Suggestion: EA become more user friendly

Sorry but I'm ready for new packs. Would be really sad if they stopped releasing because I'm having a blast ?
Andyou always had a voice? No one was ever forced to play any of EA games. Even if ts4 was the only life sim I would never touch it if it didn't bring me joy. There are tons of other games out there and tons of other things to do in the world that also brings joy.
There's no way I would play a game "miserably" just because I feel like it's one of a kind.
You always had a voice.
Glitches are always being worked on btw and they are always putting out fixes whenever possible. I'm sure there are days when the team works long hours and are stressed as well. They are only human not machines but it's something many players don't seem to understand.
No game will ever be perfect and ts4 foundation was built a certain way. It wasn't built to be ts3 and it's not going to magically change because another game comes out.

I completly agree with Sarah26Cat, EA needs to improve to face the competition. To me this last EP was to most part misspent money. I don't see any major effect when I play the household with no infants. I am looking forward to what "Life by You" will bring

So, I think everyone here speaks truth, because the situation and potential solutions are complicated and nuanced. I could say a lot on this topic but I'll try to keep it as short as I can.

Yes, we are facing three life Sim releases in the (semi) near future. Yay for choices! Except that from where I'm standing, there's not a lot to really differentiate them at this stage, which I admit, is still fairly early. All are promising "real life" simulations in one way or another, which is actually not what I'm personally looking for at all. I don't care about the food, I don't care about the daily grind of jobs, I don't care about cars, and I don't care about domestic tasks. I don't care about real life culture, fashion, trends, or even open world (Specifically in relation to my game.) I'm not looking for representation of every aspect of my life or identity, correcting the wrongs of the world, or a "safe" place to simulate where nothing is ever in any danger of offending me. Essentially, I'm not interested in a game that takes itself too seriously and follows the real banality of life, all the way down to the soul-crushing phone obsessions of humanity.

What I am looking for, is the one who will stand out. The one who is cheeky, funny and dramatic. The one who isn't afraid to parody all of the little things that people have in common, and all of the potential failures that life throws in our way. The one who allows some sarcasm, a lot of wonder, and unpredictable creativity. The one who can think outside the box and offer a well-thought-out AI system and who allows me to flavor my game however I want. The one who embraces the fantastical and alternate eras, the one who declares, "anything is possible". It will be the one who genuinely charms and excites me and brings joy or suspense. And the one who allows me to create my weird and wonderful world the way I prefer it, with the households that I want, the styles that I like, the era that I choose, and the gritty edge that I seek.

I suspect the "winner" will continue to be The Sims. At least, I hope it will continue to be the Sims. I will definitely be paying attention to Project Rene for some sign of Ghosts and Reapers. I'll be looking for that cheeky humor and drama that Sims 2 charmed me with. And I'll certainly be looking for depth of gameplay and behaviors, as well as the return of flexibility to change the world environment to my liking.

It would be an absolute shame if we were offered three simulation games that all only simulated the boring realities of simple, day to day, modern idealistic, utopian life.

But yes, some more QA people added in the very near future would help the level of optimism, I think.

The reason I'm excited for LBY is the fact that I will have control of my game again, including the dev tools to change the world to what I want. Full control. It's MY game, not theirs.

Life By You may have more customization options but I don't like the art style of LBY. One reason I skipped playing Sims 3 is because of the art style but I did like the new trait system. I also stopped buying packs after Sims 2 Seasons because of it's own controversies at the time. I really like the art style of Sims 4 and really don't want them to change it for Sims 5. The bugs are something that I've always experienced when playing Sims, they usually try to fix them but I feel like another reason I wouldn't move on to Sims 5 is if they don't fix the game bugs in Sims 4. I have a game from a company that didn't fix the bugs before releasing their newer 2023 game. I'm not about to invest in their newer game because of that.

Alright, I'm not saying to EA to never release another pack, I'm just saying to them to take their time. Make sure they don't have to remove an advertised feature, tooth fairies, to fix an issue that popped up immediately upon release. Of course nothing EA can do will undo them releasing dlc for dlc (My First Pet Stuff Controversy) or them breaking what was one expansion in prior Sims games into 3+ packs (supernatural vs. Vampires, spellcasters, Werewolves,+ future fairies game pack). Lets face it, we know EA got greedy with being the only company to have a Sims like game. Either we bought the Sims, or we had no, or perhaps just old sims games, with glitches that were not going to be patched ever again. But I'm just saying, that is changing now. EA, you should do what you can to build in us a sense that you're the company we can trust. No more using greedy tactics to get us to give you more money.

And I was not one of the ones who bought Sims 4, ever. I didn't even play it until it became free to play, and I only bought a few packs during their sales. Yet still Sims 4 is a thing, which proves my point about not having a voice until recently.

"Sarah26Cat;c-18253487" wrote:
Alright, I'm not saying to EA to never release another pack, I'm just saying to them to take their time. Make sure they don't have to remove an advertised feature, tooth fairies, to fix an issue that popped up immediately upon release. Of course nothing EA can do will undo them releasing dlc for dlc (My First Pet Stuff Controversy) or them breaking what was one expansion in prior Sims games into 3+ packs (supernatural vs. Vampires, spellcasters, Werewolves,+ future fairies game pack). Lets face it, we know EA got greedy with being the only company to have a Sims like game. Either we bought the Sims, or we had no, or perhaps just old sims games, with glitches that were not going to be patched ever again. But I'm just saying, that is changing now. EA, you should do what you can to build in us a sense that you're the company we can trust. No more using greedy tactics to get us to give you more money.

And I was not one of the ones who bought Sims 4, ever. I didn't even play it until it became free to play, and I only bought a few packs during their sales. Yet still Sims 4 is a thing, which proves my point about not having a voice until recently.

I agree that packs should be fully functional when released. The last couple of EPs seem to have had some major issues that seemed in dire need of more quality control. QA should not be skimped, especially this late in the game's life when the load of many, many packs weighs on the system. QA should increase not decrease for this kind of game. That's my two cents. Plus, it starts to echo the disastrous ending of Sims 3 where the game was just abandoned in a faulty state with some major issues. That wouldn't be wise to repeat, especially now that competition is ramping up. It could destroy player trust, which nowadays seems to be rather fragile to begin with.

Regarding pack themes and content, I somewhat disagree with you there. Since you brough up Occults specifically, and I am an avid Occult player, I have to say that I'm glad they weren't all stuffed into one EP where they no doubt would have been watered down and simplified. (Like the Mermaids and the Aliens, which are considered "lesser" Occults in comparison.) I absolutely love the Vampires, Werewolves and Spellcasters and I love the Game Pack model of DLC.

I've noticed over the years that many old school players kind of expect every iteration of EPs to repeat their exact content item for item and I don't think this is a realistic or fair expectation. First, each base game has certain features built into it that might affect the needs of a pack theme. Second, that leaves little room for anything new and exciting that could make more sense to include. It also disallows flexibility of pack themes which kind of gimps creativity.
But, I also think that if they want to change up the themes, then they should be thoroughly thought/planned out as well as intuitive to the game's needs. For example, in Sims 4's early years, Outdoor Retreat was one of the first packs to release, which actually just confused me. With all of the content that was needed for core gameplay (personality depth, toddlers, reactions, interactions, distinguishing characteristics of Sims, etc.), camping and vacationing was certainly not something I would have thought to prioritize. And Luxury Party was the first Stuff Pack, which just left me questioning who was deciding these things. And if you look at our latest patch and EP, you realize that it took almost nine years to get some depth of compatibility between Sims. And almost as long for Likes and Dislikes, a Scared emotion, and many other staples of common sense gameplay for a simulation game. Why weren't these things at the top of the list? So many features could have been expanded upon with each EP instead of being a one and done rush to shoehorn into the late stages of the game. This, to me, has been one of the main problems with Sims 4 - the content priorities.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough, but I have hopes that after all this time with Sims 4, EA and the devs will be able to look back and see what might have been done differently (hindsight is 20/20, right?), have much more insight into their own player base, and will go forward full of wisdom, experience, and new ideas for a bigger, better Sims 5. :)

Am fully with the OP on this. Over the years EA has shown by their broken products, shady practices (DLC for DLC, voted on packs that years later still feel rigged), lack of attention to bugs that go back years, the fiasco of the EA app that they are not to be trusted. That profits are more important than customer care. They obviously don't know the principle of 'take care of your people and your people will take care of you.' Have not bought anything since Cottage Living and not intending to change that unless EA thoroughly cleans up its act.

I agree 100% with the OP and Oldeseadogge-EA does need to clean up its act if it hopes to keep its customers happy. Right now,I only play Sims 4 for only a few minutes,then I shut off the game and go play other games.I just don't find Sims 4 fun with all the problems that are piling up on a game engine that was never meant to hold so much content in the first place.

I'm actaully looking forward to see what Life By You brings;I'm hoping that I'll be able to download some really great custom content for LBY.

LBY is currently the most promising dog in the pack. Have been sufficiently impressed by what have read and seen that pre-ordered. Something I never, ever, do. It is looking like what TS4 should have been, the best of the prior versions with bold and innovative new ideas to sweeten the bargain. Also looking like the current focus is building a solid foundation to put the house on.