I think this sums it up the best...

Personally I find it appalling that EA is trying to get 20.00 for one set. Absolutely appalling and my children for one will not be eating top ramen so their father can have a new bedroom set to put in his virtual dollhouse game. -Jalida

LOL! Good analogy. I love the stuff at the Store, but I do wish it was more reasonable for goodness sake. And why are men's hairstyles only 75 points, but all the women's are 100 points each? Biased much? I admit I was an avid user of the Sims 2 Store, so I have already used my free points at the Sim 3 Store. I just love the way the download manager works and automatically installs everything for you, then keeps track of what you've bought and organizes it all for you in the DM. But, yeah, let's be reasonable with those profits margins, eh?

Nobody has forced you or your husband to purchase anything on the store. EA doesn't revoke your installation if you don't buy $15 worth of store items per month. It's an easy concept; If you don't like it, don't buy it. That works for the price as much as it does the item itself. Eventually we'll start seeing community made custom content, all it takes is patience.

If you're worried about "everyone else buying store items", you're not playing the same game I am. Gameplay shouldn't get worse because you can't install something a small part of the community has. Besides, you're not missing out on much for not buying from the store. Most of the items aren't exactly works of art.

Torbin wrote:Nobody has forced you or your husband to purchase anything on the store. EA doesn't revoke your installation if you don't buy $15 worth of store items per month. It's an easy concept; If you don't like it, don't buy it. That works for the price as much as it does the item itself. Eventually we'll start seeing community made custom content, all it takes is patience.

If you're worried about "everyone else buying store items", you're not playing the same game I am. Gameplay shouldn't get worse because you can't install something a small part of the community has. Besides, you're not missing out on much for not buying from the store. Most of the items aren't exactly works of art.

Here's the problem. North American companies are jealous of the Korean and Chinese markets in games because they are almost completely micro-transaction based. By which i mean, instead of paying a subscription, or buying expacs, they sell small things for small amounts of money that add up.

American companies have already tried to make it work and it has failed so far, however companies like Apple has proved that micro-transactions can work. Like the App Store for Iphones and itunes etc.

EA is going to push this hard, and put lots of great content in there, and less in the expacs. And I guarantee mod developers and independent skinners are going to get the shaft from EA's legal department. They don't want people stealing their profits.

People will be able to make skins and furniture etc. "but" EA will limit the tools available, and they will revoke the right for developers to accept donations, and run ads making it almost impossible for the average person to pay for the bandwidth to deliver their content to the millions of sims players. And yes, legally they can do that.

Unfortunately, the store is going to stay.

I agree with you. The item and hairstyle selection in the game is not nearly enough. I love the game, but I feel a bit like it is incomplete, especially for the price. The amount of men's hairstyles are just pathetic.

They should have put more items in, at the very least the same amount as in the sims 2 base game. It seems really bare.

That's only major complaint about the game so far. Other than that, I really enjoy it.

I too was suprised at the amount of content included in the game. I don't know if it's because I'm so used to playing with all the EPs and SPs (plus an enormous amount of CC) but it seems to definitely be lacking.

The store prices are insane in my opinion, especially compared to the amount of content we recieved in a $20 SP.

The sad part is we are also going to end up paying 30 bucks for each expansion pack as well.

Maybe they will run "sales" from time to time on items. The 4th of July is coming up at that would be a good time for a 1/2 price sale....HINT HINT

YES!!

Lasonya1218 wrote:Maybe they will run "sales" from time to time on items. The 4th of July is coming up at that would be a good time for a 1/2 price sale....HINT HINT

Excellent idea! Did you hear that EA?!

The store prices are nothing shy of highway robbery. I would like to see them come down if this is to be our only hope of decent stuff for our game. I however do believe that the community of Custom Content Creators will indeed find a way to make custom content and as far as profiting from subs well as long as it is only for bandwith costs we aren't paying for the objects we are paying for the creators to store them which has always been and **should** remain legal. I doubt Maxi's will hang the creators out to dry , they are what keeps this game interesting and afloat...A non CC game is a dull one. I am reinstalling the Sims 2 this evening on another note...just in case this all goes south...LOL !

/sign they should have a bigger discount(is the one now over buying them seperate?) on buying sets over the parts that way theyll sell more and we will get more win win.

Lasonya1218 wrote:Maybe they will run "sales" from time to time on items. The 4th of July is coming up at that would be a good time for a 1/2 price sale....HINT HINT

This is the kind of patronage that causes this degree of corporate greed.

I won't give a dime to the store. The modders will be out in FULL FORCE for the next year. And now NOBODY will be able to complain about PAYSITES since EA has become one.

How about a petition to put all of the stuff in the store now into the game for free, like it should have been at launch? I find it more appalling they held stuff back to gouge us AGAIN on top of our $50.

Sims Store won't be getting my money either. I refuse to pay for things that should have been included in the game.

Sadly, because of alot of people around here, the store likely will stay and stay strong. Some people apparently have access to the elusive money tree and have no qualms making use of it.

On a side note, this is a great example of corporate greed. The sims 2 community at large helped add staying power and popularity to a dated game by creating user content and sharing freely. Do we get a tool to do this with Sims 3? Of course not...wheres the upfront revenue in that??