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Official Maxis Threads for Bugs/Glitches Upon Launch
Personally, I have the least issue with bugs and glitches in my game. I have had several crashes here and there, but nothing that a restart that didn't resolved. The biggest bug I got (as far as I know) is having more than 3 active Lifestyles. I just can't help but compare The Sims 4 with the other games I am playing, ESO (Elder Scrolls Online) and LoL (League of Legends).
Those two games have what you call a PTS (Public Test Servers). So PTS allows EVERYONE to test new updates/contents/DLCs. Usually they open the PTS version at the very least, 2 months prior to a launch. And in that time, they have an official forum thread (and in some cases, they even have SEVERAL forum threads for different aspects of the game) dedicated for player feedback. Everyone is welcome to comment, even the most toxic players. If you think Simmers are toxic, you are wrong. These players will wish you and your mom will have cancer when you say "hi". I am NOT kidding. So yeah, people who complain here in The Sims is not even remotely close. Anyways, sorry that's for a different topic... those PTS like I said will be open for like 2 months or so. And once the new content launches, they have another dedicated thread for players to report any bugs and glitches. And once a bug/glitch is flagged, usually there is a hotfix for that, if not within minutes (for small and minor issues), at most a day, Yes! A DAY. I am not even exaggerating. What they do is they have their team ready and on standby on launch. From community managers, who answers all feedbacks in the thread(s), replies are almost instantaneously (of course if it's in their working hours-- more often than not, on release dates they are 24hrs), to lead producers, heck I remember one time ESO's Lead Lore Master was on the forums answering concerns about lore inconsistencies in the game when one of their first major DLC was released. That is how dedicated Zenimax is in their game.
Now I don't think EA is generous enough to let has have a PTS, but at the very least can we have a dedicated thread here in the Forums for people to post and report their feedback? And can we please have a dedicated Maxis team to collate these reports so they can provide hotfix as soon as possible? Because having someone go through ea.com so they can report a bug is honestly tedious and stressful. Why can't we have Maxis reply to us right away when we report it here in THEIR forums page? At the very least tell us: "We hear you, we will work on it"-- no matter how cliché that is, it eases a player's mindset. Rather than being told to go create a ticket with no reassurance as to when or IF that issue will even be looked at. EA/Maxis has no problem asking me to pre-order their 🐸🐸🐸🐸, but they want me to wait so you can fix a game I pre-ordered in a week? I mean, it's bad enough that this is the only game I play where pre-ordering means nothing, not even early access (in ESO by the way when you pre-order, you get free and exclusive pet(s), costume(s), mount(s), loots, collectibles, etc AND you get early access). So at the very least, show us that you still care. At least let us feel that you are aware that bugs and glitches are going to happen, because honestly, that is fine. THAT is expected when a new DLC is released. I have yet to play a game that came out without any issues on release dates. But if you at least have a dedicated thread here and have a team ready to collate that, at least that will tell us that you care and that you are ready for all of these to happen. Rather than just releasing content and hoping that everything will run smoothly. That just tells me that EA and Maxis would rather ignore us. That tells me that the only thing that matters to them is making sure that sales come in and everything else can wait. That tells me that they just don't care anymore. Is that what's happening here?
Those two games have what you call a PTS (Public Test Servers). So PTS allows EVERYONE to test new updates/contents/DLCs. Usually they open the PTS version at the very least, 2 months prior to a launch. And in that time, they have an official forum thread (and in some cases, they even have SEVERAL forum threads for different aspects of the game) dedicated for player feedback. Everyone is welcome to comment, even the most toxic players. If you think Simmers are toxic, you are wrong. These players will wish you and your mom will have cancer when you say "hi". I am NOT kidding. So yeah, people who complain here in The Sims is not even remotely close. Anyways, sorry that's for a different topic... those PTS like I said will be open for like 2 months or so. And once the new content launches, they have another dedicated thread for players to report any bugs and glitches. And once a bug/glitch is flagged, usually there is a hotfix for that, if not within minutes (for small and minor issues), at most a day, Yes! A DAY. I am not even exaggerating. What they do is they have their team ready and on standby on launch. From community managers, who answers all feedbacks in the thread(s), replies are almost instantaneously (of course if it's in their working hours-- more often than not, on release dates they are 24hrs), to lead producers, heck I remember one time ESO's Lead Lore Master was on the forums answering concerns about lore inconsistencies in the game when one of their first major DLC was released. That is how dedicated Zenimax is in their game.
Now I don't think EA is generous enough to let has have a PTS, but at the very least can we have a dedicated thread here in the Forums for people to post and report their feedback? And can we please have a dedicated Maxis team to collate these reports so they can provide hotfix as soon as possible? Because having someone go through ea.com so they can report a bug is honestly tedious and stressful. Why can't we have Maxis reply to us right away when we report it here in THEIR forums page? At the very least tell us: "We hear you, we will work on it"-- no matter how cliché that is, it eases a player's mindset. Rather than being told to go create a ticket with no reassurance as to when or IF that issue will even be looked at. EA/Maxis has no problem asking me to pre-order their 🐸🐸🐸🐸, but they want me to wait so you can fix a game I pre-ordered in a week? I mean, it's bad enough that this is the only game I play where pre-ordering means nothing, not even early access (in ESO by the way when you pre-order, you get free and exclusive pet(s), costume(s), mount(s), loots, collectibles, etc AND you get early access). So at the very least, show us that you still care. At least let us feel that you are aware that bugs and glitches are going to happen, because honestly, that is fine. THAT is expected when a new DLC is released. I have yet to play a game that came out without any issues on release dates. But if you at least have a dedicated thread here and have a team ready to collate that, at least that will tell us that you care and that you are ready for all of these to happen. Rather than just releasing content and hoping that everything will run smoothly. That just tells me that EA and Maxis would rather ignore us. That tells me that the only thing that matters to them is making sure that sales come in and everything else can wait. That tells me that they just don't care anymore. Is that what's happening here?
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Comments
AHQ is EA's official help forum, but I agree that the way the Sims section is organized is not user-friendly. I think it is because EA does not hire personnel to do it themselves, but leave it up to the players in the forum (the 'Heroes'). The SimGurus are following the threads though, but I agree on them being too invisible to make it clear that anything is done. The bug report is also not a good template, too simple and unclear.
Not to annoy you by instantly sending you to AHQ, but there are two threads you could click Me Too on, about these things.
Transparency
https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion-Feedback/Request-on-communication-with-the-player-base-on-what-is-being/td-p/9478571
Better bug report
https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion-Feedback/Idea-to-improve-the-bug-report-form/m-p/9454368#M36339
Thanks for the links. I'll look into those for sure. I just wish EA and Maxis had a more direct procedure on addressing this concern. It's already quit frustrating that you have to go to another website just to report this concerns. I am not saying that ea.com is completely useless, but at the very least when they release new content they should have a team ready for these reports, because let's admit it ALL games not only The Sims will have issues upon release, that's just how technology works. But this game is the only game that I am playing that doesn't seem too concerned for that. THAT is what is frustrating.
This is pure speculation, but I am wondering what the future for this forum is, considering that they created AHQ.