Ploid 6.0

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,445
Supply and demand. There are some hardcore The Sims fans out there, and they have to have their vacation pets.
 

Dr. Caroll

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,111
Never forget.
mkBrqcD.jpg
 
Oct 29, 2017
5,354
It's a bundle, three DLC packs, which would be $60 total if you were to get them separate.

I know but goddamn man

Been this way since forever. To get all the DLC of the Sims games it's always taken hundreds of dollars.

Other than to catch the whales who pay for literally everything, I think the idea is that you pick and choose whatever you want/catches your eye, I don't think EA expects everyone to buy everything.
 

TissueBox

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,277
Urinated States of America
If you bought the games in that bundle all separately you'd probably have close to 100 USD in expense.

Oh yes, Sims and their assortment of expansion and stuff packs (and all the in-betweens now with 4) are notorious for being plenty in number, in both ways. I haven't kept up with 4 in a while, but it appears to be gearing up for the largest collection yet. Ride on, cowgirl! *crack*

(Deluxe editions used to mean somethin' around here...)
 

Rodjer

Self-requested ban.
Member
Jan 28, 2018
4,808
That's a 3 DLC pack

afaik they are 20$ each if you buy separately.
 
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Loudninja

Loudninja

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,459
It's a bundle, three DLC packs, which would be $60 total if you were to get them separate.



Been this way since forever. To get all the DLC of the Sims games it's always taken hundreds of dollars.

Other than to catch the whales who pay for literally everything, I think the idea is that you pick and choose whatever you want/catches your eye, I don't think EA expects everyone to buy everything.
Lord have mercy man I cannot go down this rabbit hole

Just to have different seasons cost $39.99 by itself what the hell
 
Oct 29, 2017
5,354

entrydenied

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
7,742
If you bought the games in that bundle all separately you'd probably have close to 100 USD in expense.

Oh yes, Sims and their assortment of expansion and stuff packs (and all the in-betweens now with 4) are notorious for being plenty in number, in both ways. I haven't kept up with 4 in a while, but it appears to be gearing up for the largest collection yet. Ride on, cowgirl! *crack*

(Deluxe editions used to mean somethin' around here...)

Yeah. At least for the past few years, deluxe editions used to be mean it comes with a season pass or expansion pack. Now it's 2 to 3 outfits, some ingame currency and maybe a theme.
 

TissueBox

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,277
Urinated States of America
Been this way since forever. To get all the DLC of the Sims games it's always taken hundreds of dollars.

That, or wait a few years when they compile 'em together for an all-in-one version, circa the arrival of the coming sequel, usually. :p At least for the previous entries.

Though I wonder if a Sims 5 is even in the works. I heard the studio was actually not certain about continuing on to another numbered title any time soon, contrarily... which would be a shame to an extent, because I feel there is still a fresh Sims game in the series that could be tackled with another shot.

*bang-bang*
 

Sandfox

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,743
That's a 3 DLC pack

afaik they are 20$ each if you buy separately.
Normally they're $40 each. This bundle has a $40 dlc, a $20 dlc, and a $10 dlc in it though.

It's a bundle, three DLC packs, which would be $60 total if you were to get them separate.



Been this way since forever. To get all the DLC of the Sims games it's always taken hundreds of dollars.

Other than to catch the whales who pay for literally everything, I think the idea is that you pick and choose whatever you want/catches your eye, I don't think EA expects everyone to buy everything.
Sims expansions go on sale a lot, especially the full ones.
 
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Loudninja

Loudninja

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,459
That, or wait a few years when they compile 'em together for an all-in-one version, circa the arrival of the coming sequel, usually. :p At least for the previous entries.

Though I wonder if a Sims 5 is even in the works. I heard the studio was actually not certain about continuing on to another numbered title any time soon, contrarily... which would be a shame to an extent, because I feel there is still a fresh Sims game in the series that could be tackled with another shot.

*bang-bang*
They have to bleed console owners dry first lol
 

hanshen

Member
Jun 24, 2018
3,937
Chicago, IL
That, or wait a few years when they compile 'em together for an all-in-one version, circa the arrival of the coming sequel, usually. :p At least for the previous entries.

Though I wonder if a Sims 5 is even in the works. I heard the studio was actually not certain about continuing on to another numbered title any time soon, contrarily... which would be a shame to an extent, because I feel there is still a fresh Sims game in the series that could be tackled with another shot.

They probably hit the road block in the graphical department. The Sims has to be played on a wider range of computers than your typical PC games. They already scaled back in 4 from 3's open world design. I think it will be hard for them to market another game that looks visually identical.
 

dom

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,544
Don't ever look at the Train Simulators on Steam. Their DLCs will surprise you.
 

rras1994

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,761
That, or wait a few years when they compile 'em together for an all-in-one version, circa the arrival of the coming sequel, usually. :p At least for the previous entries.

Though I wonder if a Sims 5 is even in the works. I heard the studio was actually not certain about continuing on to another numbered title any time soon, contrarily... which would be a shame to an extent, because I feel there is still a fresh Sims game in the series that could be tackled with another shot.

*bang-bang*
They aren't planning on releasing another one soon, they are still making content for Sims 4 as it's still doing really well, they are doing a longer content run with this iteration. Which fits with what the industry at large is doing. There's no point on making a new entry when the fans wants for packs is still a mile long.
 

Typographenia

Member
Oct 27, 2017
560
Los Angeles
Yeah, we got the base game at $5 or something during the holidays, but we couldn't bring ourselves to pick up any of the extra packs, despite the major discounts on them.

It's pretty ridiculous, how much it adds up if you want everything (or even a few things).
 

Sandfox

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,743
Yep, a sale on the PC version just ended in fact, with several of the full expansions at 50% off.

I almost bit on Seasons but I ended up forgetting lol
I got the latest expansion from Best Buy for $20 10 days after release.

That, or wait a few years when they compile 'em together for an all-in-one version, circa the arrival of the coming sequel, usually. :p At least for the previous entries.

Though I wonder if a Sims 5 is even in the works. I heard the studio was actually not certain about continuing on to another numbered title any time soon, contrarily... which would be a shame to an extent, because I feel there is still a fresh Sims game in the series that could be tackled with another shot.

*bang-bang*
EA said this last week:
Our Sims 4 community grew by 4.8 million unique players last year, our monthly active players continued to grow year-over-year and we just crossed $1 billion in lifetime revenue for the game." EA CEO Andrew Wilson says. "We continue to have strong expectations for The Sims going forward.

Wilson also notes that "we are bringing at least 20 new content drops and expansion packs to our Sims games across PC, mobile and console" in the new fiscal year, which runs from April 2019 to March 2020.

I would expect The Sims 5 at some point, but there's still a lot more to be done with 4.
 

fleet

Member
Jan 2, 2019
644
the worst part is that most of it isn't really "optional" in the sense that half of the EPs/GPs are stuff that are like, necessary for a life sim. like, you want laundry in your game? weather? a pet dog? that'll be $70+ please.
 

Adamska

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,042
I mean, that's how much the publisher is valuing the content created by the developers for the game and there's nothing wrong with that?
 

TissueBox

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,277
Urinated States of America
Yeah. At least for the past few years, deluxe editions used to be mean it comes with a season pass or expansion pack. Now it's 2 to 3 outfits, some ingame currency and maybe a theme.

Ayheh... though everyone -- most -- in the community has more or less tolerated the kind of thing before (particularly when the additional expansions and whatnot are substantial) Sims 4 has taken it up quite a notch... but it's a format that works sooo..

They probably hit the road block in the graphical department. The Sims has to be played on a wider range of computers than your typical PC games. They already scaled back in 4 from 3's open world design. I think it will be hard for them to market another game that looks visually identical.
They aren't planning on releasing another one soon, they are still making content for Sims 4 as it's still doing really well, they are doing a longer content run with this iteration. Which fits with what the industry at large is doing. There's no point on making a new entry when the fans wants for packs is still a mile long.

Yeahhh that's the shame... Sims 3, for all its flaws, was such an ambitious endeavor at heart, but it really couldn't hold its weight on either a performance or complexity perspective; clearly going any further would just create more work-to-loss than it was worth. But what we got with 4 initially was the most bareboned the series had felt at the time. Though of course, the promise of expansions would inevitably help to flesh out the general gameplay experience, and now this is just me being an opinion-person but I mostly prefer the old system of Sim management, without the social/emotional focus, as well as other things 4 seems to lack. Sure, it does do some things better and more practically. But even though I ended up loving Sims 3 I was interested in a fourth because of the new foundation it would bring to the table. With that not being the case anymore, I suppose we're left to make the most out of the current game we have (4)... which... well, I guess I can't really speak for it since I haven't touched it in a while. Who knows, I might try going back to it. But for me the core game is still something I'd like to see reworked in another direction one day.
 

Deleted member 2254

user requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,467
The Sims have had an insane monetization from the getgo. The most insulting part is how many of these features are not only fairly basic (like the pets), but that they were added as paid expansion packs in all prior episodes too. So when The Sims 4 came out, it actually had none of the new features of The Sims 3 DLCs, and you had to buy those again separately in 4. And they've done this from 2 to 3, as well, and to an extent from 1 to 2 too. This really should be called out more often, but it doesn't happen a whole lot because it's a franchise more oriented towards casuals who don't roam these gaming communities, just like how the people most invested in EA's Ultimate Team modes aren't the typical gamers either.
 

TissueBox

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,277
Urinated States of America
I got the latest expansion from Best Buy for $20 10 days after release.


EA said this last week:
Our Sims 4 community grew by 4.8 million unique players last year, our monthly active players continued to grow year-over-year and we just crossed $1 billion in lifetime revenue for the game." EA CEO Andrew Wilson says. "We continue to have strong expectations for The Sims going forward.

Wilson also notes that "we are bringing at least 20 new content drops and expansion packs to our Sims games across PC, mobile and console" in the new fiscal year, which runs from April 2019 to March 2020.

I would expect The Sims 5 at some point, but there's still a lot more to be done with 4.

Wow! The community is still going strong I see. xD And expanding like a flower in time lapse!! I was aware it was doing well but near 5 million new players is crazeh!

4 always looked a very sturdy and profitable ship even with some questionable moments early on so it's no quandary as to why they'd want to continue building on that base for the next year or so, especially with new fans coming aboard.

But... if there's a Wright noggin or two amongst them, mapping a possible next step. You know where I'll be. *points at screen, at Origin* At my house. (Digital age, baby.)
 
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Spyware

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,455
Sweden
I don't think people get how hard it is to make this content and how much of it is in there. Sure, some new objects and clothes, yada yada. But all the new animations, whole new systems, worlds and so on. There is a lot of stuff in every Expansion and Game Pack. (The Stuff pack price complaints I get tho.)

They also do semi-frequent free updates with stuff that definitely could have been put inside packs if they wanted to.


The Sims have had an insane monetization from the getgo. The most insulting part is how many of these features are not only fairly basic (like the pets), but that they were added as paid expansion packs in all prior episodes too. So when The Sims 4 came out, it actually had none of the new features of The Sims 3 DLCs, and you had to buy those again separately in 4. And they've done this from 2 to 3, as well, and to an extent from 1 to 2 too. This really should be called out more often, but it doesn't happen a whole lot because it's a franchise more oriented towards casuals who don't roam these gaming communities, just like how the people most invested in EA's Ultimate Team modes aren't the typical gamers either.
So things that took years to make should now be made again for a completely new game but put inside a normally priced base package? Are you seriously not getting how much work that is?
 

Deleted member 2254

user requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,467
I don't think people get how hard it is to make this content and how much of it is in there. Sure, some new objects and clothes, yada yada. But all the new animations, whole new systems, worlds and so on. There is a lot of stuff in every Expansion and Game Pack. (The Stuff pack price complaints I get tho.)

They also do semi-frequent free updates with stuff that definitely could have been put inside packs if they wanted to.



So things that took years to make should now be made again for a completely new game but put inside a normally priced base package? Are you seriously not getting how much work that is?

Every launch of a The Sims game comes with A LOT of missing features and options. It's insane that four consecutive games had to sell the option to own pets as a rather expensive expansion pack, instead of them keeping the option for future games once they realized people want that. I played a bit of The Sims myself, but I mainly just assisted to my sister, a past girlfriend and the likes dabble with it. But it was clear that every single time a new The Sims came out, it really wasn't initially worth it, because the previous game had far more content and options that you had to buy again. Yes, things require time and effort to create, but I doubt it would have bankrupted them to keep the cats, the university and whatnot from an episode to another instead of literally selling it separately every time.
 

fleet

Member
Jan 2, 2019
644
related but kinda tangential:
imo what the sims series needs is the stardew valley treatment. indie dev team with a passion for the original motifs of the game but with a much smaller scope. i think the reason why so many people keep buying sims 4 expacs is pretty much because if you want to play a sims game, there isn't really a competitor. it's the sims 4 or nothing, and if you want to play the sims 4, you almost need the expansion packs to play something above the barebones experience.

as an aside, i don't necessarily hate expansion/game packs in theory - if it's stuff like the jungle adventure pack or the get famous pack, i see these things as not critical to the main experience of the game, and it'd make sense if someone wanted those to pay a bit extra. but like, really, weather? i have to pay $40 for weather? i have to pay $40 for animations related to parenting in a sims game? $15 for a few animations related to doing laundry!?!?!?
 

rras1994

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,761
Every launch of a The Sims game comes with A LOT of missing features and options. It's insane that four consecutive games had to sell the option to own pets as a rather expensive expansion pack, instead of them keeping the option for future games once they realized people want that. I played a bit of The Sims myself, but I mainly just assisted to my sister, a past girlfriend and the likes dabble with it. But it was clear that every single time a new The Sims came out, it really wasn't initially worth it, because the previous game had far more content and options that you had to buy again. Yes, things require time and effort to create, but I doubt it would have bankrupted them to keep the cats, the university and whatnot from an episode to another instead of literally selling it separately every time.
Pets takes two years to make, it's one of their hardest expansions to make in each iteration. Similar deal with seasons. I think you don't actually know how hard it is to make some of this stuff.
 

fleet

Member
Jan 2, 2019
644
Pets takes two years to make, it's one of their hardest expansions to make in each iteration. Similar deal with seasons. I think you don't actually know how hard it is to make some of this stuff.
no one's denying it's hard to make video games; people are questioning whether any game is worth $500
 

Spyware

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,455
Sweden
Every launch of a The Sims game comes with A LOT of missing features and options. It's insane that four consecutive games had to sell the option to own pets as a rather expensive expansion pack, instead of them keeping the option for future games once they realized people want that. I played a bit of The Sims myself, but I mainly just assisted to my sister, a past girlfriend and the likes dabble with it. But it was clear that every single time a new The Sims came out, it really wasn't initially worth it, because the previous game had far more content and options that you had to buy again. Yes, things require time and effort to create, but I doubt it would have bankrupted them to keep the cats, the university and whatnot from an episode to another instead of literally selling it separately every time.
Pets take a huge amount of time to make. Making the pets themselves, all their items. All the animations and scripts and everything it takes for everyone to interact with the pets, the pets to interact with the world. And FAR from every Sims player want that content. Most of my friends hate pets and won't ever touch those packs.
It is a huge amount of work and they should be paid for it. It's not like they slap a filter on top of the previous game for every time they release a new one. They start from scratch. It. Takes. Time.
And time = money.
 

rras1994

Member
Nov 4, 2017
5,761
no one's denying it's hard to make video games; people are questioning whether any game is worth $500
Don't buy all the stuff then? Not all the content will suit your playstyle either. The game has released content over 4 years when you break it up over that time frame, its not that unreasonably priced. Think how much a WoW sub would cost in the same time frame. And you don't have to buy all the packs to play the game. And the mod/cc community, which is huge, is free. And the packs are on sale half the time anyway. And the Sims 4 realises free stuff all the time, they just released items celebrating the Chinese New Year this month. The monetisation is pretty transparent, it gives a range of products at different price points, and there's ways of adding new content to your game for free. And the fans always want more stuff as well, they gat angsts if they don't get new content every couple of months. Like I'm really not sure how they could make the system more fair? It's not like they can give it all away for free, you admit yourself those packs cost a lot of time and money to make.
 

elelunicy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
175
Yeah that laundry really pissed me off.
Fun fact: the devs didn't even want to make laundry. They didn't think many people would enjoy doing virtual laundry in a video game, let alone paying money for it. When they asked players to vote for the theme of a new stuff pack, people overwhelmingly voted for laundry and that's how it got made.

Though I wonder if a Sims 5 is even in the works. I heard the studio was actually not certain about continuing on to another numbered title any time soon, contrarily... which would be a shame to an extent, because I feel there is still a fresh Sims game in the series that could be tackled with another shot.

It was heavily rumored that they started working on Sims 5 last year, as Maxis had job postings for a new AAA game in the Sims franchise and they've described the team as small but rapidly growing. They've really stopped doing spin-off games so it's highly likely to be Sims 5. The game won't be out for a long time tho, as the devs basically confirmed that Sims 4 will continue to receive new content until at least 2021.
 
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Loudninja

Loudninja

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,459
Fun fact: the devs didn't even want to make laundry. They didn't think many people would enjoy doing virtual laundry in a video game, let alone paying money for it. When they asked players to vote for the theme of a new stuff pack, people overwhelmingly voted for laundry and that's how it got made.



It was heavily rumored that they started working on Sims 5 last year, as Maxis had job postings for a new AAA game in the Sims franchise and they've described the team as small but rapidly growing. They've really stopped doing spin-off games so it's highly likely to be Sims 5. The game won't be out for a long time tho, as the devs basically confirmed that Sims 4 will continue to receive new content until at least 2021.
Bahahaha thats pretty amazing
 

fleet

Member
Jan 2, 2019
644
Don't buy all the stuff then? Not all the content will suit your playstyle either. The game has released content over 4 years when you break it up over that time frame, its not that unreasonably priced. Think how much a WoW sub would cost in the same time frame. And you don't have to buy all the packs to play the game. And the mod/cc community, which is huge, is free. And the packs are on sale half the time anyway. And the Sims 4 realises free stuff all the time, they just released items celebrating the Chinese New Year this month. The monetisation is pretty transparent, it gives a range of products at different price points, and there's ways of adding new content to your game for free. And the fans always want more stuff as well, they gat angsts if they don't get new content every couple of months. Like I'm really not sure how they could make the system more fair? It's not like they can give it all away for free, you admit yourself those packs cost a lot of time and money to make.

i somewhat agree, and i said a little further up that i'm not super against paid dlc for the sims 4. i think the point is that a) things that should be considered base-game have been monetised (laundry, weather, parenting, whatever) and b) the creep of paid dlc is becoming evermore predatory. so many features that were standardised in previous sims games have been taken out and locked behind a (rather steep) paywall. the sims 4 hasn't really substantially improved upon it's predecessor in a unique way, but fans are still expected to shelve out cash for each feature-light expansion.

i also just don't trust ea lol. sims 4 was meant to be a mobile game with all the monetary trappings of one.