Holiday Addon pack announced

[striker]

40 new holiday objects

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1280&Itemid=2

EA is hoping to attract gift-givers this year, by creating a new Sims 2 SKU with added Holiday content.
Due to be announced later today, the Sims 2 Holiday Edition will be priced identically to the existing Sims 2 SKU. 40 new holiday items will give players the ability to decorate their houses, serve dinner and sort out a Santa visit.

The package is a nifty marketing angle for the holidays that will provide a nice incentive for retail to promote and for consumers to pick up as a gift.

For existing Sims 2 players, a stocking stuffer in the form of a Holiday Party pack will provide the same new content without paying for the main standalone game. EA will be making this content available via direct sale from its website.

[linolino]

EA will be making this content available via direct sale from its website.

so this means no holliday content for people from other countries?

[Motoki]

Hmm, I wonder how much they will charge for the Holiday Pack. 40 items isn't very many and these items are very seasonal, you'll probably only want to use them about one month out of the year. :p

[ZephyrZodiac]

I imagine they will be available from their UK website, although I never actually go there.  But I never play Christmas or Halloween anyway (Bah! Humbug!)

[wishy-washy]

What's the "existing" Sims 2 SKU?

[Ancient Sim]

What's the "existing" Sims 2 SKU?

Was just about to ask the same question!  I don't even know what an SKU is.  Something Kinda Useless probably, if it's made by Maxis.

And I would rather that if they were going to announce something today, it would be a patch.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Is there a simmer anywhere within a million miles of Maxis who doesn't agree with you, O wise ancient one!

[nectere]

Stock Keeping Unit.

Sku is generally referred to the barcode on the product you purchase. So a Sims SKU is simply another "unit" or component of the Sims.

[Assmitten]

For existing Sims 2 players, a stocking stuffer in the form of a Holiday Party pack will provide the same new content without paying for the main standalone game. EA will be making this content available via direct sale from its website.

That article is worded weirdly. First it says that content will be free for people who own TS2, then it says "direct sale" from the website. I wonder if they just mean "downloadable?"

[dizzy]

I think they mean that the base game will be relabeled as "Sims 2 Holiday Edition" and will be packaged with the new objects, and people who already own the base game can simply order the upgrade directly from EA.

New link: http://thesims2.ea.com/about/holidaypp_index.php
EDIT (links): http://thesims2.ea.com/about/holiday_index.php

[Regina]

The new content had better be free for existing Sims2 players.  Otherwise there are going to be some very angry mobsters on the official BBS.

[KatEnigma]

MK made a post about it - 12 objects will be available for download free, if you want everything else (new year's eve parties, visits from Santa, and who knows what else) you're going to have to fork over the cash.    No price set yet, so they must be still trying to decide how much they'll be able to squeeze out of us.

[Ms.Perception]

LOL, I just wrote all that and saw that you posted it before I could, katenigma. Oh well. Maxis is trying to bleed us dry, but then again what more can we expect from them. Just wondering how many bugs the new content will have. 

[Regina]

Marketing, stupid marketing.  They know they have a large enough base of rabid fans who'll just bend over backward to buy everything that's put out they pay no attention to those of us who only buy what we feel is both a good offer AND enhance our gameplay.  I don't know how many posts on the BBS I read before Uni came out by people saying, 'Of course I'll buy it!  I buy EVERY expansion pack, whether I really want it or not!'

[ZephyrZodiac]

Trouble is, of course, if you don't buy an EP, or in this case the add-ons, you have to be so careful what you download, as so much custom material uses these bases.

[Assmitten]

Unless the new pack is around $10 US, I think my little Simmys are going to keep living in godless communist land. No holidays for them!

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, anything more than that would be a rip-off!

[Motoki]

While I could go for $10, I suspect the price will be $19.95.

Anyhow, 10 to 1 someone either on purpose or unwittingly uploads a lot with all that junk to the exchange. That's how I got the hotrod.

[ZephyrZodiac]

When you consider that when we were all playing sims 1, we could get a whole lot of great extras from the official site, and all free!  Obviously it's due to EA policy!

[Regina]

Trouble is, of course, if you don't buy an EP, or in this case the add-ons, you have to be so careful what you download, as so much custom material uses these bases.

And that's just one of the mentalities they count on.  When I had TS1 I bought all expansions with the exception of SuperStar.  Mainly I bought them because I came into the game late (Vacation was the last expansion that had been released when I started playing) and they had come down quite a bit in price.  When it came to the last 3 expansions I was very choosey.  I bought Unleashed and Makin' Magic because they were things I really, really wanted.  I'm not that big into magic but I still had a blast with that x-pack.

Because I didn't have SS I learned to be careful when looking at downloads.  Most people will note when they need x-packs.  Once you get used to watching, it's not a real problem.

When I started out with TS2 I decided then and there I wasn't going to bog down my computer needlessly with expansions that offered nothing more than a couple of new concepts and a couple of new objects I wouldn't mind having.  I remember in the TS1 days I would go through what was new in the expansions and basically the only time a lot of that stuff was used was when I downloaded objects cloned from them.  I wished then as I do now that I could just disable about 75% of the in-game walls and floors because I much prefer using custom-made.  (I'll admit, TS2 thankfully has what I consider many more usable objects than the original game did.)  I was hugely disappointed when the first EP was University but it didn't break my heart.  Although the funny thing is now I'm actually considering buying Uni because of how NL enhances it. LOL

[Sagana]

Well I'm one of the "buy everything" people - I bought Uni, even tho I wasn't big on the idea as I knew I'd be sorry if I didn't (and I'm glad I have it) but danged if I'm paying $20 *more* to get something that people who are just now buying the original game get for free (it doesn't add anything to the cost of the game and ships with it) - so either it's VERY inexpensive or they can forget it, I'll look for people to upload the stuff and I'm going to be very unhappy. Asking for more money from me because I bought the game earlier really t's me off actually - loyal fans are bread and butter to the company, not someone that should be cheated. bah.

[lauraglenn]

I am very disappointed with this announcement.  With all the crap we put up with from EA, we should get this add on content free.  And just who is working on the patch(s)?  It seems everyone is busy making add ons and expansions and no one is really working on what matters - correcting the bugs that they sent out in the previous packs!!   

[Lynda]

I'm a "buy everything" person as well.  I've just always been too excited about new EPs.  The only EP I didn't buy for TS1 was Makin' Magic and that was mostly because the allure of TS1 wore off by then.

I can't see myself spending more than US$10 total (including s/h if applicable) for this or ANY pack containing only 40 items.  I downloaded five times that many items this afternoon during my lunch break!

I don't have any problem with them charging, but I have a sinking feeling this wimpy excuse of a booster pack is going to cost $20 and the sheeple will buy it like candy, setting a precedent for larger booster packs to cost as much as an EP.

[nectere]

It doesnt sound like it will be just new items, but will also have new behaviors and interactions.

[KatEnigma]

I'm thinking that they haven't announced a price yet to see what people are saying about it, and they will base the price on what they figure will get the most sheeple to buy it.

I came to the TS1 right before Unleashed, and I bought all the EP's except for House Party, and even that, I eventually got used, right before MM came out. And as stated above, I am a complete nut about Christmas. But even I am not going to spend $20+shipping for only 17 objects they aren't offering for free.   At least I hope I'm not.  

If more news comes out, and there's more to it than that- and there really are new parties and interactions, I'll still be stupid, but they'll get $20 out of me.