Sims 4 Online Server Multiplayer

"MadameLee;15138898" wrote:

"Beniamino;15138893" wrote:
I do play IMVU, and I wasn't aware that having a single player mode in a game MADE it mandatory for people to play online.. Hmm I must be slow then..

IF online happened it would forced to people who want a SANDBOX game to play a non-sandbox game with other people who could be 18+ trolls

It could be done with an option at game launch. You'd choose either Sandbox Mode or Online Mode. Parental controls (maybe through Origin) could be provided to disable Online Mode.

My concern at this point is that developing an online or co-op mode for Sims 4 will take away time and resources from the core gameplay. You'll have to pull folks off the current development teams to work on the project. That could end up delaying work on toddlers, or pets, or weather, or any other projects currently on the development board.

We had co-op play in The Sims -- Simport in Sims 3 Showtime -- and most people hated it, partially because you were forced to use it to unlock in-game content (at least till the mods to unlock all that content without Simport were developed). What's to stop EA from trying to do that again to drum up interest in co-op play?

Also, regarding DLC, how do you ensure that everyone has the same content? EA's not going to give that away for free, especially something big like Pets or Seasons. So you'd be requiring people to purchase content that they might not normally be interested in or even might have moral objections against (in the case of supernatural/occults like vampires or witches or zombies).

I could see a server-based or co-op version of The Sims eventually, as a stand-alone game or maybe something included in a potential Sims 5. But not at the expense of the single-player experience, and I fear exploring the idea at this stage of Sims 4 would only hurt the sandbox crew.