The issue I was seeing with the quarterly teasers was how they'd turn into rampant speculation that turned into disappointment. Maybe the Seasons approach - one month only, starting with a full announcement - is better overall.
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I don't think we should be worried. No paid content could mean free content through patches like they've done before, or just bug fixes which everyone's been dying for. Some development could be taking place in that quarter as well to give us something cool in the fall quarter.
I hope they do shift all their SP resources to GPs and EPs.
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Honestly, with all the bugs and glitches that came with 'Seasons' and the recent patches (that were supposed to fix things, but either ignored or broke the game even more), I'm afraid of them releasing more DLC... at least until they actually fix the issues the game already has.
There are A LOT of bugs that need attention right now... such as Sims freezing for no reason and not even being able to be fixed by using "resetSim". Also, the lag when placing floors and wallpapers still occurs in the game (despite the recent patch claiming it was fixed). And, while not necessarily a bug, the lack of ability to see weather forecasts in other worlds should at least be addressed. They should fix this.
At the moment, I'm much more concerned with them fixing the issues this game already has VS getting more DLC that would just end up breaking the game further.
Honestly, with all the bugs and glitches that came with 'Seasons' and the recent patches (that were supposed to fix things, but either ignored or broke the game even more), I'm afraid of them releasing more DLC... at least until they actually fix the issues the game already has.
There are A LOT of bugs that need attention right now... such as Sims freezing for no reason and not even being able to be fixed by using "resetSim". Also, the lag when placing floors and wallpapers still occurs in the game (despite the recent patch claiming it was fixed). And, while not necessarily a bug, the lack of ability to see weather forecasts in other worlds should at least be addressed. They should fix this.
At the moment, I'm much more concerned with them fixing the issues this game already has VS getting more DLC that would just end up breaking the game further.
Honestly, with all the bugs and glitches that came with 'Seasons' and the recent patches (that were supposed to fix things, but either ignored or broke the game even more), I'm afraid of them releasing more DLC... at least until they actually fix the issues the game already has.
There are A LOT of bugs that need attention right now... such as Sims freezing for no reason and not even being able to be fixed by using "resetSim". Also, the lag when placing floors and wallpapers still occurs in the game (despite the recent patch claiming it was fixed). And, while not necessarily a bug, the lack of ability to see weather forecasts in other worlds should at least be addressed. They should fix this.
At the moment, I'm much more concerned with them fixing the issues this game already has VS getting more DLC that would just end up breaking the game further.
This is a very good point
Whenever I think about the bugs in a Sims game, I'm always reminded of the horrible state Sims 3 was left at... don't get me wrong, I LOVE Sims 3 a lot! However, even I can't deny that the game is severely broken. It's almost as if the developers didn't care enough to focus on fixing the major issues that game had. I just don't wanna see Sims 4 go down the same road as Sims 3 did (by having glitches, bugs, etc, left untouched, thus breaking the game forever).
Honestly, with all the bugs and glitches that came with 'Seasons' and the recent patches (that were supposed to fix things, but either ignored or broke the game even more), I'm afraid of them releasing more DLC... at least until they actually fix the issues the game already has.
There are A LOT of bugs that need attention right now... such as Sims freezing for no reason and not even being able to be fixed by using "resetSim". Also, the lag when placing floors and wallpapers still occurs in the game (despite the recent patch claiming it was fixed). And, while not necessarily a bug, the lack of ability to see weather forecasts in other worlds should at least be addressed. They should fix this.
At the moment, I'm much more concerned with them fixing the issues this game already has VS getting more DLC that would just end up breaking the game further.
This is a very good point
Whenever I think about the bugs in a Sims game, I'm always reminded of the horrible state Sims 3 was left at... don't get me wrong, I LOVE Sims 3 a lot! However, even I can't deny that the game is severely broken. It's almost as if the developers didn't care enough to focus on fixing the major issues that game had. I just don't wanna see Sims 4 go down the same road as Sims 3 did (by having glitches, bugs, etc, left untouched, thus breaking the game forever).
It’s a shame they can’t do both, release awesome new content on a regular basis AND have it be bug free.
Well, if they do away with quarterly teasers, I hope they at least announce packs a few months in advance. People tend to get on edge when there's just radio silence. Like the months preceding Seasons.
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?
Or the years preceding the toddler patch, actually. Compared to 2014 when they announced pools and new careers in free patches for the upcoming months.
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?
But seriously, the fact they will release less content than before doesn’t mean there will be no content. It will just be more spreaded out for years and years and years (and years and years and years)....
Sigh, hope there at least will be supernaturals comparable to the vamps among it.
I don't think we should be worried. No paid content could mean free content through patches like they've done before, or just bug fixes which everyone's been dying for. Some development could be taking place in that quarter as well to give us something cool in the fall quarter.
I hope they do shift all their SP resources to GPs and EPs.
I can agree with that especially when it comes to Graham as he worked on eps in Sims 3 a lot - so he is experienced with making the eps and he's such a good idea guy - I can see us benefiting with work on eps. Look at the amazing stuff he did with the watercraft in IP. He's from Florida - so he knows stuff like that, and lots of other great ep/gp kind of things.
I actually can't wait to see some of the stuff coming...
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
All of you praising them for doing this since it means they're communicating with us.... What?
This is not how you improve communication with players.
An attempt at improving communication would be "We are cancelling quarterly teasers. Here is why we decided to do that - "
And what they did? They just told us they made this decision and that's it. No word on the reason behind it. Just the usual "wait and see". Aka more of the same old, same old players absolutely hate about TS4's marketing. So I do not see any reason to be optimistic and expect something good to come out of it.
All of you praising them for doing this since it means they're communicating with us.... What?
This is not how you improve communication with players.
An attempt at improving communication would be "We are cancelling quarterly teasers. Here is why we decided to do that - "
And what they did? They just told us they made this decision and that's it. No word on the reason behind it. Just the usual "wait and see". Aka more of the same old, same old players absolutely hate about TS4's marketing. So I do not see any reason to be optimistic and expect something good to come out of it.
I have to disagree, they did tell us why this happening.
Taken straight from the announcement:
Since the beginning of The Sims 4, we’ve been forthright in saying that pack releases won’t fall into predictable patterns, and to expect for things to change as we try new approaches to creating fun experiences. As you may be guessing, we’re mixing things up. Starting with the recent surprise announcement and release of The Sims 4 Seasons, we’re shifting our approach regarding the types of packs we create, and when they’ll be released. This change means that there will be quarters where we don’t release new paid content, so quarterly teasers won’t be the right format for sharing information.
That said, we’re also reaffirming that a bright future lies ahead for The Sims 4. The full Sims 4 Development Team is working hard on multiple packs that are in various stages of development. We also remain committed to improving the game via updates and more free content, which will continue to release on a frequent cadence. Ultimately this is a signal that we’ve heard your feedback, and we’re tweaking our plans to deliver the content you’ve been asking for.
Had they said “We are cancelling the quarterly trailers effective as of now, we will have more information soon”
I could understand it a lot more. But they have explained things are changing and we are seeing that with Graham moving to expansions ( a change I am very interested in) and Grant coming out of twitter hiding and engaging with the community.
If it means more quality packs and less things like the cash grab that was my first pet I am all for it.
All of you praising them for doing this since it means they're communicating with us.... What?
This is not how you improve communication with players.
An attempt at improving communication would be "We are cancelling quarterly teasers. Here is why we decided to do that - "
And what they did? They just told us they made this decision and that's it. No word on the reason behind it. Just the usual "wait and see". Aka more of the same old, same old players absolutely hate about TS4's marketing. So I do not see any reason to be optimistic and expect something good to come out of it.
I have to disagree, they did tell us why this happening.
Taken straight from the announcement:
Since the beginning of The Sims 4, we’ve been forthright in saying that pack releases won’t fall into predictable patterns, and to expect for things to change as we try new approaches to creating fun experiences. As you may be guessing, we’re mixing things up. Starting with the recent surprise announcement and release of The Sims 4 Seasons, we’re shifting our approach regarding the types of packs we create, and when they’ll be released. This change means that there will be quarters where we don’t release new paid content, so quarterly teasers won’t be the right format for sharing information.
That said, we’re also reaffirming that a bright future lies ahead for The Sims 4. The full Sims 4 Development Team is working hard on multiple packs that are in various stages of development. We also remain committed to improving the game via updates and more free content, which will continue to release on a frequent cadence. Ultimately this is a signal that we’ve heard your feedback, and we’re tweaking our plans to deliver the content you’ve been asking for.
Had they said “We are cancelling the quarterly trailers effective as of now, we will have more information soon”
I could understand it a lot more. But they have explained things are changing and we are seeing that with Graham moving to expansions ( a change I am very interested in) and Grant coming out of twitter hiding and engaging with the community.
If it means more quality packs and less things like the cash grab that was my first pet I am all for it.
They explained whats lead to the change they are making, yes. I appreciate that. But a statement like that would be more useful to the players if they'd also tell us more about their new ideas regarding release patterns and types of packs instead of doing what everyone's tired of, aka telling us to wait.
Why couldn't they wait themselves and come out with such big announcement at a time when they're allowed to be clear about their actual plans? Being so vague only stirs up the community. See how people are already making such wild assumptions as "guys this obviously means two EPs a year" with nothing to back it up besides their own instinct.
Transparency and communication is not about letting the players believe in what their instinct tells them. It's about giving players straightforward info, which they yet again failed to do.
I must say I'm personally thrilled that Graham has been moved to work on EPs and I hope it'll bring us some interesting ideas in the future. It's just sad their strategy is still not sharing those ideas with us.
It tells me that A. They have downsized their staff (we knew this already) B. They have reduced the total yearly output of packs (direct result of A) and C. They need to reaffirm what they have repeated on a nonstop loop for years now; that everything is totally fine, perfect actually, regardless of any of the bad things they aren’t telling us.
TBH eliminating the teasers and saying they just don’t work, well that doesn’t make sense unless they are trying to hide the drop in production that’s seemingly going to be the new normal.
A statement was made last month or so by Grant, Senior Producer, that they are currently planning out packs for the next 3 years and we can expect more content, Sims isn’t going anywhere, etc.
A statement was made yesterday by Kate, Community Manager, saying there will be quarters where we receive no paid content, meaning no new packs released for sale in stores.
I find this new information highly dubious in nature. It is very easy to make The Sims stretch for another 3 years if you go quarters at a time with no releases, ie 3-6 months with no releases.
Before we were getting new releases like clockwork every month or every other month. So when the original statement that they’re planning out packs for the next 3 years was made, many people myself included were excited because it would mean consistent releases were to continue every month or every other month.
After reviewing both statements together, I am very skeptical that we will receive the same amount of content each year The Sims remains with them taking months in between releasing packs.
I actually tend to agree with you. People are automatically assuming that we will get 2 EPS a year now, and that they will be "better quality like Seasons". Although I think Seasons is a good pack, people were always going to think that because it is a fan favorite and everybody had this doomsday approach that the seasons were going to be split up into 4 gamepacks. Personally, although I like it, the complete lack of spring and summer material (a kiddie pool and sprinklers are the main feautures) makes me think they are going to release a pool stuffpack to fill the summer, and some sort of island vacation to bring back sunburns and tanning.
I am also very cautiously optimistic over her emphasis of "no paid content" because if that means they beef up the basegame with cars, stairs, etc, then that will be worth the less paid content. If that means they are recoloring items and separating plants, that doesn't mean much to me.
I feel like this marketing is being announced now because people are so happy with seasons, and now we just "have to trust them". There have been droughts of content before, but with their planned longevity of the game and now they're announcing we won't have paid content every quarter tells me they are coasting off the "seasons high" and I am not thrilled about it.
The twitter warning was a major red flag; basically they won’t be releasing as many packs per year as they have to date, and will focus more on bigger packs to make up for the loss of the numerous smaller packs. Because they aren’t going to just cut their revenue raising potential, unless they are looking to can Sims 4.
I mean when they say expect quarters with no paid content that’s about as open as it gets. The Sims 4 is getting less stuff per year, but I do see how their forced optimistic spin makes this whole situation confusing. I’m just glad they haven’t appealed to quality yet - that’s when you know things are really bad (we might have less.. but what we have is such high quality... blah).
Haven't you already created a thread on this subject line? One or both might be closed.
Nope 2 different subjects. The other is just about quarterly teasers. This thread is about the overall theme of content being released for the next 3 years and what that actually means in my opinion, which is why this is in Speculation.
I actually tend to agree with you. People are automatically assuming that we will get 2 EPS a year now, and that they will be "better quality like Seasons". Although I think Seasons is a good pack, people were always going to think that because it is a fan favorite and everybody had this doomsday approach that the seasons were going to be split up into 4 gamepacks. Personally, although I like it, the complete lack of spring and summer material (a kiddie pool and sprinklers are the main feautures) makes me think they are going to release a pool stuffpack to fill the summer, and some sort of island vacation to bring back sunburns and tanning.
I am also very cautiously optimistic over her emphasis of "no paid content" because if that means they beef up the basegame with cars, stairs, etc, then that will be worth the less paid content. If that means they are recoloring items and separating plants, that doesn't mean much to me.
I feel like this marketing is being announced now because people are so happy with seasons, and now we just "have to trust them". There have been droughts of content before, but with their planned longevity of the game and now they're announcing we won't have paid content every quarter tells me they are coasting off the "seasons high" and I am not thrilled about it.
I think Seasons has great gameplay features but it is incredibly buggy! That to me takes away from its greatness. Someone made a thread up here asking if they should wait for bugs to be fixed before buying it and I had to tell them yes, they should. It really reminds me of the craziness that happened following City Living regarding the terrible lag. There are still festival issues that linger as well.
I’m definitely a big picture person and it’s clear as day to me this news is not a good thing.
The twitter warning was a major red flag; basically they won’t be releasing as many packs per year as they have to date, and will focus more on bigger packs to make up for the loss of the numerous smaller packs. Because they aren’t going to just cut their revenue raising potential, unless they are looking to can Sims 4.
I mean when they say expect quarters with no paid content that’s about as open as it gets. The Sims 4 is getting less stuff per year, but I do see how their forced optimistic spin makes this whole situation confusing. I’m just glad they haven’t appealed to quality yet - that’s when you know things are really bad (we might have less.. but what we have is such high quality... blah).
Lol yea I haven’t heard them say anything regarding quality other than “we’ve heard your concerns”. Which concern exactly?? There are tons of threads up here filled to the brim with concerns lol
We’ve had quarters without paid content before though?
Normally Q3 had 1 Stuff Pack in July and has done for the last 2 years. This year they released an EP at the end of June instead.
Perhaps there’s nothing planned for this quarter because it’s quiet and it’s more profitable to plan for Q4, and let Seasons do it’s thing.
Remember, people were confused to why Q4 last year only had 1EP and was missing a Stuff Pack we usually get, only to find we got 2 the following quarter as well as a Game Pack.
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The QA team is overwhelmed, the patches are released too slowly and the new packs add new issues too quickly.
In 2018 there are still fixes for EP01 Get To Work, it is 3 years old, it's frightening.
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The Sims 4 General DiscussionI hope they do shift all their SP resources to GPs and EPs.
I actually tweeted Graham year(s?) ago stating that we needed him on expansion packs, lol.
There are A LOT of bugs that need attention right now... such as Sims freezing for no reason and not even being able to be fixed by using "resetSim". Also, the lag when placing floors and wallpapers still occurs in the game (despite the recent patch claiming it was fixed). And, while not necessarily a bug, the lack of ability to see weather forecasts in other worlds should at least be addressed. They should fix this.
At the moment, I'm much more concerned with them fixing the issues this game already has VS getting more DLC that would just end up breaking the game further.
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
This is a very good point
Whenever I think about the bugs in a Sims game, I'm always reminded of the horrible state Sims 3 was left at... don't get me wrong, I LOVE Sims 3 a lot! However, even I can't deny that the game is severely broken. It's almost as if the developers didn't care enough to focus on fixing the major issues that game had. I just don't wanna see Sims 4 go down the same road as Sims 3 did (by having glitches, bugs, etc, left untouched, thus breaking the game forever).
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
It’s a shame they can’t do both, release awesome new content on a regular basis AND have it be bug free.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
But seriously, the fact they will release less content than before doesn’t mean there will be no content. It will just be more spreaded out for years and years and years (and years and years and years)....
Sigh, hope there at least will be supernaturals comparable to the vamps among it.
I can agree with that especially when it comes to Graham as he worked on eps in Sims 3 a lot - so he is experienced with making the eps and he's such a good idea guy - I can see us benefiting with work on eps. Look at the amazing stuff he did with the watercraft in IP. He's from Florida - so he knows stuff like that, and lots of other great ep/gp kind of things.
I actually can't wait to see some of the stuff coming...
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
This is not how you improve communication with players.
An attempt at improving communication would be "We are cancelling quarterly teasers. Here is why we decided to do that - "
And what they did? They just told us they made this decision and that's it. No word on the reason behind it. Just the usual "wait and see". Aka more of the same old, same old players absolutely hate about TS4's marketing. So I do not see any reason to be optimistic and expect something good to come out of it.
I have to disagree, they did tell us why this happening.
Taken straight from the announcement:
Had they said “We are cancelling the quarterly trailers effective as of now, we will have more information soon”
I could understand it a lot more. But they have explained things are changing and we are seeing that with Graham moving to expansions ( a change I am very interested in) and Grant coming out of twitter hiding and engaging with the community.
If it means more quality packs and less things like the cash grab that was my first pet I am all for it.
They explained whats lead to the change they are making, yes. I appreciate that. But a statement like that would be more useful to the players if they'd also tell us more about their new ideas regarding release patterns and types of packs instead of doing what everyone's tired of, aka telling us to wait.
Why couldn't they wait themselves and come out with such big announcement at a time when they're allowed to be clear about their actual plans? Being so vague only stirs up the community. See how people are already making such wild assumptions as "guys this obviously means two EPs a year" with nothing to back it up besides their own instinct.
Transparency and communication is not about letting the players believe in what their instinct tells them. It's about giving players straightforward info, which they yet again failed to do.
I must say I'm personally thrilled that Graham has been moved to work on EPs and I hope it'll bring us some interesting ideas in the future. It's just sad their strategy is still not sharing those ideas with us.
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TBH eliminating the teasers and saying they just don’t work, well that doesn’t make sense unless they are trying to hide the drop in production that’s seemingly going to be the new normal.
A statement was made yesterday by Kate, Community Manager, saying there will be quarters where we receive no paid content, meaning no new packs released for sale in stores.
I find this new information highly dubious in nature. It is very easy to make The Sims stretch for another 3 years if you go quarters at a time with no releases, ie 3-6 months with no releases.
Before we were getting new releases like clockwork every month or every other month. So when the original statement that they’re planning out packs for the next 3 years was made, many people myself included were excited because it would mean consistent releases were to continue every month or every other month.
After reviewing both statements together, I am very skeptical that we will receive the same amount of content each year The Sims remains with them taking months in between releasing packs.
Thoughts?
I am also very cautiously optimistic over her emphasis of "no paid content" because if that means they beef up the basegame with cars, stairs, etc, then that will be worth the less paid content. If that means they are recoloring items and separating plants, that doesn't mean much to me.
I feel like this marketing is being announced now because people are so happy with seasons, and now we just "have to trust them". There have been droughts of content before, but with their planned longevity of the game and now they're announcing we won't have paid content every quarter tells me they are coasting off the "seasons high" and I am not thrilled about it.
I mean when they say expect quarters with no paid content that’s about as open as it gets. The Sims 4 is getting less stuff per year, but I do see how their forced optimistic spin makes this whole situation confusing. I’m just glad they haven’t appealed to quality yet - that’s when you know things are really bad (we might have less.. but what we have is such high quality... blah).
Nope 2 different subjects. The other is just about quarterly teasers. This thread is about the overall theme of content being released for the next 3 years and what that actually means in my opinion, which is why this is in Speculation.
I think Seasons has great gameplay features but it is incredibly buggy! That to me takes away from its greatness. Someone made a thread up here asking if they should wait for bugs to be fixed before buying it and I had to tell them yes, they should. It really reminds me of the craziness that happened following City Living regarding the terrible lag. There are still festival issues that linger as well.
I’m definitely a big picture person and it’s clear as day to me this news is not a good thing.
Lol yea I haven’t heard them say anything regarding quality other than “we’ve heard your concerns”. Which concern exactly?? There are tons of threads up here filled to the brim with concerns lol
Normally Q3 had 1 Stuff Pack in July and has done for the last 2 years. This year they released an EP at the end of June instead.
Perhaps there’s nothing planned for this quarter because it’s quiet and it’s more profitable to plan for Q4, and let Seasons do it’s thing.
Remember, people were confused to why Q4 last year only had 1EP and was missing a Stuff Pack we usually get, only to find we got 2 the following quarter as well as a Game Pack.
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