Adverts during gameplay

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Kassandra
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by Kassandra »

Those randomly popping up adds are highly disruptive. :evil:

So far I loved the game cos I was able to avoid tons of videos that tire me out. The extremely high frame rate is not just annoying, the sudden interruption of whatever I am doing is taking me by surprise every single time - not in a good way. :roll:

The game already had been muted before to reduce the sensory input, as I struggle with such due to a neurological disorder. I feel harassed to spend money to become VIP 3 just to keep my health in order. Back in the days every game booklet was warning people how it could effect epilepsy. These days games keep pushing stuff our way that actually make it worse. :(

As much as I understand their need to create revenue, was there no other way to implement this and maybe even INFORM your costumers? Sorry, but a TWITTER-feed is not what I consider a game wide announcement. Ingame announcement for architect homes and online sales for everyone to see, but no such thing for intrusive game changes, as if they're afraid to tell their customers directly. :evil:
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indiekicks
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by indiekicks »

I know what you mean Kassandra. I struggle with anxiety and having something take over my screen unexpectedly makes me jolt a little. I play this game to have fun and ease my stress levels, not add on to it.

If EA/FM needs more revenue, then they should work on putting unique items in the online store at reasonable prices. I hesitate to even buy certain items anymore because they turn around and charge you LP/SP or a ridiculous amount of simoleons. That’s not cool. I learned my lesson after buying the eternity paintings.

How many people would be willing to pay $4.99 for another sim vs $49.99? They’d make more money if they’d just use their heads!
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Kassandra
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by Kassandra »

indiekicks wrote: 01 Feb 2019, 13:42 I struggle with anxiety and having something take over my screen unexpectedly makes me jolt a little. I play this game to have fun and ease my stress levels, not add on to it.

[...]

How many people would be willing to pay $4.99 for another sim vs $49.99? They’d make more money if they’d just use their heads!
Completely agree on both arguments.

From my experience someone needs to explain the term 'micro-transactions' to the publisher. It means 'small amounts that won't hurt and entice people to regularely spend', same way people buy candy bars and chocolate at a cash register, cos it's too tempting to resist. The macrotransactions our dear game publisher is offering is hard to afford even if someone works fulltime - unless you're a high positioned banker, stock market player or otherwise criminal (filthy rich). Did any of these people EVER sit in a basic economy class?!
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randy_thrandy
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by randy_thrandy »

agree with you both!!

also i'm really sorry to hear about how disruptive these ads are for y'all... that's really annoying, trying to chill out a bit by playing the game and suddenly they decide to completely ruin that for ya with these stupid money-grubbing ads, just short of giving you an epileptic seizure! :CC

also, very true that about microtransactions ... you do have to be a criminal to be able to spend such money on imaginary items for your imaginary sims! :lol: a few dollars per package would still be reasonable, for premium content...provided you can purchase it from the home store with simoleans (paying Lps and SPs for the premium unlocked items sounds like THE WORST thing).
greed got the best of them i suppose. :/
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by Amathyse »

I understand the need for ads - developing game content costs money - and will even watch the paperboy occasionally voluntarily (I do wish they'd change the rewards). But, twice now, even tho I have all sounds muted, they came on at full volume. I play at work. it's not really much of a problem so long as I don't make it obvious. Loud ads make it blaringly obvious I'm playing on my phone and it disturbs my co-workers. I couldn't find anything that gives freeplay permission to change my volume. Does anyone know a way to cut the sound permanently? Otherwise I'm not going to be able to play at work and that means no live events and no timed quests. Plus, they only seem to come on for stupid little stuff I'm doing just to give my sims an action and they don't gain me much. They seem rather pointless from a game play point of view.
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by 3luv4eva3 »

Amathyse wrote: 01 Feb 2019, 22:01 I understand the need for ads - developing game content costs money - and will even watch the paperboy occasionally voluntarily (I do wish they'd change the rewards). But, twice now, even tho I have all sounds muted, they came on at full volume. I play at work. it's not really much of a problem so long as I don't make it obvious. Loud ads make it blaringly obvious I'm playing on my phone and it disturbs my co-workers. I couldn't find anything that gives freeplay permission to change my volume. Does anyone know a way to cut the sound permanently? Otherwise I'm not going to be able to play at work and that means no live events and no timed quests. Plus, they only seem to come on for stupid little stuff I'm doing just to give my sims an action and they don't gain me much. They seem rather pointless from a game play point of view.
I haven't had any volume issues. Depends what device you're on I suppose.
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SKatF
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by SKatF »

Kassandra wrote: 01 Feb 2019, 06:17 Those randomly popping up adds are highly disruptive. :evil:

So far I loved the game cos I was able to avoid tons of videos that tire me out. The extremely high frame rate is not just annoying, the sudden interruption of whatever I am doing is taking me by surprise every single time - not in a good way. :roll:

The game already had been muted before to reduce the sensory input, as I struggle with such due to a neurological disorder. I feel harassed to spend money to become VIP 3 just to keep my health in order. Back in the days every game booklet was warning people how it could effect epilepsy. These days games keep pushing stuff our way that actually make it worse. :(

As much as I understand their need to create revenue, was there no other way to implement this and maybe even INFORM your costumers? Sorry, but a TWITTER-feed is not what I consider a game wide announcement. Ingame announcement for architect homes and online sales for everyone to see, but no such thing for intrusive game changes, as if they're afraid to tell their customers directly. :evil:
I would consider requesting EA to give you the instant ad off switch as an accommodation to disability. Might work.

Do flashing lights from haunted items bother you? I avoid them as migraine triggers. Now I place a HANS wall plate and dim lights 25% in house with haunted items. It's not that much dimmer and no flashing lights!
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Kassandra
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by Kassandra »

SKatF wrote: 02 Feb 2019, 01:12Do flashing lights from haunted items bother you? I avoid them as migraine triggers.

Now I place a HANS wall plate and dim lights 25% in house with haunted items. It's not that much dimmer and no flashing lights!
Haunted items are a game aspect I absolutely hate. Why has the game no button at options to disable the flashing stuff alltogether? If I could the animation in tvs would be a static picture instead too. Sometimes less is more. :(

Why I can't deal well with too much shiny stuff:

- I'm photophobic as in extremely light sensitive. The lights in my home are either dimmed or completely off. Candle light is awesome due to very small light, but also horrible cos it flickers. These days I have a small table lamp BEHIND my computer monitor, so I only get the smallest strip of light behind it, illuminating my room very gently. Basically a miniature real life version of HANS, though 5% - 10% is enough for me. The tablet I game on has it's brightness on the lowest level. If I could I would even take away like 20% more brightness.

- my sensory filters in general are broken. Typical symptom in Autism, but also found in about 35% cases of ADHD, as both are neurological disorders where the brain is adjusted differently. Too many lights / sounds / smells / tastes => I go into overload. Starts with headache, dry eyes, migraine until mental breakdown or shutdown. Depending on the situation I get head-shoulder twitches. It's not epilepsy, but Tics as you might know them from Tourettes.

In any case the game stops being relaxing or entertaining when it becomes annoying on both a psychological and physiological level.
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by SKatF »

Kassandra wrote: 02 Feb 2019, 11:54
SKatF wrote: 02 Feb 2019, 01:12Do flashing lights from haunted items bother you? I avoid them as migraine triggers.

Now I place a HANS wall plate and dim lights 25% in house with haunted items. It's not that much dimmer and no flashing lights!
Haunted items are a game aspect I absolutely hate. Why has the game no button at options to disable the flashing stuff alltogether? If I could the animation in tvs would be a static picture instead too. Sometimes less is more. :(

Why I can't deal well with too much shiny stuff:

- I'm photophobic as in extremely light sensitive. The lights in my home are either dimmed or completely off. Candle light is awesome due to very small light, but also horrible cos it flickers. These days I have a small table lamp BEHIND my computer monitor, so I only get the smallest strip of light behind it, illuminating my room very gently. Basically a miniature real life version of HANS, though 5% - 10% is enough for me. The tablet I game on has it's brightness on the lowest level. If I could I would even take away like 20% more brightness.

- my sensory filters in general are broken. Typical symptom in Autism, but also found in about 35% cases of ADHD, as both are neurological disorders where the brain is adjusted differently. Too many lights / sounds / smells / tastes => I go into overload. Starts with headache, dry eyes, migraine until mental breakdown or shutdown. Depending on the situation I get head-shoulder twitches. It's not epilepsy, but Tics as you might know them from Tourettes.

In any case the game stops being relaxing or entertaining when it becomes annoying on both a psychological and physiological level.
I am so sorry to hear what you are dealing with. It's hard enough to have a chronic illness without one that people are unfamiliar with.
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Kassandra
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Re: Adverts during gameplay

Post by Kassandra »

SKatF wrote: 02 Feb 2019, 16:57
Kassandra wrote: 02 Feb 2019, 11:54
SKatF wrote: 02 Feb 2019, 01:12Do flashing lights from haunted items bother you? I avoid them as migraine triggers.
Now I place a HANS wall plate and dim lights 25% in house with haunted items. It's not that much dimmer and no flashing lights!
Haunted items are a game aspect I absolutely hate. Why has the game no button at options to disable the flashing stuff alltogether? If I could the animation in tvs would be a static picture instead too. Sometimes less is more. :(

Why I can't deal well with too much shiny stuff:
- I'm photophobic as in extremely light sensitive.
- my sensory filters in general are broken. Typical symptom in Autism, but also found in about 35% cases of ADHD.
I am so sorry to hear what you are dealing with. It's hard enough to have a chronic illness without one that people are unfamiliar with.
It's not so bad - when games allow me to turn off animations / sounds / keep the frame rate at a steady level. Predictable environments are important to me, they cost less energy than stuff that keeps changing unexpectedly. Whatever decreases anxiety and actually relaxes me is a good thing.

I understand the game needs to be funded somehow. The mixture of adds and sales is pretty common. I didn't mind the paperboy offering adds. On a good day I would even start them (and read a book while the video plays). If their ingame packs weren't so bloody expensive I would already have bought some items. If they're really so desperate for revenue their marketing department should adjust prices to lure the f2p crowd into opening their wallets.

Part of me wants to turn VIP 3 as soon as possible to get rid of those horrible sudden pop in videos. Part of me is very angry, promising myself that I don't like the taste of harassment and I don't want to support such marketing strategies. Bad behaviour shouldn't be rewarded.

As much as I hate players who use hacked games and glitch items to duplicate, as mad am I about the advertising thing. In my opinion both sides directly affect each other. Items ingame are too expensive? People glitch or use hacked game. Those players aren't likely to drop money in the cash shop anytime soon. In exchange we all get those horrible adds pushed into our faces, so the company still makes a profit without needing to overthink their item prices.

People who don't need to worry about their expenses increase their VIP level, change their settings and can pretend nothing ever happened. People with a tighter budget need to suck it up, cos the developers facebook pages and customer support centers exist only for marketing. Suggestions and critique aren't welcome, because as long as enough people cave and do buy in their shop, it's obviously affordable and nothing needs to change. *very frustrated* :cry:
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