"Loanet;c-17899092" wrote:
"muzickmage;c-17899077" wrote:
"Evilyn_1007;c-17899071" wrote:
If Likes/Dislikes and bunk beds would have been exclusive to the GP. Do you guys think it would have been worth the money then? I go back and forth on this.
That's a fair question.....
If I couldn't have bunk beds at all without DHD, plus, the likes/dislikes system was also a no go without the pack, then I would have to reconsider my opinion here to be honest.
Might I say that is rather hypocritical, seeing as you currently can't have modular sofas or shelves without DHD? When Ladders were released with Eco Living, there was still a ladder in Base Game.
EA's top shelf is not filled with programmers. In fact they're not much interested in the game at all. Basically, they say to a team, "Here's your Game Pack budget. Make a Game Pack." They also give a time limit for when they want it ready. Recently, EA took people from making the packs and put them on a Kit Pack team, while not hiring any more people. That's less people to work on whatever pack. EA is tightening its grip around the necks of the devs, giving them less money to work with, while making more packs.
It's actually the Devs who decide the theme of the Pack, as we should know by the Community Stuff Packs they've worked with us to create. The exception was Journey To Batuu, created because EA's gotta make Star Wars games, it's in their contract - not because there are millions of unplacated Star Wars fans playing The Sims. That's what happens when EA gets involved in content. (Shudders) To EA, content doesn't matter. Quality doesn't matter. What matters is profit - and profit is achieved by tightening a budget and relying on repeat customers while keeping prices high.
This (bolded) right here. We all gotta remember this is EA we're talking about when it comes to conversations about budgets and allocations. EA is not the only company to operate this way in any means, but they are known for trying to squeeze as much money as they can out of a franchise, which usually ends up with that franchise/studio dying (the EA graveyard is a sad meme at this point). EA notices that players continuously and without hesitation buy these packs upon release, even with players beginning to realize content is becoming more and more sparse (and buggy).
This whole thread is a discussion about how this pack even qualifies as a game pack, and a whole page discussing budgets. So remember, this is EA. And they (higher ups/executives) have 100% noticed that the majority (seemingly) of TS4 players will buy new packs upon release, no matter how empty or buggy they are, or how much they complain. This is proving to them (executives/higher ups/shareholders) that there's no reason to have big budgets. I feel pretty safe in assuming that the budgets for all types of TS4 packs have been getting smaller and smaller, as EA does what it always does. Which is try to squeeze as much blood from the stone as possible. Because EA doesn't care about putting out good games, they care about making money. Which TS4 does exceptionally. If they can get away with decreasing budgets to maximize profits (because companies HAVE to make more money than they did last year, ya know, unsustainable exponential growth), then they're going to! As long as people keep buying these packs (ESPECIALLY day one releases) then they don't have any reason to stop. Why should they?
TS4 is one of EAs highest profit games. Looking at the packs we're getting lately, I wouldn't exactly think that's the case, but it is. And they're gonna drain it dry, because they can. This is why it frustrates me so much when people complain about "the complainers".
Someone needs to hold EAs feet to the fire. And the only people (besides shareholders, because don't forget they're the people who's opinions
actually matter) who are gonna be able to sway anything are the people actually buying this game and putting the money into EAs pockets. Why do you think it took so long to get updated skin textures? Because they (EA execs) didn't care enough to allocate a budget for it. People had been complaining about them since the launch of the game, but something was only done about it because a majority of the community finally stood up together. Money (and the fear of losing any potential profits) is the only thing companies care about, and are motivated by.
The Sims team may care about putting out a good game. But EA doesn't. And if EA won't give the team the budget they need to implement features they and us would like to see in the game, then that means we won't get those features, no matter how much everyone wants them...