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January Maxis Monthly (The Sims Now On Alexa)!!!!!!

Comments

  • storyystoryy Posts: 417 Member
    To be honest it was a huge miss for us to not state at the very beginning it wasn't a paid partnership. It was also a miss that we didn't state that the Alexa Skill was free. We had a lot we wanted to show off about it and missed in that area. So it was absolutely within the rights of the viewer/consumer to think that it could have been sponsored.

    I would imagine it's easy to miss points you wanted to touch on, especially live. You look back and wonder why you didn't say this or that. You all are doing your best in my eyes, and I so appreciate your transparency :)
  • IyasenuIyasenu Posts: 325 Member
    There was never a patch in January scheduled.

    Aww!
    So that means that any current issues aren't scheduled to be patched at least until January's over? Possibly even longer, if there isn't one scheduled for February.
    I was kind of holding out hope that the more annoying issues like the "Care for Self" or the daycare stuff would be taken care of sooner rather than later.
    Especially after the emergency patch for the Lin-Z in December.
    It's getting really obstructive to my enjoyment having to attempt to work around issues for months on end, while hoping a patch will come out to smooth things out a bit more.
  • ScobreScobre Posts: 20,665 Member
    edited January 2019
    Great response @SimGuruKate and thank you for being so brave addressing this. Thank you also answering my question if the skill was free or not after the live stream ended in Twitch chat especially given my accounting background I like knowing the costs of things. Keep up the awesome work. I am a disabled Simmer so being able to listen to Sims music when I want is appreciated on my bad days with the Alexa app. I may not always feel well enough to do the trivia part, but that is a cool idea to do for streams since games like Jackbox are already so popular with viewer and streamer interaction. My dad got the Alexa during the black friday sale to make things easier for him especially since he might be fighting cancer now. It is even connected to the roomba thing so I can ask Alexa to run it. Nice being able to set timers for cooking too. But yeah sad how my life is slowly becoming like the Sims and I have a big brother spy in my house now. Then again cell phones can be just an easily of a security breach too for people with people being able into hack into cameras. That's the thing with technology now is that it can be a necessary evil. Anyways have a great day Simmers and <3 BobSquad.
    “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
  • wolfkomoki1wolfkomoki1 Posts: 5,053 Member
    edited January 2019
    Ok there are a few things I want to comment on, address, clarify from this thread.

    First, the comment that the Alexa Skill was developed in partnership with Amazon and that it was paid/sponsored. This is 110% not true. If something is paid or sponsored we legally must disclose that. Amazon did not reach out to us to develop this, nor did we reach out to Amazon to see if they wanted to partner with us. Instead, a single Dev thought of this idea and worked with a few other Devs who were interested to bring it to life and create it outside of their TS4 development responsibilities.

    Second, the idea that if they had not worked on this new Alexa Skill we would have released a patch in January for TS4 PC/Mac or Console. There was never a patch in January scheduled. Had the Alexa Skill not been in development or on the docket for release this month we still would not have released a patch in January. There are many reasons for this, much of it to do with how our development schedule is laid out, other content we are currently working on (paid and free), and the fact that we (EA) actually shut down the entire office (globally) between Christmas and New Years. Patches are scheduled VERY far in advance (we are talking months) and are done so in a manner that align with the overall development schedule for the year.

    Third, this sentiment that the Dev Team should remain chained to their desks and only work on in game content, and that passion projects are a waste of time. The Maxis Dev Team is one of the hardest working teams out there, and they are incredibly passionate about TS4, TSM, TSFP, and all past and future projects. One of the coolest things about Maxis is that they actively encourage Devs to work on side projects outside of their time required for primary project development (such as a patch or pack). By providing this opportunity it allows them to remain engaged and excited for what they are working on, thus preventing burnout (which as many know is a very real thing). All of this means that they can continue to create high quality content for the games you are so passionate about. Sometimes a Dev's passion project is something like First Person Camera. Sometimes it's something like a new career or NPC in the game. And yes, sometimes it's creating a fun little Alexa skill for those who have an Alexa and love The Sims. For passion projects Devs are encouraged to work on things they find interesting because when you work on things you enjoy it means you will produce high quality results.

    Now, Maxis Monthly. When we first announced Maxis Monthly I stated that not every Maxis Monthly would include revealing new content for TS4 (or TSM or TSFP). I also made it very clear from the first Maxis Monthly that new PAID content (that means EPs/GPs/SPs) would not be announced during these streams. There are multiple reasons for this, but basically it comes down to the way we announce new paid content. Now that being said, the goal of Maxis Monthly was to talk ALL things Maxis. This means that sometimes we would have something new to show for every single current game in our portfolio, and sometimes (like this month) we would have nothing. This is simply the nature of how game development works. It's pure luck (or coincidence) that prior to yesterday every Maxis Monthly had included new content reveals for TS4. Yes, I know this meant the community had come to expect certain things in the streams. Yes, I knew that the first MM in which we didn't reveal new content for TS4 would result in dissatisfaction. Though some many not think so, I know this community VERY well. That's why, compared to previous MM, we did not hype this live stream. That's why I called what we were showing "nifty" instead of mind blowing. That's why I sent out gentle reminders to the community that not all streams would show off new in-game content. Short of saying "this is what you will be seeing" I could not have been more clear and forthcoming that the January MM would not be showing off new TS4 content. However all that being said, the level of vitriol seen during yesterday's announcement was beyond what even I expected, and to be honest, was beyond what was appropriate. Do I think it would have been better to not show off Alexa during the stream? Absolutely not. That stream was the perfect place to show off this cool new product. Yes, we could have immediately said up front at the top of the stream that it was not sponsored/paid, and that was a huge learning lesson.

    So knowing some of the community wouldn't be happy with no new content coming for TS4, why didn't I wait to share Alexa? Because it's coming out next week and the Devs who worked on it wanted to show it off and this was the right time and way to do so. But why didn't I talk about things coming later this year? Because I can't. My hands are literally tied. Due to some interesting legal reasons (it's pretty in depth and complicated) revealing content too early would result in us being in some legal and financial hot water. Additionally doing so would not only result in me likely losing my job, but could put our Development and Marketing Teams in very difficult positions. And remember, though at this point I sound like a broken record, just because we don't explicitly share what the team is working on at the moment (because we can't), doesn't mean we aren't working on multiple packs, free content, and more. We will continue to evaluate how we approach content announcements and whether or not the Maxis Monthly adds value for enough individuals and make changes where/if necessary.

    Now the final thing I want to address is that passion and frustration never excuses basic human decency in how you interact with others. While everyone, especially a consumer of a product, has a right to express frustration, or be critical of the product, this does not give them the right to hurl insults at the Developers (or creator of the product). And if a person does choose to engage this way (which free will and freedom of speech allows) the individual which they are directing it at is under no obligation to listen or engage with that individual (because free will and all). It does not matter if that person is a Developer, a Customer Service person, or yes, a Community Manager. Yes, we choose these careers, and yes some of us even put ourselves in the public eye, but that does not mean we have to tolerate individuals spewing hate or vitriol. There are many appropriate ways to provide criticism or share your opinion in a way that does not include excessive ongoing negativity or insults.

    Appropriate: I have zero interest in this new Alexa Skill they announced and I wish it had been something different. I feel they could have used their time differently or developed something different.
    Unnecessary: This Alexa Skill is so stupid, why are they wasting their time on this? They are so stupid and this is pointless and they never listen to us and the game is doomed.

    I have seen a number who have stated their thoughts in the first way, but have seen far more communicating in the second manner. And even with the first way of sharing your thoughts, we often wont reply. And not because we don't see it or only want positive feedback, but because not every message needs a response. Oftentimes there is almost nothing one could say to either of the above that would add value or make the individual happy or satisfied. So many times in these situations it is better to say nothing at all. We gather the feedback and we pass it onto those who can impact change.

    I hope this has helped provide more clarity or insight. Remember, I dont expect every individual to like every single thing that we do, or even like me or the Devs. That's absolutely ok and to be expected. One of the best things (but sometimes the hardest thing to handle) about The Sims community is how varied it is. This is an incredibly diverse community and there are so many different ways to enjoy The Sims. But what I do expect is for people to be respectful.
    Thank you for saying this. So, the Alexa skill is not for you. Fine. What's not fine is the entitlement I've seen from other simmers because it's not what they wanted. "WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH this isn't what I wanted! EA stinks! Maxis stinks!!!! I wanted this, this, and this! WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

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  • SimGuruKateSimGuruKate Posts: 38 SimGuru (retired)
    By the way, my apologies for the wall of text I left you all with! Looking at it now I'm like WOAH.
  • LittleRedRidingSimLittleRedRidingSim Posts: 122 Member
    Thank you for the work you put into this community @SimGuruKate . Such a privilege to have people that want to engage and are so passionate about the game. I love that dev’s have their own little pet projects! And yes, that certainly will help to combat burnout. Thanks for looking after and looking out for everyone involved.
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  • ladybreidladybreid Posts: 3,455 Member
    storyy wrote: »
    Wow @SimGuruKate - that was a very thorough and eloquent response. Thank you so much for diving in deep on this one. I apologize for my own expression of a partnership with Amazon - that was just my assumption.

    You guys are the best, keep doing what you're doing!

    To be honest it was a huge miss for us to not state at the very beginning it wasn't a paid partnership. It was also a miss that we didn't state that the Alexa Skill was free. We had a lot we wanted to show off about it and missed in that area. So it was absolutely within the rights of the viewer/consumer to think that it could have been sponsored.

    I'm glad you clarified that maybe this can all be put to bed now.
    Stay awesome.
    wz3Vdbh.jpg
    Saying "not to be rude", then blatently being rude does not excuse rude behavior.
  • ScobreScobre Posts: 20,665 Member
    By the way, my apologies for the wall of text I left you all with! Looking at it now I'm like WOAH.
    It's ok. I'm well known for that. I try when on Twitch at least because I know wall of text is hard to read while streaming. But yeah why I tend to stick to discord and have used forums. When sharing ideas of what I want out in the Sims, it is impossible to confine it to a Twitter post. Why I liked the Ideas for Toddlers thread that we shared ideas from the Family play thread that sparkfairy had. Was so shocked and happy when toddler beds were made from our ideas.
    “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
  • stilljustme2stilljustme2 Posts: 25,082 Member
    Personally, I think the Devs live in the bubble of elitists from silicon valley. At least that is the impression they keep projecting. These "side projects" are not seen as productive, cool, or even positive. I know I have asked for more gameplay that does not rely on my sims using any electronic devices. I also do not know anyone personally who has an alexa device, so it must be one of those devices I view as for the lazy.

    Maybe I'm also in the Silicon Valley bubble, but I do know people who use Alexa and similar devices. For the elderly or disabled, being able to control home features with one's voice can be a literal lifesaver; if they'd been available a decade earlier my husband and I would have probably set up a system for his parents (now both deceased) in their home. I occasionally watch a Twitch streamer who uses Alexa to control the background music in his home office, so he doesn't have to get up and thus interrupt the stream. So it's not just "for the lazy".
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  • stilljustme2stilljustme2 Posts: 25,082 Member
    storyy wrote: »
    Not going to search through replies to see if anyone has mentioned this, but like, you do realize that they aren't just a freestanding indie gaming company... right? Amazon probably paid them a hefty chunk of cash to do this specific thing. They have goals and deadlines and milestones to reach that are part of working for a large company. Sometimes those are things we don't see. They're DEFINITELY already working on new content for us - just be patient. And I think it's safe to say that the ENTIRE team wasn't working on this one Alexa thing, which is so small. I'm sure there was a small group of devs dedicated to this, while the rest were working on the other components to be released.

    I believe Kate said that there was no sort of payment/contract with Amazon for this -- it was just something the engineer came up with when playing around with his own Alexa at home. But you're right, they're likely already working on content (if not for release this month then probably next month) as well as the Extermination Team working on squashing more bugs.
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  • EA_LannaEA_Lanna Posts: 3,867 EA Community Manager
    edited January 2019
    Hey Simmers o/

    You may notice some changes happening with the thread. I will be working away in the background to merge similar discussions on the Maxis Monthly in here as well as removing posts that aren't in line with the rules. Thank you for your passion and for keeping the rules in mind. :)

    - Lanna
    • New Simmers, take a moment to read through this thread.
    • The Help Center is hosted on Answers HQ. Check out EA_Mage's thread on why.
    • Please post all Sims 4 Bug Reports, Technical and Gameplay issues in the AHQ Sims 4 Section.
    • Here is a quick link to The Sims forum rules
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  • WulfsimmerWulfsimmer Posts: 4,381 Member
    edited January 2019
    By the way, my apologies for the wall of text I left you all with! Looking at it now I'm like WOAH.

    Thank you for the explanation. What shocked me most out of everything is that a patch for January was never scheduled. I thought it was almost guranteed there are patches in every month (excusing October)


    Also, it would be very nice if we get a vague rundown at the beginning of the stream of what's going to be announced so we wouldn't get our hopes up that new gameplay or any of that sort will be announced somehow at some point in the stream.
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    WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?
  • SimGuruKateSimGuruKate Posts: 38 SimGuru (retired)
    Wulfsimmer wrote: »
    By the way, my apologies for the wall of text I left you all with! Looking at it now I'm like WOAH.

    Thank you for the explanation. What shocked me most out of everything is that a patch for January was never scheduled. I thought it was almost guranteed there are patches in every month (excusing October)


    Also, it would be very nice if we get a vague rundown at the beginning of the stream of what's going to be announced so we wouldn't get our hopes up that new gameplay or any of that sort will be announced somehow at some point in the stream.

    Noted on that suggestion. Normally I try to start out every stream with a rundown of what to expect, but because we were only focusing on the Alexa Skill yesterday, I didn't do it this time around. That may have been a poor choice.

    In 2019 I will say that January will not be the only month without a patch.
  • simgirl1010simgirl1010 Posts: 35,701 Member
    Wulfsimmer wrote: »
    By the way, my apologies for the wall of text I left you all with! Looking at it now I'm like WOAH.

    Thank you for the explanation. What shocked me most out of everything is that a patch for January was never scheduled. I thought it was almost guranteed there are patches in every month (excusing October)


    Also, it would be very nice if we get a vague rundown at the beginning of the stream of what's going to be announced so we wouldn't get our hopes up that new gameplay or any of that sort will be announced somehow at some point in the stream.

    Hope not. I'll never get over how they casually introduced terrain tools at the end of the livestream.
  • SimGuruKateSimGuruKate Posts: 38 SimGuru (retired)
    Wulfsimmer wrote: »
    By the way, my apologies for the wall of text I left you all with! Looking at it now I'm like WOAH.

    Thank you for the explanation. What shocked me most out of everything is that a patch for January was never scheduled. I thought it was almost guranteed there are patches in every month (excusing October)


    Also, it would be very nice if we get a vague rundown at the beginning of the stream of what's going to be announced so we wouldn't get our hopes up that new gameplay or any of that sort will be announced somehow at some point in the stream.

    Hope not. I'll never get over how they casually introduced terrain tools at the end of the livestream.

    Pretty much the funnest thing I've ever done and witness.
  • MidnightAuraMidnightAura Posts: 5,809 Member
    Thank you for responding and setting the record straight @SimGuruKate. Its nice to see you on here.

    I actually am looking forward to the Alexa skill, I really like the sims soundtrack, particularly the sims 1!
  • SimGuruKateSimGuruKate Posts: 38 SimGuru (retired)
    Thank you for responding and setting the record straight @SimGuruKate. Its nice to see you on here.

    I actually am looking forward to the Alexa skill, I really like the sims soundtrack, particularly the sims 1!

    I actually read a lot here on the forums, but don't often get a chance to post or respond. ;) Primary reason being that I am VERY busy and often responses on here take a lot longer to type up. Example, my wall o' text post took me 45-60 minutes and I totally should have been doing my weekly report instead. Hahah.
  • stilljustme2stilljustme2 Posts: 25,082 Member
    Iyasenu wrote: »
    There was never a patch in January scheduled.

    Aww!
    So that means that any current issues aren't scheduled to be patched at least until January's over? Possibly even longer, if there isn't one scheduled for February.
    I was kind of holding out hope that the more annoying issues like the "Care for Self" or the daycare stuff would be taken care of sooner rather than later.
    Especially after the emergency patch for the Lin-Z in December.
    It's getting really obstructive to my enjoyment having to attempt to work around issues for months on end, while hoping a patch will come out to smooth things out a bit more.

    I read it as there was no content patch scheduled, but that there could be an emergency bug fix patch to fix any major bugs, like we got the patch to solve the CAS aging bug that sprang up after the pre-GF patch.
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  • MidnightAuraMidnightAura Posts: 5,809 Member
    Thank you for responding and setting the record straight @SimGuruKate. Its nice to see you on here.

    I actually am looking forward to the Alexa skill, I really like the sims soundtrack, particularly the sims 1!

    I actually read a lot here on the forums, but don't often get a chance to post or respond. ;) Primary reason being that I am VERY busy and often responses on here take a lot longer to type up. Example, my wall o' text post took me 45-60 minutes and I totally should have been doing my weekly report instead. Hahah.

    Well thank you for clarifying that. It was very helpful to read so it was worth the time it took!

    I also like the suggestion of giving a brief run down of what will be included in the stream, hopefully that will set expectations a bit better.
  • Armilus616Armilus616 Posts: 683 Member
    @SimGuruKate I didn't know you still check the forums every now and then. A lot of us here thought you abandoned or forgot about the forum and moved on to twitter. This is the first time in more than a year that I see something from you Gurus on this Forum. There was the occasional Moderator telling us to keep topics Sims related or to be respectful to each other, but that is all I noticed.
    Am I in the wrong categories to notice you, or is a SimGuru posting something here some rare "once every two years" thing?
  • bizuktagbizuktag Posts: 552 Member
    Maybe there would be less frustration if people knew ahead of time what was going to be discussed during a Maxis Monthly. A tweet that says "We're announcing something nifty" leads to speculation and potential disappointment. Why not a tweet that says "We've developed an Alexa skill! Come learn all about it"?
  • rjssimrjssim Posts: 1,335 Member
    edited January 2019
    I agree with everything you said, @SimGuruKate. You guys are doing an awesome job. I'm really looking forward to the content that 2019 is gonna bring to us! To be honest, I don't really get excited for new games or expansions anymore. It is only TS4 content that really excites me these days.

    Anyways, for projects in general constructive criticism can actually be a good thing based on my own experience with my own projects, but flat out insults and harassment is never a good thing nor does it add to productivity or accomplish anything. We all like different things. For example, I feel that TS4 is the superior game where as others feel that TS3 is the superior game. Building reasons in a positive manner of why you think the other game is better than the other is the more appropriate approach than say bashing someone and the game with insults because they like the other game better. Toxicity is never good in any situation, and it just ends up stressing everyone out on both sides. Anyways, happy simming!
  • SimGuruKateSimGuruKate Posts: 38 SimGuru (retired)
    Armilus616 wrote: »
    @SimGuruKate I didn't know you still check the forums every now and then. A lot of us here thought you abandoned or forgot about the forum and moved on to twitter. This is the first time in more than a year that I see something from you Gurus on this Forum. There was the occasional Moderator telling us to keep topics Sims related or to be respectful to each other, but that is all I noticed.
    Am I in the wrong categories to notice you, or is a SimGuru posting something here some rare "once every two years" thing?

    Like I said, I read frequently but don't often post. And this is true for many of the SimGurus as well. With their current workload, and my personal workload, posting on the forums frequently is not a possibility.
  • SimGuruKateSimGuruKate Posts: 38 SimGuru (retired)
    bizuktag wrote: »
    Maybe there would be less frustration if people knew ahead of time what was going to be discussed during a Maxis Monthly. A tweet that says "We're announcing something nifty" leads to speculation and potential disappointment. Why not a tweet that says "We've developed an Alexa skill! Come learn all about it"?

    We are trying to find a way to balance giving enough information beforehand to prevent unnecessary hype, but also keeping some of the mystery. I am not sure there is a perfect solution.
  • SimGuruKateSimGuruKate Posts: 38 SimGuru (retired)
    Iyasenu wrote: »
    There was never a patch in January scheduled.

    Aww!
    So that means that any current issues aren't scheduled to be patched at least until January's over? Possibly even longer, if there isn't one scheduled for February.
    I was kind of holding out hope that the more annoying issues like the "Care for Self" or the daycare stuff would be taken care of sooner rather than later.
    Especially after the emergency patch for the Lin-Z in December.
    It's getting really obstructive to my enjoyment having to attempt to work around issues for months on end, while hoping a patch will come out to smooth things out a bit more.

    I read it as there was no content patch scheduled, but that there could be an emergency bug fix patch to fix any major bugs, like we got the patch to solve the CAS aging bug that sprang up after the pre-GF patch.

    As I said, as of right now there is no patch, not even an emergency patch, scheduled for January. We did release an emergency patch after the Dec. patch to address some massive bugs that had cropped up for everyone.
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