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Scholar
Original Poster
#1 Old 19th May 2018 at 9:33 AM
Default Do you think EA was too quick to abandon Sims 3?
It's such a shame that EA left this game in the state it's currently in because there is still a lot that they could have done with this game such as adding more social options and improving the gameplay and now they're acting like this game had never existed or even just straight up disown it even though they're the ones who are responsible for its development. That's just sad because this game has a lot of potential to be as good or dare I even say better than 2 if they had just put more work it to making the game playable for people with lower end computers,fixing the game breaking bugs that run rampant in the game and put back in the best features of Sims 2 such as clothes shopping. In spite of all that I still think it's still a pretty good game but it could have been much better if there was more love and compassion put in it. Sometimes I wonder why they're even still in business when they keep on doing stuff like this.
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Scholar
#2 Old 19th May 2018 at 10:43 AM
If they just fixed some of the odd glitches, bugs or ideas...
Mad Poster
#3 Old 19th May 2018 at 11:05 AM
Yeah, totally. They came very close to making the "perfect" life simulator experience, all they had to do is fill in the few remaining gaps and update the game to run better on new hardware.

Having said that, between Into the Future and Roaring Heights, TS3 still had a damn good end either way. 2013 was probably TS3's best year.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Mad Poster
#4 Old 19th May 2018 at 11:24 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Squidconqueror
It's such a shame that EA left this game in the state it's currently in because there is still a lot that they could have done with this game such as adding more social options and improving the gameplay and now they're acting like this game had never existed or even just straight up disown it even though they're the ones who are responsible for its development. That's just sad because this game has a lot of potential to be as good or dare I even say better than 2 if they had just put more work it to making the game playable for people with lower end computers,fixing the game breaking bugs that run rampant in the game and put back in the best features of Sims 2 such as clothes shopping. In spite of all that I still think it's still a pretty good game but it could have been much better if there was more love and compassion put in it. Sometimes I wonder why they're even still in business when they keep on doing stuff like this.

You wish they had added more social options and included the best features of 2 while noting that the game is already unplayable for many folks. I think at the whatever the number is for the total EPs and SPs it was time to move on. They went to the other extreme in making 4 to be playable on a toaster, as some say. I liked 2 but 3 is my favorite version as is. And I am fortunate that I run it with everything except KP which I did not get and can run it well.

So, I do not think they were too quick. Some more bug fixes would have been nice, but adding more content would have just created more problems for more players.
Mad Poster
#5 Old 19th May 2018 at 11:39 AM
Playability would not be an issue at all had they done the bare minimum in post-release optimization. All they did was patch the .exe to be Large Address Aware but that in itself solved nothing.

insert signature here
( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Lab Assistant
#6 Old 19th May 2018 at 12:28 PM Last edited by ed95 : 7th Aug 2018 at 2:31 PM.
Godd question! Mmm you're right in saying that TS3 ended up in a deplorable state; not only has quite a lack on 'playability' and memory leaks, but also is not as complex as TS2 or TS1 were in several points, ironically (it is, however, quite complex in things like the mechanics of townies and jobs, some careers, CAS, etc.). We also didn't get a 'definitive' world, though that is a matter of taste; in my opinion, only TS1 neighbourhood feels 'definitive', and that's partly because it uses a simple template.

However, was EA too quick to abandon TS3? I believe not. From one point onwards, it clearly looked as if they had run out of ideas (the same kinda happened with the end of TS2); even though I think Into the Future is a good expansion pack (from what I've seen, I don't own it), it was preceded by a chain of uninspired or lacking ventures. Not only the expansion packs (Showtime especially is a low point in the series), but also the official worlds and even the Store! (Sure Midnight Hollow looks good, but has it been playtested? Do the resident sims have proper bios? They even kinda copypasted a family from Twinbrook! And it's better we don't start with the Shop system...).

Should The Sims 3 have had more content up to its potential? Surely. Should EA have continued this iteration? Surely not. Though, given the state TS4 looks to be (I don't own it either), maybe they should have just finished with TS3 and gone out with a bang.
Mad Poster
#7 Old 19th May 2018 at 12:33 PM
If they ran out of ideas, they can always rely on the creative of the fanbase's feedback.

As for the OP's question, I think not too. Wouldn't too much content blow up or slow down the game? Similarly to how you cannot filled the balloon with too much as it may pop up soon or ventually due to over quantity.

P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Lab Assistant
#8 Old 19th May 2018 at 12:54 PM
Quote: Originally posted by SneakyWingPhoenix
If they ran out of ideas, they can always rely on the creative of the fanbase's feedback.

As for the OP's question, I think not too. Wouldn't too much content blow up or slow down the game? Similarly to how you cannot filled the balloon with too much as it may pop up soon or ventually due to over quantity.


Yeah, they always have the possibilty of asking the fans... but they never do. Had EA done that, surely TS3 would be more satisfactory.
Theorist
#9 Old 19th May 2018 at 2:39 PM
Absolutely it was too early. I don’t expect new patches for ever, that makes modding a game impossible, but they should have released more standalone content like new towns and new transportation in the store.
I don’t blame EA for instantly disowning Ts3 as much as I blame some fans and websites. At least EA had a financial incentive for doing that. The rest of you had no such excuse, other than it was a newer release. It’s come back to bite you now though, hasn’t it?
Whenever a sequel comes out to one of my favourite games I take a ‘prove to me that it’s better’ approach before I dump the old one. Example:

Oblivion > Skyrim: Yup, you sold me. A more modern engine and great new features means the newer game is the new king.

Fallout New Vegas > Fallout 4: Hmm. A bigger gameworld and more vibrant environment than before, but New Vegas has the TTW mod. Still undecided.

Ts3 > Ts4: Man, don’t even waste my time. Get out of here.

#BlairWitchPetition
TS3 NEEDS: TENNIS COURTS > BUSES > PIGS/SHEEP
Can't find stuff in build and buy mode? http://www.nexusmods.com/thesims3/mods/1/?
Scholar
Original Poster
#10 Old 19th May 2018 at 4:28 PM
Quote: Originally posted by tizerist
Absolutely it was too early. I don’t expect new patches for ever, that makes modding a game impossible, but they should have released more standalone content like new towns and new transportation in the store.
I don’t blame EA for instantly disowning Ts3 as much as I blame some fans and websites. At least EA had a financial incentive for doing that. The rest of you had no such excuse, other than it was a newer release. It’s come back to bite you now though, hasn’t it?
Whenever a sequel comes out to one of my favourite games I take a ‘prove to me that it’s better’ approach before I dump the old one. Example:

Oblivion > Skyrim: Yup, you sold me. A more modern engine and great new features means the newer game is the new king.

Fallout New Vegas > Fallout 4: Hmm. A bigger gameworld and more vibrant environment than before, but New Vegas has the TTW mod. Still undecided.

Ts3 > Ts4: Man, don’t even waste my time. Get out of here.

It seems like to me that EA wants the developers to put in as much least effort as possible into the development of their games in exchange for the most profits that they can get. That's the thing about them that I don't get,wouldn't they make a lot more money if they had just put their money where their mouth and spend millions of dollars to help make the best sims ever? Instead they just complain about how hard that kind of game would be to make,sell you back some of the features in dlc after dlc and omit some of the best features on sims because of political correctness. I don't know I just wish that I would one day get to play a sims game that would rival Sims 2 and 3 in terms of content and gameplay using the most groundbreaking technology but the way things are now that's just a distant dream that wouldn't be accomplished until a long time from now. I'm still really grateful that we still have Sims 2 and 3 although 3 is still in an unfinished state.
Virtual gardener
staff: administrator
#11 Old 19th May 2018 at 6:05 PM
To be really fair, I kind of get the feeling that the sims 3 was actually made waay too early. Given the hardware now compared to what was then back in 2009. And since TS4 runs better on some low-end PCs compared to TS3. Now with TS4 EA made a huge mistake by not exactly listening to their fans and waaaay later along the way eventually gave what people asked for. With TS3... yes it feels unfinished, but it kind of makes me wonder what is considered finished in this case? Because there's always something new you could add to a game to make it's gameplay more unique. Now that's probably why we have mods of course, but I guess pre-teens and such would have been nice to have had in the game. I actually think maybe the best thing that they could do is combine all features of all sims games into one game + some additional features to really make it feel finished... although that might make it pretty laggy :P
Scholar
Original Poster
#12 Old 19th May 2018 at 6:22 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Lyralei
To be really fair, I kind of get the feeling that the sims 3 was actually made waay too early. Given the hardware now compared to what was then back in 2009. And since TS4 runs better on some low-end PCs compared to TS3. Now with TS4 EA made a huge mistake by not exactly listening to their fans and waaaay later along the way eventually gave what people asked for. With TS3... yes it feels unfinished, but it kind of makes me wonder what is considered finished in this case? Because there's always something new you could add to a game to make it's gameplay more unique. Now that's probably why we have mods of course, but I guess pre-teens and such would have been nice to have had in the game. I actually think maybe the best thing that they could do is combine all features of all sims games into one game + some additional features to really make it feel finished... although that might make it pretty laggy :P

Yeah they should've just picked up where Sims 2 and 3 left off although i'm not sure if there was much they could do about the open world system more stable and playable. What do you think about what they should've done about 4?
Mad Poster
#13 Old 19th May 2018 at 8:05 PM
The Sims 3 ended as it needed- the game engine was basically groaning under the weight of all the expansions.

I think they covered a lot of the bases of the areas of interest players had (whether or not they did it well is another question). And of course, quality-of-life bugs (does anyone remember that the Sims 3 used to have between-floor lighting until WA?) and optimization were never really tackled, mainly because of the corporate nature of Maxis at that point, and the expansion pack cycle.

That being said- the game is still a great base to build upon with mods and the right expansion packs- and it's the closest thing today that comes close to simulating a small society and slice-of-life antics in a customizable, open world environment. That's why I stick with it!
Scholar
Original Poster
#14 Old 19th May 2018 at 8:27 PM
Quote: Originally posted by jje1000
The Sims 3 ended as it needed- the game engine was basically groaning under the weight of all the expansions.

I think they covered a lot of the bases of the areas of interest players had (whether or not they did it well is another question). And of course, quality-of-life bugs (does anyone remember that the Sims 3 used to have between-floor lighting until WA?) and optimization were never really tackled, mainly because of the corporate nature of Maxis at that point, and the expansion pack cycle.

That being said- the game is still a great base to build upon with mods and the right expansion packs- and it's the closest thing today that comes close to simulating a small society and slice-of-life antics in a customizable, open world environment. That's why I stick with it!

I don't know there are still undiscovered territory that EA and Maxis never really dived into with this game and that's why I feel this game still feels unfinished and it just got really worst from that point on with Sims 4. Sure the game is an unoptimized mess and that's why they should've had put more time and effort into making this game playable for people that can't afford top of line gaming pcs during its development. Perhaps they were a little too ambitious during the time when this game is getting made because a lot of pcs at that time just didn't have the right hardware to handle the open world.
Instructor
#15 Old 19th May 2018 at 10:01 PM
Well, to put it bluntly, considering the current official EA Origin prices of the EPs, SPs and base game bundles, and considering that new gamers who today in 2018 decide to buy and play TS3 must pay (as far as I remember) the full 2009-2011 "new game" price for it, then, I have to say, yes, they were too quick to abandon and too quick to give up to maintain and patch it.
I'm not an expert in this field, but I assume that if a publisher company decides to abandon a game, it usually has a consequence that its price would be fixed on a lower level gradually. I can see on Steam how the prices of old games change to the south every year. EA hasn't done it with TS3 (I'm not talking about daily deals, Summer deals or Steam deals now - I take the regular Origin price as the official budget calculation for EA). So since the price is still a new game price (just think about it, only one EP costs 40 euros!), the least we could expect is patching the old bugs, then patching the new bugs that are caused by the new patches, etc. so at least a minimal maintenance.
Scholar
Original Poster
#17 Old 20th May 2018 at 3:14 AM
Quote: Originally posted by nitromon
Nah, they reached the max capability with TS3. The next step is to make it 64 bits, which is too big of a "patch" project and makes sense to be implemented in the next incarnation TS4, which they didn't.

Yeah maybe it was for the best. The game is already slow as it is and adding more content to it would probably break it even more, however there's no excuse to the way Sims 4 turned out and how they're treating it now. It could have done with a little more polishing though.
Scholar
#18 Old 20th May 2018 at 10:01 AM
Quote: Originally posted by tizerist
Ts3 > Ts4: Man, don’t even waste my time. Get out of here.


Yeah, I think Sims 4 could be much better of a game if they actually made it out to be Sims 4 and not Sims 2.5.
Mad Poster
#19 Old 20th May 2018 at 4:34 PM
That's a little cruel to TS2. Between the crappy looking map view, the wacky cartoon animations and the (former) lack of toddlers I'd prefer to call it The Sims 1.5.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Scholar
Original Poster
#20 Old 20th May 2018 at 4:50 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GrijzePilion
That's a little cruel to TS2. Between the crappy looking map view, the wacky cartoon animations and the (former) lack of toddlers I'd prefer to call it The Sims 1.5.

Yeah they should have called it The Sims Resimulated or something like that, at least people would be able to able to respect better with it being a remake of the first sims instead of a terrible sequel to the beloved Trilogy.
Scholar
#21 Old 20th May 2018 at 6:16 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Lyralei
To be really fair, I kind of get the feeling that the sims 3 was actually made waay too early. Given the hardware now compared to what was then back in 2009. And since TS4 runs better on some low-end PCs compared to TS3. Now with TS4 EA made a huge mistake by not exactly listening to their fans and waaaay later along the way eventually gave what people asked for. With TS3... yes it feels unfinished, but it kind of makes me wonder what is considered finished in this case? Because there's always something new you could add to a game to make it's gameplay more unique. Now that's probably why we have mods of course, but I guess pre-teens and such would have been nice to have had in the game. I actually think maybe the best thing that they could do is combine all features of all sims games into one game + some additional features to really make it feel finished... although that might make it pretty laggy :P


This.
TS3 could've benefitted a lot from modern 64bit engine and more focus on bug fixing and performance optimization too. Hm, now I think about it, it maybe would've benefitted from an altogether different company. But it did feel quite ambitious with the open world and the first expansion pack that was quite big.
Mad Poster
#22 Old 20th May 2018 at 7:18 PM
I don't think TS3 was too big at all, their engine was just very underpowered. There's games out there that can do incredible things 60 times a second (or more) that probably make TS3 look like child's play. Now why do these games not lag to absolute shit? Either because their devs continue to patch them after expansions and/or mods become available, or because they were designed to handle that sort of thing in the first place. Judging by how smoothly TS3's base game runs, the latter is very clearly not the case.

insert signature here
( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Mad Poster
#23 Old 20th May 2018 at 8:15 PM
How many and what mods are you using to make TS3 playable? This sort of discussion could help, even other than EA, develop a better game If we get to grinny nitty stuff and examine what/how upon the engine could be improved upon to make an ULTIMATE game so to speak. I wonder If the support for advancing systems will be maintained or updated through new sequels of the exact game but given for free for those who already have old copies of a previous game.

Quote: Originally posted by Lyralei
To be really fair, I kind of get the feeling that the sims 3 was actually made waay too early. Given the hardware now compared to what was then back in 2009. And since TS4 runs better on some low-end PCs compared to TS3. Now with TS4 EA made a huge mistake by not exactly listening to their fans and waaaay later along the way eventually gave what people asked for. With TS3... yes it feels unfinished, but it kind of makes me wonder what is considered finished in this case? Because there's always something new you could add to a game to make it's gameplay more unique. Now that's probably why we have mods of course, but I guess pre-teens and such would have been nice to have had in the game. I actually think maybe the best thing that they could do is combine all features of all sims games into one game + some additional features to really make it feel finished... although that might make it pretty laggy :P

I'll never understand why players want preteen. Wouldn't be extending a lifespan of a child or teen be equivalent. All that life stage would be is an unnecessary gap fill. Actually, I guess it's fair cuz we have YA for no reason whatsoever and they don't really stand out from adults ;p
Quote: Originally posted by Squidconqueror
Yeah they should have called it The Sims Resimulated or something like that, at least people would be able to able to respect better with it being a remake of the first sims instead of a terrible sequel to the beloved Trilogy.

Anything but naming/marketing it as a sequel. Of course, fans would be in disappointment nonetheless, as there wouldn't be a number 4 and hopes shattered for the new installment wait or cancellation that got caused by a weird spin-off take.

P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Theorist
#24 Old 20th May 2018 at 8:22 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GrijzePilion
That's a little cruel to TS2. Between the crappy looking map view, the wacky cartoon animations and the (former) lack of toddlers I'd prefer to call it The Sims 1.5.

I think it’s a fair comparison. Not in terms of quality but they are both 3D and a have a closed-world environment. That makes them the most closely related of the series imo.
Quote: Originally posted by mithrak_nl
This.
TS3 could've benefitted a lot from more focus on bug fixing and performance optimization too.

Agreed but the NRaas team are still doing that, and doing it more competently than EA, so it is actually still happening, albeit unofficially.

#BlairWitchPetition
TS3 NEEDS: TENNIS COURTS > BUSES > PIGS/SHEEP
Can't find stuff in build and buy mode? http://www.nexusmods.com/thesims3/mods/1/?
Mad Poster
#25 Old 20th May 2018 at 8:31 PM
Quote: Originally posted by tizerist
I think it’s a fair comparison. Not in terms of quality but they are both 3D and a have a closed-world environment. That makes them the most closely related of the series imo.

I would just call it a spin-off or a bad reboot that only manage to improve things (CAS but downgrade the rest it had offered in non-reboot. Yeah, those digits don't make sense (than again neither the leap from TS3 to TS4).

On the main topic of hand, I think the clear answer would be no, because If you pay attention to the question: "Do you think EAwas too quick to abandon Sims 3? Now concerning EA, would anyone really expect EA to fix what they constructed upon as broken-holed pipes or improve the stability of the engine and it's performance? I'd say to the OP's question "no", I'd rather have EA take a try to start on a new engine that's fresh and stable, but lol nope it didn;t. However, If the question was worded with the exception of the fact that is developed by that cooperated greedy careless company, then I would say yes.

P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
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