This is basically a scam....
Instead of moving forwards with the series expanding on the packs and adding more features of the same concept, we go backwards making them smaller and smaller for the same price. $40 F O U R T Y for ...
Forum Discussion
I'll admit to skimming this thread. As someone who spent a stretch of TS3 play focused pretty much on horses on a horse farm in Appaloosa Plains during one of my phases of playing the game (I've tended to play TS games in phases in the past), of course, I'd love to see horses included in the EP. Yes, it's quite clear that their strategy with this version of the game in to parcel content out in such a way that it costs more over all though with content banded into various price points allowing for some game customization. I'm not defending that approach, it's just clearly what they are doing.
If the content is selling well enough then it is making them money and by having these regular releases of SPs, GPs and less frequent EPs, they are trying to keep a revenue stream throughout the year rather than just making money on EPs a few times a year. As has been mentioned, globally they are also bundling the content and they are probably hoping that the general seasonal shoppers will buy a suite of connected content. An example of that would be a parent buying a holiday gift for a kid and instead of just buying an EP, also including GP/SP content. It's an a la carte approach but they are definitely parceling content about as much as possible. I can't say that I love that and it looks like some of their older content (not GT) suffered from a less is less approach. While there does seem to have been a push towards quality versus some of the early content, the parceling approach is definitely clear. It is what it is, pretty much, if it is selling enough for them to have a steady enough stream of income. It's up to each player to decide what they want in their game rather than buying every single release.
With that said, I guess it won't surprise me if this Pets EP will not include horses. It seems obvious that a country EP would be a companion or alternative to CL, so it would make sense if they were to produce that especially given all the requests for things like farms, a spacious country world, and the many threads on here including requests for horses and livestock. Also, given the voting trends in the recent "Pick Your Own" SP, the demand a country-themed release seems to be clear. (A country release would just be one interest of mine, personally, but it would definitely be on my list). I'm just saying that it is logical that there is a market for horses to come in another release, so it won't be surprising if they are parceled out from cats and dogs. It's an opportunity for them to make more money over all by including them in another pack. They would have sold anyway if released with cats and dogs so why not use them to help sell another pack theme? That's probably the rationale.
All of this is still speculative but it would not be surprising. As others have mentioned, it ultimately comes down to what an individual player wants to buy as far as how to deal with this approach. Parceling aside, I do like the game as a whole, now that they are releasing a lot for it. There does seem to be a push for improved quality and there is a feeling that the game is not on a back burner where it may have been in the past.
If the content is selling well enough then it is making them money and by having these regular releases of SPs, GPs and less frequent EPs, they are trying to keep a revenue stream throughout the year rather than just making money on EPs a few times a year. As has been mentioned, globally they are also bundling the content and they are probably hoping that the general seasonal shoppers will buy a suite of connected content. An example of that would be a parent buying a holiday gift for a kid and instead of just buying an EP, also including GP/SP content. It's an a la carte approach but they are definitely parceling content about as much as possible. I can't say that I love that and it looks like some of their older content (not GT) suffered from a less is less approach. While there does seem to have been a push towards quality versus some of the early content, the parceling approach is definitely clear. It is what it is, pretty much, if it is selling enough for them to have a steady enough stream of income. It's up to each player to decide what they want in their game rather than buying every single release.
With that said, I guess it won't surprise me if this Pets EP will not include horses. It seems obvious that a country EP would be a companion or alternative to CL, so it would make sense if they were to produce that especially given all the requests for things like farms, a spacious country world, and the many threads on here including requests for horses and livestock. Also, given the voting trends in the recent "Pick Your Own" SP, the demand a country-themed release seems to be clear. (A country release would just be one interest of mine, personally, but it would definitely be on my list). I'm just saying that it is logical that there is a market for horses to come in another release, so it won't be surprising if they are parceled out from cats and dogs. It's an opportunity for them to make more money over all by including them in another pack. They would have sold anyway if released with cats and dogs so why not use them to help sell another pack theme? That's probably the rationale.
All of this is still speculative but it would not be surprising. As others have mentioned, it ultimately comes down to what an individual player wants to buy as far as how to deal with this approach. Parceling aside, I do like the game as a whole, now that they are releasing a lot for it. There does seem to be a push for improved quality and there is a feeling that the game is not on a back burner where it may have been in the past.
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