post is an opinion here and I think every post of others is as well.
Many a site has done a great job translating things from one language to another without needing to paraphrase. When you run a site it is important for you to report things as clearly and accurately as possible, this includes translations, regardless of whether it is fan run or is a big site like IGN - Polygon - etc.
As for your edit: I had nothing to do with the removal of the article as that is not my decision to make and I also had no part in the events in Europe. I made sure all of the people that I worked with for my Sims Camp event provided clear and concise disclosures for things (including any one on one interviews with members of the team --of which only 3 attendees requested 1:1 interviews-- and that we paid for their travel, food, and lodging) so they are very transparent with the community. We also had a producer round table led by Lyndsay and Grant along with several other members of the team.
I think it is fair to demand that the English sites use direct quotes only (currently English sites are posting a translation of the polish site, so it's English-Polish-English translation), however direct translation is impossible without at least some paraphrasing.
With your previous post as to why the article was misleading and closing a topic about it, it really seems like the translation errors were minor.
edit: to show what I mean:
1. doesn't matter the traveling statement is towards old, or new players, it's still reads as being offensive.
2. "can't afford it" no matter it refers to man hours, or money, is still "can't afford it". For one thing if there's enough money, you can get more man hours, in the fact that you can have multiple DLC teams, creating some time buffer for each other (let's say that two teams would be working to release a yearly expansion. Well if they're working at the same time, the second has an extra year of buffer time).
So if that was all that was phrased wrong, then the statements made by a developer don't read any better.
You may disagree with what I have to say but it still remains that when you get an interview - whether it is one on one or part of a larger roundtable with others - it is your responsibility to provide as accurate as possible information even with having to translate from one language to another along with provide disclosures on the type of interview done. If you need added clarity on something to make that translation easier you can always ask for additional context to a statement but you should never post an interview where you state what the question was and follow it up with "the person said this and this and this" rather than it being the actual given answer by the individual because then it is no longer the persons given statement it is just a bullet point list of things that stuck out to the one hearing the answer and should be disclosed as such.
After this post I will no longer be commenting on this topic as I feel I've said all I really can but to answer some of your final comments:
1. It is part of our development process and things we have to think about, no offense is - or ever was - intended.
2. Money cannot buy you more man hours, there is this preconceived notion that hiring more people will get things done quicker or provide you with extra content, it won't. The way we develop things now versus in the past is different because we've learned how to streamline the process so that all teams have a better work flow and are all developing content along side one another to make sure that each piece of content we release compliments one another. Our teams consist of EP, GP, SP, and Engagement which have all varying sizes within each team and each work to assist the other. Also there are times when certain tech needs to be built before things can even happen in another pack. There is a rhyme and reason to the dev process
At the end of the day if communications are getting mixed up then it is up to the provider to correct the misinterpretations, not the consumer. Our part of the bargain is simply to fork the money over. If we can be convinced to that it. Nothing is a given in an environment of disgruntled consumers I'd imagine.
In this instance the provider was a fan site and it was their job to provide the responses in full not paraphrasing them for their convenience to avoid this very scenario.
Granted not everyone is going to like the answers we have to provide. People can shout at the top of their lungs that they think they are excuses, etc but they are our reality and there are many boundaries we have to work in. So yes, some things get cut in favor of other things that may be better for the overall pack - it isn't done because we "hate" the players or think they are "plum" or any other thing stated in threads like these.
Again, people may not like the answers we provide but they are provided just the same and if anyone has something constructive to add (even including their own ideas of how they would like to see something that was omitted be implemented in the future to favor all parties) then they are welcome to provide it. That can be done without insults to either the team or other members of the community.
Oh very true @SimGuruDrake that people holding the interviews should be professional enough to NOT misquote, but if they do (and they will) it certainly does not fall on me to correct the masses. As far as I'm concerned if the person interviewed isn't willing to make the corrections due then it isn't anything to be concerned about. Someone just saying that 'this isn't what was said' while not providing me with an alternative is as useful as the first nonsensical interview. Which is not useful at all.
Funny how you always seem to quote me and then go on to mention things I never said. Lucky I've got a thick skin.
I'm a girl who likes to play with boys, what can I 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.
Money cannot buy you more man hours, there is this preconceived notion that hiring more people will get things done quicker or provide you with extra content, it won't.
/sigh I was trying to be understanding in my previous post, but continuing to press the issue further it seems now like you are just trying to blow smoke up our rears and at the same time leads back into that patronizing banter where there is this impression that we are all a bunch of babbling buffoons.
When we see the corner cutting, the stretched out timelines, and the lack of attention to detail its pretty obvious what the deal is. Its either that or the devs simply not caring about the product they put out, they look at issues and shrug their shoulders going "why bother". Personally I prefer to think that is not the case but there aren't a lot of other options.
When you don't have enough "man hours" to do animations yes getting more "man hours" on the job would in fact get you more animations. In the coding and design of the game that may not be the case, but with things like animations, art assets, etc. it certainly is. Trying to tell us its not is simply insulting our intelligence.
Like I said before I don't really blame Maxis for their lack of budget as I assume EA is in charge of those kind of things, but the constant trying to play us for fools is entirely on Maxis. You know what, much like Drake I think I'm simply done with this. TS4 isn't a good enough game to spend this much time and energy on. If they don't want to hear about how to improve the game, fine. I'll go back to TS3 and keep a wary eye out if we ever hear rumblings of a TS5.
At the end of the day if communications are getting mixed up then it is up to the provider to correct the misinterpretations, not the consumer. Our part of the bargain is simply to fork the money over. If we can be convinced to that it. Nothing is a given in an environment of disgruntled consumers I'd imagine.
In this instance the provider was a fan site and it was their job to provide the responses in full not paraphrasing them for their convenience to avoid this very scenario.
Granted not everyone is going to like the answers we have to provide. People can shout at the top of their lungs that they think they are excuses, etc but they are our reality and there are many boundaries we have to work in. So yes, some things get cut in favor of other things that may be better for the overall pack - it isn't done because we "hate" the players or think they are "plum" or any other thing stated in threads like these.
Again, people may not like the answers we provide but they are provided just the same and if anyone has something constructive to add (even including their own ideas of how they would like to see something that was omitted be implemented in the future to favor all parties) then they are welcome to provide it. That can be done without insults to either the team or other members of the community.
Oh very true @SimGuruDrake that people holding the interviews should be professional enough to NOT misquote, but if they do (and they will) it certainly does not fall on me to correct the masses. As far as I'm concerned if the person interviewed isn't willing to make the corrections due then it isn't anything to be concerned about. Someone just saying that 'this isn't what was said' while not providing me with an alternative is as useful as the first nonsensical interview. Which is not useful at all.
Funny how you always seem to quote me and then go on to mention things I never said. Lucky I've got a thick skin.
I should have clarified that the first part in bold was directed at you, the rest was just in general based on posted through out this thread.
Keep in mind that this is from English to Polish and then translated back to English from Polish so it doesn't read perfectly but they at least included full context of what was said.
I have no idea how they will work on The Sims 4 but I hated elevators in TS3. My sim would spend like 2 hours trying to get downstars for work or school and always be late. The less buggy things we get, the better.
Which of course didn't matter because the time clock started running as soon as you told your sim to go to work.
@SimGuruDrake that's ok. I'm not bothered but you know that as much as it is far from ideal... simgurus will undoubtedly be misquoted in the future. It just seems like it is part of the territory, you know? There isn't much else you can do apart from post the original interview or redaction or whatever.
I'm a girl who likes to play with boys, what can I 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.
At the end of the day if communications are getting mixed up then it is up to the provider to correct the misinterpretations, not the consumer. Our part of the bargain is simply to fork the money over. If we can be convinced to that it. Nothing is a given in an environment of disgruntled consumers I'd imagine.
In this instance the provider was a fan site and it was their job to provide the responses in full not paraphrasing them for their convenience to avoid this very scenario.
Granted not everyone is going to like the answers we have to provide. People can shout at the top of their lungs that they think they are excuses, etc but they are our reality and there are many boundaries we have to work in. So yes, some things get cut in favor of other things that may be better for the overall pack - it isn't done because we "hate" the players or think they are "plum" or any other thing stated in threads like these.
Again, people may not like the answers we provide but they are provided just the same and if anyone has something constructive to add (even including their own ideas of how they would like to see something that was omitted be implemented in the future to favor all parties) then they are welcome to provide it. That can be done without insults to either the team or other members of the community.
Oh very true @SimGuruDrake that people holding the interviews should be professional enough to NOT misquote, but if they do (and they will) it certainly does not fall on me to correct the masses. As far as I'm concerned if the person interviewed isn't willing to make the corrections due then it isn't anything to be concerned about. Someone just saying that 'this isn't what was said' while not providing me with an alternative is as useful as the first nonsensical interview. Which is not useful at all.
Funny how you always seem to quote me and then go on to mention things I never said. Lucky I've got a thick skin.
I should have clarified that the first part in bold was directed at you, the rest was just in general based on posted through out this thread.
Keep in mind that this is from English to Polish and then translated back to English from Polish so it doesn't read perfectly but they at least included full context of what was said.
It's not Polish, its Czech.
Edit: This transcription of the interview just pooped out on DotSim. Transcription is made by American, so I hope that its professional enough. An relax everyone, we are all here on the same side.
Do you plan on adding cars to the game?
That actually affects the game and we want to make sure it has a reason, it helps tell stories and has gameplay to it, and so it’s something we think about, but, I don’t know if and when we’ll do it. And just to follow up, I know this sounds like a typical producer answer type thing, but we’ve actually been thinking about things like that for years, and I know it seems to take forever for us to do stuff, we want to make sure that what we do is cool and its actually interesting. We don’t want to just add stuff to just to have it, we try to think through it and have a good reason to add it. Why are the animations with elevators so limited?
So, whenever we make a pack it always comes down to what we want to focus on, what we think we can do very well, and with the elevator, the elevator is actually one of the most complicated objects in The Sims 3, and it sort of scared us because one of the things is it has to both work with what we call shells which are the big structures in the buildings that we build stuff in, as well as it has to work with the build which is dynamic and the players can do it.
We have limited animation budget, and it was one of those things that we chose to spend our time on Karaoke, Video Games, and new interactions, and apartment situations, and we thought that that actually added game play that actually made it fun, that actually added stories, whereas that elevators…its basically stairs, and so yes we knew that people would ask this and some people would be disappointed, but we though that the other stuff would more than make up for it.
Basically my entire job is, we look at what you guys talk about on the boards, we hear from our international partners about what you want, and we come up with 50 ideas for a pack, and then we can only do like 10 of them. And so we have to cut and not do all the other stuff, but then we think about, well we can still do that later, maybe. And then we have to think about when can we do it, what does the community want. What’s the right pack to do it with, and so, most of my job is that disappointing thing of figuring out what we get now, what we can maybe get later, and it’s always having to pick and choose. It’s like picking your favorite child. Does this expansion work well with other games that have released?
So, first off obviously all the new stuff we add you can use for Get to Work so you can sell those new things, they work at retail. We have new club activities from Get Together, so we’re trying to make sure we have club activities for all of the different packs. We actually made the player lot traits what we call “carry forward” which means that the system will work in all packs, you don’t get all the content you only get some of the content, so if you get future or past games you can have those lot traits that you can apply to different things. Plus all the other things that are compatible, things like, groups so you can travel in groups and go to festivals together and do stuff together there. New interactions to make sure you can do those things together, the club activities. And then you’d be surprised how much time we spent on making sure ghosts can haunt everything, that the transformation ray can transform everything, that Aliens still work, and all those different things are compatible. Why has there been almost a year's time since the last expansion pack?
So in the past like with The Sims 3, we used to do two expansions at a time, and we…it’s been interesting…we as a team, like to have a little bit more time because it gives us time to try to polish, even just thinking more about the pack and not just developing it, but thinking more about it, doing more prototyping. Having more time to polish also means we don’t have to have so many people crunching all the time. It is a very interesting balance because we sometimes assume that people will get angry if we try to put out too much stuff but the sometimes people get angry if we don’t put out stuff fast enough. And we’re always trying to find the right mix to reach folks, but it has been really important in The Sims 4 that we make sure everything is really well supported, we want to release more polished packs, we’re trying to release more patches, and support the game with more content, and it seem crazy because most games end after just a few months but we’re two years on now. We’re going to keep going, we’re really trying to think about it and plan for the long term to make sure that it’s the right fit for the community and what you guys are looking for. So it’s weird because we’ve been doing it for so long, but we’re always learning new stuff to figure out what the market wants, what you guys want, and what’s the best way for us to develop it. I don’t have a good answer. Do you work from home?
I work, so I live in San Franciso, and every day I drive an hour South, it’s 24 miles, so I guess like 50 or 60 kilometers. It takes an hour because traffic is terrible, but I work in Redwood City and the whole team is there, it’s about 200 of us, and we’re making more stuff than we ever have before, cause we’re working on Game Packs, Stuff Packs, we have a patch team, and then we have the expansion pack team. Plus we have prototype teams for the next stuff, like, it’s always weird because in my head I have to think about things that are coming, that I’ve been working on in the past, and what I’m working on now, and what I’m going to be working on for the next two years. But yea, I work out of Redwood City at the main headquarters. How long was your flight to Poland?
It was, I believe, about 10 hours to go from San Francisco to Frankfurt, and then it was 2 hours to go from Frankfurt to Warsaw. It wasn’t too bad. You fly up and over. You’d think you would go straight, but you fly up and over, so it is the same distance between San Franciso and Frankfurt as it is from New York to Frankfurt. What is your favorite Sims game to play, and which was our favorite to make?
I liked Ambitions a lot because it was different. We had not done active careers at that time, and it was very fun to make. I worked on the interior designer, I got to work on the private eye…if you guys remember the private eye with the bushes and then he hides behind them when he‘s watching people and then birds fly out? That is actually a guy from San Francisco, he’s called “The World Famous Bushman”. He’s a guy…he actually dies I think…but he hangs out down by the wharf, and then when tourists are walking, they’re like *tootooodooo* and he jumps out of it and freaks them out, so we put him in the game. But to play, I always love Seasons and Generations. So you said you have been working on the team since Open for Business, how has the team evolved over the years?
It’s been really interesting because like I said, I started a month out of college and I used to be a text writer. My very first job was writing the text for The Sims, and doing feature production work which is like “early stuff”. Now I’m more focused on the high level things and I got lots of assistant producers that report to me, and so I’m the old guy now and I used to be the young guy. It’s interesting, we’re bigger now. I think some of our stuff can be more formal and that’s just do to the fact that we’re trying to get better about what we do. In the past sometimes we’d be a little wild wild west and kind of crazy.
It’s really interesting because the community has changed, the software has changed, and its also gone from…back on The Sims 2, a lot of the stuff was still for the first time as the first 3D game, and in The Sims 3 we did a lot of stuff like Ambitions or World Adventure that we had never done before. Now in The Sims 4, we’re trying to figure out ways that, like, we give people your favorite stuff – cause people want Late Night and Apartments and Seasons and Pets and all these crazy things – and we have to figure out how do I do this stuff in a way that’s new and special and not just the same thing.
If we do the same things, we’ll go crazy and then you guys will get mad at us for doing the same thing. Althought, some people want us to do the same thing.There’s so many times where there are several of us who have been there for 10+ years, and one of my animation friends who is our animation director, he started off as an animation junior guy, and then modelers and engineers and stuff, and we’ve been talking about The Sims for so long and “people peeing” and we have arguments about how to use the restroom all the time, or how to have babies, and it’s like these really weird arguments that you have with the designers that I have been having for like 10 years now about some of the weirdest stuff. It’s very strange.
Many a site has done a great job translating things from one language to another without needing to paraphrase. When you run a site it is important for you to report things as clearly and accurately as possible, this includes translations, regardless of whether it is fan run or is a big site like IGN - Polygon - etc.
As for your edit: I had nothing to do with the removal of the article as that is not my decision to make and I also had no part in the events in Europe. I made sure all of the people that I worked with for my Sims Camp event provided clear and concise disclosures for things (including any one on one interviews with members of the team --of which only 3 attendees requested 1:1 interviews-- and that we paid for their travel, food, and lodging) so they are very transparent with the community. We also had a producer round table led by Lyndsay and Grant along with several other members of the team.
I think it is fair to demand that the English sites use direct quotes only (currently English sites are posting a translation of the polish site, so it's English-Polish-English translation), however direct translation is impossible without at least some paraphrasing.
With your previous post as to why the article was misleading and closing a topic about it, it really seems like the translation errors were minor.
edit: to show what I mean:
1. doesn't matter the traveling statement is towards old, or new players, it's still reads as being offensive.
2. "can't afford it" no matter it refers to man hours, or money, is still "can't afford it". For one thing if there's enough money, you can get more man hours, in the fact that you can have multiple DLC teams, creating some time buffer for each other (let's say that two teams would be working to release a yearly expansion. Well if they're working at the same time, the second has an extra year of buffer time).
So if that was all that was phrased wrong, then the statements made by a developer don't read any better.
You may disagree with what I have to say but it still remains that when you get an interview - whether it is one on one or part of a larger roundtable with others - it is your responsibility to provide as accurate as possible information even with having to translate from one language to another along with provide disclosures on the type of interview done. If you need added clarity on something to make that translation easier you can always ask for additional context to a statement but you should never post an interview where you state what the question was and follow it up with "the person said this and this and this" rather than it being the actual given answer by the individual because then it is no longer the persons given statement it is just a bullet point list of things that stuck out to the one hearing the answer and should be disclosed as such.
After this post I will no longer be commenting on this topic as I feel I've said all I really can but to answer some of your final comments:
1. It is part of our development process and things we have to think about, no offense is - or ever was - intended.
2. Money cannot buy you more man hours, there is this preconceived notion that hiring more people will get things done quicker or provide you with extra content, it won't. The way we develop things now versus in the past is different because we've learned how to streamline the process so that all teams have a better work flow and are all developing content along side one another to make sure that each piece of content we release compliments one another. Our teams consist of EP, GP, SP, and Engagement which have all varying sizes within each team and each work to assist the other. Also there are times when certain tech needs to be built before things can even happen in another pack. There is a rhyme and reason to the dev process
***FOR THE RECORD I AM NOT ATTACKING YOU OR THE COMPANY.. I AM JUST DRAWING CONCLUSIONS BECAUSE THAT'S ALL I CAN DO WITHOUT STRAIGHT ANSWERS OR REASONABLE ONES***
I must note as well; EA/MAXIS is dealing with a VERY intuitive, highly intelligent, well informed audience who does their homework so you can't just tell us anything. I believe that is why most of us feel offended or put off by the answers we have been given.... WE'RE GAMERS for cryin out loud, and sims is not the only game we play. I would love it to be so great that it would be the only one I play. Anyhow, I digress. On with my conclusions
So what I conclude from your statement is EA/MAXIS work and time is in vain... Just because there are no other simulator games like sims doesn't mean there aren't way more complicated simulator games that are by the way (graphics, interaction, play, and the like) are blowing sims out of the water with what they have already provided 10x over.
In conclusion The Sims franchise can't keep up with today's tech because you don't have enough, time, people, and money/ or the ability to obtain advanced tech... I guess that means Sims 4 will be the last Sims game EA/MAXIS will ever produce. I'm fine with that.
However, if I am wrong. I'd like to see it actually happen in the future content in a timely fashion... Not a reply with words about how what i am saying has no basis...
I think it is fair to say until you can show me something better (proof of no time/money/people/how u make produce the product- and or I see in game the relevant changes in line with today's tech) I will take it as my conclusions are correct.
FYI, i would love to be wrong about what i have concluded. Although not great I play the sims games hoping for better content/gameplay in the future.
It sure tells a lot when packs that were released on a 6 month, consistent schedule are able to do more than packs released on a yearly schedule.
Props to Grant for being honest though. From what I've seen, EA is trying to hide the interview now.
The explanation @SimGuruDrake gave was that this was not an interview but a summary of what was said at a round table -- the text was not verbatim. Unfortunately, it's been treated as if it was actual quotation when it wasn't.
Either way, it seems like some are attacking Grant for being transparent and open. Really, over the span of time and especially through watching the last stream, it's become clear to me @SimGuruGrant is super passionate about the game, and cares a lot about it and its players.
At the end of the day if communications are getting mixed up then it is up to the provider to correct the misinterpretations, not the consumer. Our part of the bargain is simply to fork the money over. If we can be convinced to that it. Nothing is a given in an environment of disgruntled consumers I'd imagine.
In this instance the provider was a fan site and it was their job to provide the responses in full not paraphrasing them for their convenience to avoid this very scenario.
Granted not everyone is going to like the answers we have to provide. People can shout at the top of their lungs that they think they are excuses, etc but they are our reality and there are many boundaries we have to work in. So yes, some things get cut in favor of other things that may be better for the overall pack - it isn't done because we "hate" the players or think they are "plum" or any other thing stated in threads like these.
Again, people may not like the answers we provide but they are provided just the same and if anyone has something constructive to add (even including their own ideas of how they would like to see something that was omitted be implemented in the future to favor all parties) then they are welcome to provide it. That can be done without insults to either the team or other members of the community.
Also, just a suggestion, you may not want to waste your time commenting in posts like this... These are posts where we need/want proof, facts, and timely actions. Not being mean just saying if you can't offer anything different than what we have already read and heard a million times, feel free to read our opinions and don't feel obligated to post. We want what we want and if we are truly 1/18 of the simming world. I wouldn't waste time on us. (just sayin)
Grant it some people can be really mean on here and bullying should not be tolerated, but it is a forum... I can see how working for a company and people bashing it when you know the truth but you just can't divulge all of it could be frustrating. Don't be disturbed by our emotions (it's US who don't know what's really going on), the most I would suggest if you just have to say something is "things will get better guys" or " it may grow on you". I think you try to represent your company well and kudos for that. At the end of the day it's just a topic with some opinionated posts.
It sure tells a lot when packs that were released on a 6 month, consistent schedule are able to do more than packs released on a yearly schedule.
Props to Grant for being honest though. From what I've seen, EA is trying to hide the interview now.
The explanation @SimGuruDrake gave was that this was not an interview but a summary of what was said at a round table -- the text was not verbatim. Unfortunately, it's been treated as if it was actual quotation when it wasn't.
Either way, it seems like some are attacking Grant for being transparent and open. Really, over the span of time and especially through watching the last stream, it's become clear to me @SimGuruGrant is super passionate about the game, and cares a lot about it and its players.
I don't think that anyone is attacking @SimGuruGrant , I mean he is just a messenger. He seems nice and awesome and he don't deserve for anything of this fuss.
It sure tells a lot when packs that were released on a 6 month, consistent schedule are able to do more than packs released on a yearly schedule.
Props to Grant for being honest though. From what I've seen, EA is trying to hide the interview now.
The explanation @SimGuruDrake gave was that this was not an interview but a summary of what was said at a round table -- the text was not verbatim. Unfortunately, it's been treated as if it was actual quotation when it wasn't.
Either way, it seems like some are attacking Grant for being transparent and open. Really, over the span of time and especially through watching the last stream, it's become clear to me @SimGuruGrant is super passionate about the game, and cares a lot about it and its players.
I don't see it as people attacking the guru, merely just angry or disappointed that yet again the sims 4 hasn't met their expectations. That's why the 'real' interview doesn't really satisfy their concerns as the message is ultimately the same. Animations being left out that have been part of the game previously and nothing fantastic taking the place of the 'missing' elements.
Of course, it is all just opinion but good opinion sells games, right?
*typos
I'm a girl who likes to play with boys, what can I 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.
Money cannot buy you more man hours, there is this preconceived notion that hiring more people will get things done quicker or provide you with extra content, it won't.
/sigh I was trying to be understanding in my previous post, but continuing to press the issue further it seems now like you are just trying to blow smoke up our rears and at the same time leads back into that patronizing banter where there is this impression that we are all a bunch of babbling buffoons.
When we see the corner cutting, the stretched out timelines, and the lack of attention to detail its pretty obvious what the deal is. Its either that or the devs simply not caring about the product they put out, they look at issues and shrug their shoulders going "why bother". Personally I prefer to think that is not the case but there aren't a lot of other options.
When you don't have enough "man hours" to do animations yes getting more "man hours" on the job would in fact get you more animations. In the coding and design of the game that may not be the case, but with things like animations, art assets, etc. it certainly is. Trying to tell us its not is simply insulting our intelligence.
Like I said before I don't really blame Maxis for their lack of budget as I assume EA is in charge of those kind of things, but the constant trying to play us for fools is entirely on Maxis. You know what, much like Drake I think I'm simply done with this. TS4 isn't a good enough game to spend this much time and energy on. If they don't want to hear about how to improve the game, fine. I'll go back to TS3 and keep a wary eye out if we ever hear rumblings of a TS5.
Please do not make statements about what you think I think about the community as it could be misconstrued as fact when it is just your opinion. I find everyone to be very intelligent which is why I continue to encourage everyone to provide constructive criticism about content we release and future content they would like to see, but that doesn't mean that everyone knows everything and I believe that people should always be open to learning. None of what I state is done to be patronizing, I just don't believe in trying to sugar coat things as I prefer to be direct in my statements.
It is your personal opinion on what you see on the outside versus what is actually happening on the inside, and that is completely fine . This team is extremely passionate, they care about the player experience more than any team I have ever worked with, and they care about what everyone has to say. They don't make decisions lightly and they think through what the repercussions are going to be. This year at Sims Camp we had several members of the UI / UX team spend time watching and asking those attending questions about their experience, we had several concept artists and engineers visit, members of QA - Marketing - Video - and even the Origin team came to engage with everyone there. It was a great experience for them because most don't get to engage with members of the community unless they are SimGurus and they were really excited about the opportunity to get to speak with people who were getting their first hands on with the EP. Its one thing to read feedback online but it's another to have people in person where you can have back and forth conversation in real time.
As for the man hours thing: When you have a set amount of hours for content adding another body doesn't mean more hours get added on, you stay at the same hours you had before you just have one extra pair of hands. They may end up being tasked with helping to polish, to help do testing, etc. It doesn't mean that the new body will be given a whole new thing to do on their own.
Isn't this coming from the same guru with the famous quote "THINGS CHANGE"?
So what is the point whether the article is the same or a misquote or a misquote due to translation? The intention is the same, the reply is the same and the end result is the same.
Did Grant say something is white and he was misquoted of saying black? Nope, we already know the answers of "too expensive" "we cannot talk about future content" "you are getting free content" and the article has covered all the answers which are no new news!
I see no problem here
Post edited by halimali1980 on
Everything I post is an opinion here and I think every post of others is as well.
At the end of the day if communications are getting mixed up then it is up to the provider to correct the misinterpretations, not the consumer. Our part of the bargain is simply to fork the money over. If we can be convinced to that it. Nothing is a given in an environment of disgruntled consumers I'd imagine.
In this instance the provider was a fan site and it was their job to provide the responses in full not paraphrasing them for their convenience to avoid this very scenario.
Granted not everyone is going to like the answers we have to provide. People can shout at the top of their lungs that they think they are excuses, etc but they are our reality and there are many boundaries we have to work in. So yes, some things get cut in favor of other things that may be better for the overall pack - it isn't done because we "hate" the players or think they are "plum" or any other thing stated in threads like these.
Again, people may not like the answers we provide but they are provided just the same and if anyone has something constructive to add (even including their own ideas of how they would like to see something that was omitted be implemented in the future to favor all parties) then they are welcome to provide it. That can be done without insults to either the team or other members of the community.
Also, just a suggestion, you may not want to waste your time commenting in posts like this... These are posts where we need/want proof, facts, and timely actions. Not being mean just saying if you can't offer anything different than what we have already read and heard a million times, feel free to read our opinions and don't feel obligated to post. We want what we want and if we are truly 1/18 of the simming world. I wouldn't waste time on us. (just sayin)
Grant it some people can be really mean on here and bullying should not be tolerated, but it is a forum... I can see how working for a company and people bashing it when you know the truth but you just can't divulge all of it could be frustrating. Don't be disturbed by our emotions (it's US who don't know what's really going on), the most I would suggest if you just have to say something is "things will get better guys" or " it may grow on you". I think you try to represent your company well and kudos for that. At the end of the day it's just a topic with some opinionated posts.
I don't see posting here as a waste of my time While I do have limited hours in my day to engage I do find it worth my time to do so. If I wasn't to respond to anyone simply because I might be repeating things for some it would mean you would never hear anything from any of us until an announcement. The forums are part of my job and when I think something needs to have extra clarity or comment or even reminders for people to not be rude to one another I will step in and do my job.
I do think people will enjoy the EP once they get their hands on it and give it a shot. We have done our best to communicate as much as we can about the content (and we really did our best to be extremely informative and transparent with this pack) so you can be very informed about what it has to offer including making sure we got as many varied individuals to give you their early hand's on coverage and even having embargo lift the day before the EP comes out to make sure you can see live streams and full deep dives before you purchase.
Also opinionated posts are fine, posts with accusations / attacks / name calling are not. Anyone can, and should, provide their thoughts / feedback / criticisms / opinions without resorting to name calling / accusations / attacks
At the end of the day if communications are getting mixed up then it is up to the provider to correct the misinterpretations, not the consumer. Our part of the bargain is simply to fork the money over. If we can be convinced to that it. Nothing is a given in an environment of disgruntled consumers I'd imagine.
In this instance the provider was a fan site and it was their job to provide the responses in full not paraphrasing them for their convenience to avoid this very scenario.
Granted not everyone is going to like the answers we have to provide. People can shout at the top of their lungs that they think they are excuses, etc but they are our reality and there are many boundaries we have to work in. So yes, some things get cut in favor of other things that may be better for the overall pack - it isn't done because we "hate" the players or think they are "plum" or any other thing stated in threads like these.
Again, people may not like the answers we provide but they are provided just the same and if anyone has something constructive to add (even including their own ideas of how they would like to see something that was omitted be implemented in the future to favor all parties) then they are welcome to provide it. That can be done without insults to either the team or other members of the community.
Also, just a suggestion, you may not want to waste your time commenting in posts like this... These are posts where we need/want proof, facts, and timely actions. Not being mean just saying if you can't offer anything different than what we have already read and heard a million times, feel free to read our opinions and don't feel obligated to post. We want what we want and if we are truly 1/18 of the simming world. I wouldn't waste time on us. (just sayin)
Grant it some people can be really mean on here and bullying should not be tolerated, but it is a forum... I can see how working for a company and people bashing it when you know the truth but you just can't divulge all of it could be frustrating. Don't be disturbed by our emotions (it's US who don't know what's really going on), the most I would suggest if you just have to say something is "things will get better guys" or " it may grow on you". I think you try to represent your company well and kudos for that. At the end of the day it's just a topic with some opinionated posts.
I don't see posting here as a waste of my time While I do have limited hours in my day to engage I do find it worth my time to do so. If I wasn't to respond to anyone simply because I might be repeating things for some it would mean you would never hear anything from any of us until an announcement. The forums are part of my job and when I think something needs to have extra clarity or comment or even reminders for people to not be rude to one another I will step in and do my job.
I do think people will enjoy the EP once they get their hands on it and give it a shot. We have done our best to communicate as much as we can about the content (and we really did our best to be extremely informative and transparent with this pack) so you can be very informed about what it has to offer including making sure we got as many varied individuals to give you their early hand's on coverage and even having embargo lift the day before the EP comes out to make sure you can see live streams and full deep dives before you purchase.
Also opinionated posts are fine, posts with accusations / attacks / name calling are not. Anyone can, and should, provide their thoughts / feedback / criticisms / opinions without resorting to name calling / accusations / attacks
Well said and my apologies, I didn't know forums were apart of your job... Glad you like to engage... Man, I bet that it's hard tryna determine what's an accusation and an opinion though. I guess it really doesn't matter; whatever you think it is will be how you address it.
And yes you guys have been very informative, almost a little over kill on this one LOL!!! Just not what some of us wanna know and here. Anyhow, I know you guys try but we like what we like and want what we want. At the end of the day it seems EA/MAXIS has their work cut out for them as demanding as most of us are. I'm sure as the saying goes if we don't like it we can go elsewhere. Thanks for your reply! Insightful
I know I said I've gone back to lurking on this forum but this has been such an interesting conversation. So at the risk of "casting aspersions" (Seriously? Who even says that?) again, I just have this to say:
(And I'm gonna preface this by saying it's not directed at any one specific guru, but rather Maxis as a whole)
Actions speak louder than words. You can't just say that you're "listening" and that you "hear us" for the past two years but not prove it (or prove it in a way that makes it seem like you have selective hearing). You can't claim to respect and understand the community and then make statements that sound more like you're talking down to them and don't even come close to answering their questions. You can't say you're giving it all you've got with a game and then mess up things that you darn near perfected over ten years ago (and I'm not just talking about apartments and elevators) on an engine that you swear up and down is outdated and wouldn't work anymore.
You guys say you're passionate now. You were also passionate about TS3 but now you never pass up a chance to mention its shortcomings (the ones you used to pretend didn't exist) when comparing it to TS4. So you'll have to excuse me if I feel like some (not all) of the passion is a little fabricated. Because I feel like you're gonna end up throwing this game under the bus when/if TS5 becomes a thing.
There is a reason why there's so much unrest between the community and the developers; the community and your chosen Youtubers; and worst of all, just the community. It started with TS3 (a game that I've come to appreciate a lot more in the past two years) but this current installment is what really made things come to a head, and it only gets worse with each bit of news released about it. Again, it comes back to the actions not really reflecting what's being said. When I play TS4, I don't see a bad game. There are actually quite a few good things about it. The problem is, in comparison to what came before it, it just feels like there's such a lack of spirit and passion from the developers and the community. A lack of freedom and ingenuity. And just an overall lack of caring. It's not a bad game but, as far as Sims games go, it feels like the absolute bare minimum needed to make it good. Like when you don't feel like working on a school assignment and decide to just do enough to get a C-. You still pass but only by the skin of your teeth. And that's why, even though I don't hate this game and enjoy playing it sometimes, I've decided I can't financially support it anymore. At least not until I feel like there are changes being made for the better.
I highly suggest that you all check out LGR's recent review of the game as a whole and really think about the direction it's currently going in.
and it seem crazy because most games end after just a few months but we’re two years on now.
It's so ridiculous, I can't. What major games from big companies like EA 'end after just a few months'? Especially if/when they have such a long history. Moreover, it's 'two years on now' just because The Sims can't exist without new packs for a long time. What other huge games are as expansive as TS3 with all the packs (and Store items)? I doubt there are 5 at least. This is how you get money, this is how The Sims lives. Grant said it like he just started working on the game and knows nothing about the game industry. Ridiculous.
Also people are very loyal and dedicated to certain people/things and don't realise when they are wrong and even if they are they will stick up for them because they're loyal like that if what I'm saying make sense?! Okay I'm outta here
Comments
I think it is fair to demand that the English sites use direct quotes only (currently English sites are posting a translation of the polish site, so it's English-Polish-English translation), however direct translation is impossible without at least some paraphrasing.
With your previous post as to why the article was misleading and closing a topic about it, it really seems like the translation errors were minor.
edit: to show what I mean:
1. doesn't matter the traveling statement is towards old, or new players, it's still reads as being offensive.
2. "can't afford it" no matter it refers to man hours, or money, is still "can't afford it". For one thing if there's enough money, you can get more man hours, in the fact that you can have multiple DLC teams, creating some time buffer for each other (let's say that two teams would be working to release a yearly expansion. Well if they're working at the same time, the second has an extra year of buffer time).
So if that was all that was phrased wrong, then the statements made by a developer don't read any better.
I think too there will be no Sims 5. Maybe they will create something else more mobile since they already did the merger between Maxis and the mobile division. Good for them.
Sadly I think this is the direction they are going. Instead of TS5 we will get TSFreeplay 2. Features will get slashed even further and micro-transactions out the whazoo. I hope not but my dreams for a TS5 seem to be pretty faint.
I don't think people are angry about the interview more than they are angry about the shortcuts that are done to the packs. That interview is just a reminder to us that this game is not meant to be what it was supposed to be. It has the name Sims 4 but it is actually not. It went back to its root of being that online game which was cancelled.
Dear Drake, we don't need to shout, we don't need even to read the interviews whether they are represented fully as they were intended or misrepresented. It is shame that you guys are going after such small issues instead of looking into the bigger problem which is this game itself.
We, the players would not talk negatively about something if we didn't feel it is genuinely negative. I for example used to be very enthusiastic about this game. I am not anymore. I think this game has no present and no future. I truly think it is dying already and you know what is the worst thing about all this? That I have reached to a stage I actually want it to die because I am fed up from the players being treated as if they are kindergarten kids. The sims franchise has gone so much backwards beyond words. I know you will defend the game or the company since you are representing it, but that does not matter. I don't think even a miracle will change the mess this game is getting into with each pack.
Every pack that is released reminds us that this game does not belong to the franchise of The Sims and every pack that is being released confirms that TS4 days are numbered.
You may disagree with what I have to say but it still remains that when you get an interview - whether it is one on one or part of a larger roundtable with others - it is your responsibility to provide as accurate as possible information even with having to translate from one language to another along with provide disclosures on the type of interview done. If you need added clarity on something to make that translation easier you can always ask for additional context to a statement but you should never post an interview where you state what the question was and follow it up with "the person said this and this and this" rather than it being the actual given answer by the individual because then it is no longer the persons given statement it is just a bullet point list of things that stuck out to the one hearing the answer and should be disclosed as such.
After this post I will no longer be commenting on this topic as I feel I've said all I really can but to answer some of your final comments:
1. It is part of our development process and things we have to think about, no offense is - or ever was - intended.
2. Money cannot buy you more man hours, there is this preconceived notion that hiring more people will get things done quicker or provide you with extra content, it won't. The way we develop things now versus in the past is different because we've learned how to streamline the process so that all teams have a better work flow and are all developing content along side one another to make sure that each piece of content we release compliments one another. Our teams consist of EP, GP, SP, and Engagement which have all varying sizes within each team and each work to assist the other. Also there are times when certain tech needs to be built before things can even happen in another pack. There is a rhyme and reason to the dev process
Oh very true @SimGuruDrake that people holding the interviews should be professional enough to NOT misquote, but if they do (and they will) it certainly does not fall on me to correct the masses. As far as I'm concerned if the person interviewed isn't willing to make the corrections due then it isn't anything to be concerned about. Someone just saying that 'this isn't what was said' while not providing me with an alternative is as useful as the first nonsensical interview. Which is not useful at all.
Funny how you always seem to quote me and then go on to mention things I never said.
“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.
/sigh I was trying to be understanding in my previous post, but continuing to press the issue further it seems now like you are just trying to blow smoke up our rears and at the same time leads back into that patronizing banter where there is this impression that we are all a bunch of babbling buffoons.
When we see the corner cutting, the stretched out timelines, and the lack of attention to detail its pretty obvious what the deal is. Its either that or the devs simply not caring about the product they put out, they look at issues and shrug their shoulders going "why bother". Personally I prefer to think that is not the case but there aren't a lot of other options.
When you don't have enough "man hours" to do animations yes getting more "man hours" on the job would in fact get you more animations. In the coding and design of the game that may not be the case, but with things like animations, art assets, etc. it certainly is. Trying to tell us its not is simply insulting our intelligence.
Like I said before I don't really blame Maxis for their lack of budget as I assume EA is in charge of those kind of things, but the constant trying to play us for fools is entirely on Maxis. You know what, much like Drake I think I'm simply done with this. TS4 isn't a good enough game to spend this much time and energy on. If they don't want to hear about how to improve the game, fine. I'll go back to TS3 and keep a wary eye out if we ever hear rumblings of a TS5.
I should have clarified that the first part in bold was directed at you, the rest was just in general based on posted through out this thread.
Also, for clarity sake, here is an interview done by someone who used as accurate as possible statements provided by Grant in that round table: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdefifreakyboo.blogspot.ba%2F2016%2F10%2Frozhovor-s-grantem-rodiekem-producentem.html&sandbox=1
Keep in mind that this is from English to Polish and then translated back to English from Polish so it doesn't read perfectly but they at least included full context of what was said.
“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.
It's not Polish, its Czech.
Edit: This transcription of the interview just pooped out on DotSim. Transcription is made by American, so I hope that its professional enough. An relax everyone, we are all here on the same side.
***FOR THE RECORD I AM NOT ATTACKING YOU OR THE COMPANY.. I AM JUST DRAWING CONCLUSIONS BECAUSE THAT'S ALL I CAN DO WITHOUT STRAIGHT ANSWERS OR REASONABLE ONES***
I must note as well; EA/MAXIS is dealing with a VERY intuitive, highly intelligent, well informed audience who does their homework so you can't just tell us anything. I believe that is why most of us feel offended or put off by the answers we have been given.... WE'RE GAMERS for cryin out loud, and sims is not the only game we play. I would love it to be so great that it would be the only one I play. Anyhow, I digress. On with my conclusions
So what I conclude from your statement is EA/MAXIS work and time is in vain... Just because there are no other simulator games like sims doesn't mean there aren't way more complicated simulator games that are by the way (graphics, interaction, play, and the like) are blowing sims out of the water with what they have already provided 10x over.
In conclusion The Sims franchise can't keep up with today's tech because you don't have enough, time, people, and money/ or the ability to obtain advanced tech... I guess that means Sims 4 will be the last Sims game EA/MAXIS will ever produce. I'm fine with that.
However, if I am wrong. I'd like to see it actually happen in the future content in a timely fashion... Not a reply with words about how what i am saying has no basis...
I think it is fair to say until you can show me something better (proof of no time/money/people/how u make produce the product- and or I see in game the relevant changes in line with today's tech) I will take it as my conclusions are correct.
FYI, i would love to be wrong about what i have concluded. Although not great I play the sims games hoping for better content/gameplay in the future.
@luthienrising Ah, okay, I see.
Either way, it seems like some are attacking Grant for being transparent and open. Really, over the span of time and especially through watching the last stream, it's become clear to me @SimGuruGrant is super passionate about the game, and cares a lot about it and its players.
Also, just a suggestion, you may not want to waste your time commenting in posts like this... These are posts where we need/want proof, facts, and timely actions. Not being mean just saying if you can't offer anything different than what we have already read and heard a million times, feel free to read our opinions and don't feel obligated to post. We want what we want and if we are truly 1/18 of the simming world. I wouldn't waste time on us. (just sayin)
Grant it some people can be really mean on here and bullying should not be tolerated, but it is a forum... I can see how working for a company and people bashing it when you know the truth but you just can't divulge all of it could be frustrating. Don't be disturbed by our emotions (it's US who don't know what's really going on), the most I would suggest if you just have to say something is "things will get better guys" or " it may grow on you". I think you try to represent your company well and kudos for that. At the end of the day it's just a topic with some opinionated posts.
I don't think that anyone is attacking @SimGuruGrant , I mean he is just a messenger.
I don't see it as people attacking the guru, merely just angry or disappointed that yet again the sims 4 hasn't met their expectations. That's why the 'real' interview doesn't really satisfy their concerns as the message is ultimately the same. Animations being left out that have been part of the game previously and nothing fantastic taking the place of the 'missing' elements.
Of course, it is all just opinion but good opinion sells games, right?
*typos
“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.
Please do not make statements about what you think I think about the community as it could be misconstrued as fact when it is just your opinion. I find everyone to be very intelligent which is why I continue to encourage everyone to provide constructive criticism about content we release and future content they would like to see, but that doesn't mean that everyone knows everything and I believe that people should always be open to learning. None of what I state is done to be patronizing, I just don't believe in trying to sugar coat things as I prefer to be direct in my statements.
It is your personal opinion on what you see on the outside versus what is actually happening on the inside, and that is completely fine
As for the man hours thing: When you have a set amount of hours for content adding another body doesn't mean more hours get added on, you stay at the same hours you had before you just have one extra pair of hands. They may end up being tasked with helping to polish, to help do testing, etc. It doesn't mean that the new body will be given a whole new thing to do on their own.
So what is the point whether the article is the same or a misquote or a misquote due to translation? The intention is the same, the reply is the same and the end result is the same.
Did Grant say something is white and he was misquoted of saying black? Nope, we already know the answers of "too expensive" "we cannot talk about future content" "you are getting free content" and the article has covered all the answers which are no new news!
I see no problem here
I don't see posting here as a waste of my time
I do think people will enjoy the EP once they get their hands on it and give it a shot. We have done our best to communicate as much as we can about the content (and we really did our best to be extremely informative and transparent with this pack) so you can be very informed about what it has to offer including making sure we got as many varied individuals to give you their early hand's on coverage and even having embargo lift the day before the EP comes out to make sure you can see live streams and full deep dives before you purchase.
Also opinionated posts are fine, posts with accusations / attacks / name calling are not. Anyone can, and should, provide their thoughts / feedback / criticisms / opinions without resorting to name calling / accusations / attacks
Well said and my apologies, I didn't know forums were apart of your job... Glad you like to engage... Man, I bet that it's hard tryna determine what's an accusation and an opinion though. I guess it really doesn't matter; whatever you think it is will be how you address it.
And yes you guys have been very informative, almost a little over kill on this one LOL!!! Just not what some of us wanna know and here. Anyhow, I know you guys try but we like what we like and want what we want. At the end of the day it seems EA/MAXIS has their work cut out for them as demanding as most of us are. I'm sure as the saying goes if we don't like it we can go elsewhere. Thanks for your reply! Insightful
(And I'm gonna preface this by saying it's not directed at any one specific guru, but rather Maxis as a whole)
Actions speak louder than words. You can't just say that you're "listening" and that you "hear us" for the past two years but not prove it (or prove it in a way that makes it seem like you have selective hearing). You can't claim to respect and understand the community and then make statements that sound more like you're talking down to them and don't even come close to answering their questions. You can't say you're giving it all you've got with a game and then mess up things that you darn near perfected over ten years ago (and I'm not just talking about apartments and elevators) on an engine that you swear up and down is outdated and wouldn't work anymore.
You guys say you're passionate now. You were also passionate about TS3 but now you never pass up a chance to mention its shortcomings (the ones you used to pretend didn't exist) when comparing it to TS4. So you'll have to excuse me if I feel like some (not all) of the passion is a little fabricated. Because I feel like you're gonna end up throwing this game under the bus when/if TS5 becomes a thing.
There is a reason why there's so much unrest between the community and the developers; the community and your chosen Youtubers; and worst of all, just the community. It started with TS3 (a game that I've come to appreciate a lot more in the past two years) but this current installment is what really made things come to a head, and it only gets worse with each bit of news released about it. Again, it comes back to the actions not really reflecting what's being said. When I play TS4, I don't see a bad game. There are actually quite a few good things about it. The problem is, in comparison to what came before it, it just feels like there's such a lack of spirit and passion from the developers and the community. A lack of freedom and ingenuity. And just an overall lack of caring. It's not a bad game but, as far as Sims games go, it feels like the absolute bare minimum needed to make it good. Like when you don't feel like working on a school assignment and decide to just do enough to get a C-. You still pass but only by the skin of your teeth. And that's why, even though I don't hate this game and enjoy playing it sometimes, I've decided I can't financially support it anymore. At least not until I feel like there are changes being made for the better.
I highly suggest that you all check out LGR's recent review of the game as a whole and really think about the direction it's currently going in.
It's so ridiculous, I can't. What major games from big companies like EA 'end after just a few months'? Especially if/when they have such a long history. Moreover, it's 'two years on now' just because The Sims can't exist without new packs for a long time. What other huge games are as expansive as TS3 with all the packs (and Store items)? I doubt there are 5 at least. This is how you get money, this is how The Sims lives. Grant said it like he just started working on the game and knows nothing about the game industry. Ridiculous.