I wish Maxis by itself could develop Sim 4. With much of the same team that developed Sim 1 and the start of Sims 2. Those guys/girls had some quirky humor and I'd love to see that back with sand box, off line play.

Isn't this how the Sims2 Store was set up? So people could buy things from EPs if they didn't want to buy the whole thing? I was actually thinking this same thing when reading yet another post on how such and such hates this about that EP but they bought it anyway because they wanted that feature or those build items. I would of been happy just buying the coffee bar and bowling alley from Uni.
The problems I see is 1. They would use it to price gouge us even further. 2. It would make it harder to share houses and such. and 3. It would also make it harder on the modders.

I vote for Rovio. Any company that can take a game of shooting angry birds with a slingshot to take out a bunch of pigs one of the most played games in the world might be able to put some fun into the Sims franchise.

Eh... I'm not against the idea.. but.. I'm just a hoarder.
To know that I don't have the Holiday-Fun-Stuff Pack for the Sims 2 makes my game feel slightly incomplete.. multiply that with a store which changes it's arrangement constantly? How could I play this game!? I would be sucked in crazily but my wallet would hold me back.. It just wouldn't sit well with me. I'd end up getting everything from the store from non-store methods and then I'd delete it all and then download it all again (and then delete it again) like I did with the Sims 3, so much hassle for some darn hairs!
So while I see the advantages (and I have a feeling this is where the "always-online" or "online requirement" feature could lead.. I just couldn't see myself loving this.

The glass that you'd think is half full is probably half empty.
You're expecting that from a company that just got "Worst Company of the Year" second year in a row? I wouldn't be so hopeful about it if I were you (note my Sim's pessimistic frown).

The sad part is, you know they're going to do BOTH anyway. They're going to release expansion after expansion AND have items in the store just as they do now. Why? Because it makes $$$. You have the customers that only by EP's and the casual gamers who will only get items from the store. I hate this model and wish everything was in the expansions, but unfortunately, this model seems to be working for them.

It would be great if EA added 3rd person in Sims 4 , so we could switch between 3rd person and strategy mode (or whatever its called) , i really enjoyed playing Sims 2 on PS2 that way , it gives you a better view and its more fun (to me at least).

Seasons was originally in the base game!?

I certainly like the idea, but with reservations. To fully get my on board with a Sims game like this, a few things would need to be done.

First off, is pricing. Features should be available for a decent price. It shouldn't be some absurd, money-grubbing price that EA would offend even a dog with. Features should also be able to be bundled, to allow for discounted pricing. That way, people can buy more features at once and save a few dollars, allowing them to spend more in the future. Some features should also be free. There are many things that people perceive should be free, and, regardless of the value, those things should be free. I'm not saying a huge feature or the entire game should be free, but small things like deep-fryer *cough cough*. Additionally, there should be a base package that would allow the buyer to choose from a few major features to be bundled in with the core game at no additional cost. Just enough to get the player by, but just little enough as to not give them free reign.

Second off, is online. The game should not require an always-online connection, and should not have social features integrated by default. EA's always-online is clearly a DRM scheme, no matter how they try to spin it. You also have to factor in their penchant for shutting down servers rather quickly, many players not having their Sims computer connected to the internet, and the problems that can occur (as demonstrated by SimCity). The social features are an extension of this. Not everybody wants social features integrated into The Sims, and many certainly don't want to play around them. Creating a social integration package that could be installed during the initial installation would solve this problem. Additionally, I don't want to be greeted to a login screen every time I boot up the game. Initial login should be an option, not an obstruction. Finally, if you have friends that have the social integration package installed, create a gifting system.

Third off is content integration. Utilize a newer, less bloated, more streamlined version of the package system. Create an encrypted extension for the package format, but only allow its use in official content. Allow custom content to use an unencrypted package format (to disallow content creators from blocking users out of accessing there content). And create a integration engine that caches and integrates content at game bootup, and deletes the cache files at game exit. While this would create a ballooning game footprint in regards to hard drive space, this would allow for old data to be wiped to reduce bloat and help performance. In addition, the integration engine would feature a save-game adjustment engine to remove and add features that have been added or removed from the game. Finally, the integration engine should feature an in-game integration feature, that allows new features to be integrated on-the-fly while the player is still in-game.

Finally, keep advertisement to a minimum. In-game content advertisement integration should be a downloadable feature, and not integrated by default. Booting up a game and going into the catalog, only to see objects you don't own but can spend money on is really annoying. Having an in-game content browser that is separate from the catalog would be optimal in this instance. In addition, there shouldn't be an eye-catching animation to steer the player's sight towards its menu location. A simple tutorial on obtaining content would suffice and prevent annoyance.

There's probably more, and I'm probably not too clear on some of the points, but here it is.

I totally agree here. I download a lot of custom content from MTS, TSR, etc. It's all so much better than the EA stuff (they really should be sending job offers to some of these creators.) So take out the generic hairstyles and patterns that we're not going to use, or at least make it easier for us to delete them. I think CAS would run a lot more smoothly that way.

What I would like to see is EPs and SPs thought up by the community.

For instance, they'd say, "Ok, the theme of the next expansion should be...?" and leave it open for a general theme where people can submit their own thoughts as well as see the suggestions made so far. After rounding some things up, they could pose questions. For instance, if Pets was picked, they could ask what animals the fans would want included, what features and interactions they'd like, what kind of toys for the pets, new CAS animals, what the EP could do for each age stage and how those age stages would interact/react with each new thing implemented, etc. Kinda like what they're doing with the surveys and the Time Travel EP. After accumulating some suggestions, they'd create a new poll that allows users to rate (yay/nay/meh) on the suggestions given by the community and give feedback as to why, like someone could vote "yes" on that they want sugar gliders ("Because I own one and would love them in the game!") in a Pets EP but "meh" on pet shows ("I don't think I'd use the feature very much as my sims tend to like small rodents rather than dogs and cats.") and "no" on hunting ("Not the adorable bunnies! D:") and so on and so forth.

I think that EA could really benefit from the community's input.
It could have really saved us the hassle of some of the ideas that fans have been less than enthusiastic about or ideas that weren't thought through enough so that the fans end up disappointed.

With SPs and store items, they could take suggestions from fans. Submit photos, send in sketches, vote on designs, etc. They could even do themes, like, "We're doing a Japanese theme for the next store set. Submit your ideas and anyone with their item chosen gets the set for free!" or something. I'd love that.

Activision/Blizzard. Why? because they don't take the games they do aquire and turn them to trash. EA has a long history of changing everything about a game a player loved and trashing it. They don't listen the the developers of those games once they aquire them..A/B repsecits devs and do listen and they don't change them into something no one would recognize but listens to what they fans wanted in the next serial and or to the devs of those games.

EA is like 'so what, single player is dead..and we are moving into online no matter what..millions will buy even if they don't like it.'

The problem is that millions do in fact buy it even though they claim not to like it.

I have no problems with microtransactions. If they are micro and not for adding whole new features anyway. Problem often is that if a game nowadays is designed with microtransactions in mind, the base game is mediocre at best. This is annoying if it is a follow up game where expectations have been set based on former versions of the game.

But I guess you could always drop the version numbering and instead of naming it The Sims 4, naming it The Sims 2014. Maybe that trick works this time :p

Why only flute? Why two string instruments but only one wind instrument? That's not fair! >.>

Okay, but on a serious note, I do understand where you're coming from. I liked The Sims 2's store better because it mostly consisted of single objects from Expansion Packs and Stuff Packs. I always found SPs to be a total waste of money, and I liked the idea that if there was one or two objects from it that I did want, I could get them by themselves.

However, the idea of everything going to the store and not having Expansion Packs sounds a bit extreme to me. The fun thing about Expansion Packs is that on top of what you purchased them for, there are little things that you find out you like, that you would have likely never tried otherwise.

Plus, no matter what I just plain do not like the Store. =/

Yeah, I actually had this same idea years ago.

I know that people like expansion packs because they think they're getting a "big box of new stuff", but in reality, they're a very bad idea. They result in a game which is a big mish mash of content that doesn't work very well together with features that are tacked on instead of seamlessly integrated.

EA should release all major new features in patches for everyone to download, then sell just the objects one at a time or in groups through the online store. If you don't want to use a particular feature, you simply toggle it off in your options menu.

I know, I know, it sounds terrifying, but I really believe it would make for a much better game. You would get only the content you want, and nothing else. Your game would not be bloated with objects you never use. Everyone's game would contain the same core functionality, which would allow them to improve testing and cut down on bugs. It may or may not be more expensive, depending on what you actually buy. Player who want to collect everything would probably find it the most difficult to bear.

Expansion packs are an old-fashioned, badly implemented idea and they don't have a future.

I feel like this would kind of screw the modding community. Good for EA, though. Don't give them any ideas.

I hate the store, and want expansions. (As long as the expansions are not full retard, like that katy perry thing)

OP - In other words you want The Sims 4 and a Sears catalogue.

I find it somewhat interesting that some people view this game as mostly object/cas heavy and that it mostly what matters to them. To me this is mostly superficial, as you can always download custom content eventually and seriously custom content creators usually do a much better job of it anyway.

I find the core gameplay much more important and perhaps items relating to this. I wouldn't mind if the base + expansions were just related to mostly gameplay (interactions etc.) and usage object related (eg. bowling alley or chess) and the stuff packs containing just clothes/decorative items (they can separately sell online if they wish). This in my opinion would be the best way to cater to all.

I think everyone would like to see the old team back in action, unfortunately, that team is in the wind. If I could pick an alternate company to develop Sim 4, it would definitely be Haemimont Games/Kalypso. Their Tropico games have a very familiar sense of humour and are fantastically addictive.


I actually thought of you when I was typing that. I nearly put in a bassoon as a shout-out. In reference to the original post, I would like to be able to pick and choose which instruments I want to have in my game. I would gladly pay 5 bucks per instrument and forgo the Late Night pack full of celebrities, paparazzi, hookerwear and an un-routable world.


I'd also prefer to get all my content from one place. I'd just rather ditch the expansion packs and get everything from the store.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Exactly! Well, expansion packs have a future, I'm just not sure that I want them to do so.

Compare it to Minecraft: when new features are added to the game, you download the latest update and everyone is playing the same game. You don't have to pay an extra $40 for weather; it's a major part of the game, everyone gets it.

And the developers don't have to consider, "wait...what if one player has feature X but doesn't have feature Y?" Everyone has the same features! Trying to create a game where any user could have any combination of 10 different expansion packs installed is simply insane.

And to make matters worse, the expansions are created by completely different teams, at completely different times. No wonder features from one expansion never seem to work with features from another. The teams creating those features were probably only peripherally aware of what the other teams were doing.

The only way expansions would really work is if they were all planned, and created, in advance, and EA sold them to us one at a time. But of course, they can't do that, because it would take too long and they can't pony up that much money for development costs in advance. So instead we have features sold to us a few at a time and the resulting game is a mess. And of course, these features can't work in tandem, because they can't guarantee all users will have them.

TL;DR: expansion packs make the game into a mess.

The whole idea of having EPs and SPs harkens back to a time when most people bought computers and computer games in stores. Twenty years ago there was a much larger selection of games. Stores with names like Computer City and Comp USA had aisles packed with computer games. Since this was how games were sold, it made sense to package your expansions in such a way that they could fit on those shelves.

Those stores are gone today, and even the last of them, a Johnny Come Lately called Best Buy, is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, with people wonder whether it will be around in 2014. The PC gaming section of Best Buy, which was never really all that good in the first place, is a shadow of its former self.

Today, we find our computer games in stores like Walmart and Target where they are given, maybe, a dozen feet in shelf space. The selection is really quite small -- nothing like the heydey of the PC game. Console games are given far more space, even though they have no where near the depth of gameplay as the older PC games.

In short, the whole notion of an EP or SP is horribly out of date. Much like the record stores of the 1980s, the video stores of the 1990s and 2000s, the boxed PC game is moving towards extinction. Like people downloading their music from I-Tunes, or their videos from Netflix, gamers will soon be forced into downloading their games and saving them on corporate servers.

Of course the only reason to force people to save their games on corporate servers or to require people to play on line is so mega corporations can spy on us. It's all about surveillance. Sometimes they just want to know what ads to target at us. But in many cases, the invasion of privacy is much more insidious.

Fortunately, for me, I have a very large collection of computer games from that golden age of PC gaming and I do not have to play the games that the corporate fascists want me to play.

let's see if this next Sims series is good or bad and behalf of the ts3 fans out their i'm proud to be ts3 fan :D

High Plains Gamer, I think you contradicted yourself. You pointed out that the way it was done is outmoded. You cited as an example record stores and video stores, and admit the concept of in-store purchasing (when it comes to digital things, anyway) is out dated. Then you segue into how this is so companies can surveil us. Well, although I'm sure they do, the two are not necessarily or completely related. The truth is it's EASIER to download games than in the 80s and 90s. Moreover EPs and SPs can become easy impulse buys. "Just click a button, come on, you know you wanna!" In fairness, the single best reason for most of this surveillance is to protect their own corporate interests, and there's just no way to fault them for that. After all, you don't expect your grocer to just GIVE away their stuff, or to tolerate those who steal it. So they put cameras in their stores. No real difference, at least on the surface.