Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.

Refreshes Won't Change Anything

My personal belief is that these upcoming pack refreshes that EA and Maxis is making such a big deal about won't change anything.

Things that it will change:
1: The packs and big patches made since its release affecting it in some way.
2: Improved textures to bring it up to date with the current graphics.
3: Making sure it will all fit in with the next expansion, which will look like we're getting new things but really...
4: Bug fixes that break other things.

This is why we're starting with an adequate game pack with no special gameplay additions which is nonetheless very old.

There will not be any gameplay additions, or for that matter any new functional content - we might get a couple of recoloured furniture and a few more clothes at most.

All of this is being done to bring this old pack to the attention of new customers.

The same will go for all of the packs getting a so-called refresh.

Prove me wrong, EA. Prove me wrong.
Prepping a list of mods to add after Infants are placed into the game. Because real life isn't 'nice'.

Comments

  • SERVERFRASERVERFRA Posts: 7,108 Member
    I so agree.
  • ncisGibbs02ncisGibbs02 Posts: 2,019 Member
    Loanet wrote: »
    My personal belief is that these upcoming pack refreshes that EA and Maxis is making such a big deal about won't change anything.

    Things that it will change:
    1: The packs and big patches made since its release affecting it in some way.
    2: Improved textures to bring it up to date with the current graphics.
    3: Making sure it will all fit in with the next expansion, which will look like we're getting new things but really...
    4: Bug fixes that break other things.

    This is why we're starting with an adequate game pack with no special gameplay additions which is nonetheless very old.

    There will not be any gameplay additions, or for that matter any new functional content - we might get a couple of recoloured furniture and a few more clothes at most.

    All of this is being done to bring this old pack to the attention of new customers.

    The same will go for all of the packs getting a so-called refresh.

    Prove me wrong, EA. Prove me wrong.

    I agree, it’ll be bug fixes and graphic improvements.

    Really hoping there’ll be more swatches on existing clothes and furniture.

    New gameplay would be more costly and I can’t see that happening.

    Now alternating between Sims 2,3 and 4! 😊☕️🌞
  • BabykittyjadeBabykittyjade Posts: 4,975 Member
    edited August 2021
    Well it's called "refresh" so based on that I'd imagine they are just going to freshen up a few things not make major changes. I don't really care that much but I'm interested to see what it is. I always tell people ts4 (and any other game) is either one you love or hate. Because if it's not a game you are happy with no amount of refreshing, new packs or patches will most likely make you fall in love with it. Rather or not you enjoy the base game should speak for itself.
    I enjoy it all the same so It doesn't matter if it's a minor change personally.
    Though when we had that survey about which gamepack should be updated I left them a nice LONG LONG list of all the possible ways they could update them. So I'm curious.....
    Zombies, oh please oh please give us zombies!! :'(
  • AncientMuseAncientMuse Posts: 1,061 Member
    Any and all improvements to various packs, be they major or minor, is a welcomed pack refresh from me. Thank you very much.
    My Gallery ID: AncientMuse2
    "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~ Mark Twain
  • crocobauracrocobaura Posts: 7,342 Member
    I don't know what they are going to refresh, and since nobody asked for a refresh, I assume they are only doing this for long term pack compatibility which makes me wonder if this will tie in with some future pack.
  • CAPTAIN_NXR7CAPTAIN_NXR7 Posts: 4,451 Member
    Here are my thoughts on this:
    • The community asked for older packs to get a make-over.
    • Maxis ran a survey to see which specific packs need a make-over the most according to this community.
    • I do not believe that the first pack refresh is one the majority may have asked for, because what the majority has asked for are big overhauls. The team could still be working on those, if at all. Let's say...Dive Lots for Sulani. We did buy Island Living without them...so why should they give us additional, complex content if we bought it anyway? Same goes for an expanded Del Sol Valley. We bought it as is. They are under no obligation at all to give us more if we didn't do the research before we bought the pack. But of course it would be wonderful to get, for example, additional gameplay to Dine Out for those who've asked for it.
    • From a game development perspective it would make sense to give all older GP's and EP's a make-over, especially since- according to the Simgurus - this game ain't over yet.
    • The most important thing is that any content that we've already paid for is bug free. At the moment that's not the case. The consumer invested in a complete experience, not a third or half of that experience. Giving the player the best experience should always be prioritized.

    I see this upcoming pack refresh as a test refresh. What can the team currently add to the existing code without breaking the entire game? I believe there is a lot of code cleaning to do on each pack and base game. Maintaining The Sims 4 is like a balancing act and so they'd have to start off small before they can move onto bigger, more challenging old content refresh while creating new content also.

    I'm going to wait and see. I very much agree with previous comments on here: I will always welcome any improvement to the game experience in The Sims 4, may it big or small-ish or tiny.
  • catloverplayercatloverplayer Posts: 93,362 Member
    I'd love to see some Stuffpacks get refreshed as well but it probably won't happen.
  • ncisGibbs02ncisGibbs02 Posts: 2,019 Member
    I'd love to see some Stuffpacks get refreshed as well but it probably won't happen.

    I don’t think they would do stuff packs either. Unless they want to bring them up to the content of Paranormal Stuff? 🤔🤷🏼‍♂️

    Now alternating between Sims 2,3 and 4! 😊☕️🌞
  • LoanetLoanet Posts: 4,079 Member
    As somebody who bought every pack, I feel very much ripped off because I can't save money with Bundles. I would love refreshes on old packs that I already own.

    But I doubt anything notable will be forthcoming. Paintings are not special either. You view them, and they can give you an Emote. Devs have been getting them off freelancers lately too.
    Prepping a list of mods to add after Infants are placed into the game. Because real life isn't 'nice'.
  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    Well it's called "refresh" so based on that I'd imagine they are just going to freshen up a few things not make major changes. I don't really care that much but I'm interested to see what it is. I always tell people ts4 (and any other game) is either one you love or hate. Because if it's not a game you are happy with no amount of refreshing, new packs or patches will most likely make you fall in love with it. Rather or not you enjoy the base game should speak for itself.
    I enjoy it all the same so It doesn't matter if it's a minor change personally.
    Though when we had that survey about which gamepack should be updated I left them a nice LONG LONG list of all the possible ways they could update them. So I'm curious.....

    Actually there are dozens of things they could do to 'refresh' older packs. One request we have seen over and over is to allow Sims and their households to run a restaurant so DO could be improved upon. We have read over and over how many different packs could be improved upon but that's not what Maxis will do. As others have stated it's going to be something nerfed that some people did like and or some recolor updates so people can squeal for a purple shelf instead of a white one, and or nerf a feature and call it improved because it would be rare to happen after a so called refresh.

    What they need to do is refresh the Sim. It's looks, it's graphics, it's art style, it's personality and traits. What they need to do is refresh the family tree to include other family members. What they need to do is refresh how Sims die and where they can be buried. What they need to do is totally Refresh the core base game and leave the packs alone.
    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • VentusMattVentusMatt Posts: 1,028 Member
    I'd like it if "Refreshes" added onto packs and helped flesh them out but yeah it's important to keep expectation low and view this more as an update to a pack to help bring up some lacking features, fix issues/bugs, and change things so they play better or integrate better into the game as a whole.
  • Mizzila1297Mizzila1297 Posts: 620 Member
    In all honesty, I feel like the pack refreshes are a step in the right direction in terms of fixing actual gameplay, graphics, incompatibilities, and other aspects like you mentioned. I don't really expect it to be more than basically a patch just for each specific pack or expansion, not adding anything new to it. Just fixing what needs to be fixed.

    However, regardless how many packs they refresh, I wholeheartedly feel they need to release a final patch after they've released their last expansion or pack for the game (a long way off, I know!) and fix EVERYTHING they can. As a farewell patch, if that makes sense. Fix all the bugs, make sure all the packs work smoothly together, and so on and so forth, because honestly as long as they keep adding content, bugs are going to be a constant. It's unfortunate, but that's just programming and development. It's not even anyone's fault entirely, technology is just like that sometimes. Especially as programming, graphics and other aspects relating to development and even gameplay keep advancing and changing- Everything is going to need an update.

    I don't expect they'll really add anything but bug fixes with these pack refreshes, but I will admit I am very excited about them! It's about time things started working smoother together :smiley:
  • GoldmoldarGoldmoldar Posts: 11,966 Member
    I do not trust EA/Maxis for various reasons when all could have been done way back. Talk for me means nothing until the goals are met and I seen how they handled the fiasco in Sim City 2013. Before releasing an pack do the job of of fully testing the code to weed out any problems before the pack goes live even if the pack has to be delayed.
    Omen by HP Intel®️ Core™️ i9- 12900K W/ RGB Liquid Cooler 32GB Nvidia RTX 3080 10Gb ASUS Ultra-Wide 34" Curved Monitor. Omen By HP Intel® Core™ i7-12800HX 32 GB Nvidia 3070 Ti 8 GB 17.3 Screen
  • Paigeisin5Paigeisin5 Posts: 2,139 Member

    "give new strength or energy to; reinvigorate" That is the meaning of the word 'refresh'. When the teams stated they will be refreshing older packs, my expectations didn't immediately go to new content or gameplay being added during this process. My thought is they are going to clean up the coding, squash some very old bugs, and basically fix the foundation of the game from the base game all the way up to Cottage Living in the hope they can keep Sims4 alive for a couple more years. It's a very ambitious undertaking that will take a fair bit of time and effort. My hopes are for the game to be less buggy once the refreshing process is completed, and we see a decline in the number of glitches in future packs. They will probably include some new assets and content as the game is updated, but I don't expect a complete overhaul happening to older packs. But I am curious about what the end result will look like and if the game will become more stable. The seventh anniversary of Sims4 is right around the corner, the longest life span of any iteration of The Sims. If EA plans to release more content for Sims4, it needs to make sure those new packs and kits will have a stable foundation. And right now, the game is showing it's age as times have changed a lot in the last few years. A bit of a refresh is definitely needed. The order in which packs are refreshed probably won't be in line with when they were released, though. Just because a pack was released at a certain time doesn't mean it wasn't being worked on before or after or at the same time as another pack. The teams don't work on one pack, release it then move on to the next one. Game development is a process that never ends and has many facets.
  • EnigmaOFFCEnigmaOFFC Posts: 58 Member
    edited August 2021
    I hope they padronize the wood texture of all objects in each refresh, and add a black and a white swatch for the objects, windows and doors.
    What I feel they'll add extra is expanding the content... If the pack is Outdoor Retreat I can see them turning Granite Falls into a regular world so we can add residential homes there, add bugs ad herbs to all the other worlds, add swimmable water to the world, update the textures, maybe add the hicking from Snowy Escape (maybe even add some bunny slopes that will spawn if you own SE), maybe they can add bunnies and foxes to GF if you own CL, and MAYBE add more swatches to objects, clothing and maybe a hair or two for male sims to balance the gendered content.
  • DaWaterRatDaWaterRat Posts: 3,351 Member
    the only "new" gameplay I'm expecting with the refreshes is to improve and perhaps expand on cross pack compatibility and maybe bring old content into line with new content.

    For example, the pond spawners we got with Cottage Living may be expanded to the bugs from Outdoor retreat, so we wouldn't have to keep going back there for bugs. Outdoor retreat may also get hiking trails like Mt Komorebi, and maybe (if we're lucky) even a cliff face to scale. (Not holding out for that last one though, as it would be a pretty major change to the map, and I understand those break saves.) So not new-new gameplay, but new relative to the release of the old pack added in.
Sign In or Register to comment.
Return to top