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Why MultiPlayer Won't Work

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CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
These are my musings, thoughts, observations after being a part of this community for more than twenty years.

I will start with the example of the player who says they never build anything, so a server world where Maxis controls everything would be just fine with them. OK, but let's go deeper. Are they sure about that? Do they never use the hand of god to move, change or delete anything? Of course they do. Do they never decide a couch should be yellow instead of blue? Of course they do, so once they see they won't be able to drag anything, change anything, color anything or delete anything (possibly in their way) it's not even going to work for them, those who say Maxis and other players' builds are just fine with them. Are they really going to tell me they never move a curtain, a table, a window, a door, or unblock an aisle? Of course not, of course they do this even if they didn't build a world and or a house or community lot.

Let's talk about the player who can't stand townies in weird plum outfits. How much of our OCD will take over (me included) and will be bothered by Not being able to change the clothes of any townie(other player's Sim)? Funny at first but not so funny in particular situations.

Those who can't stand watching Let's Play sessions because we want to tell that user/player what they should have done first, what they should be doing, and how they are doing it. :o You know 95% of us all get frustrated by watching someone else play and our hands itch to reach out and click the 'right' thing and or move the camera over to something else because we don't like their play style nor do we think they are doing it right. lol You know we are all that way, so how frustrating is it going to be on the most of us who can't even stand to watch others play when we know we won't be able to say' yeah, but...you should do this that way or this way etc.' We will lose patience and rage quit and you know it.

Annoying townies. How many of us have been busy with a Sim no matter if we needed to skill for something and or were working on a different thing in game or relationship or whatever, only to be interrupted by another Sim and we kept cancelling the other Sim from bothering us at that moment. Well, how does that work in multiplayer when a player has their Sim keep requesting to be talked to, and or noticed or helped or whatever. You know we are going to lose patience with a real person this time, and instead of locking up an annoying Sim in single player this time we have to take a breath and remember that annoying Sim is another person. Again most of us aren't going to like that. Then little cliques will form that talk about so and so having an annoying Sim and how to avoid them. Is that nice? No, and why multi player is a fast way to cliques that allinate others who could be a child in reality. So, some nice players will have to actually change how they play their own Sims to put up with other people's Sims and actions so they don't fear hurting someone else's feelings. Is that Simming? No.

Cliques, envy, strife, backbiting and gossip. Is that what we want the Sim Commuity to become. It goes on enough as it is already and has for years and years. Just imagine the cliques of a multiplayer Sim game.

Do any who want a multi player (what I saw here is a mere handful of less than ten) want to play a game where they give up their own choices about their own Sims? Just so they can say they play a multi player game? I don't think they will want that money spent on all that just to remove more and more choices they had in older games. Taken from the God of their Worlds in 1,2 and 3 to not so much a god of the world anymore in TS4 but at the mercy of Maxis building TS4 to please themselves rather than the consumer, to no control at all in a multi player.

Maxis, your Simmers don't like you having control (game mechanics and your choices of content) and they sure don't like other players getting control.

Sim friends: How many Simmers have said they didn't like 1 and 2 required your Sim to have so many friends before they could get a promotion? How do any of us think this works in a multiplayer? On steriods, that's how. It's my impression this would be overkill in a mult player because of what else would there be to make a gamer level up? other than microtransactions? Needing Sim friends who would be other players. Ten friends to get that promotion....means you spend a lot of your time smoozing strangers or your own friends, and or being able to complete a tasks. Is that perfect Sim world we want? I don't think so. It's annoying sometimes in single player games, a Sim your Sim might not even have met calls your Sim up and waste time talking on phone just so you can build a relationship (for job) of a Sim you didn't want your Sim to become friends with to start with. It changes your story doesn't it? Yes, it does. When you might have only wanted a few good friends for your Sim and related to a particular story in your head.

Custom Content, I'm sure this time Maxis has a plan to have other popular Simmers create content for you then sell it to you and Maxis boast and brag to buy their stuff. (Much like the favoritism of the galary) So, a few become the gods of the DLC and you wind up giving other players money for things you need. When in the past cc has always been a gift out of the abudance of sharing of good people's hearts..other than TSR who monetized, which btw was always against EA T.O.S. I guess it no longer matters since so many make a good amount on youtube, tumblr etc.

Mods will be out since it would change how a server world would work. Don't like that Sim always rubbing their belly thinking about food? Too bad it's a thing and no way to get rid of it. lol I know many in TS2 hated the idles of the FT pack it was one of the first things to get rid of in that pack. Thank you Pescado.

Need a bigger home in multiplayer..why? you won't be able to play more than one Sim. Probably not a family player to be found.

It's 3:00 A.M you can't sleep, so you load a multiplayer, there is a task you and someone need to finish, so you think you can work on that...no they aren't logged on and won't be for several days. So, one you either quit that task and give up, and or join forces with another...back stabbing your 'friend'. Or you just go ahead and lose the reward you needed by just abandoning the tasks. Only to come back and see your 'friend' is back and upset with you for quitting and now they can't get the reward, either. It's Paradise , right? Oh, the joy.

Let's say it's just for skill building and or a reward to play in a server world but some minor single player game...think about TS4 and what it still doesn't contain in interactions, actions and personality. It would be even less in a multiplayer that is linear, and quest driven.











"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
Post edited by Cinebar on

Comments

  • Seera1024Seera1024 Posts: 3,629 Member
    Agreed. Multiplayer just has so many things that would make it hard to do in the main series. Spin off. Sure, go for it.

    That doesn't even get into how the game handles who owns things when Sims from different players marry.

    Who gets control over the kid(s)?

    What happens when Sims divorce if the players aren't in agreement on who gets what? Friends fall out all of the time. How would that affect their Sims?
  • lisamwittlisamwitt Posts: 5,079 Member
    Sounds a lot like Sims Social...
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  • IdontrcallIdontrcall Posts: 19,349 Member
    edited March 2020
    How does time work in multiplayer? Like if I had a sim and they were sleeping, but other players were awake, would I just have nothing to do unless I woke my sim up? I don't think I could fast forward through the sleep because that would interfere with the other players. I have no real experience in games like this, so I don't know if there is a workaround.
    Check out my cooking Youtube channel: Living with Leigh
  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    edited March 2020
    Seera1024 wrote: »
    Agreed. Multiplayer just has so many things that would make it hard to do in the main series. Spin off. Sure, go for it.

    That doesn't even get into how the game handles who owns things when Sims from different players marry.

    Who gets control over the kid(s)?

    What happens when Sims divorce if the players aren't in agreement on who gets what? Friends fall out all of the time. How would that affect their Sims?

    This is why I don't see them building a game such as people are expecting which would allow them to have a family or more than one Sim in the game. It seems almost impossible to think how does this work in a large household (more than one Sim to control). What would a player have to do? spend all their time chatting it up with others to say, 'Ok now I'm going to control the toddler or kid and make them go to bed etc.?' Who would decide that stuff? Player A or B? or even C or D? It's why there probably won't be any such game that would allow a player to control more than just one Sim in the server world if it is multiplayer.

    Also, it would be my theory if any Sims other than two players in a household that all others would be NPCs or nonplayable extras, like the kids would be extra where no player could control them, maybe only direct them slightly and or influence the nonplayable Sim to do something. Like go tell a kid Sim to do something. (Send to store for supplies).

    People didn't like that in The Sims Medieval with those kids in game. Players couldn't control them, either, and could only call them home etc. But couldn't make them go to bed and or eat or bathe or whatever. I think pc gamers of The Sims will always want to control all of their household members. It was requested over and over in that game to make them controllable to the player but that would have actually hurt the design of game which was 99.9%.questing. You just had to live with it.

    Considering how much backlash for CL apartment structures, for those who enjoy a single player game, I don't see them liking shells in a server world, either. Where they can't add a room or move a wall but only decorate a space. Or even the watered down dorms of TS4's lastest pack about college life. Or if they could expand a home or other building in a multiplayer it would probably just be cubes and not something they could actually change to the outer structure. For all we know homes might be rabbit holes, where Sims go for the night and or to revive themselves. I'm not saying it won't appeal to some who never started with The Sims but some of the other games like The Urbz and or console versions, but I really believe most players who were around when The Sims were released don't have the DNA to play a multiplayer so we can probably consider this series ended (with TS4) with a whimper rahter than a bang as far as gameplay goes. Because if the next one is multiplayer, it's very sad to think this series glory days ended with the shallow TS4.

    All we have to do is look at their social games. If a player can have a family in a server world it's be belief they would only be able to control one of those at a time. And we know how much TS3 players don't like this about TS2 where they can only control those out on a community lot and not those left at home. So, it may be only one or a few of our Sims could go out into the 'server world' to do something, which would be to interact with others who would be real people rather than a generated townie.



    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Idontrcall wrote: »
    How does time work in multiplayer? Like if I had a sim and they were sleeping, but other players were awake, would I just have nothing to do unless I woke my sim up? I don't think I could fast forward through the sleep because that would interfere with the other players. I have no real experience in games like this, so I don't know if there is a workaround.

    There is none. You are trapped in the given world. It the online multiplayer I tried your sim is just an entity roaming the countryside/town looking for things to do. There was no such thing as 'needs' of any sort. Sometimes you needed to form some sort of partnership with another player to get something done, or that other player approached you for that purpose. For all practical purposes you are merely one more puppet in a world full of them.
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Fully agree with everything you said, Cinebar! From experience with trying one of those online multiplayer games for a month or two I forget how many years ago. There was absolutely no control over anything, no customization of environment (a la TS4), cliques abounded, and more other negatives than I care to mention or anyone read. TS4 on steroids is what it amounts to, all the bad stuff that frustrates us no end with none of the few good things that give us some semblance of a game. Not to mention the very real possibility that the 'sims' we interact with are actually real people either too young for the interactions IRL or are of less than honorable intent. There is simply too much opportunity for abuse of too many kinds for this option to be viable.
  • TrudyLiteTrudyLite Posts: 8 New Member
    I think it would be fun to be able to gift friends mailboxes however.
  • AnthonydyerAnthonydyer Posts: 1,197 Member
    Cinebar - I love your opinions! I have always appreciated reading your contributions and your sound judgement. I agree with everything you said. There are many issues from a technical standpoint. If we have online live play, it is going to require that everybody is running the same version of the game. This means no mods or cheats also. There are going to be issues with lags and internet speed. If you have slow or satellite internet, playing an online game is going to be very miserable. Right now, you only have to fight slow internet when downloading updates, which doesn't require you to be actively involved. Whereas with live gameplay, that effects every aspect of your gameplay. Where are the game saves kept? Probably on the cloud. This means EA will also be responsible for backups and protecting servers from hacks. Money $$$$$

    Another critical issue that is foreseeable to me is the large amount of maintenance that will be involved. EA/Maxis will have to run servers 24/7 to support the game which is going to be very costly. There are going to be people who use online interactions for inappropriate reasons and mods will have to be heavily policing the servers which is going to be costly. If it involves a minor, then this company is going to be the centerpiece of a big scandal. People who cheat or mod their game may become banned to ensure that everyone is running the same version. Also, when it comes to making sure everything is online compatible, there are going to be a lot of sacrifices in game quality. I don't believe there will be a big loss in graphics, but I believe game functionality will suffer greatly. We have seen this happen already. Interactions will be stripped down so that we can interact with other players. Houses will be made basic to facilitate concurrent play. I also noticed a video going around about 50 hidden gems from the sims 2; you can kiss those goodbye also. When the sims 5 comes to the end of life, the whole game will become wiped out because EA will no longer be supporting the game.

    Another reason which is sufficient alone is that this idea is so unpopular among our community and we don't want it. The sims has been successful because it had a winning formula. There is no reason to change it!
  • thesimmer14thesimmer14 Posts: 393 Member
    You make a lot of good points! I dislike the idea of multiplayer, because I feel it removes a lot of the sandbox elements present in the series.

    I don't understand what you mean by "How much of our OCD will take over (me included) and will be bothered by Not being able to change the clothes of any townie(other player's Sim)? Funny at first but not so funny in particular situations.".

    I strongly agree with "Maxis, your Simmers don't like you having control (game mechanics and your choices of content) and they sure don't like other players getting control."

    I am unsure about "Cliques, envy, strife, backbiting and gossip. Is that what we want the Sim Commuity to become. It goes on enough as it is already and has for years and years. Just imagine the cliques of a multiplayer Sim game."
  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    TrudyLite wrote: »
    I think it would be fun to be able to gift friends mailboxes however.

    We have that in TS3. *Shrug* It's just okay. The thing is, if you're online, it causes the game to lag so I ended up just turning it off. I don't use a lot of the gifts sent to me and I'm not sure if what I sent is useful to my friends either.

  • BabykittyjadeBabykittyjade Posts: 4,975 Member
    edited March 2020
    I have nothing to add because you've pretty much outlined every single problem with it. All I know is that I have literally given up every single other game for sims. Why? Because it's the only one without rules, limitations (that's debatable) checklists,goals that must be completed unless you want to, microtransactions, time limits,challenges. All the things they want to make this game about is what I DON'T want. I dont challenge, compete, I don't want gallery recognition, I dont care or pay attention to those earned achievements.

    I just wholeheartedly hope they don't take away what makes me love this game because it's the ONLY game unique in that way of ruling and escaping into your own private world.

    I usually get nervous when random people start chatting on roblox or begging for robux, or asking to be my roblox boyfriend. And I had other block people tease me for my choice of block clothing. And I have been bullied for no reason on there.

    I quickly log out and play sims instead. I don't even want multiplayer to be an "option" everyone knows how much it will take away from single player and I see that has already happened on playstation games I use to like.
    Zombies, oh please oh please give us zombies!! :'(
  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    edited March 2020
    Idontrcall wrote: »
    How does time work in multiplayer? Like if I had a sim and they were sleeping, but other players were awake, would I just have nothing to do unless I woke my sim up? I don't think I could fast forward through the sleep because that would interfere with the other players. I have no real experience in games like this, so I don't know if there is a workaround.

    See this is the thing about the differences in single player Sim games and a multiplayer. I never follow rules in the games. I will call them the univereral rules that dominate time in these games. I think I might be the only player left here who never did.

    If it's 3:00 A.M in my games (sort of not possible sometimes in TS3 or TS4 because of designated lot types) If I want my Sim to get up and do homework, they do.

    If I want my Sim to go to a community lot and expect it to fill up even if wrong time of day (TS3&TS4) they can in TS1 and TS2.

    If I want them to be at the graveyard at midnight, they are.

    A multiplayer would have even stricter uninversal rules that dominate time and perhaps even real time like microtransaction and mobile games play. Have to wait a real 24 hours. No thanks. Have to wait until real time 9:00 A.M the next day, no thanks.

    If my Sim's energy is enough to get out of bed and go somewhere then I expect these games to behave as TS1 did and Sims be there, because I am god of the world and if I say go somewhere then I expect it to accomodate 'my' Sim and be there.

    I really can't stand real time gameplay in many games and why I have rarely bought into them and or bought any add on for them. Real Time is a pain in my opinion. And extremely boring. And even just as bad, limit what time of day my Sims can get out and enjoy a lot because oh, look, it's after 2:00 A.M. it's closed....boring. Nothing to do but go back home, no that's not sandbox in my opinion but too much reality and limiting players to play a developer game rather than their own imagination. It's why 1 and 2 are built the way they are, to allow players to play whatever they can dream up at any time of day they want it to be in their heads. Just imagine, you are awake and log on to your game, it's 2:00 A.M real time in your time zone, and the place you wanted to send your Sims (server world) is closed....noooooo, I can't support any games that do that, not even TS3 or TS4.
    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • FairyGodMotherFairyGodMother Posts: 7,406 Member
    I find this very informative. I am not a multiplayer and never will be.

    I usually don't say anything much, but I will put my 2 cents in here. Sims4 should have been a spin-off to me. This is not my sandbox game, this is Maxis' sandbox (I think they made it their sandbox game so we get a small taste of what a multiplayer game can be before they release the next one, which will probably be multiplayer).

    They don't even play the game, they just make it the way they want to, regardless of new or old bugs, and rely on modders to fix their mess! The mods were "icing on the cake" in prior games, but Sims4 is more a "mods required" to play imo.

    Never have I ever had to mod a game prior, but this game really requires it. Do I use mods? I tried, but due to all the patches, updates, new content coming out.....and modders having to fix it over and over again...I gave up! I would need more mods than the packs they already have....just to play it "my way".

    They really wanted multi-player and won't stop till they get it. Let them bring it, I won't be any part of it.
  • NyteRoseNyteRose Posts: 1,672 Member
    As much as I enjoy MMO's and playing with others, Sims needs to stay a single-player experience. Sims is my creative tool for my writing and an escape from the MMOs and life in general. Maxis needs to quit pushing multiplayer and focus on fixing/improving the current game before moving onto another project or creating new packs/content. Just my two cents.
    It can't rain all the time- Eric Draven, The Crow
  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    edited March 2020
    I play a few mobile android games where you compete in groups. The thing is I'm not as gung-ho about winning as most of the groups I join and I end up getting kicked out because I'm not playing the game as much as they are. But in order to win, you have to play the game over and over again throughout the day - and spend money in order to win. One time, there was a group message that a new competition has just started and that we are to meet the minimum requirements (which are kind of high for me given that I won't spend money to quickly rack up points). All I wrote back was that I will play the game after I go out to eat and the next thing I knew when I got back - I got kicked out of the team! Lol! That's so sad and pathetic! I feel that I got more from that than they did. I mean I got to enjoy time with my friends around a good meal (and if you think about it in sim terms, my friendship levels with them went up a few points, lol, and added a new event to our memories), meanwhile, all they got is virtual money and ranking on the scoreboard. Also the virtual money or points is never enough to buy anything helpful in the game and you have to buy more of them with real money to actually do so.

    So coming from that experience, and knowing that EAxis wants to create some competitions in their online multiplayer game, I know it won't last. People WILL burn out from that frenetic pace just to win some virtual prize that isn't even useful in real life.


    Edited post to remove unnecessary generalizations. Let's leave it out with calling people stupid or saying they have no life. ~Rtas
    Post edited by EA_Rtas on
  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    I play a few mobile android games where you compete in groups. The thing is I'm not as gung-ho about winning as most of the groups I join and I end up getting kicked out because I'm not playing the game as much as they are. But in order to win, you have to play the game over and over again throughout the day - and spend money in order to win. One time, there was a group message that a new competition has just started and that we are to meet the minimum requirements (which are kind of high for me given that I won't spend money to quickly rack up points). All I wrote back was that I will play the game after I go out to eat and the next thing I knew when I got back - I got kicked out of the team! Lol! That's so sad and pathetic! I feel that I got more from that than they did. I mean I got to enjoy time with my friends around a good meal (and if you think about it in sim terms, my friendship levels with them went up a few points, lol, and added a new event to our memories), meanwhile, all they got is virtual money and ranking on the scoreboard. Also the virtual money or points is never enough to buy anything helpful in the game and you have to buy more of them with real money to actually do so.

    So coming from that experience, and knowing that EAxis wants to create some competitions in their online multiplayer game, I know it won't last. People WILL burn out from that frenetic pace just to win some virtual prize that isn't even useful in real life.


    Edited post to remove unnecessary generalizations. Let's leave it out with calling people stupid or saying they have no life. ~Rtas

    I didn't generalize. It was specific to people wasting their money. Ask yourself - would YOU spend your money just to get on a leaderboard? You don't get anything beneficial out of it. It's foolishness. You can spend that money on better things. That's all.
  • CamkatCamkat Posts: 2,329 Member
    I play a few mobile android games where you compete in groups. The thing is I'm not as gung-ho about winning as most of the groups I join and I end up getting kicked out because I'm not playing the game as much as they are. But in order to win, you have to play the game over and over again throughout the day - and spend money in order to win. One time, there was a group message that a new competition has just started and that we are to meet the minimum requirements (which are kind of high for me given that I won't spend money to quickly rack up points). All I wrote back was that I will play the game after I go out to eat and the next thing I knew when I got back - I got kicked out of the team! Lol! That's so sad and pathetic! I feel that I got more from that than they did. I mean I got to enjoy time with my friends around a good meal (and if you think about it in sim terms, my friendship levels with them went up a few points, lol, and added a new event to our memories), meanwhile, all they got is virtual money and ranking on the scoreboard. Also the virtual money or points is never enough to buy anything helpful in the game and you have to buy more of them with real money to actually do so.

    So coming from that experience, and knowing that EAxis wants to create some competitions in their online multiplayer game, I know it won't last. People WILL burn out from that frenetic pace just to win some virtual prize that isn't even useful in real life.


    Edited post to remove unnecessary generalizations. Let's leave it out with calling people stupid or saying they have no life. ~Rtas

    I didn't generalize. It was specific to people wasting their money. Ask yourself - would YOU spend your money just to get on a leaderboard? You don't get anything beneficial out of it. It's foolishness. You can spend that money on better things. That's all.

    Personally, I agree, however, the multitudes of people that DO spend money just to get on a leaderboard would disagree. When you say "ask yourself" there is an amazing amount of people that would indeed say yes. You can't assume that everyone thinks the same as you because they actually don't. In 2020, there's likely more that would spend this money, and they're not the types of people to use something like these forums I imagine. Doesn't mean I like it, and I don't have to agree with it, but you can't just discount it as invalid or assume that if they asked themselves the question that the answer would be the same as yours.

    @Cinebar thank you for saying what a lot of us are thinking. You've managed to sum up my thoughts perfectly.

    There's a ton of multiplayer games out there if that's the experience people crave. I actually even like and play some of them. Sims however, should stay single player. To do anything otherwise would destroy the sand box I've come to love over the last 20 years.
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  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    Camkat wrote: »
    I play a few mobile android games where you compete in groups. The thing is I'm not as gung-ho about winning as most of the groups I join and I end up getting kicked out because I'm not playing the game as much as they are. But in order to win, you have to play the game over and over again throughout the day - and spend money in order to win. One time, there was a group message that a new competition has just started and that we are to meet the minimum requirements (which are kind of high for me given that I won't spend money to quickly rack up points). All I wrote back was that I will play the game after I go out to eat and the next thing I knew when I got back - I got kicked out of the team! Lol! That's so sad and pathetic! I feel that I got more from that than they did. I mean I got to enjoy time with my friends around a good meal (and if you think about it in sim terms, my friendship levels with them went up a few points, lol, and added a new event to our memories), meanwhile, all they got is virtual money and ranking on the scoreboard. Also the virtual money or points is never enough to buy anything helpful in the game and you have to buy more of them with real money to actually do so.

    So coming from that experience, and knowing that EAxis wants to create some competitions in their online multiplayer game, I know it won't last. People WILL burn out from that frenetic pace just to win some virtual prize that isn't even useful in real life.


    Edited post to remove unnecessary generalizations. Let's leave it out with calling people stupid or saying they have no life. ~Rtas

    I didn't generalize. It was specific to people wasting their money. Ask yourself - would YOU spend your money just to get on a leaderboard? You don't get anything beneficial out of it. It's foolishness. You can spend that money on better things. That's all.

    Personally, I agree, however, the multitudes of people that DO spend money just to get on a leaderboard would disagree. When you say "ask yourself" there is an amazing amount of people that would indeed say yes. You can't assume that everyone thinks the same as you because they actually don't. In 2020, there's likely more that would spend this money, and they're not the types of people to use something like these forums I imagine. Doesn't mean I like it, and I don't have to agree with it, but you can't just discount it as invalid or assume that if they asked themselves the question that the answer would be the same as yours.

    @Cinebar thank you for saying what a lot of us are thinking. You've managed to sum up my thoughts perfectly.

    There's a ton of multiplayer games out there if that's the experience people crave. I actually even like and play some of them. Sims however, should stay single player. To do anything otherwise would destroy the sand box I've come to love over the last 20 years.

    There are different types of multiplayer games. The competitive ones to get as far up on the leaderboards are perpetual money pits. The competition is never ending and you have to keep playing to stay on the leaderboards.

    If the CEO wants that type of competition on their online game which sounds like that's what they want - I don't think it would survive because the simming community just isn't the type of audience for that. They play The Sims games to escape and relax.

    What I think the CEO should do is just turn one of the two mobile game they already have - maybe the Sims Mobile, since Sims Freeplay is more successful on its own - and turn it into the competitive multiplayer game that they are hoping for.

    Then we can keep TS5 totally offline and a single player game.

    Also, if you look at multiplayer games on mobile devices, games DO burnout. People get quickly tired of them when they realized they're not actually getting any real benefit from being on the leaderboards. Those games die out. I'd rather have Sims Mobile die out than TS5.
  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    It's really saddening to know the CEO thinks the fanbase of The Sims play these games because of the competition....I have to wonder what universe is that true in and what actual Simmer told him that.
    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • AnthonydyerAnthonydyer Posts: 1,197 Member
    Cinebar wrote: »
    It's really saddening to know the CEO thinks the fanbase of The Sims play these games because of the competition....I have to wonder what universe is that true in and what actual Simmer told him that.

    @Cinebar I just hope they don't make these changes, disgruntle existing Sims fans, see sales drop, and then declare The Sims a failed series. I don't know if we will see Simcity again for this reason.
  • CamkatCamkat Posts: 2,329 Member
    Cinebar wrote: »
    It's really saddening to know the CEO thinks the fanbase of The Sims play these games because of the competition....I have to wonder what universe is that true in and what actual Simmer told him that.

    I can't remember where I saw/read it, likely twitter, but I saw an article where he talked about this. Apparently he sees simmers on the forums and twitter making challenges for themselves and contests and he felt like that was a good idea to impose in our games without our choice.

    I'm all for challenges, I make and play them all the time. Do I want the game dictating that for me? No. Do simmers need this to stay connected? No. They manage just fine with the gallery, forums and twitter and hashtags. How it is now is optional and that's how it should stay. I can just imagine too if they did things like monthly or weekly challenges... They'd have to commit and they seem to have a problem with that *cough* maxis monthly *cough* and they'd likely want to charge a monthly sub fee to fund this because they wouldn't be able to just cancel it if they couldn't get to it for whatever reason.
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  • RhiannonravenRhiannonraven Posts: 128 Member
    Are these things based in actual evidence? As far as I know Maxis hasn't given even the slightest hint that they are going to do a multiplayer world, so how could they have said that you won't be able to build/buy, you won't be able to play with multiple sims, or you will have tasks with deadlines with specific other sims? I can see ways for it to work without these things...

    For Build&Buy, it could just act like you are not online when you're changing your own house. Of course you couldn't change community buildings or your own lot while others were on it, but lots of players don't use cheats to change community lots anyway.

    For playing with multiple sims I actually just don't see any reason not. Sims autonomously do things in the current game, so why can't they in this game?

    For having tasks to complete with other sims, same thing. Why is that necessary?

    Yes, the multiplayer option wouldn't be for everyone, but not everyone has to play it. I think it could work really well and be fun. THere are lots of multiplayer life simulaters out there that work and are played by many people.

    Not trying to pick a fight, I just don't understand where all this info came from...
  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    edited March 2020
    Are these things based in actual evidence? As far as I know Maxis hasn't given even the slightest hint that they are going to do a multiplayer world, so how could they have said that you won't be able to build/buy, you won't be able to play with multiple sims, or you will have tasks with deadlines with specific other sims? I can see ways for it to work without these things...

    For Build&Buy, it could just act like you are not online when you're changing your own house. Of course you couldn't change community buildings or your own lot while others were on it, but lots of players don't use cheats to change community lots anyway.

    For playing with multiple sims I actually just don't see any reason not. Sims autonomously do things in the current game, so why can't they in this game?

    For having tasks to complete with other sims, same thing. Why is that necessary?

    Yes, the multiplayer option wouldn't be for everyone, but not everyone has to play it. I think it could work really well and be fun. THere are lots of multiplayer life simulaters out there that work and are played by many people.

    Not trying to pick a fight, I just don't understand where all this info came from...

    Can you name one for me? Where players have 'Sims' that meet, interact romantically, get married and have kids and own homes? How does tha work in those games? What is the age limit? Does an adult get to make their Sim date a Sim of a child player? Are there messages going back and forth either publicly or privately where an adult who is possibly involved with the child's Sim aka the child player, sending messages etc.? Set all that aside and then who or Which players own the homes? Which players get control of the kids? Which players get to say what is in a home and or what type of home and who can live in the home, like invite another player to live in the 'Sim' home? I'm sorry but no there aren't to the best of my knowledge any life simulators out there that work like the single player game of The Sims. Not even TSO worked the way I just described. I'm not being rude but Stardew Valley and Mine Craft and all the others people say they play aren't pc life simulators, they are tablet, console games and now new apps for Windows 10 (which is nothing but a glorified Downloader called an OS). Stardew is actually under RPG genres. And most if not all know that game is a RPG. If you are speaking of Animal Crossing no it's not a life simulator, either. It's played on console, and a RealTime genre, where real time has to pass before things are done, correct? I don't know of any life simulators like The Sims as an online multiplayer, Second Life was never meant to be an actual game in the beginning. It's actually funny people thought it was. It was a space in c where people could sell goods and establish an economy inside a virtual world.

    ETA: The info comes from how The Sims works, in all iterations, I can't see them being able to do any of that and or if they did only annoying to most.
    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • lisamwittlisamwitt Posts: 5,079 Member
    I've never seen another actual life simulator. That's kinda been Sims selling point. It's a virtual dollhouse, or at least has been.
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  • GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,284 Member
    edited March 2020
    Didn't they attempt multiplayer with the Sims once before? And I'm not talking about the game they were creating when they suddenly switched to Sims4. I vaguely recall others suggesting they tried it and it wasn't all the much fun. In fact, there were so many problems that arose, the game was dismantled. I know I was totally disinterested in Sims4, because it was touted as a multiplayer game. I've played a bit of WoW in the past. While it was 'fun' on one side, it was also annoying when my 'group' wasn't available, so I would decide to play a bit on my own, to hone my gaming skills a little. Now, it could be I was given some poor advice about handing out buffs, that got me into trouble. I just know that I did so upon my little Gnome entering a 'safe' village and she was knocked off of her stead and killed, as a result. It got to be so bad, I would turn down others when they wanted to pair up and work on a quest. I just didn't trust strangers at all anymore. :open_mouth:

    I don't like people messing with my characters, WoW, or Sims. I perceive the same problems as you so beautifully articulated, Cinebar. I won't be playing a multiplayer Sims. Not now, not ever. I'm far too possessive of my Sims. The only 'outside' interference I allow is experimenting with a mod. If that doesn't work out, the mod is uninstalled and if I have to, I start that game save all over again.
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