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Gamescom 2016

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  • DarleymikeyDarleymikey Posts: 4,047 Member
    I think they're not doing a conference just because of how badly it went last year. They would honestly do a better job just promoting it on screens showing off the trailer and showing the main points with cardboard cutouts of the renders.

    Agreed. What would be the point? They aren't taking the game 'in a new direction'. Maybe a few more interactions(or renaming old interactions), some clothes, and new collections of lots. This can be promoted with trailers and screens, no need to set up a booth.
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  • FeyonaFeyona Posts: 145 Member
    @SimGuruDrake, please, could you specify when this "quarter" ends? Because as of now it's a little bit confusing. As I understand nobody understands when EA quarters start and when they end.
  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    Feyona wrote: »
    @SimGuruDrake, please, could you specify when this "quarter" ends? Because as of now it's a little bit confusing. As I understand nobody understands when EA quarters start and when they end.

    The EA fiscal year runs April 1-March 31 (this is public info from their financials).
    Each quarter is three months in standard fiscal practice (which no major company is going to deviate from):
    April 1-June 30
    July 1-September 30
    October 1-December 31
    January 1-March 31
    EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
  • EmmaVaneEmmaVane Posts: 7,847 Member
    KatsKats wrote: »
    Umm, we just got a GP?

    I'm not aware of any gps being released since June, the last two packs were sps (which I do love). I just wish we could get more answers :( The release of updates for Sims Freeplay is way more than for Sims 4. Even though they're done by different studios, I'm starting to feel like EA is allocating more money and resources for Freeplay instead of for 4, even though one is free and the other is pay. At this point, I am desperate for a new world (or two or three), whether or not packs are involved in the worlds. I really don't like it when my game is lacking in space in the worlds that I'm having to delete lots and families to create new ones.

    The reason they would allocate more resources to Freeplay is that it's making them money. F2P games tend to bring in very good profits. The point of it is to get you hooked with the free stuff then you want to add more-maybe get things done faster, or obtain things that you can only get through purchase-optional items that you'd still love to have.

    I'm willing to bet that if a lot of people added up those little $2.99 or $10.00 purchases they make over the lifespan of these games, they'd find they're sending way more than they would on a standard Sims game plus expansions in the same time period. That goes for any F2P game with microtransactions.

    Corporations are pretty savvy about learning what will get them the most profit. That's why they're in business, after all. Every business must make profits.

    I'm not sure, but the last time I checked I believe FreePlay is made by Firemonkeys not Maxis. Firemonkeys are based in Australia, I believe. They are different studios and don't share resources.
  • PhantomflexPhantomflex Posts: 3,607 Member
    edited July 2016
    Feyona wrote: »
    @SimGuruDrake, please, could you specify when this "quarter" ends? Because as of now it's a little bit confusing. As I understand nobody understands when EA quarters start and when they end.

    EA's current fiscal year, FY2017, began on April 1, 2016 and will end on March 31, 2017.
    Their quarters go:
    Q1 - Apr - Jun
    Q2 - Jul - Sept
    Q3 - Oct - Dec
    Q4 - Jan - Mar

    They're different than calendar quarters.
    Q1 - Jan - Mar
    Q2 - Apr - Jun
    Q3 - Jul - Sept
    Q4 - Oct - Dec
  • Writin_RegWritin_Reg Posts: 28,907 Member
    edited July 2016
    EmmaVane wrote: »
    KatsKats wrote: »
    Umm, we just got a GP?

    I'm not aware of any gps being released since June, the last two packs were sps (which I do love). I just wish we could get more answers :( The release of updates for Sims Freeplay is way more than for Sims 4. Even though they're done by different studios, I'm starting to feel like EA is allocating more money and resources for Freeplay instead of for 4, even though one is free and the other is pay. At this point, I am desperate for a new world (or two or three), whether or not packs are involved in the worlds. I really don't like it when my game is lacking in space in the worlds that I'm having to delete lots and families to create new ones.

    The reason they would allocate more resources to Freeplay is that it's making them money. F2P games tend to bring in very good profits. The point of it is to get you hooked with the free stuff then you want to add more-maybe get things done faster, or obtain things that you can only get through purchase-optional items that you'd still love to have.

    I'm willing to bet that if a lot of people added up those little $2.99 or $10.00 purchases they make over the lifespan of these games, they'd find they're sending way more than they would on a standard Sims game plus expansions in the same time period. That goes for any F2P game with microtransactions.

    Corporations are pretty savvy about learning what will get them the most profit. That's why they're in business, after all. Every business must make profits.

    I'm not sure, but the last time I checked I believe FreePlay is made by Firemonkeys not Maxis. Firemonkeys are based in Australia, I believe. They are different studios and don't share resources.

    Firemonkeys belong to EA - under
    EA Games Australia.

    https://www.youtube.com/user/FiremonkeysTV


    EA owns many studios around the world and Firemonkeys is just one of them, as is POP Cap, Maxis, and many others.

    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.

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    In REALITY, I simply exist.....

  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    EmmaVane wrote: »
    KatsKats wrote: »
    Umm, we just got a GP?

    I'm not aware of any gps being released since June, the last two packs were sps (which I do love). I just wish we could get more answers :( The release of updates for Sims Freeplay is way more than for Sims 4. Even though they're done by different studios, I'm starting to feel like EA is allocating more money and resources for Freeplay instead of for 4, even though one is free and the other is pay. At this point, I am desperate for a new world (or two or three), whether or not packs are involved in the worlds. I really don't like it when my game is lacking in space in the worlds that I'm having to delete lots and families to create new ones.

    The reason they would allocate more resources to Freeplay is that it's making them money. F2P games tend to bring in very good profits. The point of it is to get you hooked with the free stuff then you want to add more-maybe get things done faster, or obtain things that you can only get through purchase-optional items that you'd still love to have.

    I'm willing to bet that if a lot of people added up those little $2.99 or $10.00 purchases they make over the lifespan of these games, they'd find they're sending way more than they would on a standard Sims game plus expansions in the same time period. That goes for any F2P game with microtransactions.

    Corporations are pretty savvy about learning what will get them the most profit. That's why they're in business, after all. Every business must make profits.

    I'm not sure, but the last time I checked I believe FreePlay is made by Firemonkeys not Maxis. Firemonkeys are based in Australia, I believe. They are different studios and don't share resources.

    Firemonkeys belong to EA -

    https://www.youtube.com/user/FiremonkeysTV

    Yes, but there's going to be a limit to resource sharing when you're located on different continents. You can't just shift staff back and forth.
    EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
  • Writin_RegWritin_Reg Posts: 28,907 Member
    edited July 2016
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    EmmaVane wrote: »
    KatsKats wrote: »
    Umm, we just got a GP?

    I'm not aware of any gps being released since June, the last two packs were sps (which I do love). I just wish we could get more answers :( The release of updates for Sims Freeplay is way more than for Sims 4. Even though they're done by different studios, I'm starting to feel like EA is allocating more money and resources for Freeplay instead of for 4, even though one is free and the other is pay. At this point, I am desperate for a new world (or two or three), whether or not packs are involved in the worlds. I really don't like it when my game is lacking in space in the worlds that I'm having to delete lots and families to create new ones.

    The reason they would allocate more resources to Freeplay is that it's making them money. F2P games tend to bring in very good profits. The point of it is to get you hooked with the free stuff then you want to add more-maybe get things done faster, or obtain things that you can only get through purchase-optional items that you'd still love to have.

    I'm willing to bet that if a lot of people added up those little $2.99 or $10.00 purchases they make over the lifespan of these games, they'd find they're sending way more than they would on a standard Sims game plus expansions in the same time period. That goes for any F2P game with microtransactions.

    Corporations are pretty savvy about learning what will get them the most profit. That's why they're in business, after all. Every business must make profits.

    I'm not sure, but the last time I checked I believe FreePlay is made by Firemonkeys not Maxis. Firemonkeys are based in Australia, I believe. They are different studios and don't share resources.

    Firemonkeys belong to EA -

    https://www.youtube.com/user/FiremonkeysTV

    Yes, but there's going to be a limit to resource sharing when you're located on different continents. You can't just shift staff back and forth.

    EA has a head quarters there just as they have more campuses where ever they have studios. EA is really huge.


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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlAtrkt-vJ8


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    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.

    In dreams - I LIVE!
    In REALITY, I simply exist.....

  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    EmmaVane wrote: »
    KatsKats wrote: »
    Umm, we just got a GP?

    I'm not aware of any gps being released since June, the last two packs were sps (which I do love). I just wish we could get more answers :( The release of updates for Sims Freeplay is way more than for Sims 4. Even though they're done by different studios, I'm starting to feel like EA is allocating more money and resources for Freeplay instead of for 4, even though one is free and the other is pay. At this point, I am desperate for a new world (or two or three), whether or not packs are involved in the worlds. I really don't like it when my game is lacking in space in the worlds that I'm having to delete lots and families to create new ones.

    The reason they would allocate more resources to Freeplay is that it's making them money. F2P games tend to bring in very good profits. The point of it is to get you hooked with the free stuff then you want to add more-maybe get things done faster, or obtain things that you can only get through purchase-optional items that you'd still love to have.

    I'm willing to bet that if a lot of people added up those little $2.99 or $10.00 purchases they make over the lifespan of these games, they'd find they're sending way more than they would on a standard Sims game plus expansions in the same time period. That goes for any F2P game with microtransactions.

    Corporations are pretty savvy about learning what will get them the most profit. That's why they're in business, after all. Every business must make profits.

    I'm not sure, but the last time I checked I believe FreePlay is made by Firemonkeys not Maxis. Firemonkeys are based in Australia, I believe. They are different studios and don't share resources.

    Firemonkeys belong to EA -

    https://www.youtube.com/user/FiremonkeysTV

    Yes, but there's going to be a limit to resource sharing when you're located on different continents. You can't just shift staff back and forth.

    EA has a head quarters there just as they have more campuses where ever they have studios. EA is really huge.

    Okay, I just looked back to the OP on this convo and they're talking about EA moving financial, not human, resources, from Sims 4 to Freeplay. Which is entirely speculation as none of that studio or title level of finances is public.
    EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
  • Writin_RegWritin_Reg Posts: 28,907 Member
    edited July 2016
    Well technically none of the studios themselves is usually listed individually during EA conference calls - they all fall under EA financials and as a whole, not per game and even less as far as eps and dlc goes as EA does not generally break them each down anymore. The most you might hear is if there is some transfer of funds from one studio to another - but even that is rare unless it is a brand new title or one of their big blockbusters.

    Actually EA is further changing up things so even hearing much of that might get even rarer as they indicated after this fiscal quarter (also due to SEC changes) they will not be sharing certain financial data.

    Now what that is supposed to mean is anyone's guess (I am sure Wall St. knows what they mean better than I do - lol) but it will be even harder to find out any of the studios finances or how any game does. They just stated this recently on stock market news (and called a special Conference Call July 19th).

    Besides EA has no financial woes - shoot they just gave away a million dollars to 5 charities during EA Play even. LOL.
    Post edited by Writin_Reg on

    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.

    In dreams - I LIVE!
    In REALITY, I simply exist.....

  • simgirl1010simgirl1010 Posts: 35,708 Member
    howsimlish wrote: »
    Anyone who has seen me knows I'm a defender of The Sims 4 but at this point you're just losing another fan, I'm really disappointed in the amount of secrecy and lack of announcements, even just teaser pictures or an actual Q&A with the forums that actually gives us info would be nice. But we don't get anything, the last GP was in December 2015 and December 2016 is only a few months away. At this point TS3 had already had World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night, Pets, and Generations out. We only have 2 EPs and like 50 stuff packs nobody really asked for, yeah they're nice, but not that nice if we don't have anything else to go off. Sims Freeplay is getting more updates than us and they're free. Like I said, I've always been a defender of TS4 through thick and thin but at this point I'm feeling cowardice from the team and EA because people aren't happy with what they're doing and they're ashamed to announce anything. I think at this point I'm just done with the game, nothing exciting is being brought to it, and it hurts me to say because I've been a supporter since 2005, and there's a lot more things others and myself would much rather spend our money on.

    But thank you @simgurudrake for telling us, it means a lot and I know you're trying your best to give us as much info as allotted.

    I completely understand that the community wants news. However, compared to where we were this time last year we have been becoming more open and transparent as much as we are able--we have also informed the community about what paid content to expect within a quarter that way you are more prepared for when there is down time. We've also stated repeatedly that we aren't treating TS4 like it's predecessors with regards to any pattern of releases and we've also introduced Game Packs (which I know are still a thing that players are getting used to.) We also work all in house now rather than having two different studios in two different locations. Things are much more streamlined now than in the past (Graham does a great job of explaining that here: forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/893117/live-service-explained )

    Sims Freeplay is a mobile game that works on a Free to Play model, is on a different development schedule, and is a completely different team. They have one type of content that they have to worry about which is updates. We are a PC title that works on three different types of pack content along with engagement features and patches to fix issues. So the comparison is apples to oranges.

    We aren't ashamed to announce anything, I've actually been very excited about sharing the stuff we have shown so far and have not hidden my enthusiasm for them from any of you. We would rather do a full reveal of a product when we can continue talking about it from that moment on wards rather than say something and then disappear. An example of this is last year with EP2, there were a lot of conversations in the forums about lack of updates between Gamescom tease reveal and when we could do the full on reveal. Also, and most of this stems from the quarterly teaser reactions, but I'm having trouble understanding the want for a tease with pictures when we already have complaints about the quarterly tease not giving enough information because it is a tease.

    What I've said above in no way means that I don't appreciate that everyone wants to know what is coming down the pipeline as far as content, I 100% understand the passion and enthusiasm you have for the game and that it's hard for the community to understand game development and how it works when you aren't actually working in the studio --I know Graham has definitely tried to at least explain the process from the SP side of things. You've already seen this year the hard work that our engagement team has been doing with their free updates and what the SP and GP teams have been doing with their content--know that the EP team is hard at work as well.

    Thanks @SimGuruDrake, that's good enough for me!!
  • Sk8rblazeSk8rblaze Posts: 7,570 Member
    Agreed. What would be the point? They aren't taking the game 'in a new direction'.

    They are taking the game in a new direction, but it is by no means acceptable. They promised a whole lot with this "new foundation"; a very bright future for The Sims, filled with innovation and new, in-depth gameplay.

    But the only new things we've received for this franchise are stuff packs after stuff packs, which contain, mostly, VISUAL items that cannot be interacted with, thus defeating the purpose of having such "expressive/emotional" Sims.
  • MikeAM91MikeAM91 Posts: 165 Member
    I've seen this getting asked a lot and as we get closer to Gamescom we want to set your expectations:

    We will not be making any announcements at Gamescom this year and will not be on the show floor. However, we will have a closed panel + Q&A with Rachel and Lyndsay about the Sims Franchise. If you’re going to be at Gamescom let us know! We’d love to meet you :)

    Want to add in that spaces are limited if you're attending Gamescom and are interested in coming to the panel. :)

    I want to say thank you for communicating with us here on the forums. Many people have asked for more communication here and I'm very happy to see it. Not only did you clarify your presence at Gamescom, but you responded to some tough comments with thoughtful and reassuring answers.

    I must say its been a tough year for me as a Simmer with the release pattern of the packs. I've really wanted more gameplay additions, but I'm hoping you guys will bring us something really amazing next quarter! From the beginning I thought TS4 had great potential to be expanded on and I really hope next year will add more frequent GPs/EPs.
  • MikeAM91MikeAM91 Posts: 165 Member
    MikeAM91 wrote: »
    I've seen this getting asked a lot and as we get closer to Gamescom we want to set your expectations:

    We will not be making any announcements at Gamescom this year and will not be on the show floor. However, we will have a closed panel + Q&A with Rachel and Lyndsay about the Sims Franchise. If you’re going to be at Gamescom let us know! We’d love to meet you :)

    Want to add in that spaces are limited if you're attending Gamescom and are interested in coming to the panel. :)

    @SimGuruDrake I want to say thank you for communicating with us here on the forums. Many people have asked for more communication here and I'm very happy to see it. Not only did you clarify your presence at Gamescom, but you responded to some tough comments with thoughtful and reassuring answers.

    I must say its been a tough year for me as a Simmer with the release pattern of the packs. I've really wanted more gameplay additions, but I'm hoping you guys will bring us something really amazing next quarter! From the beginning I thought TS4 had great potential to be expanded on and I really hope next year will add more frequent GPs/EPs.
  • simguyssimguys Posts: 62 Member
    I wish I could go to Gamescom to see you guys!
    My Spanish Website Simlish 4 \ My Twitter @Simlish4
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  • TimTubeTimTube Posts: 3 New Member
    edited July 2016
    An example of this is last year with EP2, there were a lot of conversations in the forums about lack of updates between Gamescom tease reveal and when we could do the full on reveal. Also, and most of this stems from the quarterly teaser reactions, but I'm having trouble understanding the want for a tease with pictures when we already have complaints about the quarterly tease not giving enough information because it is a tease.

    I liked this better than now actually. Could you say us at least the name of the new AddOn in 1-2 weeks with a little Teaser like for the Accessoire Packs? This would be so, so, SO awesome. It makes me feel sick waiting so long for new news, without even a hint of something new. Could you at least say that you are working on something? :joy:
  • TimTubeTimTube Posts: 3 New Member
    TimTube wrote: »
    howsimlish wrote: »
    An example of this is last year with EP2, there were a lot of conversations in the forums about lack of updates between Gamescom tease reveal and when we could do the full on reveal. Also, and most of this stems from the quarterly teaser reactions, but I'm having trouble understanding the want for a tease with pictures when we already have complaints about the quarterly tease not giving enough information because it is a tease.

    I liked this better than now actually. Could you say us at least the name of the new AddOn in 1-2 weeks with a little Teaser like for the Accessoire Packs? This would be so, so, SO awesome. It makes me feel sick waiting so long for new news, without even a hint of something new. Could you at least say that you are working on something? :joy:

    Whoopsie, something went wrong with the quotes there! My fault! :smiley:
  • SimGuruDrakeSimGuruDrake Posts: 1,648 SimGuru (retired)
    TimTube wrote: »
    An example of this is last year with EP2, there were a lot of conversations in the forums about lack of updates between Gamescom tease reveal and when we could do the full on reveal. Also, and most of this stems from the quarterly teaser reactions, but I'm having trouble understanding the want for a tease with pictures when we already have complaints about the quarterly tease not giving enough information because it is a tease.

    I liked this better than now actually. Could you say us at least the name of the new AddOn in 1-2 weeks with a little Teaser like for the Accessoire Packs? This would be so, so, SO awesome. It makes me feel sick waiting so long for new news, without even a hint of something new. Could you at least say that you are working on something? :joy:

    Sorry had to fix the way your comment was quoted in your original post.

    As for whether we are working on something: We are never not working on something. Development is always happening, there is really no such thing as "down time" for us. Between SPs, GPs, EPs, Free Engagement Content, Patches there is always something going on. So the ultimate answer to your question is: Yes, things are being worked on.
    Global Community Manager for Maxis / The Sims
  • Forest_NinjaForest_Ninja Posts: 1,181 Member
    TimTube wrote: »
    An example of this is last year with EP2, there were a lot of conversations in the forums about lack of updates between Gamescom tease reveal and when we could do the full on reveal. Also, and most of this stems from the quarterly teaser reactions, but I'm having trouble understanding the want for a tease with pictures when we already have complaints about the quarterly tease not giving enough information because it is a tease.

    I liked this better than now actually. Could you say us at least the name of the new AddOn in 1-2 weeks with a little Teaser like for the Accessoire Packs? This would be so, so, SO awesome. It makes me feel sick waiting so long for new news, without even a hint of something new. Could you at least say that you are working on something? :joy:

    Sorry had to fix the way your comment was quoted in your original post.

    As for whether we are working on something: We are never not working on something. Development is always happening, there is really no such thing as "down time" for us. Between SPs, GPs, EPs, Free Engagement Content, Patches there is always something going on. So the ultimate answer to your question is: Yes, things are being worked on.

    Can you imagine if everyone just sat and twiddled in their offices between projects?

    "We've finished the last few assets and everything has been deployed. Let's have corporate office parties for the next month!"
    "Video gaming began as an engineer's hobby and a means of creative expression for those of higher technical inclination. It is expected that those who are capable of higher engineering-related achievements will see value, in electronic entertainment products, where others see failure." -Sasquatch
  • CaptainTHPS4CaptainTHPS4 Posts: 1,466 Member
    edited July 2016
    We aren't ashamed to announce anything, I've actually been very excited about sharing the stuff we have shown so far and have not hidden my enthusiasm for them from any of you. We would rather do a full reveal of a product when we can continue talking about it from that moment on wards rather than say something and then disappear. An example of this is last year with EP2, there were a lot of conversations in the forums about lack of updates between Gamescom tease reveal and when we could do the full on reveal. Also, and most of this stems from the quarterly teaser reactions, but I'm having trouble understanding the want for a tease with pictures when we already have complaints about the quarterly tease not giving enough information because it is a tease.

    I think with EP2, all the problems stemmed from that nobody wanted Get Together as the next EP, as well as that clubs needed a lot more explanation to make sense, so leaving us hanging for a while in that specific case was pretty bad. Many of us wanted Generations, Pets, or Seasons, and we were let down. I think Get Together might have still had tons of backlash regardless of when it was revealed. If Pets were EP3 for example, I think just showing a short clip of dogs and cats running by sims in the park would go over much better than the Gamescom reveal for Get Together. It'd be crystal clear as to what we're getting and we wouldn't be confused for months. Some themes are just easier to sum up in a few words than others, although I wonder if any future EP could be as difficult to sum up in a few words as Get Together, even new themes that haven't been done in past games.

    As for the quarterly teasers, it's only the July one that I think was too vague. The first quarterly teaser was great, I think some people were just expecting more because we were coming out of a long period with no news.
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  • MiddletonPlaysMiddletonPlays Posts: 61 Member
    I was so excited for the Gamescom announcement last year but I was disappointed when a blog had already been published before the official announcement at the event and I didn't really feel excited when they showed the trailer.

    I have stuck up for the game ever since it came out in September 2014. I got annoyed with people constantly moaning about the lack of content but from the start of this year, I am also not pleased because the game is just boring to me. I have lost interest in recording The Sims 4 for my YT channel because there is nothing new to do and I don't want my Let's Plays repeating itself.

    I used to get so excited for patches in the first year of The Sims 4 being out but now, I'm just like, oh... a new update..............!

    I think all you SimGurus are great people. You're all so friendly, you have a great sense of humour, you just have amazing personalities! I have no clue about Game Development so I can't judge at all on saying "Why has this took so long to add when its only a small feature".......

    I just hope you listen to us fans, you may think you are but to us, you aren't and that is why people are getting fed up with you adding content that is nothing new or doesn't bring much to the game. I do hope we see some improvement over the next few months because I just don't want to give up on The Sims 4!
  • BrattonMattonBrattonMatton Posts: 896 Member
    EmmaVane wrote: »
    KatsKats wrote: »
    Umm, we just got a GP?

    I'm not aware of any gps being released since June, the last two packs were sps (which I do love). I just wish we could get more answers :( The release of updates for Sims Freeplay is way more than for Sims 4. Even though they're done by different studios, I'm starting to feel like EA is allocating more money and resources for Freeplay instead of for 4, even though one is free and the other is pay. At this point, I am desperate for a new world (or two or three), whether or not packs are involved in the worlds. I really don't like it when my game is lacking in space in the worlds that I'm having to delete lots and families to create new ones.

    The reason they would allocate more resources to Freeplay is that it's making them money. F2P games tend to bring in very good profits. The point of it is to get you hooked with the free stuff then you want to add more-maybe get things done faster, or obtain things that you can only get through purchase-optional items that you'd still love to have.

    I'm willing to bet that if a lot of people added up those little $2.99 or $10.00 purchases they make over the lifespan of these games, they'd find they're sending way more than they would on a standard Sims game plus expansions in the same time period. That goes for any F2P game with microtransactions.

    Corporations are pretty savvy about learning what will get them the most profit. That's why they're in business, after all. Every business must make profits.

    I'm not sure, but the last time I checked I believe FreePlay is made by Firemonkeys not Maxis. Firemonkeys are based in Australia, I believe. They are different studios and don't share resources.

    Firemonkeys is apart of Maxis. They only work on mobile versions.
  • mattandphilsims2mattandphilsims2 Posts: 136 Member
    edited July 2016
    howsimlish wrote: »
    Anyone who has seen me knows I'm a defender of The Sims 4 but at this point you're just losing another fan, I'm really disappointed in the amount of secrecy and lack of announcements, even just teaser pictures or an actual Q&A with the forums that actually gives us info would be nice. But we don't get anything, the last GP was in December 2015 and December 2016 is only a few months away. At this point TS3 had already had World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night, Pets, and Generations out. We only have 2 EPs and like 50 stuff packs nobody really asked for, yeah they're nice, but not that nice if we don't have anything else to go off. Sims Freeplay is getting more updates than us and they're free. Like I said, I've always been a defender of TS4 through thick and thin but at this point I'm feeling cowardice from the team and EA because people aren't happy with what they're doing and they're ashamed to announce anything. I think at this point I'm just done with the game, nothing exciting is being brought to it, and it hurts me to say because I've been a supporter since 2005, and there's a lot more things others and myself would much rather spend our money on.

    But thank you @simgurudrake for telling us, it means a lot and I know you're trying your best to give us as much info as allotted.

    I completely understand that the community wants news. However, compared to where we were this time last year we have been becoming more open and transparent as much as we are able--we have also informed the community about what paid content to expect within a quarter that way you are more prepared for when there is down time. We've also stated repeatedly that we aren't treating TS4 like it's predecessors with regards to any pattern of releases and we've also introduced Game Packs (which I know are still a thing that players are getting used to.) We also work all in house now rather than having two different studios in two different locations. Things are much more streamlined now than in the past (Graham does a great job of explaining that here: forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/893117/live-service-explained )

    Sims Freeplay is a mobile game that works on a Free to Play model, is on a different development schedule, and is a completely different team. They have one type of content that they have to worry about which is updates. We are a PC title that works on three different types of pack content along with engagement features and patches to fix issues. So the comparison is apples to oranges.

    We aren't ashamed to announce anything, I've actually been very excited about sharing the stuff we have shown so far and have not hidden my enthusiasm for them from any of you. We would rather do a full reveal of a product when we can continue talking about it from that moment on wards rather than say something and then disappear. An example of this is last year with EP2, there were a lot of conversations in the forums about lack of updates between Gamescom tease reveal and when we could do the full on reveal. Also, and most of this stems from the quarterly teaser reactions, but I'm having trouble understanding the want for a tease with pictures when we already have complaints about the quarterly tease not giving enough information because it is a tease.

    What I've said above in no way means that I don't appreciate that everyone wants to know what is coming down the pipeline as far as content, I 100% understand the passion and enthusiasm you have for the game and that it's hard for the community to understand game development and how it works when you aren't actually working in the studio --I know Graham has definitely tried to at least explain the process from the SP side of things. You've already seen this year the hard work that our engagement team has been doing with their free updates and what the SP and GP teams have been doing with their content--know that the EP team is hard at work as well.

    Unfortunately, I think you're still missing the point. I understand the issue: whatever EA does, people complain. They announced EP2 early and people complained that they weren’t getting any updates. What EA doesn’t seem to understand, however, is that people are complaining because they are confused. After The Sims 4 was released, EA stated that they would be announcing content pretty close to release. When they announced Get Together well in advance of the release, people were confused. They changed up their communications strategy without telling anyone.

    The problem isn’t the strategy…the problem is that they don’t communicate their strategy. It’s constantly changing and always unclear. With the latest seasonal teaser, people were speculating about seasons and generations EPs, because the teaser was vague. It didn’t properly communicate that Backyard Stuff was the only content coming out this season.

    We just need to know what’s going on. It’s not that hard. EA just needs to say, “Hey guys! We are officially announcing the theme of EP3! It’s _______. Expect more info in a few months.” If they EA tells fans about an impending news drought in advance, no one will be confused or angry when it arrives. We’ll be expecting it. Ahh, the magic of communication.
  • howsimlishhowsimlish Posts: 709 Member
    I completely understand that the community wants news. However, compared to where we were this time last year we have been becoming more open and transparent as much as we are able--we have also informed the community about what paid content to expect within a quarter that way you are more prepared for when there is down time. We've also stated repeatedly that we aren't treating TS4 like it's predecessors with regards to any pattern of releases and we've also introduced Game Packs (which I know are still a thing that players are getting used to.) We also work all in house now rather than having two different studios in two different locations. Things are much more streamlined now than in the past (Graham does a great job of explaining that here: forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/893117/live-service-explained )

    Sims Freeplay is a mobile game that works on a Free to Play model, is on a different development schedule, and is a completely different team. They have one type of content that they have to worry about which is updates. We are a PC title that works on three different types of pack content along with engagement features and patches to fix issues. So the comparison is apples to oranges.

    We aren't ashamed to announce anything, I've actually been very excited about sharing the stuff we have shown so far and have not hidden my enthusiasm for them from any of you. We would rather do a full reveal of a product when we can continue talking about it from that moment on wards rather than say something and then disappear. An example of this is last year with EP2, there were a lot of conversations in the forums about lack of updates between Gamescom tease reveal and when we could do the full on reveal. Also, and most of this stems from the quarterly teaser reactions, but I'm having trouble understanding the want for a tease with pictures when we already have complaints about the quarterly tease not giving enough information because it is a tease.

    What I've said above in no way means that I don't appreciate that everyone wants to know what is coming down the pipeline as far as content, I 100% understand the passion and enthusiasm you have for the game and that it's hard for the community to understand game development and how it works when you aren't actually working in the studio --I know Graham has definitely tried to at least explain the process from the SP side of things. You've already seen this year the hard work that our engagement team has been doing with their free updates and what the SP and GP teams have been doing with their content--know that the EP team is hard at work as well.

    Thank you for clarifying things.
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