I do actually agree, I also want to fully own a game/DLC and am personally not fond of subscription services normally.
The suggestion for this topic is precisely that you should be able to own your DLC after enough time, just like you would own a house after paying your mortgage instead of renting.
That EA/Maxis may want to offer a service for the DLC (wether you can call it a "subscription" or not) is just good economics, as the current situation is having to pay up around 1890 $ up-front if you want it all, which may lead a chunk of users to try to illegitimate get the DLCs. However, if they want to offer such a service, I want it to have some permanent value to the "subscriber".
It isn't "good economics." It is forcing peopke to accept they do not own the game. The only way to own it is to have a hard copy in your hands. If Sims 4 were to stop being supported, I technically could still download and play the orginal base game and the first expansion because I own those both on disk. I know because I have downloaded them offline before.
Just to clarify: I do still want you to be able to normally buy the DLC from the EA or Steam store front and for the base game to be completely free. (Added that now to the OP, since it was my intention) I just wish that, if/when they implement a service for the DLC, that you can get an equivalent amount in DLCs (just as if you had bought them directly from a store front) to what you paid for the service, even after you stop paying for the service.
Basically, paying for your DLC over time, while still being able to enjoy/demo all of it while you pay, and being able to keep some (that you choose) after you stop paying.
If that still doesn't satisfy your requirement for actually owning your DLC and you require to own it physically, then I think we will have to agree to disagree. Though, I can understand that perspective from a preservationist view since I do own a lot of physical media myself.
What you keep describing is exactly like the "games as a service" model that is already the current trend. That is actually something I want the industry to no longer support and push gamers to accept. Games could be cheaper if we didn't have that model anymore. It also would force the game studios to release finished products that did not require a day 1 patch to fix or update.
I don't disagree with you about finished products being better, that day 1 patches and updates are annoying and that it may be cheaper for the end user. We both probably also agree that it would have been better if TS4 development would have stopped about half a decade ago and for the next game in the series to focus more on bigger expansions again like older games.
With what we know of certain rumors (which are probably going to be true considering the Marketplace announcement) some part of the team is at least allegedly considering a subscription service. It would of course be better if TS4 wouldn't have about 1890 $ in DLC and as such they wouldn't be thinking about it, but we just are in that situation.
What you want is a radical change in the industry, that while understandable as an end user to the point I agree with you, is not going happen so easily.
What I'd actually disagree with you is that what I'm trying to suggest being exactly like most game-as-a-service models. Yes, you still have reoccuring payments. Yes, the game is still live-service & will drop stuff packs that are worthless from a gameplay perspective. However, the difference in what I'm trying to suggest is that with a mortgage-like system you can be done paying at some point when you payed enough for what you want & actually own it at least digitally - instead of having to pay until the game shuts down and then you not even owning it digitally, like renting.
Let's hypothetically say that we are back in 2008 and EA/Maxis wants to offer a service to get all the DLCs that it has released for TS2 for a monthly payment. Which of the following do you prefer:
I'm pretty sure that we both agree that B is the better option here as a player and it is precisely what I want to suggest. Outright paying for your DLC is of course better, but TS4 has accumulated so much DLC over the years that there is probably an understandable consideration from a buisness perspective of implementing a subscription service because the amount is overwhelming for new players and I don't blame the dev team for thinking about implementing it with how much piracy there suggestibly is.
Look, I'd love for the old model of game development/economy to return, but it is a radical change that isn't going to be feasible to push onto companies unless it all crashes down. Option B is however, at least in my eyes, quite feasible.
If you don't want to financially support either that is fine, neither am I, but I just don't want the players to end up with Option A.
