*ducks from tomatoes*

I know, I know, but hear me out.

Like some of you, I do believe they intended for SIms 4 to be somewhat of an online game but steered away from that because of SimCity fiasco. What we have now is the remaints of that, and I feel like a lot of you do, that the game seems to be a bit... Meh. I mean, some of it looks good but the fact that's it's gonna be released NEXT YEAR and they haven't really shown us anything else but CAS, I feel that they scrapped something by the last minute: online gaming.

I honestly would rather have seen them taking that route instead of giving us something half-assed, something not so new compared to previous titles, something not worthy of a 4.

Online gaming: Semi-online, where you still mostly play single game but maybe there are common areas where you can hang with other players and invite to your game. In that way, you can still age and all that but still choose online stuff if you want to.

As long as its not about connecting the game to facebook and twitter and shit, I would actually not mind them taking that route and exploring it. I'd rather have that then a thin game without any real addition to it except emotions.

Don't want.
I can't play online games, my connection isn't so powerfull.
And I'm not the only one.

A lot of people around the world have similar problems.. so please, no :D

Plus, I don't want hang with other players or to invite them in my game.
People can be so boring.. I'm here to play and not to socialize :D

Id actually like something like it. I was an avid player of The Sims Online and the online mode for Bustin Out. I would love to have a Sims MMO again, but nothing like that garbage Sims Social. Actually, TECHNICALLY, Freeplay is becoming MMO. The new update coming out is introducing a feature you can visit other friends towns and talk together. I have not played Freeplay in forever, so im not sure if this is out or not.

Not against an mmo but I don't think have seen enough of Sims 4 to call it half-assed or unworthy. I had fun playing Sims online, but the mmo genre has ALOT of competition. I say this as an mmo gamer and sims player....they would need to come up with a very good product to avoid the same fate that Sims Online suffered.

I do not like the idea of a sims mmo but I can see the appeal in it to some. I think that mmo features should either be in a separate game for those who want it or if they are in the game be able to turn them off.

There is lots of online games where you can play with friends or like minded game players. However, that is not what the Sims is meant to be. Will Wright and the old Maxis team seem to understand that people played for different reasons. The focus of Sims themselves was actually accidental, it was more about building, and Sims were included. Then they realized people wanted to play The Sims for different reasons. Therefore, they seemed to be fine with people making their games more personal, because each of us play differently or not at all. Some players, just love building and creating fashions and hair styles, and then uploading it to site if they choose, or just enjoying it on their own. While, there's player's that love telling stories and making movies, again either to share or just for their own amusement. And then their's players like myself that enjoy building my world and then playing in it. I have uploaded a couple of times, but I just enjoy the game itself.

If the Sims ever went online, even a little, that takes away from our personal games. I believe they did a Sims online, that was separate to the Sims 1 games, therefore there was no interferance. If EA wants to do that, then fine. But to incorporate it where we have to be online just because that's what other games are doing, then in my opinion they have different idea of what the Sims is supposed to be. In fact their using the the Sims brand because it's a sure thing. But what EA is trying to do is get away from personalized games. They don't want us really to build, why would we want to if they make an open world for us with limited options of own creations. They are invested in their Store now and sp's. Why put all that should be in an EP, when they can make more money on the side in other ways. If it's becoming more difficult for those that make CC, it's because unlike the original Maxis team that supported the creativity of others, EA are just greedy whores.

You are who they want in their pocket. You are willing to try and probably buy into whatever EA makes, without thinking of the consequences of doing so. You are agreeing that Sims should progress the way EA thinks it should.

There's a reason why many of us are so skeptical, is because we were like you. Excited to see the next generation of Sims! It's why we are still here discussing it, and yet are seeing a unique game being taking away from us. I've said it many times now. But when it comes to The Sims franchise, Simmers like progress, but not change. Enhance our worlds, with the newest technologies. But, don't take away the heart and soul of the game itself, personal game choices. We want quality over quanity really. If they can make 12 ep's with thought and care, then go for it. But, if they can only do maybe 8, that comes out twice a year, because they are focused on the game design, not just fast money, then so be it. And it also gives them some time to fix any bugs and glitches before a new ep comes out, then I'm fine with that.

We don't want our Sims interacting with other people's Sims, because it takes away from our own games. Quests are just stupid, if you need a game to tell you how to play and what to do, you're playing the wrong game. If you want advice or challenges, that's what the community is for. If you want to know what your Sims want. That's what wants and fears are for. They can guide you or you can ignore them. This game isn't about levels or becoming a champion...well unless you enjoy killing Sims a little too much. Then maybe you can be a champion at that (Sims 2 reference!)

The Sims is about creating however people choose to do that. If we were game developers we'd do it ourselves, but many of us are not. Trust us, you don't want this game to go online, and have to have a bunch of friends in the internet world to advance. It's hard enough in the game to do that( well it used to be), now I have to make friends online to play my game? What if these people are from different time zones or a different parts of the world. Then you have to wait to play your game if you need player's for something. Seriously do you want that? In any form, do you want to hold off playing Your game, until someone else comes online to fulfill something? I'll answer for you, no you don't. You and I will want to play our games at our own pace and stop when we want to.

Okay, it's bedtime for me, it was awhile ago. But I guess, I needed as others I'm sure will do, had to explain why the Sims cannot and should not ever in any shape or form be online.

They've screwed up Sims 4, I truly believe that. They are scrambling to save it. Their best bet is give those that need to have Sims 4, and don't care what it is( make their money from that). Then scrap the 25 ep's that were supposed to come with it. Lick their wounds and educate themselves about their product. We can wait for Sims 5, we really can.

But the thing is, if TSO returned as a stand alone title with the TS4 engine, and was not forced on us, it would probably succeed. Infact, if EA used better advertising and made it FTP, it would likely be big. The only reason Sims Social failed was obvious reasons: It sucked.

Sims Online and Sims Bustin Out Online were closed because the users declined because EA lacked any intention to advertise them properly. It was a sad shame. I absolutely LOVED The Sims Online and The Sims Bustin Out`s PS2 exclusive online mode. I played them both all the time under the screenname "CamJam1995". I really miss them. We dont need a FORCED online sims game, but it would be nice to have The Sims Online back.

Well said The SimWhisperer, I totally agree.

I really hope that Graham Nardone will read your words.
A girl can dream, right?

Well, maybe someone can go on Twitter and let a link to your post.

This. I don't know why they just couldn't make a separate Sims Online type thing with newer graphics and I'm sure they also had some experience through Sims Online and could've added things that were missing from it.

I don't care for SecondLife type games. What I look for in a sims game isn't to socialize.

"You are who they want in their pocket. You are willing to try and probably buy into whatever EA makes, without thinking of the consequences of doing so. You are agreeing that Sims should progress the way EA thinks it should."

Excuse me?

Can we please not make sweeping fucking statements about people we don't know or have no idea whst their story about The Sims is.
For the record, I haven't bought a sims game since 2006. They were mostly given to me after that point since I worked as a moderator on their official site(s). If they hadn't given me them, I wouldn't have bought them because I think the series started to suck around Pets for Sims 2. So no, I'm probably the exact opposite of what EA wants.

I just made a SUGGESTION that maybe it's better to go with whatever they had planned full out instead of giving us a game that is barely an upgraded version of Sims 3 (and lacking some key features even). If it turns out then that that was a horrible idea, then yeah... The game series will suck a little more than Sims 3, but only barely.

I'm not talking about an always online mode, I'm talking about a mulitplayer feature that does NOT include the FB styled games they spit out recently. Meaning online-function is obviously OPTIONAL.

Also, I hate when people first tell me "players should play the game how ever they want" and then says that an online version is not how the game is "supposed" to be played. Don't tell me what's fun or how I should want to play the game. I've wanted a multiplayer function since 2001, before FB, before WoW, before EA destroyed the series. Also, I used to be hardcore Sim-fan. Why is my opinion less worthy because I wanted an online feature?

Please stop with the condescending BS.

Yes, please do disagree with me - i totally welcome that - but DO NOT treat me like some eleven year old fan who buys whatever says Sims on it. I won't have it.

"They've screwed up Sims 4, I truly believe that. They are scrambling to save it. Their best bet is give those that need to have Sims 4, and don't care what it is( make their money from that). Then scrap the 25 ep's that were supposed to come with it. Lick their wounds and educate themselves about their product. We can wait for Sims 5, we really can."

Exactly so why not add the intended online function, see it crash and burn as most of you think it will, and then start Sims 5? Again, better to go full out than leave us with an uncomplete game.

i've been thinking this too, i mean it's not like they made a patch that made simcity go completely offline or withdrew it - it's still an online game, and while i haven't tried playing it, the online features should be working fine now, and they apparently consider it a "success". that's why i'm a bit puzzled as to why they removed the online features, when they consider simcity a success - surely sims 4 online could've been a success according to them, too?

i really am curious to see what the supposedly "original" online sims 4 was like. it would probably be way too social for my liking but we'll never know.

Yeah, I guess somewhat of my point of view lies in my curiosity. I'd love to see what their IDEAS were about it... and then scrap it (unless it was awesome).

Weren't they suppose to add an offline-patch to SimCity?

If it crashes and burns, do you really think there will BE a Sims 5? They saw from the backlash against SimCity just how little people wanted to be forced online. It was a PR nightmare. They don't want it to happen a second time and certainly not with another popular title. Sure, they sold 2 million copies, but notice that they don't say how many of those got returned, how many people are actually logging in to play the game and how many people are expected to buy it in the future. Those sort of figures for Sims 4 when Sims 3 sold 10 million and Sims 2 sold 20 million would kill it stone dead. So it's in their best interests right now to forget the online aspect and look at what made Sims 2 the number one best selling game and do that instead.

Maybe that's for the best then... That they calm down pushing out games after games after games that has very few differences, and let us enjoy the already existing game series and then maybe in ten years we'll have Sims 5, or maybe another studio tries to do something in that realm.

I'd rather see that then seeing a reincarnation of Sims 2 with slightly better graphics for years to come. But that's just me.

When you look at it like this, I begin to wonder why they even may have considered to make The Sims online only. Sounds like a great risk to take with nothing to back it up. I mean, was there some great discussion for TS2 where people regretted that there was no online component and that there would actually be some substantial demand?
I know for TS3 the reaction was divided, some liked the new online elements, some hated them, but I'd have considered it still not sufficient to justify a complete migration into online territory.
Clearly, the cannot be so stupid to think that they'd gather a 10-million following for TS MMO. How many MMOs are there with that number and, above all, that keep them for more than a few months?

TSO was a bit of a disaster because of trolls.. Actually it got really crazy with prostitution and stuff. But it became before TS2 and was like first Sims.

HA! I remember that. People were selling sex and making virtual sex stores where you could trade money for woohoo.

Good times...

The Sims Online was nothing like Second Life. It was a structured game like The Sims, not just some open sandbox to act out your fantasies. Although your Sim was your avatar, it still had needs just like a normal offline Sim that you had to fulfil, and a range of normal sim interactions with other sims so you couldn't just go over to another sim and do whatever porn you wanted. There was a chat window you could chat freely in but you needed amenities to fill your needs and job and skills to help you buy them. I got bored in Second Life after I had been to all the creating classes there cos there was no purpose in the game.

I don't see how you could have had prostitution in TSO actually. I am not even sure it had woohoo.

Exactly. People who never played it should not show "Dislike" in it. Clearly that person never played it if they called it "Like Second Life", because it was far from. Infact, it was actually worth while and fun to play. Second life is a piece of crap with horrid graphics and greedy prices for extras.

It had in the love bed. But yeah, there were brothels and stuff where people danced in those cages. Funny thing is that some of the owners of these brothels turned out to be 13... Haha!

Mark my words posted here, you will get something in Sims 4 that will introduce a lite version of an MMO. Right now the appeal still makes the Sims studio apprehensive but if enough interest peaks with the online players, especially through surveys and incentives, watch what happens. I know my posting this is making look like a doomsday, poster board carrying lunatic to some and I don't enjoy it but the writings on the wall.

I am against the MMO being in a single player game and wish EA would let the game stay that way but I think the single player style is going by way of dinosaurs. Now its me wanting to invade your space, babble on about nothing, disrupt your serenity because I am bored and all the while I want to go in your game, have looksee around, do social stuff with your Sims (which creeps me out) and post something in simsecret personal about someone's game, causing unneeded wank. No thank you.

This is why I plan on staying away from Sims 4 for a long while, I really have to see this play out.

It was actually called "Play in bed". Basically, players would create themselves as a "Hoe" then charge sim cash. After the person paid, the 2 sims would then do the normal "Play in bed" thing.

It was pretty easy. I witnessed it once after the game was renamed to EA Land.