DLC doesn't sell as well as one might think. IIRC. When asked why thry don't update DLC with additional content, one of the Gurus said that only a fraction of people by the DLC, and that the smaller DLC has even less mass appeal.
I still think they're making bank on them because, come on. It's The Sims. But it's still an uphill battle.
Well the sims is rated t for teen, and a lot of games that teens play are free because teens usually don't have an income, so at least when it comes to younger people I believe that this is true.
And yes, smaller DLC don't seem to have a huge appeal, their kit trailer have pretty low views compared to their other trailers.
I dont think thats true really either. Teens or children (moreso) usually get the money for their parents, theyre the most susceptible to being manipulated by microtransactions especially in mobile games. And although its T for teen Sims 4 is played by all age groups, but im assuming most fall in the range of 12-25 female players.
The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5
DLC doesn't sell as well as one might think. IIRC. When asked why thry don't update DLC with additional content, one of the Gurus said that only a fraction of people by the DLC, and that the smaller DLC has even less mass appeal.
I still think they're making bank on them because, come on. It's The Sims. But it's still an uphill battle.
Well the sims is rated t for teen, and a lot of games that teens play are free because teens usually don't have an income, so at least when it comes to younger people I believe that this is true.
And yes, smaller DLC don't seem to have a huge appeal, their kit trailer have pretty low views compared to their other trailers.
I dont think thats true really either. Teens or children (moreso) usually get the money for their parents, theyre the most susceptible to being manipulated by microtransactions especially in mobile games. And although its T for teen Sims 4 is played by all age groups, but im assuming most fall in the range of 12-25 female players.
You may be right, they probably get money from their parents as well, but they have to at least, convince them to buy the stuff for them I'm assuming.
Also, wow. I did not expect that from Carl, I guess he had enough as well. He seems just as disappointed as me when it comes to their playtesting and bug fixing.
Looks like Carl has also had enough. This may be his nail in the coffin. LGR had reached his limit ages ago lol
Im also in this boat. Proud Castaway 😤😤😤 lol ;;;;
Yeah, I saw that he is branching out to other simulation games. I got My Time at Portia free from Epic during the Christmas holidays and was looking up reviews on YouTube to see if this is something I might want to play and his review on it was one of the top posts. He was so enthusiastic about it that I started playing it myself - I really love the game!
Also, wow. I did not expect that from Carl, I guess he had enough as well. He seems just as disappointed as me when it comes to their playtesting and bug fixing.
@logion The amount of people I have seen saying they liked Carl back when he was positive but now he jumped on the hate bandwagon just for views and to be popular and I'm like "🐸🐸🐸🐸 it's not either one has to be fully positive and if not they are being a hater and selling out" also he makes good points which validate his opinion and that he's not just hating to hate.
But yeah it's the same people that say "hating is popular in the sims community and if you want to have a lot of followers be a hater" but then at the same time claim "oh no the hate only comes from a very vocal minority". Like, which is it? Are the haters such a small nnumber and if they are then how come you claim haters gain more views because hating is popular, like these two things totally contradict each other.
Looks like Carl has also had enough. This may be his nail in the coffin. LGR had reached his limit ages ago lol
Im also in this boat. Proud Castaway 😤😤😤 lol ;;;;
[Changed, bc at least Carl is beeing an honest Game Changer]
LGR beeing the true OG here didnt even reviewed the kits or the latest stuff pack and could foresee the state that is the sims 4 right now 2years after its launch.
Also, wow. I did not expect that from Carl, I guess he had enough as well. He seems just as disappointed as me when it comes to their playtesting and bug fixing.
@logion The amount of people I have seen saying they liked Carl back when he was positive but now he jumped on the hate bandwagon just for views and to be popular and I'm like "❤️❤️❤️❤️ it's not either one has to be fully positive and if not they are being a hater and selling out" also he makes good points which validate his opinion and that he's not just hating to hate.
But yeah it's the same people that say "hating is popular in the sims community and if you want to have a lot of followers be a hater" but then at the same time claim "oh no the hate only comes from a very vocal minority". Like, which is it? Are the haters such a small nnumber and if they are then how come you claim haters gain more views because hating is popular, like these two things totally contradict each other.
I think Carl explained it pretty well in his post and also in his recent tweet.
People that want gameplay for the sims4 will be more disappointed when EA just pushes out packs with stuff that have barely been playtested. That "vocal minority" is getting bigger every time they do this. I don't believe they are haters.
Looks like Carl has also had enough. This may be his nail in the coffin. LGR had reached his limit ages ago lol
Im also in this boat. Proud Castaway 😤😤😤 lol ;;;;
Yeah, I saw that he is branching out to other simulation games. I got My Time at Portia free from Epic during the Christmas holidays and was looking up reviews on YouTube to see if this is something I might want to play and his review on it was one of the top posts. He was so enthusiastic about it that I started playing it myself - I really love the game!
I'm a castaway as well, sadly. But I never heard of this game, and I may get it for the Switch. It is on sale there for just a little more than a kit.
That's the thing. I get that video games are expensive to produce (but still massively profitable despite what devs would have you believe). But to me, kits are not a good value. And I own the Sims 3 store, but the marked prices are no where near what you have to play for the stuff.
In case you haven't seen, the Youtube Reveal of Kits is now at 5.1k likes and 6.6k dislikes.
There is also a lot of backlash on other social media platforms and by GameChangers.
To many people these Kits are overmonetization of a game with another three DLC types already. Do you think anyone from the team will adress the backlash? Do you think they will mostly ignore the backlash like they did with Batuu?
EA is a business and as a business, their job is to turn a profit. With Batuu they should have chosen Marvel over Star Wars to appease Disney I honestly believe. From what I've noticed the community, in general, isn't liking the kits at all.
As with any venture, an idea can either succeed better than you expected or it can fail big time. Going by the opinions of the community, in general, this is another 3rd strike you're out kind of failure. However, I find failure a far better learning experience than success at any time. It makes you analyse and think. Maybe it needed to be better marketed. Maybe it needed to be more structured and better planned out. I honestly love the Kits and I know a lot of you don't. My favourite so far is the Country Kitchen. And I think I have used that kit a lot in my builds. However, I understand why some of you don't like them. Feeling this is something they could have done as a free update. Or feeling The Kits are lame and stupid. Some of you might think some of the CC packs out there are far better, planned, put together etc. Some feel Kits are ovep[rticed like all DLC for Sims 4. Giving us no meat left on the bones and scraps not fit for the family dog.
I think it'll go back to the devs and see what could be improved. If I ran a gaming company that is what I would do, Sometimes you win sometimes you fail. What I think is that the devs should be given enough time to fix issues in the game first and worry about adding in cute tings and fun things for our sims. I would be happier with a year with zero DLC and a year with fixes and addressing issues in the game. I would rather have traits mean something. Having consequences for actions by our sims. Having magic coming at a high cost through random buffs randomly added traits that are most likely negative with Spellcasters. Have it affect their memory. Have it affect their relationships. Sages being affected more so than any other Spellcaster.
I think they should learn from this experience as a team.
They need to do a SWOT analysis. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats. They need to remember their 5 Cs 4 Ps and STP of Marketing. They should have playtested and beta tested this better. Paid respondents to do a survey with one of many Market Research companies or Focus groups. I would have gladly done a survey or taken part in a focus group to do help improve this idea or even make it null so that we wouldn't be having this discussion.
However, I don't mind losing 5 bucks if its something I don't like vs 40 bucks in which I'll look at community pros and cons before deciding on spending my money on it. I think they created the Kits with the idea of it being an impulse buy feeling we'd be more likely to dish out 5 bucks on something vs spending 40 bucks on an expansion back that is incomplete and feels like we really are being cheated.
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]
I want to pay your attention to one thing. TS4 has around 33mln unique customers. If only 0,5% of them buy only one kit ($5,5 - the price between US and EU for example), EA will earn more than 900 000 dollars. Only for several textures and a couple of animations. I guess that EA will earn much more money because I think that more people will buy KITs and obviously, probably they will buy 2 or 3, not only the one. Business is business. Some people in Facebook, Twitter or this forum will not change EA's financial analises and targets. EA is not a charity organisation.
Looks like Carl has also had enough. This may be his nail in the coffin. LGR had reached his limit ages ago lol
Im also in this boat. Proud Castaway 😤😤😤 lol ;;;;
Yeah, I saw that he is branching out to other simulation games. I got My Time at Portia free from Epic during the Christmas holidays and was looking up reviews on YouTube to see if this is something I might want to play and his review on it was one of the top posts. He was so enthusiastic about it that I started playing it myself - I really love the game!
I'm a castaway as well, sadly. But I never heard of this game, and I may get it for the Switch. It is on sale there for just a little more than a kit.
That's the thing. I get that video games are expensive to produce (but still massively profitable despite what devs would have you believe). But to me, kits are not a good value. And I own the Sims 3 store, but the marked prices are no where near what you have to play for the stuff.
Anyway, thank you for the game recommendation!
Love Portia but the Switch version is buggy and lacks the most recent updates. If you have other options I would purchase it on PC or check it out on Xbox gamepass. Bought it for Switch on a huge discount and did enjoy it, but there are issues. Some of the quests are broken (need several saves to offset this) and there is one weird glitch where the calves are stuck in the ground with only their hind legs exposed. They switched the team that handled the console port and that is why there have been no updates whereas PC has new quests including some romance options. The PC and other console versions have better graphics, in the Switch version the ground is rather flat with no grass textures. If Switch is your only platform and the price is under $10 then go for it. I grabbed it on Epic and will start a new game soon.
Looks like Carl has also had enough. This may be his nail in the coffin. LGR had reached his limit ages ago lol
Im also in this boat. Proud Castaway 😤😤😤 lol ;;;;
Yeah, I saw that he is branching out to other simulation games. I got My Time at Portia free from Epic during the Christmas holidays and was looking up reviews on YouTube to see if this is something I might want to play and his review on it was one of the top posts. He was so enthusiastic about it that I started playing it myself - I really love the game!
I'm a castaway as well, sadly. But I never heard of this game, and I may get it for the Switch. It is on sale there for just a little more than a kit.
That's the thing. I get that video games are expensive to produce (but still massively profitable despite what devs would have you believe). But to me, kits are not a good value. And I own the Sims 3 store, but the marked prices are no where near what you have to play for the stuff.
Anyway, thank you for the game recommendation!
Love Portia but the Switch version is buggy and lacks the most recent updates. If you have other options I would purchase it on PC or check it out on Xbox gamepass. Bought it for Switch on a huge discount and did enjoy it, but there are issues. Some of the quests are broken (need several saves to offset this) and there is one weird glitch where the calves are stuck in the ground with only their hind legs exposed. They switched the team that handled the console port and that is why there have been no updates whereas PC has new quests including some romance options. The PC and other console versions have better graphics, in the Switch version the ground is rather flat with no grass textures. If Switch is your only platform and the price is under $10 then go for it. I grabbed it on Epic and will start a new game soon.
yikes! Well, I have xbox gamepass so I guess I just spent an unnecessary $6. Hopefully they fix it.
Edit: In truth, I'm hoping it works well on switch. With the way my life is now, portable is a huge plus.
Looks like Carl has also had enough. This may be his nail in the coffin. LGR had reached his limit ages ago lol
Im also in this boat. Proud Castaway 😤😤😤 lol ;;;;
Yeah, I saw that he is branching out to other simulation games. I got My Time at Portia free from Epic during the Christmas holidays and was looking up reviews on YouTube to see if this is something I might want to play and his review on it was one of the top posts. He was so enthusiastic about it that I started playing it myself - I really love the game!
Yeah i tried with My Time at Portia years ago back in early release. I bought it because i wanted some games tha have audio Chinese voice acting back when i was learning it. I was really into it but the progress befriending people was so slow plus lack of story i started losing interest, but the harvest/building was always fun. Been a year+ since I played. Im also sure it must be better now, will try again I also tried Stardew Valley but i 110% prefer Rune Factory and I canno wait until RF5 hits the switch ♡ RF4 is amazing too wish i still had my 3ds
But i still have other simulation games i play regularly. Civ 6, minecraft, parkitect, cities skylines are all pretty good too
The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5
I want to pay your attention to one thing. TS4 has around 33mln unique customers. If only 0,5% of them buy only one kit ($5,5 - the price between US and EU for example), EA will earn more than 900 000 dollars. Only for several textures and a couple of animations. I guess that EA will earn much more money because I think that more people will buy KITs and obviously, probably they will buy 2 or 3, not only the one. Business is business. Some people in Facebook, Twitter or this forum will not change EA's financial analises and targets. EA is not a charity organisation.
Yeah these kits are cheaper to make than a stuff pack so they need to sell less of them to make a profit. But I think it's important to make them aware that they are doing so at the cost of their community...
I don't think they have shared how many active players they have btw, that 33 million number is life-to date players, which means that they are counting people from 2014, I'm not sure how many of those people that are playing this game today.
But apart from sales I think EA and Maxis cares about making sure that people return to play this game, they said that was one of the reason they made kits, to reduce drought, they have probably noticed that less people play the game when there is nothing coming out, and they return when they release something.
And if that's the case, I'm not sure they have succeeded.
I bought one and it will be the last kit I buy. I'm with Carl. I don't see much of anything truly new in the future for Sims4. The kits idea is a test run for EA to see if adding microtransactions to Sims5 will be more profitable than doing full blown packs for it. And if the quality of those kits are of the same quality I am seeing in the kit I bought, Sims5 will be even worse than Sims4. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I won't be moving forward with the franchise. I am stopping at Sims4. Yes, EA is a business and it has the right to run it in any way. But I have to say, watching the way Sims4 has been mishandled for over six years has been akin to watching twenty year old reruns over and over. Adding kits and microtransactions won't improve any game that lacks depth, innovative ideas, quality content and fewer issues that are never resolved. And I can see The Sims meeting with the same fate as some of EA's other titles. Fewer and fewer resources being given to the production teams, a game that buckles beneath the weight of many bugs and glitches, and is being used as a cash grab machine. My money will go to any indie developer that cares about his creation and listens to what the fans want. No game is ever perfect. But there has to be a better life simulation game out there that can give EA some much-needed competition once it's completed. Until then, it's all Sims3 and 4 for me.
So the new Harvest Moon (now Story of Seasons) game released in Japan. It had one of best-selling first weeks in the franchise's 25 year history. However, the game received very mixed reviews from fans, who were very vocal about what they did and didn't like. It was missing a lot of old features, some returning features were ruined, the new direction the game took was controversial at best, characters and dialogue were considered shallow, there were bugs, and loading screens went on too long.
It took less than a week, and the makers responded to the criticisms and apologized. They outlined the major criticisms fans had, both big and small, and are currently working to address them. A patch for the lag and bugs is coming mid-March, while more patches will come down the line.
This is insane to me. They didn't go "well, we're selling well, so the complainers must be wrong." They didn't justify bad decisions by saying how much money they made from it. They didn't just ignore their fans and let rage build until it became too big to be ignored.
The video game industry in Japan works massively different from the West, IMHO. Video game companies actually take accountability and work VERY hard to regain the trust and acceptance of their fan base if there is ever an issue that arises. Look at Nintendo — when the Wii U flopped, the CEO at the time cut his own pay to make up for losses. And they completely and entirely redeemed themselves with the Nintendo Switch.
Had that been EA, CEO Andrew Wilson probably would’ve bought himself a new yacht using the money you pay for virtual dust in your game.
Yeah there are so many games than just the Sims now so it technically hasn't been a monopoly for years now. I mean even Will Wright had some influence over the Second Life game, so he has branched out too. I do think Simmers on the most part are stuck in a gaming bubble that the other game they see is the Sims that they don't try out other simulation games out there too. The amount of life simulation games in the mobile market is very saturated that are free to play. I think indie games in general are giving AAA games a run for their money and especially with the pandemic gamers will turn to those just because of the price point. The higher the price of the Sims 4 goes, the lower demand will go and so will the longer the Sims 4 will be around too. That's just plain business logic, games age fast these days. Sims 4 is worth $805 and counting now, so waiting until it hits that 4 digit mark which will be soon.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
They didn't acknowledge JTB, Grant defended My First Pet Stuff by pointing at sales. I feel like they only listened to us last year because it took a multitude of things coming their way (criticism over how they've been handling representations, JtB, more and more accusations of not listening, criticism over the game that's been boiling over for years, etc.) And even then, it didn't lead to much beyond the skin tone stuff.
I expect them to let people grumble about it until they get bored and give up. Then they'll pump out some more packs and kits until we're desensitized, before introducing "Bites;" bite-sized kits that cost 3 dollars and introduce 1 gameplay idea, one CASset and one BB item.
I mean that is what SimsMobile and SimsFreeplay is already doing. Maybe next Sims game will just resort to mobile because microtransactions are working better than selling DLC it seems like at least to EA's viewpoint. I'd be shocked if the next iteration is an offline PC game because seems like EA is heading to a complete opposite direction for the future and kits kind of cement that future.
I'd be willing to bet money Sims 5 will take on the mobile model.
@eternalrainn WISH isn't always a bad thing. Look at Genshin Impact... its a gret game. But Sims in mobile done by EA? hm... the problem to me is EA, not The Sims or the mobile idea. The only thing I'm extremely oppossed and will always be is multiplayer, the game being held on their servers instead of being owned by me and microtransactions.
Genshin Impact's model seems like the worst of it's kind tbh. Like I stated above to another user talking about the value of what you purchase, there's a streamer who spent over $5k+ on the "loot boxes" to get a character. A free-to-play game that they now valued at over $5k+, and another streamer who spent $2k, the studio just made $7k+ right there easily from two people alone.
I'd much rather the DLC model they have now, and I'm all for people doing whatever they want with their money, but when someone is willing to spend over $5k here $2k there, ya'll wonder why The Sims 4 in it's entirety is almost $900 USD. It's not just Genshin Impact either, I know people IRL who've spent over $1000 on different free-to-play games on PC. It's not even a EA issue, it's an industry issue.
@eternalrainn you can play an open world with constant free updates FOR free on mobile, with your save being allowed to open on PS4 and PC. This game is the best of its kind, and the best example a company should take when making a crossplatform game.
You used examples of streamers that bought the in-game currency to roll the gacha system, but the game provides you with free gemstones to roll the gacha system. I myself started playing in February and already have three 5* characters in my game. Streamers only spend that amount of money because they now their audiences like to watch them gamble to get all the characters and weapons at once.
I used Genshin Impact as an example, because the game is OPEN WORLD (which Sims 4 isn't), and complete. You get one character of each type for free, and in some events they even give you characters for free. The game is the best example, no matter what. EA is the one that uses lootboxes as a mean way to get money.
Of course I don't want lootboxes in a Sims game, but my example was that the game is free, complete and open world and runs smoothly even on mobile. The only times I've seen it lag was during cutscenes which aren't in the game (besides in Sims 2).
This sounds like a typical example of a game that soon will be illegal. Several countries within the EU is investigating games wth lootbox systems that you can buy with real money since they literally try to cause gambling addiction in teenagers and children to make money. Already a few countries (globally) have completely outlawed loot box mechanics in games or concluded it is already banned by existing gambling laws. Hence forcing games to release local variants with loot boxes ripped out.
Again, upholding a game that literally and on purpose abuse and use children to earn money by deliberately making them gamblers is not a good choice.
Looks like Carl has also had enough. This may be his nail in the coffin. LGR had reached his limit ages ago lol
Im also in this boat. Proud Castaway 😤😤😤 lol ;;;;
Yeah, I saw that he is branching out to other simulation games. I got My Time at Portia free from Epic during the Christmas holidays and was looking up reviews on YouTube to see if this is something I might want to play and his review on it was one of the top posts. He was so enthusiastic about it that I started playing it myself - I really love the game!
Yeah i tried with My Time at Portia years ago back in early release. I bought it because i wanted some games tha have audio Chinese voice acting back when i was learning it. I was really into it but the progress befriending people was so slow plus lack of story i started losing interest, but the harvest/building was always fun. Been a year+ since I played. Im also sure it must be better now, will try again I also tried Stardew Valley but i 110% prefer Rune Factory and I canno wait until RF5 hits the switch ♡ RF4 is amazing too wish i still had my 3ds
But i still have other simulation games i play regularly. Civ 6, minecraft, parkitect, cities skylines are all pretty good too
I just started playing this in late February so have not tried it when it was still in early access or just when it was officially released a couple of years back. I did know that they were still updating it with new things since then (the PC version anyway). I know you said that befriending people was so slow and lacked story back then, but they added a lot more missions that filled out stories for many of the NPC townies. Also the befriending system may have been updated from a year+. A lot of relationship are interrelated now so if you become better friends with one NPC townie, your friendship rep goes up with those related to that townie as well. Also found that doing the daily commerce commissions also bumps up friendships with those you've accepted and completed commissions for. And if you are efficient with the output of your furnaces, cutters, skivers, blenders, etc. you can make specific gifts quickly to give to specific people so you can also build up friendships with them that way faster. So I don't really go out of my way to talk to people just to bump up my friendship levels with them anymore - it only gives you +1 friendship point. You can also spar with them if talking to them gets stale, which I do lots of times instead (plus you get gifts and gols if you win!).
I have Stardew Valley and it's cute - reminds me very much of Harvest Moon on my GBA, but I love the 3D look of Portia (especially on PC) and it's emphasis on building things over farming (although you can do that too) and tending livestock. Oh! And it also has an air balloon ride you can take dates on and enjoy the beautiful views of Portia! I had just recently built that area up and unlocked that gameplay! So now you have even more options of where and what to do with your dates!
I got Cities: Skylines recently too, so I'm really looking forward to playing that as well!
Game Changers are ridiculous. They tell us every time to be grateful, stop complaining, not buy a pack if we don‘t like it… but the second they have to pay for a pack with their own money they are suddenly concerned about the high price and the direction TS4 is going. It confirms my suspicion that their positive reviews are bought by EA.
For me, I don't want the kits, because I am not interested in them, and that I would rather buy the stuff packs I still need. Kits are $5 and stuff packs are $10, and I would rather pay for the stuff pack.
If a supernatural based kit came out, then I may buy it.
People are allowed to buy what they want, and people are allowed not to buy what they don't want. It is just annoying the EA doesn't listen, and are only out for the money, and even then they still nerf things, because a few people complained about a supernatural feature.
They didn't acknowledge JTB, Grant defended My First Pet Stuff by pointing at sales. I feel like they only listened to us last year because it took a multitude of things coming their way (criticism over how they've been handling representations, JtB, more and more accusations of not listening, criticism over the game that's been boiling over for years, etc.) And even then, it didn't lead to much beyond the skin tone stuff.
I expect them to let people grumble about it until they get bored and give up. Then they'll pump out some more packs and kits until we're desensitized, before introducing "Bites;" bite-sized kits that cost 3 dollars and introduce 1 gameplay idea, one CASset and one BB item.
I mean that is what SimsMobile and SimsFreeplay is already doing. Maybe next Sims game will just resort to mobile because microtransactions are working better than selling DLC it seems like at least to EA's viewpoint. I'd be shocked if the next iteration is an offline PC game because seems like EA is heading to a complete opposite direction for the future and kits kind of cement that future.
I'd be willing to bet money Sims 5 will take on the mobile model.
@eternalrainn WISH isn't always a bad thing. Look at Genshin Impact... its a gret game. But Sims in mobile done by EA? hm... the problem to me is EA, not The Sims or the mobile idea. The only thing I'm extremely oppossed and will always be is multiplayer, the game being held on their servers instead of being owned by me and microtransactions.
Genshin Impact's model seems like the worst of it's kind tbh. Like I stated above to another user talking about the value of what you purchase, there's a streamer who spent over $5k+ on the "loot boxes" to get a character. A free-to-play game that they now valued at over $5k+, and another streamer who spent $2k, the studio just made $7k+ right there easily from two people alone.
I'd much rather the DLC model they have now, and I'm all for people doing whatever they want with their money, but when someone is willing to spend over $5k here $2k there, ya'll wonder why The Sims 4 in it's entirety is almost $900 USD. It's not just Genshin Impact either, I know people IRL who've spent over $1000 on different free-to-play games on PC. It's not even a EA issue, it's an industry issue.
@eternalrainn you can play an open world with constant free updates FOR free on mobile, with your save being allowed to open on PS4 and PC. This game is the best of its kind, and the best example a company should take when making a crossplatform game.
You used examples of streamers that bought the in-game currency to roll the gacha system, but the game provides you with free gemstones to roll the gacha system. I myself started playing in February and already have three 5* characters in my game. Streamers only spend that amount of money because they now their audiences like to watch them gamble to get all the characters and weapons at once.
I used Genshin Impact as an example, because the game is OPEN WORLD (which Sims 4 isn't), and complete. You get one character of each type for free, and in some events they even give you characters for free. The game is the best example, no matter what. EA is the one that uses lootboxes as a mean way to get money.
Of course I don't want lootboxes in a Sims game, but my example was that the game is free, complete and open world and runs smoothly even on mobile. The only times I've seen it lag was during cutscenes which aren't in the game (besides in Sims 2).
This sounds like a typical example of a game that soon will be illegal. Several countries within the EU is investigating games wth lootbox systems that you can buy with real money since they literally try to cause gambling addiction in teenagers and children to make money. Already a few countries (globally) have completely outlawed loot box mechanics in games or concluded it is already banned by existing gambling laws. Hence forcing games to release local variants with loot boxes ripped out.
Again, upholding a game that literally and on purpose abuse and use children to earn money by deliberately making them gamblers is not a good choice.
It's been considered predatory/gambling for awhile now, that's why I would never play/support games that even allow that within it. I don't care how great the game is or how much free stuff they give you, it's really shady practice and they actively encourage people (mostly young children) to spend real life money on it, otherwise it wouldn't even exist. Here, spend real life money and MAYBE get the thing you want, like what??? It's so gross just even saying it out-loud lol.
Looks like Carl has also had enough. This may be his nail in the coffin. LGR had reached his limit ages ago lol
Im also in this boat. Proud Castaway 😤😤😤 lol ;;;;
Yeah, I saw that he is branching out to other simulation games. I got My Time at Portia free from Epic during the Christmas holidays and was looking up reviews on YouTube to see if this is something I might want to play and his review on it was one of the top posts. He was so enthusiastic about it that I started playing it myself - I really love the game!
Yeah i tried with My Time at Portia years ago back in early release. I bought it because i wanted some games tha have audio Chinese voice acting back when i was learning it. I was really into it but the progress befriending people was so slow plus lack of story i started losing interest, but the harvest/building was always fun. Been a year+ since I played. Im also sure it must be better now, will try again I also tried Stardew Valley but i 110% prefer Rune Factory and I canno wait until RF5 hits the switch ♡ RF4 is amazing too wish i still had my 3ds
But i still have other simulation games i play regularly. Civ 6, minecraft, parkitect, cities skylines are all pretty good too
I just started playing this in late February so have not tried it when it was still in early access or just when it was officially released a couple of years back. I did know that they were still updating it with new things since then (the PC version anyway). I know you said that befriending people was so slow and lacked story back then, but they added a lot more missions that filled out stories for many of the NPC townies. Also the befriending system may have been updated from a year+. A lot of relationship are interrelated now so if you become better friends with one NPC townie, your friendship rep goes up with those related to that townie as well. Also found that doing the daily commerce commissions also bumps up friendships with those you've accepted and completed commissions for. And if you are efficient with the output of your furnaces, cutters, skivers, blenders, etc. you can make specific gifts quickly to give to specific people so you can also build up friendships with them that way faster. So I don't really go out of my way to talk to people just to bump up my friendship levels with them anymore - it only gives you +1 friendship point. You can also spar with them if talking to them gets stale, which I do lots of times instead (plus you get gifts and gols if you win!).
Thanks for the info!! Yes all that seems new early access was missing a lot but it sounds much more grounded. Have to try it again!
You should try Rune Factory if you ever get the chance. Its basically stardew valley but i believe predates it (a spin off of harvest moon/story of seasons or smthn like that) but has an anime style and feels more like an rpg. The artwork is BEAUTIFUL The dialogue is so funny and some of the bachelor/bachelorette stories are so good. Ive only played 4 but Im really excited for 5, for some time thought it wasnt gonna ever come out but it will this year.
Cities skylines has a lot going on it can can be overwhelming so i had played a few hours then stopped for years lol; ;; but i played it again recently so maybe i just didn't hsve the attention span for it then lol. I love Parkitect too, simple and cute art design. Planet Coaster is nice but there amount of customization is so overwhelming i just play parkitect now lol
The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5
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Im also in this boat. Proud Castaway 😤😤😤 lol ;;;;
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
I dont think thats true really either. Teens or children (moreso) usually get the money for their parents, theyre the most susceptible to being manipulated by microtransactions especially in mobile games. And although its T for teen Sims 4 is played by all age groups, but im assuming most fall in the range of 12-25 female players.
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
You may be right, they probably get money from their parents as well, but they have to at least, convince them to buy the stuff for them I'm assuming.
Also, wow. I did not expect that from Carl, I guess he had enough as well. He seems just as disappointed as me when it comes to their playtesting and bug fixing.
Yeah, I saw that he is branching out to other simulation games. I got My Time at Portia free from Epic during the Christmas holidays and was looking up reviews on YouTube to see if this is something I might want to play and his review on it was one of the top posts. He was so enthusiastic about it that I started playing it myself - I really love the game!
@logion The amount of people I have seen saying they liked Carl back when he was positive but now he jumped on the hate bandwagon just for views and to be popular and I'm like "🐸🐸🐸🐸 it's not either one has to be fully positive and if not they are being a hater and selling out" also he makes good points which validate his opinion and that he's not just hating to hate.
But yeah it's the same people that say "hating is popular in the sims community and if you want to have a lot of followers be a hater" but then at the same time claim "oh no the hate only comes from a very vocal minority". Like, which is it? Are the haters such a small nnumber and if they are then how come you claim haters gain more views because hating is popular, like these two things totally contradict each other.
[Changed, bc at least Carl is beeing an honest Game Changer]
LGR beeing the true OG here didnt even reviewed the kits or the latest stuff pack and could foresee the state that is the sims 4 right now 2years after its launch.
Despair.
I think Carl explained it pretty well in his post and also in his recent tweet.
People that want gameplay for the sims4 will be more disappointed when EA just pushes out packs with stuff that have barely been playtested. That "vocal minority" is getting bigger every time they do this. I don't believe they are haters.
I'm a castaway as well, sadly. But I never heard of this game, and I may get it for the Switch. It is on sale there for just a little more than a kit.
That's the thing. I get that video games are expensive to produce (but still massively profitable despite what devs would have you believe). But to me, kits are not a good value. And I own the Sims 3 store, but the marked prices are no where near what you have to play for the stuff.
Anyway, thank you for the game recommendation!
EA is a business and as a business, their job is to turn a profit. With Batuu they should have chosen Marvel over Star Wars to appease Disney I honestly believe. From what I've noticed the community, in general, isn't liking the kits at all.
As with any venture, an idea can either succeed better than you expected or it can fail big time. Going by the opinions of the community, in general, this is another 3rd strike you're out kind of failure. However, I find failure a far better learning experience than success at any time. It makes you analyse and think. Maybe it needed to be better marketed. Maybe it needed to be more structured and better planned out. I honestly love the Kits and I know a lot of you don't. My favourite so far is the Country Kitchen. And I think I have used that kit a lot in my builds. However, I understand why some of you don't like them. Feeling this is something they could have done as a free update. Or feeling The Kits are lame and stupid. Some of you might think some of the CC packs out there are far better, planned, put together etc. Some feel Kits are ovep[rticed like all DLC for Sims 4. Giving us no meat left on the bones and scraps not fit for the family dog.
I think it'll go back to the devs and see what could be improved. If I ran a gaming company that is what I would do, Sometimes you win sometimes you fail. What I think is that the devs should be given enough time to fix issues in the game first and worry about adding in cute tings and fun things for our sims. I would be happier with a year with zero DLC and a year with fixes and addressing issues in the game. I would rather have traits mean something. Having consequences for actions by our sims. Having magic coming at a high cost through random buffs randomly added traits that are most likely negative with Spellcasters. Have it affect their memory. Have it affect their relationships. Sages being affected more so than any other Spellcaster.
I think they should learn from this experience as a team.
They need to do a SWOT analysis. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats. They need to remember their 5 Cs 4 Ps and STP of Marketing. They should have playtested and beta tested this better. Paid respondents to do a survey with one of many Market Research companies or Focus groups. I would have gladly done a survey or taken part in a focus group to do help improve this idea or even make it null so that we wouldn't be having this discussion.
However, I don't mind losing 5 bucks if its something I don't like vs 40 bucks in which I'll look at community pros and cons before deciding on spending my money on it. I think they created the Kits with the idea of it being an impulse buy feeling we'd be more likely to dish out 5 bucks on something vs spending 40 bucks on an expansion back that is incomplete and feels like we really are being cheated.
Love Portia but the Switch version is buggy and lacks the most recent updates. If you have other options I would purchase it on PC or check it out on Xbox gamepass. Bought it for Switch on a huge discount and did enjoy it, but there are issues. Some of the quests are broken (need several saves to offset this) and there is one weird glitch where the calves are stuck in the ground with only their hind legs exposed. They switched the team that handled the console port and that is why there have been no updates whereas PC has new quests including some romance options. The PC and other console versions have better graphics, in the Switch version the ground is rather flat with no grass textures. If Switch is your only platform and the price is under $10 then go for it. I grabbed it on Epic and will start a new game soon.
yikes! Well, I have xbox gamepass so I guess I just spent an unnecessary $6. Hopefully they fix it.
Edit: In truth, I'm hoping it works well on switch. With the way my life is now, portable is a huge plus.
Yeah i tried with My Time at Portia years ago back in early release. I bought it because i wanted some games tha have audio Chinese voice acting back when i was learning it. I was really into it but the progress befriending people was so slow plus lack of story i started losing interest, but the harvest/building was always fun. Been a year+ since I played. Im also sure it must be better now, will try again I also tried Stardew Valley but i 110% prefer Rune Factory and I canno wait until RF5 hits the switch ♡ RF4 is amazing too wish i still had my 3ds
But i still have other simulation games i play regularly. Civ 6, minecraft, parkitect, cities skylines are all pretty good too
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
Yeah these kits are cheaper to make than a stuff pack so they need to sell less of them to make a profit. But I think it's important to make them aware that they are doing so at the cost of their community...
I don't think they have shared how many active players they have btw, that 33 million number is life-to date players, which means that they are counting people from 2014, I'm not sure how many of those people that are playing this game today.
But apart from sales I think EA and Maxis cares about making sure that people return to play this game, they said that was one of the reason they made kits, to reduce drought, they have probably noticed that less people play the game when there is nothing coming out, and they return when they release something.
And if that's the case, I'm not sure they have succeeded.
The video game industry in Japan works massively different from the West, IMHO. Video game companies actually take accountability and work VERY hard to regain the trust and acceptance of their fan base if there is ever an issue that arises. Look at Nintendo — when the Wii U flopped, the CEO at the time cut his own pay to make up for losses. And they completely and entirely redeemed themselves with the Nintendo Switch.
Had that been EA, CEO Andrew Wilson probably would’ve bought himself a new yacht using the money you pay for virtual dust in your game.
This sounds like a typical example of a game that soon will be illegal. Several countries within the EU is investigating games wth lootbox systems that you can buy with real money since they literally try to cause gambling addiction in teenagers and children to make money. Already a few countries (globally) have completely outlawed loot box mechanics in games or concluded it is already banned by existing gambling laws. Hence forcing games to release local variants with loot boxes ripped out.
Again, upholding a game that literally and on purpose abuse and use children to earn money by deliberately making them gamblers is not a good choice.
I just started playing this in late February so have not tried it when it was still in early access or just when it was officially released a couple of years back. I did know that they were still updating it with new things since then (the PC version anyway). I know you said that befriending people was so slow and lacked story back then, but they added a lot more missions that filled out stories for many of the NPC townies. Also the befriending system may have been updated from a year+. A lot of relationship are interrelated now so if you become better friends with one NPC townie, your friendship rep goes up with those related to that townie as well. Also found that doing the daily commerce commissions also bumps up friendships with those you've accepted and completed commissions for. And if you are efficient with the output of your furnaces, cutters, skivers, blenders, etc. you can make specific gifts quickly to give to specific people so you can also build up friendships with them that way faster. So I don't really go out of my way to talk to people just to bump up my friendship levels with them anymore - it only gives you +1 friendship point. You can also spar with them if talking to them gets stale, which I do lots of times instead (plus you get gifts and gols if you win!).
I have Stardew Valley and it's cute - reminds me very much of Harvest Moon on my GBA, but I love the 3D look of Portia (especially on PC) and it's emphasis on building things over farming (although you can do that too) and tending livestock. Oh! And it also has an air balloon ride you can take dates on and enjoy the beautiful views of Portia! I had just recently built that area up and unlocked that gameplay! So now you have even more options of where and what to do with your dates!
I got Cities: Skylines recently too, so I'm really looking forward to playing that as well!
what positive reviews
If a supernatural based kit came out, then I may buy it.
People are allowed to buy what they want, and people are allowed not to buy what they don't want. It is just annoying the EA doesn't listen, and are only out for the money, and even then they still nerf things, because a few people complained about a supernatural feature.
It's been considered predatory/gambling for awhile now, that's why I would never play/support games that even allow that within it. I don't care how great the game is or how much free stuff they give you, it's really shady practice and they actively encourage people (mostly young children) to spend real life money on it, otherwise it wouldn't even exist. Here, spend real life money and MAYBE get the thing you want, like what??? It's so gross just even saying it out-loud lol.
Thanks for the info!! Yes all that seems new early access was missing a lot but it sounds much more grounded. Have to try it again!
You should try Rune Factory if you ever get the chance. Its basically stardew valley but i believe predates it (a spin off of harvest moon/story of seasons or smthn like that) but has an anime style and feels more like an rpg. The artwork is BEAUTIFUL The dialogue is so funny and some of the bachelor/bachelorette stories are so good. Ive only played 4 but Im really excited for 5, for some time thought it wasnt gonna ever come out but it will this year.
Cities skylines has a lot going on it can can be overwhelming so i had played a few hours then stopped for years lol; ;; but i played it again recently so maybe i just didn't hsve the attention span for it then lol. I love Parkitect too, simple and cute art design. Planet Coaster is nice but there amount of customization is so overwhelming i just play parkitect now lol
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.