One way to fix the problem with EA

[wilbursim 10]

Nothing speaks louder than corporate litigation....

1) make an official complaint with the BBB AND or your local Attorney General's office for consumer fraud

2) DON'T WAIT FOR A CLASS ACTION WHERE YOU WILL GET A $5 coupon.... FILE A SMALL CLAIMS with your local courthouse... EA won't send lawyers to thousands of small claims courts so they will lose all the cases...THEN LET THE SHARKS GO ON A CLASS ACTION

The fact is simple...

1) the server crashes were a predictable outcome that the company should of known about or did know and ignored (ie:D3)

2) they still shipped a faulty product that left us without the ability to use the product when we, the consumer, wanted and were promised by way of sale to use

Don't cry and moan.. Do something about it!

[wags13604 11]

If it doesn't work in 3 months maybe...

 

They are issueing patches as we speak. I just posted about it.

 

It's annoying but you don't have to freak out it's not like it's in their interest for this to be happening.

[The_Mario_Man 26]

*Sigh*

 

No, the REAL way to fix the problem with EA is to actually take some responsibility in what you buy and not purchase things that further encourage negative business practice.

[cirugo 1,889]

*Sigh*

 

No, the REAL way to fix the problem with EA is to actually take some responsibility in what you buy and not purchase things that further encourage negative business practice.

absolutely.  stop buying their games.  anyone who is now complaining about the issues plaguing SimCity never should have bought the game in the first place because of the requirement to connect to a server whether you wanted to play multiplayer or not.  That is just what happens when you have a server-based game.

[wags13604 11]

I don't disagree. If you didn't know EA games has been voted in a Consumerist Magazine poll the "worst company in America." Worse than Wal-Mart or Bank of America or any of them.

 

I just think it's really stupid to think you can get a class action lawsuit just because the servers weren't working perfectly right away. Especially considering they are attempting to fix it. And they aren't making some kind of wild profit by having servers down either. In three months you may have a case.

[SirChick 184]

Or:

Pay with paypal. Hit reverse.

 

Simple.

[Endureth 37]

*Sigh*

 

No, the REAL way to fix the problem with EA is to actually take some responsibility in what you buy and not purchase things that further encourage negative business practice.

absolutely.  stop buying their games.  anyone who is now complaining about the issues plaguing SimCity never should have bought the game in the first place because of the requirement to connect to a server whether you wanted to play multiplayer or not.  That is just what happens when you have a server-based game.

 

Have you never heard the term, "There's a sucker born every minute"?  By the time the next major game launch happens there will be plenty of new gamers to feed these companies money for an over-hyped and under-prepared release.  The more experienced will sit back and wait (or buy it anyway fully aware this is going to happen).  So trust me, there is no consequence for the current practices.  And it doesn't matter in the least if YOU don't buy the next game, there will be another new gamer who will buy your copy.  The gaming companies will save money by not renting additional server space for the first couple months after release and they'll be upsetting entirely different people, so from their perspective, "Who cares?".

[Herdervriend 46]

The sad thing, this happens EVERYWHERE. Not only with EA. But with everything in our lives. It happens. And there is simply nothing, LEGAL at least, we can do about it.

[AkemiAzula 280]

I guess we'll just have to make our own game after all. I've pledged 260 dollars to Civitas and am hopeful regarding BoomTown if it gets off the ground. Best way to beat EA is to pretend they don't exist and when we build a game that everyone likes and buys we can be all like 'told you so' and it'll be epic to the max.

[Randall_Lind 19]

EA hated Simcity 4 so I am surprise they let Maxis make Simcity 2013. I remember after Simcity 4 was rushed out EA kept bashing it by saying it was too hard,

 

I am sure by end of the year or mid next when I get my HTPC together it will work. LOL

[Ardandy 28]

They offered a refund. Court wouldn't be interested.

[GenXisT 127]

Some of this stuff is bang out of order.  First of all... NONE of us had any control over EA getting involved with Maxis and thus messing up a game that has been top-tier for 24 years.

To simplify all this and say "don't buy EA games"... well sorry mate, I happen to like Sim City.  Everything else is out of my control.

 

The bulk of the complaints are warranted due to spending money and having a product that doesn't work

They are further justified by the FACT that this is NOT an online game, it never has been.  Even if people wanna nitpick the lame attempt from SC2000.

No one plays this game online...EVERYONE plays this game single player, offline, local saves.  

 

Who's to blame for that decision?  EA? Maxis? It sure as hell wasn't me, or you or anyone else that plays this game.  So stop trying to place the blame on the consumer.

 

Companies that put out bad products get punished for it.  Remember the Ford Pinto?  They used to explode if they were rear-ended.  Killed loads of people.

Obviously the first couple consumers didn't know this, and Ford sure as hell aren't going to say "yeah, our cars explode!" =/

That's why the car industry have recalls.

 

This occurs in all types of business with all types of products.  If it is broken, doesn't work as it is supposed to or whatever else under the desired and rightful expectation of the consumer, the onus is on the company/companies to fix the problem or face the consequences.

 

It is BY FAR the most asinine thing EVER blaming the consumer for anything.  If a company can't be bothered to put their product through a rigorous battery of tests, then they deserve to take loads of heat when they put a deficient product on the market and accept people's hard-earned money for it while laughing all the way to the bank.

 

I find it mildly offensive that "you should've known better" was even thought up by some of the people here.Learn to place the blame where the blame belongs.  I can tell you straight away that there are 0% people here (on this site, and other forums) that deserve the blame for buying a product that they thought would work.  Since that's sort of intrinsic with a product.

 

Sheesh...

[nhgriffith 179]

Because Blizzard is now defunct as a result of any sort of legal action taken upon them over the Diablo 3 launch, right?

Fact of the matter is, the servers will be running perfectly smooth within a few days (I'd guess Tuesday at the absolute latest), and we'll all be able to play SimCity perfectly fine with no issue.

[NASCAR2007 11]

Just get a refund guys. Stick with Simcity 4 for now.

[The_Mario_Man 26]

 "don't buy EA games"... well sorry mate, I happen to like Sim City

I happen to enjoy SimCity as well. And Command & Conquer, Battlefield, Mass Effect, and a number of other EA-produced titles. However, I'm not buying them any of them so long as EA continues to enforce stupid policies. There's plenty of other games to play.

 

No, it isn't your fault that the game doesn't work right. But we wouldn't have got to this stage to begin with if people had put their foot down and not encouraged this sort of nonsense by continuing to buy into the questionable decisions presented by these publishers.

[GenXisT 127]

 

 "don't buy EA games"... well sorry mate, I happen to like Sim City

I happen to enjoy SimCity as well. And Command & Conquer, Battlefield, Mass Effect, and a number of other EA-produced titles. However, I'm not buying them any of them so long as EA continues to enforce stupid policies. There's plenty of other games to play.

 

No, it isn't your fault that the game doesn't work right. But we wouldn't have got to this stage to begin with if people had put their foot down and not encouraged this sort of nonsense by continuing to buy into the questionable decisions presented by these publishers.

 

Right but your only other option is NOT to play the game.  So at the end, it's really not the company that suffers.  It's the consumer.  The gamer.

We cannot control who allows what company to buy whatever other company. All we can do is sit here and hope they feed us a good product.

Mind you, had this not been Sim City, then there wouldn't be as much of an outcry.  This game is too big, too good and has been so popular for so long.

There was no way people weren't going to buy it.   Like I said, it has been a top-tier game since its inception.  Not every game has that kind of staying power.

 

SC4 was EA too... startup screen "EA Games: Challenge Everything"

 

So what the hell happened in the last 10 years?!!!?

[Xenocity 343]

EA isn't as bad as they were last decade.

Activision is far worse, with making yearly sequels to all of their games whle treating their employees like crap.

 

Without EA, Maxis wouldn't be here:

• Maxis would have been liquidated (All the other publishers turned them down)
• EA funded Simcity 3000 and Simcity 4
• Simcity 3000 was profitable, 4 was not.
• Sims was vastly profitable and the sole reason why EA lets Maxis do as they want (for the most part)
• Spores was profitable, Darksports not so much

The point was Maxis was bankrupt by 1996 and was facing liquidation if they couldn't find a buyer.

[The_Mario_Man 26]

 So at the end, it's really not the company that suffers.  It's the consumer.  The gamer.

I'm not suffering. I can walk into a store/log onto Amazon and buy one of thousands of other games to play.

 

Individually, no, I don't make a difference. But, what happens when a hundred - a thousand - several thousand people all decided "No, we're not going to put up with this anymore"? It's going to hit EA hard in the pocket and tell them that they can't get away with this sort of nonsense. Unfortunately that works the opposite way as well. How many hundreds of thousands of people thought "Well, I don't like what they're doing, but my $60 isn't going to really make a difference is it?" and bought the game anyway? People can't seem to build up the willpower to stand up for their own rights as a consumer, and not purchase things that they know will end up screwing them over. And it seems to happening much more with video games than anything else.

 

So what the hell happened in the last 10 years?!!!?

People continued to buy their stuff, and let them get away with bad business decisions. I remember a few years back when EA introduced the idea of 'Online Passes' for console games, and everybody got all angry about it. People bought the games anyway, and now that's practically a standard. The same thing is going to happen with stuff like 'deluxe' editions of games, exclusive pre-order content, on-disc DLC, unnecessary online components/DRM, microtransactions, etc.

[Jim14409 448]

I guess we'll just have to make our own game after all. I've pledged 260 dollars to Civitas and am hopeful regarding BoomTown if it gets off the ground. Best way to beat EA is to pretend they don't exist and when we build a game that everyone likes and buys we can be all like 'told you so' and it'll be epic to the max.

Good for you!!

As for BoomTown, I wish them the best and hope they do get off the ground but seems they don't even have licenses etc yet so a long road I would think.

It is obvious EA is NOT going to make the game we want but a vacuum is never empty long. There is always some one, some group or company out there willing to create quality even if their profits might be smaller per game.

[Xenocity 343]

So what the hell happened in the last 10 years?!!!?

People continued to buy their stuff, and let them get away with bad business decisions. I remember a few years back when EA introduced the idea of 'Online Passes' for console games, and everybody got all angry about it. People bought the games anyway, and now that's practically a standard. The same thing is going to happen with stuff like 'deluxe' editions of games, exclusive pre-order content, on-disc DLC, unnecessary online components/DRM, microtransactions, etc.

Actually EA wasn't the first.

 

Microsoft introduced the whole microtransactions system on Xbox 360 as a way to make more money and to offset the loss they were taking on each hardware.

 

Sony was the one who implemented online passes to please 3rd parties.

WB was the 3rd party to use online passes.

 

The worst DRM right now belongs to Microsoft for their PC software.

All of Microsoft's post 2010 PC software has online activation.

This means for all new Microsoft software you only get one install for your key (you cannot uninstall and reinstall using that same key).

If something happens or you uninstall the product, you have to buy  a new key at full market price of (Office 2013 it is about $175).

[GenXisT 127]

 

 So at the end, it's really not the company that suffers.  It's the consumer.  The gamer.

I'm not suffering. I can walk into a store/log onto Amazon and buy one of thousands of other games to play.

 

Individually, no, I don't make a difference. But, what happens when a hundred - a thousand - several thousand people all decided "No, we're not going to put up with this anymore"? It's going to hit EA hard in the pocket and tell them that they can't get away with this sort of nonsense. Unfortunately that works the opposite way as well. How many hundreds of thousands of people thought "Well, I don't like what they're doing, but my $60 isn't going to really make a difference is it?" and bought the game anyway? People can't seem to build up the willpower to stand up for their own rights as a consumer, and not purchase things that they know will end up screwing them over. And it seems to happening much more with video games than anything else.

 

>So what the hell happened in the last 10 years?!!!?

People continued to buy their stuff, and let them get away with bad business decisions. I remember a few years back when EA introduced the idea of 'Online Passes' for console games, and everybody got all angry about it. People bought the games anyway, and now that's practically a standard. The same thing is going to happen with stuff like 'deluxe' editions of games, exclusive pre-order content, on-disc DLC, unnecessary online components/DRM, microtransactions, etc.

 

 

See I think you're missing a bit of what i'm saying.  I've been playing this game since I was 14.  I'm 38 now.  

The words "Sim City" are the gaming equivalent to sex.  I don't know how else to explain that.

 

Do I make it out to be more than it is? Sure.  But being a gamer, we aren't exactly known for always being even-keel about things. lol

 

So the loads of people that bought this title probably did so like I did; because it's Sim City.  We've waited 10 years for a new one, and finally.

I can't tell you how excited I was about the announcement whenever that was.

 

I'm more than willing to stand up for my rights as a consumer.  I don't typically buy anything without properly vetting my decisions. 

But as I said, this is Sim City, the thought of NOT buying it never entered my mind, no matter what.  The same decision making processes were unnecessary as I've had 24 years experience with the product.

 

So my disappointment isn't so much with the game itself.  It's actually pretty fun and it looks great!  What I am disappointed with is the method of which we have to play, the fact that we cannot save the game locally and must rely on the servers being up in order to play.  That isn't fair, it isn't right.  I'm hoping this changes. I paid $80 for this. I have the right to play something I own on MY time, not the server's.  That's just appalling.  I do see what you're saying about us allowing them to do it.  But that's the way it works.  What can be done to change it?  I don't know.

 

I have faith that the overall game play will be polished in due time.  I am willing to be patient for that. What I don't think they'll change and should is the process of playing. It just doesn't seem right at all. I mean, they're technically rationing when I can play my game.  If they'd paid for it for me, then I'd STFU and move on.  But this is my money... i worked for it... I gave it to them... now give me my product.  I don't think you can fault anyone for feeling that way, really...

[Baselerd 1]

Now I'm sure we all are thoroughly frustrated and depressed that we cannot play the game right now - but let's also not be such drama queens. Yes, it is ridiculous that there's no offline single player. With that said, we don't deserve anything and abusing the legal system over such trivial matters is pathetic.

[mack73 2]

The worst DRM right now belongs to Microsoft for their PC software.

All of Microsoft's post 2010 PC software has online activation.

This means for all new Microsoft software you only get one install for your key (you cannot uninstall and reinstall using that same key).

If something happens or you uninstall the product, you have to buy  a new key at full market price of (Office 2013 it is about $175).

 

This is completely wrong.

• Their DRM is more lax now than it was with Windows XP (you got a drilling by their customer service if you attempted to reactive XP on another computer, Now you simply call a phone number and an automated system gives you a new registration code.
• You are not required to use the internet. You can call a phone number for activation
• Yes you can reinstall the product using the same key. If the registration fails, you simply call a number and an automated system gives you a new registration code to enter.

Have you actually tried activating any Microsoft software?

[Wiecher 192]

How about we just stop buying EA's crap? It's simple economics, if no-one buys anything from EA, they'll have to change or go bankrupt.

 

Meaning it's just never gonna happen because there are always people willing to be the slave of the big companies.

Stop complaining about EA, you can just ignore whatever they do. And if you did give them money, it's your own fault and they completely protected themselves from any legal action against them with their EULA, which you signed.

[AkemiAzula 280]

Not buying will just make EA give up on the franchise. Hopefully Civitas shall succeed.

[GenXisT 127]

...And if you did give them money, it's your own fault...

 

This is just so completely and unequivocally asinine.  This isn't some "As Seen On TV" at 3am purchase.

Those types of things I expect not to work all that great, if at all.  And if they do, like the Showtime Rotisserie, then i'm pleasantly surprised and share this info with friends.

Those products deserve a laugh, but they also only charge $9.99 and you often get more than one of whatever it is.

$79.99 + $5 tax = $84.99 vs $9.99

Any one with any level of logic would be able to deduce that a product that costs $84.99 should be expected to perform better than one that costs $9.99.

 

I bet for your own PC build, you didn't buy the low priced RAM or other parts.  You bought the "good" (pricey) stuff.  What happens when it doesn't perform?

"Oops, your own fault"???

 

It's just such a silly, silly statement.

[Jim14409 448]

Jim14409 comments in red.

See I think you're missing a bit of what i'm saying.  I've been playing this game since I was 14.  I'm 38 now.  

The words "Sim City" are the gaming equivalent to sex.  I don't know how else to explain that.

 

Do I make it out to be more than it is? Sure.  But being a gamer, we aren't exactly known for always being even-keel about things. lol

 

So the loads of people that bought this title probably did so like I did; because it's Sim City.

 

I'm sure EA was counting on this kind of customer and is the main reason they called it SimCity.

 

We've waited 10 years for a new one, and finally.

I can't tell you how excited I was about the announcement whenever that was.

 

I'm more than willing to stand up for my rights as a consumer.  I don't typically buy anything without properly vetting my decisions. 

But as I said, this is Sim City, the thought of NOT buying it never entered my mind, no matter what.  The same decision making processes were unnecessary as I've had 24 years experience with the product.

 

I can't say how I really feel about such an attitude when it comes from an adult, but I am afraid there are many of like mind. The words foolish and in some cases dangerous does pop into my thoughts though.

 

 

So my disappointment isn't so much with the game itself.  It's actually pretty fun and it looks great!  What I am disappointed with is the method of which we have to play, the fact that we cannot save the game locally and must rely on the servers being up in order to play.  That isn't fair, it isn't right.  I'm hoping this changes. I paid $80 for this. I have the right to play something I own on MY time, not the server's.  That's just appalling.

 

This was WIDELY known for months before launch date. Armed guards forced no one to buy that I am aware of.

 

 I do see what you're saying about us allowing them to do it.  But that's the way it works.  What can be done to change it?  I don't know.

 

Don't buy such games, that's what can be done. Control impulses and learn from the past.

 

I have faith that the overall game play will be polished in due time.

 

People in Hell think a cold front is about to arrive too.

 

 I am willing to be patient for that. What I don't think they'll change and should is the process of playing. It just doesn't seem right at all. I mean, they're technically rationing when I can play my game.  If they'd paid for it for me, then I'd STFU and move on.  But this is my money... i worked for it... I gave it to them... now give me my product.  I don't think you can fault anyone for feeling that way, really...

 

Everyone who visited these and countless other sites knew what they were getting. Now whether or not they put on their rose colored glasses and refused to see reality is not for me to know, but it sure seems that way.

I'm sorry, but I don't see what you have to complain about. If you were eight I might feel differently not having reached age of accountability. I'm hoping you will use more wisdom next time and there will be a next time.

[GenXisT 127]

And your point is...  ?

 

I'm going to keep the game.   I knew I was buying Sim City.  I also played thru the beta and saw all the difficulties.

Great.

 

Now i've spent money. Fix the product.  What's so confusing about this?

it's a video game... not like I took out a mortgage on a house I couldn't afford and thus threw the entire country into economic decline.

[Xenocity 343]

I forgot to mention gamers already reported EA to the BBB over the Mass Effect 3 ending (They really did).

[crashx 18]

How about we just stop buying EA's crap? It's simple economics, if no-one buys anything from EA, they'll have to change or go bankrupt.

 

Meaning it's just never gonna happen because there are always people willing to be the slave of the big companies.

Stop complaining about EA, you can just ignore whatever they do. And if you did give them money, it's your own fault and they completely protected themselves from any legal action against them with their EULA, which you signed.

 

I make my own decisions, I'll buy what I want regardless if everyone else is buying it or not To me the real slave is the person that lets someone else tell them not to buy a game because they don't like something it does.

Guy #1: "Hey man, I don't like the DRM in this game. Don't buy it."

Guy #2: "Hmm, well I wanted to play this game but...OKAY!"

So yeah, I'll be making my own decisions on what games I buy.

 

The games sell because people get entertainment off of them. Personally it'll be a sad day that I refuse to buy a game because i'm protesting the quality or something the game does. I just won't buy the game if it isn't good and if I don't like something it does then I'll stay away from the game the next time.

 

If I'm going to protest anything, I'm sure it'll be a bigger issue in life than a game. If I don't like a game, I won't buy it. But I have too much stuff to worry about to not buy a game that I enjoy. I think most people are that way, it's not that people are a slave to any company, it's that people generally enjoy games like Sims or Mass Effect or any other EA franchise. People don't care that some small group on the internet wants them to buy something else so EA can go bankrupt because they are too busy enjoying the games they bought to even care.