Here's the thing, I don't mind paying DOUBLE for the game, but I will not purchase SIMS 4 until they roll out the SEASONS expansion pack. It took far to long to do this with SIMS 3, and to me, it's only half a game without it. Even SIMS 2 was hugely improved with it's SEASONS. So, when EA gives us the SIMS 4 SEASONS, I'll buy the game and all that goes with it.
Also, if they include basic weather and basic pets, some players that would have otherwise bought both EPs, may decide that the basic additions are enough for them and not bother with the EPs after all.
And that would be fine because they wouldn't actually MAKE a specific Seasons and Pets EP. Instead, they would continue to gradually build on weather/seasons and pets as they make other, NEW EPs. Essentially, each new EP would ALSO, most of the time, have a new pet or two, some would add holidays and seasonal-specific activities. People will decide to buy EPs with exciting new content that they haven't already seen 2 or 3 other times before, believe me.
That's actually a good idea, I like that. Too bad it won't happen though.
Having said that, there WILL be players that won't want pets in their game and weather may be too much for some players' computers so the devs have got to keep that in mind also.
Which is why all pets should come with population controls so that if you don't want them, you don't have to have them. With the weather, there can just be a place in options where you can permanently set your season and even weather if you want to. You should totally be able to set how much rainfall and snowfall you get.
I've bought weather and pets twice now....once for TS2 and then for TS3. I'm not sure I'd buy either a third time. There would have to be a lot added to entice me.
I would much rather their efforts were put into a stable, interesting base game.
"People really love to explore 'failure states. In fact, the failure states are really much more interesting than the success states." ~ Will Wright
I do. I don't post here very often, but having bought Seasons for both Sims2 and Sims3, I've decided I'll never buy another Seasons EP unless it has something I really, really want that overrides my dislike of having to deal with negative moodlets and other issues from the weather. In both TS2 and TS3, Seasons was my least favourite EP. I live in a part of the world where it's cold outside at least half the year and the rest of the year there are mosquitoes. I've always loved that my Sims could live outdoors or at least spend a lot of time outdoors painting or doing other things. I have real life for weather - I don't need it in my game.
I'm not criticizing those who really want weather, and I hope you get it. Just saying that I don't like weather in my game.
On one hand I agree that seasons being embedded in the game would be awesome because well, it is a life-simulation game and we do live in a world of seasons ourselves. However, on the other hand I do know that seasons is a massive extension and often when it is an expansion it comes with an incredible amount of new details that I think could be easily overlooked if they were to quickly add it to the base game. Also, I understand other simmer's sentiment about how it is a money-maker. I definitely loved every season expansion and obsessed over getting my hands on it right when I was released.
On one hand I agree that seasons being embedded in the game would be awesome because well, it is a life-simulation game and we do live in a world of seasons ourselves. However, on the other hand I do know that seasons is a massive extension and often when it is an expansion it comes with an incredible amount of new details that I think could be easily overlooked if they were to quickly add it to the base game. Also, I understand other simmer's sentiment about how it is a money-maker. I definitely loved every season expansion and obsessed over getting my hands on it right when I was released.
Okay I see why you loved the Seasons eps. But consider this... with seasons and weather as part of base game they could then do entire EPs based on a specific season which would have even MORE gameplay. Also, let's say they have dogs and cats in the base game. NOW they can do a Winter Ep...which would have the Xmas holiday wherein our Sims could possibly make handmade gifts to give as well as having a mall to shop at for gifts. There could be a ski resort included. The Rescue St. Bernard (complete with famous cask of brandy around its neck! LOL)could be introduced...as well as dog sleds! There could be natural ponds and lakes perfect for ice skating. And this could be a cold world even in Summer, it would have its own weather parameters. Do you see now how the game can really EXPAND IF seasons and weather are part of the base game?
I really wish that EA would actually think about not only us the consumer but their end product. I completely understand why they wouldn’t put seasons into the base game but at the same time that doesn’t stop me from thinking that it is absolutely stupid. If seasons was something that was available in the base game then every subsequent expansion pack could include another addition relating to weather.
The problem we have now is that EA always has to assume that the people purchasing Expansion Pack Z do not have Expansion Pack X or Y and because of this it means that features are touched upon, but are never really fleshed out like how we would like them to be.
If EA simply added weather into the base game then they could incorporate other weather-related features into their expansion packs such as natural disasters or more freak weather conditions. Likewise with Pets. If this was in the base game we could have dogs and cats, then in a subsequent expansion pack release they could add horses, reptiles etc and make them all fun to play rather than just having two or three core pets.
They’re kind of shooting themselves in the foot by constantly holding back on content just because they know it’ll sell as a separate add on and yes, it hurts their final product because nothing is ever finished properly – sometimes to such extents that they even waste time on a second pack to finish the job. Kind of like what they did with celebrities because the first one didn’t flesh them out properly or how they had to re-introduce vampires into the supernatural expansion pack rather than a different kind of supernatural because as I mentioned above, they had to consider the players who didn’t have Expansion Pack X.
But, people will buy it and so EA will keep doing it.
I really wish that EA would actually think about not only us the consumer but their end product. I completely understand why they wouldn’t put seasons into the base game but at the same time that doesn’t stop me from thinking that it is absolutely stupid. If seasons was something that was available in the base game then every subsequent expansion pack could include another addition relating to weather.
The problem we have now is that EA always has to assume that the people purchasing Expansion Pack Z do not have Expansion Pack X or Y and because of this it means that features are touched upon, but are never really fleshed out like how we would like them to be.
If EA simply added weather into the base game then they could incorporate other weather-related features into their expansion packs such as natural disasters or more freak weather conditions. Likewise with Pets. If this was in the base game we could have dogs and cats, then in a subsequent expansion pack release they could add horses, reptiles etc and make them all fun to play rather than just having two or three core pets.
They’re kind of shooting themselves in the foot by constantly holding back on content just because they know it’ll sell as a separate add on and yes, it hurts their final product because nothing is ever finished properly – sometimes to such extents that they even waste time on a second pack to finish the job. Kind of like what they did with celebrities because the first one didn’t flesh them out properly or how they had to re-introduce vampires into the supernatural expansion pack rather than a different kind of supernatural because as I mentioned above, they had to consider the players who didn’t have Expansion Pack X.
But, people will buy it and so EA will keep doing it.
Exactly. And I couldn't agree more. It's just stupid and LAZY. And ultimately, it will HURT their bottom line. I can't believe they don't understand that TS4 HAS to blow TS3 out of the water and that the base game HAS to offer not just a few new ways of doing things but MORE gameplay overall. I absolutely will NOT buy into TS4 unless and until it HAS all the gameplay I want available. And it's looking like that could be a reallllly long time!
I some times get really annoyed with weather. A lot of the time I just turn it all off because when it might be that one day in summer when everyone is off its raining so my Sims cant go to the beach or to the festival. I am not to big on pets or weather and if they put those things into the base game they would be losing a lot of money.
I some times get really annoyed with weather. A lot of the time I just turn it all off because when it might be that one day in summer when everyone is off its raining so my Sims cant go to the beach or to the festival. I am not to big on pets or weather and if they put those things into the base game they would be losing a lot of money.
I think you're failing to see "the big picture." As long as you have controls in Options you can set the weather to anything you want and you can eliminate pets entirely if you want to. This helps us all be able to "play your way." By adding these things to base game it opens them up to more EPs with NEW content and additional pets and seasonal/weather related things as a sideline portion of the new EPs instead of their main focus. Since YOU don't like Pets and Seasons wouldn't it be BETTER for you if EA did not "waste" 2 whole expansions on those things? Instead, they could make 2 expansions with subjects that you probably ARE interested in, thus expanding your own gameplay options. So you see, integrating pets and seasons/weather into base game actually HELPS players like you AND satisfies those of us who don't want to WAIT for those EPs to be made when we feel these things should already be part of a fully fleshed out world. Everybody wins this way... including EA.
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Which is why all pets should come with population controls so that if you don't want them, you don't have to have them. With the weather, there can just be a place in options where you can permanently set your season and even weather if you want to. You should totally be able to set how much rainfall and snowfall you get.
I would much rather their efforts were put into a stable, interesting base game.
I do. I don't post here very often, but having bought Seasons for both Sims2 and Sims3, I've decided I'll never buy another Seasons EP unless it has something I really, really want that overrides my dislike of having to deal with negative moodlets and other issues from the weather. In both TS2 and TS3, Seasons was my least favourite EP. I live in a part of the world where it's cold outside at least half the year and the rest of the year there are mosquitoes. I've always loved that my Sims could live outdoors or at least spend a lot of time outdoors painting or doing other things. I have real life for weather - I don't need it in my game.
I'm not criticizing those who really want weather, and I hope you get it. Just saying that I don't like weather in my game.
Okay I see why you loved the Seasons eps. But consider this... with seasons and weather as part of base game they could then do entire EPs based on a specific season which would have even MORE gameplay. Also, let's say they have dogs and cats in the base game. NOW they can do a Winter Ep...which would have the Xmas holiday wherein our Sims could possibly make handmade gifts to give as well as having a mall to shop at for gifts. There could be a ski resort included. The Rescue St. Bernard (complete with famous cask of brandy around its neck! LOL)could be introduced...as well as dog sleds! There could be natural ponds and lakes perfect for ice skating. And this could be a cold world even in Summer, it would have its own weather parameters. Do you see now how the game can really EXPAND IF seasons and weather are part of the base game?
The problem we have now is that EA always has to assume that the people purchasing Expansion Pack Z do not have Expansion Pack X or Y and because of this it means that features are touched upon, but are never really fleshed out like how we would like them to be.
If EA simply added weather into the base game then they could incorporate other weather-related features into their expansion packs such as natural disasters or more freak weather conditions. Likewise with Pets. If this was in the base game we could have dogs and cats, then in a subsequent expansion pack release they could add horses, reptiles etc and make them all fun to play rather than just having two or three core pets.
They’re kind of shooting themselves in the foot by constantly holding back on content just because they know it’ll sell as a separate add on and yes, it hurts their final product because nothing is ever finished properly – sometimes to such extents that they even waste time on a second pack to finish the job. Kind of like what they did with celebrities because the first one didn’t flesh them out properly or how they had to re-introduce vampires into the supernatural expansion pack rather than a different kind of supernatural because as I mentioned above, they had to consider the players who didn’t have Expansion Pack X.
But, people will buy it and so EA will keep doing it.
Exactly. And I couldn't agree more. It's just stupid and LAZY. And ultimately, it will HURT their bottom line. I can't believe they don't understand that TS4 HAS to blow TS3 out of the water and that the base game HAS to offer not just a few new ways of doing things but MORE gameplay overall. I absolutely will NOT buy into TS4 unless and until it HAS all the gameplay I want available. And it's looking like that could be a reallllly long time!
I think you're failing to see "the big picture." As long as you have controls in Options you can set the weather to anything you want and you can eliminate pets entirely if you want to. This helps us all be able to "play your way." By adding these things to base game it opens them up to more EPs with NEW content and additional pets and seasonal/weather related things as a sideline portion of the new EPs instead of their main focus. Since YOU don't like Pets and Seasons wouldn't it be BETTER for you if EA did not "waste" 2 whole expansions on those things? Instead, they could make 2 expansions with subjects that you probably ARE interested in, thus expanding your own gameplay options. So you see, integrating pets and seasons/weather into base game actually HELPS players like you AND satisfies those of us who don't want to WAIT for those EPs to be made when we feel these things should already be part of a fully fleshed out world. Everybody wins this way... including EA.