Has TS4 development taken a noticeable downturn in 2019? «123456...Next Go

thesimmer14

Between pack-to-basegame recycled content, an EP released that was originally intended to be a GP, more text-based content [trait randomizer/story mode CAS] as opposed to game play content being introduced in updates, the Freelancer careers [imo, they're just the same thing copied thrice with minor tweaks to objectives], bugs, Alexa skill or whatever, UI UPDATE, Moschino stuff pack, sandbox gameplay eliminated from a DLC [Strangerville = narrative based], DOOR SWATCHES being hyped beyond what they actually were...

Um, at least we got...?

drake_mccarty

The downturn happened long before 2019. That’s just when people staring realizing what’s been going on for years and that’s partially because the studio isn’t trying as hard to hide it.

Aine

IMO EA is currently taking a giant dump on simmers. There's nothing we can do except tell them what we want from the game and what we expect to be better. There are too many shortcuts taken, too many incomplete and unfinished features and objects. Island Living is just a great example of How Not to Do it. It comes off as if they're trying to 'save money by making a crap pack. No wonder the marketing department seem to be swimming in money - they have to convince Simmers that it's the greatest thing since sliced bread - the problem is that they forgot to bake the actual bread - there is no dough, the dough is a lie.

Simpkin

Nope. People just get more entitled and selfish.

drake_mccarty

Simpkin wrote: »

Nope. People just get more entitled and selfish.

I think people need to learn what entitlement is or what it means. This game and it’s DLC aren’t free. Calling it entitled to have expectations for things that costs real money is very backwards logic. Maxis is a bit entitled though, I mean it was their own former CM that said the studio absolutely operates on the mindset that players will buy whatever they make regardless of what it is. Remember that?

KaeChan2089

Dude, it has taken a downturn years after release, it has always gotten worse year after year...

queenkillerx

I think the the downturn happened earlier than 2019, as mentioned by other posters, but this year I am actually surprised by the releases. I liked the narrated game play (I miss Sims Medieval so much) of Strangerville, and the most recent update added some new ways to play the game, which is something I have been waiting for, I was getting a little board of the same gameplay.

I can't defend the door swatches, you got me there.

logion

I think so, they are making some nice features with each pack, like the sunburn mechanic with IL for example, I thought that was impressive.

But they are also making very simple features that feels very limited, like deep diving, the lifeguard career etc. Too many rabbit holes with just text.

It doesn't feel like they are any major development going on anymore for the sims4. If they can solve it by just making a rabbit hole, they will do it.

SiliClone

Honestly if it wasn't for mods, I would have stopped playing already... I actually regret paying for the game, I'd better pay modders on patreon.

Hoverael

I don't know enough to know where development is in TS4, but after multiple expansions, dozens DLCS + stuff packs, it doesn't seem all that surprising things are winding down. But other projects within EA could have a knock on effect down the line on other games already released and with a regular content cycles that are starting to get noticed.

Anthem came out earlier in the year and it might not be surprised to hear that Maxis staff were assigned to Bioware to complete that project and TS4 suffered a bit for it. Who knows. It might also be possible that EA could be closing the book on TS4.

It is hard to know what is what really. Recklessly speculating is only going to cause trouble. If EA have anything to say about it in an official announcement in due course, then you'll obviously know for sure. Might be best to have a little patience for the moment.

Sigzy05

I put no because 2019 isn't over yet. The next packs, including Realm of Magic and possibly the 8th EP, might be good, we don't know. I'm not excluding that (small?) chance.

That said, the overall content didn't took a down turn in 2019, it's been sort of like this since the BG launched but IL is a special case. TS4's content overall has been not so great in many cases, because either it's missing something or it's half baked. There's the lack of dog houses, festivals that only use BG items, no shopping bag animation on GTW, lack of summer/spring activities in Seasons, no water sliding down roofs or umbrellas when it rains, inability to make our own apartments/place them in other worlds etc. I have bought EP's on sale because a lot of times I don't feel like they are worth the asking price. Take CL for example.

I think IL as a pack is a rather strange situation in which you have an EP that was probably initially a GP, in which they put most of their budget in the world itself and the gameplay saw but a dime. There are so many wrong things about IL when it comes to gameplay....recycled recipes, recycled culture interactions, cave rabbit hole completion without a reward, rabbit hole scuba diving, no mermaid perks, no mermaid bassinet, no kelp for mermaids to eat, no mermaid transformation, shark death is just the drowning death, only 2 boat types, only 5 types of sand sculptures, chair lounging doesn't allow multitasking, can't read while sunbathing....yeah....I don't think we've ever had an EP that was so bare bones. And there's barely any content that you can use outside of it since the BG/DLC worlds are yet to be updated. I have no idea what went on with this EP. For the small number of features it has I also don't see much depth within them. The world team outdid themselves though I'll give them that.

Strangerville also lacked depth, as a story GP, I was expecting a lot more story/lore from it! And there's a lot of grinding and collecting with that pack..... probably to make up for the lack of gameplay.... I wish they had done something like The Sims Medieval/Sims World Adventures where NPC's give you the text stories/opportunities and you can or not accept them. But ok....

Put all of this together with, unfixed bugs, bad marketing choices, bad design decisions, taking content away from paid packs, and you have the perfect recipe for angry, fans. Not even dissatisfied, legit angry.

We'll see, I honestly don't know why Maxis would support this game for longer if they aren't adding any new interesting and in depth gameplay systems and are just recycling and re-skinning everything. What irks me the most though is probably the fact that we've been 5 years telling Maxis "sims need better personalities", "improve traits" and they keep on ignoring that. Maybe the engine just can't handle it? I have no idea.

DillynJames

I said no because I think the entire development of The Sims 4 era has been a noticeable downturn for the franchise as a whole, not just in 2019. Other than the relatively poor reception of IL, I don't think this year has been any different. I don't hate the game, but (for me) Sims 4 just doesn't have the spark, or life, or charm that the previous games had.

nerdfashion

2019 is barely half-way through. I'm not going to say it was a bad year until it's over.

Sigzy05

logion wrote: »

I think so, they are making some nice features with each pack, like the sunburn mechanic with IL for example, I thought that was impressive.

But they are also making very simple features that feels very limited, like deep diving, the lifeguard career etc. Too many rabbit holes with just text.

It doesn't feel like they are any major development going on anymore for the sims4. If they can solve it by just making a rabbit hole, they will do it.

I have to agree with that. The suntanning is pretty cool and far more realistic than on any iteration, but it's a single thing in the midst of many other things that lack that level of depth. It's like when they want to (or are allowed to?) they can really deliver.

Like, why isn't there a bad/low quality version of each sand sculpture? (even toddlers can sand sculpt faces and stuff like they are complete idiot savants). Why can't there be some unique sand sculptures for certain traits, like evil sims make an evil grimm reaper sand sculpture?

Why is it that mermaids lack their own type of food, kelp? (that they could very much gather using the rabbit hole diving spot). Or why is it that they forgot to add the mermaid bassinet?

Why is it that the coconut cake has the same mesh as the BG white cake?

Why is it that you can't read books while lounging?

It just doesn't make sense, I'm sure they have thought about this, perhaps they did spend it all on the world.

Sharonia

I would say it's taken a noticeable downturn since the end of the Sims 2 and the introduction of DLC. I'm not trying to be at all negative about the Sims 4 here btw. I think it's probably my favorite iteration of the Sims games so far. It's just that I feel like if my memory is right that packs in the Sims 2 were a lot fuller and more polished. I didn't play the Sims 3 because I didn't like it so I don't comment on that version.

I feel like now we have DLC we get packs more frequent but with less in them and they aren't quite as polished as they were back in the Sims 2 days. Like right now I'm actually shocked that Island Living was released in such a bug ridden state. I just expect better from a company like Maxis/EA, well maybe not EA but Maxis on some level still exists and I do expect better from them at least.

Sigzy05

Sharonia wrote: »

I would say it's taken a noticeable downturn since the end of the Sims 2 and the introduction of DLC. I'm not trying to be at all negative about the Sims 4 here btw. I think it's probably my favorite iteration of the Sims games so far. It's just that I feel like if my memory is right that packs in the Sims 2 were a lot fuller and more polished. I didn't play the Sims 3 because I didn't like it so I don't comment on that version.

I feel like now we have DLC we get packs more frequent but with less in them and they aren't quite as polished as they were back in the Sims 2 days. Like right now I'm actually shocked that Island Living was released in such a bug ridden state. I just expect better from a company like Maxis/EA, well maybe not EA but Maxis on some level still exists and I do expect better from them at least.

In TS2 days there weren't patches like there are now so they put more resources into making sure things were all good and dandy. Patches were delivered through EP's and SP's. Now if there's a minor bug in the EP they'll release it and "patch later". Although I think EP launches have been more smooth than the ones on TS3. TS3 was a buggy mess....so is this game, but TS3 was more.

ListentoToppDogg

I can't say for sure since I don't know their development process, but I know for sure that the recent pack releases have been pretty lacking. I think it's because their goal is to sell to 12 year olds now that they're trying to get away with putting in the bare minimum for the largest price. SV was not worth $20 and IL was not worth $40. We'll see what the next pack releases will offer, because they need to hit it out of the park if they don't want to entirely loose the main demographic (then again, I think that deep down that is their goal).

izecson

Simpkin wrote: »

Nope. People just get more entitled and selfish.

I dont know why players demanding good quality packs is called an entitlements, entitlements is when you prepurchase the games and expect to have all the upcoming dlc given free to you just because you invest money to the game earlier than the others.

Sigzy05

ListentoToppDogg wrote: »

I can't say for sure since I don't know their development process, but I know for sure that the recent pack releases have been pretty lacking. I think it's because their goal is to sell to 12 year olds now that they're trying to get away with putting in the bare minimum for the largest price. SV was not worth $20 and IL was not worth $40. We'll see what the next pack releases will offer, because they need to hit it out of the park if they don't want to entirely loose the main demographic (then again, I think that deep down that is their goal).

I don't think so.... don't tell me that their main demographic isn't this franchise's driving force and what keeps the community itself alive...because I won't believe that. They probably just want more and more players getting in on this (regardless of whom though they are targeting younger and younger) to keep EA's stock markets flowing now that almost every game they release is a half baked flop.

That said, Realm of Magic better blow me the 🐸🐸🐸🐸 away with some mind blowing VFX, new animations, an intricate magic and potion system and magic broom transportation. Because otherwise, Maxis might as well call that another half baked mess.

QueenMercy

I get that the ui revamp is unfortunate, and that Island Living is pretty empty, and the bugs are bad, but I think some of your points are kind of unfair:

1. How should the freelancer branches have been different? Also plenty of people wanted this kind of career.

2. We haven’t even seen the SP yet, it could be interesting.

3. Strangerville has a linear story, but it’s not like aspirations don’t also have linear progression too.

4. A lot of people wanted a trait randomizer. People have been asking for one since release.

NorthDakotaGamer

The downward spiral was noticed by me starting with the "gender update". From there it just seems to be more and more pandering and less about significant gameplay features.

Writin_Reg

No - after playing all the Sims series games over the last 20 years this game seems to create the same excitement and anticipation with each new ep all the previous ones did - just that folks now a days tire of things a lot quicker than they use to. I think its the fact todays players are much harder to please long term than past players were and if a game is not wowing them 24/7 they find fault with it to easy especially when something in a new pack is different than previous versions. People compare the games as if they are all part of just the same game - and are more inclined to see what they think is missing than what it contains.

Society in general today are not the same kind of people they were 15-20 years ago and seem much harder to please than in the past over almost anything. They are much more attuned to the world in general than they used to be thanks to world wide internet - and I'd say a lot smarter overall in wanting more bang for their buck in todays world. Years ago people took what they got and found it acceptable - todays world wants better and more as they are better aware and smarter than people 20 years ago were.

Chazzzy

Did they actually say Island Living was supposed to be a Game Pack?

Wonder what they added after that point to make it qualify (in their minds) as an Expansion Pack.

Writin_Reg

Chazzzy wrote: »

Did they actually say Island Living was supposed to be a Game Pack?

Wonder what they added after that point to make it qualify (in their minds) as an Expansion Pack.

I think players said that - not Maxis seeing Maxis said we had one gme pack, one ep, and one sp coming tells me it was always designed to be a ep - as they had Moschino sp, Realm of Magic GP, and Island living being worked on slotted for each of those packs. It did not change what it was designed to be from what I can see - the world alone tells you that.

nerdfashion

People, try and keep your opinions opinions instead of facts. For example, it's a fact that The Sims 4 is unlikely to end anytime soon. It's an opinion that a Farming Pack needs to come out. Now, let's put this same thing on the thread. If you were to say say, " ... And IL is not worth $40. Fact." Or something like that, you would be incorrect. I think that IL is worth $40 if you enjoy everything in it, and I do. So, you should say "... because if you ask me, IL is not worth $40..." or something similar. See? Just a little bit of re-phrasing can make things a lot more accurate.

Writin_Reg

nerdfashion wrote: »

People, try and keep your opinions opinions instead of facts. For example, it's a fact that The Sims 4 is unlikely to end anytime soon. It's an opinion that a Farming Pack needs to come out. Now, let's put this same thing on the thread. If you were to say say, " ... And IL is not worth $40. Fact." Or something like that, you would be incorrect. I think that IL is worth $40 if you enjoy everything in it, and I do. So, you should say "... because if you ask me, IL is not worth $40..." or something similar. See? Just a little bit of re-phrasing can make things a lot more accurate.

I base my opinions on facts - not any other way so they are inseparable in my mind.