Fixed the cart button to correct an issue that was causing it to animate for longer and more frequently than intended.
*sighs inwardly*
Dear EA. There’s a phrase that is widely used within the Anglo Sphere to encourage a person or persons to pick up on subtle and not so subtle cues of a group of people. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with this phrase at all but it goes like this:
READ THE ROOM!
Here we go with a little more oomph:
READ 💥 THE 💥 ROOM!!💥
Reading the room backwards might help:
💥!!!!MOOR EHT DEAR!!!!💥
In this specific case the phrase could be translated as:
🔥EA GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE SLASH YACHT AND DITCH THE CART!!!🔥
I’m aware that this is some sort of UI/UX test, however, don’t bother with it, respect your player base, the outcome of this test has already been as clear as day:
WE DO NOT WANT THE SHOPPING CART IN-GAME!
Every single reason stated in this thread and on other platforms for NOT having it there is enough to not go through with this nonsense.
It's not an acceptable "fix." We **know** how to buy content. Game immersion should not be subjected to advertisements. Sims 3 had an option to turn it off, and so should Sims 4.
I don't know how to play without your tuning mods either @83bienchen You have created so many useful mods that makes the game so much more enjoyable to play, if you quit modding I will be sad but it is what it is.
I'm not sure what do myself, I have lost interest in this franchise ever since the disappointment of high school years and I have kinda waited for something new and interesting that would bring me back to it, but nothing have caught my interest.
This new shopping cart button just feels wrong, if you buy all DLC for the sims4 you will end up spending over $1000 and despite that the game only asks for more and more.
The game already have a start menu that showcases your missing packs and also have pop-up ads pestering you about packs that you don't own like Horse Ranch which I kept getting every time I started the game, I can't imagine how annoying it must be for people that only own a few packs and now we have a shopping cart in the UI so we can't even escape the shop when actually playing the game.
All the money that people have already spent and supported the creators of this game over those 10 years apparently counts for nothing. There is a limit when it comes to treating your player base and I think many have reached it.
Tbh aside from everything else wrong with the button, I gotta say, the aggressive advertising gives me the impression that The Sims 4 is flopping and desperate for sales. You're getting up to three different levels of advertising before you can even play the game. (Four, if they ever decide to put ads in loading screens. And I feel they totally would, if they get away with cart button.) And then you get a constant reminder while you're playing.
Also yet another obligatory apology to Cade. Man's basically gotta be the go-between for us and deal with the brunt of the hate. I work with customers all the time and have to deal with them struggling with all the changes the higher-ups make.
The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
I am quite impressed how open-minded this discourse is here on the forums, especially when it comes to people with neurodivergence. Usually I do not talk about myself at all because my experiences have been way worse in my life. But well... yes, I have to admit I feel all of your comments. When playing my game yesterday, the cart did not flicker or pulsate in my game (did not play it today and I am not sure I will find the time today), but if it had done that... uff... it would have caused some serious trouble for me, too. I can't even look at GIFs because those irritate me like hell as well, so nope... please remove that from the game (and don't install it in my game!).
Tbh aside from everything else wrong with the button, I gotta say, the aggressive advertising gives me the impression that The Sims 4 is flopping and desperate for sales. You're getting up to three different levels of advertising before you can even play the game. (Four, if they ever decide to put ads in loading screens. And I feel they totally would, if they get away with cart button.) And then you get a constant reminder while you're playing.
Also yet another obligatory apology to Cade. Man's basically gotta be the go-between for us and deal with the brunt of the hate. I work with customers all the time and have to deal with them struggling with all the changes the higher-ups make.
I also have the impression that EA is desperately trying to sell more. Maybe For Rent didn't do as well as they'd hoped. But this isn't the best way to convince simmers to spend more money. A stable game with packs that offer enough content for the price tag, that's what convinces players to spend money. If I ignore the sales option in the EA app and the home screen to enter my game, I am interested in playing not purchasing.
I hope this cart gets removed, or at the very least becomes a not animated button.
At this point I've spoken to several of you via DM, but I'm going to post here as well because the community as a whole needs to see this information as well.
As it comes up from time to time, my main role here is not only to engage with you but also to act as a megaphone to your voices for the wider organization. I'm here and on Answers HQ compiling all the feedback we get daily, making it easier to digest and putting the numbers behind that information. Sometimes I'm feeling frisky and I might even throw in a ✨pivot table✨, endless possibilities, lets see where the day takes us!
The point is that I hear you, and I'm not sugarcoating or putting a false narrative on anything that gets reported up the chain on this topic. Keep your feedback coming, keep it here in this thread for my sake so I can easily spot it and record it accurately and please please please keep it within our rules and guidelines so I don't have to remove your well thought out points because you called us "doody heads" right at the end.
-EA_Cade
Found a Bug? Let us know here. Having a technical issue with your game? Reach out to us here.
* Fixed the cart button to correct an issue that was causing it to animate for longer and more frequently than intended.
So someone or some people at EA actually came up with this, an animated button in-game and decided that it's a good idea (or at least an idea to try out and most likely not remove no matter the backlash).
I can only guess the reasons unless EA decides to come out and just say it. Bad sales, and someone is in need of more money? Attempting to squeeze some more $ on Sims 4 before moving on to the next game? A test implemented button that will be in every menu in future games? Or just to see how much your customers will let you get away with if you come out with a nice stuff pack even the most pessimistic one was looking forward to? (has someone told EA about this crazy idea where you try to sell a product that works as intended instead of dishing out new stuff and hope for goodwill?)
Thankfully, I have yet to recieve a patch. And I will reject it to the bitter end as long as this 'button' remains up and flashing. I will not purchase the new stuff pack. For shame, EA.
_______________________________________
We want: Faeries, with a good ability tree, hopefully before summer 2024.
What do we want to get rid of: The holiday bug, the constant showering and the weed glitch.
> @Atreya33 said: > I also have the impression that EA is desperately trying to sell more. Maybe For Rent didn't do as well as they'd hoped. But this isn't the best way to convince simmers to spend more money. A stable game with packs that offer enough content for the price tag, that's what convinces players to spend money. If I ignore the sales option in the EA app and the home screen to enter my game, I am interested in playing not purchasing. > > I hope this cart gets removed, or at the very least becomes a not animated button.
This is the point. There are many simmers actively waiting to buy For Rent until the issues are fixed and if EA never fixes the issues (like Dine out for example, which is unplayable without carl's functionality mod) then they're never going to buy it?
@EA_Cade , I hate to say it, but they've developed a bit of a reputation. Simmers know that packs will be released buggy or broken. The PC crowd will wait for a modder to fix it - which is as I said on page 2, unfair to EA's 'free' patching team of modders - but the console crowd doesn't have that option? They either buy it and accept a half finished product, or not buy it at all.
What does EA think they'll do? Throw money at a half finished product? They did that already with the other packs that still aren't fixed to this day. Now, they're deciding to conserve their money.
Which brings us back to this icon and its existence. This is why it is so offensive to so many. I get it, profits pay for dev wages. However EA could sell OLDER packs they've already released if they just take the time to fix them so the console crowd (or unmodded PC crowd) will WANT to buy them.
Ruining our in game experience with sensory abomination icons is not the way to improve sales. We know HOW to buy packs. EA needs to make us WANT to buy them now.
I will add my voice to the cart button issue here as well.
I understand why the button is there and can see how this might appear to be a good choice to promote DLC but it really isn't the best option for the player. One of the Sims 4's strongest features is the clear and uncluttered UI as compared to previous versions of the game. This button, although no longer pulsating, is still very prominent and easy to mistakenly click on when doing things in game. It doesn't hold any value to the player while they are in live mode or build mode, to be perfectly honest. This is why most of us are very uninterested in seeing it on our screen.
Although I would advocate for it's complete removal, I could offer a suggestion for where this button could be placed in the live version of the game that would be the least offensive. If you (as the player) clicked on the three buttons where we normally access the shut down screen or look at achievements, tutorials, etc. and we see a button there that offers us a glimpse of items we might like, it would not be 'in the face' marketing that turns off your customer base. Feel free to add a button in that area and do as you please as it it still accessible from live game play but not on the actual game screen 100% of the time serving no real purpose to the player.
Thanks for advocating for us and I hope that a solution can be found to make this a better situation for all of us.
I cannot edit my comment but I would also like to add - if you spend over 500$ on dlc and also own the game before it was made f2p you have no right to try to sell me more stuff in such an aggressive way in a game that is so expensive. Its like having a BMW and paying a subscription for heated seats. Complete madness that only somebody in corporate being detached from reality would think its a good idea. My biggest regret is ever buying any dlc because now I see that I have just wasted a lot of money on all the content that was subpar to begin with, as EA has little or no interest on the consumer and game quality . We have been putting up with these things because many of us grew up with Sims (maxis one), and now we have jobs and can indulge but EA is successfully ensuring that the moment there will be an alternative, the majority of the “wallets/cash cows” will cut their losses and move to that game. What is the kicker is that even if it will be worse, the bar is so low that people will still play it. EA will struggle to find anybody with money willing to spend it on their product. To sum up what they have done now is: made the game unplayable either due to accessibility or being broken, made people very angry as they feel like they matter only in terms of money due to continued attempts to make people pay for game play which should already be included in base game, and pushed the part that has money (because i imagine this stings more if you have all the packs AND THEY STILL TRY TO SELL YOU MORE) to their competitors. They should have never put it f2p, i bought the game so why do i have to deal with incompetent decisions from EA that they thought would make them more money but actually in reality probably did the opposite and now they are scrambling to make money from the people they made the game free.
I am glad the pulsing has been reduced, but I don’t think the cart should pulse at all.
Frankly, I don’t want it in the game. It’s not going to convince me to purchase things I’ve decided not to purchase, and even if it did somehow sell me on a new pack, I wouldn’t want to stop playing to purchase and install a dlc after I’d opened the game. I would buy dlc before I sat down to play. Not when I’m in the middle of making up a story.
I intend to use mods to remove the cart until Maxis removes it or gives us a toggle. And I really don’t use very many mods.
Before I was seriously considering buying Crystal Creations even at full price without waiting for it on sale, would have worked great in my rags-to-riches game plays, but that's now put off for at least a month as I've decided I need to take a break from The Sims. When (if) I come back I'll see if that cursed ad button is still there and decide if I can be bothered to install a mod to make it go away, hate to think I'll have to setup yet another adblocker. During this break I plan to explore other things to do with my time, maybe even something that's both enjoyable AND productive.
TLDR: Protesting about the ad button by voting with my feet.
I’ve already said I won’t buy the new stuff pack and won’t update my game because of this. Now that I see that my favorite mod creater, @83bienchen has drawn the line here as well, I guess it’s over for me. I find Bienchen’s mods essential for enjoying this game. This is a sad day.
A shopping cart is not useful in the UI within the game. Even in the loading screen, the game must minimize to do any shopping, and it must be restarted to use any downloadable content. I can overlook ads on the loading screen, but when it’s IN the game I’ve paid for, it’s too intrusive. It’s a waste of the space and takes away from my enjoyment. Remove this button altogether. The community has spoken.
Going to add my voice and agree with everyone here. Pulsing with lights or no, there is zero reason for a shopping cart ad to be cluttering up our ui. It's completely unnecessary and useless. Even if someone does decide to buy something that way (very doubtful) they would still have to restart their game to play the new pack, which would interrupt their valuable game time. Let's not forget as well the Sims 4 hasn't always been "free to play". I spent 70$ day one to play a bare bones, barer than any past Sims titles, base game and over the years spent hundreds more to make it more enjoyable. I truly think this shopping cart icon is an insult to players like me. Please please please EA/Maxis, reconsider this marketing decision and just get rid of the button. We have plenty of reminders which packs we're missing. We don't need another in our face as we're trying to enjoy our game.
I rarely post anything anywhere, but this cart-button makes me want to speak up. First, I have not updated my game yet because I had no time, so I don’t know if I have that cart-button or not. Nonetheless I don’t want that cart-button now or in the future. As many said before me, I know which packs I don’t have and there’s a reason why. That cart-button will not change my mind. And in case I change my mind there are already enough possibilities to buy what I want.
So, to make it clear to you, EA, I will not buy anything anymore from your company until this cart-button is gone!
I for myself do not fear a pulsating button, but I understand that there are many people this cart-button poses a health risk to.
EA, I don’t understand why you made this button pulsating firsthand, have you forgotten that you had to change the color of the loading screen and a spinning plumbob, because it harmed people or posed a threat to people? How insensitive can one be?
So, to make it clear to you, EA, as long as this button poses a health risk to people and they therefor are not able to play their game, I refuse to play as well!
And, EA, have you realized how many users have newly created an account or posted for the very first time on this forum, to voice their opinion against that cart-button? This should give you a hint also about how good your cart-idea was.
EA, do yourself a favor, in the interest of your future earnings from this game - scrap this button-idea and make this cart-button disappear
Phillipa Erdnuss
Mayoress of SimCity and all associated districts
This game is a safe space for many people and for a variety of reasons. For me personally it's a coping tool to deal with anxiety and lack of control in the real world. Since Sims 1.
Constantly being nagged with ads doesn't feel safe. Realizing you're nothing more than a cash cow doesn't feel safe. Being lied to doesn't feel safe (and I consider the emergency patch a lie since the pulsing button has just been replaced with a flashing light). And let's not forget: buying save corrupting packs doesn't feel safe.
I wish the people in managing positions would realize how very different this community is and what the game means to us. And how much impact their decisions have not only on our fun but on our (mental) health.
I was actually looking forward to buying Crystal Creations (after all it looks like a very good pack). But these patches created so much negativity and anger that I don't feel safe nor welcome anymore.
Hi I am also joining in to say that I am extremely upset about this cart button. It’s completely obvious EA is just a cash grab now and I was actually really excited for the new stuff pack but I will not even consider buying it until this button is gone. So tone deaf seriously.
I have thousands of hours in this game. I own every expansion pack. I look forward to every new release, despite the inconsistencies in the quality of content that EA puts out. I’m a Simmer through and through. But this… this feels insulting. I’ve been playing since I was a kid, and I don’t think I could ever outgrow the Sims, but I’m definitely grown enough to know when someone’s trying to swindle me. The in game store in Sims 3 didn’t bother me as much because my parent’s money wasn’t as precious to me. Gotta love the naivety of youth. For me, the joy in this game is from escapism. For a while, I get to imagine all of these perfect (or insane) little lives that perfectly fit into whatever little boxes I want to put them in and I don’t have to deal with all of the complicated stuff that real life comes with. Except now, you’re putting a huge flashing reminder of my real life bank account right into my gameplay where it will always be in view. I may even click it by accident while trying to use a button, a button that I use all the time, a button that used to be in the same spot the new worthless button is in now!! I don’t want to think about my finances while I’m playing the sims. I don’t want to contemplate a purchase. I want to zone out and rule my little world. Also, I’ve never decided to buy a new game (or an add on pack) while I’m gaming. Usually, I make that choice while watching YouTube videos or reading through Reddit, or while dinking around on my computer when I’m not in the mood to play the games I have. Figure out a better marketing strategy, one that will encourage people to play the game MORE, not one that will ruin it for the people who have already given you their hard earned money. You won’t see any more of mine until you fix this.
A request from those who are still claiming to see the pulsing cart icon: if at all possible could you get us any video of what you're seeing?
The pulsating cart icon should not be occurring after the emergency patch release. There is a small yellow dot in the corner of the cart icon that you should see until you click on it, then it should go away.
Any info you can provide would be helpful!
Found a Bug? Let us know here. Having a technical issue with your game? Reach out to us here.
Listen, I get that this is a capitalistic world, but this is yet another step too far. The optics are just too greedy. And, it's distracting! What are you doing to my beloved game?! I've been playing since the beginning of Sims 1. I loved Sims 1. I loved Sims 2. I loved Sims 3 (the open worlds were AMAZING!).
Sims 4 has been an obvious cash grab. In many ways it's not even as good as Sims 3. But I have still enjoyed playing it. It's just...pretty disappointing. Seeing you continue to march down this path of further monetization of the game through intrusive advertising is heartbreaking. Why are you trying to destroy Sims?
I appreciate the work you do and thank you for passing on our thoughts.
I've had the sims 4 since release date. In fact i have 2 copies, one on steam and one purchased directly from EA. Over the 10 years of gameplay, I've spent close to $1000 on packs and DLC. I've also invested thousands of hours in the game to the point where if my life flashed before my eyes there's no doubt in my mind the sims would make an appearance.
I've had many annoyances throughout my time on the sims but I've never felt compelled to air my grievances to EA, until now.
The last year I've seen my game play quality diminish to the point of being close to unplayable at times. I dread update days. I dread new pack announcements because I know something will break and there's no way of knowing once it breaks if it will be fixed in the next patch release or if it will just be added to the list of endless things I can't use in the game anymore. I've taken to playing in offline mode to avoid updates and patches as they do more harm to my save file than good. I don't like this, I love sharing builds on the gallery and I like the sims deliveries but they are not worth the hassle.
I think you're getting immense pushback on the shopping cart issue because it's the perfect accumulation of your communities general frustration. When we ask for fixes ans patches, we instead get 5 new kits to purchase and buggy new game packs that break our existing game - whether we purchase them or not.
When will enough be enough? The sims has an incredibly dedicated and passionate fanbase. They spend immense amount of money for a product that continues to diminish in quality with each release. We already are bombarded with ads in the start up menu and within the ea portal. Having an invasive menu button is not needed. We need EA to address the bloat of the software, the packs being released at full price with broken features, the fact that packs have never been completely fixed and their bugs left unacknowledged (dine out, my wedding stories and most recently for rent).
I made a decision after cottage living to not buy another DLC again, as my game was suffering with each update. This kind of extreme and intrusive advertising on a product people have already bought will push sales away. EA already has a bad reputation for microtransactions. Sims players stick around because they have genuine love for the game, but even your most die hard and addicted customers have their limits. You've found there's with the cart.
No. EA, you're not hearing us. And you certainly don't seem to understand your own player base.
We do not want any distracting lights, pulses, dots, colors, sounds, or distractions from your little shopping cart. We don't even want your little shopping cart at all, it doesn't even do anything for us that the main splash screen doesn't, so it doesn't make any sense to put it intrusively into our gameplay in the first place. But I get why you want it there, I do. You have investors with demands, you have quarterly and yearly numbers to beat, and you have the classic capitalistic, American ideals to live up to. The more the game makes, the longer it runs, the more difficult it becomes to reach those financial heights. I work for a rapidly growing small business that uses big business thinking and has had continuous growth for the 10+ years I've worked there. Believe me, I get it.
But in this pursuit, you have lost track of why you have been able to beat those numbers and meet those demands over the years. You have completely lost touch with how your game has been able to be so successful. Allow me to remind you... It's the players. Your customers. The people who invest in this game, play this game, and hand over their hard-earned money to support this game. In your hyper-focused speed race to please your investors, you have completely forgotten how important it is to also please the community that makes your success possible. You have forgotten that there is still a producer/consumer relationship here that requires a delicate balance. You have taken your customers for granted for so long that you have become blind to your own insult. You have shown an audacity that leaves a permanent bad taste, and in one swift and very poor decision, have destabilized an already strained relationship and destroyed the little bit of product confidence that we had after having to wait over two months for a fix to a $40 expansion pack that was so obviously pushed out prematurely without enough quality control testing.
This could be your fatal error, as you are about to have the competition of your nightmares within the next year as new life simulation games come flooding the market, making new promises and showing more respect to a player base that they don't even have yet, than you've shown since Sims 4's conception. I strongly suggest you make your next decision very carefully.
I offer this advice from the bottom of my heart; sincerely, and with all due respect. And I can only offer you my honesty in this because I do care. I care about this community and this game. I care about the developers and the community managers and how difficult it must be to find balance between such disconnected groups. Your players want to love this game. And from what I've witnessed over the years, your devs and reps want us to enjoy it. The only one who doesn't seem to care about this...is you. And you are the one who has the power to change it. Doesn't seem right, does it? Believe it or not, we do want this game to continue to succeed, just as much as you do. Our intentions are not malicious, we are not the enemy. But you don't even seem interested in an alliance with us. And that is what's going to destroy a great thing. Please take a moment to ask yourselves if the lack of compromise and cash-cow treatment of a long-time loyal customer base... is worth it.
Comments
*sighs inwardly*
Dear EA. There’s a phrase that is widely used within the Anglo Sphere to encourage a person or persons to pick up on subtle and not so subtle cues of a group of people. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with this phrase at all but it goes like this:
Here we go with a little more oomph:
READ 💥 THE 💥 ROOM!!💥
Reading the room backwards might help:
💥!!!!MOOR EHT DEAR!!!!💥
In this specific case the phrase could be translated as:
🔥EA GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE SLASH YACHT AND DITCH THE CART!!!🔥
AKA
DELETE THE TROLLEY.
AKA
🛒
⬇️
🚀 ➡️🌕 = 🥳
So yes dear (= READ, LISTEN & ACT ACCORDINGLY) EA, READ. THE. DARN. ROOM!!!
I’m aware that this is some sort of UI/UX test, however, don’t bother with it, respect your player base, the outcome of this test has already been as clear as day:
WE DO NOT WANT THE SHOPPING CART IN-GAME!
Every single reason stated in this thread and on other platforms for NOT having it there is enough to not go through with this nonsense.
Thank you.
I'm not sure what do myself, I have lost interest in this franchise ever since the disappointment of high school years and I have kinda waited for something new and interesting that would bring me back to it, but nothing have caught my interest.
This new shopping cart button just feels wrong, if you buy all DLC for the sims4 you will end up spending over $1000 and despite that the game only asks for more and more.
The game already have a start menu that showcases your missing packs and also have pop-up ads pestering you about packs that you don't own like Horse Ranch which I kept getting every time I started the game, I can't imagine how annoying it must be for people that only own a few packs and now we have a shopping cart in the UI so we can't even escape the shop when actually playing the game.
All the money that people have already spent and supported the creators of this game over those 10 years apparently counts for nothing. There is a limit when it comes to treating your player base and I think many have reached it.
I really love those places as well 🥰
If only there was no pulsating lights above them 🛸
🏡 Gallery 📖 Stories 🌍 World Project 🥔 MOD/CC Free
Also yet another obligatory apology to Cade. Man's basically gotta be the go-between for us and deal with the brunt of the hate. I work with customers all the time and have to deal with them struggling with all the changes the higher-ups make.
The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
but we just really don't like cart buttons 😅
🏡 Gallery 📖 Stories 🌍 World Project 🥔 MOD/CC Free
I also have the impression that EA is desperately trying to sell more. Maybe For Rent didn't do as well as they'd hoped. But this isn't the best way to convince simmers to spend more money. A stable game with packs that offer enough content for the price tag, that's what convinces players to spend money. If I ignore the sales option in the EA app and the home screen to enter my game, I am interested in playing not purchasing.
I hope this cart gets removed, or at the very least becomes a not animated button.
At this point I've spoken to several of you via DM, but I'm going to post here as well because the community as a whole needs to see this information as well.
As it comes up from time to time, my main role here is not only to engage with you but also to act as a megaphone to your voices for the wider organization. I'm here and on Answers HQ compiling all the feedback we get daily, making it easier to digest and putting the numbers behind that information. Sometimes I'm feeling frisky and I might even throw in a ✨pivot table✨, endless possibilities, lets see where the day takes us!
The point is that I hear you, and I'm not sugarcoating or putting a false narrative on anything that gets reported up the chain on this topic. Keep your feedback coming, keep it here in this thread for my sake so I can easily spot it and record it accurately and please please please keep it within our rules and guidelines so I don't have to remove your well thought out points because you called us "doody heads" right at the end.
-EA_Cade
I can only guess the reasons unless EA decides to come out and just say it. Bad sales, and someone is in need of more money? Attempting to squeeze some more $ on Sims 4 before moving on to the next game? A test implemented button that will be in every menu in future games? Or just to see how much your customers will let you get away with if you come out with a nice stuff pack even the most pessimistic one was looking forward to? (has someone told EA about this crazy idea where you try to sell a product that works as intended instead of dishing out new stuff and hope for goodwill?)
Thankfully, I have yet to recieve a patch. And I will reject it to the bitter end as long as this 'button' remains up and flashing. I will not purchase the new stuff pack. For shame, EA.
We want: Faeries, with a good ability tree, hopefully before summer 2024.
What do we want to get rid of: The holiday bug, the constant showering and the weed glitch.
> I also have the impression that EA is desperately trying to sell more. Maybe For Rent didn't do as well as they'd hoped. But this isn't the best way to convince simmers to spend more money. A stable game with packs that offer enough content for the price tag, that's what convinces players to spend money. If I ignore the sales option in the EA app and the home screen to enter my game, I am interested in playing not purchasing.
>
> I hope this cart gets removed, or at the very least becomes a not animated button.
This is the point. There are many simmers actively waiting to buy For Rent until the issues are fixed and if EA never fixes the issues (like Dine out for example, which is unplayable without carl's functionality mod) then they're never going to buy it?
@EA_Cade , I hate to say it, but they've developed a bit of a reputation. Simmers know that packs will be released buggy or broken. The PC crowd will wait for a modder to fix it - which is as I said on page 2, unfair to EA's 'free' patching team of modders - but the console crowd doesn't have that option? They either buy it and accept a half finished product, or not buy it at all.
What does EA think they'll do? Throw money at a half finished product? They did that already with the other packs that still aren't fixed to this day. Now, they're deciding to conserve their money.
Which brings us back to this icon and its existence. This is why it is so offensive to so many. I get it, profits pay for dev wages. However EA could sell OLDER packs they've already released if they just take the time to fix them so the console crowd (or unmodded PC crowd) will WANT to buy them.
Ruining our in game experience with sensory abomination icons is not the way to improve sales. We know HOW to buy packs. EA needs to make us WANT to buy them now.
I understand why the button is there and can see how this might appear to be a good choice to promote DLC but it really isn't the best option for the player. One of the Sims 4's strongest features is the clear and uncluttered UI as compared to previous versions of the game. This button, although no longer pulsating, is still very prominent and easy to mistakenly click on when doing things in game. It doesn't hold any value to the player while they are in live mode or build mode, to be perfectly honest. This is why most of us are very uninterested in seeing it on our screen.
Although I would advocate for it's complete removal, I could offer a suggestion for where this button could be placed in the live version of the game that would be the least offensive. If you (as the player) clicked on the three buttons where we normally access the shut down screen or look at achievements, tutorials, etc. and we see a button there that offers us a glimpse of items we might like, it would not be 'in the face' marketing that turns off your customer base. Feel free to add a button in that area and do as you please as it it still accessible from live game play but not on the actual game screen 100% of the time serving no real purpose to the player.
Thanks for advocating for us and I hope that a solution can be found to make this a better situation for all of us.
Frankly, I don’t want it in the game. It’s not going to convince me to purchase things I’ve decided not to purchase, and even if it did somehow sell me on a new pack, I wouldn’t want to stop playing to purchase and install a dlc after I’d opened the game. I would buy dlc before I sat down to play. Not when I’m in the middle of making up a story.
I intend to use mods to remove the cart until Maxis removes it or gives us a toggle. And I really don’t use very many mods.
TLDR: Protesting about the ad button by voting with my feet.
A shopping cart is not useful in the UI within the game. Even in the loading screen, the game must minimize to do any shopping, and it must be restarted to use any downloadable content. I can overlook ads on the loading screen, but when it’s IN the game I’ve paid for, it’s too intrusive. It’s a waste of the space and takes away from my enjoyment. Remove this button altogether. The community has spoken.
So, to make it clear to you, EA, I will not buy anything anymore from your company until this cart-button is gone!
I for myself do not fear a pulsating button, but I understand that there are many people this cart-button poses a health risk to.
EA, I don’t understand why you made this button pulsating firsthand, have you forgotten that you had to change the color of the loading screen and a spinning plumbob, because it harmed people or posed a threat to people? How insensitive can one be?
So, to make it clear to you, EA, as long as this button poses a health risk to people and they therefor are not able to play their game, I refuse to play as well!
And, EA, have you realized how many users have newly created an account or posted for the very first time on this forum, to voice their opinion against that cart-button? This should give you a hint also about how good your cart-idea was.
EA, do yourself a favor, in the interest of your future earnings from this game - scrap this button-idea and make this cart-button disappear
Mayoress of SimCity and all associated districts
Thanks for spreading our feedback!
Something to add from my side:
This game is a safe space for many people and for a variety of reasons. For me personally it's a coping tool to deal with anxiety and lack of control in the real world. Since Sims 1.
Constantly being nagged with ads doesn't feel safe. Realizing you're nothing more than a cash cow doesn't feel safe. Being lied to doesn't feel safe (and I consider the emergency patch a lie since the pulsing button has just been replaced with a flashing light). And let's not forget: buying save corrupting packs doesn't feel safe.
I wish the people in managing positions would realize how very different this community is and what the game means to us. And how much impact their decisions have not only on our fun but on our (mental) health.
I was actually looking forward to buying Crystal Creations (after all it looks like a very good pack). But these patches created so much negativity and anger that I don't feel safe nor welcome anymore.
My first attempt at creating a Sims comic: The Parker-Goth Legacy.
I’ve been playing since I was a kid, and I don’t think I could ever outgrow the Sims, but I’m definitely grown enough to know when someone’s trying to swindle me. The in game store in Sims 3 didn’t bother me as much because my parent’s money wasn’t as precious to me. Gotta love the naivety of youth.
For me, the joy in this game is from escapism. For a while, I get to imagine all of these perfect (or insane) little lives that perfectly fit into whatever little boxes I want to put them in and I don’t have to deal with all of the complicated stuff that real life comes with. Except now, you’re putting a huge flashing reminder of my real life bank account right into my gameplay where it will always be in view. I may even click it by accident while trying to use a button, a button that I use all the time, a button that used to be in the same spot the new worthless button is in now!!
I don’t want to think about my finances while I’m playing the sims. I don’t want to contemplate a purchase. I want to zone out and rule my little world. Also, I’ve never decided to buy a new game (or an add on pack) while I’m gaming. Usually, I make that choice while watching YouTube videos or reading through Reddit, or while dinking around on my computer when I’m not in the mood to play the games I have. Figure out a better marketing strategy, one that will encourage people to play the game MORE, not one that will ruin it for the people who have already given you their hard earned money. You won’t see any more of mine until you fix this.
A request from those who are still claiming to see the pulsing cart icon: if at all possible could you get us any video of what you're seeing?
The pulsating cart icon should not be occurring after the emergency patch release. There is a small yellow dot in the corner of the cart icon that you should see until you click on it, then it should go away.
Any info you can provide would be helpful!
Listen, I get that this is a capitalistic world, but this is yet another step too far. The optics are just too greedy. And, it's distracting! What are you doing to my beloved game?! I've been playing since the beginning of Sims 1. I loved Sims 1. I loved Sims 2. I loved Sims 3 (the open worlds were AMAZING!).
Sims 4 has been an obvious cash grab. In many ways it's not even as good as Sims 3. But I have still enjoyed playing it. It's just...pretty disappointing. Seeing you continue to march down this path of further monetization of the game through intrusive advertising is heartbreaking. Why are you trying to destroy Sims?
I appreciate the work you do and thank you for passing on our thoughts.
I've had the sims 4 since release date. In fact i have 2 copies, one on steam and one purchased directly from EA. Over the 10 years of gameplay, I've spent close to $1000 on packs and DLC. I've also invested thousands of hours in the game to the point where if my life flashed before my eyes there's no doubt in my mind the sims would make an appearance.
I've had many annoyances throughout my time on the sims but I've never felt compelled to air my grievances to EA, until now.
The last year I've seen my game play quality diminish to the point of being close to unplayable at times. I dread update days. I dread new pack announcements because I know something will break and there's no way of knowing once it breaks if it will be fixed in the next patch release or if it will just be added to the list of endless things I can't use in the game anymore. I've taken to playing in offline mode to avoid updates and patches as they do more harm to my save file than good. I don't like this, I love sharing builds on the gallery and I like the sims deliveries but they are not worth the hassle.
I think you're getting immense pushback on the shopping cart issue because it's the perfect accumulation of your communities general frustration. When we ask for fixes ans patches, we instead get 5 new kits to purchase and buggy new game packs that break our existing game - whether we purchase them or not.
When will enough be enough? The sims has an incredibly dedicated and passionate fanbase. They spend immense amount of money for a product that continues to diminish in quality with each release. We already are bombarded with ads in the start up menu and within the ea portal. Having an invasive menu button is not needed. We need EA to address the bloat of the software, the packs being released at full price with broken features, the fact that packs have never been completely fixed and their bugs left unacknowledged (dine out, my wedding stories and most recently for rent).
I made a decision after cottage living to not buy another DLC again, as my game was suffering with each update. This kind of extreme and intrusive advertising on a product people have already bought will push sales away. EA already has a bad reputation for microtransactions. Sims players stick around because they have genuine love for the game, but even your most die hard and addicted customers have their limits. You've found there's with the cart.
We do not want any distracting lights, pulses, dots, colors, sounds, or distractions from your little shopping cart. We don't even want your little shopping cart at all, it doesn't even do anything for us that the main splash screen doesn't, so it doesn't make any sense to put it intrusively into our gameplay in the first place. But I get why you want it there, I do. You have investors with demands, you have quarterly and yearly numbers to beat, and you have the classic capitalistic, American ideals to live up to. The more the game makes, the longer it runs, the more difficult it becomes to reach those financial heights. I work for a rapidly growing small business that uses big business thinking and has had continuous growth for the 10+ years I've worked there. Believe me, I get it.
But in this pursuit, you have lost track of why you have been able to beat those numbers and meet those demands over the years. You have completely lost touch with how your game has been able to be so successful. Allow me to remind you... It's the players. Your customers. The people who invest in this game, play this game, and hand over their hard-earned money to support this game. In your hyper-focused speed race to please your investors, you have completely forgotten how important it is to also please the community that makes your success possible. You have forgotten that there is still a producer/consumer relationship here that requires a delicate balance. You have taken your customers for granted for so long that you have become blind to your own insult. You have shown an audacity that leaves a permanent bad taste, and in one swift and very poor decision, have destabilized an already strained relationship and destroyed the little bit of product confidence that we had after having to wait over two months for a fix to a $40 expansion pack that was so obviously pushed out prematurely without enough quality control testing.
This could be your fatal error, as you are about to have the competition of your nightmares within the next year as new life simulation games come flooding the market, making new promises and showing more respect to a player base that they don't even have yet, than you've shown since Sims 4's conception. I strongly suggest you make your next decision very carefully.
I offer this advice from the bottom of my heart; sincerely, and with all due respect. And I can only offer you my honesty in this because I do care. I care about this community and this game. I care about the developers and the community managers and how difficult it must be to find balance between such disconnected groups. Your players want to love this game. And from what I've witnessed over the years, your devs and reps want us to enjoy it. The only one who doesn't seem to care about this...is you. And you are the one who has the power to change it. Doesn't seem right, does it? Believe it or not, we do want this game to continue to succeed, just as much as you do. Our intentions are not malicious, we are not the enemy. But you don't even seem interested in an alliance with us. And that is what's going to destroy a great thing. Please take a moment to ask yourselves if the lack of compromise and cash-cow treatment of a long-time loyal customer base... is worth it.