Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.
What would you like the teens to be like?
Simpkin
Posts: 7,425 Member
So I've read people going on about how teens are bad in the game. What would you like to see that would make them great? No bashing please, just actual ideas.
One would probably be the height for a lot of people. For me, I'd like different outfits and hairstyles from YA and A like we had before. I'm happy with the teens overall though, but a little something to better identify them wouldn't hurt. Ooh, and I'd like pimples to come back!
One would probably be the height for a lot of people. For me, I'd like different outfits and hairstyles from YA and A like we had before. I'm happy with the teens overall though, but a little something to better identify them wouldn't hurt. Ooh, and I'd like pimples to come back!
Seasons toggle button in build mode poll. Vote now please! 
6
Comments
The only improvements I can think of are gameplay related. A game pack or expansion pack focused on teens would be nice. Maybe if we get a University EP in the future, active high schools and prom events could be added as well. I already use mods for those activities, but it would be nice to have an official version.
But most importantly, I really really need a grounding system so we can decide what our teens can and can't do. As long as it's completely optional and we are the ones who get to decided what are the limits, and when our teens should get grounded. I don't mind that they are meant to be older, but there has to be some boundaries to what they should be allowed to do.
edit: After reading some comments I realized I forgot to mention the aspirations. I definitely want teen exclusive aspirations that make sense for them. I don't get why the adult ones are available for them when you can't even complete most of them as a teen. The Big Happy Family and Successful Lineage are just useless on a teen because the sim has to be an adult to start those.
Interaction/features wise:
The player should have the choice to decide their heights or if that isn't possible then the teens need to be shorter. Before the age of the sim appeared when you hovered your mouse over them, it was incredibly hard to tell the difference between adults and teens. Potentially a lot of adults were almost hitting on teens which is a bit creepy.
Game play wise they should get acne, they should be able to run away, they should sneak out with their friends and learn to drive if they have a car. (Assuming we get cars) Teens should have prom and graduation and be able to play pranks on family and friends. They should also be able to have sleep overs and throw parties when their parents are out of town. They should have mood swings. I could go on...
But the thing I REALLY miss in terms of the teens are gameplay that's related to them. Things as, proms, curfews, sneaking out, teasing annoying brother/sister, writing a dairy, gossip about cute boys/girls, boarding school, getting grounded, etc etc.
As the teens are now, there's hardly anything that makes them different than an adult. It more feels like we got an extended lifespan on adults.
Ideas on how to improve babies.
Anyways, even with that glitch fixed, I still hate having to scroll over every person in the lot to figure out their age instead of just looking and realizing. I really just think the height difference would make the game easier, even if it's only by a little bit.
Besides the fact of height, like @MidnightAura stated, there are hardly any differences at all. It's almost like an adult with homework and they can't woohoo, but that's about it. They really don't have a lot to differentiate or set them apart from the rest of the adults in terms of appearance and actual gameplay.
Oh, and teen careers like in TS2 would be cool as well
Four Seasons Properties
For one, I'd like to see more for teens to do that's teen-specific. My #1 preference for that would be an active school pack (and I'd like that for Children, too).
For two, I'd like more activities that are common to teens but can be continued later. Say, skateboarding.
For three, I'd like either the ability to age-restrict or set preferred ages on venue, or a venue type that's a teen hangout. The first, version b, is my preference. I'd love to be able to set my ice cream parlour or "mall" as a place that mostly (but not entirely) attracts teens. I'd like this as a custom thing on venues generally, so I could make a hipster mostly-YA lounge or that family diner that everyone's grandparents go to and insist is great (don't get me started).
For four, acne.
For five, I'd love to be able to set my own age-filters in CAS so that townies and aging-up Sims have age-delimited clothing options. And I'd like to be able to pick what age(s) a hairstyle or clothing item has assigned to it, so that I can play a save with a storyline that it's the older generation who are punks and hippies and whatnot while a new generation of teens are growing up more conservative, and I could shift the age assignments at some point in that save. (An option like this might also allow Simmers to shift a unisex hair or CAS item to single-gender in the game's autonomous use of it.)
For six, I think it would be interesting to have a third Trait slot, teen-only, that is for a trait focused on how teens relate to peers and family and adults. Things like Rebellious and Class Clown and Wallflower. It would take things one step farther than I can do with Clubs, which are great for the Teen lifestage.
ETA: Optional household-level curfew. Almost forgot that
I like playing the entire span of life for a bunch of different sims with different personalities none of which are meant to be me. Though teens aren't a specific focus for me, I would likely consider a strong pack for them. The biggest thing for me would be flexibility in being able to make a teen the way that I want. I wasn't a rebellious teen myself and my sims in the game generally aren't. Sure, they sometimes want to be independent and to go off on their own but they aren't spray-painting houses or skipping school. Maybe Max Villareal will if I get around to playing him. Lol.
I mostly play smart, creative sims who are using that time to develop skills. I could see a boarding school working for a few of them as an option. I'm not really interested in cliques. They are fine as an option in the game but not something I want to focus on.
My blog: ning's backlog
Don't forget the forum rules are on the forum- go find 'em!
But, for real Generations styled Expansion pack and a teen focused Game Pack? YES! Please just take my money already!
An age filter, similar to the gender filter, is a great idea -- there are already age filters in the game (I believe they've been discovered by CC creators) but they're just not fully utilized -- a few outfits aren't available for elders, for example. Utilizing that more to give teens unique outfits and reduce the incidence of random townie adults looking like High School Musical rejects, while allowing players to remove the filter when dressing their own Sims would help to give teens more definition. We're not going to get shorter teens at this stage of the game (imagine the work to adjust all the clothing to fit both regular and shorter frames) so unique clothing might be the best bet.
I'd also like to see a bit more rebelliousness and pushing the limits with parents and siblings -- telling younger siblings they're adopted, for example, as a Mean or Mischief interaction, Talk Back to parents, and such. More negative reactions from parents to teen's ill manners and behavior. Player-controlled curfews, so you could have a super strict household and another one where anything goes, and the teen from the strict household figuring out how to sneak out and hang with their freer peers.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
Insecurity about appearance / More easily embarrassed
Crushes
Curfews
Rebellion / Unique interactions with parents
"Scold about homework/grades etc." interaction
"Nag about messy room" interaction (would be great if combined with new clothing piles object)
Younger voice/voice changes/cracks
Proms with an actual social event at a new venue (School gym) that will include...
Slow dancing (well, I want this for ALL sims)
That's all I can think of for now.
Sim Stuff by Pegasys
I think I want this too.
Something like the work places in GTW, perhaps with 3 locations, a primary school, a secondary/high school, and a university.
So you can follow your sims to their place of education (or career, if they're in an education career!)
I like this idea. Personally I'd really like to have an abandoned building that teens and some young adults hang out at. It'd be even better if the cops could raid it late at night simetimes.
But still, the option to choose the age group that your venue is aimed at would be awesome.
Yes.
But I'd want it to be stress related this time around. So a teen who is tense all the time would be more likely to get acne.
I like this idea.
I'd rather one be set by parents/guardians per child/teen. So you can have one of your sims offspring who is spoilt, and gets away with everything, and one who they are super strict on, and has to be home by 6pm every night!
The other thing I'd like, is a school dance, that is an actual event, at an actual, playable location.
And it would be nice if you got a notification about it early in the week, for the dance to be happening on the friday evening.
And like my idea for a parent set curfew, it would also be nice if the parents can set chores, and the chores have a time limit, so if they aren't done within 48 hours, you (as the parent) get options to punish your teen (more chores, yell at, send to their room, set earlier bed time for that day, disallow leaving the house for the rest of the day, not allowed to use electronics for 24 hours etc)