Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.
Am I the only one who's starting to get the feeling...
Cynna
Posts: 2,369 Member
...that the focus of Cats & Dogs is mostly going to be about CAS?
It's no secret that I don't have much faith in TS4. However, I'm really starting to get concerned about this new EP. I'm worried that, like the base game, too much energy is being put into the mechanics of CAS (and build mode) and not enough on game play. Most everything that I saw in the trailer was about the animals sitting around. There were so few interactions on display.
In all the other versions, the pets and seasons expansions have always been my favorite. So, I've got a lot of hope riding on this EP. Yet, I'd like to know that there's more to this game than futzing around in CAS. The EP is only a month out. Shouldn't there be more information by now?
On a slighted related note:
I miss the days when we knew what the next EP was going to be as soon as we opened the packaging for the current one. I truly dislike the veil of secrecy around Sims expansions these days.
It's no secret that I don't have much faith in TS4. However, I'm really starting to get concerned about this new EP. I'm worried that, like the base game, too much energy is being put into the mechanics of CAS (and build mode) and not enough on game play. Most everything that I saw in the trailer was about the animals sitting around. There were so few interactions on display.
In all the other versions, the pets and seasons expansions have always been my favorite. So, I've got a lot of hope riding on this EP. Yet, I'd like to know that there's more to this game than futzing around in CAS. The EP is only a month out. Shouldn't there be more information by now?
On a slighted related note:
I miss the days when we knew what the next EP was going to be as soon as we opened the packaging for the current one. I truly dislike the veil of secrecy around Sims expansions these days.
29
Comments
We are 35 days away from release and up until this point we've seen a dog jump through a hoop. That's it. All other interactions have been done before in previous version. The hoop jump is the only new interaction, and even that animation looked very similar to a fall dogs would do when playing with the dog ball in Sims 3.
The whole pattern is suspiciously similar to Sims 4's release too: they proudly parade CAS (or CAP) and tell us about how detailed these pets are, ("Smarter Sims!") but it's apparently a crime to actually show us how these pets are supposedly better.
As I said: wait for those livestreams and then scrutinize, scrutinize, scrutinize. These Pets may be completely devoid of any gameplay upgrades, and unless people scrutinize, then they'll be forced to settle for paying $40 just for a new grilled cheese hat for a cat.
I don't see anything for build mode in this EP. Sure, we get objects but there are no building highlights anywhere for this pack.
But aside from build mode, I definitely think you are right. It seems all about the shiny and there isn't a lot of focus on the gameplay.
However, maybe that's just because there hasn't been a lot made public in general about this EP? And I think it's easier to begin with CAS for EA, because it will probably get the most hype since it does look very good. And gameplay is hard to review in the very few minutes that Simmers get with the EP at Sims Camp.
So the gameplay could be really good or really bad. We'll see I guess.
YouTube: https://goo.gl/PK7vxR | The Gallery: https://goo.gl/a5DZAK
Twitter: https://goo.gl/QzQVUK | Origin-ID: SimmerNickYT
Scrutinize.
Yep, that's what I've been doing. I've been trying to get a feel for this new EP and what makes it special, if anything. So far, just like the base game, it's basically CAS (CAP). The thing is: (also like the base game) eventually, players will need to click on that check button and leave CAP. What then? There's been next to nothing about that and it concerns me. I see a repetition of exactly what happened with the base game. That is, CAS and build mode were revolutionary. The marketing guys practically put all of their eggs into that one basket. However, the rest of the game? Not so much.
The gist of it is: I don't want a repeat of the asymmetry of the base game. I would prefer that most of the energy be put into game play, rather than the aesthetics of CAS/CAP.
I didn't say that there was anything mentioned about build mode for C&D. What I was saying was that I saw a big similarity between how the focus in the campaign for the base game was about CAS and build mode. Likewise, the focus for C&D has been basically all about CAP. CAP looks fantastic. But once I create a furry little friend for my Sims, what else is on offer as far as honest to goodness game play?
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/924539/features-that-needs-depth-and-ways-to-improve
Vet career
New world
Agility course (maybe a skill?)
That's basically all we have seen. I mean the jogging with your pet is pretty cool too. But I think I need a bit more for $40. Hopefully more will be revealed in the trailer tomorrow (is it just me or has there been a constant string of cats and Dogs trailers in the past week? )
This. Remember when University was released, and someone posted a flyer for Nightlife that came with his game? It was just a teaser, but that was more info than we got for several months for Sims 4 packs.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
I must have watched a different trailer because I saw a lot of different interactions between sims and their pets....and even some interactions between the animals.
Hmmm
They have said in a tweet that we will have a few streams to look at, that would be a suitable way to show off gameplay so perhaps that is when we get that bit. They are releasing the info one chapter at the time so CAP was one of the early ones. I seem to remember having read a thread about "If they were more confident in their EP they would have released info by now" a few days ago. After that we have seen a CAP that I believe looks very robust.
So if the world is next, perhaps we will have discussions about their apparent lack of gameplay. If the vet-career is next how the new world will be on the smaller side with only copypasta decor. Meanwhile marketing will let us have a new bite of info every now and then until release. We won't get all the info at once.
As for being hyped on the EP as a whole, well... let's just say, I am hyped for maybe a few moments, but I always try to take a step back, and not allow myself to get caught in the moment. OP is right, if you think about it, we still do not know anything about this EP, other than the CAP. I don't know, I think it is suspect that the people who are given early access to new content are youtubers. Especially youtubers who are just over-hyped. Maybe it's because I come from MMO-RPG/MOBA games, and when there is new content there is a Public Test Server available for everyone, or if it was to be for a select few, most of the time it is given to random players as well, and the information is not to be given to everyone until the patch notes for that content is released (they have a separate and private forum to discuss any bugs, glitches and things to change for that patch). I have nothing against youtubers given this privilege, from an advertising stand point, it makes sense. These are the people who are giving The Sims free advertisement. It's cool. But one can always wonder how objective their reviews are. I am still waiting for LGR's (and maybe The Sim Supply's) review. The others I can hardly take seriously.
I do hope most of the Sim's fans are more critical of new content. I do think it is natural for one to be hyped of new content. But in the end you have to think, is this expansion pack or game pack or stuff pack something I will want to play for more than just a week? a month? a year? Or will it be something that I will forget about after 5 days? Because while I will admit I am still enjoying the sims right now, it is due to the fact that I stopped playing The Sims for 2 years, because when I got the base game at launched, I did not find I can do anything roughly about 2 weeks after. Right now I am still catching up. And I can already tell you, I am bored to death with Get to Work, and the festivals in City Living is honestly, not something that excites me. I have yet still to try clubs and becoming a vampire so there is still something for me to do. The Sims in general is a great game. I remember in The Sims 2 that the game was addictive from the base game all the way to The Sims 3. I was hooked. Goodness, I missed a class or two just to play the game. I just don't have that same feeling now. So here's to hoping that this new EP is not a waste of content. Because that would be very disappointing.
Ah, okay. I misunderstood you. Thank you for clarifying.
YouTube: https://goo.gl/PK7vxR | The Gallery: https://goo.gl/a5DZAK
Twitter: https://goo.gl/QzQVUK | Origin-ID: SimmerNickYT
Family Tree
Playing Mod & CC Free
I wouldn't say it's because that's all they really have to offer. They tend to be secretive about everything,whether it makes sense or not, I'm used to it by now. I'm pretty sure they just decided to reveal one aspect fully and hide another so there's still some hype and people have something to experience from scratch, aka pet gameplay. Somehow the big number of pet traits tells me they can't be dull and plain. If they won't be a drastic improvement I have a feeling they'll at least be satisfying. Maybe it's my optimistic side speaking but everything I've seen so far leads me to believe they prepared for it, they prepared for our scrutiny because this time it'll be merciless. People won't forgive them destroying the community's favored EP and you can be dang sure they know it. It's a whole new situation - the first time an EP is "coming back" to TS4 and while EA made some questionable decisions in the past... Would they really be brave enough to deliver a bad pets EP? Would they be brave enough to risk it? I want to believe they wouldn't, and that the past 3 years have taught them something.
We know for example about the vet career, people are biting at the bit to know about that, there's also sims personalities to show off. There is also the world! One thing at a time.
Except not entirely. For comparison:
Check what percent of footage showcases new content. With the Sims 3 one, ANY piece of footage involving a horse means they showed off new content. The cat hiding under the bed, the dog guarding something, the dog playing with the ball....all of that was new and didn't appear in Sims 2. You could say about half of the trailer was new content not previously shown in past versions of the game. The trailer had the function of teasing never-before-seen features to entice us to buy the product.
Sims 4....? Legit the only new bits of info are the Vet career, the pet clothing and one could maybe argue that jogging with pets is new, though really it's more them realizing walking dogs in Sims 3 took years and speeding it up. Pet clothing isn't even gameplay, but they showed it off. The vet career remains a mystery for now in regards to quality, but that's to be expected since a trailer lacks the time to show it off. Sims 4 did not show off upcoming never-before-seen features, unless we assume that things like the Pet clothing are it...which isn't reassuring at all.
Some might be saying Sims 3 perhaps had different goals than Sims 4 and that's why the trailers focus on different things. Counterpoint:
Boom. Doctor career, Detective career, Scientist and Retail system. All of them were previewed like a neat little checklist, as if to show off the upcoming features. Heck, they even managed to slip in that photography was an upcoming skill (and tease baking as well), which is something they likewise did for DJing in Get Together and Singing with City Living. Where is the skill for this pack...?
Same story with others too:
Powers? Check. Coffin woohoo? Check. New CAS options? Check. The new Pipe Organ skill? Check. Misc stuff like the new walk or new animations? Check. They showed off and previewed pretty much every single category of this game pack save maybe for the build mode options, since some of those were a "new" way of adding damage and cracks to walls. We had brief glimpses regarding all that was coming.
So what's up with Pets? Here we are left to ask if the people claiming "it's just a trailer, it's not supposed to show us anything" know what they're talking about, or if Pets isn't showing us anything because there's nothing to show. I mean, I would personally argue that the repeated presence of that gay couple in the trailers...? That suggests they're consciously planning out what they want to show. Yes, clearly calculated thought is going into their trailers, exactly as they've done in the past. It's insanely clear they want us to know about that gay couple because they've been centerstage to three different teasers now. You expect me to believe they're prioritizing showing off a gay couple over actual gameplay features in terms of importance...? I'm sorry, but I have to wonder if the gay couple isn't this pack's gimmicky distraction akin to City Living. I'm about ready to bet money that when it comes time for the livestream previews, they're gonna repeatedly revisit that gay couple even after we've already seen them. I have to wonder if we're being shown the gay couple because there's nothing else to show.
As I said, we don't have evidence this pack is lacking, but we also lack evidence this pack has any gameplay to it. I'm the customer, it's their job to convince me to buy it by showing me what it can do. I'm not convinced, because they've yet to show me evidence that this pack has gameplay content. And if history is any indication, then there's a reason for the lack of content in the trailers...
Source? To my knowledge there's still a ban on such footage, so I find it hard to believe you've seen any since NONE of the Sims news outlets are discussing such things.