Discussion: Its Six A.M Do you know where Maxis is?

I have been thinking this over, all day Josh. First I want to say that I completely agree with everything that's been written. A lot has changed in the sims community in the last few years, and the community is no longer as strong or close as it once was.

I have been a sims fan right from the outset, since the very first day it was released. I was addicted straightaway, bought all the EPs as they were released, thought the world of Maxis, loved all the fansites as they began to popup and grow, became a download freak and became very close to other sims fans online - this has eventually led to meeting together in real life too.

In May 2002, I was having trouble with my Hot Date game - so I entered the very first chatroom I had ever been to - The Simschat at the official site. From then on, I was a regular chatter until Maxis closed the chatroom in September 2003. It was there that many sims fans had met day after day, week after week and we all became part of a close community. Not only did we do the off-topic stuff (and wow that was a ton of fun!) but also we were there to share information about fansites and their downloads, offer technical support (when people had given up hope after using the EA support line - the chatters had in-depth knowledge of the game and could help with most problems) and offer gameplay tips/support. The reasons for the chatroom's closure were lame, and many of the regular chatters split into different directions. Smaller sites/chatrooms were created in haste, yet there wasn't one specific place that we all went to. The community just split, and from then on, the community eventually started to evaporate.

When the official EA site for The Sims 2 was created, there was no chatroom. No off topic section, no off topic chat allowed at all. The moderation there was quite clear about that, and it has driven many people away from the site, including myself. The problem isn't that we CAN'T talk about sims 2 all day and night, it's that we are REAL people with real lives and feelings and when you communicate with someone online about the sims 2, it's hard not to become closer to those fellow sims fans. When there is a wall between each sims fan, a wall of silence on off topic issues, then there is only so much you can say before you repeat yourself - my sim had twins, my sim became a vampire, my sim achieved their lifetime want, and so on. It places a distance between simmers, and the community spirit/ bonds are weak. Again, many people have left the official site for that reason, but have split and gone to a wide range of fansites/forums.

The fansites have grown in the last few years - some have grown faster than others, some are paysites, some are smaller but free sites. When I last looked there were close to 1000 sims 2 fansites - today it's around half that figure. The major sites have become so big that the smaller sites are either hanging in their shadows or joining/being sucked up by the bigger sites. Last time I went to one of the major sites (and btw their forum was less than polite or friendly when I asked a question), there were so many downloads that it took me forever to wade through all the stuff to find things that appealed to me. Their increasingly large number of artists means more and more downloads, and not all are of the quality or type that I want in my game. Result? I am reluctant to go there because it's a major task to find what I need, so I don't bother. If those smaller sites were still running (where I used to go for my favourite artists' work) then it wouldn't take me long at all to find the things I like. I much prefer the unique styles of websites, small but easy to search, as opposed to the one-stop-shop.

When some of the fansites were invited to visit Maxis/EA before Sims 2 was released, it was good to see that representatives of the community and Maxis/EA were brought closer together. Now, after several of those events, it's clear that certain sites are repeatedly invited, and other previous invitees are left out in the cold. I would find it hard to maintain commitment and enthusiasm when you're repeatedly left out in the cold with no real reason. Sorta makes me wonder if Maxis is controlling which fansites they want to help to grow or support. I can only see that in the future there will be a few key, major fansites that will be involved in such visits to Maxis/EA, and the smaller sites will no longer be welcomed, and may even not exist anymore. This squeezing out of sites is horrible, particularly when they were the core fanbase all those years ago when The Sims was first conceived. We're talking about fansites that have been committed to The Sims/Sims2 for years, with their core base of fans.

I agree with everything in the article Josh, and hope that the situation with the community and Maxis/EA can be improved. However long Maxis/EA remain in business, it's clear that their fan base/fansites are not going to be as secure or as committed if the current situation isn't addressed. Maxis/EA has had a wealth of support from fans but this won't last forever. It's just a shame that the fansite leaders who have given years of support and commitment to The Sims/Sims 2 may eventually just focus their enthusiasm elsewhere. Then that would be a further loss to what was once a strong community. When Sims 3 comes along, will it be more of the same? By then, I can see a lot of fans will have moved to other games (eg MMORPGs). I just wish that the community could be like it was a few years ago - stronger, closer, happier.

 

I pretty much agreed with the sentiments on the article as well. I was going to spend some time this mroning catching up and instead spent most it reading the editorial. LOL

The only point I am not sure about was the conlcuding paragraph:

I'm not sure if my loyalty to the franchise will survive ... TS3 would need to offer a much higher level of AI so that 'free will' need not be turned off and that sims who 'want' to dance will actually seek to achieve that want rather than just go around giving noogies (in spite of being nice). But my loyalty to Maxis is as ephemeral as it is toward any commercial entity. People come and go so company is not the people who run it, neither is it the products it develops and sells. In the long run Maxis is just a brand-name and it will thrive or not solely on the merits of its product range.

 

But really they don't care as long as they make money.
They don't make money from TS3 if there is one, they will just can it.
They have plenty of other games that people like and will keep buying.

 

You got to take the bad with the good..I mean come on, leaving the franchise because the community on the official website is a little crappy, is ridiculous. The game is good guys, and its only got potential to get better. I mean look how great a difference sims 1 is from the sequel..so many cool new things...Just have some hope guys!

 

ok guys this is crazy offtopic but i have to share this and Josh probably already knows about this, Six A.M backwards is Maxis.