Comments for Casual Aggro

Comment on The Sims 4 is Offline – It Seems EA Has Been Paying Attention [TheSims4] by Ocho

Ocho — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:20:59 +0000

On the surface, although it may seem that The Sims is an “in-between” game, it really isn’t. The Sims series is the blockbuster of all blockbusters. Literally. If you look at the top ten best-selling PC games of all-time, The Sims, Sims 2, and Sims 3 all make the list, with Sims and Sims 2 taking the #1 and #2 spot.

Then, on top of that, although they aren’t selling as great as the primary games, Sims 3 expansions aren’t even finished yet. They will be releasing the 10th expansion next month in June.

So, while the new SimCity took quite a while to come along, they could experiment with it a lot more as it’s really nothing compared to the goliath that is The Sims (actually, SimCity 3000 did make #13 on the all-time list, too). And experiment they did, and they were hit… hard. But then, even with Sony and Microsoft now backtracking about always being online, it’s now no surprise that EA folded, too.

I agree about the two big ideas, but they both have twists. The big games with the big pricetags are more and more releasing DLC packs. So, it’s not just a blockbuster… but a blockbuster plus periodic packs to keep gamers playing until it’s time to release their next big blockbuster.

And the little nothing Free-to-play or really cheap mobile games? They all use addictive psychology to keep you playing and potentially buying extras. I mean, heck, what is the most played (informal) mobile game I’m seeing right now? Candy Crush Saga. … A match-3 game with puzzle-style goals, but random layout. How you would win a tough level comes down to luck more than skill. But when that slot machine hits and you move onto the next board… you’re sucked in.

In both cases, it’s all about squeezing what they can out of the customer. They changed their mind about always-online due to pressure from all sides, but it helps them in the long run as their product will still reach more people, and more people means more profit.

Comment on The Newbie Blogger Initiative – 1 Year Later by I Feel Old | A High Latency Life

I Feel Old | A High Latency Life — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:53:53 +0000

[…] Casual Aggro – A great round up, and he himself is going strong […]

Comment on The Sims 4 is Offline – It Seems EA Has Been Paying Attention [TheSims4] by Your sis

Your sis — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:48:02 +0000

Just had a conversation about this. I don’t think EA is changing their stripes, I just don’t think Sims 4 is an always on game. Or that they’re throwing us a bone to recoup lost money and won’t care about leaving all their other stuff online.
More to the point, the gaming world has turned these days where it is really either spend the big money on a multi-million dollar blockbuster game, or spend little money on a popular small app game and really expand your profit margins. The in-between games (which Sims is) aren’t being really paid attention to much anymore or for a while, and is why it took so long for there to even be a New SimCity or Sims game.

Comment on A Few Suggestions for The Secret World [TSW] by My First Secret World Dungeon and I Didn’t Make a Complete Fool Out of Myself [TSW] | Casual Aggro

Mon, 13 May 2013 02:17:10 +0000

[…] P.S. – Sadly, my TSW character, Ocholivis, is unguilded (uncabaled?). I joined the Knights of Mercy for the run, but since they are all Templars and I am Illuminati, I can’t join in their guild. How sad is that? Funcom, seriously, work on that. […]

Comment on The Newbie Blogger Initiative – 1 Year Later by Ravanel Griffon

Ravanel Griffon — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:45:48 +0000

For my NBI-brother: http://i.imgur.com/dyXARnW.png.

Comment on The Newbie Blogger Initiative – 1 Year Later by New Blogger Initiative a Year Later – Who Survived? | The Ancient Gaming Noob

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:00:59 +0000

[…] World Tavern and Casual Aggro did similar round up posts, though their criteria was a bit different (as were their counts), so […]

Comment on The Newbie Blogger Initiative – 1 Year Later by Ocho

Ocho — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:16:20 +0000

Yes, exactly. I feel that it really is all about the community. If you join the community, you are 1000x more likely to keep going. In high school I ran cross country, and every race, and every practice I always hit that wall that screamed at me “Why the heck are you doing this? Are you crazy?! You still have 6 miles to run!” But then I’d look at my good friend who was doing it as well and knew that if he could do it, I could do it. Having others around pushing you forward is a huge drive to keep it up.

Comment on The Sims 4 is Offline – It Seems EA Has Been Paying Attention [TheSims4] by Ocho

Ocho — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:12:32 +0000

Thats true. If they release Seasons or Pets at the same time as release, I’d just throw money at them. Bugs, to me, aren’t really a problem, unless they’re a showstopper. Like Sims Medieval Mobile is filled to the brim with bugs, but I didn’t really care… until it crashed when giving a reward, and then when I came back, said the quest had been completed and then never gave me the credit. That’s a pretty big bug, and I haven’t gone back yet.

Comment on The Newbie Blogger Initiative – 1 Year Later by Rowan

Rowan — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:08:17 +0000

There was a slow down. But I wonder many blogs would have died a quicker death—or might have, in the case of those still active—if not for the NBI. When I first started blogging, it was the encouragement of the community and the friendships I was able to form with other bloggers that kept up my enthusiasm. Heck, that’s still the case for me today.

Comment on The Newbie Blogger Initiative – 1 Year Later by Ald

Ald — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:14:31 +0000

I’m sad that this completely skipped my mind. Looking back now, participation seemed to slow down around the 6 month mark. It’s nice to see many going strong though. Keep it up!