EA it is time to stop being stupid and start talking. A Rant by Twain.

[Twain]

I don't usually link to all my rants here.  I prefer people find them on their own.

However this past weekend EA made the decision to censor all posts concerning upcoming Stuff and Expansion packs.  Now the only information out there is information that EA itself let leak out..so I suppose EA would have been smarter censoring itself

Well anyway the whole idea of EA activly censoring the BBS..really annoyed me..so I ranted this morning ....Here

And since it may very well end up getting deleted here is my post

EA it is time to stop being stupid and start talking.

This past weekend something happened that I hoped would never happen on this site.  EA decided to do their best to censor each and every user of this site. 

As SimMasterAnubis alluded to in her post...."This is not something that is my choice. It's not the choice of the Maxoids. It's coming from higher up. Please understand and please do not be rude about it." 

EA has decided to suppress all info about the upcoming Stuff Pack and EP, and has ordered the Maxoids and SimMasters to do it.  Now I greatly respect the SimMasters and the Maxoids, however enough is enough.

I personally can care less what the next Stuff Pack or EP is going to be, if they are Packs that interest me I will purchase them, if they do not interest me I will not purchase them.  However the themes and content of these packs seem to be of great importance to a vast number of users here.  So what does EA do? Do they give them as much information as they can at this point?  No they don't they throw out a few crumbs of info, promise more in "a few weeks", then when a "few weeks" pass..they claim they will reveal more in a "few weeks".

Now I realize this is not the decision of any Maxoid, but is most likely the decision of the higher-ups in EA.  So before anyone starts attacking me because I am not being nice to the "poor hard working Maxoids", this is not directed at them...as long as they are not willfully withholding information that they are allowed to release.

I can completely understand not releasing information about the next Expansion Pack.  From everything that has leaked out so far it promises to be something that the overwhelming majority of fans have demanded since day one.  Until that pack is ready for release they do not want to announce it, especially since there is going to be another Shopping Pack released next month..it seems.  I think that if the next EP was announced before the Shopping Pack went on sale...that the excitement over the next EP would completely overshadow and damage the sales of the Shopping Pack.  So I completely understand that being a reason why there is no announcement on the next EP.  I also realize that they started selling FFS through the EA downloader..and they probably want to squeeze as many buys out of that as possible, before they announce the next Shopping Pack.  While this is annoying...I understand it, because ultimately EA is a business and they have to do what is best for their business.

However, while I realize there are business stratagies at work here...the fact is EA is alienating their consumer base, and is causing unneeded problems, by trying to suppress discussions about the upcoming packs.  One of the big draws (to me at least) of TS2 is this wonderful and open community.  Will Wright always had a vision of a large diverse and active community that was tied to the games he created. When EA purchased Maxis they have proven over and over again that they can care less about the community and more and more about their bottom line.

In EA's view...why should they waste time, effort, resources and money catering to a community that will buy their games regardless of what they do?

What they don't realize is part of the reason that there is such a loyal fanbase is the fact that there is such a strong, large diverse and active community associated with this game. EA would be well served to remember this fact and stop ignoring the community, and actually become an active participant in the community once more, before they finally do alienate everyone.

EA needs to knock off the stupidity, and start becoming an active and positive member of this community.  Plain and simple the reason there is information on sites like www.snootysims.com, is because of EA's own stupidity.  THEY leaked out information on their Thai site, and Hong Kong Sites. (Though according to SMAnubis, for some reason this information is about "unauthorized prerelease EPs"...so one has to wonder if the Thai and Hong Kong EA sites are planning to overthrow the US EA office).  If EA didn't want information to get out..then simply they have to stop their own employees releasing information early.

EA needs to bite the bullet, and release some information to this community.  EA is creating an Us Vs. Them dynamic with this community..and I promise that EA will be the ones that ultimately lose that battle.  You can never been too nice to your consumers, it seems EA needs to learn this lesson.  Hopefully for their sake it will not be learned the wrong way :-/

[lindaetterlee]

Twain you should do what I do. Don't buy a single damn ep, base, or stuff pack and still play them all *GRINS*.

[jrd]

It is real smart to admit to theft.

[Ancient Sim]

Well, if the pets look anything like the ones on that so-called expansion pack box, I don't want them (not that I do anyway).  I presume they're meant to be dogs, but to me they looked more like goats.  OK, my eyesight could be better and the picture wasn't able to be enlarged ... but I stick to my decision, they looked like goats.  If they must repeat old expansions, I'd far rather it was Makin' Magic, because I still miss that, especially my houses in Magic Town.  I just loved those spooky sounds ...

[kutto]

Sadly, it seems that some of your first readers were sheep who can use a keyboard.

I agree. I really miss the amount of attention we got from them. We haven't had a live chat in ages.

[J. M. Pescado]

I don't really blame them. There is no "next expansion pack" or "stuff pack". It is a waste of time and space to discuss these nonexistent pieces of fictitious vaporware.

[Twain]

Heh I knew you would say that JM.

However my problem is the fact that EA has chosen to censor the BBS...rather than let people chat about a subject that they all are obviously intersted in.

[BlueSoup]

Well, I do agree with your right to rant about EA all-of-a-sudden deciding that those posts are off-topic and should be deleted, because it's not really fair of them to decide that now, after so much time has passed since their leaks were well, leaked.

I am sorta glad they are deleting all those posts though, because they're taking over.  I wish they'd just announce the new packs already, and make the board to confine the jabber about them.

[kacidama]

I almost agree with JM (OMG! Did I say that out loud?)

The pix on the Thai site were for PS2, the E3 *screencaps* were clearly not and the Glamour Life pix were anything but.

Why they are stopping people from discussing future EPs I have no idea - what else do the sheep have to talk about now they believe their baa's of *wee wont ptz* have been heard (or is that herd? geddit?)

[Kokopelli]

As usual Twain,  Well said!
I always enjoy the Rantings of Twain at least he gets the attention of everyone to wake up and smell the coffee.
My two cents worth

[ZiggyDoodle]

Out of curiosity, I gritted my teeth, put on my invisibility cloak, and ventured into the sheep pasture to see if I could find the "official" post Twain referenced.

Didn't find the post but I did note that all of the messages posted by Maxoids and SimMasters have disappeared.  What is all that about?

The place is now even more scary given there is no apparent babysitter on board.

[Paperbladder]

Since E3 they haven't released any more screenshots of pets, so I'm thinking those pets were prerendered or photoshopped in there.  The Glamour Stuff Pack, however has screenshots of its content.  In Short, Pets is vaporware but Glamour Stuff isn't.

Here's the thing, EA's not going to change how they deal with TS2 if people keep buying expansions.  The Family Fun Stuff pack sold too well, it was on one of the top sellers list for a week or so.  Why the heck should they change what's working so far?  Loads of people that complain about it will buy the expansion anyway.

[Emma]

Here is the post, but it is now locked

[rohina]

Fantastic rant, Twain, and I had to laugh at the locking by the SM, who seemed to have no sense of the irony of saying "I'm not censoring anyone, but no one else is allowed to say anything." It certainly proved your point.

[J. M. Pescado]

However my problem is the fact that EA has chosen to censor the BBS...rather than let people chat about a subject that they all are obviously intersted in.

With the gargantuan bureaucracy involved, it probably took them this long to figure out what to do and how to do it.

[holly]

That's classic any color as long as its black behavior form maxis ,

I really don't get the whole banning any discussion over the next ep thing , its a fan site that's what fans do ,
Its like the people at the Manchester Untied web site banning discussion on any impending transferees.

I don't  think the people at maxis live in the real world .

[J. M. Pescado]

Maxis only does that because they don't have a Retardo Land. If you had tried that nonsense here, it would be booted to Retardo Land.

[rohina]

I thought the whole BBS was Retardo Land. But maybe that's unfair to Retardo Land.

[Ellatrue]

Retardo land is a special place.

I want goats. We could raise them, and multiply them, and sell them, and sacrifice them.

[Twain]

Well, I do agree with your right to rant about EA all-of-a-sudden deciding that those posts are off-topic and should be deleted, because it's not really fair of them to decide that now, after so much time has passed since their leaks were well, leaked.

I am sorta glad they are deleting all those posts though, because they're taking over.  I wish they'd just announce the new packs already, and make the board to confine the jabber about them.

Heh I hate those posts as much as you do Blue...however i hate the fact that EA decided they wanted to get rid of all of them even more.

I also was quite annoyed that well thought out..well written posts were also being eliminated because they referenced the future packs..even if they didn't talk about them directly.

[rohina]

The new rule makes more sense. All posts that mention censorship are censored.

[lindaetterlee]

It is real smart to admit to theft.

LOL silly I never said anything about stealing. I just get the games free. One of my friends works at gamestop and gives me all the copies. He says he gets them free but thats his business lol.

[jrd]

Using stolen merchandise - even if you didn't actually steal it - is still a crime.

Personally I couldn't care less as long as you don't steal my stuff (hurray for moral ambiguity), but you might rethink admitting to any crime in public. Even though it is extremely unlikely anything will come of it, why take the risk?

[ZiggyDoodle]

Thanks for the link, Emma, but what I'm trying to find is the actual statement made by SimMaster Anubis that the site is being censored.

 

As SimMasterAnubis alluded to in her post...."This is not something that is my choice. It's not the choice of the Maxoids. It's coming from higher up. Please understand and please do not be rude about it."

Searched back seven days but haven't found it yet.

[Emma]

They probably deleted it