What would you consider to be an acceptable base game functionality for something like Paralives? And what would you consider to be a reasonable price for this full-featured base game? What content would make additional DLCs worthwhile?
I came to Sims 4 with no basis for comparison with anything related to gaming, either from earlier Sims versions or from other games. My own criteria has been pretty simple: "Can I afford to pay for what is in the DLC and is it worth it to me for the fun it adds to the base game?" Honestly, for what I've gotten out of the extra DLCs, I've probably "overpaid" since I don't take advantage of most of the new features. But I love adding new cities and sim accessories, so that's been the major driving force for most of my purchases. I don't do any other gaming (besides SL-not-a-game), so I've been fairly self-indulgent spending what is overall a modest entertainment budget.
I can't answer for Veritable, but I can answer for what I'd think is -fair- based on Sims history and for similar type games.
In Sims [1] the base game was 40, and the expacks were 20 [yes, I know, inflation]. Each pack not only worked with the base game, but every single pack also integrated with previous packs, so if you had Superstars and Makin' Magic, then there were spells that used items from Superstars, and affected behaviors in the previous pack. You also got free dlc, not a lot, but on occasion. The down side was, every single time you got a new expansion, you had to uninstall and reinstall everything.
Sims 2 had expansions and stuff packs [I think? That might have been 3, but I remember being mad about the H&M pack around this time]. Think the expacks were still 20, and stuff packs were 10. Much better story, and cars, and aging, and full 3d, not isometric. Free dlc on occasion, again, iirc.
Sims 3 was when EA really started nickle and diming, but at least the stuff was decent. Instead of a stuff pack like now, you could buy micro packs from the Store. Things like farm pieces, or roller coasters and stuff [4 might at least be better in this regard, because it added up even worse then, I think]. But the game came with a good bit, and expansions and stuff packs were decent [the stuff packs then were more like game packs in 4.
For example, the supernatural pack came with Fairies, Vampires [again since got them with the apartment expac], witches, werewolves. Pets came with cats, dogs, horses, unicorns, birds, rodents, and reptiles.
But since 2, lattice isn't alpha'd anymore, for example, and the story mode is pretty rubbish. Since 3, no cars, not even the carpool ones they had in 1. Personalities have actually gotten less noticable, rather than moreso [really, that was supposed to be the big pull, and why we didn't have pools or toddlers in the base game at release].
Basically, at this point, EA is taking advantage of a virtual monopoly because no one else has -really- done a modern living dollhouse type game. So, they don't give us what we -want-, including stuff we should have had already, and charge us premium prices.
What do I think would be fair and more inline with what games with competition do?
Last time I looked, a lot of games have gone down in price, not up. Especially when you don't need to make a disc, or packaging, why charge so much?
A lot of games nowadays either give free updates [kudos to EA for this much, a lot of patches give some basics of whatever the new expac is giving], or sell some DLC for a few bucks. Expansions don't tend to be so much either.
I do tend to play more games where its a more or less actually complete game from the get go, but consider Minecraft. I haven't had to pay for -anything- since I got in at early acces.
