More Awesome Than You!

The Sims2 Holiday Giveaway is now open...  :)  Get the first object...the Christmas wreath.  http://thesims2.ea.com
Bleh!

WOW, I'm totally underwhelmed.  How I've lived without this for so long I have absolutely no idea.  I could go into a decline just thinking about it.  I wonder, has my entire life been geared towards this moment? 

According to Maxis, "Yes. Now go download it."

Can't you just feel the ironic tinkle of excitement in the air... :P

a joy for you, a profit for us

That's pretty much how I feel about the Holiday Piack. Minus the joy.

Gee...

That's looks strangely similar to a Christmas wreath I downloaded somewhere. 
And then deleted soon after b/c I realized I would not have my sims celebrating holidays.

Hrm... can someone tell me if all those downloads in this "giveaway" are going to be the "new objects" that are supposed to be part of the Holiday mini EP, or whatever it is.

This holiday package is not a full expansion, obviously, but what will it include? I've read that it is supposed to have new content, as well as all those old previous holiday downloads, which are also from the official TS2 site. It will also let you dress up as Santa, and throw Christmas/Holiday, and New Year's Day parties?

Is that all? Can anyone clarify what will be included, and what is exclusive to the package? I mean, if they are just going to give away that stuff for free online, then what is the incentive to get the package? Aside from us sheep just buying all the expansions to just to have 'em. :P Which I would probably do anyways, even if it the new, exclusive content is minimal.

Also, can anyone tell me if this will be the kind of package that just adds stuff and won't require the new CD for the game to run, like a full EP would? In other words, is it a simple installation add-on, that I could theoretically use on more than one computer... Of course, you know, since I have my game installed on more than one computer in my house... 0;)

Ste

I don't know about the rest of you, but I only put christmas trees and suchlike in my sim's houses when it is actually christmas! So for 11 months of the year the rest of this holiday pack will be sitting on my hard-drive totally obsolete (and taking up much needed space :P)
I will download the wreath though, cos I can just delete it when christmas is over ;D

From the screenshots they offer, I'm getting the impression that any interactions the objects have are completely based on existing interactions and animations, if they didn't just set up the screens using new objects and existing interactions. Of the shots that looked rendered in-game, I was able to think of just how to set a similar shot up, minus the new objects and clothes.

syberspunk: Yes what you said is pretty much correct. All those calendar items will be in the holiday pack. Here's the site about the Holiday Pack:

http://thesims2.ea.com/about/holidaypp_index.php

It claims that 40 items will be included in the pack, which includes the 12 giveaways plus 28 others. It also includes previous released holiday stuff like the tree, menorra, kinara, halloween stuff etc. It doesn't explicitly state those are also part of their 40 item count, but that's the impression I am getting.

There are holiday cookies you can bake and you're supposed to be able to "serve a holiday feast!" so I am assuming it has at least one new dinner food. Maybe ham or goose? There  will be some Christmas paintings too. And I have a feeling them male and female Santa clothes are counted towards the 40 items.

The "fireworks" seem to be sparklers and roman candles rather than the kind that go up in the sky and there is an emaciated Santa npc.

Some people got all excited about a toddler in Santa's lap in the one picture, but those ones with the white backgrounds are pre-rendered specially posed shots. Don't count on it.

I saw in one of the movies that a Santa came down the chimney.  Maybe we'll get a Santa npc.   ???  That's kinda cool.  Of course, it can get old pretty quick.

There is one. He's in the movies and the screenshots but as I said, I found him to be rather emaciated for a santa. :P

I doubt it needs a CD to run, because they are also offering a direct download for sale, which, in my opinion should be cheaper than the CD.

Wait... so you can just buy a direct download installable/executeable from the website? Which will just basically add the new objects, and either new "modules" for these added items and interactions (or possibly overwrite/update the main executable?!?!?)

In other words, they are offering a way to buy this Holiday mini-EP (for lack of a better word) without requiring a CD at all?

Hrm... interesting...


@Motoki: Yeah, I briefly read/scanned the main website stuff a whiles ago, when it was first announced/posted about. I just wanted to confirm or see if anyone else knew any more/better details. The biggest draw for me would be newer animations/interactions (parties, food serving, holiday npcs). The new objects/clothes aren't that big of a deal to me, unless they are like way better than the crap that already exists. :P I would only really care if there were, say other user/community made custom content that I really want, but is based on these objects, which would "force" me to need them. But again, I doubt that will be a big issue.

The other reason that I might get it, is just that I tend to be a packrat/collector, and I just "have to have" everything and "collect 'em all" so to speak, even if I don't really care that much about em. I have all the original Sims EPs, even though I barely played House Party, Vacation, Unleashed, and Makin' Magic. :P I'm like this with my DVD collection as well. As much as I hate seasons 5 and 6 of Dawson's Creek, I will still buy them just to have a "complete" collection. The same thing with Star Trek: TNG and the X-Files; even though seasons 1 and 2 of TNG kinda suck, and the later seasons (somewhat 7, 8, and 9) of X-Files were "bleh" I'll still probably buy them eventually when I get enough money. ::)

But... in this case, I suppose I'll try and be patient and wait and see if anyone who gets this will be kind enough to post about it and describe exactly what new content it includes and see if it is worth paying for. Otherwise... I guess I'll wait for bangelnuts lot upload. 0;)

Ste

I find this pretty interesting too-I can't help thinking this is a test-run for future expansion packs. I bet you'd pay to download, and that'd be it. Too bad if you have dial-up! :P Sitting there for 3-4 hours just to update your game! I would still prefer a disc cos I uninstall/reinstall on a pretty regular basis...

I wonder if it lets you save the holiday pack onto a disc once you buy a download. I've never tried it myself, but I heard from others who routinely save their games on back-up discs in case the store bought disc goes bad that the sims disc or whatever has hissy fits when they tried to do that.

If you can safely burn the download to a disc, then re-installing should not be a problem, no? But then again, I've never tried to do things like that myself. When I download a game or game extensions, I usually put that on my external hard drive, just in case, ya know.

But in any case, unless there are some new AND exiting animations that come with the holiday pack, I'll stay away from it. I might put it on my christmas list, depending on what I read about it from people who went and got it (hi, Steve).

I've pre-ordered the Holiday Pack because I'm a certified junkie. But if it turns out that most of what's on it is GIVEN AWAY FOR FREE, I will feel very deceived by the pre-order advertising. That shit's illegal, for one thing. Get me to pay for something that you're giving away free...not a good idea, EA.

Apparently santa has been losing weight for years. He was much fatter when I was a child. A michelin santa. It's the health buzz. Just like KFC used to mean Kentucky FRIED chicken and now they'd like us to forget.

Not me, elephant memory, can't con me you advertising bastards, I actually remember.

I *STILL* like fried chicken, in all of its nice, artery-clogging goodness.

Besides, I refuse to truly believe that this stuff is bad for you. It's tasty. Millions of years of evolution have told us to eat tasty things. This cannot be wrong.

to me that looked like a sim in a santa suit looking in to the fire place.
But yes there will be a santa and Mrs Clause NPC set.

I just wouldn't count on them coming out of fire places.

I doubt the Santa will be doing all those things shown in the clip, actaully, I very much doubt there will be a Santa npc. I mean hwo would that work? You'd have to call Santa to your house? Rather I think that a sim could dress up as Santa or something.

Me loves the fireworks tho... ;D

There was a santa in TS1, though - you'd light a fire, stick a tree next to it, leave some cookies on a table nearby and go to bed - santa would come in the night and leave random stuff.

Hey that's what I reckon too, why else would sugar and fat taste so good and salad taste so bad.  :P

That's because salad is essentially undigestable cellulose. There's really no compelling reason for a human to eat it at all: It's undigestable. The tomatoes, on the other hand, are tasty.

Well I think this Santa is thin because Maxis got lazy. I'd be willing to be yet it's just some random sim that they threw the same wearable santa outfit that your sims can wear on. It looks like the didn't even bother to make him a one piece npc mesh like the social bunny or grim reaper or a special body outfit mesh like the ultra skinny Mrs. Crumplebottom.

Perhaps when they put this wearable santa outfit on him they made him "fat", but we all know Maxis fat is a total joke.

Well, Maxis-fat can only get so fat, before sims start clipping through things as they interact, since there's no actual volume-based collision detection at work here. It already happens with some of the more exaggerated hand-wavings they do.

Am I the only one who got an image of Santa's red suit peeking (cutting) though the chimeny?

Vegetables found in salad, including leafy greens such as lettuce typically contain fiber. Here is a compelling reason for eating foods with fiber that I found here (http://www.doctorsexercise.com/journal/fiber.htm):


Of course salad isn't the only food that contains fiber, but at least it adds variety. It can be light, fast, and easy to make. But don't ask me, I don't "cook" myself. :P


As for the Santa NPC, that would be pretty cool. I don't remember the one from the original Sims. But I suppose it should be fairly easy to "program" in a similar manner. That would be neat. I wonder if adding these new things require overwriting the main .exe or if these new animations and interactions can just be added as packages in the Downloads folder.

Ste

Don't ever cook yourself. It sounds painful.

The biggest advantage of eating more fiber is that it gives you gas. Farting is fun! Especially if you're standing near an open flame...

Anyway, today's "Give Away" item is a factoid and a blooper pic. Oh boy. See me jumping around with joy. See Joy get disgusted and leave.

I've received the email letting me know my pre-ordered Party Pack is on its way via UPS. I guess I'll know in a few days whether Santa comes down the chimney (I hope he brings a towel if he does).

I do hope that is a HHGTTG reference, because otherwise... AUGH, the mental images, they burn!

Try a wilted spinach salad. There's two compelling reasons for eating it - most important, the spinach is a vehicle for a wonderful flavor, definately tasty, and secondarily being leafy and dark green spinach counts as tops so it's possible to honestly tell people who think you should be eating good for you stuff you're doing so and keep them from bugging you ;)

I received an email notification as well. I hate myself for ordering that thing, I just couldn't help myself. If it says "Sims" on it, I buy it. :P

As for salad, lol, choose anything but plain Lettuce. It's basically water with few nutrients.

I love these threads. :D

What in the hell...

Does Maxis honestly call that a gift?

Click on today's (16th) gift.

A factoid.

Holy hoo-hoo. It's all I've ever wanted.

And I know, it's rude to be ungrateful, and I don't like people who complain about Maxis because they do work hard, but honestly. Me thinks they took the easy way out on this one.

The "blooper" isn't even funny. I would love for my sims to rest their heads on their partners. It's cute.

LMAO This has to be the most pathetic "gift" I have ever seen in my life. Shit in a box would have been better.

And that would be KFC!!  ;D

At least we could have set that on fire and been entertained for a few seconds.

I happen to like KFC. Where else am I going to get my daily allowance of grease, without those nasty hydrocarbons?

I'd rather have that lump of coal that was there yesterday.

I get all the fiber I need just eating sensitive documents.

Me, too!  Bring back the coal!  Bring back the coal!  Now I'm sorry I started this thread.  Although, of course, seeing all the nutritional posts is fun.

Pescado . . . it's a new diet, and a new nationa security campaign! Just what America needs. Like that "duct tape and plastic sheeting will keep the terrorists out" thing.

I know a great way to use duct tape and plastic sheeting to make sure you don't accidentally inhale any harmful biochemical substances.

First, you pull the plastic sheet over your head, then you seal it securely around your neck with copious tape. Make sure the seal is tight, to keep out those harmful substances. I guarantee you won't have to worry about them darned terrorists getting you, nuh-uh!

 :D  Well If i have to see anything with Christmas pack again today...well I think my head will definitely explode...all of the whining and threats and bullshit I read today..every 5 seconds....will the world stop revolving if this pack didnt exist???    oh  eat more meat ...less rabbit food.

Man, but TNG Season 1 has Data and the Chinese finger trap! That's the best!

Or a bag of flaming poo?  ;D

Oh wow, now there's another Christmas tree.

Yay.

I will know later today what is on the XMAS packmine is on its way to my front door according to UPS and since I dont have any exchange objects on my pc . the meshes are to high in polygon count and SimPE redflags them as having "oversized Geometric Meshes"

The party pack has a lot of string lights, a few fireworks (one is actually quite pretty when it goes off, though the sequences are short and EVERYONE in the house runs to watch them, except they never get there in time), a box of noisemakers (stuff they use during the birthday parties, I think, pretty much), another Christmas tree, some pictures (one cute Easter Christmas Valentine's Day Bunny), some tables of three sizes with special holiday tableclothes, two wreaths (one to hang, one to go on flat surfaces), a decorative stocking set, a decorative holiday ribbon, decorative toy nutcrackers (two kinds), single holiday candles, a gingerbread house decoration, a lighted reindeer decoration, and some other statutes and decorations.~  I haven't looked at the clothes and what new foods you can make (I'm assuming you can make some, judging by the "feast" declaration).

Is today's gift really a factoid and a lame ass blooper?  The wreath I liked, today I have to agree with everyone on the "rather have coal/flaming bag of poo". 

So, Athena, you got yours in the mail?  Do you think it was worth the $$ you paid for it?  I thought I'd download it today if it was. I'm kindof waiting on someone to tell me if it's worth having or a flaming bag of poo.

So far, aside from the fireworks (and I have to admit, though paintings are really "eh" and not that useful, the christmas easter valentine bunny picture is adorable), I don't really think it's really worth the money.  Not unless you're really into decorating your house for Christmas and would prefer not to download custom holiday objects from ModtheSims2.com or other sites.  But I haven't used all the objects to see if there are any new interactions with them, so I'll refrain from making a judgment until I have more time to play (probably tonight).

???

Is JM now writing now writing the descriptions for the Maxis downloads?

I forgot about it until just now in my perusal of one of the sims communities over at livejournal.

There are santa screenshots here (http://www.livejournal.com/community/thesims2/1611974.html?#cutid1) for anyone interested.

Thanks for that he sure is skinny though

Oh my God, that was funny!

Heh-that's what went through my head! :D
The new Christmas tree is tiny! Even my sims got out their magnifying glasses :P They all had pictures of the tree with big red X's in their thought clouds..and this was my poorest family :-\

Yeah, that was kind of dumb. :P

I saw it and thought How Lame...................

I'm glad you started this thread.  It gives us a place to vent our frustration and complain about Maxis. :)

Well, I ordered the Holiday pack in the end.  Not because I actually care about anything in it ('specially after I heard that the fireworks only singe rather than kill)....but because there will no doubt be creators out there who will use the Christmas objects to clone new stuff off of...and I don't wanna hassle with reading the fine print when I download in future.

That being said...I have to say that I coulda received more sim-bang for my sim-buck elsewhere.

So even poor sims don't like the xmas tree! LOL! Very funny. They don't think the  pack was worth $15 simoleons!  lol

Yes: I vote for the coal too.

And yes! it is so nice to see a place that first and foremost ALLOWS bashing of Maxis especially when Maxis deserves to be bashed on this one -- and MATY does it with flare! Thanks JM!

its called  a no censor forum for a reason much to the chagrin of other sites I'm sure

Okay, maybe I'm dense but what the heck does this mean:
 "If you already own The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack, click here to download the Holiday Party Pack again."
I looked at the download site on the BBS out of curiosity and saw that. Does anyone have a clue what that means?

Maybe it's a link to redownload the pack if you need to if you've already purchased it.

Lots of sites claim to be 'no censor.'  Want me to list them??  heheheh....like we don't know them....

ahh but this one truly is a no censor site

KFC is friggin delicious but I really like Popeye's (sp) better cause their biscuits are greasylicious and their gravy is spicy.
Ranch and Italian dressings are also delicious and are a compelling reason for me to eat salad. I'm getting soooo hungry now but I have no idea what we are having for dinner. (i was just threatened with tuna helper but we settled on pizza woohoo!)
The plastic wrap duct tape thing will definitely stop any worries about chemicals and terrorists. :-P
And Brynne when I read your comment about not cooking yourself I almost choked.

What the hell is this 'helper' ingredient?
I hear it used as in 'Hamburger helper' and now 'Tuna helper'??
Please don't tell me it is what I think it is....some sort of 'padding' to make food go further...though I suspect that's it?? If so..................Yuuuuck!!  :P

hamburger helper is..................PEOPLE!!!    :D

(http://garfieldridge.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/soylent_green_large_01.jpg)

(http://static.flickr.com/23/27681672_f22d342908_m.jpg)


is it hamburger helper...or something far, far more terrifying? (http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.geocities.com/charltonhestonworld2/CH-SoylentGreen-NEW2G.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.geocities.com/charltonhestonworld2/SoylentGreenPg2.html&h=223&w=173&sz=9&tbnid=7CIhAAGSfiEJ:&tbnh=102&tbnw=79&hl=en&start=19&prev=/images%3Fq%3DSoylent%2BGreen%2Bis%2Bpeople%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN)

Oh well in that case Zoltan, that makes it far more appetising!! Yuuum! LOL.

* I loved that movie btw*

Nah it's just noodles and sauce. It actually tastes good but I don't like to eat it very often if I can help it cause I can't say "They're Great!"

I got my Party Pack, and while Santa did not come down the chimney, he did materialize by the Christmas tree, bite the head off a Santa-cookie, and go pee six times in two Sim-hours.

GET THAT PROSTATE CHECKED, DUDE!

No, the pack isn't worth $15. $4.99 would be more like it. But I did fall in love with this little guy:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v177/Hairfish/S2_PartyPack/pp07.jpg)

And this is what happens when you light too many strings of firecrackers, one after another...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v177/Hairfish/S2_PartyPack/pp08.jpg)
There was a FLASH of FIRE, and then he just stood there for about five seconds, looking stupidly at the lighter.  ;D A two-dollar animation, right there.

I am so glad I didn't order the game ;D I am content with the freebies ;)

Wait a minute, let me see if I got that right. If you are a loyal, longstanding customer and bought the game early on (contending with all the idiocy, such as bugs, insults from their techs, etc..) you have to buy the add-on. If you are a new customer, and just bought the game, you're getting the add-on's for free? (Sorry for being dim, but I try to avoid the official site. I only go there through links posted from people here to get their lots, sims, read their stories etc.)

If that's true, way to go ea/maxis. That's right, go and punish your loyal customers. We might just have gotten over our most recent frustrations, and we can't have that now, can we? The same goes for the idiotic 'reward' for pre-ordering. I never pre-order anything from ea/maxis, due to cautiousness, but those who were willing, but not able got punished for that as well. Nevermind that the butt-ugly car showed up in a lot I downloaded without even knowing it was included, again, it's the principle of the thing.

Who runs their PR department? Nepotism rearing its extremely ugly head perchance?

:)

Corporate greed is what I thought--but that nepotism thing, that explains the obvious lack of or lousey talent of their team, doesn't it? lol

I dont necessarily think the Maxis team lacks Talent I think in their thirst for money and the coporate mandate of keeping the Teen Rating  has stifled the creativity of the maxis team . for which we can blame  that nuisance Jack Thompson for threatening to sue Maxis over supposed "nudity" of the barbie and ken dolls more affectionately known as Sims. if ever was a case of the little men in the white coats missing a prime candidate for a padded cell Jack Thompson is it. I think if EA/Maxis would wake up and realize that they give more power to that nuisance than he deserves we might see the talent and creativity the Maxis team has returned.until that happens wer'e likely to continue to see party paks that are rip offs. at least the modders and creators out here arent bound by corporate mandate and greed so quality mods and objects from them continue to come out daily

Given the buggy/glitchy nature of Sims 2 and the EPs and now the pack, I blame the talent for that. But you're right, it could be that they are just too rushed. Nepotism explains a lot tho.

I blame EA.

OK. The Sims 2 is more than a year old. It was released, when, October 2004? Or earlier?

OK, now go into Game / GameStop / Electronics Boutique / whatever the main gaming chain in your country is. Look at the PS2 games that are out on Platinum for half the price of the new games. Notice that the Platinum games are the ones that were the biggest sellers a mere 6 months ago. Yet now they're only £19.99 instead of £39.99.

OK. now go and look at the big PC RPGs and strategy games. Notice how many of them are now being sold with an expansion pack or extra missions tacked on - with the combined pack being the same price as other new games. Note that the expansion packs or extra mission packs are being sold separately for people who already have the game.

It is PERFECTLY NORMAL to re-release an OLD game at 1) half-price or 2) the same price but with new stuff added.

How would you feel if they'd dropped the price of Sims 2 instead? Would everyone then be standing around bitching that "I paid £40 for Sims 2, and now new people only have to pay £20 for it"? Or would you accept that the extra was the price you paid for buying the game when it was new, and that the £20 difference is well worth the months or years of fun that you've had out of the game?

I actually think the current compromise - of releasing half the stuff for free - is reasonable. People who are desperately desperately addicted can pay the extra money for some extra objects - or, more to the point, our friends & family members who are desperate for present ideas for us can buy it, and we'll go "uh, thanks". People who are not so addicted or who really cannot afford to buy the shopping pack won't get it, but won't really be missing out because they can download all the free stuff.

Remember what happened with Deluxe. Everyone bitched about that - but didn't the extra content eventually get released for free download?

LOL! They HAVE dropped the price of the original game.  The original game was so buggy we could hardly play it, until Pescado came along. So for our loyalty, for wanting to play so bad we ran right out and got the game and the Eps the moment they were released, Maxis now is gouging us for the type of stuff they have historically given their fans for free. Why: cuz they are greedy is the only answer there. Oh yeah, seems fair...

I paid 49.95 for the base  game now it sells for 39.95 so its still a chunk of change a year  after its release.most games after a year have dropped 50% Sims 2 hasnt so it must still be super popular .I paid 27.94 for Uni. and 29.84 for night life and 14.99 for the holiday pack so I have quite a bit of money tied up in this game.Im not complaining though after a trip to the local videogame store  I hate to say this but the Sims 2 and EP 's are reasonable in their prices .I saw games with a lot less content  at the  Game store selling for 75.00 and up.I talked with the manager at length and he said for the Money the Sims2 and EP's were a far better buy than games that cost more and have far more bugginess in them.  he showed me a war game  that costs a hundred bucks and you could barely play it with all the nasty bugs in it.I asked him about mods and fixes for that game and after he quit laughing he explained that the maker of the game  had made it impossible to make fixes by deleting files and codes in the game that are necessary to make fixes.while Im not a fan of corporate greed it did make me feel better about my investment in the  Sims2 and Ep's.
     at least with this game there are enough codes and files left in the game for Modders to read and make fixes .Im not a creator or a Modder but my hats off to them after talking with the manager tonight about buggy games.

At Amazon.com, you can get The Sims 2 for $34.99.  The price fluctuates from time to time, but it's been at this price for maybe a week.  This is for the CDROM version.  The DVD Special Edition still costs $49.99.  It doesn't look like that one will be coming down anytime soon.  By the way, you can't get the TS2 Holiday Edition on DVD.  So if you want the DVD version, you're going to have to pay even more if you want the holiday stuff.

What game is that?  I'm a wargamer and I don't know of anything currently on the market at that price.  But I haven't kept up recently.  I'd like to know what it was so I can avoid it.

I agree that Sims has been pretty darn cheap for the amount of fun I've gotten out of it.

Hook

I mentioned this in the other thread, but I think it would have felt like far less of a slap in the face if they re-released it with University and just gave the holiday stuff free to everyone. I think pretty much everyone who wants University has it by now. And if I were a new buyer getting the game plus the expansion pack would tempt me into buying the game a whole lot more than the game plus a few items I would maybe use one month out of the year if that.

It's not so much then releasing the game with extras as it is them making the most loyal customers have to pay for those extras, and at a pretty high price considering how little you get as it costs 1/2 the cost of an expansion pack and 1/3 the cost of the game but you don't get anywhere near as much content.

I admit the price of the holiday pack did irk me  nightlife cost me 29.84 and the holiday pack 14.99 50% of the EP prices. I am upset with ea  for that one and I complained to them about it not that it will do a bit of good >:(

I most certainly 'bitch' about being impatient to buy something and then it comes down in price by a margin that makes me look like a fool. With TS2, I don't have too much to bitch about now, do I? Their prices come down in drips and dabs, unlike many other games. At least in this area.

If ea/maxis decides to tack on Uni or NL to the core game and sell both at a reduced price (a la Simcity 4 and Rush-hour) that will save the customer a bit of change, I would most likely sigh and shake my head at my impatience. But oh well, that's something we are certainly all used too. Clearance sales, fall sales, groundhog day sales, all those are times when I go into a store, see merchandise greatly reduced and I'm a tad bit upset if I see something half-price that I paid full price for. Oh well, again, it's not new. You want to get rid of the shelf-sitters? Sell more of the core game? Well, then tack Uni onto it, reduce it in price so that new customers will pay $10.00 or maybe even $15.00 less if they get the game. Would I bitch about that? Perhaps a little, but I would not really be greatly upset, again, that's the way it is all around.

However, this one is different. They offer brand new items, items that are in neither the original core or the ep's. Not only that, they change the core game by adding a feature, even though form what I heard from people, that feature is practically worthless (for now). They also propose to make frequent add-ons at exorbitant prices. Excuse me, but $20.00 for add-ons? Please, don't make me laugh. But that is exactly what they were thinking about, because that's what they had in their survey. Do they offer the add-ons at a price that is comparable with the 'new' core game plus add-ons? I don't think so, although I must admit that I haven't been to a gaming store in a while.

TS2 is popular because of the modding, hacking, and creative possibilities. This new practice will make it harder for creators and customers.  If another game company whose merchandise I purchase gets into the practice of doing that, I will complain about that as well. And I would also cease to purchase their products. I am not limiting myself to ea/maxis, I would do that all around, I hate being exploited. It is, in my opinion, cheating the loyal customers, people who have been playing a long time, and most likely had a great hand in spreading the game's fame around, thereby creating new customers.

TS1 did what I described above. The offered the core game with one, two, or even 3 ep attached for a greatly reduced price. I'm quite ok with that, you do what you have to to get rid of the merchandise. However, the practice of offering stand alone add-ons for a riduculous price while tacking them onto the core game is cheating and punishing your loyal customers. 40 not so new and ridiculously cheap looking items that are buggy for $15 - $18 if purchased separately? Please.

They want to make that a 'regular feature', meaning they want to release add-ons on a monthly, or bi-monthly basis. And I know that because I took the survey, and that was exactly what was mentioned in several of their survey questions. There is a reason I don't ever join/visit pay-sites. I don't want to spend money for items that I can get for free elsewhere, and most of the time in better condition so to speak. Maxis' newest release is full of bugs, and I do believe the other add-on's will be too. That is just the way they have been doing things all the way around. They and their customers would be better off if they put new items and features into the new legitimate ep's. But let's do the math: $15 - $20 add-ons every month = $90 - $100 per customer, based on a six month time span that it usually takes ea/maxis to crank out their buggy regular ep's. Compared to $25 - $34 in six month. Hmm, I don't think you have to be a mathematical genius to figure that one out. So, with their new non pay-site pay-site feature, they stand to make appr. $115 - $134 in six month per customer. An nice chunk of change, I would say.

It seems that several people have this idea. By the way, something I love about this site is that I could play Devil's advocate, and no one insulted me. Yet. There's still time ;).

Seriously, it's interesting that re-releasing TS2+Uni would be less offensive to people than releasing (not very impressive) new stuff. I'm surprised, because most of us bitch & moan about Maxis-made content anyway - none of it matches. Did I really hear some vague mumblling from a Maxoid that they deliberately make it non-matching, 'cos they know the fans will just match the set anyway, and doing that gives us "more choice"? Maybe I hallucinated that while high on prescription painkillers ::) . But yeah - the possible exception to the near-universal moaning is hairstyles, as Maxis are, at least, able to create new animations to make the hair "bounce" properly. Which none of the modders can do, because we don't have access to their tools.


Yeah, assuming you mean US dollars, $20 is a lot for ~40 items. I haven't really bothered to do the research to find out whether the Holiday extras have been released at a comparable price in all countries. I've seen US $15 quoted, which agrees fairly well with the UKP £7.99 (we get ripped off a bit, but we're used to it - notice how many games consoles come out at US $199, 199 Euros, and UKP £199 ::) ).

I must admit that I have a slightly different approach on this than most people because I'm a Pokemon fan. In case you don't know, the Pokemon GameBoy games have always been released in two versions: Red/Blue, Silver/Gold, Ruby/Sapphire. These games are identical in terms of plot, but there are 6-11 Pokemon that are exclusive to each edition. To catch all of them, you either have to find a friend with the other copy of the game and trade, or you have to be rich and buy both. The idea is that you trade.

Buy 2 copies of a game at £35? You have to be joking! Or at least, you had to be joking before I got addicted. When I found out that Ruby & Sapphire were exactly the same game from reading GameFAQs, I was horrified! But, 100 hours into Sapphire with a still nowhere near filled Pokedex, and as an adult with disposable income and without a handy supply of kids to trade with (I could trade with my students, but that seems wrong somehow), I cracked. I bought a second-hand Ruby cartridge from my local Computer Exchange (video game part-exchange shop thingy), which was a mere £15. And now I routinely buy the game I like the box of most new, and then pick up the second one second-hand a few weeks later. Moreover, bizarre though it may sound, I play my way through both. The first one is the test where I learn what I'm supposed to do, and the second one I do as a speed-run, to see how quickly I can "beat" the game once I know what I'm doing.

When you have already bought the same game twice for a small percentage of additional content (~an extra 10 out of 200 Pokemon), EA re-releasing TS2 with 40 extra items seems like nothing  ;D.


Good point. I'd like to hope that Maxis would license the decent custom content that's out there and legitimise it. This could well be the only way for good content to come out on the Shopping Packs, as the actual Maxoids should be busy with the next Expansion Pack. Hell, why not give people limited access to Edith/Simantics? (Well, yeah, we know why not. EA is evil, etc.)

I agree with the sentiment I saw elsewhere on this site today that "they" need to learn that the Sims/Sims 2 community does not consist only of the people who hang out at the "Official BBS". There are a lot of intelligent and creative people around, and we're not all spoilt little kids. I do think they need to look at the demographic across Sims sites in general, not just their Sims site, which is particularly difficult to read for anyone with a grain of common sense. But then we're back with the initial reason for MATY having Retardo Land, and everything's gone full circle.

You suck!

Just kidding. ;)

And Nintendo is great for gimmicks. Some of them work, some of them don't (remember that damned robot?).

I admit to going out and buying the Gameboy advance so I could hook it up to my Gamecube and be able to sail to a tropical island it unlocks on Animal Crossing so even I fall for the marketing BS sometimes.  :-[

I confess. I have two Furbies.

As an adult where money is not as much of an issue I honestly am not bothered by the price of these games or expansion packs. Because I used to be (pre-kids) an avid movie-goer, I compare games and other entertainment to the price of a movie. A movie plus popcorn and soda can easily top $20, and that's for about 2 hours of entertainment. The Sims 2? Well I got the base game in June, I believe it was. I played for two solid months before even buying University. Then Uni, then Nightlife. I have no idea how many hours of entertainment that is, but it's probably in the hundreds. Egads. AND, I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface. For example, I've barely gotten into the building aspect, nor do I have much custom content. Yet. This game is, IMHO, incredibly deep. No other game that I've played has such depth. I might get bored with it for awhile, but I know I can come back to it and explore a whole different angle. 

That's kind of a lousy metric. Maybe you should also compare every experience to being anally raped by wild boars. That'll certainly give you a more cheerful outlook on life.

THAT is a RIPOFF. I would not pay more than $1.50 for the tickets to ANY movie, and popcorn alone is worth maybe $0.50. No wonder you have a skewed view of pricing.

Well, JM, the prices of movies has gone up since 1965, and so you may not be used to that, what with basically being a hermit in a bunker in the middle of bumf*ck, Montana.   :P

Damn movie tickets are $8 now, unless you go to a matinee, which is a lot like flying a cheap airline except you won't be sucked into oblivion if you open the emergency exit to escape the screaming babies and babbling toddlers.

That's why Blockbuster Online and Netflix are so popular. They're relatively cheap. Plus the popcorn is better, and the floor isn't quite so sticky.

I don't suppose either of those by-mail movie rental programs would work so well if you have your mail drop-shipped through 14 countries and then trucked to your compound, though.

Well that's why you sneak food into the theater duh. ;)

Seriously, whether I have the money or not, I don't pay for something that is so obviously a rip off. That's why I don't buy snacks at movie theaters and that's why I didn't buy the holiday pack.

It's not a matter of if I can afford or it not, or gee let me find some other rip off thing people waste money on and compare. It's a matter of are we being taken for a ride? Loyal customers bought the game when it came out and have to pay $15 for a small pack of very seasonal items, yet people buying the game for the first time get it for free. They didn't even give people a discount for not having to pay for CD and packaging etc when they do the direct download, they still charged the same damned $15 price even though the people who bought hard copies got free shipping which EA presumably ate. Hell, even Prima gives a discount if you download an E version of their guide.

I think the replay value on this pack stinks. Except possibly for the long beards (and there were already custom versions of long beards out anyway), at most I see myself using this stuff to have one Santa visit or one New Year's Party and then not using it for another whole friggin year.

Is the holiday pack better than a poke in the eye? Yes. Does that mean we should be praising EA for giving us no real new interactions or features worth a damn and maybe 2-3% of the items at 33% of the price of the full game and 50% of the price of the expansion? No. Not in my book anyhow.

not all of us got free shipping either .I ordered it just before that offer was made from EA so I had to pay $5.99 S&H plus the 14.99 and a $1.62 sales tax bringing the total for a $2.00 add on pack to $22.10 and yes Im majorly irked about it.its not the money per se its the whole principle of being ripped off that Im pissed off about

Well that's yet again another example of how they punish their most loyal customers, the early adopters. When they decided to do that free shipping offer they really should have made it retroactive.

It's worse than it looks.

There's a list of all the 40 items in the holiday pack on the BBS.  If you take away the items we've already gotten, factor in the three strings of lights as being a recolor of the same string, and assuming we are getting more than just factoids and blooper pics for free on the Maxis site, there are about 20 new items not available anywhere else.

This does not include the new clothes (Santa suits, etc) and holiday themed wall and floor coverings (which we can probably make ourselves without much skill or effort).

Check out the list at http://bbs.thesims2.ea.com/community/bbs/messages.php?&openItemID=&threadID=4706ce21c6ef2085b783bba822e35b65&directoryID=2&startRow=1#5fd966d346918d01cff8f29f9e26b2da and decide for yourself.

Hook

I wouldn't count the paintings either personally. They are pathetically easy to make. I could have made a similar set of Christmas paintings myself in 5 minutes. :P

@Bagelnuts: Could you have cancelled your original order and then re-ordered with the free shipping in effect? Just wondering. I know you probably would have gotten your game slightly later, but at least you woulda saved the extra 7$ that EA screwed you for. :P

Anyone still get the EA Store e-mail newsletters? Remember when they used to have monthly online discount coupons for 15$? They don't seem to do that anymore... but if you email customer service, you can usually get one still if you *ahem* know how. ::) It's stupid and lame, but hey it works, and it's about the only reason why I can still justify pre-ordering these games. At least I can get the game fairly early, and get a 15$ discount so I end up only paying 25ish overall. Before, I was able to get it even cheaper when they actually let you have free shipping and handling together with the discount. But they got "smart" and disabled that. :P Still, it's better and cheaper than buying it at a regular ole' store. Plus, I don't feel so bad about it or want to kick myself in the pants when a few months later, I see it at Costco or Best Buy at a slightly reduced price.

Plus... I'm finding that overall, us "early adopters" as Motoki puts it are getting royally screwed with the whole double dipping. Now... normally I enjoy a double dipping  :-* but when it comes to shelling money out of my pocket for it, money that I actually really don't have nowadays, it definately feels comparable to getting "raped by wild boars." It's not just in the game industry, but in all forms of entertainment, including cds and dvds. I absolutely hate it when super extra special extended platinum editions of CDs and DVDs are released much later of my favorite albums and movies. It's really hard to resist buying then when the originals are first released, especially when you feel like you might be missing out on "savings" at say Best Buy, which generally has discounts on the first day/week of release. But then you get screwed when you later find out a better, more "special" edition comes out with extra music tracks or extra specials in dvds for pretty much a nominal additional charge, or even worse, the exact same price!

Especially so for these new CD/DVD DualDiscs that are being released nowadays. I'd rather have bought these versions in the beginning with the neat extras they've added, but its a bitch when they aren't released the same day as the original. I've noticed that more and more, they are usually released at the same time, but in a few cases they aren't. I don't know why some albums aren't released at the same time, or why some albums don't have a DualDisc to begin with. But I really feel that, as a fan of these artists, I get screwed by buying the album earlier.  >:(

The same goes for movies as well; sometimes they are released fairly early on dvd, with hardly a spits worth of extras. You feel like you want to get the dvd because you really love the movie, only later you find out that a "special" edition gets released after you've already bought the "not-so-special" original one. ::) What's worse is that this trend is also happening with TV shows. This infuriates me to no end because in many cases, the more loyal fans who purchased the dvds from the get go are getting royally screwed!!! For example, the full boxed set of Sex and the City and Buffy the Vampire Slayer both have these neat boxes/cases with additional content at an overall much cheaper price than if you had bought all the seasons individually! Friends also comes at a much cheaper price with a really cool looking box (but no additional extras from what I can tell). You can order the box for 10$ with an additional 10$ for shipping and handling :P which, sucker that I am, will still do because I want the neat little case to display for my dvd shelf. X-Files is another show where the seasons originally were insanely overpriced (retailing up to $100+ each) and are now discounted to $50ish.  It just doesn't seem fair. If it weren't for the loyal "early adopters" these shows probably wouldn't have made so much money to begin, and dvd sales wouldn't have been so successful. Now, I realized that the dvd sets in general would have gone down in price over time, but it just seems to add insult to injury when they make complete sets available, at a much cheaper price with additional content!

So, I can totally understand and sympathize with Motoki's point of view. It's not just the fact that it's being offered period, but that it's completely "new" content and that early adopters have to pay for it! On top of that, the content is mostly if not all crap! :P I think that companies should offer these "upgrades" or new, "special" content for either free or at least at some discounted price, to early adopters. They should offer mail-in rebates for these items and we should be able to send in "proofs of purchase(s)" or whatever, so that we get the same content as everyone else. I've sort of gotten better about this and nowadays, I try to google/search for any "special" editions that are scheduled for release much later. And if a DVD I want doesn't have any "special" content, then I hold off on purchasing it, just in case a "special" edition is released later. But in the case where you don't know if it will be released later, it kinda sucks to have to wait. Oh well, what can you do?  :(

Ste

Well, because you, and many more, go ahead and give in to that 'want' for buying the case at an extra cost, or repurchasing to get the extras etc is WHY THEY DO IT! And if one industry makes a profit, dvds, then of course the others have to jump on board, games, cds, etc. Duh. (Sorry--makes me crazy.)

HOw many have called the manufactor or even the distributor or even said something to a clerk 'this pisses me off. I feel ripped off. What a lousey practice." you get the idea.

If we all keep or mouths shut, 'be polite' and pay away then the corps are gonna carry on! Why shouldn't they? What have they got to lose?

Uh, no, I think not..  :o The movie comparison works fine enough to keep my outlook cheerful.


Ahhh, JM is not a movie-goer. Nowadays for us it's about once a month, and yes, we make the most of it. Gotta have the popcorn, it's part of the experience.  (Where's that popcorn-eating smiley when you need it?)

nope  I tried   :P

EA is going to hear from me.

The mistletoe that comes with the Party Pack completely ignores all the relationship checks in Nightlife. Obviously. The blue-haired guy was visiting, and initiated the action ~ he's also a heterosexual with a wife and child ~ and that doesn't look like a "friendly" kiss to me. I will NOT be using the mistletoe again.

click for fullsize:(http://photobucket.com/albums/v177/Hairfish/th_evil_mistletoe.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v177/Hairfish/evil_mistletoe.jpg)

Self explanatory. I thought we had this fixed in one of the many patches. Apparently not. Not only is the teddy bear stuck in the Sim, but he's trying to unclog the toilet, and has impaled himself with the plunger. Another object I will NOT be using again, even if Santa does shit one out.

click for fullsize:(http://photobucket.com/albums/v177/Hairfish/th_buggy_teddy.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v177/Hairfish/buggy_teddy.jpg)

Down to what... 18 usable objects?  >:(

[edit] "The upload folder is full"? ??? I had to put these pics on my own image host. Not that I mind; that's what it's for.

The mistletoe is no longer on my sims lot, either. One of my sims fell in love with two of her husband's brothers! I wasn't even watching when the second one happened. It was an autonomous thing.

She had just kissed her husband, and I told her to kiss her brother-in-law (backwards cap and sunglasses), thinking it was a platonic kiss (I mean, jeez, another sim in the household kissed his aunt!). They fell in love with Bradley (forwards cap) standing right there .

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Brynne14/daynamistletoejosh2.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Brynne14/daynalovesjosh.jpg)

And I was out in my sims' driveway taking care of something and I hear the harps play. I look inside and find this:

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/Brynne14/daynajamie.jpg)


Dammit.

Jesus Christ Brynne! That's a lot of sims on one lot. I can barely play 5 without my comp lagging something awful (and it's specs aren't bad).

I can play eight on a small lot with little content, or six on a larger lot with a nicely furnished house. Too many Sims & stuff, I get that "bad anime" effect.

Sheeeesh...with 25 Sims on one lot, that mistletoe could lead to WWIII! It pisses me off, too...I had high hopes for it being a quick relationship booster all year round. How hard would it have been to have a check for marital status, and have married/engaged Sims NOT initiate the Holiday Kiss with anyone other than their mate?! It's just a shoddy object, period.

LOL I could see lots of shit stirring possibilites though. Put 'em in downtown lots and invite a bunch of romance sims out on an outing and watch the fur fly.  ;D

Well, that's what happens when you have shoddily made objects churned out to fit a deadline.

And no, I'm not going to be making any hacks for this. I don't even have it yet. Maybe in 6-8 weeks. If I bother to place a requisition for it.

Maybe it'll be among the free downloads. It's worth that much...

[edit] Just went to see what today's freebie was, and the EA site is down again.  ::)

Different animations too, depending on the relationship. i.e. cheek kiss and/or hug unless the relationship was appropriate.

No way I'd bother to buy this holiday pack. It'd probably cost NZ$30 here. Or $19.95 at the least. I paid a sim site NZ$13.70 last month, they have excellent objects, great dungeon stuff and I get a lifetime membership to new stuff. I don't usually use paysites but I thought this one had good quality. Their minimum donation was US$5.00. Now I've ended up singing their praises while using them as an example of a reasonable price for sims objects, I'd better find a link (http://www.aroundthesims2.com/objects/sets_bedroom/005/). ;)

Maxis used to release sims 1 objects quite often. Now the site gives us interviews and transcripts of idiot question & answer sessions, instead of new objects. Now we're expected to pay for them and they have been done in haste and without much thought to the game impact.

witch, if it's anything to go by, here in Australia the holiday pack goes for $30.

I paid just under $40 for nightlife, and got the base game for $45 (half price special!)

For a second, I thought it was the mistetoe, but no, it's a potted plant.

A poinsettia.  Just what we need.  Am I the only one who has been rating these things?  I give them a 1 to balance out the 4's and 5's.  I am being honest.  I just don't think they are all that.

OK, call me stupid, where the hell is the download on the Maxis/Ea site - am I going blind? 
I do quite like potted plants. :-[

 Well the site loads for me, but when I click on Nov 22 it tells me no peeking.   So I guess I can't get it either.

go here
                  http://thesims2.ea.com/

You have to click the dates on the calendar.  Potted plants are nice and all, but most of these items I don't think are quite worth 5 stars, personally.

You can go through the regular Object Listing instead of the silly calendar. Select Exchange from the top bar and choose Objects.

Thanks SaraMK       I just assumed if the calender wasn't working it wouldn't be with the objects either.   I have now downloaded the potted plant.

 ;D

The download for Nov. 23 is...[drumroll, please]...

ANOTHER FACTOID AND A BLOOPER SCREENSHOT!

http://thesims2.ea.com/community/holiday_blooper_toddler.php

What a piece of crap give-a-away this is.  ::)

If I really wanted to see pictures of glitches, I'D JUST OPEN UP MY OWN DAMN GAME!

Ain't that the truth! My toilet-plunging teddy-bear guy above beats their toddler blooper! Nyah!!  ::)

This is intolerably annoying. They've got those frosty window panes as well, and instead of just making the frosty glass a recolour of the windows that are there, they've just stuck in new meshes with the frosty crap on them. So my catalogue is now clogged with even more crap. I don't want to have to scroll through shitloads of thumbnails to find something I want, so I delete anything that's custom-made that does that crap - but I can't delete it when Maxis do it.

Gah.

Anyone else notice that they didn't stick all the holiday objects in a "collections" folder. You would have thought since they did with the NL and Uni stuff, and some other random things... but no. That would have been useful - and yes I did it myself in the end. But I don't know, that bugged me.