You have been obsessing over this store set since the stuff pack was announced. It’s a similar situation, but really the EP requirement was the only similarity. It included one premium object that had no new gameplay attached to it. Pets ate out of it exactly the same as the regular food bowls. The remainder of the set wasn’t for pets.
This new SP has content that is explicitly for C&D (which requires an EP), content that is designed in the same style as furniture from the C&D EP, and has a new gameplay object that previously came with the ‘Pets’ EP.
I never mentioned this set with you. Only once elsewhere.
Doesn't matter how much of it was Pets stuff, the fact is they wanted you to pay $14 for 21 items, to get the Pet Stuff.
The point still stands that in order for the practice not to continue, people need to vote with their wallets. Not just buy it anyway.
There was little outrage I could find regarding this situation then, which is why EA thinks it's okay now.
Point is, if people buy anyway, that tells EA it's okay.
EA did this all the time with TS3. If you wanted a glass bowl for your fortune teller from Supernatural you had to buy it in the store. If you wanted your acrobats and magicians from Showtime to perform in a decent circus surrounding you could buy zillions of Cirque de Soleil with giant tents and crazy hair sets for approx. 68 billion dollars . If you didn't buy Ambitions with its self-employed career feature, half of the content of most packs was worthless.
Except the crystal ball was created before supernaturel
Crystal Ball = September 3, 2012
Supernatural = September 4, 2012
You have been obsessing over this store set since the stuff pack was announced. It’s a similar situation, but really the EP requirement was the only similarity. It included one premium object that had no new gameplay attached to it. Pets ate out of it exactly the same as the regular food bowls. The remainder of the set wasn’t for pets.
This new SP has content that is explicitly for C&D (which requires an EP), content that is designed in the same style as furniture from the C&D EP, and has a new gameplay object that previously came with the ‘Pets’ EP.
I never mentioned this set with you. Only once elsewhere.
Doesn't matter how much of it was Pets stuff, the fact is they wanted you to pay $14 for 21 items, to get the Pet Stuff.
The point still stands that in order for the practice not to continue, people need to vote with their wallets. Not just buy it anyway.
There was little outrage I could find regarding this situation then, which is why EA thinks it's okay now.
Point is, if people buy anyway, that tells EA it's okay.
You could (and still can) buy ala carte items. The auto-feeder costs 284 SP by itself. No one was forcing anyone to spend $14 for 21 items, that was a value bundle price for the entire set.
EA did this all the time with TS3. If you wanted a glass bowl for your fortune teller from Supernatural you had to buy it in the store. If you wanted your acrobats and magicians from Showtime to perform in a decent circus surrounding you could buy zillions of Cirque de Soleil with giant tents and crazy hair sets for approx. 68 billion dollars . If you didn't buy Ambitions with its self-employed career feature, half of the content of most packs was worthless.
Except the crystal ball was created before supernaturel
Crystal Ball = September 3, 2012
Supernatural = September 4, 2012
EA did this all the time with TS3. If you wanted a glass bowl for your fortune teller from Supernatural you had to buy it in the store. If you wanted your acrobats and magicians from Showtime to perform in a decent circus surrounding you could buy zillions of Cirque de Soleil with giant tents and crazy hair sets for approx. 68 billion dollars . If you didn't buy Ambitions with its self-employed career feature, half of the content of most packs was worthless.
Except the crystal ball was created before supernaturel
Crystal Ball = September 3, 2012
Supernatural = September 4, 2012
No it was avaiavle at febuary 2012
My mistake, it seems it was available with the set in that week, but was available separate on Sep 3.
You have been obsessing over this store set since the stuff pack was announced. It’s a similar situation, but really the EP requirement was the only similarity. It included one premium object that had no new gameplay attached to it. Pets ate out of it exactly the same as the regular food bowls. The remainder of the set wasn’t for pets.
This new SP has content that is explicitly for C&D (which requires an EP), content that is designed in the same style as furniture from the C&D EP, and has a new gameplay object that previously came with the ‘Pets’ EP.
I never mentioned this set with you. Only once elsewhere.
Doesn't matter how much of it was Pets stuff, the fact is they wanted you to pay $14 for 21 items, to get the Pet Stuff.
The point still stands that in order for the practice not to continue, people need to vote with their wallets. Not just buy it anyway.
There was little outrage I could find regarding this situation then, which is why EA thinks it's okay now.
Point is, if people buy anyway, that tells EA it's okay.
You could (and still can) buy ala carte items. The auto-feeder costs 284 SP by itself. No one was forcing anyone to spend $14 for 21 items, that was a value bundle price for the entire set.
You could only get them in the bundle originally, premium items are locked in the set for a period of time.
It's pretty much a basic principle of video game economics.....if something doesn't sell, then they won't keep doing it. Given how far in advance EPs and even SPs are developed, I'd assume they did enough market research prior to development on Cats & Dogs and this SP to know their expected sales would make it worth their time.
The point is, The Sims 3 store was indeed a terrible idea. I won't disagree with you on that. However, it was also a 100% optional feature for a game that was already filled with a lot of content. You didn't need anything from the store to make the game itself enjoyable. The Sims 4 simply isn't the same. It gets boring and repetitive way too quickly. The new content is what makes the game re-playable for most people. Packs are basically a must have for this specific game. Otherwise, it wouldn't have any replay value. Especially when it's possible to do almost everything in one generation of a family. That's how lacking the game is (even after almost 4 years of being released).
On that token though, if The Sims 4 didn't have Stuff Packs, do you feel like it would be a huge loss?
I feel like people say that Stuff Packs add meaningful game play, but I always feel they add these extra pieces where the fun wears off a few days of playing.
Don't get me wrong, there's stuff that I do use, but it's mostly house filler. I don't feel like anything a SP has added has been a huge gain. The only thing is probably the Butler.
If Sims 4 didn't have stuff packs, then we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the content in this pack would've been included with Cats & Dogs if stuff packs didn't exist for this game.
Whether or not stuff packs add to the gameplay is everyone's opinion. However, in all fairness, I originally thought game packs were going to replace the stuff packs altogether. When EA announced Outdoor Retreat as their first game pack, they mentioned how a game pack is something 'new' and that they're similar to a stuff pack, but with a lot more content. At first, it seemed like they were getting rid of stuff packs completely, which honestly made me happy for a bit... but then Luxury Party Stuff Pack was announced and I started to realize how Sims 4 was going to be a cash cow. But yeah, I would've been happy if stuff packs were gone and game packs were just simply there to replace them. Especially when game packs sometimes feel like they have more content and features than the expansion packs.
I somewhat agree with you on how stuff packs don't really add to the gameplay. But I also feel like they do. I guess it's more of a 50/50 for me. Stuff packs seem like a hit or miss with this game.
Also, for the record, I'm not saying Sims 4 is a horrible game. In fact, I do like playing it a lot. It's not the game itself I'm feeling angry with. It's how EA is using it as a cash cow that angers me. I know you didn't accuse me of hating the game, but I feel like many people are feeling as if I'm hating Sims 4 itself simply because of my criticisms of it being a cash cow. I do believe the content is a money grab, but I still enjoy playing the game. However, this upcoming pack will be skipped. Unless, of course, EA decides to give it out for free (LOL).
I wouldn’t mind if TS4 had a store (I would just ignore it like I did with TS3) if the EP’s had as much content as the older ones had and if we got them more frequently
I definitely did NOT support Sims 3, and the store was part of the reason for it. I constantly got harassed with emails from EA telling me I suddenly had 10 store points or whatever, complete with links to show me all of the things I might want but couldn't afford with the lousy "gift points" they gave me. Even when I stopped playing (which was not long after base game release), they continued to send me these "reminders" that I had points waiting, and pushed the effort to offer useless freebees to get me to loosen my purse strings. It was OBNOXIOUS. It felt scammy and invasive and I was all set with their pushy marketing.
Sure, the store stuff was optional, and the expansions were more complete, but none of that stopped EA from trying to pull everything they could from people's pockets. I don't know, I feel like Sims 3 is where EA's true colors and greed started to show, and from the very beginning at that. My theory is that they had intended to replace modders and CC creators altogether by activating a separate division for the store and capitalising on extra content. Maybe people don't remember this, but Sims 3 base game did not include a mods folder, and they made it very difficult in the beginning to use mods at all.
So, yeah, I'm not completely surprised that they've become this blatant with the First Pets pack, but I also feel that enough is enough and it's time to start pushing back and cutting off their sales. I already spoke with my wallet for Sims 3, I have no problem doing it again when necessary. But this time I'm also going to make myself heard, loud and clear, instead of silently slipping away with my money into the night.
I barely played the sims 3. I had the base game when it first came out, and didnt play it much. I have no experience whatsoever with the s3 store. So i wasnt around for any outrage (or lack of) at the time that pet store content came out. Ita unfortunate to see this is the second time.
Yeah, the store was a ripoff in retrospect. Some of the items were okay, but a lot of them were underwhelming (the restaurant set and roller coaster set come to mind).
The only reason people didn't complain back then was probably because they felt that TS3 expansions were more complete and substantial. Should the surfing set be bundled with Island Paradise? Possibly, but Island Paradise was pretty packed, so it didn't feel like they chopped away the surfing from IP to nickel and dime us (although some could see it that way).
Contrast that to Sims 4. A lot of people felt that C&D was lacking some things. It only had two flat-looking pet beds. And then EA decides to charge $10 for an SP that adds pet beds and other furniture. They also couldn't be bothered to add other things that people felt were basic, like kids being able to walk pets. Someone had to make a mod, and the only reason it wasn't in the game was because the animation to put on a leash didn't look good on kids.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
If you dig through my post history, as well as the post history of so many other users, you’ll find there has been just the same amount of criticism now, back then, towards the Store. The feedback section of TS3 back then was FULL of TS3’s Store criticisms.
We also need to stop defending the shortcomings of The Sims 4 and EA by using the predecessor games. I invested in The Sims 4, just as virtually everyone else did, for something better.
The point is, The Sims 3 store was indeed a terrible idea. I won't disagree with you on that. However, it was also a 100% optional feature for a game that was already filled with a lot of content. You didn't need anything from the store to make the game itself enjoyable. The Sims 4 simply isn't the same. It gets boring and repetitive way too quickly. The new content is what makes the game re-playable for most people. Packs are basically a must have for this specific game. Otherwise, it wouldn't have any replay value. Especially when it's possible to do almost everything in one generation of a family. That's how lacking the game is (even after almost 4 years of being released).
On that token though, if The Sims 4 didn't have Stuff Packs, do you feel like it would be a huge loss?
I feel like people say that Stuff Packs add meaningful game play, but I always feel they add these extra pieces where the fun wears off a few days of playing.
Don't get me wrong, there's stuff that I do use, but it's mostly house filler. I don't feel like anything a SP has added has been a huge gain. The only thing is probably the Butler.
Not having stuff packs would fundamentally change both of the other DLC’s.
I totally agree with you on SP’s adding gameplay that wears off quickly. Most of the stuff they add via stuff pack was supplemental content in prior games, where it wasn’t expected to necessarily hold its own against the larger packs.
I think it goes beyond the sims though. Just about all games today have numerous ways to make these companies money outside of the cost of the base game. That will never change. They barely make a game bug free before releasing... so many games have day 1 patches all ready to go. It was never like that until players accepted it. Just like DLC... loot boxes... in game money... etc.
So I don't see this changing for any game made by any company. It's only going to get worse.
As big of a money grab people feel these packs are with the Sims, EA pales in comparison to Rockstar and some of the others.
Even if no one bought this pet stuff pack, EA will not abandon their strategy.
But I can't say I blame them. Their only goal is to make money. When a game is popular, they are going to come up with a plan that allows them to continue to make money from whatever product they are selling. They gotta pay their employees who work to develop their games/apps/DLC whatever. That money has to come from somewhere.
Honestly, why I like sims 3 store . I admit it is over price . While some items are verry fun .I think sims 4 did was worser . Due to the fact the stuff in sims 3 why premium . It dosesn't feel like its needed or it was pull back from a pack. Take automatic feeder you don't really need it ?Why Sims 4 is literally having a pack. That feels like it was pulled back from Cats, and Dogs .
If you dig through my post history, as well as the post history of so many other users, you’ll find there has been just the same amount of criticism now, back then, towards the Store. The feedback section of TS3 back then was FULL of TS3’s Store criticisms.
We also need to stop defending the shortcomings of The Sims 4 and EA by using the predecessor games. I invested in The Sims 4, just as virtually everyone else did, for something better.
I didn't say this though.
This is probably the biggest outrage we've seen in a long long time, but already people are saying "they'll buy it anyway".
This thread is for them. It's to tell them they'll continue being outraged if they keep supporting the content.
If you dig through my post history, as well as the post history of so many other users, you’ll find there has been just the same amount of criticism now, back then, towards the Store. The feedback section of TS3 back then was FULL of TS3’s Store criticisms.
We also need to stop defending the shortcomings of The Sims 4 and EA by using the predecessor games. I invested in The Sims 4, just as virtually everyone else did, for something better.
I didn't say this though.
This is probably the biggest outrage we've seen in a long long time, but already people are saying "they'll buy it anyway".
This thread is for them. It's to tell them they'll continue being outraged if they keep supporting the content.
If you dig through my post history, as well as the post history of so many other users, you’ll find there has been just the same amount of criticism now, back then, towards the Store. The feedback section of TS3 back then was FULL of TS3’s Store criticisms.
We also need to stop defending the shortcomings of The Sims 4 and EA by using the predecessor games. I invested in The Sims 4, just as virtually everyone else did, for something better.
I didn't say this though.
This is probably the biggest outrage we've seen in a long long time, but already people are saying "they'll buy it anyway".
This thread is for them. It's to tell them they'll continue being outraged if they keep supporting the content.
I wasn't active in the forums when I was playing TS3 but I was NOT a fan of the store. I felt it was a shameless money grab and I tried not to buy much in there. The prices were shocking!
When TS4 came out, one of the things that I appreciated was that there wasn't going to be a store, after rumours about it and early screenshots I was afraid they'd do it again. But they didn't, and I thought that was a good thing. I embraced their new system and I loved the concept of Game Packs from the get go.
But...then the first EP came out and I was shocked at the low standards of it. All of the EPs in this iteration feel short and shallow, however, when cutting things from them and making stuff packs out of it, it never felt as obvious and outrageous as this My First Pet Stuff is.
This is their bold move, and I really hope it doesn't pay off or it'll become the norm.
Origin ID is: AlbaWaterhouse
All my creations are CC free.
I liked the TS3 Store.
What I hated was the pricing and the manipulation of making some key items only available in a bundle.
I liked being able to pick what I needed and not bloating my game with what I didn't. If you buy a stuff pack, you get the things you want, but you also get things that you will probably never use.
I remember a lot of complaints about certain items that simmers felt should have been part of an expansion.
I was particularly annoyed that greenhouses were not a part of Seasons, but sold through the store instead.
I wasn't interested in The Sims back then to have TS3 until only recently, but only taking a look at the Store made me question why would people like buying this? The concept of the Store as a whole is not anything new already, in fact it was probably the beginning of this long, vicious cycle of people opening up their wallets willy-nilly to EA even though they don't like their business practices. I would know bc I was that one who bought TS4 at full price, buying the hype I felt when I wanted it, and ofc all those other packs I bought at full price as well, and the only one I got at full price that I felt was even worth the price I paid for was Vampires. I could have saved a lot more money from EA had I just bothered to wait on a real sale.
Comments
I never mentioned this set with you. Only once elsewhere.
Doesn't matter how much of it was Pets stuff, the fact is they wanted you to pay $14 for 21 items, to get the Pet Stuff.
The point still stands that in order for the practice not to continue, people need to vote with their wallets. Not just buy it anyway.
There was little outrage I could find regarding this situation then, which is why EA thinks it's okay now.
Point is, if people buy anyway, that tells EA it's okay.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
Crystal Ball = September 3, 2012
Supernatural = September 4, 2012
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
You could (and still can) buy ala carte items. The auto-feeder costs 284 SP by itself. No one was forcing anyone to spend $14 for 21 items, that was a value bundle price for the entire set.
No it was avaiavle at febuary 2012
My mistake, it seems it was available with the set in that week, but was available separate on Sep 3.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
No they were t to my knowledge.The store worlds had trailers though. The rest were items in the store
You could only get them in the bundle originally, premium items are locked in the set for a period of time.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
Not at all.
If Sims 4 didn't have stuff packs, then we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the content in this pack would've been included with Cats & Dogs if stuff packs didn't exist for this game.
Whether or not stuff packs add to the gameplay is everyone's opinion. However, in all fairness, I originally thought game packs were going to replace the stuff packs altogether. When EA announced Outdoor Retreat as their first game pack, they mentioned how a game pack is something 'new' and that they're similar to a stuff pack, but with a lot more content. At first, it seemed like they were getting rid of stuff packs completely, which honestly made me happy for a bit... but then Luxury Party Stuff Pack was announced and I started to realize how Sims 4 was going to be a cash cow. But yeah, I would've been happy if stuff packs were gone and game packs were just simply there to replace them. Especially when game packs sometimes feel like they have more content and features than the expansion packs.
I somewhat agree with you on how stuff packs don't really add to the gameplay. But I also feel like they do. I guess it's more of a 50/50 for me. Stuff packs seem like a hit or miss with this game.
Also, for the record, I'm not saying Sims 4 is a horrible game. In fact, I do like playing it a lot. It's not the game itself I'm feeling angry with. It's how EA is using it as a cash cow that angers me. I know you didn't accuse me of hating the game, but I feel like many people are feeling as if I'm hating Sims 4 itself simply because of my criticisms of it being a cash cow. I do believe the content is a money grab, but I still enjoy playing the game. However, this upcoming pack will be skipped. Unless, of course, EA decides to give it out for free (LOL).
Sims 1: Hot Date
Sims 2: Seasons
Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff
Sims 3: Seasons
Sims 3: 70's, 80's, & 90's Stuff
Sims 4: Seasons
Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff
Sims 4: Strangerville Game Pack
Sure, the store stuff was optional, and the expansions were more complete, but none of that stopped EA from trying to pull everything they could from people's pockets. I don't know, I feel like Sims 3 is where EA's true colors and greed started to show, and from the very beginning at that. My theory is that they had intended to replace modders and CC creators altogether by activating a separate division for the store and capitalising on extra content. Maybe people don't remember this, but Sims 3 base game did not include a mods folder, and they made it very difficult in the beginning to use mods at all.
So, yeah, I'm not completely surprised that they've become this blatant with the First Pets pack, but I also feel that enough is enough and it's time to start pushing back and cutting off their sales. I already spoke with my wallet for Sims 3, I have no problem doing it again when necessary. But this time I'm also going to make myself heard, loud and clear, instead of silently slipping away with my money into the night.
The only reason people didn't complain back then was probably because they felt that TS3 expansions were more complete and substantial. Should the surfing set be bundled with Island Paradise? Possibly, but Island Paradise was pretty packed, so it didn't feel like they chopped away the surfing from IP to nickel and dime us (although some could see it that way).
Contrast that to Sims 4. A lot of people felt that C&D was lacking some things. It only had two flat-looking pet beds. And then EA decides to charge $10 for an SP that adds pet beds and other furniture. They also couldn't be bothered to add other things that people felt were basic, like kids being able to walk pets. Someone had to make a mod, and the only reason it wasn't in the game was because the animation to put on a leash didn't look good on kids.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
If you dig through my post history, as well as the post history of so many other users, you’ll find there has been just the same amount of criticism now, back then, towards the Store. The feedback section of TS3 back then was FULL of TS3’s Store criticisms.
We also need to stop defending the shortcomings of The Sims 4 and EA by using the predecessor games. I invested in The Sims 4, just as virtually everyone else did, for something better.
Not having stuff packs would fundamentally change both of the other DLC’s.
I totally agree with you on SP’s adding gameplay that wears off quickly. Most of the stuff they add via stuff pack was supplemental content in prior games, where it wasn’t expected to necessarily hold its own against the larger packs.
So I don't see this changing for any game made by any company. It's only going to get worse.
As big of a money grab people feel these packs are with the Sims, EA pales in comparison to Rockstar and some of the others.
Even if no one bought this pet stuff pack, EA will not abandon their strategy.
But I can't say I blame them. Their only goal is to make money. When a game is popular, they are going to come up with a plan that allows them to continue to make money from whatever product they are selling. They gotta pay their employees who work to develop their games/apps/DLC whatever. That money has to come from somewhere.
I didn't say this though.
This is probably the biggest outrage we've seen in a long long time, but already people are saying "they'll buy it anyway".
This thread is for them. It's to tell them they'll continue being outraged if they keep supporting the content.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
Ah, okay, I definitely agree with you then.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
When TS4 came out, one of the things that I appreciated was that there wasn't going to be a store, after rumours about it and early screenshots I was afraid they'd do it again. But they didn't, and I thought that was a good thing. I embraced their new system and I loved the concept of Game Packs from the get go.
But...then the first EP came out and I was shocked at the low standards of it. All of the EPs in this iteration feel short and shallow, however, when cutting things from them and making stuff packs out of it, it never felt as obvious and outrageous as this My First Pet Stuff is.
This is their bold move, and I really hope it doesn't pay off or it'll become the norm.
All my creations are CC free.
What I hated was the pricing and the manipulation of making some key items only available in a bundle.
I liked being able to pick what I needed and not bloating my game with what I didn't. If you buy a stuff pack, you get the things you want, but you also get things that you will probably never use.
I remember a lot of complaints about certain items that simmers felt should have been part of an expansion.
I was particularly annoyed that greenhouses were not a part of Seasons, but sold through the store instead.