So I spoke with an employee of EA Sims 3 team today..

[roerzman]

Unfortunately any social network site especially those that also host online games attract scammers like flies to cow dung.
Those who are silly enough to throw money at virtual pixels get what they deserve, I played Mafiawars for over a year now and Zynga hasn't got one red cent out of me.
If EA. were to make the next generation of sims into another sims online then the result would be the end of the sims.
The whole concept of the original sims was for the consumer to buy the bare bones game and then do as he or she pleases with it and also to share various mods or creations, not to make money out of them but to generate an interest and sites such as this to increase the popularity. And Maxis in turn made a whole lot of money selling the next installments or upgrades because the game became very addictive and grew in popularity.
This is something that was obviously lost to EA. because they decided to become control freaks and hoped that the players would flock to their store, throwing millions of dollars at them for virtual crap that someone at AE. land thinks that players want.
A rule in any business. Take your customers for granted, dictate to them then s--t on them as well means that you will go to the wall.

[Hammie]

Oh, that would be absolutely HORRID if they only made Sims online. I like the fact that Sims 2 is a nice little soul PC Game with no real people actually playing with you. Somebody should call up Will Wright and beg him to take control of his Sims again- otherwise the future of Sims looks horribly bleak. I doubt there will actually be a "The Sims 4" because the way sells are going they might just not have any motivation. They have offically pooped on our heads and left us. I think The Sims 2 would've been a lot better if they had just added in the realistic birth like in TS3 and the faster traveling around town. I don't really like the fact that in TS3 the neighbours grow and change on their own. It's difficult for story writing. I'm actually glaring at my uninstalled copy of TS3 as I type this. PLEASE, Will, come back and save the Sims!! If only enough people made a big enough fuss, then maybe they would listen to us...
EDIT: And, not to mention, they've made making your own CC like pulling hen's teeth. That was one of the major highlights for TS2, the players could actually get even more involved in the game than all the other average video games. I know this might sound really extreme, but after I fully played around with TS3, I got so mad I didn't even touch my computer for three months. To me, TS3=EPIC FAILURE. You can't even go into shops anymore on TS3! What is up with that? It's like the Sims went premative!! *fumes*

[Paden]

Will can't come back and take control because he sold the whole ruddy thing to EA and they are going to take it where they want it. Sad to say, we is screwed, kids.

[Hammie]

  How could he?  The things people do for money. 

[roerzman]

The best thing the modders should have done, was just leave the blasted thing alone, abide 100% to their EULA.
Why try to fix the stupid thing? Let them iron out the bugs. Let them dress the thing up to make it presentable. Let them write the mods. Let them write the default replacement skins so they don't look like something out of Mario Bros.
Why help them? They just treat the whole community with contempt.
If all the modders had of abided to their blasted EULA totally the stupid thing would have died a natural death six months ago.

[Hammie]

If the modders and CC makers hadn't done what they did, the game would've been a lot less unattractive, but still a fun game none the less. I still use all Maxis stuff, but I do use CC to enchance some of the Sims that I unhealthily worship. It makes them a lot more attractive and realistic. I think I might've died without the Sims2living hack, personally. I really don't think that's the reason they've decided to become such control freaks. Maxis really didn't care, and EA steps in with nothing but money lust. It's all about money, and making game play as miserable for the players as possible, it seems like.

[MaryH]

I think roerzman was referring to S3, not Sims 2. We all profited by EA's "blindness" to their EULA on Sims 2, whereas now, they've locked nearly everything down to the point where you have to have a PhD in computer writing to just do a simple recolor.
That doesn't make it very attractive at times for modders or creators. I know Pescado was of two minds about modding it at first-and he finally did it, but I think it was for the challenge of "can I do it, and how much do I have to break to get it to work?"
Of course we knew he could do it-it just took a lot of sweat and tears to do it.
If he had to work that hard to do mods (and you do have to admit, he is one of the best going), can you imagine what creators have to do? Breaking things until they fit, and that isn't the way it should be.

A whole 'nother story from Sims 2, definitely. Not that EA cares, though. They've got their own profit point-it's called "The Store" and that's where they want everyone to shop at. Not free or even good stuff. A lot of creators could do better, but EA's not listening to them, either.
Kind of like the Sims when they don't want to hear what the other one is saying-"Fingers in my ear!"

[Paden]

I can believe Pescado sweating, but didn't he lose his tear ducts in the war or something? Sorry, just finished watching Monsters vs Aliens...

[MaryH]

I should have said, "someone else's tears"..we all know Pescado doesn't cry over anything. More than likely, he was swearing every single step of the way, mostly pirate curses. I would have hated to be Mrs. Pescado while he was doing the first step of modding. I bet he's not pleasant while he's in a bad mood-and that game is enough to make one very ugly indeed.
But then again, when is he in a good mood?

[Jenna]

Pescado only gets mad, angry, and furious.

...although, I have heard stories of him cackling in homicidal glee at times. Whether that can be interpreted as a good mood, or just another variation of a bad mood, is anyone's guess.

[gazania]

Well, while looking through the Facebook apps, I came across a Sims-like game that, on first glance, would remind you of Sims 1 ... TirNua. I believe that someone who later worked on Sims Online started this app. I added it and started playing with it and ...

I deleted it after fifteen minutes. Figures. I theoretically got what I wanted, and realized I didn't want it. Not this version.

The game is clumsy to navigate, and I could see the massive "gimme" campaign looming ahead. Honestly, I don't mind if a developer pushes a little custom content. The game developer, by the way, not some third-party site. I know that some of you disagree with me on this, and hey, I fully respect your opinion.

But to me, there is a world of difference between dangling a few carrots to entice you to part with a bit of change, and dangling bunches of carrots, then jerking the reins back. EA and so many social-networking apps seem to be blurring the difference. Their greed blinds them thoroughly.

For me, with EA, its handling of Sims 2 was mostly "a few carrots" until EA started pushing The Sims Store. Sims 3 seems to be the latter approach. And no, as others wrote, it doesn't help that EA seems to tacitly approve certain greedy pay sites. What is that old saying about lying down with the dogs?

[roerzman]

You catch fleas of course. No matter I have nothing to do with with that trash or their store. As long as the creators/modders keep creating for the sims2 I will probably keep playing it for a few years yet.
That begs the question. How long will it take EA. to jump back on the sims2 bandwagon and try cash in on it's reborn popularity?

[Paden]

"Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas." And trust me, those suckers are so loaded with the ruddy things, that daily bathing isn't gonna help one damn bit...

[MaryH]

Posted by: roerzman
That begs the question. How long will it take EA. to jump back on the sims2 bandwagon and try cash in on it's reborn popularity?

EA has abandoned the Sims 2. That's a fact. The only reason they still support the game is that they are still selling it in various forms. They will never get back on that track, and have been attempting to make it die a natural death, only to be defeated by the legions of Sims 2 fans who have no use for Sims 3.

They disassembled the studio and team that did the Sims 2. That's done and over with. They won't rehire them and I'm sure they're not about to even entertain the thought of reworking the game. That would be admitting defeat from their efforts to put Sims 3 on the map to replace it.

[Nonni]

That would be admitting defeat from their efforts to put Sims 3 on the map to replace it.

So sad but I tend to agree with you on this. "Pride goeth before the fall."