I’m ready to move on. Things are being half done and bugs are allowed to linger for years (I’m looking at you gardening bug). It’s like they just say “oh well, the modders will fix it” or act like it’s not happening. The kits were a nice edition then tapered off after we were told one a month. Stuff packs disappeared. It’s like they’re grasping at straws to revive a long dead cowplant.
Not to mention ignoring popular requests. “Hey we know you wanted cars but how around a recolored shirt” “oh you want new hairs, sure we’ll just take pack hairs and make them bgc”. “You want fairies, oh how about flammable dust bunnies instead?”
I have been simming since TS1, literally opened the box and bought my copy before I set up the display at work. I am ready to call someone’s mom a llama if they speak one bad word about the franchise but this game has reached its end and they need to let it go. Release whatever is being made and move on. I love this franchise but I’m tired at this point.
You do realize that these same people are working on whatever comes next and things aren't suddenly going to improve just because it's TS5.
That's why it is good that there seem to be 2 serious competitors. Two different companies with different people can bring new possibilities to the genre of life simulator
I don't really care if they continue it for only one, or even five more years. Because I don't see myself upgrading to the next generation unless it has learned from four's mistakes (and GREATLY learned!), but even then I'd join only about few years into its lifespan. For TS4, I think there are still ideas for more expansion and game packs, though obviously I wouldn't like it if they spread the butter too thin. Honestly speaking it's probably the possible base game updates that interest me the most. Pack refreshes don't seem that likely anymore, unfortunately.
On the other hand, I do kind of lowkey wish for TS4 to end already and have its last update, so I don't have to keep updating all my mods every month :-)
I’m not interested in any of the other life sims so far. If TS4 gives me a band/music pack, however long that takes, I’ll be happy sticking with it and TS3.
Depends on what they do with their remaining years. If we're going to get a lot of gameplay, including features we've been asking for for years now, then I want the game to keep going for as long as it can. I'm not interested in the competitors until I see occults, and I don't want to start all over again a fourth time with TS5.
If we're just going to get kits, empty packs and tons of fluff, then I'm fine with them officially putting Sims 4 out of its misery. I'm tired of hoping for gameplay in my game.
For a while it felt like The Sims 4 was going that way with SimGuruConor, I really liked the Paranormal Stuff Pack and Dream Home Decorator that he were involved in which had impactful, and customizable gameplay but after that I did not see him anymore, stuff packs disappeared and we saw much more kits and packs with less gameplay.
Okay yeah this has been really bothering me. They said we'd have more open communication. Yeah, we have Direct for patch reports, EA Cade has been incredibly involved and helpful, we have roadmaps, and we had Behind the Sims for some behind the scenes stuff. But then we've gone years without an explanation as to where Stuff Packs, gameplay kits and refreshes have gone. Years. I'm glad there have been steps towards transparency, but I feel like we're still missing a lot of crucial information.
The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
I think that there will be a bit of time between the releases of the three major competitors in this next game phase - Rene/Sims5, Paralives and Life by You. That would allow people to take the plunge on one or more games and then advise their friends as to which one would suit them the best.
It reminds me a bit of Humankind (a competitor to Civilisation 6). I bought it, but was completely underwhelmed by it. It could have been something outstanding which I would still be playing today, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
I'm sure people are going to have similar reactions to each of these upcoming games as they come out. You might really love one game which other people don't. Choice is good like that.
I'm glad we've got a lot of stuff to look forward to. Here's to a decade of TS4 and maybe more! *cheers*
No future, it's time to move to the next generation (Project Rene, Life By You, Paralives, …)
The issue for me is I'm on the fence with the other games mentioned. I have no hope that Project Rene/Sims 5 will be any better. Life By You seems promising because Rod Humble and Paradox but time will tell. Same thing for Paralives.
As far as TS4 goes, my wishlist has pretty much been filled. Growing Together was my final item. I wouldn't mind seeing apartment lot types for other worlds and resort/hotel pack but those aren't a must for me.
With all of that said, my excitement for TS4 is on the floor right now. If you ask me next week, my answer may be different.
I'm torn. I think that we're just now getting good, with major features from previous games (like horses) just now being added to the game. There are also rumors suggesting we'll be getting a major overhaul of the worlds UI. Why would they be invested so much in stuff like this for a game that is close to the end of life?
However, I feel like TS4 is, and always will be a "diet" Sims game. So many features were condensed, simplified, and cut because it was intended to be an MMO. That backfired with Sim City (5), and instead of starting over from scratch, the same was simply moved back a few months to remove the MMO features. Thus, it probably explains the simplified phone-based UI (honestly, my most-hated feature), lack of open worlds, and neighborhoods designed to be as minimally hardware-intensive as possible. I suspect this also explains why cars have yet to show up as we know them from TS3, or at least TS2.
I have problems with the alternatives. TS5/Rene has had pressure from EA to include microtransactions and in-game currencies, as well as subscriptions. It is also a known fact it will be a mobile/PC hybrid, and I suspect we'll be getting something that is even more simplified than TS4; and more similar to FreePlay/Sims Mobile than the desktop titles. Seems multiplayer is also sort of confirmed--something else I have no interest in.
The only problem I have with Life by You (and potentially Paralives also), is that it's very hardware intensive. I probably should've built a system, but went with a cheaper prebuilt in a compact case that had an excellent processor and GPU (which both meet and exceed LBY's minimums), but only 12GB of RAM. Big mistake, as I would have to remove the hard drive caddy to get at the RAM.
Plus the problem with all of the successors is if and when we are getting stuff from previous Sims games. It took nine years for TS4 to get horses.
While I strongly believe it is time to mo e on to the next Gen, I still think there are some things I still want to see come to Sims 4.
... A Superstar type pack with an actual singer/band career.
... Hotels
... Regular diving boards and pool slides
... cars with the ability to restore an old car
...
I want it to go on as long as it can. I have put too much money into the game to start all over again with most of the content missing. There are things I want added to Sims 4 before it sunsets too like singers/bands.
I'm happy with any more content we can get, but more is better! I still have a long wishlist. When the new content runs dry, I'm likely to keep playing Sims 4 and, when I need more gameplay, pick up some of the bigger gameplay mods. I might dip into whatever Project Renee is called when it's released, but the art style and that of the other life sims coming out appeals to me a lot less. I have enough real life. I like my less realistic, more whimsical Sims.
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There's still quite a bit of content missing imo, but I think another 5 year cycle would be enough time to finish bringing back all the fan favorites from the previous games and add some new things too. Anymore than another 5 year cycle would probably break the game too much from content bloat, though.
No future, it's time to move to the next generation (Project Rene, Life By You, Paralives, …)
I suspect that TS4 is very near to its end and I won't be the least bit sorry to see it go.
The developers have managed to do a lot with very little. They deserve credit for that. Yet, TS4 has been frustrating. I kept waiting for the game to wow and excite me, as other games in the series have done. But that moment never came. On second thought, it's better to say that I was excited a few times, but it never paid off. Sure, TS4 offers a lot. Heck, we can positively gorge ourselves on all of the content for this game! Still, it leaves me feeling malnourished, as if an essential vitamin or mineral has been left out. Too many things have been left out, glossed over, repeated ad nauseum, or outright broken.
I'd be happy to play a new Sims game that feels like having a world class meal again. However, I don't know that TS5 will be the answer. The high-volume, empty calorie model of TS4 has been so lucrative that I can't imagine that EA will ever want to turn back. All I can do is wait and hope that someone, anyone, at EA will remember that The Sims series was about so much more than a bunch of... stuff... and fancy stage dressing.
Not particularly interested in new content, though I have a wishlist. Am much more interested in it living long enough for them to fix at least the worst and oldest bugs/glitches (looking at you, gardening & dirt pile plants). Am weary of finding something new that's broken that used to work just about every time I launch the game. EA releases a patch/update and something else breaks, either immediately or down the line a bit. Not going into the app, which crashes every single day even if I don't play the game. The app is the worst piece of software I've encountered, ever. And I've been using computers since the 1980s.
When it first came out I thoght TS4 was a bummer, but now with all the packs and all the mods, I really like it. Plus I've invested who knows how much money in packs. I don't want to start over with a vanilla base game.
No future, it's time to move to the next generation (Project Rene, Life By You, Paralives, …)
No matter how many packs you own how many so called "personality" updates are done the game always remains the same the Sims remain without personality they all act and animate exactly the same a mean Sim is going to act like a cheerful Sim worlds will always remain small and uneditable and poofing will be a thing as cars do not exist.
EA should take note for their future games and learn it's okay to push back a game and make sure the core is strong especially the Sims themselves Sims 4 should have never been put out without cars or a world editor they tied their own hands with endless limitations I see no innovation coming with this game.
With that said at this point I don't care this game can continue as long as the players are happy with it sadly I'm just not one of them but thankfully other options are around the corner.
Sims 4 went from "You Rule" to "One of the stories we want you to tell"
I know it will continue to be supported alongside The Sims 5 but I want to move on as soon as possible for a new generation.
I'm predicting that "support" means that they'll keep making more kits. I'm not convinced that they'll bother to put the time or the effort into creating better systems, stomping bugs, or introducing gameplay that is actually new.
Also, the fact that they intend to keep TS4 going alongside the new game convinces me that TS5 will be more focused on multiplayer than was first implied. Otherwise, there would be no reason to continue to support a competing pack that is already light years ahead in content. The other possibility is that EA has learned its lesson from previous entries and is committed to fixing TS4 before they cut and run. That option seems the least likely, however.
No future, it's time to move to the next generation (Project Rene, Life By You, Paralives, …)
The sims 4 has been on the track to "No Future" for some time now.
When a thread like this one has only 2 pages after a month and the core game has gone free to play, you know that they are not getting the interests to keep going.
As I said in my post from January 2021, I have not bought anything for the game in over 2 years and have not played it in about as long (Went back to Sims 3) and the the conditions I indicated for my return have never been meet. As EA is still putting out packs/expansions that are less then half what they are replacing in S3, then making multiple small overpriced packs that have a few new clothing items or build items, or reused character actions reskinned as some wonderful new interaction.
They should have let Sims 4 die 2 years ago and just started over. At this point I don't think they have the base audience to even make launching a new Sims 5 worth the effort let alone the energy to keep the game going.
No future, it's time to move to the next generation (Project Rene, Life By You, Paralives, …)
I think the only thing that could save a Sims 5 would be a very beefy base game that already includes several features usually added in expansions.
So people would not feel like they're buying the same expansions over and over again, and also so that those features can interact with all expansions without requiring another expansion.
Cars, university and weather could all be in the base game. That way other expansions could also add additional vehicles for the garage like in sims 3, all newly added jobs would be incorporated well into university and weather would also be accounted for so that you don't suddenly have a geek con outside in the snow with lots of electronics.
That and sims should feel like having individual personalities again, in sims 4 that's the biggest missing thing. They all just feel like the same person, in every previous sims game you could make way different sims. Even in sims 1 with only those sliders, you could determine if a sim was mean, nice, or some degree in between.
Now none of them are mean, not even with the mean trait since they won't do those things unless you tell them to do it which beats the point of traits.
Honestly, the only reason I have hope for the future of the franchise is that there will now be competition. I don't know if any of them will "kill" The Sims franchise, but I believe they can and will if EA doesn't bring their A-game to the table. I have no complaints about the first three installments, although they weren't without flaws, you could see the effort put into them to give it their all. With The Sims 4, they became sloppy and arrogant.
I know that The Sims 4 has serious inherent limitations, but I think with some adjustments, it could be good enough to hold its own for a couple more years. I have all the DLCs except for a few kits, so I would greatly appreciate it if they addressed some of the major shortcomings and issues before moving on to the next generation.
Comments
That's why it is good that there seem to be 2 serious competitors. Two different companies with different people can bring new possibilities to the genre of life simulator
On the other hand, I do kind of lowkey wish for TS4 to end already and have its last update, so I don't have to keep updating all my mods every month :-)
Tales From The Myst
The Blue Moon Jukebox
TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!
If we're just going to get kits, empty packs and tons of fluff, then I'm fine with them officially putting Sims 4 out of its misery. I'm tired of hoping for gameplay in my game.
Okay yeah this has been really bothering me. They said we'd have more open communication. Yeah, we have Direct for patch reports, EA Cade has been incredibly involved and helpful, we have roadmaps, and we had Behind the Sims for some behind the scenes stuff. But then we've gone years without an explanation as to where Stuff Packs, gameplay kits and refreshes have gone. Years. I'm glad there have been steps towards transparency, but I feel like we're still missing a lot of crucial information.
The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
I think that there will be a bit of time between the releases of the three major competitors in this next game phase - Rene/Sims5, Paralives and Life by You. That would allow people to take the plunge on one or more games and then advise their friends as to which one would suit them the best.
It reminds me a bit of Humankind (a competitor to Civilisation 6). I bought it, but was completely underwhelmed by it. It could have been something outstanding which I would still be playing today, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
I'm sure people are going to have similar reactions to each of these upcoming games as they come out. You might really love one game which other people don't. Choice is good like that.
I'm glad we've got a lot of stuff to look forward to. Here's to a decade of TS4 and maybe more! *cheers*
As far as TS4 goes, my wishlist has pretty much been filled. Growing Together was my final item. I wouldn't mind seeing apartment lot types for other worlds and resort/hotel pack but those aren't a must for me.
With all of that said, my excitement for TS4 is on the floor right now. If you ask me next week, my answer may be different.
However, I feel like TS4 is, and always will be a "diet" Sims game. So many features were condensed, simplified, and cut because it was intended to be an MMO. That backfired with Sim City (5), and instead of starting over from scratch, the same was simply moved back a few months to remove the MMO features. Thus, it probably explains the simplified phone-based UI (honestly, my most-hated feature), lack of open worlds, and neighborhoods designed to be as minimally hardware-intensive as possible. I suspect this also explains why cars have yet to show up as we know them from TS3, or at least TS2.
I have problems with the alternatives. TS5/Rene has had pressure from EA to include microtransactions and in-game currencies, as well as subscriptions. It is also a known fact it will be a mobile/PC hybrid, and I suspect we'll be getting something that is even more simplified than TS4; and more similar to FreePlay/Sims Mobile than the desktop titles. Seems multiplayer is also sort of confirmed--something else I have no interest in.
The only problem I have with Life by You (and potentially Paralives also), is that it's very hardware intensive. I probably should've built a system, but went with a cheaper prebuilt in a compact case that had an excellent processor and GPU (which both meet and exceed LBY's minimums), but only 12GB of RAM. Big mistake, as I would have to remove the hard drive caddy to get at the RAM.
Plus the problem with all of the successors is if and when we are getting stuff from previous Sims games. It took nine years for TS4 to get horses.
... A Superstar type pack with an actual singer/band career.
... Hotels
... Regular diving boards and pool slides
... cars with the ability to restore an old car
...
Nobody really knows when the game will end, but I would like to see these things added before Sims 4 ends:
Multi-purpose community lots
Ferrets,birds and reptiles being added as pets
A generic amusement park EP or GP
Hotels/motels/inns
The developers have managed to do a lot with very little. They deserve credit for that. Yet, TS4 has been frustrating. I kept waiting for the game to wow and excite me, as other games in the series have done. But that moment never came. On second thought, it's better to say that I was excited a few times, but it never paid off. Sure, TS4 offers a lot. Heck, we can positively gorge ourselves on all of the content for this game! Still, it leaves me feeling malnourished, as if an essential vitamin or mineral has been left out. Too many things have been left out, glossed over, repeated ad nauseum, or outright broken.
I'd be happy to play a new Sims game that feels like having a world class meal again. However, I don't know that TS5 will be the answer. The high-volume, empty calorie model of TS4 has been so lucrative that I can't imagine that EA will ever want to turn back. All I can do is wait and hope that someone, anyone, at EA will remember that The Sims series was about so much more than a bunch of... stuff... and fancy stage dressing.
EA should take note for their future games and learn it's okay to push back a game and make sure the core is strong especially the Sims themselves Sims 4 should have never been put out without cars or a world editor they tied their own hands with endless limitations I see no innovation coming with this game.
With that said at this point I don't care this game can continue as long as the players are happy with it sadly I'm just not one of them but thankfully other options are around the corner.
I'm predicting that "support" means that they'll keep making more kits. I'm not convinced that they'll bother to put the time or the effort into creating better systems, stomping bugs, or introducing gameplay that is actually new.
Also, the fact that they intend to keep TS4 going alongside the new game convinces me that TS5 will be more focused on multiplayer than was first implied. Otherwise, there would be no reason to continue to support a competing pack that is already light years ahead in content. The other possibility is that EA has learned its lesson from previous entries and is committed to fixing TS4 before they cut and run. That option seems the least likely, however.
When a thread like this one has only 2 pages after a month and the core game has gone free to play, you know that they are not getting the interests to keep going.
As I said in my post from January 2021, I have not bought anything for the game in over 2 years and have not played it in about as long (Went back to Sims 3) and the the conditions I indicated for my return have never been meet. As EA is still putting out packs/expansions that are less then half what they are replacing in S3, then making multiple small overpriced packs that have a few new clothing items or build items, or reused character actions reskinned as some wonderful new interaction.
They should have let Sims 4 die 2 years ago and just started over. At this point I don't think they have the base audience to even make launching a new Sims 5 worth the effort let alone the energy to keep the game going.
So people would not feel like they're buying the same expansions over and over again, and also so that those features can interact with all expansions without requiring another expansion.
Cars, university and weather could all be in the base game. That way other expansions could also add additional vehicles for the garage like in sims 3, all newly added jobs would be incorporated well into university and weather would also be accounted for so that you don't suddenly have a geek con outside in the snow with lots of electronics.
That and sims should feel like having individual personalities again, in sims 4 that's the biggest missing thing. They all just feel like the same person, in every previous sims game you could make way different sims. Even in sims 1 with only those sliders, you could determine if a sim was mean, nice, or some degree in between.
Now none of them are mean, not even with the mean trait since they won't do those things unless you tell them to do it which beats the point of traits.
I know that The Sims 4 has serious inherent limitations, but I think with some adjustments, it could be good enough to hold its own for a couple more years. I have all the DLCs except for a few kits, so I would greatly appreciate it if they addressed some of the major shortcomings and issues before moving on to the next generation.