Taking advantage of new technology is one thing. Abusing it is another. After the Sims 3, I'd say that EA definitely abused the ability to sell content online. Certain items didn't need to be sold online. They would have fit the theme of various expansion packs (and even the base game).

I know and get what Original_Sim is talking about. The base game came with limited game play for toddlers and children, I mean minimal. Toddlers couldn't interact at all with children and teen/parents were the only ones with animations for toddler care. Not any of the cutesy, beg for attention or follow people around the house. When World Adventures came out, there was nothing for children to do except play chess and follow the parents around in the tombs. You had to edit the worlds to put playgrounds up on the base camp (if there was room) and make sure there was enough quality meals in the fridge at base camp (if the others haven't eaten it all) so the kid's mood wouldn't tank so fast. All in a nutshell, the generational play was not there and I think it was intentional, the producers at that time wanted to take the game into a new direction, RPG. Sadly for them, it didn't go over well in the community. I was one of them posting angrily about no relationships and kept getting in return that this is new, give it a chance.

The outcry got louder after Ambitions and I don't know when or why things actually changed but Generations was released to give the non-RPG players something, I guess. I was a bit relieved but like Original_Sims said, this could have been in the base game. Seems like the new direction was not so hard core, some goal playing was still being introduced and some family relationships or objects to make it happen were in future EPs or the store. Still the infants, toddlers and elders were forgotten about, there could have been lots more added to their game play but we got what the producers wanted us to have. Then we get the "game engine was bad" excuse, don't know how that figures in anything when the store cranks out the stuff we cried for, half working without any creativity.

The Sims 3 didn't have to be terrible and so sad that it couldn't be worked out from the box. When they released the EPs, wonderful modders took up the slack and gave us what the community wanted. The coding was there, but I don't really know what the issues were from the studios, maybe the executives was the problem or the suits believed that the community will buy whatever they crapped out. That is why I am not giving an inch to them for Sims 4. My belief that EA will allow the developers to give us a good game is at an all time low, I don't trust them because I have been fooled too much with the Sims 3 series. Lack of animations and simple things that made the base game in the past wonderful, felt lazy and unimaginative. I don't want to go through that again.

No more tiered expansion packs. If you're going to make an expansion pack, I demand quality. I don't want a half of the finished product, I want the whole thing. For example. If I buy a "seasons" expansion pack, I shouldn't need to buy a "weather" expansion pack to compliment the "seasons" expansion pack and suddenly enabling the growth of crops! These two things are one in the same; they go hand in hand. You can't have seasons without weather.

* Requiring to be Online to play The Sims. The hell is up with that?

I would also put in that login for that thing in-game or something, but it's optional and I never use it, so I don't really care about it. Sure I think it's dumb, I mean, why should I spam my potential acquaintances inboxes with messages of "My Sim just totally woohoo'd with their partner!" every half hour because my Sim often wish to do that? Who cares if they woohoo like rabbits, let them. Other people don't need to know and I doubt they want to.

* Weird woohoo noises in Sims 2... thankfully changed in Sims 3. Kudos for that.

* Story Progression - at least not what the Sims 3 gives us... I saw NOTHING really changing with it on, except for one toddler aging up to child.

* Weather only with Expansions - goddamn, I want that in a base game, how much more base can you get than the weather?

* Sims that have phones implanted into their ass - I don't carry my phone all over the place, so why should my Sims?

C-A

Don't think I need to elaborate here. XD

As for "how to support the game without microtransactions", well, there's always simply buying the game. That always worked in the past. Make a good game, I'll buy it. Make a shoddy game and try to charge me for all the stuff that should've been in it in the beginning and I'll keep my money and spend it on ice skating and movies and curries instead.

I totally agree with you, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the idea of DLC or the Sims Store, but the way they're both executed a majority of the time is just pathetic and disgusting.

The store should be used to further our experience and offer niche products and gameplay elements that would not be suited to a whole expansion pack, but to sell things that were clearly left out of an expansion, such as that surfing ramp or whatever it was that came out not long after Island Paradise, is just a joke.
I also don't know if they shit themselves because they left out an OFB expansion and people wanted it, or if it was their plan the whole time to just piece meal it out to people on the store - but the fact they sold something like 2 venues (maybe more) and a world to give us our TS3 version of OFB is just pathetic. Instead of selling it to us all together in an expansion for $30, they've managed to carve it up and sell us separately, probably doubling if not tripling the money they would have got from an expansion. I think this sets a scary standard, and I wouldn't put it past EA to try this a lot more in TS4.

The idea of selling worlds is also quite good and I have nothing against it, worlds like lucky palms and roaring heights were good and I don't think they could have been included in any of the existing EP's, but their pricing is pathetic, to charge $20 or $35 for a fucking world is disgusting. I don't care how much 'premium content' or new objects are included, to charge just under, or more than an entire expansion pack for a world (something I can download from the community for free) just shows that they have no regard for fans and see us simply for our money.

Uh let's see... What I don't like about the sims series...

Rabbit holes? They were tolerable, I guess.
Bro trait? Haven't played since the release of UL.
Microtransactions? I'm broke, why do I care? The community makes much better stuff, IMO.
Generations? Well, I guess you could say that was useless. Can't even think of what it added, really.
Pudding faces? Well, when there's a will, there's a way; I'm sure I can get around that somehow.
No seasons or pets in base game? What's the problem here? That's a staple of the sims as a series-- there will more than likely be a pets/seasons EP.

Just some things I've seen people complaining about around here. Sorry for playing devil's advocate, but I'm really excited for TS4 and you guys are killing the vibe.

Things that never should have happened to The Sims:

They never should have gone back to preset colors! If Create-a-Style from Sims 3 was loading too slowly, they should have worked on changing it so it worked faster, not scrapped it completely for TS4.

Premium Contents. I hate them. They ruined EPs.
e.g. Baker's Station ( and Bohemian Fruit and Nuts for some recipes), Baker's Bazaar Collection, It's Business Time Industrial Oven, Wood Fire Oven, Chun Co. Teppanyaki Grill, Savvy Seller's Collection are all pieces of Open For Business EP. And we can add even more things to this list actually. Because they're made to work individually they don't function as they should together so they really don't add anyting to the game play.They're just waste of money.

overpriced store content..in fact any store content. Put it in a £20 ep/sp and stop being so tight!

text boxes which replace interactions.

corporate greed.

I'm really trying to think of something from Sims 2 to balance it out but I just cant.

Oh, nobody's saying it's wrong to be excited for the Sims 4. Just that most people who aren't as excited for the Sims 4, we just think there isn't much of a good reason behind getting excited for a game where we barely know anything about it. All we've seen is a video explaining the emotions somewhat, which I already think are changing too fast (nothing against mood swings, but that seems a lilttle too fast even for me), CAS and short shorts of building mode that seem to consist of only using blueprint mode, which isn't all that fun to use to build nice houses.
I mean, I guess it's helpful for people like me who get lazy while building houses, but even I barely ever used Blueprint mode in Sims 3.

C-A

How about just every single (good) idea from previous sims games, and put them ALL into the TS4 basegame? Rather than repeating the same damn exansion packs over and over again. I'm talking about weather, pets, houseboats etc... Don't make us buy the same stuff every time a new game plops out. Give us new stuff!
Wait... what was this thread about?

The Sims 1 was 14 years ago.

So, you think that because something's newer, it means it's okay to gouge consumers worse? I bet EA loves you...

I've never even encountered said trait. Is it male only? I usually just play female sims…

*Goes to look it up*

Oh, it's TS4.

Yeah, I agree that sounds pretty stupid.

Oh wow that is so unfair. So, just because I'm not anti-capitalist like you that means I'm an EA supporter?

EA making The Sims 3 such a crappy game with no heart and soul.

And the Store should never have happened.

God, this. It offered unlimited customisation. People should be annoyed something so useful is being removed, rather than fixed. I think CAW is a broken piece of crap, but I don't want it removed because world building is an important field of CC. Release a tool that works.

Other things:
1. Completely missing what the Sims is about with some of the expansion packs, namely World Adventures. If people want to play an RPG they'll go with Skyrim, not a freakin' third-generation life simulator game. EA didn't bring in new customers with that, they just alienated the old ones.
2. Going off poorly implemented expansion packs, the split in themes and how there was clearly no planning. Fame split between Late Night and Superstar and poorly done in both, a music career over three different games.
3. The obvious Store scams. Everybody involved in the overpriced, completely broken greenhouse - released oh so conveniently just after Seasons - deserves to be beaten with socks filled with pennies.
4. Community lot rabbitholes. Yeah, I don't expect to see a functioning hospital or a school or a business office, but taking out restaurants and the cinema and spa and the bookstore were just terrible ideas.

But it is one of the earlier instances of a game that tested this option out. It was free but it was branded content (Pepsi, McDonalds, Intel, MTV, Sid Meier, SSX and Command&Conquer DLC). It was the gateway drug.

Edit to add: And it was premium content, too, in a way. IIRC, the Pepsi machine only worked in US versions unless you tinkered around with mods and files.

Edit2: And as regards the constant Maxis nostalgia and whining vs EA. Electronic Arts bought Maxis in 1997. The Sims has always been a game by EA.

This is true. But something has been lost, that is for certain. I guess the video industry 'grew up' and created an identity that all games now have to be categorized within? Or maybe it's the educational system that is teaching gaming students to do things the same ways? Or maybe Maxis employees are too controlled by EA's marketing department? Or expenses have gone up so much that they just don't put enough money into making games any more? Or maybe it's the short-term focus on profits for the stock holders? Or maybe the Maxis team just all lost their passion for a simulation game? Or maybe they never had it in the first place; maybe the whole concept began and walked away with Will Wright?

And I'm not someone who worships the ground that guy walks on, either, because he is the type of personality that always has to be thinking up something new and if he stayed involved with the Sims it would have changed anyway. But things have changed, that is for sure. I'm not against updating a game, but trying to change it into another type of game entirely (online, RPG, achievements, unlocking content) I am NOT ok with. :/

Why? Are they forcing you to buy stuff? Or is it already in the game and taking space off your hard drive? NO.

The point is that they are spending time on designing objects that should be included into expansion packs. Expansion packs are getting slimmer and slimmer, and many feel that that's because resources are being spent on a separate cash shop instead of just releasing expansions like most games. Also good item idea's will sit in the store instead of being implemented into an expansion.

I'm sure more than once an item was designed for an expansion, and the Sims team decided to stick it into the store instead.

This is so stupid it's laughable...
Online DLC was established and TS1 had it too but free.
Technological limitations? HAHAHAH! Last time I checked it was 14 years ago not 1,400... If there was technological limitations then why was there CC or downloadable objects on the TS1 site?
I'm sorry to say this and I feel kind of bad but your whole post is just completely and utterly wrong.

I'm not saying I can speak for everyone, but I believe most of us don't object to the idea of microtransactions and an online store, just to the way it's been handled by EA. After all, DLC is a smart way for EA to stay competitive in the video games market, and that is something that they have to do, whether we like it or not. Personally, I like the thought of being able to get some extra content for my games, especially if it's unusually themed stuff or something that wouldn't fit into any expansion pack.

But... I hate that so many of the objects are broken, badly thought-out, and/or don't work with the rest of the content. I hate that there are some objects and sets that truly seem to fit into EPs, but they were placed in the Store instead. I hate that they sometimes ask a lot of money for content that is crappier and less interesting than what many modders create for free. Lastly, I hate the stupid Simpoints thing. I get why they do it, but it's just a slimeball way to do business in my opinion.

We can't compare Sims 1 and the upcoming sims, the game industry has changed and nowadays DLC is the standard, everybody does it so EA won't lose the chance to do it too. This just speaks about how the game industry is in its decadence right now. Recently my bf bought the ps4 and i had the chance to try some games, the thing is, all games have the same figging mechanics, it's the same fight with the square button, do combos and then release rage(?), right now big companies are not interested in any innovation in gameplay, they'd rather milk the same old cow, releasing more and more sequels with improved graphics and more DLC for you to buy