Surely this is the crazy part of me speaking, but shouldn't you give this "new way of doing things" a chance before you actually start either praising it or worrying about it? I suppose I just don't see the point in working yourselves up over something that is completely unknown to you.
That is the problem. It is completely unknown. We are right back to square one where we are kept in the dark. The devs can do Q&A's, polls and tweet all they want, the fact is they have to word things to keep us in the dark until content is actually released. How can we have any trust in these new changes when we know absolutely nothing about the potential benefits?
Again we're just back to wild speculation, disagreements and arguments. I'd rather have the teaser right now. At least we would know we have something to look forward to.
Gallery ID: ChaosKitten666
I hope my Sims and lots aren't too terrible!
What teally made me curuius ia the free content. The Engagement Team by SimGuruSarah still hasn't released their project(Cas update in 2016, Toddlers in 2017) I wonder what supruse will they have for this year
I love this community so much but my goodness do we do a great job of picking apart every detail and ragging on seemingly everything said by the gurus ever
This would not be a problem if gurus were straightforward and we had actual answers. No need to pick apart every detail and over analyze someone's words if that person is being clear and transparent. They never are, so go figure. It's not people's fault.
We're gonna have to agree to disagree here. This entire thread alone is dedicated to taking her announcement and picking it apart to figure out what it means. The title of the thread is "Sim Guru Kate about quarterly teasers and what that could mean". I personally felt like her statement was pretty straightforward and yet here we are still picking it apart.
I encourage everyone to go back and re-read her statement. I don't understand how it was unclear. She didn't say "we may not always be providing teasers", she said "we will no longer be releasing quarterly teasers". End of story. No. There will be no more teasers.
She didn't say "we're changing our release schedule and as a result you're getting less content", she said "we’re shifting our approach regarding the types of packs we create, and when they’ll be released. This change means that there will be quarters where we don’t release new paid content" - to me that means that we'll have periods without paid content but there may still be free content. And even if there isn't free content, this statement doesn't say we're getting less of anything - it just says there will be quarters with no paid releases. We have no idea what their plan is. Let's say first quarter of 2019 they have an EP release coming up along with a GP or SP that compliments it well and they choose to release both close together. Doesn't mean we're getting less, it just means we're not necessarily getting them on a set revolving release schedule as we'd previously been getting. If it makes sense, they could release 5 stuff packs in one quarter if they want. (Obviously I don't see that happening - I'm just saying that simply saying some quarters we're not getting paid content doesn't mean that there isn't a possibility that in other quarters we may get more paid content than normal.) People are taking this statement and adding words/projecting their fears into it. Nowhere did she say we're getting LESS content as a whole. It's a prime example of people picking apart her words. "there will be quarters where we don't release new paid content" does not equal "you're getting less content as a whole". Edit to add: Also, again, it's a straightforward comment. She could have said "there might be quarters with no paid content" or "this might mean that some quarters we won't release anything", but she didn't - she said "there will be quarters where we don't release new paid content." I feel like she's being very honest with us about what to expect.
And on the note regarding free content, I'm really confused by this idea that the free content we've received so far isn't much. Obviously not every update has been loaded with amazing things but we received a free world, toddlers, ghosts, pools, a gender equality overhaul that opened up all CAS items to be accessible to both genders, glass roofs and a massive gardening overhaul all in free updates. And, no, this isn't about whether or not those things should have been in the base game, etc. I agree that some of those things should have been but that's not the point. The point is that those are all pretty big elements that came in free updates - it's not like they have a history of only giving us piddly, pointless free updates.
I understand what you're saying, and I'm not gonna sit here and say they've never been vague about things. But let's all be realistic here - she could come right out and say "we're only going to be releasing two more stuff packs for the series" and there would be some thread starting up trying to figure out why and what that means for the series as a whole. It was like that when I was active on the TS3 forums and it's still like that now. This community is very passionate about this game and I love that and think it's super important but we're also known to be a hard crowd to please.
We're gonna have to agree to disagree here. This entire thread alone is dedicated to taking her announcement and picking it apart to figure out what it means. The title of the thread is "Sim Guru Kate about quarterly teasers and what that could mean". I personally felt like her statement was pretty straightforward and yet here we are still picking it apart.
This pretty much sums up how I feel about this topic. I mean, I read the announcement and thought to myself, "Okay, that's cool," and hadn't thought about it again. I was so surprised (but not really) to find out that people were digging so deeply into this.
Transparency and communication also seems to be part of the new regime, and that's also a very good thing.
What they did is far from transparency. All they said can be summarized with "We are making a change. Goodbye"
No word on what this change actually entails. When people ask for transparency, they mean that they actually want gurus to tell us the reason for making certain decisions, especially the ones that affect us - the players who pay their salaries. Yet again, all we got from a guru is the dreaded "soon".
How is that transparency, or a good sign?
They're using all kinds of speech tricks to make you guys feel like they're trying, but the truth is they're serving us more of the same, only worded differently.
I love this community so much but my goodness do we do a great job of picking apart every detail and ragging on seemingly everything said by the gurus ever
This would not be a problem if gurus were straightforward and we had actual answers. No need to pick apart every detail and over analyze someone's words if that person is being clear and transparent. They never are, so go figure. It's not people's fault.
First of all, I'm going to assume you haven't been on Twitter much because there has been a metric ton of info spilling forth from Grant, who is also the lead producer. We're not talking about waffling information either, he's been very directly saying, "yes", "no", or "I'm sorry, I can't talk about that". He's been saying what's possible, he's been saying what kind of content he's considering, he's been saying what are good ideas from Simmers and what are bad ones. He's been putting up polls and told us outright it's for prioritizing content. Seriously, how much more transparency do you expect? Have you even tried going on twitter and actually asking him a thing or two during his Q & A time? Because maybe you should give it a try rather than sitting in the dark of the speculation section and complaining that you're not hearing exactly what you want to hear.
Second, no matter how much you pay for your game, you don't get to dictate exactly what information you get, when you get it, and how you get it. You are not commissioning the developers to make a game for you. You are purchasing an offered product. There is a huge difference.
It also doesn't seem to occur to anyone that since they have openly told us that they are now working on our requests, maybe they don't actually know how long everything will take to complete. This is the second leg of the Sims 4. Grant said he already felt like they have fallen behind for next year's releases. It sounds to me like EA had left Maxis hanging on giving the go-ahead for the game's continuation. SimGuruDrake told us a long time ago that most larger projects are planned out years in advance, and they may have only had solid DLC planned out through Seasons. Grant has stated that he has been meeting with development over the content for the next few years, so it sounds to me like they weren't even sure if they would be going full steam ahead after Seasons. But here we are, and suddenly things have "changed".
People really forget that this is a big company and an intensive project. If the first three and a half years were already mapped out on time schedules and budgets (like we were told by the Gurus themselves all this time), that means there was very little wiggle room. But now, with the new fiscal year and all of the main plans wrapped up and distributed, EA has had a chance to look at sales and development and reassess the Sims 4 plan. Suddenly, since last year, the game is hugely lucrative and Simmers have requests to be fulfilled. The devs have some freedom now to do the things we've been asking for. Yes, that is a good thing.
We have been told there will be more free content, we have been told they are developing many things the players have asked for, we have been told there will be more game updates, we have been told development is going to last at least another three years. We've even been told they are considering many of the completely new, fan-requested concepts, like wheelchairs. We are actually being told what some of the possibilities are. This is so much more information than a simple teaser ever gave us, or any information they've ever shared in the past, yet some people choose to zero in on what exactly we're not being told? Seriously?!
Man alive, there is some serious entitlement behavior going on in these forums. People can make demands all they want and stir up the drama and build armies worthy of Mordor, but none of that is going to change what information we are privy to, so for the love of thunder, try to keep from bursting a blood vessel and maybe make the effort to actually go and ask a direct question to Grant or Kate on Twitter.
Second, no matter how much you pay for your game, you don't get to dictate exactly what information you get, when you get it, and how you get it. You are not commissioning the developers to make a game for you. You are purchasing an offered product. There is a huge difference.
I also thought about this - now I'm gonna be very up front about this, I'm not a massive gamer in the sense that I follow tons of games and hang on every detail about all of them. But I don't know a single other game that I have played over the years that they release content or information about upcoming content this frequently and with this much information ahead of time. A great example of that would be Kingdom Hearts 3 - this game has been in concept stages since 2006 and wasn't even officially confirmed until 2013. And even then, it was just THIS YEAR that we even got a RELEASE DATE. The game hasn't even come out yet and we've been waiting on bated breath for information since at least 2013 for many players. And even with that we still don't have nearly the same amount of info that Sims players have gotten in the 4 years it's been around. I know we all love this game and we are excited for all the things but ultimately they are the ones that are creating this game for us. They are going to do things as they see fit, while still trying to take our feedback into consideration. They can't please everyone, some of us are just gonna have to deal with that and we're not gonna love every move they make. It's just a game.
We'll still get the announcement trailers, just not the nine second teasers that came before a trailer. You're still free to speculate about what pack might be next.
We don’t know if trailer teasers are cut. Pretty sure seasons had one. Quarterly teasers are, which are released early in the quarter detailing things releasing over the 3 month span.
What teally made me curuius ia the free content. The Engagement Team by SimGuruSarah still hasn't released their project(Cas update in 2016, Toddlers in 2017) I wonder what supruse will they have for this year
I'm hoping it will be cars. I didn't know SimGuruSarah was over that project.
This is most likely great news. Sounds like they are focusing more on eps Andrew maybe gps rather than endless sps. If we get more quality eps like seasons, than I am all for this
True Love
Terrific Family Play
Too fun The sims 2 forever
I got my Sims Seasons pack from Target for 50 percent off. I live in large city, and the guy said I was the only person that day to purchase the pack. That does not inspire confidence in the future of this game.
I just want them to go back to Sims 2 days, where they told us in six months we are getting "X" pack. Then I would be less nervous the future of the series.
I got my Sims Seasons pack from Target for 50 percent off. I live in large city, and the guy said I was the only person that day to purchase the pack. That does not inspire confidence in the future of this game.
I just want them to go back to Sims 2 days, where they told us in six months we are getting "X" pack. Then I would be less nervous the future of the series.
That's because most people downloaded Seasons from Origin. That doesn't mean anything.
I got my Sims Seasons pack from Target for 50 percent off. I live in large city, and the guy said I was the only person that day to purchase the pack. That does not inspire confidence in the future of this game.
I just want them to go back to Sims 2 days, where they told us in six months we are getting "X" pack. Then I would be less nervous the future of the series.
Why are you nervous? They've just told us there's going to be at least three more years of Sims 4. And yes I know things can change but at the very least at *this* moment in time that we are currently residing in they are planning for three more years so there's no need for the Doom and Gloom the community is insisting on assuming for the game right now.
Also most people get their game online through Origin or another online retailer there's not much of a call for Sims 4 disks anymore which is why only the base game and EPs are sold that way in the US.
I got my Sims Seasons pack from Target for 50 percent off. I live in large city, and the guy said I was the only person that day to purchase the pack. That does not inspire confidence in the future of this game.
I just want them to go back to Sims 2 days, where they told us in six months we are getting "X" pack. Then I would be less nervous the future of the series.
That's because most people downloaded Seasons from Origin. That doesn't mean anything.
Surely this is the crazy part of me speaking, but shouldn't you give this "new way of doing things" a chance before you actually start either praising it or worrying about it? I suppose I just don't see the point in working yourselves up over something that is completely unknown to you.
That is the problem. It is completely unknown. We are right back to square one where we are kept in the dark. The devs can do Q&A's, polls and tweet all they want, the fact is they have to word things to keep us in the dark until content is actually released. How can we have any trust in these new changes when we know absolutely nothing about the potential benefits?
Again we're just back to wild speculation, disagreements and arguments. I'd rather have the teaser right now. At least we would know we have something to look forward to.
The fact that they told you they were changing things up proves that you are actually NOT in the dark, but have been informed as to the changes. So, communication is still happening.
Sounds like to me they are moving more people to the expansion team so they can push out another before Christmas so we will be getting less stuff packs and more expansions this year.
Sims 4 went from "You Rule" to "One of the stories we want you to tell"
Transparency and communication also seems to be part of the new regime, and that's also a very good thing.
What they did is far from transparency. All they said can be summarized with "We are making a change. Goodbye"
No word on what this change actually entails. When people ask for transparency, they mean that they actually want gurus to tell us the reason for making certain decisions, especially the ones that affect us - the players who pay their salaries. Yet again, all we got from a guru is the dreaded "soon".
How is that transparency, or a good sign?
They're using all kinds of speech tricks to make you guys feel like they're trying, but the truth is they're serving us more of the same, only worded differently.
I love this community so much but my goodness do we do a great job of picking apart every detail and ragging on seemingly everything said by the gurus ever
This would not be a problem if gurus were straightforward and we had actual answers. No need to pick apart every detail and over analyze someone's words if that person is being clear and transparent. They never are, so go figure. It's not people's fault.
First of all, I'm going to assume you haven't been on Twitter much because there has been a metric ton of info spilling forth from Grant, who is also the lead producer. We're not talking about waffling information either, he's been very directly saying, "yes", "no", or "I'm sorry, I can't talk about that". He's been saying what's possible, he's been saying what kind of content he's considering, he's been saying what are good ideas from Simmers and what are bad ones. He's been putting up polls and told us outright it's for prioritizing content. Seriously, how much more transparency do you expect? Have you even tried going on twitter and actually asking him a thing or two during his Q & A time? Because maybe you should give it a try rather than sitting in the dark of the speculation section and complaining that you're not hearing exactly what you want to hear.
Second, no matter how much you pay for your game, you don't get to dictate exactly what information you get, when you get it, and how you get it. You are not commissioning the developers to make a game for you. You are purchasing an offered product. There is a huge difference.
It also doesn't seem to occur to anyone that since they have openly told us that they are now working on our requests, maybe they don't actually know how long everything will take to complete. This is the second leg of the Sims 4. Grant said he already felt like they have fallen behind for next year's releases. It sounds to me like EA had left Maxis hanging on giving the go-ahead for the game's continuation. SimGuruDrake told us a long time ago that most larger projects are planned out years in advance, and they may have only had solid DLC planned out through Seasons. Grant has stated that he has been meeting with development over the content for the next few years, so it sounds to me like they weren't even sure if they would be going full steam ahead after Seasons. But here we are, and suddenly things have "changed".
People really forget that this is a big company and an intensive project. If the first three and a half years were already mapped out on time schedules and budgets (like we were told by the Gurus themselves all this time), that means there was very little wiggle room. But now, with the new fiscal year and all of the main plans wrapped up and distributed, EA has had a chance to look at sales and development and reassess the Sims 4 plan. Suddenly, since last year, the game is hugely lucrative and Simmers have requests to be fulfilled. The devs have some freedom now to do the things we've been asking for. Yes, that is a good thing.
We have been told there will be more free content, we have been told they are developing many things the players have asked for, we have been told there will be more game updates, we have been told development is going to last at least another three years. We've even been told they are considering many of the completely new, fan-requested concepts, like wheelchairs. We are actually being told what some of the possibilities are. This is so much more information than a simple teaser ever gave us, or any information they've ever shared in the past, yet some people choose to zero in on what exactly we're not being told? Seriously?!
Man alive, there is some serious entitlement behavior going on in these forums. People can make demands all they want and stir up the drama and build armies worthy of Mordor, but none of that is going to change what information we are privy to, so for the love of thunder, try to keep from bursting a blood vessel and maybe make the effort to actually go and ask a direct question to Grant or Kate on Twitter.
"Have you even tried going on twitter and actually asking him a thing or two during his Q & A time? Because maybe you should give it a try rather than sitting in the dark of the speculation section and complaining that you're not hearing exactly what you want to hear. "
- I'm sorry, but what?
You're making assumptions about me, you're condescending and you're trying to argue. I'm sorry but I'm really not about that.
Seems like you missed my point anyway.
I'm not entitled. Wanting to get some piece of solid information from time to time (emphasis on from time to time, because for some reason you assumed I expect developers to report every workday to us on twitter with details) does not make me entitled.
A poll about supernaturals is not solid information. It just leaves more room to speculate and tear each other apart. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to get little bits and pieces from Grant on twitter and be able to get excited about future content. I don't expect them to reveal plans for absolutely every DLC that's about to come out in the future. All I'm saying is, in this situation, giving us at least a date, tell us when we can expect more solid information would be more appreciated than empty promises of "TS4 has a bright future" "please don't worry". If they cancelled teasers it would be much more appreciated of them to at least tell us when the next big thing is coming. It shouldn't be a big deal to EA. I fail to see how could it possibly harm them to let developers tell us "next release is planned for (example) september" . They don't need to tell us what it is. Just this kind of ACTUAL information makes people way more satisfied than paragraphs of PR talk on twitter.
Are you really surprised that people dislike their approach when during TS2 and TS3 days it was perfectly normal for us to be informed about such BASIC things like the theme of the next pack? They've turned basic into confidential overnight when TS4 came out and now I'm called entitled for finding it strange.
Times have changed, and if you think that players who want to know what's going on with the game they invest in, a game that's their hobby (and has been for over a decade) are the definition of entitlement, then I guess we just see the world differently and there's no point in discussing this. I would just appreciate if you wouldn't throw around words like that, making assumptions about how people being "in the dark" is actually their own fault when you don't know anything about other users here. And you know, constantly coming to defense of a billion dollar company with awful work ethics like EA is in a very poor taste.
A lot of you seem to forget that developers create games for people. For us. Not for themselves. I guess until you understand that, y'all be going around patronizing people on forums and calling them entitled.
Real quick reminder, let's keep the comments about forum-users (either individual or swathes of users) off the forums. We're here to talk about the game not to debate if players are entitled or not for having different expectations over communication. Thank you!
~my hair color is frequently changing, so my Sim reflects that~
Sounds like to me they are moving more people to the expansion team so they can push out another before Christmas so we will be getting less stuff packs and more expansions this year.
That would be great if true. This game needs more expansions since there is so much people want before it's over. Whenever that will be. I think I would like to see what they do with University or something. I liked TS3's University Life and didn't think I would. I rather enjoyed it and I'm not a real big fan of TS3 but some of it was great. Some of TS4 is great, so I like to see what they do next, but without teasers it's sort of boring to wait and see what they do. I don't know they may come out with someting that would make me reinstall Origin. I enjoyed what they did do like DO, toddlers, Vampires, and ParentHood. I even like the doctor and detective careers until they broke and no longer work correcly.
If Origin hadn't gotten on my last nerve I might have bought the latest packs but I can only take so much stress.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
Transparency and communication also seems to be part of the new regime, and that's also a very good thing.
What they did is far from transparency. All they said can be summarized with "We are making a change. Goodbye"
No word on what this change actually entails. When people ask for transparency, they mean that they actually want gurus to tell us the reason for making certain decisions, especially the ones that affect us - the players who pay their salaries. Yet again, all we got from a guru is the dreaded "soon".
How is that transparency, or a good sign?
They're using all kinds of speech tricks to make you guys feel like they're trying, but the truth is they're serving us more of the same, only worded differently.
I love this community so much but my goodness do we do a great job of picking apart every detail and ragging on seemingly everything said by the gurus ever
This would not be a problem if gurus were straightforward and we had actual answers. No need to pick apart every detail and over analyze someone's words if that person is being clear and transparent. They never are, so go figure. It's not people's fault.
First of all, I'm going to assume you haven't been on Twitter much because there has been a metric ton of info spilling forth from Grant, who is also the lead producer. We're not talking about waffling information either, he's been very directly saying, "yes", "no", or "I'm sorry, I can't talk about that". He's been saying what's possible, he's been saying what kind of content he's considering, he's been saying what are good ideas from Simmers and what are bad ones. He's been putting up polls and told us outright it's for prioritizing content. Seriously, how much more transparency do you expect? Have you even tried going on twitter and actually asking him a thing or two during his Q & A time? Because maybe you should give it a try rather than sitting in the dark of the speculation section and complaining that you're not hearing exactly what you want to hear.
Second, no matter how much you pay for your game, you don't get to dictate exactly what information you get, when you get it, and how you get it. You are not commissioning the developers to make a game for you. You are purchasing an offered product. There is a huge difference.
It also doesn't seem to occur to anyone that since they have openly told us that they are now working on our requests, maybe they don't actually know how long everything will take to complete. This is the second leg of the Sims 4. Grant said he already felt like they have fallen behind for next year's releases. It sounds to me like EA had left Maxis hanging on giving the go-ahead for the game's continuation. SimGuruDrake told us a long time ago that most larger projects are planned out years in advance, and they may have only had solid DLC planned out through Seasons. Grant has stated that he has been meeting with development over the content for the next few years, so it sounds to me like they weren't even sure if they would be going full steam ahead after Seasons. But here we are, and suddenly things have "changed".
People really forget that this is a big company and an intensive project. If the first three and a half years were already mapped out on time schedules and budgets (like we were told by the Gurus themselves all this time), that means there was very little wiggle room. But now, with the new fiscal year and all of the main plans wrapped up and distributed, EA has had a chance to look at sales and development and reassess the Sims 4 plan. Suddenly, since last year, the game is hugely lucrative and Simmers have requests to be fulfilled. The devs have some freedom now to do the things we've been asking for. Yes, that is a good thing.
We have been told there will be more free content, we have been told they are developing many things the players have asked for, we have been told there will be more game updates, we have been told development is going to last at least another three years. We've even been told they are considering many of the completely new, fan-requested concepts, like wheelchairs. We are actually being told what some of the possibilities are. This is so much more information than a simple teaser ever gave us, or any information they've ever shared in the past, yet some people choose to zero in on what exactly we're not being told? Seriously?!
Man alive, there is some serious entitlement behavior going on in these forums. People can make demands all they want and stir up the drama and build armies worthy of Mordor, but none of that is going to change what information we are privy to, so for the love of thunder, try to keep from bursting a blood vessel and maybe make the effort to actually go and ask a direct question to Grant or Kate on Twitter.
"Have you even tried going on twitter and actually asking him a thing or two during his Q & A time? Because maybe you should give it a try rather than sitting in the dark of the speculation section and complaining that you're not hearing exactly what you want to hear. "
- I'm sorry, but what?
You're making assumptions about me, you're condescending and you're trying to argue. I'm sorry but I'm really not about that.
Seems like you missed my point anyway.
I'm not entitled. Wanting to get some piece of solid information from time to time (emphasis on from time to time, because for some reason you assumed I expect developers to report every workday to us on twitter with details) does not make me entitled.
A poll about supernaturals is not solid information. It just leaves more room to speculate and tear each other apart. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to get little bits and pieces from Grant on twitter and be able to get excited about future content. I don't expect them to reveal plans for absolutely every DLC that's about to come out in the future. All I'm saying is, in this situation, giving us at least a date, tell us when we can expect more solid information would be more appreciated than empty promises of "TS4 has a bright future" "please don't worry". If they cancelled teasers it would be much more appreciated of them to at least tell us when the next big thing is coming. It shouldn't be a big deal to EA. I fail to see how could it possibly harm them to let developers tell us "next release is planned for (example) september" . They don't need to tell us what it is. Just this kind of ACTUAL information makes people way more satisfied than paragraphs of PR talk on twitter.
Are you really surprised that people dislike their approach when during TS2 and TS3 days it was perfectly normal for us to be informed about such BASIC things like the theme of the next pack? They've turned basic into confidential overnight when TS4 came out and now I'm called entitled for finding it strange.
Times have changed, and if you think that players who want to know what's going on with the game they invest in, a game that's their hobby (and has been for over a decade) are the definition of entitlement, then I guess we just see the world differently and there's no point in discussing this. I would just appreciate if you wouldn't throw around words like that, making assumptions about how people being "in the dark" is actually their own fault when you don't know anything about other users here. And you know, constantly coming to defense of a billion dollar company with awful work ethics like EA is in a very poor taste.
A lot of you seem to forget that developers create games for people. For us. Not for themselves. I guess until you understand that, y'all be going around patronizing people on forums and calling them entitled.
I apologize if I was condescending to you, personally. You're right, that's uncalled for. I was trying to address some frustrating behavioral patterns that I see get out of hand, and in doing so, I misspoke. I can see how a lot of the tone of my post sounded more aggressive than I intended, because sometimes I speak very directly, but I'll give this another try...
I had addressed you in the beginning of my post because you had addressed my comment specifically, arguing to me where the transparency was. I am genuinely surprised to see people stating that they think there is even less communication just because we're not getting a teaser. Yes, I can see that we're not getting definite answers at the beginning of the quarter anymore to state what is coming in the next three months. I personally believe that is because there are changes in the actual development of the game. For a long time, many people were expressing dissatisfaction for Stuff packs and because of the way the last one went over, I think the company has reassessed how they want them done. SumGuruGraham, who was/is the lead on Stuff Packs, is now also working with the EP team.
This, to me, says that larger packs are being prioritized right now, so that we won't be getting as many "fillers" in the months between, like Stuff Packs. This could very likely be why the quarterly teasers don't make sense anymore. If we will be waiting a little longer in between releases for larger packs, and teasers generally didn't cover free content, then we would be sitting in silence anyway. Remember that EPs were never initially announced in teasers either, because there is a lot of marketing planned around them, which makes sense, because they are expensive. So this basically only leaves Game Packs for the time being. I also think we will be still getting the occasional Stuff Pack sometimes, but with less frequency. So I can see why SimGuruKate wouldn't be able to give any solid answers right now because this is the second stretch of development and, in a way, it's like starting over with new DLC. They are still putting their development plans in place for the next three years. Grant told us that. Nothing we do or say is going to change the need for that process. We will get info when they are ready to give it.
My comments about going over to twitter vs. waiting for info on the forums were made because there has been a large shift in how the devs are communicating, including the Community Manager. As much as we'd like to see more interaction here, it's just not as practical for them when they reach a heck of a lot more people on Twitter. Using Twitter also keeps questions and comments short enough for them to read quickly and respond more efficiently. If you're someone who only uses the forums, then yes, it's going to feel like sitting in the dark, waiting for information to come. But over on Twitter, there has been a plethora of info being thrown at us and a lot of activity. This is why I'm pointing that out. This is also why I said people can't expect the information to come when, where, and how they want it. They have to go to where the information is. Like it or not, that's just how it works now. And yes, we are all free to ask questions of the Gurus over there. That is why I suggested it. Some things can't be answered and some things won't be answered, but we should all know by now that there are always going to be certain things that can't be talked about. But I have often seen Grant let people know when he can't answer something. In the end, it doesn't hurt to ask if there's something you really want to know. And you're more likely to get a response if you ask during a time when he is actually being active.
Also, I think that paying more attention to what's being said on Twitter does more to fill in the blanks of questions we might have. If we, as players, step outside of our emotions and actually look at the information that has been given to us from a logical and productive development standpoint, then things start to make more sense. Which is why many people, including myself, have deduced that more big packs are on the way. Simmers have been making some rather ambitious requests, like Farming, Tropical Vacations, Apocalypse, Witches and Magic, Time Travel... and Grant has said that they are currently working on things that we have asked for. Sure, we don't know what form it will take, and we don't know exactly when, but again, this leg of Sims 4 development is just being planned out. And Kate told us that there are already a variety of things in varying stages of development, so more DLC is coming. So, again, we'll get the info when it's ready to give.
Finally, as for your own quick pass of judgement on me "Constantly coming to the defense of a billion dollar company", I have had my share of plenty of posts speaking out about my issues with Sims 4. And it is this kind of labeling of "for" or "against" that contributes hugely to the discord on the forums. Most people here have their own unique and varied experiences and preferences, and very few are all one side or the other.
I got my Sims Seasons pack from Target for 50 percent off. I live in large city, and the guy said I was the only person that day to purchase the pack. That does not inspire confidence in the future of this game.
I just want them to go back to Sims 2 days, where they told us in six months we are getting "X" pack. Then I would be less nervous the future of the series.
That's because most people downloaded Seasons from Origin. That doesn't mean anything.
I usually buy from Origin, too. But a 50 percent off sale in the first month of release brought me into my local Target. I assumed if the game is going well, it would have brought others in as well.
I just hope there will still be communication. (I just got a Twitter account because I JUST CANNOT STAND these frustrating droughts and the lack of communication and info on their own official forums. )
ETA: I really hope the content is worth the silence. I hated the devs’ silence.
I have calmed down. I can accept that they have moved over to Twitter for communication, I appreciate the communication they do have with the community. I just want more specifics. Are stuff packs done for? Can we expect substantial free updates like the glass roofs and gardening overhaul to be more frequent? Can we get more details on the changes that have and are happening?
I just don't want to see an end to the quarterly teasers. They were introduced because people like knowing something is on the horizon. What could possibly be the point of taking that away? If there is nothing to show for a quarter, just say so. But if there is, show a little teaser. People argue and get disappointed with or without them, but when they exist at least we have something to speculate off of and not just pulling random stuff out of our plums.
Hopefully the team re-evaluates some of the changes they have made.
Gallery ID: ChaosKitten666
I hope my Sims and lots aren't too terrible!
I am bummed out about there not being any more quarterly teasers, but nothing about this announcement freaks me out or has me worried for the franchise. I'm pretty happy with how the Seasons release went without the teaser, so I'm hopeful that they've got great things in store for us. Only time will tell.
To me it's pretty clear that the "there will be quarters without any paid content" statement means that they are focusing in fewer, bigger packs rather than a lot of small packs like they have been doing for The Sims 4.
If this means the level of quality of Seasons then I'm all in, this is exactly what they need to do, this is the best Seasons pack in the entire franchise and its announcement was somewhat out of the blue.
Also, keep in mind that "no more quartely teaser" does not mean "no more announcements ever".
Comments
That is the problem. It is completely unknown. We are right back to square one where we are kept in the dark. The devs can do Q&A's, polls and tweet all they want, the fact is they have to word things to keep us in the dark until content is actually released. How can we have any trust in these new changes when we know absolutely nothing about the potential benefits?
Again we're just back to wild speculation, disagreements and arguments. I'd rather have the teaser right now. At least we would know we have something to look forward to.
I hope my Sims and lots aren't too terrible!
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/924539/features-that-needs-depth-and-ways-to-improve
We're gonna have to agree to disagree here. This entire thread alone is dedicated to taking her announcement and picking it apart to figure out what it means. The title of the thread is "Sim Guru Kate about quarterly teasers and what that could mean". I personally felt like her statement was pretty straightforward and yet here we are still picking it apart.
I encourage everyone to go back and re-read her statement. I don't understand how it was unclear. She didn't say "we may not always be providing teasers", she said "we will no longer be releasing quarterly teasers". End of story. No. There will be no more teasers.
She didn't say "we're changing our release schedule and as a result you're getting less content", she said "we’re shifting our approach regarding the types of packs we create, and when they’ll be released. This change means that there will be quarters where we don’t release new paid content" - to me that means that we'll have periods without paid content but there may still be free content. And even if there isn't free content, this statement doesn't say we're getting less of anything - it just says there will be quarters with no paid releases. We have no idea what their plan is. Let's say first quarter of 2019 they have an EP release coming up along with a GP or SP that compliments it well and they choose to release both close together. Doesn't mean we're getting less, it just means we're not necessarily getting them on a set revolving release schedule as we'd previously been getting. If it makes sense, they could release 5 stuff packs in one quarter if they want. (Obviously I don't see that happening - I'm just saying that simply saying some quarters we're not getting paid content doesn't mean that there isn't a possibility that in other quarters we may get more paid content than normal.) People are taking this statement and adding words/projecting their fears into it. Nowhere did she say we're getting LESS content as a whole. It's a prime example of people picking apart her words. "there will be quarters where we don't release new paid content" does not equal "you're getting less content as a whole". Edit to add: Also, again, it's a straightforward comment. She could have said "there might be quarters with no paid content" or "this might mean that some quarters we won't release anything", but she didn't - she said "there will be quarters where we don't release new paid content." I feel like she's being very honest with us about what to expect.
And on the note regarding free content, I'm really confused by this idea that the free content we've received so far isn't much. Obviously not every update has been loaded with amazing things but we received a free world, toddlers, ghosts, pools, a gender equality overhaul that opened up all CAS items to be accessible to both genders, glass roofs and a massive gardening overhaul all in free updates. And, no, this isn't about whether or not those things should have been in the base game, etc. I agree that some of those things should have been but that's not the point. The point is that those are all pretty big elements that came in free updates - it's not like they have a history of only giving us piddly, pointless free updates.
I understand what you're saying, and I'm not gonna sit here and say they've never been vague about things. But let's all be realistic here - she could come right out and say "we're only going to be releasing two more stuff packs for the series" and there would be some thread starting up trying to figure out why and what that means for the series as a whole. It was like that when I was active on the TS3 forums and it's still like that now. This community is very passionate about this game and I love that and think it's super important but we're also known to be a hard crowd to please.
Let's not pretend that these things don't happen regardless of whether or not there are teasers...
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First of all, I'm going to assume you haven't been on Twitter much because there has been a metric ton of info spilling forth from Grant, who is also the lead producer. We're not talking about waffling information either, he's been very directly saying, "yes", "no", or "I'm sorry, I can't talk about that". He's been saying what's possible, he's been saying what kind of content he's considering, he's been saying what are good ideas from Simmers and what are bad ones. He's been putting up polls and told us outright it's for prioritizing content. Seriously, how much more transparency do you expect? Have you even tried going on twitter and actually asking him a thing or two during his Q & A time? Because maybe you should give it a try rather than sitting in the dark of the speculation section and complaining that you're not hearing exactly what you want to hear.
Second, no matter how much you pay for your game, you don't get to dictate exactly what information you get, when you get it, and how you get it. You are not commissioning the developers to make a game for you. You are purchasing an offered product. There is a huge difference.
It also doesn't seem to occur to anyone that since they have openly told us that they are now working on our requests, maybe they don't actually know how long everything will take to complete. This is the second leg of the Sims 4. Grant said he already felt like they have fallen behind for next year's releases. It sounds to me like EA had left Maxis hanging on giving the go-ahead for the game's continuation. SimGuruDrake told us a long time ago that most larger projects are planned out years in advance, and they may have only had solid DLC planned out through Seasons. Grant has stated that he has been meeting with development over the content for the next few years, so it sounds to me like they weren't even sure if they would be going full steam ahead after Seasons. But here we are, and suddenly things have "changed".
People really forget that this is a big company and an intensive project. If the first three and a half years were already mapped out on time schedules and budgets (like we were told by the Gurus themselves all this time), that means there was very little wiggle room. But now, with the new fiscal year and all of the main plans wrapped up and distributed, EA has had a chance to look at sales and development and reassess the Sims 4 plan. Suddenly, since last year, the game is hugely lucrative and Simmers have requests to be fulfilled. The devs have some freedom now to do the things we've been asking for. Yes, that is a good thing.
We have been told there will be more free content, we have been told they are developing many things the players have asked for, we have been told there will be more game updates, we have been told development is going to last at least another three years. We've even been told they are considering many of the completely new, fan-requested concepts, like wheelchairs. We are actually being told what some of the possibilities are. This is so much more information than a simple teaser ever gave us, or any information they've ever shared in the past, yet some people choose to zero in on what exactly we're not being told? Seriously?!
Man alive, there is some serious entitlement behavior going on in these forums. People can make demands all they want and stir up the drama and build armies worthy of Mordor, but none of that is going to change what information we are privy to, so for the love of thunder, try to keep from bursting a blood vessel and maybe make the effort to actually go and ask a direct question to Grant or Kate on Twitter.
I also thought about this - now I'm gonna be very up front about this, I'm not a massive gamer in the sense that I follow tons of games and hang on every detail about all of them. But I don't know a single other game that I have played over the years that they release content or information about upcoming content this frequently and with this much information ahead of time. A great example of that would be Kingdom Hearts 3 - this game has been in concept stages since 2006 and wasn't even officially confirmed until 2013. And even then, it was just THIS YEAR that we even got a RELEASE DATE. The game hasn't even come out yet and we've been waiting on bated breath for information since at least 2013 for many players. And even with that we still don't have nearly the same amount of info that Sims players have gotten in the 4 years it's been around. I know we all love this game and we are excited for all the things but ultimately they are the ones that are creating this game for us. They are going to do things as they see fit, while still trying to take our feedback into consideration. They can't please everyone, some of us are just gonna have to deal with that and we're not gonna love every move they make. It's just a game.
This. I don't see trailer teasers being cut out.
I'm hoping it will be cars. I didn't know SimGuruSarah was over that project.
Terrific Family Play
Too fun
The sims 2 forever
I just want them to go back to Sims 2 days, where they told us in six months we are getting "X" pack. Then I would be less nervous the future of the series.
That's because most people downloaded Seasons from Origin. That doesn't mean anything.
Why are you nervous? They've just told us there's going to be at least three more years of Sims 4. And yes I know things can change but at the very least at *this* moment in time that we are currently residing in they are planning for three more years so there's no need for the Doom and Gloom the community is insisting on assuming for the game right now.
Also most people get their game online through Origin or another online retailer there's not much of a call for Sims 4 disks anymore which is why only the base game and EPs are sold that way in the US.
Dont know about that
The fact that they told you they were changing things up proves that you are actually NOT in the dark, but have been informed as to the changes. So, communication is still happening.
"Have you even tried going on twitter and actually asking him a thing or two during his Q & A time? Because maybe you should give it a try rather than sitting in the dark of the speculation section and complaining that you're not hearing exactly what you want to hear. "
- I'm sorry, but what?
You're making assumptions about me, you're condescending and you're trying to argue. I'm sorry but I'm really not about that.
Seems like you missed my point anyway.
I'm not entitled. Wanting to get some piece of solid information from time to time (emphasis on from time to time, because for some reason you assumed I expect developers to report every workday to us on twitter with details) does not make me entitled.
A poll about supernaturals is not solid information. It just leaves more room to speculate and tear each other apart. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to get little bits and pieces from Grant on twitter and be able to get excited about future content. I don't expect them to reveal plans for absolutely every DLC that's about to come out in the future. All I'm saying is, in this situation, giving us at least a date, tell us when we can expect more solid information would be more appreciated than empty promises of "TS4 has a bright future" "please don't worry". If they cancelled teasers it would be much more appreciated of them to at least tell us when the next big thing is coming. It shouldn't be a big deal to EA. I fail to see how could it possibly harm them to let developers tell us "next release is planned for (example) september" . They don't need to tell us what it is. Just this kind of ACTUAL information makes people way more satisfied than paragraphs of PR talk on twitter.
Are you really surprised that people dislike their approach when during TS2 and TS3 days it was perfectly normal for us to be informed about such BASIC things like the theme of the next pack? They've turned basic into confidential overnight when TS4 came out and now I'm called entitled for finding it strange.
Times have changed, and if you think that players who want to know what's going on with the game they invest in, a game that's their hobby (and has been for over a decade) are the definition of entitlement, then I guess we just see the world differently and there's no point in discussing this. I would just appreciate if you wouldn't throw around words like that, making assumptions about how people being "in the dark" is actually their own fault when you don't know anything about other users here. And you know, constantly coming to defense of a billion dollar company with awful work ethics like EA is in a very poor taste.
A lot of you seem to forget that developers create games for people. For us. Not for themselves. I guess until you understand that, y'all be going around patronizing people on forums and calling them entitled.
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That would be great if true. This game needs more expansions since there is so much people want before it's over. Whenever that will be. I think I would like to see what they do with University or something. I liked TS3's University Life and didn't think I would. I rather enjoyed it and I'm not a real big fan of TS3 but some of it was great. Some of TS4 is great, so I like to see what they do next, but without teasers it's sort of boring to wait and see what they do. I don't know they may come out with someting that would make me reinstall Origin. I enjoyed what they did do like DO, toddlers, Vampires, and ParentHood. I even like the doctor and detective careers until they broke and no longer work correcly.
If Origin hadn't gotten on my last nerve I might have bought the latest packs but I can only take so much stress.
I apologize if I was condescending to you, personally. You're right, that's uncalled for. I was trying to address some frustrating behavioral patterns that I see get out of hand, and in doing so, I misspoke. I can see how a lot of the tone of my post sounded more aggressive than I intended, because sometimes I speak very directly, but I'll give this another try...
I had addressed you in the beginning of my post because you had addressed my comment specifically, arguing to me where the transparency was. I am genuinely surprised to see people stating that they think there is even less communication just because we're not getting a teaser. Yes, I can see that we're not getting definite answers at the beginning of the quarter anymore to state what is coming in the next three months. I personally believe that is because there are changes in the actual development of the game. For a long time, many people were expressing dissatisfaction for Stuff packs and because of the way the last one went over, I think the company has reassessed how they want them done. SumGuruGraham, who was/is the lead on Stuff Packs, is now also working with the EP team.
This, to me, says that larger packs are being prioritized right now, so that we won't be getting as many "fillers" in the months between, like Stuff Packs. This could very likely be why the quarterly teasers don't make sense anymore. If we will be waiting a little longer in between releases for larger packs, and teasers generally didn't cover free content, then we would be sitting in silence anyway. Remember that EPs were never initially announced in teasers either, because there is a lot of marketing planned around them, which makes sense, because they are expensive. So this basically only leaves Game Packs for the time being. I also think we will be still getting the occasional Stuff Pack sometimes, but with less frequency. So I can see why SimGuruKate wouldn't be able to give any solid answers right now because this is the second stretch of development and, in a way, it's like starting over with new DLC. They are still putting their development plans in place for the next three years. Grant told us that. Nothing we do or say is going to change the need for that process. We will get info when they are ready to give it.
My comments about going over to twitter vs. waiting for info on the forums were made because there has been a large shift in how the devs are communicating, including the Community Manager. As much as we'd like to see more interaction here, it's just not as practical for them when they reach a heck of a lot more people on Twitter. Using Twitter also keeps questions and comments short enough for them to read quickly and respond more efficiently. If you're someone who only uses the forums, then yes, it's going to feel like sitting in the dark, waiting for information to come. But over on Twitter, there has been a plethora of info being thrown at us and a lot of activity. This is why I'm pointing that out. This is also why I said people can't expect the information to come when, where, and how they want it. They have to go to where the information is. Like it or not, that's just how it works now. And yes, we are all free to ask questions of the Gurus over there. That is why I suggested it. Some things can't be answered and some things won't be answered, but we should all know by now that there are always going to be certain things that can't be talked about. But I have often seen Grant let people know when he can't answer something. In the end, it doesn't hurt to ask if there's something you really want to know. And you're more likely to get a response if you ask during a time when he is actually being active.
Also, I think that paying more attention to what's being said on Twitter does more to fill in the blanks of questions we might have. If we, as players, step outside of our emotions and actually look at the information that has been given to us from a logical and productive development standpoint, then things start to make more sense. Which is why many people, including myself, have deduced that more big packs are on the way. Simmers have been making some rather ambitious requests, like Farming, Tropical Vacations, Apocalypse, Witches and Magic, Time Travel... and Grant has said that they are currently working on things that we have asked for. Sure, we don't know what form it will take, and we don't know exactly when, but again, this leg of Sims 4 development is just being planned out. And Kate told us that there are already a variety of things in varying stages of development, so more DLC is coming. So, again, we'll get the info when it's ready to give.
Finally, as for your own quick pass of judgement on me "Constantly coming to the defense of a billion dollar company", I have had my share of plenty of posts speaking out about my issues with Sims 4. And it is this kind of labeling of "for" or "against" that contributes hugely to the discord on the forums. Most people here have their own unique and varied experiences and preferences, and very few are all one side or the other.
I usually buy from Origin, too. But a 50 percent off sale in the first month of release brought me into my local Target. I assumed if the game is going well, it would have brought others in as well.
ETA: I really hope the content is worth the silence. I hated the devs’ silence.
(She/her)
I just don't want to see an end to the quarterly teasers. They were introduced because people like knowing something is on the horizon. What could possibly be the point of taking that away? If there is nothing to show for a quarter, just say so. But if there is, show a little teaser. People argue and get disappointed with or without them, but when they exist at least we have something to speculate off of and not just pulling random stuff out of our plums.
Hopefully the team re-evaluates some of the changes they have made.
I hope my Sims and lots aren't too terrible!
If this means the level of quality of Seasons then I'm all in, this is exactly what they need to do, this is the best Seasons pack in the entire franchise and its announcement was somewhat out of the blue.
Also, keep in mind that "no more quartely teaser" does not mean "no more announcements ever".