Mugwump2000
Newtika
Posts: 1
(12/15/03 10:40 am)
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The Sims 2
An Important Letter to Everyone
As you know the Sims Community has grown to an extent most likely beyond anything anyone might have imagined 4 years ago when Maxis first released the game. In fact, it has grown to something more than a game, it has become one of the greatest phenomenons of the computer gaming industry. Maxis and it's employees are to be congratulated; however all of the credit is not due solely to them and their company.
The advent of user created objects has taken the original game to a completely new level of experience for all of the players. The Sims would never have become as popular as it has without this evolution into a realm where customization has become the key to its continuing success. We would never have seen expansion pack after expansion pack, for it simply would not have had the continued enthusiasm to support such expenditure. And now The Sims 2 is coming! A completely new evolution for the Sims and those who have grown to love them, create for them, improve their existence and sometimes even obsess over them.
Now it is understood that the usual success of a new game, largely revolves around the secrecy held back and teasers published, adding to the ravenous desire to purchase the game as soon as it hits the market. Usually, this is the case and most games need to do this to insure the game is ever even considered. However the Sims is not like any of these other games, it has grown to a level of popularity that is unprecedented. When the game first came out most people couldn't imagine why anyone would want to "play dolls" on their computer and never thought it would ever amount to much. Who could ever have imagined it would evolve into what has become such a success that countless thousands of websites have dedicated their existence to this "game".
Maxis' "child" has become many things for many different people:
There are those who play the game as it was intended it to be played, creating alter-egos, following and leading them through growth, relationships and new life experiences.
There are those who experiment with different lifestyles and live out fantasies with their Sims.
There are those who build house after house until they get it just right and then they start over again.
There are those who never even play the game, but spend a great majority of their time creating things for others to enjoy in their experience of the game.
These examples only scratch the surface of what Maxis began when they released the first copies of The Sims. Today, The Sims has reached what can only be considered a Cult phenomenon, and, as with everything that reaches that level in our society, it no longer belongs just to the original creators.
This brings me to the reason for writing this to you. In this letter, I am representing the concerns of a large population of Sims supporters. We are the fan sites who create new and original objects for The Sims. The people who take the foundations Maxis created and make them more diverse, more exciting and more individualized. If you have ever downloaded even one object, skin, wall, floor or anything else we have dreamed up for the Sims world, we have helped make The Sims a personal expression of yourself. We have helped you make your Sims YOUR Sims. The combined millions of hours of work represented by us would be a prohibitive cost should Maxis have paid employees to achieve the same amount of product.
When the coming of Sims 2 was first announced, everyone was excited, although many of us were concerned about how Maxis was going to support us in our continuing efforts to enhance the Sim experience for everyone. We have sat back anxiously waiting for news on what supportive programs they would release with the Sims 2. Programs revolving around unique object creation as we were certain Maxis and Electronic Arts had realized the importance of our contribution to the success of their product. We also know of the impatience in the general population and their unwillingness to "settle" for less than they have come to expect from anything, especially a game. The majority of you who buy the Sims 2 are going to expect to be able to go to your favorite sites and be able to download new and diverse additions to the objects and skins that come packaged with the game. With what has been announced will be available with the release, we will not be able to deliver what you expect. We, of course, are going to be the first to suffer for this, but ultimately it will be The Sims in general that will see the most in degradation. And of course, you, the players will not be able to find that "perfect" chair or bed or whatever you are looking for to complete the look that is an expression of your own personal taste and desire.
True, Maxis is creating a new exciting environment for The Sims by adding 3d. We all applaud them in this, it is long overdue. But by adding this extra dimension at the expense of diversity creates a completely different game. The Sims has evolved into something that is not only the creation of Maxis but also the additions of each and every contributor to new and exciting things to add to your inventory. To reverse this evolution so it is prettier and more intuitive , but lacking in personal expression will not satisfy most of you who have come to expect us to continue to create unique new designs for the game.
We have asked Maxis to give us something to work with so we can continue to create great things for all of you to enjoy with the Sims 2. We do not know yet whether or not they will give us anything. Now it may be true that people may do as they did with the original Sims and hack the objects and create their own environment for originality, but it is also likely there may not be many of us left to do this if we don't get support from Maxis before the game is released so there can be a smooth transition between the games.. I know, by the conversations I have had with others that many are already discouraged enough to hang up their hats, leaving behind this thing that has become a passion for most. It has enriched our lives and we will mourn its passing.
Will The Sims 2 survive without the cooperation between Maxis and the Artists that have worked hard on creations for the first Sims? - Maybe
Will it continue to be the phenomenon it is now? - Probably not.
That was made possible by us and without Maxis supporting us by giving us something concrete to start learning the new format right away, we probably won't be here. Why? Because a level of expectation has been reached by the you, the players of the game and we won't be able to deliver what you expect. Our sites will decay in the lag time between the release of The Sims 2 and when and if a creation engine ever gets developed by hacking the objects after the game is released. Even then, there will be many poor attempts at creating things that fail in the game because of not knowing exactly what is required for an object to work.
What we have asked from Maxis is simple. Help us to help them make the Sims 2 the success the first Sims has become. Together we can continue to thrive. The Sims 2 will thrive and grow by making available to us a format to create more than just new colors and patterns for the 500 objects they plan to release with the game. How many of you visiting this and other sites today only play with the objects that came packaged with the game?
If you enjoy the kind of experience you have while playing The Sims now, please support us by letting Maxis know that it is in all of our best interest to work together in this. Let them know how you would feel if you couldn't explore the internet for newer and better additions to the game you love to play and that we, the artists who make new things for you are an important part in your Sim experience.
Thank you for visiting and I hope we will be here for you for many years to come.
Grandma
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