You mean the Sims Social?

That's a real thing. EA made a facebook app. I cried.

Okay, well there is now apparently a REAL promo video up for Showtime. EP Showtime Trailer

Color me red but I am annoyed. The entire EP does not fit with how I play my sims but, of course, they stick a pool table in there. $40 for one item...I don't think so.



I'm not JUST pissed that this should have been in Late Night. Which, by the way, I rarely use features from that EP. I am upset that they're introducing items they know people want (pool table, DJ booth, microphone) into an EP they know few people will want. Yes, we want the features. But do we want to pay $40 for an EP to an EP? No. Should we have to? No. Honestly, (and before you all jump on me for it, I KNOW this isn't Sims 2) I don't remember any previous EPs for the other franchises that basically were duplicates or close to each other. The only one that MIGHT be similar is Nightlife and Freetime but that's kind of a stretch. Nowhere near this mess. EA knows that this EP will receive little support from gamers like us so they stick stuff we've been clamoring for in it to "force" our hand. Well, too bad. My hand is not forced.

As for the person who said that EA wants to appeal to all gamers and the "open ended, no quest" is scary for some gamers, tough shit. There are PLENTY of other games out there that fulfill those requirements. Many that are produced by EA themselves. You can't make EVERYONE happy and changing the entire idea behind this game to fit the styles of other gamers is silly and will lose the ones who have been with the franchise from the beginning.

And it's not even social. I've seen chats where both people were playing it, their sims were interacting, and they had to go into the chat somewhere else to say "I can't get through your front door." "Ok, I've fixed it now" "I like how you've decorated in here."

If EA can't get the social aspects that they have already done right, I'm not going to trust them to get the EP right.

Yeah, I tried Sims Social. I think I lasted 20 minutes. Was rather bored and deleted the whole thing.

As for the leaked TS4...is it just me that wants my sims to still look like a game? :P

The Sims games are simulations, not rpgs or adventure games. I absolutely agree with you, Heaven. There are plenty of games out there that do both of these genres much better than EA could ever do with the Sims. I do see some movement back to simulation (Generations, Pets) and we will see how they do Showtime. If they allow us the freedom to actually create our performances (choreograph them) then great. If it is just 'click on stage and advance to the next number' then boring.

Honestly, EA already very much did this with Generations. Remember how the spiral staircases were added in Generations? Remember how they were asked for so much, yet had absolutely no relation to the theme of Generations whatsoever?

Yet, the funny thing is they were oftentimes advertised just as much as the "main features" of Generations. EA likes throwing in 'shiny objects' in otherwise extremely mediocre Expansion Packs. It makes fans that are obsessed with those objects stop thinking about the actual quality about the Expansion Pack and makes them want it anyway.

At least the DJ Booth and Karaoke Machine fit into this Expansion Pack's theme perfectly.

Oh boy! I know I may sound like a downright hypocrite, but if I can turn off those silly old social networking things EA has decided to throw in, I'll definitely throw down oodles more hard earned cash for celebrities and a new neighborhood! I've always wanted a humongous city with celebrities, superstar-based careers and club-themed venues! I hope they don't put the superstar career in some sort of big film studio rabbit hole or something, that would be dumb. And knowing EA, they'll definitely give us a city without any routing problems and rampant lag! Besides, they have a pool table and karaoke machine finally, and those TOTALLY won't show up in their store and future Stuff Packs like half of their Generations content did!

In fact, I think I should give them my credit card number and hand over my bank account! They'll take good care of my financial information, seeing how they know exactly what us fans want! I lub you EA! :lovestruc :lovestruc

. . . . .

Whoops, that was my eternal optimist typing. What I really meant to say was, "(long string of expletives and assorted verbal content not suitable for minors)"

I think Spirals fall into the same category of bunk/loft beds - space saving items. The execution of the spirals was horrible, but they fit a LITTLE. I just wonder why we have yet to get more. It makes those small family homes have a little more space in them. The connection is barely there, since spirals are versitile and have multiple purposes, but it's good enough to be here.

I think it was advertised because there are no other build items in the pack, except for a window and some wall paint.

I felt your sarcasm there. :lovestruc

It's a fake video.

EDIT: No, really, it is, Disagree #1. Go look at the thread, I already posted the original vid it was copied from.

I basically agree with everyone so far who's said that Showtime's basically just a showcase for the new social gaming features, and light on other content. The social features will be wasted on Simmers like me who don't know any people personally who play Sims 3, and don't wish to share anything over the Internet with strangers. That leaves $40 for content that for the most part would have fit much better thematically with earlier EPs.

It seems to me that the content aside from the social gaming features is a mishmash of stuff (leftover ideas?) that would have fit nicely into LN or AMB. Singers and DJs would have fit especially well with Late Night. We could also have used the ability to build concert venues in that EP, considering it introduced the ability for Sims to form bands. Those bands could have used lead singers or DJs. I could go on and on.

Speaking of custom venues, I sure hope that our custom concert halls and stadiums can be used for purposes other than shows, such as workplaces for Sims in the existing Music and Sports careers. Otherwise, a giant stadium just for concerts, magic shows, and performances?

Knowing EA, the social gaming features will introduce more headaches for everyone in the form of new, flawed coding, and broken code that was fine until the EP or patch is installed.

Well, I personally am very much disillusioned by TS3. Like many of you, I was there at the beginning when TS1 came out. I absolutely *loved* that game. I really liked how the gameplay was just so easy, and there were maybe 1 or 2 glitches (for me, they were minor), the expansion packs really *were* expansions jammed full of game content and with each expansion there was tons of things to build with and to do! I bought every single expansion without question, because in my mind each expansion that was released was better than the one that came before it. My favorite was Makin' Magic. Wow, what a game. I loved the town that you could visit/and or live in, you could buy a dragon and then raise it with hilarious consequences, cast spells to water your plants, etc.

Anyhow, then came TS2. I really became a die hard Sims fan with this version. I loved the fact that you could really make some realistic looking sims, they could garden, they actually could leave their house, drive somewhere, the seasons would change, they could own their own business (this was so much fun for me), go downtown on dates, etc. I, of course, bought every expansion and stuff pack in this series as well because Maxis/EA wasn't stingy with their game content. The best part of TS2 was the only patching that was done (that wasn't very often) was when you installed an expansion or stuff pack, and even after you did patch, your cc still worked!

Which brings us to TS3. Boy, I gave up so many times on this "broken" game that I went back to TS2. Ahhhhhhh, serenity had found me once again. No infernal endless patching, no empty promises that "this patch fixes yada..yada in umpteen million expansion packs and stuff packs and the game was even more broken than before! But, like so many others, the lure of a "new" expansion or stuff pack that I didn't have in the TS2 and the lack of customization, I came back to TS3 in hopes that EA would do right by me and give me a non-broken game. *Sigh*..they let me down. Again.

Well, foolishly I have bought every stuff pack and every expansion pack up to Generations (I will not be buying Pets, and doubtfully anything else in TS3) because I am just fed up with the measly content that they package and expect us to still be loyal customers and also these so-called neighborhoods that they give us. First, they're very poorly done. They don't leave us enough room to really customize any kind of neighborhood and if you try to bulldoze some lot (such as the City Hall in Sunset Valley, you can't get it completely flat and it looks like utter crap). Bridgeport was total sh*t in my opinion. Even if you did manage to empty it, you really couldn't do anything with it because of all of the cement and it totally lagged (and I don't have a slow computer by any means.

Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to TS4 unless they do some serious restaffing and get some people in there that knows what a decent neighborhood should look like. Sunset Valley reminds me of an old town that no one wants to live in. Also, if they got some people that really cared about the loyal customers that have been with them from the beginning and really listened to what they want and delivered, then I might consider buying TS4.

*End of rant*

Hellfyre6, I agree with much of what you said above. However, I found Sims 2 to have it's issues with custom content as well. I spent more time going through the files one by one to figure out what was messing up my game. It was difficult to organize them and too much CC made the game slow and laggy. It could be that now those things are fixed but at the time Sims 2 was all the rage, there were problems.

The one thing I love in Sims 3 is the ability to create worlds in CAW. There are so many custom worlds out there that are fantastic...and anyone with a little time can build their own world. The diversity of already created worlds is just awesome! There were a few good neighborhood builders in Sims 2 but you had to have Sim City and be skilled with Sim City. I can build in CAW but could never figure it out in Sims 2.

Also, there are empty worlds out there without cement..and you can even alter EA worlds in CAW very easily.

Yes, Sims 3 EPs lack content and are almost always disappointing. They don't have the 'Wow' factor that Sims 2 had and even if they do, they always end up worse than expected rather than better. I think our standards are high because of some amazing Sims 2 EPs. Personally, I think we will have more Sims 3 packs but with less in them..which means more money...but also means content will catch up to and maybe surpass Sims 2...someday.

I don't blame you for not wanting to invest in Sims 3 anymore. If I didn't like CAW so much, I would go back to Sims 2 as well. I sometimes find myself wistfully looking at the CC for Sims 2 here on MTS. I just can't give up my world building.

rian90, you've made some valid points. One, yeah there were problems with cc in the Sims 2 but I've had more issues with cc in the Sims 3 with not being able to install sims3pack files through the launcher. At least, in TS2 I could install files myself so I knew where they were. I had fewer issues with cc in TS2 than in TS3 and as a bonus if cc didn't work in TS2, at least it didn't muck up my game so bad that I had to uninstall the whole damn thing and start all over.

I tried CAW and at first glance it seemed that there was finally a solution to the fugly neighborhoods that EA forced us to use. But then came the first patch and CAW broke. EA spokespeople are always saying in interviews "we give the players the tools to make these amazing stories blah, blah" but the trouble is the tools are always so buggy that the players get frustrated and then using those tools aren't fun anymore. I was working on a large world and had a lot of the landscaping, terrain painting, roads laid, etc done and I could *never* recover my CAW files after it broke the first time. So, I started over. Then with another patch, it broke yet AGAIN. I wasted so much time and effort, and it was for nothing so I gave up and resigned to using other peoples' worlds (which, btw, some of them are really awesome). However, it's always somebody else's vision. Not mine. *Sigh*. So, I took CAW off my computer and resolved to not waste any more time with it.

I think the one thing that draws players to TS3 and keeps them is CAW. But there again, EA almost forces us to download an extra (large) program and install it on our computers so that we have a decent map to play on. If they would release some pretty neighborhoods to begin with, there might not be a need for this extra program. The terrain painting in Sunset Valley is absolutely hideous. I don't find it very imaginative at all, and these people are supposed to be "professional" game designers and level designers.

The fact that we do have such standards by which TS2 was set should continue on through TS3. It just shows that EA has gotten lazy and doesn't care to keep up standards that were set before. It's especially important if you're going to make a sequel that the same standards are brought into the next. The most obvious example of EA's laziness is those damn rabbitholes. C'mon, really? I hate those things. At the very least if they were going to give us buildings that our sims just disappear into and reappear out it, they could have made them a little more attractive or made them easier to recolor. Again, if you want to recolor them you have to download and install yet another program. My point is in order to play a decent game players shouldn't have to download a lot of extra programs on their computers (especially when a lot of TS players have slow, low-end computers to begin with).

Unfortunately, by the time EA gets around to giving the players exactly what they want in terms of EPs (such as weather), I'm afraid it will be so late into TS3 and then they'll dangle TS4 in front of us promising us something "new" and "shiny" that players will never get a chance to fully enjoy what they've been clamoring for since the beginning. That's exactly what happened in TS1. They had just released Makin' Magic and then TS2 was released, so I never really got to fully enjoy it. Then in TS2 the last EP to be released was Apartment Life and, again, I never really got to fully enjoy the magic aspect in there. I fear they will do the same thing with TS3. The last EP they will release will be something players have wanted for a long time and then they'll release TS4. So, yet again, players won't be able to fully enjoy it because they'll be enticed to buy something new yet again.

The only thing that I really miss about TS2 is not being able to customize anything. Being a graphic designer, I like to work with color and sadly you can't mix and match patterns and materials in TS2. Now, if only there was a way that we could take the awesomeness of TS2 and throw in the ability to customize then I'd have the best of both worlds. Also, it was easier to manage a big household in TS2. If a sim went somewhere, the others stayed at home and you wouldn't have to micromanage each sim. What a pain to have to do that in TS3. For this reason, I only play households with 2 sims at the most because any more than that and I feel like my head will explode.

Anyhow, I probably wouldn't mind spending my money on TS3 EPs and stuff packs if they were priced accordingly to what content they contained. But, every EP is $50, and every stuff pack is $30 regardless of how much game content is released in them. What I really resent is when TS3 was released, I expected it to be jammed full of new content. Instead, they released a bare-bones game of basics to get us started and then put the *premium* content in the store.That, to me, was a big slap in the face. Especially when I paid for the LE, which was $70. I hate the store. I think it's a big insult to the paying customers. I, for the most part, avoided going to the store or even looking at it. Then, all of a sudden, it's now in my game! There's a shiny, glowy EA store button in my game! C'mon, stop advertising to get even more of my money when I'm playing!

Wow, guess I had more pent up rage and frustration than I thought. Ah well, to each its own as the saying goes. That's what makes this country great. We're all individuals and we have the freedom to pick and choose. I, for one, wish EA would just stop thinking about their bottom line and get TS3 back to the high standards which were set and maintained in TS2. Now, onto Sims Medieval...no, better not get me started on *that*...

I feel that I should have waited until Showtime comes out instead of buying Late Night, that EP, to me, is pretty much empty. It's the same for other expansion packs except for Pets. I have high expectations because I'm a Sims 2 fan and like a lot of people I've been very disappointed in the Sims 3 EPs. Late Night is like a watered down version of Night Life expansion pack to me, all the contents of Sims 2 Night Life alone already make the Sims 3 and all its EPs boring.

Have y'all noticed that instead of mentioning Facebook/Twitter (like the original announcement did) they are now talking about something called Passport/Simport? I googled Simport/Passport and I found an article that described passport as a rival to Project 10 Dollar, which was a scheme by EA to make money off of those who buy used games. But it appears that EA bought Passport. Then I found the following article, and although it is from 2010 it may explain what they are thinking with where they are taking TS3. I'm just not sure they will keep it alive if they continue on this course. I guess it depends on how many total people jump ship. http://www.businessweek.com/magazin...67064465834.htm

That was predictable. It's still the same SHT though no matter what they call it or how they word it. They're just giving the appearance of backing down knowing that people will still buy--securom, the sims stores, broken store content they won't fix, bugs they won't patch--the list goes on. It really doesn't matter, everyone bends over and buys in the end so there's no reason for them to change. Go EA!

"You better believe EA is concerned about the overwhelmingly negative reception this pack is receiving online and I'd bet they're scrambling to come up with a way that makes SHT more palatable as we speak."

Yep - same SHT, different day. :p

The sad thing is the head honcho at EA games actually thinks this will work...

The only thing I could think of that would be any more pitiful is if it actually DID work...I won't be working with this nonsense after TS3, that's for sure, especially if that TS4 trailer leak wasn't faked...

Not true. Plenty of people are still happy to play Sims 2, although Sims 3 is being prostituted in front of their faces.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with what you're saying, I just felt like my 2 cents was needed (Not to EA though - they can go suck a llama).

Oh, this is the post you described in the other SHT thread. Glad to find it. Interesting stuff I skimmed through but I can't help but wonder how EA actually thought this would be the way to go with the Sims 3 games? Are they really ready to dump the interest of older, loyal fans to appease the teen? Like will this keep their interest for more than a 6 months? Most kids in my family that played as tweens don't even look at the game now they are in their late teens. Not even interested in the new social networking with the game.

I am just ranting now. I know it don't matter.

I'm in my late-ish teens and have been playing long before puberty.
Maybe I'm just odd?
Then again, I'm in the anti-social networking boat; so I'm a leper to my fellow teens xD!

So, I read through a bit of that out of curiosity. And it looks like finishing the Sims 3 franchise isn't their top priority if they aren't doing well, and that they're just making the switch over to make it a social game. I could imagine they would still continue Sims Social if they discontinued Sims 3. Depressing as that seems, they have to do what's best for their company.

Game is how it plays, not how it looks. If someone can build a game engine that can render high quality, photorealistic images in real-time and will run on a typical gaming desktop and only cost $40 bucks to buy, I'm all for it.

So the whole social nonsense is optional, and it's been confirmed by EA that they won't allow the Passport feature to let in Sims that will bloat your game with extra CC and so on, so these features are supposedly optional and 'harmless'. See HERE for the full scoop.


However, I'm still not going to be purchasing this game. Personally, I don't even use LN features that much, mostly because the are horribly flawed/obnoxious IMO. Also, I refuse to pay for an EP of an EP...

Also, what would be the odds that EA is going to throw in the DJ Booth, Karaoke Machine, Pool Table, and a few extra chairs and tables and call it a day for new buy/build content? If this is the case, I'll choose to wait for a pool table/whatever else to show up in a Stuff Pack or their Store...I'm not paying forty dollars for one or two virtual piece of furniture I've been wanting.