Times change and when we be begin to feel out of touch with something we used to be passionate about, it’s often best to take a fresh direction and move on.
I find this sentiment to be overtly patronizing, especially in the context of this post.
No one complaining about excessive monetization is “out of touch” and twisting it that way is incredibly “out of touch”. You might as well just say shut up and go away since that’s the message behind your thinly veiled positivity. I don’t understand why some simmers think they are important enough to tell someone else what they should do with their time or money. It has zero effect on you, even when they complain you can still view the preview videos, buy whatever, and enjoy whatever.
Let’s say I was incredibly drunk posting that and I was giving myself some courage and advice more than anything. 😅
On a more serious note, I agree, I tend to have a patronizing tone about me at times but in truth I couldn’t care less what anybody does with their time and their money. Perhaps that’s my problem, since plenty of others in the community seem to care about it.
I respect Carl’s concerns and those of others. In fact I share many of the same concerns which I’m vocal about too, because I think there’s room for a mountain of improvement and I have no intention to shut up anyone who calls for that in a constructive manner. I only ask people to shut up when they go hysterical and shout in my ears.
I also recognize that a lot of veteran simmers are pretty much done with the sims 4, because this iteration just isn’t doing what the previous titles were doing for them. I can’t exactly say that I’m a veteran simmer, since I wouldn’t even know what the sims felt like at the time it was first released. I was partying too hard. That’s how “important” I am. I suppose I view things from an annoying newbie perspective and it’s unfortunate to see that so many are ready to give up on their favorite franchise. I don’t feel it. But I get it.
Yes times do change and let’s hope that EA/Maxis will take all of our concerns into consideration and a true miracle will happen for those who are extremely unhappy with the direction this game slash franchise is going right now. It seems that many of the folks who share little to nothing positive about the game lately have been ready for something different for a long time and I wish them all the best with trying to find what they’re looking for. Feeling constantly dreadful about something isn’t going to help anyone either. Especially themselves. What else can I say. 🤷🏻♂️
I find that it is the drip, drip, drip of those complaining that upset me. I feel like I'm being talked at as it I were a 5 year old and not the 78 year old I am. I know what prices mean to me and the first Sims games from 2001 I bought came out at £30 so in fact prices have decreased over the years.
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me and as I've not been able to visit any café or indeed venture far outside for the past year I see them as something keeping me going during this Pandemic. I really, really feel that if you cannot afford something it is no good railing about the price of it. You have to find something else you can afford or save up.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I know what you are saying but I do have a worthwhile experience playing my game as I have so much to play with. It's building slowly and surely into a much greater experience if you have managed to buy all of it as it went along. It just doesn't play the same as the other iterations. It plays better with worlds full of Sims, allowing ageing and not removing NAPs etc., and rotating families. If you don't like that way of playing maybe Sims 3 is better.
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I know what you are saying but I do have a worthwhile experience playing my game as I have so much to play with.
@Simburian I know you probably are or you wouldn't be playing. I guess what people are saying is that they don't personally think that the experience they are having in the game is a 700$ experience and that many other games offer similar amounts of content for much less money or at least that's how I understand their point of view, I can't tell you what their problem is individually.
Kits are so unpopular, even the Kits are rejecting themselves lmao
Naah, Kits just have too strong free will
My love, my love, my fearless love, I will not say goodbye..
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I know what you are saying but I do have a worthwhile experience playing my game as I have so much to play with.
@Simburian I know you probably are or you wouldn't be playing. I guess what people are saying is that they don't personally think that the experience they are having in the game is a 700$ experience and that many other games offer similar amounts of content for much less money or at least that's how I understand their point of view, I can't tell you what their problem is individually.
The game doesn’t actually cost $700.00, because pretty much nobody is going to buy base game and all the dlc in in one shot and it’s not mandatory to so. It’s ludicrous unless you have Bill Gates cash, and then $700.00 is sofa cushion money. Most people will buy base game and in some cases get it free, or close like when the sold it for $5.00, and a pack, or a bundle and then slowly collect from there until the game feels complete for them. Some will eventually buy all the dlc slowly over time and other will only buy a few carefully chosen expansions, there are even people who will play only with base game and the addition of mods & cc. So the game basically costs whatever someone is willing to pay once they have the base game, and to say it costs $700.00 outright is completely disingenuous.
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 ;;;;
wow carl the guy that does almost nothing but complain about sims 4 on youtube is complaining
Carl wrote some of the best guides all throughout The Sims 3 through now, with The Sims 4. His site is very well-made and maintained. I don't think it's appropriate to just declare all he does is complain when he has proven his knowledge of these games very well through his site, while also giving back to the community writing wonderful tutorials.
I think we're just seeing a pattern here created by The Sims 4. I think 7 years is long enough to spot it.
He has one of the best Stardew Valley guides too.
The problem with guides generally that they all need to be kept up to date and that must be difficult when new expansions and game packs come out, as the new interactions with the old get left out of those that have come out on previous packs. His Forums are useful for new stuff found out.
If Carl brought out an online or published book combining all the packs after the game is finished with I would buy it, provided that all ends and interactions were covered by it. It would be a very big book though!
I do miss the old Prima manuals, even though they weren't complete in all cases.
I really miss those too. They were very helpful. I know that for the Sims 4 you could only get it if you bought a special version of the Sims 4 that was limited in supply. I use this guide too for cheats and gameplay since I can't for the life of me ever remember one single cheat: https://sims-online.com/sims-4-game-info/sims-4-game-cheats-codes/
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
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 ;;;;
wow carl the guy that does almost nothing but complain about sims 4 on youtube is complaining
Carl wrote some of the best guides all throughout The Sims 3 through now, with The Sims 4. His site is very well-made and maintained. I don't think it's appropriate to just declare all he does is complain when he has proven his knowledge of these games very well through his site, while also giving back to the community writing wonderful tutorials.
I think we're just seeing a pattern here created by The Sims 4. I think 7 years is long enough to spot it.
He has one of the best Stardew Valley guides too.
The problem with guides generally that they all need to be kept up to date and that must be difficult when new expansions and game packs come out, as the new interactions with the old get left out of those that have come out on previous packs. His Forums are useful for new stuff found out.
If Carl brought out an online or published book combining all the packs after the game is finished with I would buy it, provided that all ends and interactions were covered by it. It would be a very big book though!
I do miss the old Prima manuals, even though they weren't complete in all cases.
I really miss those too. They were very helpful. I know that for the Sims 4 you could only get it if you bought a special version of the Sims 4 that was limited in supply. I use this guide too for cheats and gameplay since I can't for the life of me ever remember one single cheat: https://sims-online.com/sims-4-game-info/sims-4-game-cheats-codes/
Thanks. That is extremely useful. I've bookmarked it. I have the original hardback Sims manual but the game has gone far ahead of that now.
The only cheats it doesn't seem to list are the remove all windows and remove all doors ones which one of the iterations had! As a someone who likes building I wouldn't mind those coming back. I like to experiment!
I didn't find my kitchen kit missing yesterday when I built a new house yesterday. Re: missing kits. Is a mod to blame for other Simmers losing theirs?
Seems to be an Origin problem on the kits but I've just checked and mine is listed as paid for. Off to play.
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I know what you are saying but I do have a worthwhile experience playing my game as I have so much to play with.
@Simburian I know you probably are or you wouldn't be playing. I guess what people are saying is that they don't personally think that the experience they are having in the game is a 700$ experience and that many other games offer similar amounts of content for much less money or at least that's how I understand their point of view, I can't tell you what their problem is individually.
The game doesn’t actually cost $700.00, because pretty much nobody is going to buy base game and all the dlc in in one shot and it’s not mandatory to so.
@Pamtastic72 But that's not what I said there. I meant that the people who have already bought 700$ worth of DLC slowly over time are sitting there wondering if this is a 700$ worth experience. Doesn't matter if you buy the game and all DLC at one time or over time. The question is: Is the game I'm playing that I spent 700$ on, a 700$ experience of a game or not? To many it isn't, hence the complaints.
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I know what you are saying but I do have a worthwhile experience playing my game as I have so much to play with.
@Simburian I know you probably are or you wouldn't be playing. I guess what people are saying is that they don't personally think that the experience they are having in the game is a 700$ experience and that many other games offer similar amounts of content for much less money or at least that's how I understand their point of view, I can't tell you what their problem is individually.
The game doesn’t actually cost $700.00, because pretty much nobody is going to buy base game and all the dlc in in one shot and it’s not mandatory to so.
@Pamtastic72 But that's not what I said there. I meant that the people who have already bought 700$ worth of DLC slowly over time are sitting there wondering if this is a 700$ worth experience. Doesn't matter if you buy the game and all DLC at one time or over time. The question is: Is the game I'm playing that I spent 700$ on, a 700$ experience of a game or not? To many it isn't, hence the complaints.
I get you're point but why they keep buying packs? They must have noticed before they spend all that money in game, that it's not giving then enought in return.
I get you're point but why they keep buying packs? They must have noticed before they spend all that money in game, that it's not giving then enought in return.
Google: sunk cost fallacy
The sunk cost fallacy describes our tendency to follow through on an endeavor if we have already invested time, effort, or money into it, whether or not the current costs outweigh the benefits.
I get you're point but why they keep buying packs? They must have noticed before they spend all that money in game, that it's not giving then enought in return.
@Charlotta11 Because monopoly. It's not something I personally do but yeah a lot of Simmers fall victim to that.
I get you're point but why they keep buying packs? They must have noticed before they spend all that money in game, that it's not giving then enought in return.
Google: sunk cost fallacy
The sunk cost fallacy describes our tendency to follow through on an endeavor if we have already invested time, effort, or money into it, whether or not the current costs outweigh the benefits.
Which is also why a lot of people are so scared by the idea of the Sims 5 eventually existing.
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I know what you are saying but I do have a worthwhile experience playing my game as I have so much to play with.
@Simburian I know you probably are or you wouldn't be playing. I guess what people are saying is that they don't personally think that the experience they are having in the game is a 700$ experience and that many other games offer similar amounts of content for much less money or at least that's how I understand their point of view, I can't tell you what their problem is individually.
So the game basically costs whatever someone is willing to pay once they have the base game, and to say it costs $700.00 outright is completely disingenuous.
If the total library is valued at ~$700 then it’s definitely not disingenuous to say it costs that much. Sales are sporadic and temporary. If you bought an expansion for $20 would you say “expansions don’t cost $40” or would you say “I got this expansion for $20”?
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I know what you are saying but I do have a worthwhile experience playing my game as I have so much to play with.
@Simburian I know you probably are or you wouldn't be playing. I guess what people are saying is that they don't personally think that the experience they are having in the game is a 700$ experience and that many other games offer similar amounts of content for much less money or at least that's how I understand their point of view, I can't tell you what their problem is individually.
The game doesn’t actually cost $700.00, because pretty much nobody is going to buy base game and all the dlc in in one shot and it’s not mandatory to so. It’s ludicrous unless you have Bill Gates cash, and then $700.00 is sofa cushion money. Most people will buy base game and in some cases get it free, or close like when the sold it for $5.00, and a pack, or a bundle and then slowly collect from there until the game feels complete for them. Some will eventually buy all the dlc slowly over time and other will only buy a few carefully chosen expansions, there are even people who will play only with base game and the addition of mods & cc. So the game basically costs whatever someone is willing to pay once they have the base game, and to say it costs $700.00 outright is completely disingenuous.
Exactly this! We also have to consider that Sims 4 currently has hit the 30 million purchase mark. That's 30 million people with their own interpretations of what a "life simulation" game should be.
Do you want to be a family simmer bogged down with the realities of family life and chores? Great grab Seasons, Parenthood, Kids Room/Toddler Stuff and a bust the dust kit. Jungle Adventures and Vampires will probably not appeal to you.
Are you more a fan of living a life of glamour and leaving the house for indulgence? Fab! Grab Get Famous, Spa Day and Moschino Stuff. Packs like Eco Lifestyle and Outdoor Living won't be for you.
Claiming the monopoly on the life simulator niche is a blessing and a curse for Maxis. Again I appreciate DLC is expensive and better structure is needed. But there is nothing saying that you should be at it's beck and call buying the next thing coming to you. I see Kits as a healthy way forward to allow Simmers to pick and choose.
This all happened way before computer games came out.
Our families spent months building kits that came with weekly, monthly magazines just to build a plane or something that could be bought finished at a fraction of the price. One of my brothers even spent his weekly pocket money on every new matchbox toy that came out and he even bought a concrete mixer! It's the fun of being something in process of being built up that's the attraction and money doesn't count for much if you get the addiction.
Those matchbox toys would be worth something these days if we hadn't thrown them away! I feel the same about my original Spectrum and all the games I gave away to charity years' ago, sadly.
The amount of food I can buy from lidl for 5 euros bruh, I'm never going to buy these kits. Never Ever. Not even if they include pet bunnies because they'd be confined to a cage and not a "real" pet and I'd rather have no pet bunnies than animal abuse pets like TS3 (though you could not have a pet bunny in TS3 either, or any of the other games).
Kitchen sets someone farted out in probably less than 3 days, and untested, broken gameplay is never going to be worth 5 euros.
I see Kits as a healthy way forward to allow Simmers to pick and choose.
@chickenow I don't see this as a very "healthy" way personally. It's more of a way to break down content so you have to pay for multiple packs.
It would be a lot healthier if EA included content of the same type in bigger chunks. For example, if I'm an occult player and they want to do vampires, EA knows I'm more likely to want better ghosts, other occults, more spooky content. But instead of giving it to me all at once or in bigger packs, they break down the content so much that I end up having to spend a lot more money to get all of the content that interests me than before.
Another example is family gameplay: EA knows if I'm into family gameplay I will most likely want better lifestages, better teens, more activities for children and toddlers. Instead of giving it all to me with 1-2 packs, they decide to go with just one pack for prasing and scolding, another one for kids stuff, another one for toddlers and an expansion that will inevitably become a Generations pack.
They know if I want better toddlers, I will want better children as well but instead of putting it all in one they break it up for more money.
Third example: Pets. Are you a player interested in pets? Let's say you want dogs in your game, EA knows you are more likely to also want cats and other smaller pets. Or if you don't want them, at least you wouldn't mind them. Well, instead of giving it to you in one Pets pack, you have to get My first pet stuff to have all types of pets available.
A last example, which happened to me btw: Get Famous. EA knows really well that if I like celebrities, I will more likely want to play a luxurious, celebrity lifestyle, yet they go ahead and put luxurious clothing and the butler in an extra expansion. They know exactly that if I want celebrities, I also wouldn't mind a butler. But they won't give it to me in one pack, even though they can. There is literally no reason to split up Vintage glamour and Get Famous. Nobody would have complained if the butler was in Get Famous i can 100% assure you.
So yeah a lot of packs in this came are split up for no reason other than to make a profit. I'm pretty sure the majority of the players who bought Cats and Dogs would like or wouldn't mind having rodents too, EA knows that as well. This is why they split it up, not to create a healthy way to pick and choose your content but as a way to have players get more packs instead of just one.
Third example[/b]: Pets. Are you a player interested in pets? Let's say you want dogs in your game, EA knows you are more likely to also want cats and other smaller pets. Or if you don't want them, at least you wouldn't mind them. Well, instead of giving it to you in one Pets pack, you have to get My first pet stuff to have all types of pets available.
I see Kits as a healthy way forward to allow Simmers to pick and choose.
@chickenow I don't see this as a very "healthy" way personally. It's more of a way to break down content so you have to pay for multiple packs.
It would be a lot healthier if EA included content of the same type in bigger chunks. For example, if I'm an occult player and they want to do vampires, EA knows I'm more likely to want better ghosts, other occults, more spooky content. But instead of giving it to me all at once or in bigger packs, they break down the content so much that I end up having to spend a lot more money to get all of the content that interests me than before.
Another example is family gameplay: EA knows if I'm into family gameplay I will most likely want better lifestages, better teens, more activities for children and toddlers. Instead of giving it all to me with 1-2 packs, they decide to go with just one pack for prasing and scolding, another one for kids stuff, another one for toddlers and an expansion that will inevitably become a Generations pack.
They know if I want better toddlers, I will want better children as well but instead of putting it all in one they break it up for more money.
Third example: Pets. Are you a player interested in pets? Let's say you want dogs in your game, EA knows you are more likely to also want cats and other smaller pets. Or if you don't want them, at least you wouldn't mind them. Well, instead of giving it to you in one Pets pack, you have to get My first pet stuff to have all types of pets available.
A last example, which happened to me btw: Get Famous. EA knows really well that if I like celebrities, I will more likely want to play a luxurious, celebrity lifestyle, yet they go ahead and put luxurious clothing and the butler in an extra expansion. They know exactly that if I want celebrities, I also wouldn't mind a butler. But they won't give it to me in one pack, even though they can. There is literally no reason to split up Vintage glamour and Get Famous. Nobody would have complained if the butler was in Get Famous i can 100% assure you.
So yeah a lot of packs in this came are split up for no reason other than to make a profit. I'm pretty sure the majority of the players who bought Cats and Dogs would like or wouldn't mind having rodents too, EA knows that as well. This is why they split it up, not to create a healthy way to pick and choose your content but as a way to have players get more packs instead of just one.
Can I just say: I'm not disagreeing with you.
The strongest example of what you are saying came with "Cats and Dogs" to have a "My First Pet Stuff" so soon after (suggesting that both projects were on the table at some point) which literally contained stuff that looked in my eyes stuff which could have been in the EP. We are absolutely right to call that out. With the absence of SPs for a long while after that...maybe Maxis agreed.
But with a couple of those examples....Vintage Glamour was released in 2016, Get Famous was released two years later in 2018. Yes you can argue that the two packs would be better combined but we are talking a two year difference. Can we definately say that the two were on the drawing table at the same time when they decided to release them separately?
I'm just trying to provide my insight on what I *think* the Sims Team are trying to get at. In an ideal world of course I would be totally on board with structure the EPs right to please everyone and save me monet....but as the community polls exposed no one seems to agree on that (ie Crafts and Happy Haunts, there was a lot of complaints out there when that poll was concluded and there was a lot of complaints that "Team Happy Haunts" were left out.)
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I know what you are saying but I do have a worthwhile experience playing my game as I have so much to play with.
@Simburian I know you probably are or you wouldn't be playing. I guess what people are saying is that they don't personally think that the experience they are having in the game is a 700$ experience and that many other games offer similar amounts of content for much less money or at least that's how I understand their point of view, I can't tell you what their problem is individually.
So the game basically costs whatever someone is willing to pay once they have the base game, and to say it costs $700.00 outright is completely disingenuous.
If the total library is valued at ~$700 then it’s definitely not disingenuous to say it costs that much. Sales are sporadic and temporary. If you bought an expansion for $20 would you say “expansions don’t cost $40” or would you say “I got this expansion for $20”?
A lot of people are not going to purchase the entire library. So what I am saying is to tell people that the game flat out costs $700.00 is not correct. Someone might buy base game + Seasons + Parenthood + Cats & Dogs, and decide that’s all they’re interested in. So their game will cost around $180.00* assuming everything was purchased full price. Someone else might just buy BG + Vampires + Paranormal and be done, barring sales their game will cost about $100.00.* Whether or not someone feels they get entertainment value for their money is entirely subjective. I have the entire library thus far, plus about 2 years into my S4 addiction I bought a dedicated gaming desktop so I have invested well over $700.00 into this hobby of mine and I am very fortunate to have been able to do so & regret nothing. I thoroughly enjoy my time in the game and credit it with helping me keep my head on when life seems chaotic. But that’s me. If at any point I am not enjoying it anymore I will stop spending money on it and enjoy what I do have.
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Let’s say I was incredibly drunk posting that and I was giving myself some courage and advice more than anything. 😅
On a more serious note, I agree, I tend to have a patronizing tone about me at times but in truth I couldn’t care less what anybody does with their time and their money. Perhaps that’s my problem, since plenty of others in the community seem to care about it.
I respect Carl’s concerns and those of others. In fact I share many of the same concerns which I’m vocal about too, because I think there’s room for a mountain of improvement and I have no intention to shut up anyone who calls for that in a constructive manner. I only ask people to shut up when they go hysterical and shout in my ears.
I also recognize that a lot of veteran simmers are pretty much done with the sims 4, because this iteration just isn’t doing what the previous titles were doing for them. I can’t exactly say that I’m a veteran simmer, since I wouldn’t even know what the sims felt like at the time it was first released. I was partying too hard. That’s how “important” I am. I suppose I view things from an annoying newbie perspective and it’s unfortunate to see that so many are ready to give up on their favorite franchise. I don’t feel it. But I get it.
Yes times do change and let’s hope that EA/Maxis will take all of our concerns into consideration and a true miracle will happen for those who are extremely unhappy with the direction this game slash franchise is going right now. It seems that many of the folks who share little to nothing positive about the game lately have been ready for something different for a long time and I wish them all the best with trying to find what they’re looking for. Feeling constantly dreadful about something isn’t going to help anyone either. Especially themselves. What else can I say. 🤷🏻♂️
I've only bought the kitchen kit myself and like it a lot. It's very well made with a lot of cabinet variations. The price of each kit is less than a cup of coffee and cake in a café for me and as I've not been able to visit any café or indeed venture far outside for the past year I see them as something keeping me going during this Pandemic. I really, really feel that if you cannot afford something it is no good railing about the price of it. You have to find something else you can afford or save up.
If complaining about the £700 or so that it costs now, just buy it in packs slowly, as the rest of us had to do over several years. You are just late to find it that's all.
@Simburian Again, pear and apples. Different products overall, impossible to compare.
I think the Sims is one of these rare cases of a game costing over 700$. People just say it is being milked to death, especially for a game so old. For some the game still feels incomplete even after all that DLC and they think it's a shame to see. I'm not saying that everyone thinks this way, I'm just explaining what the other side is saying. I don't think they are complaining that they can't afford to buy all the packs at the same time. It's only about the amount of money one has to spent on the Sims 4 to feel like they are having a worthwhile experience compared to the previous games. At least, that's how a lot of people feel.
I know what you are saying but I do have a worthwhile experience playing my game as I have so much to play with. It's building slowly and surely into a much greater experience if you have managed to buy all of it as it went along. It just doesn't play the same as the other iterations. It plays better with worlds full of Sims, allowing ageing and not removing NAPs etc., and rotating families. If you don't like that way of playing maybe Sims 3 is better.
@Simburian I know you probably are or you wouldn't be playing. I guess what people are saying is that they don't personally think that the experience they are having in the game is a 700$ experience and that many other games offer similar amounts of content for much less money or at least that's how I understand their point of view, I can't tell you what their problem is individually.
The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
Naah, Kits just have too strong free will
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
The game doesn’t actually cost $700.00, because pretty much nobody is going to buy base game and all the dlc in in one shot and it’s not mandatory to so. It’s ludicrous unless you have Bill Gates cash, and then $700.00 is sofa cushion money. Most people will buy base game and in some cases get it free, or close like when the sold it for $5.00, and a pack, or a bundle and then slowly collect from there until the game feels complete for them. Some will eventually buy all the dlc slowly over time and other will only buy a few carefully chosen expansions, there are even people who will play only with base game and the addition of mods & cc. So the game basically costs whatever someone is willing to pay once they have the base game, and to say it costs $700.00 outright is completely disingenuous.
Thanks. That is extremely useful. I've bookmarked it. I have the original hardback Sims manual but the game has gone far ahead of that now.
The only cheats it doesn't seem to list are the remove all windows and remove all doors ones which one of the iterations had! As a someone who likes building I wouldn't mind those coming back. I like to experiment!
I didn't find my kitchen kit missing yesterday when I built a new house yesterday. Re: missing kits. Is a mod to blame for other Simmers losing theirs?
Seems to be an Origin problem on the kits but I've just checked and mine is listed as paid for. Off to play.
https://simsvip.com/pdf-game-guides/
@Pamtastic72 But that's not what I said there. I meant that the people who have already bought 700$ worth of DLC slowly over time are sitting there wondering if this is a 700$ worth experience. Doesn't matter if you buy the game and all DLC at one time or over time. The question is: Is the game I'm playing that I spent 700$ on, a 700$ experience of a game or not? To many it isn't, hence the complaints.
I get you're point but why they keep buying packs? They must have noticed before they spend all that money in game, that it's not giving then enought in return.
The sunk cost fallacy describes our tendency to follow through on an endeavor if we have already invested time, effort, or money into it, whether or not the current costs outweigh the benefits.
@Charlotta11 Because monopoly. It's not something I personally do but yeah a lot of Simmers fall victim to that.
Which is also why a lot of people are so scared by the idea of the Sims 5 eventually existing.
If the total library is valued at ~$700 then it’s definitely not disingenuous to say it costs that much. Sales are sporadic and temporary. If you bought an expansion for $20 would you say “expansions don’t cost $40” or would you say “I got this expansion for $20”?
Exactly this! We also have to consider that Sims 4 currently has hit the 30 million purchase mark. That's 30 million people with their own interpretations of what a "life simulation" game should be.
Do you want to be a family simmer bogged down with the realities of family life and chores? Great grab Seasons, Parenthood, Kids Room/Toddler Stuff and a bust the dust kit. Jungle Adventures and Vampires will probably not appeal to you.
Are you more a fan of living a life of glamour and leaving the house for indulgence? Fab! Grab Get Famous, Spa Day and Moschino Stuff. Packs like Eco Lifestyle and Outdoor Living won't be for you.
Claiming the monopoly on the life simulator niche is a blessing and a curse for Maxis. Again I appreciate DLC is expensive and better structure is needed. But there is nothing saying that you should be at it's beck and call buying the next thing coming to you. I see Kits as a healthy way forward to allow Simmers to pick and choose.
Our families spent months building kits that came with weekly, monthly magazines just to build a plane or something that could be bought finished at a fraction of the price. One of my brothers even spent his weekly pocket money on every new matchbox toy that came out and he even bought a concrete mixer! It's the fun of being something in process of being built up that's the attraction and money doesn't count for much if you get the addiction.
Those matchbox toys would be worth something these days if we hadn't thrown them away! I feel the same about my original Spectrum and all the games I gave away to charity years' ago, sadly.
Kitchen sets someone farted out in probably less than 3 days, and untested, broken gameplay is never going to be worth 5 euros.
@chickenow I don't see this as a very "healthy" way personally. It's more of a way to break down content so you have to pay for multiple packs.
It would be a lot healthier if EA included content of the same type in bigger chunks. For example, if I'm an occult player and they want to do vampires, EA knows I'm more likely to want better ghosts, other occults, more spooky content. But instead of giving it to me all at once or in bigger packs, they break down the content so much that I end up having to spend a lot more money to get all of the content that interests me than before.
Another example is family gameplay: EA knows if I'm into family gameplay I will most likely want better lifestages, better teens, more activities for children and toddlers. Instead of giving it all to me with 1-2 packs, they decide to go with just one pack for prasing and scolding, another one for kids stuff, another one for toddlers and an expansion that will inevitably become a Generations pack.
They know if I want better toddlers, I will want better children as well but instead of putting it all in one they break it up for more money.
Third example: Pets. Are you a player interested in pets? Let's say you want dogs in your game, EA knows you are more likely to also want cats and other smaller pets. Or if you don't want them, at least you wouldn't mind them. Well, instead of giving it to you in one Pets pack, you have to get My first pet stuff to have all types of pets available.
A last example, which happened to me btw: Get Famous. EA knows really well that if I like celebrities, I will more likely want to play a luxurious, celebrity lifestyle, yet they go ahead and put luxurious clothing and the butler in an extra expansion. They know exactly that if I want celebrities, I also wouldn't mind a butler. But they won't give it to me in one pack, even though they can. There is literally no reason to split up Vintage glamour and Get Famous. Nobody would have complained if the butler was in Get Famous i can 100% assure you.
So yeah a lot of packs in this came are split up for no reason other than to make a profit. I'm pretty sure the majority of the players who bought Cats and Dogs would like or wouldn't mind having rodents too, EA knows that as well. This is why they split it up, not to create a healthy way to pick and choose your content but as a way to have players get more packs instead of just one.
Can I just say: I'm not disagreeing with you.
The strongest example of what you are saying came with "Cats and Dogs" to have a "My First Pet Stuff" so soon after (suggesting that both projects were on the table at some point) which literally contained stuff that looked in my eyes stuff which could have been in the EP. We are absolutely right to call that out. With the absence of SPs for a long while after that...maybe Maxis agreed.
But with a couple of those examples....Vintage Glamour was released in 2016, Get Famous was released two years later in 2018. Yes you can argue that the two packs would be better combined but we are talking a two year difference. Can we definately say that the two were on the drawing table at the same time when they decided to release them separately?
I'm just trying to provide my insight on what I *think* the Sims Team are trying to get at. In an ideal world of course I would be totally on board with structure the EPs right to please everyone and save me monet....but as the community polls exposed no one seems to agree on that (ie Crafts and Happy Haunts, there was a lot of complaints out there when that poll was concluded and there was a lot of complaints that "Team Happy Haunts" were left out.)
A lot of people are not going to purchase the entire library. So what I am saying is to tell people that the game flat out costs $700.00 is not correct. Someone might buy base game + Seasons + Parenthood + Cats & Dogs, and decide that’s all they’re interested in. So their game will cost around $180.00* assuming everything was purchased full price. Someone else might just buy BG + Vampires + Paranormal and be done, barring sales their game will cost about $100.00.* Whether or not someone feels they get entertainment value for their money is entirely subjective. I have the entire library thus far, plus about 2 years into my S4 addiction I bought a dedicated gaming desktop so I have invested well over $700.00 into this hobby of mine and I am very fortunate to have been able to do so & regret nothing. I thoroughly enjoy my time in the game and credit it with helping me keep my head on when life seems chaotic. But that’s me. If at any point I am not enjoying it anymore I will stop spending money on it and enjoy what I do have.
*Prices are pre-tax US dollars