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Content from DLCs in the basegame
Sthenastia
Posts: 651 Member
Maybe I'm weird but I think that currently we have too much items and things from the packs in the basegame but DLCs have still the same price and no new content to replace taken one.
For example we have just a few wooden floors in the basegame. To implement more wooden patterns, EA could just add more swatches for existing floors but not, they reimplement a floor from Spa Day into the basegame.
To be honest I feel that it is unfair for me as for a customer. I paid for something (DLC) and now, my product has less content then in a day I bought it, because someone moved some things to the base game and I have no other items/improvements instead.
For example we have just a few wooden floors in the basegame. To implement more wooden patterns, EA could just add more swatches for existing floors but not, they reimplement a floor from Spa Day into the basegame.
To be honest I feel that it is unfair for me as for a customer. I paid for something (DLC) and now, my product has less content then in a day I bought it, because someone moved some things to the base game and I have no other items/improvements instead.
Post edited by Sthenastia on
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Comments
But I get slightly annoyed when it’s big or the main object in a pack. Like the hot tubs.
Because I can't; I keep all sigs turned off.
"Basegame" wooden floor:
Wall panels from Spa Day:
It was obviously same set, but currently this floor panels are in the base game.
What's the big deal? The big deal is it shows how lazy or inept Maxis is by not creating a totally new floor or tile or wall panel and just grab something from DLC and throw it into the base game and say look how hard we work. Maxis has to give out 'free' content as part of live service. If they keep throwing in stuff from DLC into the base it just proves they don't work all that hard on creating something new for live service. It's like hey Maxis (EA's Live Service policy) you need to offer free content as part of the live service. Maxis: Ok here is a wall from Spa Day! ...........look we've lived up to the requirements of Live Service! let's call it a day.
It comes down to item per item for me, but as a general rule if I am given an improvement as compensation and the pack isn't gutted I am still happy. In fact, I have a mental list of features I suspect will become targets in the future and if not some I hope so (lifestyles could be so much more). For example, I don't particularly care that BG has a whittled down calendar, especially since I can now keep track of all those stupid festivals.
But yes, just picking random CAS assets and giving them to base game doesn't do anything for pack owners.
The dreadlocks hair? If so, I can give that one a pass cause basegame can always use more black hairstyles. But I really hate that they constantly just port paid-only assets to free for a lot of updates. When packs are often already way overpriced in comparison to the amount of content they bring, choosing to make some of those items suddenly free later on is...hmmhmhmhmm. Plus I'd like new stuff too. Or just...updates for older stuff that really needs updating (which they sometimes do but not nearly enough imo).
If they regularly brought in new content or updated old content along with porting paid-only assets to free, I feel like it would be less frustrating. But as it is it just feels...cheap. I know they got to make money and all that but good will goes a long way for consumers.
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I completely agree! Look at the upcoming pack, for the perfect example. The kids cooking and gardening and the awesome pond tool were clearly made for the pack and that’s what it looked like (to me) in the trailer. And then we find out that it’s going to be base game. I feel like a chunk of the expansion is being given away. Granted, the pack’s gameplay is much more interesting than the Sulani expansion…
And then the kitchen looks like a nicer version of the country kit, which is nice because the kit’s upper cabinets are weird mis-match style. But still…
It’s bad enough that packs seem to be more anemic anemic (like ROM not having matching upper cabinets or magic clutter items), but this kind of stuff just seems to be happening more. Like with the Decorator pack, this was THE perfect pack to give us customizable swatches (which can be done since we had it in prior games) and the trailer hinted at it since we see the decorator flipping through them (plus we could finally make the colors match), but no…. And the new bunk beds they gave us were ones we could have made ourselves, with the “why wasn’t it done for the update?” snapping of the desks, etc., when what they should have done was give us double beds to match the style of the single beds.
It’s very frustrating.
The pond should be base game. It was base game in previous games. I was surprised when they didn't add it when they added terrain tools. But in Sims 2 and 3, you could ice skate on the ponds if it was cold enough in winter.
As far as giving away DLC stuff, they should at least retexture it. Heck, they could probably hire a gamechanger or well known CC maker to do the retexturing for them. Why not? They're having gamechangers make the houses now. I actually think it's a good cost-saving measure. Influencer is happy to be selected, and they don't have to worry about fulltime pay or a benefits package. They already tested the water with this in a previous patch; I don't think it was poorly received.
Edit: Quoting the message I was replying to for clarity.
Wait, not to derail the thread, but is the pond tool actually not BG? I know it was in the livestream, but they went over free update stuff as well. From the beginning I was pretty sure it was.
It is. I was responding to a message I didn't quote.
What are you talking about. That floor was never part of Spa Day. Just because something looks like a set to you doesn't mean anything.
Sorry, I have to correct, not in TS2. TS2 has ice skating and rollerskating rinks.
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..
Sims 3 also had ice rinks. But according to the wiki, in Sims 2, when a pond froze over, you could ice skate on it. Wiki could be wrong and I could be misremembering though. In Sims 3, it was my favorite part of winter.
https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Pond
Build and CAS items are better left distinct.
And here's where we get into the question of 'what are you buying that pack for'. I considered Seasons a very off purchase because it had no new world. To me, even paying $5 would have felt too much. I got it only because I've been looking to be completionist and it had such glowing reviews so I figured I would eventually figure out what the fuss was. It did have a good amount of CAS and Build mode - so in time I've come to see the purchase as justified since I got it for 50% off. But most of it is gameplay and the game is better off the more of that that can be replicated in multiple packs.
Island Living was the only EP I bought outside of a sale. I saw Carl's review panning it as a horrible release, and that pretty much let me know I had to buy it. And I'm glad I did - it has exactly what I value out of an EP: a large new and very different world with a good number of lots, and not too much gameplay tweaking as that is stuff I prefer go into wider availability.
Yes there is a tiny mistake there in wiki
(only if new mod has been made for it in past like 6 months, that I would not know, as I have not added anything to my UC game in past half a year or so)
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..
Are there pictures of both somewhere?
That's exactly my thoughts as well. Those that don't have money to buy packs can get a few extra things for free. I see no problem with that.