I Called It

October 17, 2016 — Kaye

I was sent a very interesting article this morning.

EA’s Origin Might Delete Games From Your Account Without Warning

I knew it. I knew it. I absolutely knew it!
Really, what else could be expected when you have no option besides virtual possession of your buys? The user the article speaks about got the removed game back, but only after going through a big hassle to do it. EA did not want to give back that game. They basically only did it because that user was persistent. And as the article notes, other users had a similar problem.

If a company decides to pull your virtual purchases, you have to hope you’re stubborn enough to fight to get them back. Otherwise, you’re out of luck. This isn’t illegal. You have no real possession of that product. The extent of your ownership is a server you have to log into. The company can take them back whenever they want and if you don’t possess the energy for persistence, your only option is to get over it and move on.

Granted, it could’ve been much worse. This user lost one game. The server could’ve been hacked or shut down, meaning all their games would’ve been lost. Something tells me that story is somewhere on the horizon, and it’s getting closer.

Now, tell me again digital download only is the best.

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I Hate Origin

November 15, 2015 — Kaye

Self-explanatory title.

A few days ago, EA released a patch for The Sims 3. Since Sims 3’s run ended two years, I was surprised they’d make something for the game and didn’t think much of downloading it. I now very much regret. The update tied Sims 3 to Origin, so the only way to play is to log in. One of the reasons I liked Sims 3 over Sims 4 was not needing to sign in.

To say I was angry would be an understatement. I despise Origin and this stunt made my hatred for EA multiply by numbers I didn’t even know existed. I couldn’t figure out how to go back to previous update, so in the end, I uninstalled all of my Sims 3 games and am now sticking solely with Sims 2.

I’m still finding it hard to believe the company that started my Sims addiction is the same one that murdered it. I guess the upside is I regained about 30 GB of space on my computer.

And yes, I’m well aware many companies are switching solely to digital downloads. However, I do not trust them. I don’t like the idea of paying for something and being unable to have it. Why did I pay for it then?!

If I lose or damage one of my game discs, I can replace it. Having to game tied to Origin means I don’t have any control over that. If EA decides to shut down Origin, everybody loses their games. Same thing if – heaven forbid – their website ends up becoming hacked (Target, anyone?). Basically, it’s up to their discretion whether any person can play it or not. Regardless of the fact that person paid for it, the company (EA in this example) doesn’t have to permit them to play the game. And considering EA has won the title for being the worst company twice in a row, I wouldn’t put it past them to do something of the sort.

I have no idea if there will be a Sims 5, but if there is, it seems I won’t be a part of it, even if the game is amazing in my opinion. I would delete my Origin/EA account entirely, but there’s no way to do so without contacting support (they say it’s for “security purposes”; yeah, right) and I don’t want to talk to any of Origin’s staff, period!

I hope everyone who’s having fun with the games continues to have fun and enjoys being tied to Origin. As much as I love and miss Sims 3, I don’t like being tied and I refuse to be a part of that nuisance. If that’s going to eventually mean I’ll never be able to play PC games again (or new ones anyway), so be it. Thankfully, there are other platforms and other games that I can pay for and actually possess.

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I Kept My Word

August 5, 2015 — Kaye

I think this will be my last post mentioning anything about The Sims 4, or the series at all.

I once said to myself I’d give TS4 a year before I wrote it off permanently. Now, that got cut short because of some incredible arrogance I got thrown toward me from the fans, but in the end, I simply stayed the heck away from them and kept an eye on the game myself.

Well, the first anniversary is a month away and it’s been…a very dull ride.

There are seven packs for this game: Outdoor Retreat, Get to Work, Luxury Party, Perfect Patio, Spa Day, Cool Kitchen, and Get Together. Out of those seven, only four interest me, though I only have two at the minute. However, even those two feel somewhat lackluster to me.

I played Outdoor Retreat once and never again. It’s a nice pack, but unfortunately, I’m not a frequent vacationer. It’s useful if I want my sims to go play in the woods, but that’s about it.

Get to Work is better, but they could’ve done a ton more with it. The workplaces aren’t even on the map! They’re only accessible by those in the respective career. For a science lab, that makes sense. A hospital and a police station? No. And the tasks got repetitive fast.

I avoided the stuff packs because I’m not a fan of partying themes. Heck, EA even advertised GTW as being about partying. Why that was necessary is not something I can understand, but I’ve stopped trying to figure them out anyway.

I’m glad there are people who are in love with Sims 4, but my personal time with it is up. I’m not following any more news for it, nor will I continue following any accounts of the staff/gurus. Never did I think I’d say this about a Sims game, but I’m done. I’m done with this particular game and any future iterations of it. The Sims is one of my favorite series, but EA/Maxis has killed it for me. Nothing has wowed me about this game and the last thing I was excited for was the GTW expansion, which died when I finally played it. I’m not going to keep getting my hopes up and, frankly, I have no hopes left for the game at all.

So, I guess this is my goodbye to the series. I am not giving up the games I already have, but I will not be a part of the series’ future. I hope everyone else continues having fun with it.

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Sims 4: Snobbery

July 9, 2015 — Kaye

It’s not an expansion, game, or stuff pack, but it may as well be.

There’s a new patch for Sims 4 today that introduced half-walls and the ability to lock doors (which a mod had been created for months earlier). A lot of people are happy about it and that’s good. The problem is their attitude toward those of us who aren’t so happy and don’t care about it.

These people have the idea that simply because something is free, nobody should be allowed to complained and everybody is supposed to feel the same way they do about it. A ton of things in life are free, but still get complaints.

The sun is free and helps every living being on Earth remain alive, yet people complain it’s too hot or too bright. Rainwater is free, yet people complain about rainy days and not being able to go out. Love is free, but people still complain about and get mad at their loved ones. Having the body you have to reside in is free, but people complain about it, even if it’s not sick or injured. I don’t know what world these people live in where everywhere free should disallow complaints, but it doesn’t exist.

More so, I hate how snobbish these players are. I don’t like Sims 4 (anymore), but I don’t go around expecting everybody to feel how I do. They’re entitled to their feelings, but what on Earth makes them believe everyone else’s emotions should be identical to theirs? The world doesn’t work that way. Everyone is not going to feel the same way about the same thing. Perhaps instead of telling everyone else to grow up and be grateful, they should grow up and stop acting like they rule the gaming world and no one else is allowed to feel differently than they do.

I actually have more problems with the players than the game itself. The game is bothersome to an extent, yes, but nowhere near as much as its snobbish fan base. The snobbery turns me away from the game more than any of the problems I personally have with it. I had honestly been considering reinstalling the game because I miss the build mode and Create-a-Sim aspects of it, but after encountering these conceited fans, I want nothing to do with Sims 4 or its fan base. Sure, it’s nothing new – I’ve gotten plenty of hateful remarks and messages thrown at me for how I feel about the game before it even released, and so did many others – but it’s no less aggravating. Not to mention the official forums go so far as to outright allow these people to bully others and break the rules simply because they feel less than enthusiastic.

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Goodbye, Sims 4

June 24, 2015 — Kaye

I talked about Sims 4 before on this blog, when I got some hate thrown at me for not being excited about the game. I can’t say I was wrong. To me, this game is a mess.

I did like it for a while, but it couldn’t hold my interest. Even when I did like it, I could only play it for 2-3 hours. Eventually, the time I could enjoy it lessened and it reached the point where this game was making me yawn within 5-10 minutes of playing. Creating sims, building, and moving things around were fun, but playing with them? No.

I’ve uninstalled it and I don’t miss it at all. I’m not interested in anything for it simply because no amount of new content can fix most of my problems with the game. Read the rest of this entry »

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