SimGuruTaterTot's Blog
: May 2012
Finally Answering Questions! - Part 3/3
POSTED ON 05/30/12

11. Attentionn 

1. Willa new expansion pack be announced soon *cough*JUNE*cough*

 

Iplease the 5th

 

2. Canwe get a hint of the next premium content? 

It's awesome. The next setis going to have TWO premium content. And you're going to absolutely loveit. 

 

3. Willmore foods/deserts be added to the game (Like deep fryer and ice cream maker,recipes) 

I sure hope so! ;)


4. Why can't EA make items available forindividual purchase? Why the wait? 

Wanted to post this one soyou didn't think I was being sneaky, but I can't elaborate on this too much. Itjust has to do with the way our discounting shakes out. Can't go into any moredetail than that.


5. Anything special going on with the WEATHER aroundRedwood, California ? It sure is great to experience a change inSEASONS right?Can't wait for summer! 

Smooth. Very Smooth.>.< You're not getting anything from me. The Expansion Pack team wouldmurder me if I ever said anything about anything, so i'm not saying anything.At all.  

 

Yeah keep in mind thatwe're completely separate teams, so you'll never hear me say or sneak peekanything to do with expansion packs and you'll probably never hear them say orsneak peek anything about Store Content. It's like tattling on your brother toyour parents. Just wouldn't be right. ^^

 

12. BrennaW 

 

1. Howdo we help you? Forums, surveys, nasty letters....lol, I guess what is the bestway to let you know what we want to see in our game? 

 

The forums are a greatway. There really are a ton of us reading the forums and most of us almostevery day. Now we can't always make everything that you're asking for, butwe're here to give you content that we love and that you will love, so we want you to love it!  Anyway, forums, yes, great place.  It'salso where we find out that something is broken, so please feel free to keepposting your bugs.

 

No Nasty Letters though!Again, we're not Robots! We have feelings that can get hurt. Especially wheneveryone works really amazingly hard at what they do, it's really hard to getfaced with a ton of negativity. But constructive criticism is always welcome.We seek to improve!

2. How do you stay sane? 

 

I lovewhat I do! That's how we all stay sane. It's all worth it when a product comesout that's really stellar.  I've been so proud of the caliber of thingsthat we've been able to put out in the time that I've been here. It's just keptgetting better and I think you guys will be really excited about what's comingthis year.

 

13:MrHawk: Is the birthday bundle completely cancelled? 

 

No.It's not cancelled. We do have our email team looking into though. It'ssupposed to come automatically, we're not really sure what's happening there.

 

14. Mimine17: Concerningthis thread : Store Update - In the Works (Posted 3/8/2012) It has been 2months already. Can we have a monthly report on that?

 

Unfortunatelynot. Bugs are a tricky tricky thing and we don't even want to give you aglimmer of hope that it will be done until we're darn near certain it's goingto be done. It just wouldn't be good for anyone to promise something that isn'tcoming -- like answers to personal questions that don't get posted for a fewweeks. ^^

 

15.cbrock7 :I have aquestion with the simpoint bundle Items, just wondering if some of the bonuscontent offered in prior months will ever be brought back?

 

I'm not entirely sureabout bringing back old content, thought it's possible! We're not going to juststick you guys with badges forever though, we're hoping to update the mysterybags at certain points throughout the year. So stay tuned for some mystery bagupdates in the future!

 

 

Alright guys. I thinkthat's it for now. I have to get back to work! Thanks so much for yourquestions. I hope you enjoy the answers and I'll chat with you soon!

 

--Tatertot

Finally Answering Questions! - Part 2/3
POSTED ON 05/30/12

8. grievas2000: Are there any possibilities to see some sets aboutancient roman stuff? Furniture, clothes... and so on?

 

Not inthe foreseeable future. But there are some great "grecian" setsalready in the store. 

 

MuseLuxury:

http://store.thesims3.com/setsProductDetails.html?categoryId=&scategoryId=12883&index=0&productId=OFB-SIM3:33576&pcategoryId=12861&ppcategoryId=12882

 

Olympian Physique:

http://store.thesims3.com/setsProductDetails.html?categoryId=&scategoryId=12892&index=0&productId=OFB-SIM3:33694&pcategoryId=12861&ppcategoryId=12891

 

-         I would like tosee some Morcucorp' stuff in the store, too. Will it be possible in thefuture? 

 

Hahah. I'm not even suremost people even KNOW about Morcucorp. We're not planning on making anythinglike that unfortunately.

 

9. bananaholic:When will we be able to gift the DDs again?

 

Unfortunately you won't.We have new technology behind the daily deals now and gifting is not possible.I know it's a bummer, it was a hard call for us to make because that we knowhow much you guys enjoy it, but we're hoping that once we get to a "sane"level with the Daily Deals that you'll enjoy that flexibility much more.  

 

For Instance you may thinkthat the Daily Deals have been going crazy lately (and they kind of have!) withthis new platform we can put on much more deals and not only that we can makethem much bigger! This gives us alot more chances to sneak in amazing dealsthat we wouldn't have been able to do before. So I'm hoping it will be worth itto you in the end.

 

10. Blythelyre: Don't know if this has been asked already,but, if you work on the store team, why do you still need to put items on yourwishlist? Shouldn't you get them for free? 

 

Haha.This is NOT actually my wishlist. Like Batman, I have a secret identity. ^^Tatertot is not my main account because it's important to me to keep my"me" and my work "me" separate. Especially as I've beensimming LONG before I started working here, so... ^^.  In terms of freeitems, I'm sure I could possibly get them if I asked, but I don't ask. 

 

I likebeing a store customer and an actual simmer. If I was just given all of thecontent for free then I wouldn't have the same sense of accomplishment when Ichoose a set that I'm really crazy about. The sets that i've bought (alot ofthem!) mean something because it's something that I honestly thought would addto my game, not just because "I had points" does that make sense?

 

Also,since I would use them on my personal account and not my work account it's kindof hard to put that as a work expense. ^^ 

Finally Answering Questions! - Part 1/3
POSTED ON 05/30/12

Hey Guys,

 

I've finally answered yourquestions and because that took forever I added a few more!

 

To start we had some greatdevelopment questions that I'm going to make follow ups for. I wanted someinput from other team members so I haven't answered those for now, but here aresome others.

 

1. Duckypants: What is a typical work day like for you?

Awesome, Awesome, andAwesome. No really it's busy with alot of meetings but you're around people whoare honestly really passionate about what they do. There's alot of energybuzzing around our offices.

 

2. 4thefunofit4: Seeing as sims is your work, do you play simswhen not at work, for fun or relaxation in your free time?

Of course!  I'm agamer at heart. When things get really crazy here I do take a break from theSims from time to time, but really the store comes out with too much fun stuff.Actually I've never made it very far into the next generations of my Sims.There's enough new stuff that I just end up starting the same family over. ^^

 

3. Carla70: How long were you doing Sims work? And do you you lovetatertots? ( If so have you tried the sweet potato tots?)

I've been here on the Simsteams for almost a year now. It's been quite fun. Tatertots are amazing, thoughthis SimGuru name existed before me, I was never interested in changing it, itjust suits me.  SWEET POTATO TATER TOTS...what is this magic you speakof?? It is now my personal mission to find and consume these things.

 

4. leep45508: Whats the next new set we going to get? 

What's the fun in spoilingit? LOL.  I can tell you though that it's gorgeous stuff. The team isstepping up their game in making content.

 

5. leep45508: what rhymes with orange?

Door Hinge

 

6. Msrednotdead: What is YOUR personal favourite ep and storeitem/set

My favorite EP isgenerations. It just added so much more to those in between levels of play. Child and Teenager are so much more fun to play now.

My favorite Store set isactually the Hacienda Luxury set: 

 

http://store.thesims3.com/setsProductDetails.html?categoryId=&scategoryId=12452&index=0&productId=OFB-SIM3:20892&pcategoryId=12861&ppcategoryId=12451

 

I use that fireplace inevery single house.  It has a good number of items that are rally classy.I love the arches, the doors, the bed, the bookshelves. It's great.

 

7.Cyron43: when will we get a patch for the store content? 

Lol It took me so long toanswer these questions the patch already came out!  

I haven't died!
POSTED ON 05/24/12
Hi Guys!

I'm here, I'm fine and I haven't disappeared!  I'm sorry I haven't gotten to your questions yet, time moves quickly! I also revamped my kitchen and wanted to show you about. NOT TO MENTION that some of my friends on the team want to blog to you as well. Lots to catch up with Busy Busy.

I'm a little low on free time because... Tatertot's getting married this year! Yup. I'm super excited but planning is actually really busy. Not sure how people juggle all of this. And really I wish real life were like the sims, this color, this flower, this place BAM! Oh well.  

It's also hard to redecorate! I'm finally in a place where I can buy REAL (not college student) furniture and I don't want to invest! It's not like The Sims. We're totally spoiled, recoloring couches, moving them over and over again with easy. Easily selling things and getting new things. Real Life is not at all like that, it turns out. :( 

Where's my IRL "Motherlode" cheat?

--Tatertot
Ask Me Anything
POSTED ON 05/08/12
Hey Everyone,

I started this blog because I wanted to give you guys a backstage pass into what it's like to actually work on the Store team creating amazing content that you guys will love, but i feel like i've still been too formal, so it's time for an Ask Me Anything!


And This Wednesday I will choose 10 questions to answer. They can be personal, they can be silly, they can be real questions about what we do here. 

BUT! As a disclaimer, I must warn you that I completely reserve the right to not answer a question.  There are some things about working here that I just can't talk about, so if you see me avoiding a particular type of question that's probably why. I know it's lame, but Tatertot needs to keep his job. ^^

Bring it on, Simmers! :D

--Tatertot


Are you Afraid of the...?
POSTED ON 05/04/12
A great forum member AznSensei did an amazing job breaking down the latest Technophonbe no more set, down the name of the each item:


But what's even cooler is the names themselves! Each of these items is named after a REAL fear.  Test yourself, how many phobias do you know?

I really only knew a handful before I had to start looking them up. The team had a great time in naming them, hoping you'll figure it out and find it cool!


How we love the Goth Family
POSTED ON 05/01/12
The Goth Family is a long standing legacy in the Sims. Before the Landgraabs came in and made the place all snooty, it was the Goths that made The Sims.  They sparkled even in their dark demeanor.  We worried for Cassandra and her awkward youth and enjoyed Mortimer's exuberance.

With The Sims 3 you get to see the beginnings of The Goth family and The Sims 3 Store has been there every step of the way. As the family has continued to change so has their style!  What started as basic black has transformed into Gothique Chic and this new set is no exception!

Take a look at What's coming soon to The Sims 3 Store!


Sharp, Sleek, Sophisticated! That's the new Goth look.


Frankly I'm dying to have this set just for the wall paper and that desk alone. LOL!

What do you guys think of the new Goth look?  What Stories can you tell?