"VeeDub;c-18015210" wrote:
I dunno, though. I don't doubt that they collect some data from the thing, but I do doubt they'd want to rely on something that would provide inaccurate data compared to the player base as a whole. For example, unless there was a way to hit "Like" or "Dislike" buttons or something, they can't really tell if anyone actually does like the challenges they're offering. Simple curiosity about them will only go so far as a draw. They won't get any meaningful data at all from anyone who doesn't play some or all of the challenges, because there's currently no means of collecting reasons why a player hasn't played any or all of them.
Maybe some players haven't got to some of the challenges yet, maybe some ran out of time on one or more of the limited-time ones, and maybe some simply have zero interest in doing any of them, ever. The latter group would be unlikely to catered to, as they would probably offer the least possibility of extra income either now or in the future. Yet it's still valuable data for a company to collect if they're truly interested in a making a game that will draw as many players as possible.
In addition, many players play offline at least some of the time (I know I do), so that would hinder or prevent accurate data collection in another way. A company can't just pretend offline players don't exist, even if they're too quiet to be as easily apparent as vocal fans or disgruntled players on various social media outlets (including here on the official forums).
If it were true that they're doing this just to collect data, I'd have to say they need a much better system than that.
That never stopped them before (bolded comment) because they said their telemetry showed TS3 players never played with toddlers (Rachel Franklin) as much as people thought. They never considered all of us who never play while connected to the internet. They only depended on those who play while connected and allow Maxis to collect every thing they do in the game. The woohoo challenge in TS4 showed them there are plenty of people who are willing to play timed challenges in a single player, life simulator changing it to a mobile genre to say the least.
Saying they need a better collecting system isn't true in my opinion, their systems can collect every app, every process, every thing a person does on their pc. They can use that for many things and to sell that info to their 'third party partners) and for many other reasons. Their systems have told them for years and years (even back in TS2 days) what was started, ended, opened, written, viewed, played, shared, when the pc was turned off, on, asleep, what emails were opened, who the contacts of the players are (and who their contacts are, too) where the person lives, how old they are by the MS account, etc. etc. What they buy, what sites they visit, who they talk to, how they use their phone with their pc, what other equipment is connected and the last time they left the desk. They know a lot about you already. EA and MS have made the song ' I always feel like somebody is watching me' a reality.
