This is a genuine suggestion of mine. I think you guys have blinders on right now. For a long time it seems you've been releasing and releasing content that is not really groundbreaking. Even the packs that were well-recieved could have been much more.It seems like you release so much that you have stopped taking time to reflect, listen to the feedback, get inspired. You don't have to release so much DLC. The game feels like a train that has taken the wrong route and someone needs to pull that emergency brake and steer it in the right direction. I would suggest you stop, get off social media, try to empathize and understand the customers, reflect on what went wrong and what went right in the past 6 years and then have a meeting to discuss the future of the franchise. Take the time.And please do not misunderstand the fans and the criticism. Some Simmers in the community are bad at expressing it without being rude so I understand the frustration but I think you also need to understand that it all comes from a place of love for the game and the franchise and it's a way to tell you "We believe you have the ability to do better!". Sometimes it's not expressed in the nicest way but this is what it comes down to. Also if you are looking for better feedback that is (many times) constructive then come to the forums. Get off twitter and Instagram. There is no better place to connect with us than the official fan forums you made for us. I hope that you are well and healthy and I hope you can take the time to process everything that has happened this year, good and bad and make some sense out of it.

I agree. I would not mind at all if the team took a break. I would actually like for them to think about the direction that they are taking the sims4 right now. I am worried that they are trying too much to make the game into something else. If you want to make this game into a trend simulator, an adventure simulator a story teller tool...then you have to make sure that the game can support it, otherwise we are going to end up with a game that is just lacking in everything.So many games go down because they try to be everything instead of doing the thing that they know how to do well.

"Sk8rblaze;c-17641806" wrote:I don't know if that's the solution. The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 were pumping out expansion packs on a consistent 6 month schedule, stuff packs on a 3 month schedule. Expansions felt so much more complete than how they do now, even with that schedule. Now, it's just an inconsistent random schedule of things being released when Maxis feels they're ready, and the product doesn't feel like it's truly ready after all.I don't know what truly goes on at Maxis/EA, so I can't play armchair know-it-all and tell them what they need to do. All I know is I'm disappointed things aren't as they used to be.It's normal though if they feel out of it and uninspired/impassioned, for both new and old employees.I wouldn't mind putting a pause to the mediocre packs being pumped out (not like I've been buying any recently, last thing I got was Strangerville and I didn't even play it lol), but EA wouldn't approve that so, technically, yea it's not a solution.They have a problem at Maxis, they just have to figure out what it is because the game's genuinely hollow and doesn't feel like a 'AAA' game or even a 'live-service'.

"Sk8rblaze;c-17641806" wrote:I don't know if that's the solution. The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 were pumping out expansion packs on a consistent 6 month schedule, stuff packs on a 3 month schedule. Expansions felt so much more complete than how they do now, even with that schedule. Now, it's just an inconsistent random schedule of things being released when Maxis feels they're ready, and the product doesn't feel like it's truly ready after all.I don't know what truly goes on at Maxis/EA, so I can't play armchair know-it-all and tell them what they need to do. All I know is I'm disappointed things aren't as they used to be.Yeah but I think with the Sims 2 and at least for a big chunk of The Sims 3 they had a clearer vision and were going in a good direction. When you release a game like the Sims 4 that got so much criticism, maybe you need to stop and think why are people reacting that way what happened here?In short, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" but "if it broke then you better grab your tool bag, find the cause of the issue and make sure it doesn't happen again". How are you going to take a dump in a clogged toilet?

I think, as an unqualified bystander, that they need to sit down and decide what kind of game they want, who they want to make it for, and if the price of long time loyal simmers leaving or going to other simulators is worth it. I get it, I do, my time as a simmer is looking like its over, this game Series isn’t what it once was when I was a youngling and it’s leaving me behind. That’s fine, I just need to know so that I can enjoy what I have and be thankful for what I enjoy, without expecting or wanting anything else, basically I would love to know where the Sims team stands so that I can decide where to go from here. If the Sims team has decided that simmers like me and adults are no longer their target, who am I to beg them to make this game for me? I don’t beg people in my own life for anything, I dang sure won’t with a game. I am angry, and I am hurt. I’ve been playing the a Sims since I was a kid, I’ve been there for every base game launch, and nearly every expansion launch, I watched this game blow up into what it is today. I think I have the right to be sad and feel a little like the red headed step child.

Dear Sims team, do you want to take a break?

fififoofoo3123
5 years ago
"SimmerGeorge;c-17642104" wrote:
"LiELF;c-17642091" wrote:
Just curious, what do you consider groundbreaking?

The Sims 2 University, Open for business. The Sims 3 Ambitions, World adventures, Late night. The Sims 4 seasons.
I consider these groundbreaking or close to that because they either added something completely new and executed it flawlessly or took an older concept and evolved it into something spectacular.

But I want to close this here because this is not what the thread is supposed to be about.

for the sake of this, i’d say Eco Lifestyle was groundbreaking in some sense
LiELF
Seasoned Veteran
5 years ago
"SimmerGeorge;c-17642104" wrote:
"LiELF;c-17642091" wrote:
Just curious, what do you consider groundbreaking?

The Sims 2 University, Open for business. The Sims 3 Ambitions, World adventures, Late night. The Sims 4 seasons.
I consider these groundbreaking or close to that because they either added something completely new and executed it flawlessly or took an older concept and evolved it into something spectacular.

But I want to close this here because this is not what the thread is supposed to be about.

Oh okay, it was mentioned in your second sentence in the OP so I thought it was part of the discussion. I see players say it sometimes but brush off some of the things I would consider groundbreaking, so I was genuinely curious.

I'll leave it at that and move along to respect your thread.
DeKaythePUNK
Rising Vanguard
5 years ago
They don't need a break. They've done those surveys to get put feedback and content ideas where they could have already worked on for a while now, but they decided to also spend some time and resources doing all these other lame packs.

In other words, it was their choice to make these packs. I don't think a break would make them get better ideas. The ideas from the fans are all there already. They just have to execute it.
Chicklet45368
Rising Traveler
5 years ago
"DeKay;c-17642171" wrote:
They don't need a break. They've done those surveys to get put feedback and content ideas where they could have already worked on for a while now, but they decided to also spend some time and resources doing all these other lame packs.

In other words, it was their choice to make these packs. I don't think a break would make them get better ideas. The ideas from the fans are all there already. They just have to execute it.

I totally agree with that part. I'm sure if you're a team who has worked on the same game since the beginning it would definitely be hard to come up with fresh new ideas, but as you said, the fans have given fantastic ideas that would be something new to the series. For sure you will always have the people who want the same things (seasons, pets, university, generations, night life, occults, etc) but really people have made some really innovative ideas about game packs even to add what the functions and traits/skills would be.

So in my opinion, the devs really just need someone who keeps a log of the ideas and see if anything appeals to them.
Karamazov123
Seasoned Hotshot
5 years ago
"fififoofoo2123;c-17642110" wrote:

for the sake of this, i’d say Eco Lifestyle was groundbreaking in some sense

With all the bugs and glitches, I'd be more inclined to call it gamebreaking.
GroovyLady1968
New Spectator
5 years ago
To me groundbreaking is doing something that has not been done before. imo Reintroducing past content from The Sims 1, 2, or 3 is not breaking new ground; innovative; pioneering ... definition of groundbreaking.

Just because someone does not like a pack does not mean it's not groundbreaking. Some players might find that same pack groundbreaking.

Anyway, the Sims team will mostly have a 4 day weekend because of labor day.
When they come back I hope they fix some bugs.
charmed4life4
5 years ago
I think it would do the team good to take a break. They need to reflect and figure out what they really intended Sims 4 to be.
Wulfsimmer
5 years ago
"DeKay;c-17642171" wrote:
They don't need a break. They've done those surveys to get put feedback and content ideas where they could have already worked on for a while now, but they decided to also spend some time and resources doing all these other lame packs.

In other words, it was their choice to make these packs. I don't think a break would make them get better ideas. The ideas from the fans are all there already. They just have to execute it.

It isn't much about getting new ideas as much about finally having thag depth and consistency in the content of DLCs. They've been lacking that since ever with this iteration.
simgirl1010
Hero
5 years ago
"charmed4life4;c-17642486" wrote:
I think it would do the team good to take a break. They need to reflect and figure out what they really intended Sims 4 to be.

I think they've been telling us for the last six years. People just aren't listening.
charmed4life4
5 years ago
"simgirl1010;c-17642499" wrote:
"charmed4life4;c-17642486" wrote:
I think it would do the team good to take a break. They need to reflect and figure out what they really intended Sims 4 to be.

I think they've been telling us for the last six years. People just aren't listening.

If that's the case they've been saying it's a hollowed out cash grab.