No. Some genres just belong with one company. The efforts from competitors in the past merely amounted to underdeveloped cash-grabs trying to ride the wave, rather than approaching the genre from a new angle.
And like it or not, not every developer and publisher is glamoring to inherit a fanbase like the one the Sims has. The investment needed to be on-par and go beyond for a group of people that sooner crap on you than anything else is not something you can pitch to a publisher willing to fund up front easy.
The risk is too high and the reward too much chasing the needle.
Have you seen the reception for Cities: Skylines? It's been great, some saying it's better than SimCity.
What's to say they couldn't make a better Sims game than Maxis/EA? Paradox already listens to their fans more than EAxis does.
Have you also seen that not a youtuber is playing it anymore and that people have moved on after they found out that Skylines was just another emperor with wardrobe malfunctions?
The segment of the gaming population that streams their games on YouTube is quite small. I wouldn't say the lack of YouTube channels playing Cities: Skylines has anything to do with anything.
If Paradox developed a lifesim it would more than likely be thoughtfully executed. We've already seen that a smaller studio can deliver a better city simulator than Maxis, why would that be any different for a life simulator?
Competition is always good for the consumer because it will let the companies more active and innovative.
If EA had a competition we would have seen better things.
As which side I will be, I will be with the side that invests my money better.
Exactly.
We need competition. It's like those Amazon loyalists who cheer whenever a brick and mortar franchise closes and people lose their jobs. Let's assume Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Target, Wal-Mart, and all the rest go under and Amazon is the only one left standing. They're free to jack up their shipping rates, Prime membership, the price on all their products, and give poorer customer service. With competitors keeping them in line they aren't willing to lower their standards.
While competition is always nice and it'd be cool to see EA kick the Sims into overdrive and deliver swift justice to anyone who tries to overthrow the series, I wouldn't rely on Paradox because they denied it in March on their Twitter that they have no plans for a LifeSim. If that did change since then we most likely won't be seeing one from them til the end of the Sims 4.
While competition is always nice and it'd be cool to see EA kick the Sims into overdrive and deliver swift justice to anyone who tries to overthrow the series, I wouldn't rely on Paradox because they denied it in March on their Twitter that they have no plans for a LifeSim. If that did change since then we most likely won't be seeing one from them til the end of the Sims 4.
Somethings better than nothing
Though, yea, they confirmed that they're not doing it.
Cant blame them though, it'd be a tough ride.
"You can't agree to disagree, because they're frigging wrong!"
No. Some genres just belong with one company. The efforts from competitors in the past merely amounted to underdeveloped cash-grabs trying to ride the wave, rather than approaching the genre from a new angle.
And like it or not, not every developer and publisher is glamoring to inherit a fanbase like the one the Sims has. The investment needed to be on-par and go beyond for a group of people that sooner crap on you than anything else is not something you can pitch to a publisher willing to fund up front easy.
The risk is too high and the reward too much chasing the needle.
Have you seen the reception for Cities: Skylines? It's been great, some saying it's better than SimCity.
What's to say they couldn't make a better Sims game than Maxis/EA? Paradox already listens to their fans more than EAxis does.
Have you also seen that not a youtuber is playing it anymore and that people have moved on after they found out that Skylines was just another emperor with wardrobe malfunctions?
TBH, it's not really a game that lends itself well to either YouTube or Twitch streams -- there's really not enough "action" to catch attention. I follow a particular Twitch streamer who was playing Cities:Skylines on his stream from the perspective of an actual city planner (he's got a degree in the subject and worked in the field till "small government" left him out of a job so he switched to being a professional streamer), but found that his viewership dropped precipitously. There's still enough action in the average Sims 4 game that it makes it worthwhile to stream.
I should install Steam on my new laptop and give Cities another try -- I did like the concept but I had to remap too many of the buttons because of my Mac keyboard (no Page Up/Page Down for making overpasses, for one thing).
As for the Sims series, I really don't see anyone putting in the time and effort to make a competitor, not when EA is so entrenched. And while Sims 4 is still lacking in some areas, I've seen a lot of improvement over the past year. I'm willing to stick with it.
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Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
"Had I never shown my friend TS3, she would have enjoyed TS4 and not bother asking for the older games as she would expect TS4 to mean 'better as what came before'. She's also not robbed had she stepped in at TS4, as the same rule of ignorance applies. She would enjoy TS4 for what it is and not feel robbed.
We're not robbed too. Not of anything. To us, consumer responsibility applies first and foremost. Those of us who pre-ordered and or bought on zero-day can only blame ourselves for not waiting for reviews and professional verdict. We know that we should've done that, but we didn't. Maxis could've done much better, I agree to that step by step, no argument. The decision to buy as soon as we could (I bought the game a year in advance), was on us. 'I trusted Maxis' is just a weak excuse to not have to own up and admit that a mistake was made.
So no. TS4 is not a cynical cash in."
This is a good point, in all fairness. Just to bring in an anecdote - a few of my friends who never knew of the Sims Franchise prior to the Sims 4 enjoy the game. There isn't anything out there like it, so it's a novel experience.
But seriously, the Sims did become a milking exercise, and this started in Sims 3. The consumer can exercise due diligence, and self-control of course, but I'll give you two *really* small examples that illustrate to me how it has become a desperate cash grab. And these things don't even relate to core things like removing life phases and so on.
The Sims 3 store became ridiculous but often there would be an item I'd really like that I felt added real value to my gaming. One of those items was the SwiftGro Gardening Station for my gardening sims. This item watered and fertilized your plants for you. But even if you didn't have it, the game offered you sprinklers, so there was some automated gardening system in the base game. Fast forward to the Sims 4 and hot tubs. I make a big deal about that because if ever there was a shameless stuff pack released, perfect patio would be it right along side luxury stuff. We didn't get sunken hot tubs, or a big variety of hot tubs, we had to pay for a basic gameplay item that used to be there in previous iterations in the Sims franchise. It reeks. And that's just a small example of a bigger problem with the profit model used in the Sims for a couple years now.
No. Some genres just belong with one company. The efforts from competitors in the past merely amounted to underdeveloped cash-grabs trying to ride the wave, rather than approaching the genre from a new angle.
And like it or not, not every developer and publisher is glamoring to inherit a fanbase like the one the Sims has. The investment needed to be on-par and go beyond for a group of people that sooner crap on you than anything else is not something you can pitch to a publisher willing to fund up front easy.
The risk is too high and the reward too much chasing the needle.
Have you seen the reception for Cities: Skylines? It's been great, some saying it's better than SimCity.
What's to say they couldn't make a better Sims game than Maxis/EA? Paradox already listens to their fans more than EAxis does.
Have you also seen that not a youtuber is playing it anymore and that people have moved on after they found out that Skylines was just another emperor with wardrobe malfunctions?
The segment of the gaming population that streams their games on YouTube is quite small. I wouldn't say the lack of YouTube channels playing Cities: Skylines has anything to do with anything.
If Paradox developed a lifesim it would more than likely be thoughtfully executed. We've already seen that a smaller studio can deliver a better city simulator than Maxis, why would that be any different for a life simulator?
You know that's not true. If Skylines indeed was the second coming, youtubers would still play it, especially the youtubers that specialise their channel. Instead, they return to older strategy games time after time. Paradox has expertly used the youtube and twitch community to advertize their game, but once that died down so did the game.
Other point in case: Pillars of Eternity. Oh! What a great game it was! Just the way all RPGers want it. It was the game they deserve. There's not one youtube playthrough of it still alive.
Skylines was not nothing but hype, playing on the fact that everybody wanted to take revenge on EA. The game itself is the most bland city-builder ever, handicapped by the fact that traffic is bugged and never addressed. I do hope that Paradox never attempts a Sims game.
People don't purchase games to take revenge on a company.
I would like to point out that SimCity also faced problems with it's traffic, SimCity also had strict limitations without a clear reason other than it was Maxis vision.
For what it's purpose is, I think the game accomplishes it very well. What would make a non-bland city simulator?
Wow you'd think some people understand the basics of copyright law. Thing is SimCity has had competition since day one and on paper it's just a a city building game. We have life stimulator games but they are different to the sims because that's as far as they can go with it. If we were to get a competitor EA would shut it down before it could hit the shelves since the sims is a constant cash grab for them while SimCity isn't. Plus if one does come out (unlikely) a good portion of people would just stick to the sims mainly because they already have a life simulator that works I mean sure its really bad in areas but a new life simulation game may not be great either.
Wow you'd think some people understand the basics of copyright law. Thing is SimCity has had competition since day one and on paper it's just a a city building game. We have life stimulator games but they are different to the sims because that's as far as they can go with it. If we were to get a competitor EA would shut it down before it could hit the shelves since the sims is a constant cash grab for them while SimCity isn't. Plus if one does come out (unlikely) a good portion of people would just stick to the sims mainly because they already have a life simulator that works I mean sure its really bad in areas but a new life simulation game may not be great either.
Hm. Makes me wonder why there are so many RPGs that are the same out there. I admit Second Life was not something that appealed to me, but when it comes to the Sims, the biggest issue is that it's not a game a lot of companies want to take on. It's not as simple to create as many may believe. To create a game like the sims takes years and an understanding of the concept. If the creator isn't passionate about doing it, it's likely not going to happen, and many just aren't passionate about the idea. I believe that's where the real issue lies.
It's not a simple concept like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon, and if you're a smaller company, it may not be worth your while to take on such a beast of a game that actually does nothing, but allows everyone who plays it to do something with it.
Dissatisfied with Sims 4 and hoping for a better Sims 5
Wow you'd think some people understand the basics of copyright law. Thing is SimCity has had competition since day one and on paper it's just a a city building game. We have life stimulator games but they are different to the sims because that's as far as they can go with it. If we were to get a competitor EA would shut it down before it could hit the shelves since the sims is a constant cash grab for them while SimCity isn't. Plus if one does come out (unlikely) a good portion of people would just stick to the sims mainly because they already have a life simulator that works I mean sure its really bad in areas but a new life simulation game may not be great either.
Hm. Makes me wonder why there are so many RPGs that are the same out there. I admit Second Life was not something that appealed to me, but when it comes to the Sims, the biggest issue is that it's not a game a lot of companies want to take on. It's not as simple to create as many may believe. To create a game like the sims takes years and an understanding of the concept. If the creator isn't passionate about doing it, it's likely not going to happen, and many just aren't passionate about the idea. I believe that's where the real issue lies.
It's not a simple concept like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon, and if you're a smaller company, it may not be worth your while to take on such a beast of a game that actually does nothing, but allows everyone who plays it to do something with it.
Yeah another thing is another game will need it's own twist as well. I would have no respect for a game that is just a straight out rip off of the sims. You make a good point about time and effort as well a life sim like the sims isn't an easy task and some companies just may not have the resources especially since it would be a big risk as well.
Comments
Still playing Cities: Skylines.
Spy Games - A Sims 4 Story
Parker's Way - A Sims 4 Story
Exactly.
We need competition. It's like those Amazon loyalists who cheer whenever a brick and mortar franchise closes and people lose their jobs. Let's assume Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Target, Wal-Mart, and all the rest go under and Amazon is the only one left standing. They're free to jack up their shipping rates, Prime membership, the price on all their products, and give poorer customer service. With competitors keeping them in line they aren't willing to lower their standards.
Origin ID: woahbro1
Somethings better than nothing
Though, yea, they confirmed that they're not doing it.
Cant blame them though, it'd be a tough ride.
"You can't agree to disagree, because they're frigging wrong!"
TBH, it's not really a game that lends itself well to either YouTube or Twitch streams -- there's really not enough "action" to catch attention. I follow a particular Twitch streamer who was playing Cities:Skylines on his stream from the perspective of an actual city planner (he's got a degree in the subject and worked in the field till "small government" left him out of a job so he switched to being a professional streamer), but found that his viewership dropped precipitously. There's still enough action in the average Sims 4 game that it makes it worthwhile to stream.
I should install Steam on my new laptop and give Cities another try -- I did like the concept but I had to remap too many of the buttons because of my Mac keyboard (no Page Up/Page Down for making overpasses, for one thing).
As for the Sims series, I really don't see anyone putting in the time and effort to make a competitor, not when EA is so entrenched. And while Sims 4 is still lacking in some areas, I've seen a lot of improvement over the past year. I'm willing to stick with it.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
We're not robbed too. Not of anything. To us, consumer responsibility applies first and foremost. Those of us who pre-ordered and or bought on zero-day can only blame ourselves for not waiting for reviews and professional verdict. We know that we should've done that, but we didn't. Maxis could've done much better, I agree to that step by step, no argument. The decision to buy as soon as we could (I bought the game a year in advance), was on us. 'I trusted Maxis' is just a weak excuse to not have to own up and admit that a mistake was made.
So no. TS4 is not a cynical cash in."
This is a good point, in all fairness. Just to bring in an anecdote - a few of my friends who never knew of the Sims Franchise prior to the Sims 4 enjoy the game. There isn't anything out there like it, so it's a novel experience.
But seriously, the Sims did become a milking exercise, and this started in Sims 3. The consumer can exercise due diligence, and self-control of course, but I'll give you two *really* small examples that illustrate to me how it has become a desperate cash grab. And these things don't even relate to core things like removing life phases and so on.
The Sims 3 store became ridiculous but often there would be an item I'd really like that I felt added real value to my gaming. One of those items was the SwiftGro Gardening Station for my gardening sims. This item watered and fertilized your plants for you. But even if you didn't have it, the game offered you sprinklers, so there was some automated gardening system in the base game. Fast forward to the Sims 4 and hot tubs. I make a big deal about that because if ever there was a shameless stuff pack released, perfect patio would be it right along side luxury stuff. We didn't get sunken hot tubs, or a big variety of hot tubs, we had to pay for a basic gameplay item that used to be there in previous iterations in the Sims franchise. It reeks. And that's just a small example of a bigger problem with the profit model used in the Sims for a couple years now.
People don't purchase games to take revenge on a company.
I would like to point out that SimCity also faced problems with it's traffic, SimCity also had strict limitations without a clear reason other than it was Maxis vision.
For what it's purpose is, I think the game accomplishes it very well. What would make a non-bland city simulator?
Hm. Makes me wonder why there are so many RPGs that are the same out there. I admit Second Life was not something that appealed to me, but when it comes to the Sims, the biggest issue is that it's not a game a lot of companies want to take on. It's not as simple to create as many may believe. To create a game like the sims takes years and an understanding of the concept. If the creator isn't passionate about doing it, it's likely not going to happen, and many just aren't passionate about the idea. I believe that's where the real issue lies.
It's not a simple concept like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon, and if you're a smaller company, it may not be worth your while to take on such a beast of a game that actually does nothing, but allows everyone who plays it to do something with it.