Discussing The Sims 4's monetisation system. Do you need every pack to enjoy The Sims 4? Socials - linktr.ee/SatchOnStuff BUSINESS CONTACT ONLY: satchonsims@gmail.com
That or most of the packs just suck. Even the highly recommended Packs don't add enough replay value to The Sims 4, for me. I get bored like five seconds in.
I stopped playing the sims before 3 came out, but came back to the game when friends were playing the sims 4. I will never forget downloading it, and being so confused by the fact that it felt like there was nothing in the game. I demanded a refund, got the sims 3 instead, and didn't touch 4 again till base game became free.
I'm not ashamed that I don't buy from multi million dollar company. Inflation is rampant in my country and I need to buy groceries and pay bills but I also want to play Sims 4 with most dlc 😭
maybe a subscription to epic or steam would be working? Try out to play a lot of packs during a limited time, limited pay, then you can me as mad as everyone else and get mods instead.
that...right there.. that just sickens me - but even in America, you're talking about a laptop. a semi-decent desktop computer. a car in some cases. like... that is way too freakin' much for a video game and yet... people -do- pay it and that's the exact reason they do it. gouging fans is the EA way.
Sailing the high seas isn't 'dishonest' when EA is *dishonest* in how they make their packs - when they produce broken packs and lie about what's in them, and recycle things from other packs in new ones, to boot...it's unethical to charge people money for those broken products, and then never even bother fixing them. They don't care about the end user - they put out packs they KNOW are broken! My Wedding Stories is still broken - so you're telling people that if they want Tartosa, to pay EA money for the broken product, and encourage EA to further produce broken packs and DLC? Which is more dishonest - selling a broken, buggy product to users who have supported you for over 20 years, or 'stealing' a broken product because giving the company that's abusing you money encourages them to continue to making broken products? If the company is abusing me, why not abuse them back? They don't care about us, they care about PROFIT. So if stealing a broken product from money grubbers who prey on us is 'dishonest', then I guess never have fun with the Sims ever again! Go play old ones, and just wish you could play TS4, but it's 'dishonest' to steal from a dishonest company, lmao! If someone slaps you in the face, and you give them $40 for it...they'll keep slapping you in the face, because they profit from it. That's what is happening with EA and TS4 - they slap us in the face by producing broken, buggy, and unplayable content...and so long as people pay for it, that will never stop, because there is no incentive to. Complaints will not stop them - only depriving them of money will stop them, because that is how capitalism works! They don't care if you're mad - if line go up, that's all that matters to the higher ups. TL;DR - You can't be 'dishonest' to a company. It's a big, soulless money printing machine - it prints money when you purchase the product it makes. If you dislike, or like the product? It doesn't matter. Complain all day, but the machine just keeps printing money, because you keep putting your money into it. The only thing the money machine understands is...no money going in...and if no money goes in, then and only then will change happen - when the machine is deprived of money. It's called late stage capitalism. How happy you are with the product does not matter to the money machine. Only how much money you keep putting into it. The only way to get through to the EA money machine...is to not purchase. So don't 'steal' if you believe that morals apply to a soulless non-entity like a company...because companies aren't people, and stealing from them cannot hurt them. (Capitalism kills the innovative nature of everything you once loved, anyways.) Whether or not you 'steal' the product is up to the individual...but the best thing to do, if you want to see change and better products from EA? Is to not purchase. Otherwise, they are encouraged to continue making half-baked products, because end user happiness is not measured - only how much money they are making. Companies are not your friends. They are not people. They are the backbone of capitalism, and they care only about profit - they don't even care about the poor devs who make the games! The devs, no doubt, wish they could make better product, because they love what they do - but the decision about when games are released is up to someone else who cares only for profit...not for the quality or state of the product...just if it will sell, and increase profits. And people will always buy the 'hot new pack'...so there will always be profit, and there will never be change.
EA is a £34 billion dollar company. The shit they pump out at such extortionate prices is completely unacceptable. Also, absolutely howling at your TL:DR being just as long as your first message hah
Looting from small indie devs is obv abhorrent because they feel it where it hurts - most of my Steam library is smaller creators, I fully stand by supporting indie dev art! Looting from an unethical corporation that knowingly sells broken products & answers only to shareholders, not consumers, however - sorry, but I feel no remorse. I never have for the record, but I 1000% see why others would. I say go off matey.
I'm from Argentina, and I totally agree with you, a person who makes minimum wage would have to work and ENTIRE YEAR to be able to pay for the game (and to not spend that money on anything else). Lots of people around here makes less than 200usd per month. It is literally impossible. And to think I have to spend a whole year of work for a game that is broken... No thanks. I play the base game for free and tons of mods and CC 😂
The Sims 1 started as a game that made fun of consumerism and status, and how they'd neer make you happy; hence why the characters are so darn hard to please and make happy. Sims 2 and 3, were just fun life simulators. The sims 4 did a 100% USA, and now you need to pay to win to do anything.
The problem with the life stages is that when the Sims 4 was Olympus during development (an online multi-player game) - they DID only have Young Adult stage in mind because that's only to represent your avatar. The other stages were added after they turned it into a main game, hence why teens, YAs, adults and elders are all essentially "copy and pastes" of each other, and why toddlers weren't around. It also may be why the other life stages' feel very limited in gameplay. If you ask me, they need to do a major overhaul of ALL the life stages that aren't young adult.
And this is where you're wrong: You claim that the more people buy the game, the bigger the budget for game improvement. This may be true in Narnia, but certainly not in the real world. You yourself acknowledge that TS is one of the bestselling franchises in the world. So according to your own logic TS should have some of the the biggest development and QA departments. Fact is that the more money a game makes, the louder the shareholders are laughing all the way to the bank. And that's all. There is no correlation between success and quality of a game. Also, I don't much like that you use the term "p2w" because there is no competitive element in the game. I prefer the term "freemium" because it best describes the business model of ts4 and project grenade. They give you a boring game for free and then sell you the promise of fun for money. Please note that they don't sell you fun for money, they sell you the promise which is much more lucrative. I have bought and paid more than 40 packs and one kit and my best advice is to download the basegame compatible mods. Then you can ponder to maybe buy Get Together. And maybe Paranormal. Also also, I suggest you don't expect that project grenade will not be smelly, gooey garbage. Sure, they will give you the rain for free, but they will charge you for the umbrella.
Yeah, look at Pokémon, they make all the money in the world and they don't re-invest sh*t in making good games. And indeed, pay-to-win is a very specific term defining a kind of monetization done in competitive games, applying it to The Sims (specially 4, where there are barely no objectives to "win") makes no d4mn sense. It's not a term you apply to any greedy monetization you don't like, in fact there are many others such as pay-to-fast. Such a bad video.
People pay for hope ... for the hope the next expansion they buy will bring acutally gameplay and fun ... and then they have to buy the next one because the game still is boring and meaningless
And the worst is that you pay, and you do not win. Last time I paid was for Wedding Stories, and I believe it was the last time I paid for something sims 4 related. Sims 4 HAS NO SOUL
Combining with the other comment that this was supposed to be online multiplayer game Olympus, no wonder it doesn't have souls. Because devs relied on other players to give it souls.
Spot on as usual Satch. People want to support franchises, game devs etc who they believe will give them a good product (decent amount of content and most importantly, working content) but considering how half arsed the packs tend to be, and how empty and buggy they are, they simply don't reflect good value for money. It's no wonder people sail the seas.
People wouldn't feel like doing unethical things to get the packs for free if EA wasn't so greedy. The game is barely playable as it is because of all of the bugs. Who would want to willingly buy a broken pack that doesn't add much but is very expensive? Not only that, but if basic features like weather and changing diapers weren't locked behind packs people would have way more respect for the company and actually buy stuff from them and support them. Honestly, I used to buy packs and own them legally. I stopped doing that when get together came out. The fact that I needed a whole pack that cost more than a full video game just to make my infants functional was just crazy to me. I will always give my money and support to games that have optionable fun DLC with reasonable price. Especially if the game respects their players. The Sims 4 is just not one of them.
I just hope that EVERYONE just starts sailing the high seas for Sims4. Everyone keeps paying for it, EA keeps making it. Doing that is super easy too. EA doesn't deserve any money.
@@d_4918you can if you have the dlc unlocker, it basically is the same as sailing the seas for the other packs but just “unlocks” them as long as you have the base game (which everyone should since it’s free)
@wingweaver84942 I mean to access lots made by others simmers. yeah, you can find lots on modthesims for instance, but the gallery seems quite practical
Pay to play. It's just a ton of DLC. Pay to Win is about power gains and skipping the grind in a game to get the good stuff and to the end game. Like buying armor or stat gains in mmos.
I've been playing with just the basegame, and none of the beds are over 4 energy, so yes, some of the things you get with the DLC does help with how grindy the game is. Of course there is still the aspiration reward store that you can buy hardly or never sleepy, and you can upgrade the bed, so there are definitely ways around it.
@@somegenerichandle but its not a competitive game. P2W is a term used in competition, where gear score matters, etc. Not a single player game like this.
literally. I feel sorry for the dev team, because I can see how their ideas ended up poorly implemented, they seem rushed, and because transparency isn't a thing for EA, we don't know what really happens but can speculate that is to please their shareholders.... That's why, when we don't buy packs, when simmers raise their voice and refuse to promote a pack, that's when we see real improvements in the game...
People get this game by not buying because they feel like they are being ripped off by EA. Why should they pay money to get a subpar "game" with bugs, glitches and crashes? It's clear Sims 4 is a low-effort project that's only there to milk the playerbase. There is absolutely no love involved in this game. A lot of people think EA doesn't deserve a single cent for this atrocity that locks every minor gameplay feature behind a paywall. I don't feel bad for people getting this game without buying it.
Even in the base game, they cater to female sims way more than male sims. And to have more male cas you have to buy lots of packs and in a lot of cases they barely give them decent clothing and most of the time.
And things are, sadly, even worse for younger generations, kids, toddlers and infants. Even with all the packs and some kits, there still is only a few outfits, especially for boys. And many of that stuff don't even feel that appealing to me. Without CC, kids, boys especially, in my games would often wear the same boring things.
If you hate the game or think the developer is immoral, then stop encouraging them by giving them money. I really hope Sims will meet the same fate as SimCity did, at least Paradox knows how to make good games (not that they don't have their own weird DLC-centered business model).
Honestly, I disagree with you about the ”p word” part. EA is a greedy and money hungry company which keeps releasing overpriced and not finished packs full of bugs and features that could’ve been added in a free update. If a player knows how to “p word” the game then they should do it. It’s what EA deserves🤷🏻♂️
Fat disagree with the p-word. Ive never wanted do it with any other series BUT TS. Dont bootlick EA, theyre not making the game better with any money they get.
I think people need to really look into sims 3 because a lot of computers can still run it. Also because its not as buggy, more fun, and financially better. From what i remember all ts3 packs cost 20usd. Sims 3 pets (20usd) + extras = 3 sims 4 packs (roughly 90usd) The only loading screens you'll have are from cas, getting into the game, or traveling to other towns (for example university or world adventures). And even then, you still get fun "find the object" loading screens.
I've always been such a fan of your content because of how honest you are about how EA is scamming us... And yet you're against p*rat*ng them??? They're a multimillionaire company that sells buggy and unfinished content. They totally deserve it. It's quite disappointing to hear you've gone so far to ban those comments... Obviously, doing it to smaller games totally damages small videogame companies and we shouldn't do it. But EA? Feck them! (And I'm someone who bought the base game and has bought plenty of packs, all legal)
I thought this video was more about the literal pay-to-win objects. Like that play tent from dream home decorator, how does a pack about being an interior designer has the most overpowered item for family gameplay😂?
Yes! Here in Brazil the packs were (and still are) absurdly expensive! After the spring offer, the price went down like 40% and it’s more “affordable” but it’s still VERY expensive…
I'll say the sims 4 vampires are far more advanced than in the sims 3, and have much better powers and many more interactions that I personally was upset not to see on the sims 3. Supernatural wins in build and buy mode, among other things like the fantastic clothes, but I wish the Sims 3 vampires had powers besides 5 interactions. And the "accuse of being a vampire!" Interactions are awful, especially in vampire FAMILIES... They are fighting for no reason every now and then. I honestly hope there's a mod to fix that! Still... Somehow, sims 4 is borderline unplayable now so sims 3 vampires still win.
It can't be pay to win because it's not competitive, instead it's pay to have fun or pay for choice, or pay for convenience. but players didn't feel hornswoggled, and so you feel like you're losing *something* (money, time, trust, passion) to *someone* (investors or suits) when you play the sims regardless on how much you paid, even if you paid nothing. (Though it's a lot better rn as a free player getting all those free packs, I have all but desert lux.) I can't bring myself to buy anything yet because the feeling of falling for a mean joke *grows*. Blooming rooms isn't actually free yet. Once they're done with the migration I guess?
I mean, if only we payed and the packs worked well but they are expensive and buggy. Or at least they didn't release three or more differents DLCs to the same category. For example, could have been an Occult pack with all the creatures instead of individual ones (vampires, werewolves and wizards). And, obviosly, give us the freedom to create custom worlds/neighborhoods like in TS2.
Sims 4 is not pay to win, it’s a cashgrab. A singleplayer game cannot be pay-to-win. The term pay-to-win means that it in-game purchases gives you an advantage over non-playing players… It does not.
Price for each pack Vs where I live Expansion pack: €39.99- $6,695.13 Game pack: € 19.99 - $3,346.73 Stuff pack: €9.99 - $1,672.53 Kit: €4.99 - $835.43
The Sims 4 is like a house building software with a paper doll effect that has a personality disorder. By the way we did have patches for games even in the 1990s it just meant you had to leave your dialup connection on to download with a download manager. 😊
Sailing the seas is not dishonest. I normally agree with you completely and I would never sail the seas with games like Stardew or Rimworld that’s wrong, but EA is insane. Also EA has blocked me from things I literally own (ts3 dlc I have) so I don’t feel bad
I appreciate that you made a point to show different features that should just be in base game or all grouped up into one pack, like why are we paying for the same theme of things spread out in different packs!? Im almost 28 and have played the sims since I was little and everything going on lately has been so disappointing and sad to me. Glad everyone is speaking up and crossing my fingers they make it up to all of us. Making packs free isnt doing anything for all of us who already spent money on them 😭🙃
The only reason I would tell someone to get all Yo ho ho with TS4 is because money TALKS. If packs are buggy, broken, and overpriced, you shouldn’t buy them. Because that tells EA they can keep getting away with it. Simmers are notorious for complaining packs suck and buying them anyways. So yea, DONT buy dineout, go captain of the high seas on it and download dineout reloaded. TL;DR Always monetarily support developers and companies that are doing a good job, but if you want change, then yea, be a… digital curator.
I actually use a… for sims because I don‘t want to pay so much money for the game. But I never do this kind of methods with other games and I think that shows how Ea treats their games. Ea should just take a break for 1-2 years, fix their game, rework packs and stuff then I would buy them but I don’t want to pay money to cashgrabbers
The game feels unplayable without packs. You almost need all/most of the expansion packs to get a somewhat full experience plus mods. I'm saying that as someone who only played the Sims 4 with only the base game and seasons for a very long time. What makes the fact that you need so many sims 4 packs worse is that half of them don't work
the fact that they keep releasing broken packs is an indication that they are just gouging their fanbase because they know people will pay it and probably expecting modders to fix the issues so they don't have to pay anyone for the work.
It is totally not "pay to win", more like "pay to play" I admit every new DLC i got was the same cycle of "ok, maybe THIS will make it better", and it never did. Same boring shit base game mechanics just dressed differently under that EP, GP, or SPs theme. Fundamentally, it is a HORRIBLE game, and no amount of DLC or bug fixes will ever save it. Only reason why i boot up Sims 4 still is because of Mods (which ty to every single Modder out there, you have the Sims community's eternal thanks)
I wouldn't really call it "pay to win" You just have to pay if you want more to your game. Like in the sims 2 you didnt even have young adults until you got the university dlc, but its fine without.
tbf even w university pack you dont really have young adults as a normal life stage unless u go to university. so its not like u had to have university or ur missing out on a whole life stage if that makes sense unlike w sims 4 where u get a life stage in basegame but the gameplay of it is missing if u dont have a pack
the main issue with sims 4 is that if you just have the base game, you're better off finding a different life simulator to play. while it's "functional" it's missing things that came in the previous base games, cut out and turned into a pack or two at the price of a brand new game. i think no man's sky probably did this the best. i bought that game on day 1 and i've had countless expansions, added content, QoL additions since. should all games do that? no, probably not, but.. every couple of months, something new shows up on NMS - and every couple of months i'd have to dump more money into the sims if i want that new function that probably should've been in the base game.
I just remembered playing The Sims Stories on my old laptop, which isn't even the full Sims 2 game, and I was having a blast. I installed a bit of CC to have some building and clothing variety, but the gameplay itself was pretty good. Then I played the Sims 4, and was just... meh.
Never buying Seasons, it doesn't have a world, so I don't care and I'm still fine Playing Sims 4 (before the bugs). I got: Parenthood, Snowy Escape, Cottage Living, Get to Work and Get Together (I don't count the DLC's I got for free, because I was never going to buy those if not for free).
When my mods break I stop playing the game until I can fix it, and I rather play with broken mods than without them, this is also the first sims game I ever looked for mods for to get better game play, and I have plenty of packs
I bought the packs when sims 4 first came out. It was when high school years came out that I changed my mind. I had stopped buying content because I just didn’t have the money, but I saved up for high school years. We know how that turned out, I felt like an idiot 😭
I predict they're not going to change their ways, so Sims 5 will attempt to compete (only getting greedier than Sims 4 if the pattern continues) with the new simulation games being released soon (which seemingly might have BETTER business plans and functionality) and die off as everyone migrates from EA and their bs.
I still prefer the Sims 3. For me, in the Sims 3, I would say the top needed games to introduce the best realism would be, Pets, Seasons, and University. After that, I would say add Ambitions, World Adventures, and Generations.
If you give people a good game or a good service, people will definitely give you money. It's not just TS4, because recently a lot of high-budget AAA flop so hard while lower budget AA games and indies are generating more sales. I don't blame people for using other means to get access to packs, because most of them are definitely bad value (and regional prices are sometimes non-existent). Even so, just the mere fact that people still play the game and generating buzz even if they get stuff for free is still publicity for EA, so we're still losing. I'd rather just play other games that are really worth both my time and money.
Imagine how fun and creative Sims 4 could be if the base game was great quality and accounted for all these “premium” features. I think we were upset about Eco Lifestyle and Strangerville when their trailers dropped because we’re so used to the game getting updated via paying for $40 DLC. Like some kind of addiction and we didn’t get our fix
I would not call TS1 Pay to Win, because like you already stated, there was no optimal way to patch, as there were no digital downloads. However, each new pack, did fix bugs of the previous pack, or you could call Customer Service (yes, that was a thing then, as well as landline phones...haha), and receive updates through the mail. TS2 (especially for those using the Exchange), did offer patches (in many instances, they were necessary to install to be able to access the Exchange through the launcher), although anyone could bypass updates (because using the internet was expensive), by not using the launcher. Of course, there were modded tools, that worked both with the launcher, or directed towards the game files (to limit internet time). Just going by your terminology for TS4's Pay to Win, I would say TS2 began its P2W with its first EP (Uni), introducing the YA life state, but not adding to the basegame. Even owning the pack, you still had to send teens off to uni to get the life stage. You already mentioned Seasons (and the tragedy of it not having its kinks ironed out for the basegame), but before even TS2:S, TS2:NL brought drivable cars and dates (both could have been patched into the basegame). While, I will take TS2's Memory System to the grave as being the absolute best, I do think Hobbies should also be a basegame update (as well as, secondary aspirations), that came with TS2:FT (so, I think the entire pack is P2W). The TS2 Store was basically a way to buy smaller bites of EPs and SPs, with only offering a few extras (but that completely optional), and the Store Edition access was prepackaged with TS2:AL and bundles that came out near the end of TS2's development. It was nothing as elaborate as TS3's Store. Overall, while most of TS2 was not P2W, it still was its origins. Now, TS3 is where P2W truly ramped up, although to be fair, liken to its predecessors, every EP was so jam packed with content (and the SPs were always optional, most not adding little to no gameplay elements). Again, Seasons is a given as P2W, as well as Generations, Showtime, and while the TS3 Store certainly was also P2W (unless you were fortunate, like me, you got to take advantage of EA putting out ads to watch for SimPoints, until TS4 took over). Of course, many items (especially clothing, hairs and objects), one could find similar or better from the modding and CC communities. However, because not all players around the world could watch ads, the premium content, Worlds and items offering gameplay elements are absolutely P2W (some items/sets also required certain EPs to be able to use too: dlc for dlc). Overall, TS3 overtook TS2 for P2W. As for TS4, or what I call "DLC Simulator," I have very little to add, because you covered that well❣ I will have to add (to play devil's advocate), since there is solid competition, EA has been trying to add TS2 aspects to the basegame (albeit, not quite as in-depth), and have given not just the basegame out for free, but a few free packs here and there, as well. However, since they are still pumping out more P2W content, those freebies are just mere attention grabbers to reel in more new players, as well as entice veterans back into the fold. Overall, TS4 is the most P2W! To end on a positive note, I want to thank you for all your opinions on the Sims games❣
I don’t see myself buying or playing Sims 5 at this point; I’ve no interest in multiplayer or a more mobile-like game, whatever it is they seem to be planning. So I’m not sinking even more money into what I consider to be a lost cause of a franchise. I’ve got Sims 3 to fall back on, as well as Sims 4. I don’t have all the DLCs for either game, but I’ve certainly gotten more value (i.e., fun) out of Sims 3 than I ever did for Sims 4. (Mods & CC make all the difference, though TS3 didn’t need as much gameplay items - though debugging mods were key for me (NRaas & Twallen FTW!).
I personally don’t sail the seas and wouldn’t for a variety of reasons but I do see and understand why people do. Paying EA for broken packs enables them to continue making bad content. If anything, I feel we should refrain from playing the Sims 4 period. No content made of it, no buying of any pack/kit, not even playing base game, just a total black out of it, so then maybe they can finally understand they can’t abuse their dedicated consumers. I know that is unrealistic though, too many people specifically content creators rely too heavily on The Sims 4 and I get that. It just sucks.
for me, the seasons extreme weathers always makes my game laggy.... mainly the thunderstorms and blizzards. Also, the only time I do not play with mods is when I am building with no CC
The fact that you're my favourite Sims 4 TH-camr coz your content is relatable and funny -- and honest, finding out that you play Valorant alongside Sims 4 makes me even more happier and excited to watch your videos. You're amazing ! Love the video ! ✨
I used to play on console then got the basegame for pc when they made it free. Since I had already paid for a handful of packs on console I didn’t want to pay for them AGAIN. I got a bundle when they were on sale, and then I’ve been getting whatever they put out for free. The game feels more annoying than fun but I’m trying to get all the collections. I’ve always wanted to have the pc game bc I’ve always wanted mods & cc. But ever since I got it, I haven’t gotten mods or cc because I don’t know how & im afraid I will break my game or computer. Also, as of now, blooming rooms kit or whatever it’s called isn’t showing up as free.
Help blooming rooms isn’t free for me I don’t have the money for it cause that’s my ramen money but I want the hanging plants should I starve for hanging plants 😭
He misspoke, it’s not free yet, it’s going to be free in the upcoming days/weeks. But it is not free yet. Also it will only be free for MAC and PC users (windows)
I got moost the packs from my brother which, he paid codes from this key code game site that does it way cheaper and soemtiems way cheaper then the actual discount/ sale prices that the ea. But i did i get desset deluxe pack free for my pc forgot it to get it on the xbox so i have to pay extra £5 to get it on xbox because that is the only kit and 1 of my favourite, just waiting for green bloosm one to be free on pc to get free, and did get backyard one free for both xbox and pc. The only packs want to get now is: growing togther, island living, city living, laundry day (just for items so i can make a unity room), pastel pop, maybe packs; snowy escape, jungle adventure
I'll admit to having "alternative" versions of the early games on my computer, but I did pay for them, I have the discs, but those discs will wear out. And would be completely worn out by now. Though I have to admit another reason is the EA app which did not like me playing offline and I had to bypass it to play uninterrupted.
I'd love to buy a game, but rn it's impossible to buy games from russia the irony is that we started buying games and stopped getting them for free just a couple of years before like, if I can't get the game legally, even though id love to pay for it and play it like a normal human being, i will still get the game, just do it the illegal way I did that a kid because i didn't have money and i'm doing it now because they are not taking my money they left us no other choice but to steal also there is an amount of games that you just can't get legally, they dont exist anymore but they do exist for free if you know where to look so i disagree that gamestealing is always wrong but it IS always illegal, that one is true
Well, sorry to be political here, but that's your pay for voting for a guy that goes and attack other independent country for nothing else than for befriending the west. But, to be constructive, there are always VPNs. Unless they blocked those too. I've heard that Roskomnadzor wants to do that to prevent Russians to get access to uncensored, non-propaganda news.
HAHAHA "the internet was not a big thing back then" - I love you. Anyone else remember the glory days of the sims 2 website? and yeah, they had patches for bug fixes and (FREE) downloadable content.
I think representation is 50/50. You now get many different skin types in base game as well as presets and LGBTQ+, buuuuut... You have to PAY for world cultures that are an Americanized version of the real one. For $40 USD, these cultures should have more details with them than what was given because it feels like a lot of corners were cut. Example: Snowy Escape - representing Japan. It has traditional items, modern items, and "anime" stuff, but it doesn't feel like complete sets... You are missing cabinets for counters, the woods don't match or not easily with existing woods, and you get probably 3 "traditional" clothing pieces. Gameplay is very limited too. Like you mostly walk around or watch the same snow sport interaction over and over with no variation. The world skips space or has mainly rentals over homes. **This doesn't mean Snowy Escape is a bad pack, there was love put into it. Just that there seems to be a lot of "stuff" missing from truly representing the culture especially IF you play there and realize... there's only 3 families in the entire world.**
Oh minorities have to PAY. White suburban Americans get representation in nearly every Sims 4 game. If you don't fit into that category, fork over cash to see anyone or anything like you.
Pay to "enjoy" is more what i would call it. The sims doesn't have any win or lose unless you do some kind of challenge (player made) after all. Appart from that all very true what you mentioned
I use mods, but only a SMALL amount. I won't get CC and tons of niche mods because its so easy to break the game and if there is ever an update, its all over. Modding the sims 4 is so damn frustrating due to the way updates frequently break mods.
I’ve been playing since the og. Started playing again in 2015 just recently started playing AGAIN in 2023 I feel breaks helped the game. Everytime I came back it was like a brand new game with new glitches 🤣😂🤣
i love mods personally i just can’t use them 😭 my laptop is 12 years old and barely runs the sims 4 (plus all the damn packs i’ve bought on sale over the years…) i used to play with wicked whims and a TON of content for ww and my game literally was 3 fps loll
A big reason why The Sims is the way that it is right now, is because there hasn't been a Life Sim game quite like The Sims, sure we have Life Sim type games such as Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and so on, but there really aren't any that are on the same level as The Sims, EA has Monopolized that sector of Life Simulation games, and because they haven't had ANY competition they've been able to get away with locking so many core features (even features that were base game in previous Sims tittles) behind a paywall. This is why I have a lot of hope for Paralives, Life By You, and InZoi. because even if just ONE of those new Life Simulation games gains success, that means competition and that will put EA and Maxxis on notice. Will that change anything with EA? probably not considering how greedy EA is, but there are hopeful alternatives to The Sims in the horizon.
it is pay to win but your prize is disappointment because the game is not working
That or most of the packs just suck. Even the highly recommended Packs don't add enough replay value to The Sims 4, for me. I get bored like five seconds in.
I LOVE THIS COMMENT😂😂
YES.
.. i dont wanna win
Hmm. Not really, because you don't "win".. You only lose... money and patience xD
And we also lose time.
And we also lose fun
And we also lose sanity. (Just trying to start a 'and we also lose' trend on this comment). :D
I stopped playing the sims before 3 came out, but came back to the game when friends were playing the sims 4. I will never forget downloading it, and being so confused by the fact that it felt like there was nothing in the game. I demanded a refund, got the sims 3 instead, and didn't touch 4 again till base game became free.
Same. When ts4 first came out I played it less than 24hrs and got a refund. I revisited it after it went free
Having a family is premium DLC in real life so that's pretty accurate. 😂
I'm not ashamed that I don't buy from multi million dollar company. Inflation is rampant in my country and I need to buy groceries and pay bills but I also want to play Sims 4 with most dlc 😭
Torrents, my friend.... torrents
maybe a subscription to epic or steam would be working? Try out to play a lot of packs during a limited time, limited pay, then you can me as mad as everyone else and get mods instead.
It is morally okay to......from ea
In south Africa all the packs together can pay your house pay your car and by you a new laptop
For real, in Brazil is the same thing...
You can have more fun in the Sims 3 for less than half the price (and sims 3 was cash grabby as well)
@@dantrianon4248 they should really change the prices per country like most games on steam do on Sims packs can get me like 4 or 2 games
that...right there.. that just sickens me - but even in America, you're talking about a laptop. a semi-decent desktop computer. a car in some cases. like... that is way too freakin' much for a video game and yet... people -do- pay it and that's the exact reason they do it.
gouging fans is the EA way.
Agreed. Waiting for sales is the only way we can even semi afford decent gameplay.
@@digitaldismaljust occurring to me that if I had all the packs I would've quite literally spent more than on my current car 😂
Sailing the high seas isn't 'dishonest' when EA is *dishonest* in how they make their packs - when they produce broken packs and lie about what's in them, and recycle things from other packs in new ones, to boot...it's unethical to charge people money for those broken products, and then never even bother fixing them. They don't care about the end user - they put out packs they KNOW are broken! My Wedding Stories is still broken - so you're telling people that if they want Tartosa, to pay EA money for the broken product, and encourage EA to further produce broken packs and DLC? Which is more dishonest - selling a broken, buggy product to users who have supported you for over 20 years, or 'stealing' a broken product because giving the company that's abusing you money encourages them to continue to making broken products? If the company is abusing me, why not abuse them back? They don't care about us, they care about PROFIT. So if stealing a broken product from money grubbers who prey on us is 'dishonest', then I guess never have fun with the Sims ever again! Go play old ones, and just wish you could play TS4, but it's 'dishonest' to steal from a dishonest company, lmao!
If someone slaps you in the face, and you give them $40 for it...they'll keep slapping you in the face, because they profit from it. That's what is happening with EA and TS4 - they slap us in the face by producing broken, buggy, and unplayable content...and so long as people pay for it, that will never stop, because there is no incentive to. Complaints will not stop them - only depriving them of money will stop them, because that is how capitalism works! They don't care if you're mad - if line go up, that's all that matters to the higher ups.
TL;DR - You can't be 'dishonest' to a company. It's a big, soulless money printing machine - it prints money when you purchase the product it makes. If you dislike, or like the product? It doesn't matter. Complain all day, but the machine just keeps printing money, because you keep putting your money into it. The only thing the money machine understands is...no money going in...and if no money goes in, then and only then will change happen - when the machine is deprived of money. It's called late stage capitalism. How happy you are with the product does not matter to the money machine. Only how much money you keep putting into it. The only way to get through to the EA money machine...is to not purchase. So don't 'steal' if you believe that morals apply to a soulless non-entity like a company...because companies aren't people, and stealing from them cannot hurt them. (Capitalism kills the innovative nature of everything you once loved, anyways.) Whether or not you 'steal' the product is up to the individual...but the best thing to do, if you want to see change and better products from EA? Is to not purchase. Otherwise, they are encouraged to continue making half-baked products, because end user happiness is not measured - only how much money they are making. Companies are not your friends. They are not people. They are the backbone of capitalism, and they care only about profit - they don't even care about the poor devs who make the games! The devs, no doubt, wish they could make better product, because they love what they do - but the decision about when games are released is up to someone else who cares only for profit...not for the quality or state of the product...just if it will sell, and increase profits. And people will always buy the 'hot new pack'...so there will always be profit, and there will never be change.
Nothing but facts. If purchase isn't ownership, then captain jack sparrowing all over the place is not theft or dishonesty
EA is a £34 billion dollar company. The shit they pump out at such extortionate prices is completely unacceptable. Also, absolutely howling at your TL:DR being just as long as your first message hah
It couldn't be more clear 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Man, i went full Blackbeard and i still feel ripped off :(
Sail away friends🏴☠️🦜👍
No it's play to pay
Took the words right out of my mouth
It's pay to play animations
Looting from small indie devs is obv abhorrent because they feel it where it hurts - most of my Steam library is smaller creators, I fully stand by supporting indie dev art! Looting from an unethical corporation that knowingly sells broken products & answers only to shareholders, not consumers, however - sorry, but I feel no remorse. I never have for the record, but I 1000% see why others would. I say go off matey.
Even EA themselves don't care, look it up there are videos on YT with 500k views that are not taken down
in Argentina, all packs cost almost 2M pesos, or around 6 months of rent, literally buying TS4 packs is as expensive as SIX MONTHS OF RENT
Thats not normal
And not even worth it when they got out for free
That's not right! Companies are -supposed- to adjust the prices for each countries standards. No game is worth 6 months of rent :(
I'm from Argentina, and I totally agree with you, a person who makes minimum wage would have to work and ENTIRE YEAR to be able to pay for the game (and to not spend that money on anything else). Lots of people around here makes less than 200usd per month. It is literally impossible.
And to think I have to spend a whole year of work for a game that is broken... No thanks.
I play the base game for free and tons of mods and CC 😂
Same in Hungary
The Sims 1 started as a game that made fun of consumerism and status, and how they'd neer make you happy; hence why the characters are so darn hard to please and make happy.
Sims 2 and 3, were just fun life simulators.
The sims 4 did a 100% USA, and now you need to pay to win to do anything.
I pay for sims but I'm still going to pretend you didn't just defend a greedy corporation like EA from pirating.
The problem with the life stages is that when the Sims 4 was Olympus during development (an online multi-player game) - they DID only have Young Adult stage in mind because that's only to represent your avatar. The other stages were added after they turned it into a main game, hence why teens, YAs, adults and elders are all essentially "copy and pastes" of each other, and why toddlers weren't around. It also may be why the other life stages' feel very limited in gameplay. If you ask me, they need to do a major overhaul of ALL the life stages that aren't young adult.
And this is where you're wrong:
You claim that the more people buy the game, the bigger the budget for game improvement. This may be true in Narnia, but certainly not in the real world. You yourself acknowledge that TS is one of the bestselling franchises in the world. So according to your own logic TS should have some of the the biggest development and QA departments. Fact is that the more money a game makes, the louder the shareholders are laughing all the way to the bank. And that's all. There is no correlation between success and quality of a game.
Also, I don't much like that you use the term "p2w" because there is no competitive element in the game. I prefer the term "freemium" because it best describes the business model of ts4 and project grenade. They give you a boring game for free and then sell you the promise of fun for money. Please note that they don't sell you fun for money, they sell you the promise which is much more lucrative.
I have bought and paid more than 40 packs and one kit and my best advice is to download the basegame compatible mods. Then you can ponder to maybe buy Get Together. And maybe Paranormal.
Also also, I suggest you don't expect that project grenade will not be smelly, gooey garbage. Sure, they will give you the rain for free, but they will charge you for the umbrella.
Yeah, look at Pokémon, they make all the money in the world and they don't re-invest sh*t in making good games.
And indeed, pay-to-win is a very specific term defining a kind of monetization done in competitive games, applying it to The Sims (specially 4, where there are barely no objectives to "win") makes no d4mn sense. It's not a term you apply to any greedy monetization you don't like, in fact there are many others such as pay-to-fast.
Such a bad video.
“Pay to win” isn’t the way to say it, more like “pay to enjoy,” except even then it’s not that enjoyable😂
People pay for hope ... for the hope the next expansion they buy will bring acutally gameplay and fun ... and then they have to buy the next one because the game still is boring and meaningless
"Pay to win" in a life simulator makes no sense lol
And the worst is that you pay, and you do not win. Last time I paid was for Wedding Stories, and I believe it was the last time I paid for something sims 4 related. Sims 4 HAS NO SOUL
Combining with the other comment that this was supposed to be online multiplayer game Olympus, no wonder it doesn't have souls.
Because devs relied on other players to give it souls.
Spot on as usual Satch. People want to support franchises, game devs etc who they believe will give them a good product (decent amount of content and most importantly, working content) but considering how half arsed the packs tend to be, and how empty and buggy they are, they simply don't reflect good value for money. It's no wonder people sail the seas.
People wouldn't feel like doing unethical things to get the packs for free if EA wasn't so greedy. The game is barely playable as it is because of all of the bugs. Who would want to willingly buy a broken pack that doesn't add much but is very expensive? Not only that, but if basic features like weather and changing diapers weren't locked behind packs people would have way more respect for the company and actually buy stuff from them and support them.
Honestly, I used to buy packs and own them legally. I stopped doing that when get together came out. The fact that I needed a whole pack that cost more than a full video game just to make my infants functional was just crazy to me. I will always give my money and support to games that have optionable fun DLC with reasonable price. Especially if the game respects their players. The Sims 4 is just not one of them.
I just hope that EVERYONE just starts sailing the high seas for Sims4. Everyone keeps paying for it, EA keeps making it. Doing that is super easy too. EA doesn't deserve any money.
yeah just wish you could access the gallery
@@d_4918you can if you have the dlc unlocker, it basically is the same as sailing the seas for the other packs but just “unlocks” them as long as you have the base game (which everyone should since it’s free)
@@d_4918 you can!!! check out Anad!us dlc unlocker
@@d_4918 you can!!! search up 4n4d1u$
@wingweaver84942 I mean to access lots made by others simmers. yeah, you can find lots on modthesims for instance, but the gallery seems quite practical
Pay to play. It's just a ton of DLC.
Pay to Win is about power gains and skipping the grind in a game to get the good stuff and to the end game. Like buying armor or stat gains in mmos.
I've been playing with just the basegame, and none of the beds are over 4 energy, so yes, some of the things you get with the DLC does help with how grindy the game is. Of course there is still the aspiration reward store that you can buy hardly or never sleepy, and you can upgrade the bed, so there are definitely ways around it.
@@somegenerichandle but its not a competitive game. P2W is a term used in competition, where gear score matters, etc. Not a single player game like this.
I'm not sure why he used that word either, must be a buzz word to be noticed by the algorithm? Or misuse/mispronounce words wrong for engagement?
17:17 yeah but with the Sims the feeling is the more money people spend the less EA spends to improve the game
literally. I feel sorry for the dev team, because I can see how their ideas ended up poorly implemented, they seem rushed, and because transparency isn't a thing for EA, we don't know what really happens but can speculate that is to please their shareholders.... That's why, when we don't buy packs, when simmers raise their voice and refuse to promote a pack, that's when we see real improvements in the game...
this is probably more true than it needs to be.
Not to mention that many people feel that the quality of the packs themselves feel barely worth paying for in the first place
@@morbedmomo99 yeah it's like buying things from shein but paying them at least three times more
People get this game by not buying because they feel like they are being ripped off by EA. Why should they pay money to get a subpar "game" with bugs, glitches and crashes? It's clear Sims 4 is a low-effort project that's only there to milk the playerbase. There is absolutely no love involved in this game. A lot of people think EA doesn't deserve a single cent for this atrocity that locks every minor gameplay feature behind a paywall. I don't feel bad for people getting this game without buying it.
Even in the base game, they cater to female sims way more than male sims. And to have more male cas you have to buy lots of packs and in a lot of cases they barely give them decent clothing and most of the time.
And things are, sadly, even worse for younger generations, kids, toddlers and infants. Even with all the packs and some kits, there still is only a few outfits, especially for boys. And many of that stuff don't even feel that appealing to me. Without CC, kids, boys especially, in my games would often wear the same boring things.
@@petrnovak7235 which makes it very laughable whenever they preach about representation, inclusion, and diversity.
If you hate the game or think the developer is immoral, then stop encouraging them by giving them money. I really hope Sims will meet the same fate as SimCity did, at least Paradox knows how to make good games (not that they don't have their own weird DLC-centered business model).
Honestly, I disagree with you about the ”p word” part. EA is a greedy and money hungry company which keeps releasing overpriced and not finished packs full of bugs and features that could’ve been added in a free update.
If a player knows how to “p word” the game then they should do it. It’s what EA deserves🤷🏻♂️
if EA would release a functional, affordable game then players would have to resort to 🏴☠️
It's ridiculous at this point of how broken the game is. The game shouldn't need mods in order to be somewhat playable
No becouse even in pay to win games is still playable while Sims 4 its only good with loads of dlc
Even with all the packs it’s still boring ash without mods
@@Raphaeltheslayer sadly i agree, i cant play sims 4 more then 1 hour
the way I had the sims 2 and 3 as a kid with no expansion packs and I was entertained for AGES - NO boredom!!
Fat disagree with the p-word. Ive never wanted do it with any other series BUT TS. Dont bootlick EA, theyre not making the game better with any money they get.
I think people need to really look into sims 3 because a lot of computers can still run it. Also because its not as buggy, more fun, and financially better. From what i remember all ts3 packs cost 20usd. Sims 3 pets (20usd) + extras = 3 sims 4 packs (roughly 90usd)
The only loading screens you'll have are from cas, getting into the game, or traveling to other towns (for example university or world adventures). And even then, you still get fun "find the object" loading screens.
I've always been such a fan of your content because of how honest you are about how EA is scamming us... And yet you're against p*rat*ng them??? They're a multimillionaire company that sells buggy and unfinished content. They totally deserve it. It's quite disappointing to hear you've gone so far to ban those comments...
Obviously, doing it to smaller games totally damages small videogame companies and we shouldn't do it. But EA? Feck them!
(And I'm someone who bought the base game and has bought plenty of packs, all legal)
He's already a target for EA wrath. If he endorses p***ing, they could try to ban him. They only tolerate him now because he's still free advertising.
I thought this video was more about the literal pay-to-win objects. Like that play tent from dream home decorator, how does a pack about being an interior designer has the most overpowered item for family gameplay😂?
Yes! Here in Brazil the packs were (and still are) absurdly expensive! After the spring offer, the price went down like 40% and it’s more “affordable” but it’s still VERY expensive…
I'll say the sims 4 vampires are far more advanced than in the sims 3, and have much better powers and many more interactions that I personally was upset not to see on the sims 3. Supernatural wins in build and buy mode, among other things like the fantastic clothes, but I wish the Sims 3 vampires had powers besides 5 interactions.
And the "accuse of being a vampire!" Interactions are awful, especially in vampire FAMILIES... They are fighting for no reason every now and then. I honestly hope there's a mod to fix that!
Still... Somehow, sims 4 is borderline unplayable now so sims 3 vampires still win.
It can't be pay to win because it's not competitive, instead it's pay to have fun or pay for choice, or pay for convenience. but players didn't feel hornswoggled, and so you feel like you're losing *something* (money, time, trust, passion) to *someone* (investors or suits) when you play the sims regardless on how much you paid, even if you paid nothing.
(Though it's a lot better rn as a free player getting all those free packs, I have all but desert lux.)
I can't bring myself to buy anything yet because the feeling of falling for a mean joke *grows*.
Blooming rooms isn't actually free yet. Once they're done with the migration I guess?
I mean, if only we payed and the packs worked well but they are expensive and buggy. Or at least they didn't release three or more differents DLCs to the same category. For example, could have been an Occult pack with all the creatures instead of individual ones (vampires, werewolves and wizards).
And, obviosly, give us the freedom to create custom worlds/neighborhoods like in TS2.
Sims 4 is not pay to win, it’s a cashgrab. A singleplayer game cannot be pay-to-win. The term pay-to-win means that it in-game purchases gives you an advantage over non-playing players… It does not.
Price for each pack Vs where I live
Expansion pack: €39.99- $6,695.13
Game pack: € 19.99 - $3,346.73
Stuff pack: €9.99 - $1,672.53
Kit: €4.99 - $835.43
The Sims 4 is like a house building software with a paper doll effect that has a personality disorder. By the way we did have patches for games even in the 1990s it just meant you had to leave your dialup connection on to download with a download manager. 😊
Sailing the seas is not dishonest. I normally agree with you completely and I would never sail the seas with games like Stardew or Rimworld that’s wrong, but EA is insane. Also EA has blocked me from things I literally own (ts3 dlc I have) so I don’t feel bad
I appreciate that you made a point to show different features that should just be in base game or all grouped up into one pack, like why are we paying for the same theme of things spread out in different packs!? Im almost 28 and have played the sims since I was little and everything going on lately has been so disappointing and sad to me. Glad everyone is speaking up and crossing my fingers they make it up to all of us. Making packs free isnt doing anything for all of us who already spent money on them 😭🙃
The only reason I would tell someone to get all Yo ho ho with TS4 is because money TALKS. If packs are buggy, broken, and overpriced, you shouldn’t buy them. Because that tells EA they can keep getting away with it. Simmers are notorious for complaining packs suck and buying them anyways. So yea, DONT buy dineout, go captain of the high seas on it and download dineout reloaded.
TL;DR
Always monetarily support developers and companies that are doing a good job, but if you want change, then yea, be a… digital curator.
I actually use a… for sims because I don‘t want to pay so much money for the game. But I never do this kind of methods with other games and I think that shows how Ea treats their games. Ea should just take a break for 1-2 years, fix their game, rework packs and stuff then I would buy them but I don’t want to pay money to cashgrabbers
The game feels unplayable without packs. You almost need all/most of the expansion packs to get a somewhat full experience plus mods. I'm saying that as someone who only played the Sims 4 with only the base game and seasons for a very long time.
What makes the fact that you need so many sims 4 packs worse is that half of them don't work
the fact that they keep releasing broken packs is an indication that they are just gouging their fanbase because they know people will pay it and probably expecting modders to fix the issues so they don't have to pay anyone for the work.
It is totally not "pay to win", more like "pay to play"
I admit every new DLC i got was the same cycle of "ok, maybe THIS will make it better", and it never did. Same boring shit base game mechanics just dressed differently under that EP, GP, or SPs theme.
Fundamentally, it is a HORRIBLE game, and no amount of DLC or bug fixes will ever save it. Only reason why i boot up Sims 4 still is because of Mods (which ty to every single Modder out there, you have the Sims community's eternal thanks)
yea, with dlc they should work better, but they don't even work so what's the point 😭
WHY would people publicly speak about "ship, cross bones and sailor goes ARG" online?? Is that not making it easier to be tracked by the law??
I wouldn't really call it "pay to win" You just have to pay if you want more to your game. Like in the sims 2 you didnt even have young adults until you got the university dlc, but its fine without.
tbf even w university pack you dont really have young adults as a normal life stage unless u go to university. so its not like u had to have university or ur missing out on a whole life stage if that makes sense unlike w sims 4 where u get a life stage in basegame but the gameplay of it is missing if u dont have a pack
the main issue with sims 4 is that if you just have the base game, you're better off finding a different life simulator to play. while it's "functional" it's missing things that came in the previous base games, cut out and turned into a pack or two at the price of a brand new game.
i think no man's sky probably did this the best. i bought that game on day 1 and i've had countless expansions, added content, QoL additions since. should all games do that? no, probably not, but.. every couple of months, something new shows up on NMS - and every couple of months i'd have to dump more money into the sims if i want that new function that probably should've been in the base game.
I just remembered playing The Sims Stories on my old laptop, which isn't even the full Sims 2 game, and I was having a blast. I installed a bit of CC to have some building and clothing variety, but the gameplay itself was pretty good. Then I played the Sims 4, and was just... meh.
I'm fine with 1,2,3 & Medieval.
Thanks for reminding me why.
I live in argentina, I have to pay for the packs in US dollars plus the taxes that my country applies. Yes, it is impossible for me to buy packs 💀
I mean pirating is always an option 😏. If your willing I can recommend reliable websites to get all the packs from.
@@Ca11MeMayb3 I'm from the Caribbean so I get trouble buying due to not belonging to a region
I'm not defending EA but... Bro, you definitely don't know what pay-to-win is...
5:54 "Having children is free but raising them is not"
no that's pretty true to IRL lol
uh.... lol there actually *was* a such thing as patching back then??? There were hella bugs that maxis patched out
its pay to play guys
Never buying Seasons, it doesn't have a world, so I don't care and I'm still fine Playing Sims 4 (before the bugs).
I got: Parenthood, Snowy Escape, Cottage Living, Get to Work and Get Together (I don't count the DLC's I got for free, because I was never going to buy those if not for free).
I regret getting Seasons. I don’t know why people say it’s a must-have. I enjoyed perpetual summer and sun.
When my mods break I stop playing the game until I can fix it, and I rather play with broken mods than without them, this is also the first sims game I ever looked for mods for to get better game play, and I have plenty of packs
I bought the packs when sims 4 first came out. It was when high school years came out that I changed my mind. I had stopped buying content because I just didn’t have the money, but I saved up for high school years. We know how that turned out, I felt like an idiot 😭
I predict they're not going to change their ways, so Sims 5 will attempt to compete (only getting greedier than Sims 4 if the pattern continues) with the new simulation games being released soon (which seemingly might have BETTER business plans and functionality) and die off as everyone migrates from EA and their bs.
I still prefer the Sims 3. For me, in the Sims 3, I would say the top needed games to introduce the best realism would be, Pets, Seasons, and University. After that, I would say add Ambitions, World Adventures, and Generations.
Yes, for me too. There where So many things i really loved
I LOVE World Adventures!
I live in canada and the prices of the packs are insane.
If you give people a good game or a good service, people will definitely give you money. It's not just TS4, because recently a lot of high-budget AAA flop so hard while lower budget AA games and indies are generating more sales. I don't blame people for using other means to get access to packs, because most of them are definitely bad value (and regional prices are sometimes non-existent). Even so, just the mere fact that people still play the game and generating buzz even if they get stuff for free is still publicity for EA, so we're still losing. I'd rather just play other games that are really worth both my time and money.
I don't condemn or condone using no-no software for Sims 4, but I can understand it. And I can sympathize.
Imagine how fun and creative Sims 4 could be if the base game was great quality and accounted for all these “premium” features. I think we were upset about Eco Lifestyle and Strangerville when their trailers dropped because we’re so used to the game getting updated via paying for $40 DLC. Like some kind of addiction and we didn’t get our fix
I would not call TS1 Pay to Win, because like you already stated, there was no optimal way to patch, as there were no digital downloads. However, each new pack, did fix bugs of the previous pack, or you could call Customer Service (yes, that was a thing then, as well as landline phones...haha), and receive updates through the mail.
TS2 (especially for those using the Exchange), did offer patches (in many instances, they were necessary to install to be able to access the Exchange through the launcher), although anyone could bypass updates (because using the internet was expensive), by not using the launcher. Of course, there were modded tools, that worked both with the launcher, or directed towards the game files (to limit internet time). Just going by your terminology for TS4's Pay to Win, I would say TS2 began its P2W with its first EP (Uni), introducing the YA life state, but not adding to the basegame. Even owning the pack, you still had to send teens off to uni to get the life stage. You already mentioned Seasons (and the tragedy of it not having its kinks ironed out for the basegame), but before even TS2:S, TS2:NL brought drivable cars and dates (both could have been patched into the basegame). While, I will take TS2's Memory System to the grave as being the absolute best, I do think Hobbies should also be a basegame update (as well as, secondary aspirations), that came with TS2:FT (so, I think the entire pack is P2W). The TS2 Store was basically a way to buy smaller bites of EPs and SPs, with only offering a few extras (but that completely optional), and the Store Edition access was prepackaged with TS2:AL and bundles that came out near the end of TS2's development. It was nothing as elaborate as TS3's Store. Overall, while most of TS2 was not P2W, it still was its origins.
Now, TS3 is where P2W truly ramped up, although to be fair, liken to its predecessors, every EP was so jam packed with content (and the SPs were always optional, most not adding little to no gameplay elements). Again, Seasons is a given as P2W, as well as Generations, Showtime, and while the TS3 Store certainly was also P2W (unless you were fortunate, like me, you got to take advantage of EA putting out ads to watch for SimPoints, until TS4 took over). Of course, many items (especially clothing, hairs and objects), one could find similar or better from the modding and CC communities. However, because not all players around the world could watch ads, the premium content, Worlds and items offering gameplay elements are absolutely P2W (some items/sets also required certain EPs to be able to use too: dlc for dlc). Overall, TS3 overtook TS2 for P2W.
As for TS4, or what I call "DLC Simulator," I have very little to add, because you covered that well❣ I will have to add (to play devil's advocate), since there is solid competition, EA has been trying to add TS2 aspects to the basegame (albeit, not quite as in-depth), and have given not just the basegame out for free, but a few free packs here and there, as well. However, since they are still pumping out more P2W content, those freebies are just mere attention grabbers to reel in more new players, as well as entice veterans back into the fold. Overall, TS4 is the most P2W!
To end on a positive note, I want to thank you for all your opinions on the Sims games❣
I'd say yes but it's more like you pay to do basic shit like going to highschool or love in a city 💀
I don’t see myself buying or playing Sims 5 at this point; I’ve no interest in multiplayer or a more mobile-like game, whatever it is they seem to be planning. So I’m not sinking even more money into what I consider to be a lost cause of a franchise.
I’ve got Sims 3 to fall back on, as well as Sims 4. I don’t have all the DLCs for either game, but I’ve certainly gotten more value (i.e., fun) out of Sims 3 than I ever did for Sims 4. (Mods & CC make all the difference, though TS3 didn’t need as much gameplay items - though debugging mods were key for me (NRaas & Twallen FTW!).
i love the tone of voice in this video very calm!!!
I don't mind the occults being split up. The ones that got their own packs are the best versions of those creatures that we've gotten so far.
47 packs, and we still don't have everything we had before 😅
I personally don’t sail the seas and wouldn’t for a variety of reasons but I do see and understand why people do. Paying EA for broken packs enables them to continue making bad content. If anything, I feel we should refrain from playing the Sims 4 period. No content made of it, no buying of any pack/kit, not even playing base game, just a total black out of it, so then maybe they can finally understand they can’t abuse their dedicated consumers. I know that is unrealistic though, too many people specifically content creators rely too heavily on The Sims 4 and I get that. It just sucks.
Very insightful and well thought out argument. I think you hit the nail on the head.
packs cost quite a lot in the Philippines, so here we are Captain Hook-ing sims
I wish sims could add one more world to the sims 4 base game it will so good
What difference would another world make? It would still be the same boring game with 5 more lots added to it
The Sims 2 had a soul, Will Wright's soul and the moment EA got his hands on it, this soul was gone 😢😢 That's all!!
The sims is the only game i BLOCKED WORD and i will never apologise for it!!!!!😂
Great video ❤ agree completely the sims 4 basegame especially and the thint about seasons makes the game feel unplayable without mods or dlc
!!! you play val omg!! i would love a val stream sometime or skins showcase
Btw the description doesnt have the links of the mods
for me, the seasons extreme weathers always makes my game laggy.... mainly the thunderstorms and blizzards. Also, the only time I do not play with mods is when I am building with no CC
Does anyone know where the link for the mods he mentioned are? I can't seem to find it in the description
I made s couple of CD’s in highschool using Limewire. I still have them. I don’t see it as a bad thing if it’s unavailable.
The fact that you're my favourite Sims 4 TH-camr coz your content is relatable and funny -- and honest, finding out that you play Valorant alongside Sims 4 makes me even more happier and excited to watch your videos. You're amazing ! Love the video ! ✨
I used to play on console then got the basegame for pc when they made it free. Since I had already paid for a handful of packs on console I didn’t want to pay for them AGAIN. I got a bundle when they were on sale, and then I’ve been getting whatever they put out for free. The game feels more annoying than fun but I’m trying to get all the collections. I’ve always wanted to have the pc game bc I’ve always wanted mods & cc. But ever since I got it, I haven’t gotten mods or cc because I don’t know how & im afraid I will break my game or computer. Also, as of now, blooming rooms kit or whatever it’s called isn’t showing up as free.
Help blooming rooms isn’t free for me I don’t have the money for it cause that’s my ramen money but I want the hanging plants should I starve for hanging plants 😭
He misspoke, it’s not free yet, it’s going to be free in the upcoming days/weeks. But it is not free yet. Also it will only be free for MAC and PC users (windows)
@@holyguacamole3893 thanks I can save my ramen budget now
Seasons is base game 1.1, and Growing Together base game 1.2.
Playing without mods ? NO F*****G way ! I have over 10Gb worth of mods and CCs.
I got moost the packs from my brother which, he paid codes from this key code game site that does it way cheaper and soemtiems way cheaper then the actual discount/ sale prices that the ea. But i did i get desset deluxe pack free for my pc forgot it to get it on the xbox so i have to pay extra £5 to get it on xbox because that is the only kit and 1 of my favourite, just waiting for green bloosm one to be free on pc to get free, and did get backyard one free for both xbox and pc. The only packs want to get now is: growing togther, island living, city living, laundry day (just for items so i can make a unity room), pastel pop, maybe packs; snowy escape, jungle adventure
I'll admit to having "alternative" versions of the early games on my computer, but I did pay for them, I have the discs, but those discs will wear out. And would be completely worn out by now. Though I have to admit another reason is the EA app which did not like me playing offline and I had to bypass it to play uninterrupted.
I'd love to buy a game, but rn it's impossible to buy games from russia
the irony is that we started buying games and stopped getting them for free just a couple of years before
like, if I can't get the game legally, even though id love to pay for it and play it like a normal human being, i will still get the game, just do it the illegal way
I did that a kid because i didn't have money and i'm doing it now because they are not taking my money
they left us no other choice but to steal
also there is an amount of games that you just can't get legally, they dont exist anymore
but they do exist for free if you know where to look
so i disagree that gamestealing is always wrong
but it IS always illegal, that one is true
Oh, and P.S. free games and free updates are also not possible to buy))))
not even joking
Well, sorry to be political here, but that's your pay for voting for a guy that goes and attack other independent country for nothing else than for befriending the west.
But, to be constructive, there are always VPNs. Unless they blocked those too. I've heard that Roskomnadzor wants to do that to prevent Russians to get access to uncensored, non-propaganda news.
yall really just hear a random term you dont understand and start slapping it on everything 😭"having weather is considered pay to win" word salad
I only really played world adventrues too, it is my favorite pack of all time.
HAHAHA "the internet was not a big thing back then" - I love you. Anyone else remember the glory days of the sims 2 website? and yeah, they had patches for bug fixes and (FREE) downloadable content.
This is why I pirated since the game first came out 🤣🤷🏽♀️
Few months ago i checked prizes for FULL THE SIMS 4
it goes to around 5.000 PLN
like 1.200€ for one full game
More like 5820 I just counted lol and around 1360 euros.They keep increasing the prices month by month
I think representation is 50/50. You now get many different skin types in base game as well as presets and LGBTQ+, buuuuut... You have to PAY for world cultures that are an Americanized version of the real one. For $40 USD, these cultures should have more details with them than what was given because it feels like a lot of corners were cut.
Example:
Snowy Escape - representing Japan. It has traditional items, modern items, and "anime" stuff, but it doesn't feel like complete sets... You are missing cabinets for counters, the woods don't match or not easily with existing woods, and you get probably 3 "traditional" clothing pieces. Gameplay is very limited too. Like you mostly walk around or watch the same snow sport interaction over and over with no variation. The world skips space or has mainly rentals over homes.
**This doesn't mean Snowy Escape is a bad pack, there was love put into it. Just that there seems to be a lot of "stuff" missing from truly representing the culture especially IF you play there and realize... there's only 3 families in the entire world.**
Oh minorities have to PAY. White suburban Americans get representation in nearly every Sims 4 game. If you don't fit into that category, fork over cash to see anyone or anything like you.
I checking the description but didn't find the mods nether the moders 😢
And I feel what you said
Pay to "enjoy" is more what i would call it. The sims doesn't have any win or lose unless you do some kind of challenge (player made) after all. Appart from that all very true what you mentioned
I use mods, but only a SMALL amount. I won't get CC and tons of niche mods because its so easy to break the game and if there is ever an update, its all over. Modding the sims 4 is so damn frustrating due to the way updates frequently break mods.
I’ve been playing since the og. Started playing again in 2015 just recently started playing AGAIN in 2023 I feel breaks helped the game. Everytime I came back it was like a brand new game with new glitches 🤣😂🤣
i love mods personally i just can’t use them 😭 my laptop is 12 years old and barely runs the sims 4 (plus all the damn packs i’ve bought on sale over the years…) i used to play with wicked whims and a TON of content for ww and my game literally was 3 fps loll
A big reason why The Sims is the way that it is right now, is because there hasn't been a Life Sim game quite like The Sims, sure we have Life Sim type games such as Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and so on, but there really aren't any that are on the same level as The Sims, EA has Monopolized that sector of Life Simulation games, and because they haven't had ANY competition they've been able to get away with locking so many core features (even features that were base game in previous Sims tittles) behind a paywall.
This is why I have a lot of hope for Paralives, Life By You, and InZoi. because even if just ONE of those new Life Simulation games gains success, that means competition and that will put EA and Maxxis on notice. Will that change anything with EA? probably not considering how greedy EA is, but there are hopeful alternatives to The Sims in the horizon.