They're Re-Releasing Barnacle Bay??

[Pam]

Originally, Barnacle Bay package included the town and 18 new items, now it includes 35 items, including the set and 2 new staircases. The only new things in this re-release are the staircases. Nothing else.

But not all of the items came with the town.  The Buccaneer's Bounty was a separate set and now it comes with the town.  It's not new, but it's a different deal than when we bought Barnacle Bay when it first came out.

[Saltypaws]

I can see the money aspect of re-releasing BB, but putting out an empty box with a code, just doesn't sound right.  It explains in small print about how to use the code, but I can just see people's face when they open that box and there is nothing in it and if they are not aware of what they are suppose to do, then it could get ugly.  Believe it or not, there are lots of people that just buy these games and they don't go to forums or stay up on the latest news, they just buy them to play and probably get tired of them and add them to their collection on the shelf.  So this is going to be a shocker, to say the least.  I don't really care about the staircases, I am happy with what I have right now.  Unfortunately, I can't even play BB anyway, so it does not matter.  I have enough to do with stories and waiting for the next game.

[TheChronicR]

Pam, I'm saying that you could buy all the items included in the re-release before, except the 2 new staircases. Both the bounty and the town with its exclusive items were available in the store before this re-release.

[KrispyNickyB]

Okay let me get this straight in my head. Let's say I just bought a week ago Barnacle Bay (which I actually did)...Did I get this "Bounty Pack?" or was it two separate items? Dumb question I know but I'm confused.

[TheChronicR]

Nope. If you bought it from the store a week ago, you didn't get the neither the bounty's items nor the 2 staircases. You only got the town and 18 items included with it. I regret myself, because this is just what did.

[KrispyNickyB]

That's half of my frustrations. I just bought it. Well that and for everyone who early on adopted and missed out on the extra items. I just don't see how releasing a cd case with a code is profitable at all

[TheChronicR]

That's half of my frustrations. I just bought it. Well that and for everyone who early on adopted and missed out on the extra items. I just don't see how releasing a cd case with a code is profitable at all

In September, when Barnacle Bay was first released, there wasn't much promotion for it. Of course, it did become the most popular item in the Store, but it still didn't receive what it deserved. For instance, when I first got it I really wanted to know everything about the town, but the info on the net didn't satisfy me. All I've seen were news that it was released, but nothing more than that, well, except of the Sims Wiki article, which was tiny too. Maybe this time around, EA will give more info on the town to people, who don't know anything about it before buying. I really hope so. Don't know what's the profit, but maybe the sales declined in the last month, so they hope for them to increase with this re-release? But they really should give us more than just 2 staircases.

[KrispyNickyB]

I vote they should have redesigned the late night bars to fit the town at least! However, I have been reading whispers of a lot of technical problems with buying Barnacle Bay in stores and then redeeming the code.

[Hosfac]

Okay let me get this straight in my head. Let's say I just bought a week ago Barnacle Bay (which I actually did)...Did I get this "Bounty Pack?" or was it two separate items? Dumb question I know but I'm confused.

Nope. If you bought it from the store a week ago, you didn't get the neither the bounty's items nor the 2 staircases. You only got the town and 18 items included with it. I regret myself, because this is just what did.

I bought it from the store a couple of months ago, and the Buccaneer's Bounty set was included.  I just looked the set up, and everything listed in it is in my game.  In fact, I have a family that wears the outfits included in it.  I would have bought it separately if it wasn't included, but I know for a fact that I didn't have to.  The only thing I don't have is the two new staircases.

The easiest way to tell is to go into CAS and see if you have access to the pirate outfits.  If you do, you got the companion set as well.

[TheChronicR]

Yeah, I have seen a couple of pirate costumes in my game, but they were not the ones from the bounty.

[Hosfac]

After reading your post, it got me thinking.  So I went and checked my purchase history, I've come to notice that the outfits I've got I appear to have purchased separately without realizing they were from the Buccaneer's Bounty set (or even remembering that I've purchased them).  I then went into the game and checked the buy menu against the decorations listed in there, and I don't have those.

However, I distinctly remember it saying that this set was included in the purchase of the town when I bought it (no staircases, though).  This was January 31st.  Like I said, if it wasn't included, I would have bought it separately.  I'm going to send a note to EA support about this, to see what they've got to say about it.

Edit:  After waiting for almost 20 minutes, and then chatting live with a service representative for about 10 more minutes (who I am not entirely sure understood what I was trying to say), I was told to send an e-mail support ticket.  Of course, that's what I had intended to do in the first place but I assumed that I'd get better support from a live operator.  Ah well...live and learn I suppose. 

The odd thing is that he openly claimed to know what the previous promotion was, but regardless of that he couldn't help me, nor would he say why he couldn't help me.  When I asked him why he couldn't help me, all he would say is that I "could post my views in the official forums."  He seemed to think I was irate (which I guess I can understand), so I did my best to assure him that I didn't yet have "a view," and I wasn't actually angry.  Maybe there was a slight language barrier, but I'm not totally sure he believed me.

[TheChronicR]

Lol you must have really tried hard to figure out what's going on. I am sure that I don't have the bounty's outfits either. I've only got the town and 18 decorations/clothing.

[Hosfac]

Not too hard.  After you posted, I noticed that there were kid's outfits shown in the bounty set...and after realizing I didn't have those, I started checking decorations.  And after noticing that I didn't have the first couple I looked for, I knew I didn't have it.

I still find it humorous that the live support agent I spoke with seemed to automatically assume I was hostile. 

[Joria]

Not too hard.  After you posted, I noticed that there were kid's outfits shown in the bounty set...and after realizing I didn't have those, I started checking decorations.  And after noticing that I didn't have the first couple I looked for, I knew I didn't have it.

I still find it humorous that the live support agent I spoke with seemed to automatically assume I was hostile. 

I'm sure he assumed you were hostile because he'd already gotten beau coup irate calls from folks like myself who bought both the bounty set and Barnacle Bay and are annoyed that now there are two items we can't get unless we buy it all over again.  I WOULD be annoyed, (and am not), if there were several really cool items added, but frankly, it's not worth getting ticked over two stairs that aren't that great to begin with.  If it makes more money for the company but doesn't tick a bunch of people off, great.  I do think a lot of folks who don't have it and buy that basically empty box are going to be really annoyed though.

[Hosfac]

No, I could really care less about the stairs.  But I'm all but sure that the advertisement said that the bounty set was included when I bought it.

4 days, and I still haven't heard anything.