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My Problem with The Sims Spark'd

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  • bixtersbixters Posts: 2,299 Member
    logion wrote: »
    The Sims™ Spark’d Episode 2 | Official Trailer only had around 80 000 views on the sims channel and is now unlisted (so you can't see it without a direct link)

    Lol wow, I guess they were embarrassed by that number and removed it. :D
  • SimmerGeorgeSimmerGeorge Posts: 2,724 Member
    bixters wrote: »
    I was looking at the number of views for Youtube for the TV show. They aren't good, at least compared to other Youtubers.
    A video of an episode from last week only got 230,000 views. That's barely more than a normal video from Plumbella or James Turner. And compared to videos by CallMeKevin or GreyStillPlays, which can get 200,000 views in a single day, and almost 500,000 views within a single week, it's quite low.
    I doubt it got many views on TBS either.

    All of which makes me wonder, was this really worth it??

    @bixters I don't know. I think the production cost was low since they just filmed it at Sims Camp and didn't have to pay the contestants for their participation. They just needed few good cameras and some good computers (which I think they have plenty of over at EA) so I don't think it really damaged them financially that they aren't making as much money as they could be making.
    The videos could reach about 1 - 2 million views after some time (like 6 months to a year) which is not terrible but definitely not what you'd expect from a series about a game that allegedly has reached 30 million players (refrencing another thread :wink: ). I think the money from Youtube is mere change for companies as big as EA, Buzzfeed and TBS, definitely not worth the time.
    Where's my Sims 5 squad at?
  • texxx78texxx78 Posts: 5,657 Member
    It was a mistake from the beginning.
  • KaeChan2089KaeChan2089 Posts: 4,944 Member
    edited August 2020
    telmarina wrote: »
    It was a mistake from the beginning.

    ...No?

    CRAP wrong thread! I thought we were talking about the new GP you meant Spark..YES! It was.
  • GordyGordy Posts: 3,015 Member
    Honestly, as bad at Spark was, I'm glad we were able to come together and rip on it. Really, the spirit and feeling of community was alive during this four week run.
    TS1_dragons_hatching.jpg
    The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
  • bixtersbixters Posts: 2,299 Member
    Gordy wrote: »
    Honestly, as bad at Spark was, I'm glad we were able to come together and rip on it. Really, the spirit and feeling of community was alive during this four week run.

    Lol true. I think the community was 96% against it. Now, everybody forgot about it. Probably because it was just so forgettable.
  • SimmerGeorgeSimmerGeorge Posts: 2,724 Member
    Gordy wrote: »
    Honestly, as bad at Spark was, I'm glad we were able to come together and rip on it. Really, the spirit and feeling of community was alive during this four week run.

    @Gordy The thing I am most glad about is that because of the backlash that Spark'd got we were able to voice our problems with The Sims and EA in general and the Gurus listened.

    It was the first time I saw @SimGuruNinja participating in the forums so much and I hope he now knows how people feel about certain things EA does, what the customer's mindset is and even the fact that we have a brain of our own and we are not influenced by the GameChangers alone.
    If it wasn't for the negative reception of Spark'd our constructive criticism in threads like this would have gone unnoticed.
    Where's my Sims 5 squad at?
  • texxx78texxx78 Posts: 5,657 Member
    Gordy wrote: »
    Honestly, as bad at Spark was, I'm glad we were able to come together and rip on it. Really, the spirit and feeling of community was alive during this four week run.

    @Gordy The thing I am most glad about is that because of the backlash that Spark'd got we were able to voice our problems with The Sims and EA in general and the Gurus listened.

    It was the first time I saw @SimGuruNinja participating in the forums so much and I hope he now knows how people feel about certain things EA does, what the customer's mindset is and even the fact that we have a brain of our own and we are not influenced by the GameChangers alone.
    If it wasn't for the negative reception of Spark'd our constructive criticism in threads like this would have gone unnoticed.

    I hope you're right. On the other hand i'm worried to verify that he do knows the way to the foruns yet he came more than for a very long time just for this spark'd ... thing...
  • popstarsleypopstarsley Posts: 1,086 Member
    edited August 2020
    The only problem should be that it sux.....for current players.

    I love Kelsey, I love Ninja, and also some of the GCs.


    But truthfully, the show ain’t for us forum followers—we are already dedicated to the game. It’s for Buzzfeed Multiplayer watchers, casual Buzzfeeders, the few TBS watchers. It’s a marketing ploy to garner new interest in the game.
  • kemowerykemowery Posts: 370 Member
    I was commenting a bit on twitter earlier about the way the swap-out of Englishsimmer for Steph0Sims was done, and I think my problem with the show, having watched all the episodes, is that it doesn't know what it wants to be.

    It's taking something that's largely subjective--how good these builds, characters, and stories are--judging them on vague criteria, and deciding winners. But they're also bringing the contestants' personalities into it, like a reality show, but not completely.

    We got a bit of manufactured conflict between Dr. Gluon and Mira in the early episodes, and then Steph's anxiety and softness causing her to drop out when Plumbella and Englishsimmer were eliminated, but it got weird because once Steph left the next step was to bring back the last eliminated person in her role, which was Englishsimmer. So it looked like Steph left because she couldn't continue without Englishsimmer and Plumbella there and Englishsimmer took advantage of the opening to get back on the show.

    So my remedy would be to either:

    1. Treat it like an actual game show. Don't do teams, because The Sims isn't played in teams. Start out each episode with four players, and have three challenges that take place in random order--style, build, and story. The style challenge is to create sims that incorporate certain elements or themes. The build challenge is a shell challenge where the contestants need to build a certain style of building or use particular elements. And the story challenge has the contestants being given a household they've never seen before and making a story video based on it. Each challenge, the judges will decide who did the best job and give constructive criticism on all of the builds, including tips from Ninja or some other guru on how to use the in-game tools to make things better. Then do a finale episode where the winners of each episode compete against each other.

    2. Treat it like a full-on reality show. Make it clear that any competitive elements are secondary to the personalities of the contestants and how they express that in their builds and storytelling. Give us more time to get to know the contestants as people. Give me more of the stuff like Plumbella making a story based on her dad, or Englishsimmer talking about how The Sims helped her come to terms with her sexuality, or Mira talking about representation. Make the show less about who does the best job of making stuff in The Sims and more about how the game lets them, and by extension new players, express themselves.
  • SimburianSimburian Posts: 6,906 Member
    I just got annoyed that all the stories were about how persecuted the Simmers were. Where was the fun element and any representation of the older Sims in those games? Dr Gluon could have shown that but looked very subdued in the last episode.

    We don't need teams, we need single players if there is another series.
  • drakharisdrakharis Posts: 1,478 Member
    edited August 2020
    @SimmerGeorge *clapping* Please stand up and take a bow. What you said was brilliantly said and I agree with every last word.

    Also, the contestants aren't allowed to shine at what they do best. xUrbansimsx does mod reviews and storytelling on her youtube channel. That is where she excels. By using simmers who are accustomed to CC and mods now being forced to play vanilla you aren't going to have as good of content because for some of us who use CC and mods to make the game playable or at least less boring it shows "Yes that is exactly why you should use mods and CC in your game rather than play vanilla. You see I told you so. Never play vanilla. Just for watching this trainwreck here is a link to the best mods and CC you should use in your game."

    What should have been done was have contestants that normally play their game vanilla and are accustomed to doing amazing things without the use of mods and CC. Let them do what they do best. Showing us that yes you can create something amazing and you didn't even have to use CC and mods to do it. Rather they put contestants outside their comfort zone. I mean no disrespect but the speed builders in the community could have done much better blindfolded than these contestants with build challenge. It's because they are so used to doing speed builds that its second nature for them to pull off a speed build.

    There are some amazing builders in the community like lilsimsie. Why didn't they get her to come on the show? Let her do her thing as a builder. She does some amazing speed builds. Granted you'll hear her complain and put herself down the whole time but in the end, all is well and I think she even stuns herself. Pair her up with xUrbansimsx to do the storytelling for the household living in her build. It would be more cohesive and not so bad. I would enjoy watching that for example as a team-up then add in someone who is a "Jack (or Jill) of all trades" in the community to tie it all in. It all seems distorted and mismatched. Like plaid and polka dots done in the worst way possible.

    I have seen a lot of Youtube videos spilling the t on EA. To make a long story short. It's all EA's fault. The money they spent or making the sims not what the sims aren't at all about they could have used to improve the game. With wheelchairs, canes and elevators everywhere. Head presets for missing races in the game. More skintones added into the game. More hairstyles and hair colours added in. It's a waste of resources. If they are trying to promote the game to someone who hasn't ever played Sims 4 and might be curious there are far better ways to do that. Come up with official YouTube Videos or have the Game Changers focus on their strengths to promote the game in general. This is not the way to go. Having people in a setting to be competitive when the core of the game isn't about competition but individuality and being able to be what you ever you want to be. You want to play a scientist. Play a scientist. You want to be a botanist. Be a botanist. You want a disabled sim you should be able to play a disabled sim. You want to play a sim in the '50s you should be able to play a sim in the 50s without computers and cellphones. Let individuality reign. Give options to off the grid and historical simmers. With more than just books. Have fireplaces that also act as stoves. Have a useable pen and pencil holder in clutter for sims to write. Have functional typewriters. Touchtone, dial-up phones, payphones for those who wish to play in certain eras. Horses added in for historical gameplay. Add in presets for missing races in the game. Add more skintones. Add more hairstyles and hair colours. Add in the ability to have elevators anywhere. Add in functioning canes, walkers and wheelchairs. Add in a white cane for the visually impaired. Add in ramps with stairs and ladders. Add in hearing aids. So on and so on.

    Or do the reality show as something non-competitive. Show the lives of the Gurus and Game Changer. Show the lives of ordinary simmers. All playing the game and moments outside them playing the game. Have it with the Building community in one episode. Storytellers in another episode. Maybe an episode on simmers who use mods and or CC and their opinion on why. You can have plenty of drama with any of that. For example, you might have a simmer who has a toxic family member. You have disabled simmers. You have a wide range of races, cultures and ethnicities. Focusing on these things could have made a good reality show. No competition required. It would have been fun and entertaining to watch.
    Playtesting - not just tabletop games and card games any more. Really that should have been playtested in Beta and not [img]just with accounting and marketing but actual players. https://i.imgur.com/t48COW6.jpg[/img]
  • BabykittyjadeBabykittyjade Posts: 4,975 Member
    drakharis wrote: »
    @SimmerGeorge *clapping* Please stand up and take a bow. What you said was brilliantly said and I agree with every last word.

    Also, the contestants aren't allowed to shine at what they do best. xUrbansimsx does mod reviews and storytelling on her youtube channel. That is where she excels. By using simmers who are accustomed to CC and mods now being forced to play vanilla you aren't going to have as good of content because for some of us who use CC and mods to make the game playable or at least less boring it shows "Yes that is exactly why you should use mods and CC in your game rather than play vanilla. You see I told you so. Never ever play vanilla. Just for watching this trainwreck here is a link to the best mods and CC you should definitely use in your game."

    What should have been done was have contestants that normally play their game vanilla and are accustomed to doing amazing things without the use of mods and CC. Let them do what they do best. Showing us that yes you can create something amazing and you didn't even have to use CC and mods to do it. Rather they put contestants outside their comfort zone. I mean no disrespect but the speed builders in the community could have done much better blindfolded than these contestants with build challenge. It's because they are so used to doing speed builds that its second nature for them to pull off a speed build.

    There are some amazing builders in the community like lilsimsie. Why didn't they get her to come on the show? Let her do her thing as a builder. She does some amazing speed builds. Granted you'll hear her complain and put herself down the whole time but in the end, all is well and I think she even stuns herself. Pair her up with xUrbansimsx to do the storytelling for the household living in her build. It would be more cohesive and not so bad. I would enjoy watching that for example as a team-up then add in someone who is a "Jack (or Jill) of all trades" in the community to tie it all in. It all seems distorted and mismatched. Like plaid and polka dots done in the worst way possible.

    I have seen a lot of Youtube videos spilling the t on EA. To make a long story short. It's all EA's fault. The money they spent or making the sims not what the sims aren't at all about they could have used to improve the game. With wheelchairs, canes and elevators everywhere. Head presets for missing races in the game. More skintones added into the game. More hairstyles and hair colours added in. It's a waste of resources. If they are trying to promote the game to someone who hasn't ever played Sims 4 and might be curious there are far better ways to do that. Come up with official YouTube Videos or have the Game Changers focus on their strengths to promote the game in general. This is not the way to go. Having people in a setting to be competitive when the core of the game isn't about competition but individuality and being able to be what you ever you want to be. You want to play a scientist. Play a scientist. You want to be a botanist. Be a botanist. You want a disabled sim you should be able to play a disabled sim. You want to play a sim in the '50s you should be able to play a sim in the 50s without computers and cellphones. Let individuality reign. Give options to off the grid and historical simmers. With more than just books. Have fireplaces that also act as stoves. Have a useable pen and pencil holder in clutter for sims to write. Have typewriters that are functional. Touchtone, dial-up phones, payphones for those who wish to play in certain eras. Horses added in for historical gameplay. Add in presets for missing races in the game. Add more skintones. Add more hairstyles and hair colours. Add in the ability to have elevators anywhere. Add in canes, walkers and wheelchairs. Add in a white cane for the visually impaired. Add in functioning wheelchairs. Add in ramps with stairs and ladders. Add in hearing aids. So on and so on.

    Or do the reality show as something non-competitive. Show the lives of the Gurus and Game Changer. Show the lives of ordinary simmers. All playing the game and moments outside them playing the game. Have it with the Building community in one episode. Storytellers in another episode. Maybe an episode on simmers who use mods and or CC and their opinion on why. You can have plenty of drama with any of that. For example, you might have a simmer who has a toxic family member. You have disabled simmers. You have a wide range of races, cultures and ethnicities. Focusing on these things could have made a good reality show. No competition required. It would have been fun and entertaining to watch.

    I must say these are really great ideas 👏👏👏👏👏
    Zombies, oh please oh please give us zombies!! :'(
  • SimburianSimburian Posts: 6,906 Member
    We had enough complaints about those adverts made about how playing Sims changed peoples' lives. I don't want that at all in a competition and that's what it became. It's just a repeat of those adverts from what I saw. This is leading to all those "I wants" on Twitter and the sense of entitlement shown there.

    What we want is more storytelling away from personal experiences, showing real imagination, humour or sadness according to genre.

    The original game started from the premise that you don't need everything in your life that you think you need after Will Wright's house burnt down and is now becoming a how I can get myself in it and how much clutter can I get in game. Sad.
  • SimmerGeorgeSimmerGeorge Posts: 2,724 Member
    Simburian wrote: »
    We had enough complaints about those adverts made about how playing Sims changed peoples' lives. I don't want that at all in a competition and that's what it became. It's just a repeat of those adverts from what I saw. This is leading to all those "I wants" on Twitter and the sense of entitlement shown there.

    What we want is more storytelling away from personal experiences, showing real imagination, humour or sadness according to genre.

    The original game started from the premise that you don't need everything in your life that you think you need after Will Wright's house burnt down and is now becoming a how I can get myself in it and how much clutter can I get in game. Sad.

    Exactly but it's also the fanbase fueling that. People will buy whole expansion packs for one object. For real now. All people do is care for "cute" items for their sims and once EA makes an item with more imagination and humor they all lose their 🐸🐸🐸🐸.
    It's different people buying the game nowadays and EA is playing their game. They only care about if something sells or not and the only reason why they actually realized that Spark'd was not so well recieved was because their sales probably didn't increase as much as they though. EA is money and that is not what the original Sims was about.
    Where's my Sims 5 squad at?
  • MsKatieRoseMsKatieRose Posts: 672 Member
    Still can't wrap my head around who greenlit this....like, if you were so passionate about getting a TV show, why don't you put that passion into the game? :(

    Lol, I think most of us feel this way. I can't make sense of it. Especially, for this type of videogame and I would also prefer if they stick to improving gameplay and fixing issues. I want to have fun playing the game. Not watch others follow a script pretending to have fun with it on tv.
    Always be your unapologetically and authentic self
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