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Why I'm not afraid of Sims5 being multiplayer... and you shouldn't either!

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AmaraRenaAmaraRena Posts: 6,533 Member
edited March 2022 in Off Topic Chat
1. EA KNOWS no one wants a Sims MMO. They'd have to alter the game tremendously to get it to a kid friendly state. And that would kill off a HUGE portion of their player base. So by now they have figured out that THEY do not want an MMO either.

2. A survival sandbox model would work wonderfully for The Sims. This would be composed of options for single player, co-op play with friends and, if we're lucky, private servers where large groups of players can get together and create their own version of the game tailored to their liking. ARK, Conan Exiles, Day Z, to name just a few, do very well with this model. They also have official servers of course but I don't think the Sims would even really need those. But even if they chose to have them they'd be sure to have the other three options I've mentioned. There's no longer any reason for games not to offer both single player and multi-player options for the same game. I have a hard time believing EA doesn't have this figured out.
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  • ncisGibbs02ncisGibbs02 Posts: 2,018 Member
    edited May 2021
    AmaraRena wrote: »
    1. EA KNOWS no one wants a Sims MMO. They'd have to alter the game tremendously to get it to a kid friendly state. And that would kill off a HUGE portion of their player base. So by now they have figured out that THEY do not want an MMO either.

    2. A survival sandbox model would work wonderfully for The Sims. This would be composed of options for single player, co-op play with friends and, if we're lucky, private servers where large groups of players can get together and create their own version of the game tailored to their liking. ARK, Conan Exiles, Day Z, to name just a few, do very well with this model. They also have official servers of course but I don't think the Sims would even really need those. But even if they chose to have them they'd be sure to have the other three options I've mentioned. There's no longer any reason for games not to offer both single player and multi-player options for the same game. I have a hard time believing EA doesn't have this figured out.

    It would be interesting to see how a multiplayer game would work. Would it be like a big world or island we all access and can make changes? Like Survivor etc.
    Would players be able to go into other players worlds? Thier Sims walking down your road and vice versa.

    A lot of online games are battle themed, which doesn’t fit the Sims. So what would be the challenge? I like your idea of a survival sandbox theme.

    The choice of selecting who you want to play with would be an important one for me. I would like an option of playing offline.
    Also a lot of games run even if you aren’t logged in and changes can happen whilst your away, I would rather this wasn’t included.

    Now alternating between Sims 2,3 and 4! 😊☕️🌞
  • Calico45Calico45 Posts: 2,038 Member
    edited May 2021
    1a. Agree to disagree. Social sim games have been rather popular at times and EA is known for a number of large multiplayer games. We have no idea what it will look like until we get it.

    1b. I also disagree. Plenty of large multiplayer games can get a T rating. If you can get gambling into a "kid friendly" game, then I think you overestimate the ratings boards. In fact, one of the very games you mentioned, ARK, is rated T.

    1c. Why wouldn't they want an MMO recurrently monetizable in so many ways if they could get away with it? You say it'd kill off the fanbase, but 4 is going strong despite the launch and criticism. If anything, 4 should embolden them to take unpopular risks.


    2a. Survival? Short of Castaway, I do not really see the need for survival content in the main game. That would be an incredibly different game. Sounds like a Sims spinoff. (One I wouldn't mind seeing, but as someone who has played those games you listed does not want just another clone.)

    2b. A large problem you have left out with the games you have mentioned is griefing and competition. Those games can be cooperative, sure, but if you play official servers you will have a hard time. Measures would have to be put in place to stop this; bug reports would have to expand to cheating and harassment reports; and, quite frankly, competition or dealing with the whims of another player does not seem very... Sims to me, but I know you disagree here.

    2c. I like doing my own servers for those games you mentioned, but it is a pain and a half and largely unnecessary for basic coop play. It is for large games typically, like ARK which can be MMO so if they have servers like that I think it will be MMO style.

    2d. But there is. You can have both components, but balancing for both is difficult and one ends up falling short. I have played a number of multiplayer focused games as a single player because it is my preferred style, and it is fairly obvious when a game isn't designed for single player or multiplayer and it is simply tacked on. Further, as mentioned earlier, multiplayer comes with a host of other problems: cheating, griefing/harassment, PVE v. PVP content, building while other players are active (sounds simple, but most of those named games have a dynamic craft and place
    piece by piece system instead of a frozen build mode for building; they may have to change that to accommodate multiple moving players and games such as Animal Crossing simply do not let you move furniture with people around), DLC usage when players do not possess the same ones, etc. Decisions and measures would have to be done about all of this, and there are so many choices that would feel awful to single player types. For example Motherlode suddenly being real cheating because you are competing with other players.

    2e. Also, I want to add some very bad possible solutions/consequences to multiplayer. DRM; Anti-Cheat programs; always online requirements. Not all of these games have these and they are not always a given, but it is just part of what can come when tangling with multiplayer. I have managed to neglect Battle Eye for years with ARK and Conan, but I'm also not allowed full server access without it. Also, I never want to have to be connected to the internet to play single player, which isn't always a given.

    In short, they could handle multiplayer well. Amazingly, even. However, to say that there should be no concerns because you would like multiplayer when obviously there are a few points to have concerns over is disingenuous.
  • ddd994ddd994 Posts: 418 Member
    100% agree OP
    People are gonna hate either way, so take a risk and change it up!
  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    We can't ignore what EA/Maxis has already said about the online multiplayer features they want to put in the game - they want it to be competitive. Also if you look at all of their other online multiplayer games, they are monetized in as many ways as possible - they've even slid in advertisements on their already paid for games!

    The singleplayer side of the game will also suffer as they will put more effort into the multiplayer side since they could potentially make money off that. It will be like TS4 all over again, except worse.

    So no. I think you're dreaming if you think they'll just do private servers and leave it at that. They'll make you rent those servers (subscription!) and then start sneaking in stuff (microtransactions) as the years go by. Plus CC and mods would no longer be free. They'll even take a cut of the profits from the CCs and mods creators even though they didn't do any work on the stuff.

    EA also doesn't care much about security as long as they're getting money. A lot of dark stuff went on in The Sims Online and they didn't have any security in place - and didn't try to.

    They're also pretty bad at server maintenance, so there WILL be times you won't be able to get into the game when you want to. Also, when this game fails - and it will - it could render the whole game inaccessible, like Dark Spore. Then you'll be out all the money you put into it.


  • dearie_blossomdearie_blossom Posts: 707 Member
    edited May 2021
    AmaraRena wrote: »
    1. EA KNOWS no one wants a Sims MMO. They'd have to alter the game tremendously to get it to a kid friendly state. And that would kill off a HUGE portion of their player base. So by now they have figured out that THEY do not want an MMO either.
    You have too much faith in EA. They don‘t care what we want. The only thing they care about is making as much money as possible and microtransactions in an online, multiplayer game is the easiest way to achieve it.
  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    OP, EA/Maxis knew people had told them for years, no MMORPG or MMO, but they built the Olympus Project aka TS4 anyway.
    They also knew people (even hardcore TS2 players) wanted the next game after TS3 to be more open world type. But instead they started building an online multiplayer with very little openness about it. Some might say oh, but TS4 has common areas and openness of the world..no, it has fake backdrops where Sims can't even cross the street to visit a house because of rows of fake homes or other backdrops.

    They knew people wanted story progression (TS3players which were more people than TS2 players) but they didn't add any to TS4 and they knew TS2 players wanted a toggle for that..off should be off.

    They absolutely knew the fanbase wanted them to return to their roots of The Sims, did they? Nope, they stuck with the buff and moodlet system and text and popups to tell players what their Sim was feeling or what was supposedly happening. But the avatar on the screen never reflects the look on the Sim's face in the game.

    They knew people wanted all life states in the game but shipped a game without proper teens (an afterthought) no toddlers and or even roads for cars later.

    If you look at TS4 as an example of Maxis listening and or EA listening about a game that has more than 40+ packs and dozens and dozens of content patches, then look at what still isn't in the game or in the gameplay..then we can see clearly No EA hasn't learned one thing about The Sims fanbase other than how to drop them like a hot potato and chase after new players who won't care one way or another.
    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • ChampandGirlieChampandGirlie Posts: 2,482 Member
    edited May 2021
    I'm guessing there's a market for it and that there are definitely people who would play in groups with their friends. I know people like that who have gaming parties. I could see them offering limited collaborative communities centered around themes like building, supernatural, family play, etc. Where I think you need to be careful is with excessive micro-transactions and pay to play. Along with that, you also need to be careful about the "state of nature" of just having an online free-for-all. There are limited situations in which I might collaborate with others or play with a less experienced player for example. I wouldn't want to deal with just anything.

    To be clear, I'm a single player and I'm into my own game. I just know that there are some different playstyles out there. I think there's a difference between groups voluntarily playing together and some kind of lawless crypto online state.

    If I had to guess, they'll go to some format that allows influencers to take even more of a role with groups. That's the way that a lot of things are going. If they decide to keep and update TS4 or make an interoperable version that allows for the old style of playing, I guess we'll see.
    Champ and Girlie are dogs.
  • AmaraRenaAmaraRena Posts: 6,533 Member
    edited May 2021
    First, I'm no EA fangirl. I'm aware of the company's history across the board, not just relating to the Sims. SO believe me, I have no starry eyed innocence when it comes to them. End of the day, they just want our money. Which always makes me feel bad for the devs who, overall, are artists who love their craft but are forever under the lash of the suits...who just want our money. I was mad as hades when, instead of improving Sims3 (which had a lovely community I had grown very attached to!) they shut it down and foisted Sims4 off on us. Yes, a game they had begun to design as a flippin' MMO. BUT they indeed got enough push back from the players that they abandoned that awful plan and made Sims4 single player after all. Of course a lot of damage had already been done and the game has continued to suffer because of all the bad design flaws that were already baked into it when it was designed originally as an MMO. And I genuinely feel the loss of the open world is just unforgivable and has made this game a shadow of what it could and should have been. That said, I THINK EA has learned a lot from all of this. They'd have to all be beyond stupid not to have and while I may question their ethics... entirely stupid they are not. This is why I believe they are NOT going to go the full MMO route with Sims5.

    They know their core audience is single player. But they ALSO know there is a HUGE potential audience out there that wants some sort of multiplayer experience. And the survival sandbox model gives them the opportunity to pull in ALL of those players. Official servers for people who want the MMO experience of playing with strangers. Single Player for those of us who still prefer to have our own private and undisturbed worlds. Co-op play for those of us who have always wanted to be able to play with just our friends. And finally, private servers where you can play with a large number of people you CHOOSE to play with and can eject if they prove problematic/toxic and the ability to set your own rules.

    Yes, private servers cost money. I know, I run 3 of them. LOL But it's not all that much and only a handful of people are going to do it and OF COURSE EA will offer private servers. They'd be incredibly foolish not to. But paying for one is entirely optional. Playing single player, co-op or on officials will not cost anything. Me, I'd still be a single player but I'd be THRILLED to play a co-op game with a small handful of my friends.

    Building this on the Unreal engine almost guarantees us the return of the open world and it'll be beautiful.

    Now some of you have talked about "survival" and PVP and competition and how all that would ruin the Sims. And I agree that it would! And, again, I think EA knows that. The charm of the Sims is its very LACK of competition. I think the little violence that IS part of the Sims would continue to be cartoony and non-fatal even if it happens between players, with no real effect on things. I don't think you'll be able to blow up someone else's house or steal their stuff. The fact is, the people who like that kind of gameplay are getting it PLENTY of other places that know how to do it well. The Sims stands alone in what it has always offered and EA knows it. No way are they going to lose their minds and abandon that model for something else a ton of other games are already doing.

    As for CC and mods... they probably won't be available on official servers, they aren't in any other games I know of. But private servers and for single player and co-op games? Yeah, they'll be available there and it'll still be hard for EA to figure out how to monetize it. They'll continue to get our money with expansions, smaller "packs" of one sort or another, and things like these new little kits that are cheap but certainly add up in the long run. I don't begrudge them that. Offer me tings I actually WANT and I'll be happy to buy!

    My HOPE here is that they will break this foolish and harmful secrecy and start talking to us about their plans for Sims5 in a meaningful way so they can ally the very legitimate fears many of us have about the future of this game. Hopefully, I'll get to say, "I told you so!" instead of, "Welp, looks like I'm finally done with the Sims!" The longer they wait to do this the more distrust and unhappiness they sow in their current players and the longer it will take them to gain the interest of new players who are interested in multiplayer models but are growing increasingly picky about the KINDS of multiplayer games they are willing to spend their money on.
  • BluelleBluelle Posts: 327 Member
    Sorry, but no. I don't agree, and I never will. TS shouldn't be multiplayer at all
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,584 Member
    No. Just no.

    They can make more than one type of Sims games. They're done it for decades.

    What makes The Sims special is, to me, the person being able to play their own game and tell their own Sim stories.
  • AmaraRenaAmaraRena Posts: 6,533 Member
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    No. Just no.

    They can make more than one type of Sims games. They're done it for decades.

    What makes The Sims special is, to me, the person being able to play their own game and tell their own Sim stories.

    And I get that completely. It's my preferred mode as well. But I've played Conan Exiles on private servers, in co-op, and in single player. I do not notice any serious lack in the single player version. And I think choice is good. So for those of you who are against the game being anything but single player and with no other options... why do you fear these multiple modes will hurt the single player experience? I ask this sincerely because I think it's information EA is really going to need and they NEED to understand what they will have to do to keep their core audience, which IS single player folks, if they are dead set on pursuing other modes of play as well. So lay it out for them!
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,584 Member
    @AmaraRena wrote: »
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    No. Just no.

    They can make more than one type of Sims games. They're done it for decades.

    What makes The Sims special is, to me, the person being able to play their own game and tell their own Sim stories.

    And I get that completely. It's my preferred mode as well. But I've played Conan Exiles on private servers, in co-op, and in single player. I do not notice any serious lack in the single player version. And I think choice is good. So for those of you who are against the game being anything but single player and with no other options... why do you fear these multiple modes will hurt the single player experience? I ask this sincerely because I think it's information EA is really going to need and they NEED to understand what they will have to do to keep their core audience, which IS single player folks, if they are dead set on pursuing other modes of play as well. So lay it out for them!

    Choice is great.
    I don't fear it. I don't want it. There are So many options for Multi-players out there. The Sims is alone is it's style of game play. If it wasn't I wouldn't be waiting for TS5 with only a tiny chance the game will bring back creativity in building our neighborhoods and better story mode (and better Sim personality). So, you see me as fearful, I see it as the only reason this PC game is so special.

    EA has this information. That's why there was such a ruckus about TS4 before its release.

  • AmaraRenaAmaraRena Posts: 6,533 Member
    edited May 2021
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    @AmaraRena wrote: »
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    No. Just no.

    They can make more than one type of Sims games. They're done it for decades.

    What makes The Sims special is, to me, the person being able to play their own game and tell their own Sim stories.

    And I get that completely. It's my preferred mode as well. But I've played Conan Exiles on private servers, in co-op, and in single player. I do not notice any serious lack in the single player version. And I think choice is good. So for those of you who are against the game being anything but single player and with no other options... why do you fear these multiple modes will hurt the single player experience? I ask this sincerely because I think it's information EA is really going to need and they NEED to understand what they will have to do to keep their core audience, which IS single player folks, if they are dead set on pursuing other modes of play as well. So lay it out for them!

    Choice is great.
    I don't fear it. I don't want it. There are So many options for Multi-players out there. The Sims is alone is it's style of game play. If it wasn't I wouldn't be waiting for TS5 with only a tiny chance the game will bring back creativity in building our neighborhoods and better story mode (and better Sim personality). So, you see me as fearful, I see it as the only reason this PC game is so special.

    EA has this information. That's why there was such a ruckus about TS4 before its release.

    Perhaps "fear" wasn't the right word. It certainly wasn't meant to denigrate anyone!

    While yes indeed there are many choices in multi-player games out there you're absolutely right that there is NO game like the Sims, neither in single player OR multi-player. And that's exactly why a lot of people want a multi-player Sims game. Many gamers are very social and love the ability to share their gaming pastimes with others. And not everyone is into combat, which virtually all other existing games center around, either against NPC antagonists or player vs player situations. So a multi-player Sims game has a lot of potential appeal and I think we're kidding ourselves if we expect EA will continue to ignore that. They misstepped badly with Sims 4 but HOPEFULLY they have learned from that and know they better not do anything to drive away their single player audience. But they're also a business and their main business is making money and doing that may well mean they need to broaden their appeal. So I think the die hard single player folks would be acting in their own best interests not by just saying "NO!" over and over again (because I honestly think that is only going to work once and what we got from it was our current half baked Sims 4) but rather tell them HOW to achieve their goal of broadening their audience with multi-player capabilities while ALSO not abandoning OR alienating the loyal single player audience that has been the secret of their success all these years.

    So the real question for all of you is: What does EA have to do for the single player experience if they also introduce multiplayer options to retain your loyalty and interest?
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,584 Member
    AmaraRena wrote: »
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    @AmaraRena wrote: »
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    No. Just no.

    They can make more than one type of Sims games. They're done it for decades.

    What makes The Sims special is, to me, the person being able to play their own game and tell their own Sim stories.

    And I get that completely. It's my preferred mode as well. But I've played Conan Exiles on private servers, in co-op, and in single player. I do not notice any serious lack in the single player version. And I think choice is good. So for those of you who are against the game being anything but single player and with no other options... why do you fear these multiple modes will hurt the single player experience? I ask this sincerely because I think it's information EA is really going to need and they NEED to understand what they will have to do to keep their core audience, which IS single player folks, if they are dead set on pursuing other modes of play as well. So lay it out for them!

    Choice is great.
    I don't fear it. I don't want it. There are So many options for Multi-players out there. The Sims is alone is it's style of game play. If it wasn't I wouldn't be waiting for TS5 with only a tiny chance the game will bring back creativity in building our neighborhoods and better story mode (and better Sim personality). So, you see me as fearful, I see it as the only reason this PC game is so special.

    EA has this information. That's why there was such a ruckus about TS4 before its release.

    Perhaps "fear" wasn't the right word. It certainly wasn't meant to denigrate anyone!

    While yes indeed there are many choices in multi-player games out there you're absolutely right that there is NO game like the Sims, neither in single player OR multi-player. And that's exactly why a lot of people want a multi-player Sims game. Many gamers are very social and love the ability to share their gaming pastimes with others. And not everyone is into combat, which virtually all other existing games center around, either against NPC antagonists or player vs player situations. So a multi-player Sims game has a lot of potential appeal and I think we're kidding ourselves if we expect EA will continue to ignore that. They misstepped badly with Sims 4 but HOPEFULLY they have learned from that and know they better not do anything to drive away their single player audience. But they're also a business and their main business is making money and doing that may well mean they need to broaden their appeal. So I think the die hard single player folks would be acting in their own best interests not by just saying "NO!" over and over again (because I honestly think that is only going to work once and what we got from it was our current half baked Sims 4) but rather tell them HOW to achieve their goal of broadening their audience with multi-player capabilities while ALSO not abandoning OR alienating the loyal single player audience that has been the secret of their success all these years.

    So the real question for all of you is: What does EA have to do for the single player experience if they also introduce multiplayer options to retain your loyalty and interest?

    Sure, :mrgreen:

    As I said, EA can make a different Multi-player game. Not this one, not The Sims 5.
    I don't kid myself about EA and these games. If they want to, they will. I still don't want it.
    And yes, there are other multiplayer games enough like TS that you should be happy playing together. Yet if they make TS5 a multiplayer, there is NO other option for single players. Not even the "kinda single player side which won't take away from multiplayers." Which anyone who has played the Sims long enough knows EA does skimp on something. IF they choose to go multiplayer, they will go all in and the single player is out.

    EA, Broaden your Audience by making a mulitplayer platform that ISN'T the Sims 5. They have more than one teams and it's a Billion dollar company who gives millions in bonuses to their CEOs. Do Better, EA. Don't give us One Option, give us More, for once.

    There, you want multiplayer so you'll be happy. I don't need, "help them do better to make everyone happy." Cause that's not a thing.

  • JyotaiJyotai Posts: 505 Member
    edited May 2021
    AmaraRena wrote: »
    1. EA KNOWS no one wants a Sims MMO. They'd have to alter the game tremendously to get it to a kid friendly state. And that would kill off a HUGE portion of their player base. So by now they have figured out that THEY do not want an MMO either.

    2. A survival sandbox model would work wonderfully for The Sims.
    1. Plenty of companies have 'known better' and done it anyway. All it takes is one new 'Pointy Haired Boss' attending a conference on 'new ways to increase revenue' and everything can go nuts. One point here also is that we and the entire company could all be hotly against the idea and it could still happen if the wrong guy armed with a Power Point presentation (or worse, a TED talk) makes it into the conference room...
    2. I think everybody's had just about enough of 'survival sandboxes'... The last thing I want to do is 'log in' to Sims 5 and find myself looking at a sim in a loincloth standing in front of a rock and a board of wood while a meter is screaming at me that I'm 5 minutes away from starving to death, 3 away from dying of thirst, and 6 away from dying from lack of Woohoo...

    I don't use Discord because it doesn't support multiple accounts and I don't need folks at work wondering what I'm doing even on my own time. Until Discord catches up with every single other voice / video conferencing system, I limit where I use it:
  • Jaline33Jaline33 Posts: 1,167 Member
    Why not have both multi-player and single player versions of TS5? Answer: they are having a hard enough time keeping the single player version true to the over-arching The Sims vision. If they try to split TS5 into two versions, neither one will benefit or be fun to play, IMHO.
  • Ray_TraceRay_Trace Posts: 509 Member
    It's not really the multiplayer aspect in of itself that I don't like, it's all of the added frills and whistles that come from being in that environment and potentially tailored to that. Like, I'd imagine CAS or Build/Buy parts would be further monetized just for the sweet FOMO juice, and that would inadvertently impact the single player aspect of it too; some games such as CTR all players have to deal with its grind and rotating shop store BS regardless if they want to play online or stick to offline. Also, this will probably give an excuse for Sims 5 to be online-only, which will also severely impact the single player experience.
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  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,584 Member
    edited May 2021
    @Jaline33 wrote: »
    Why not have both multi-player and single player versions of TS5? Answer: they are having a hard enough time keeping the single player version true to the over-arching The Sims vision. If they try to split TS5 into two versions, neither one will benefit or be fun to play, IMHO.

    They can make another Team to make it. It doesn't have to be one team doing 2 games. :)

    *Saying they can't make 2 is like saying they can't make FiFA and The Sims at the same time. If I'm explaining myself well. :)
  • Jaline33Jaline33 Posts: 1,167 Member
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    @Jaline33 wrote: »
    Why not have both multi-player and single player versions of TS5? Answer: they are having a hard enough time keeping the single player version true to the over-arching The Sims vision. If they try to split TS5 into two versions, neither one will benefit or be fun to play, IMHO.

    They can make another Team to make it. It doesn't have to be one team doing 2 games. :)

    *Saying they can't make 2 is like saying they can't make FiFA and The Sims at the same time. If I'm explaining myself well. :)

    I should have been clearer. If they attempt to do 2 modes of the game (offline and online) it will cost more than EA executives are willing to spend. Therefore, both modes will suffer from constricted development and players will have two options of inferior gameplay. For examples, we can refer to Sim City 2013 - and the initial release of TS-4.
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,584 Member
    Jaline33 wrote: »
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    @Jaline33 wrote: »
    Why not have both multi-player and single player versions of TS5? Answer: they are having a hard enough time keeping the single player version true to the over-arching The Sims vision. If they try to split TS5 into two versions, neither one will benefit or be fun to play, IMHO.

    They can make another Team to make it. It doesn't have to be one team doing 2 games. :)

    *Saying they can't make 2 is like saying they can't make FiFA and The Sims at the same time. If I'm explaining myself well. :)

    I should have been clearer. If they attempt to do 2 modes of the game (offline and online) it will cost more than EA executives are willing to spend. Therefore, both modes will suffer from constricted development and players will have two options of inferior gameplay. For examples, we can refer to Sim City 2013 - and the initial release of TS-4.

    Oops. I see - we agree. :mrgreen:
  • Jaline33Jaline33 Posts: 1,167 Member
    As always, my friend. :D
  • Chicklet453681Chicklet453681 Posts: 2,431 Member
    That's my biggest fear, if they do both multi-player and single player at the same time

    Single player will ultimately end up a worse game with even more lackluster AI because that won't be their focus. Why spend time coding and creating this amazing AI that functions as it should, when people who are playing multiplayer won't need that because any other sim they encounter, will be being controlled by another RL person.

    It'll turn out to be nothing more than Second Life's wanna-be little sister. Only worse because it will be catered to 6 year olds.
  • AmaraRenaAmaraRena Posts: 6,533 Member
    I think there's a lot of things we'd all agree we wish EA would do when it comes to The Sims franchise. Two completely separate Sims games with 2 separate dev teams, one the classic single player and one to explore multiplayer options? Yes, that would be ideal! But figure the odds of that happening. I think it's pretty clear EA REALLY wants the profits that can be realized from a multi-player game. We "lucked out" when we were able to change their minds about making Sims 4 an MMO and I think we all know the game still suffered for their initial attempts at making it an MMO to begin with. Nor am I telling you guys to just suffer and accept that the next iteration will be multi-player. But I'm a realist. And I believe they are going to go there. Now I could just say if they do that I'm done with the Sims. And if they DO make it an actual MMO and, gods forbid, with NO single player, off-line option, then yes, I most definitely would be done with this game for good.

    So really what I'm looking at are trends in current game development, which does seem to favor a variety of sandbox multi-player games, and how likely it is that EA is going to add multi-player...which they have already said they are going to do. And I'm going to take them at their word on that. With that premise, my focus is on encouraging them to do it right. And a big part of that is to do right by their single player fans who have made them a ton of money over the years. So you can either tell them that unless they change nothing and keep The Sims solely as a single player experience and that they dare not expand to any kind of multi-player platform you are done with them. Hey it worked once before! But I honestly don't think it's going to work this time. OR you can tell them, "Hey if you want to keep me, and my money, then these are the things you are going to have to do to retain me as a paying customer with your new model..."

    For ME that list looks like this:
    1. Fully offline single player option. Hard stop.
    2. Co-op option.
    Those are the hard lines for me. Because that's all I really WANT.
    3. IF you add MORE multi-player options than just co-op you need to let us have private servers. Because I would rather set myself on fire than play on official servers.
    4. Do NOT change the type of game this is. No competitive content! I do not want to PVP in the Sims!
    5. Bring back the open world and give us LOTS of building options and lots!
    6. The base game NEEDS to OPEN with Seasons and Pets! Do NOT try to fob those off on us as "expansions" when they should be part of the world from Day One!
    7. Full slate of ages and with babies that are not objects but are actual Sims in their own right.
    8. Supernaturals early on and give us control of whether or not we want them all, just some, and HOW MANY we want in our worlds. "Play the way you want" means TOGGLES!

    Of course my "wish list" is even longer but this is the big stuff. What's yours?
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,584 Member
    Co-op options. I don't have a need or want to play The Sims with friends/family. Just... no. It sounds weird. If I can't shoot them in a game, what are we playing, Family?
    TS5 to start with Seasons or Pets~ I've been a part of this series to know it's not base game.

    I want a Game I enjoy. I don't know if I want to limit the game but if I enjoy it, I'll buy it. TS4 playing with Emotions is not enjoyable.
    I do want to be able to make the neighborhoods/worlds specific to my game. Everything in TS4 has to be added to your neighborhood, no options like TS3/2.
    To me, it was only that babies were tied to the cribs (and kinda ugly) in TS4 which made them unworthy of The Sims. It was too far of a step back (to The Sims).
  • LouciferLoucifer Posts: 199 Member
    I played an adult MMO game for years all it did was take money and make me want to move off the grid. Imagine all the Sims that butt into your conversations and walk up to you just to say hi when your Sim is eating or whatever. Being real people, not to mention just walking into your house when you are you know I will remove Sims 4 and go back to Sims 3 before I do that again
    When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny
    Thomas Jefferson (3rd US President)
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