My most major issue is genuinely the avability of homes. I often make *huge* amounts of Sims from all medias, and whenever I get to it on the Sims 4 I run into issues where I run out of space for houses very fast, since a majority of the Sims are single, duos or split into groups.
Most neighbourhoods have like 2 empty lots at most and a cheap home. Any of my Japanese Sims will quite basically have to fight for who lives where in Mt Komerebi, any of my Floridan/Texan Sims are basically forced to compete for the one trailer park house in Strangerville, building a cheap shack in the mansion area there just doesn't fit.
Either I search through the gallery to try and find the best looking house that won't be impossible to buy without cheats, or I just have to go accept that San Myshuno apartments are where 90% of my Sims will have to reside.
I wish I could place my own lots like the Sims 2 and 3 so I can throw smaller shacks around Strangerville to make it as it should be, a strange place for all my stranger Sims.
And major issue 2 is situational outfits. I have to use many mods to disable them, and still very often I will spot a Sim who shouldnt be seen breaking character, breaking character. Stay in your clothes I gave you, not a random mismatch of unfunny jester and bad Ludador outfits.
My top five concernes right now are:
1. No singer career in The Sims 4 (why do we have a singing skill then?).
2. No burglars!
3. Too many pranked toilets!
4. No consequences//sickness just treated with medicine instead of hospitalisation.
5. Situational outfits. (Why do these even exist?)
I'd love to see a singing career in game, EA! You can't let the singing skill go to waste! My TS4 EPs: GTW, GT, CL, C&D, S, GF, IL, DU, EL, SE, CoL, HSY, GrT, HR, FR GPs: OR, SD, DO, V, P, JA, SV, RoM, DHD, MWS
For me the biggest critism would be that the sims are mostly acting next to each other and not together. And most of the gameplay is around adult & young adult.
I would love to see more differencies between each stage like kids being real kids : They could sit really weirdly on couch for example, they could run around, scream, play game hands, being messy, etc.
Teenagers wouldn't clean and be responsable. They could be capricious, be more annoying with their parents and spend a lot of times with their friends or in their rooms.
Adult & young adult are okay.
Elders could gossiping around or sit on bench in the city. They could walk with more difficulties.
I would love to see more action together and not just next to each other. Like kids playing together, running after each other, fighting together. Couple walking hand in hand, cuddling in bed, etc.
I miss those mini interaction that makes them really look real and alive.
Well Dayyyummm! It only took me five hundred years to get down to the comment section… but what it comes down to is this.. lack of love. They took a lot of loved things out of the new game, separated the content to have us pay more for less, & they’ve definitely put less care and time into creating sims 4. AS WELL AS THE EXPANSION, GAME & STUFF PACKS
To put it as succinctly as possible, it just doesn't feel like a game, let alone a fun one at that.
The gameplay systems don't feel rewarding or interesting. The features are cumbersome and lack any sort of innovation beyond grind and it feels like it wasn't designed by experienced PC game designers. It also feels like the game's directors/managers did not plan the game's lifespan out, and things are all over the place from expansion concepts, to DLC formats, to DLC release schedules.
I was gonna write a long comment on every little flaw, but I think I can sum my biggest criticism up as "the packs". They aren't value for money at all and they don't have the layer of depth packs in past games did. It's just disappointing seeing one pack after another where the negativity thread is getting as many comments as the positivity thread
My main gripe (though I do think that sims have no personality and that the relationship system is a bit shallow), is that console players getting shafted.
Bugs on the console version of the game take much longer to get patched and does anyone else remember when some of the marketing was about PC and Console versions finally being up-to-date?
Where is UI Scaling for console?!
It's 2022, and there's been absolutely no news for whether UI Scaling is even coming to the console port! Would love to play without eye strain or headaches, would love to read the notifications and flavour text...but I can;t because the UI is too small even on my large TV...
Well Dayyyummm! It only took me five hundred years to get down to the comment section… but what it comes down to is this.. lack of love. They took a lot of loved things out of the new game, separated the content to have us pay more for less, & they’ve definitely put less care and time into creating sims 4. AS WELL AS THE EXPANSION, GAME & STUFF PACKS
ohh plenty of love here!! for money that is i have seen what Maxis can do because of older games so they have enough love and talent in their portfolio! but EA's greed is the main problem...
The neighbourhoods should have more interactable objects and stuff that would make exploring them more meaningful. I love to explore and camp with my sims around neighbourhoods, so I want there to be stuff that they can do and interact with. I also still dream of swimmable waters in older worlds... even wading in the waters of them was cool (I wish we could still do it).
Sims should have more distinctive personalities.
There are cool features (wants & fears, lifestyles, sentiments etc) that aren't implemented well enough and lack depth and cross pack compatibility.
Also some occults need more special things to do and stuff. I want mermaids to have more little details like how they react to rain, maybe they could be able to blow bubbles without bubble blowers and they should be able to use their beautiful singing skills on land and in karaoke or at least like somehow be special and different from normal sims as they sing.
And other occult toddlers and kids should have some special things like the werewolf toddlers and kids have.
Honestly? It's too positive and cheerful. I miss the challenges there used to be- opportunities from phone calls, fear of death from time traveling... Sims 4 feels more like Whoville from Dr. Seuss- where everyone has hearts as sweet as candy and everyone is filled with joy- save the Grinch, Vladislaus Straud. It's just not very lifelike for a life simulator.
I want my sandbox back. I want to play with life again. I want to customize everything! I want depth, cross pack capability, a base game that has at least the start of the most wanted packs in it already, sims that look and feel unique, and meaning. I love the Sims 4, but it has none of this. I work around it, and have fun, but it's like playing with paper dolls instead of sims...and I outgrew paper dolls around...oh...36 years ago or so? lol They don't seem to really be attracting the demographic they're aiming for - my girls play Sims 4, but they too are so ready for Sims 5 or another game because of the games shallowness. It's fun for awhile, but without the sandbox aspect everyone just gets bored. That's why mobile games have such a high attrition rate, after all. It has zero staying power, unlike the Sims 2 - a game many still play today. That is what should inform EA's choices, not what is trendy now.
I remember when EA was the game developer you could depend on...they always put out a quality game. Remember the little startup robot voice and the whispered "Challenge Everything"? I can still say that dead on lol. Trendy is fine, in its place - like a kit. Let's go back to making awesome games, EA. I know Maxis is up for it. While I'm sure there is still a lot that can be done with Sims 4, I'm not sure you can truly fix what is broken - but you can really knock it out of the park with Sims 5.
I really, really, really wish that neighborhoods were like the ones in Sims 2. The world was empty. I decided how many lots per map, what size the lots were, how close the lots were to each other. I would pack one neighborhood with loads of tiny lots. The neighborhood felt full and alive.
Instead we have weird, compartmental neighborhoods, with just a few pre-sized lots.
The developers refuse to fix real, game-breaking bugs and instead make us PC players have to rely on mods (while basically spitting the face of console players) to have any kind of functioning game. I'm tired of it; they know about the i-word bug and yet seem to systematically refuse to do anything about it. Don't get me started on those "laundry lists"; those are around only to make us think they're working on bugs when in reality they're not.
The developers refuse to fix real, game-breaking bugs and instead make us PC players have to rely on mods (while basically spitting the face of console players) to have any kind of functioning game. I'm tired of it; they know about the i-word bug and yet seem to systematically refuse to do anything about it. Don't get me started on those "laundry lists"; those are around only to make us think they're working on bugs when in reality they're not.
I strongly second this. I switched to Sims 4 due to TS3 constantly lagging. Now TS4 is broken since the new update. If you're still thinking of updating, DON'T!!!
I really, really, really wish that neighborhoods were like the ones in Sims 2. The world was empty. I decided how many lots per map, what size the lots were, how close the lots were to each other. I would pack one neighborhood with loads of tiny lots. The neighborhood felt full and alive.
Instead we have weird, compartmental neighborhoods, with just a few pre-sized lots.
Yes, to this. We can add the mod that allows more walkbys and more cars (or one or the other) and TS2 is just as busy (actually more) than the TS4 tiny districts. After all those 20 in TS4 are just walking by and stopping for a few seconds. This is all possible in TS2 as well with the mod. Might as well stick with a game that is better in so many ways and just beef it up a little more with a few handy mods. I especially love the cars passing by my Sims' houses in TS2 because they are also 'fake' in TS4, it's nice to immerse in a busy city feel or to see my custom cars pull up and stop at my Sim's house in TS2 then pull out again as if it stopped for the stop sign. lol With a real driver by the way.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
From a building point of view I have two major criticisms. The first is the build/buy filter constantly resetting itself. If I want to build using base game and one expansion I should be able to lock and unlock the filter manually when I wish. The second is the gallery and the fact the filters are inclusive rather than exclusive. So if I want to find a build that uses base game and seasons the filter should only show me builds that use items from those two packages and not every single build that uses one couch from seasons and a ton of random other items from the catalogue of $1K worth of DLC that I don't own. The cynical part of my brain feels both of these issues are intended by design.
I wish we had worlds with less set dressing, by that I mean the background lots we can't remove. No matter what I build in Willow Creek or Newcrest the environment will always seem like a Sims version of Lousiana to me so it often looks odd if I use house styles from other places. Its one of the reasons as a Brit I don't want Cottage Living however much it appeals, because its a fantasy romanticised cottagecore version of the UK and the houses I want to build won't match the thatched roof aethestic of the set dressing. Can we not just have a few worlds with trees and hills, somewhat like Glimmerbrook with at least 12-15 lots which could represent anywhere.
In terms of gameplay there is a distinct lack of animations and quite often the animation used doesn't really suit the topic. When Nancy Landgraab complains to Geoffrey about the size of the television set his reaction shouldn't look like she just said she wanted a divorce. Since most of the animations are the same I find I care less about the conversations themselves and simply spam the interactions I need to get the intended result.
For all the traits etc. I don't feel the personalities are particularly distinctive between sims, the only thing that I think makes them different is how I choose to play them. Moods also change way too fast, its far too easy to flip from angry to very happy. There are also no severe consequences for actions, adulterers aren't punished like they were in Sims 3.
The message and phone system often feels intrusive, its like the devs want us to be aware of all these events and engage with the game. That would be fine except I'm already engaging with the game and enjoying it thanks but these stupid messages keep breaking my gameplay flow.
Also why most loner sims have a fear of strangers? I'm a loner and other people don't phase me at all.
Now that's a lot of negatives so I'll end by saying I really do love this game but I feel theres always room for improvement.
1. I have to update my game in order to play. I should be able to choose if and when I wish to update my game, especially since the Sims team does not care about quality control and just releases broken packs, kits, etc., that can potentially destroy your game. I'd like to be able to play without being forced to update my game when an update, especially a broken one at that, becomes available.
2. I especially dislike not being able to have multiple players online at the same time. What happened to the good ole days when people within the same household could play at the same time? For example, let's say a parent purchases the Sims for their children in the same household who want to play around the same time? Those kids cannot access the gallery at the same time because they will be booted out and forced to play in "offline" mode. While the Sims have slightly improved on this issue by not rendering the game completely unplayable by multiple people, it still sucks that one has to be forced into "offline" mode. Is there a way to "gift" or "share" a game that you already have with someone so they can create their own username, but play with the games I purchased because I gave them permission to play?
As for in game issues-
3. I hate that even though I take autonomy off, my sims still do NOT listen and basically choose to do what they want.
4. Toddlers have few interaction options with each other. They should be able to play with each other and have group play options with children, adults, and maybe even pets. Toddlers should also be able to join groups to go to restaurants and eat out. Maybe even the newborns too. How- what about bringing back strollers?!!! I hate that we do not have strollers anymore.
5. I dislike that you have to buy and adjust the thermometer for weather changes even at non-residential lots.
6. I hate that my sim cannot cook in their own restaurant. We should be able to do what we want, whether that is cooking, hosting, or serving customers.
7. I dislike that you can order only one food option and one drink per sim at a restaurant. Sure, that makes sense for NPCs, but for playable characters, you should be able to order what you want.
8. I dislike that the lawyer career isn't a playable career (modders if you are listening, please make a venue for lawyers such as courthouse and lawfirm). There is sooo much that they could have done with this career! I miss the Sims 3 lawsuits btw, lol.
9. I dislike that Sims cannot own more businesses without the use of a mod. For example, in Sims 3, I enjoyed having a doctor's office as my own private practice. But because of the restrictions, the buyable venues are only set up with a retail-type system that only tracks sales. What about tracking services?? Sure, that's what kind of happens with the vet office and restaurant, but it just falls flat in my opinion. It should be broken down into Sales or Services, or both.
This list could go on and on, but for the sake of brevity, I'll try to keep it short, lol.
I am going to write my feedback here in a constructive way. For the sake of brevity, I'll keep it short:
1. Quality Control: This is, perhaps, my biggest gripe. Now, to be fair, each game of The Sims goes through their own aches and pains on this subject. As with anything, there will always be some bugs, even after testing. However.... I have noted that the quality of the Sims 4 releases (patches, packs, expansions, kits, etc.) has been severely slipping for a while now. To be fair, there could be some very valid reasons behind the scenes that we, the end users of said product, will probably never know. But, there have been some very significant and blatantly obvious bugs (like game breaking ones) in recent releases that should have been addressed before final implementation. As I stated before, bugs happen even after testing. I am okay with that, and my expectations allow for this. But the things I am referring to are the game breaking bugs that emerge even after you have disabled all CC, backed up your save files, and even possibly started a new game. And the game breaking bug hits you almost immediately. That is something that the QA should find and address before final product release. They should be given enough time to do this. I would much rather wait for a good game release, than deal with the pain and hassle of a very buggy, unplayable, and hastily released one.
2. Lack of a color wheel. Now this may seem insignificant to some people, but I really dislike not being able to choose my own colors for things and am forced to use premade swatches. The big reason this sets my teeth on edge is due to the lighting variations in the Sims 4. Back when the Sims 4 was first released, I remember choosing the color white for items, only to find that basic white was different for each item! Changing the lighting intensity, color and even time of day, didn't seem to help. It was like someone armed all the gnomes with various colored spray cans and turned them loose wildly. Now I did give my feedback on this, back in the day and the devs did address this, even updating a lot of our swatches. <claps enthusiastically>. That being said, I still have this same issue, even with those swatch updates. Rather than beat my head against a wall, it would be so much easier to give us simmers the ability to create and adjust color tones as we see fit, allowing us to work within the scope of the lighting variations. Saves the devs time and money, imo.
3. No open worlds. What can I say, I have never been a fan of the small worlds in this game. However, I do understand what they were trying to achieve by going this route. I have come to accept that we will likely never get this ability, hence why I have listed it here further down in my list. It's not a game breaking thing for me <wince>, and it still sets my teeth on edge, but hey, can't blame a girl for wishing!
Anyway, these are the major criticisms I have. Sure, I have more, but I consider those to be minor.
Yes, I think I need to add this to my biggest criticism since it's been once again highlighted with the latest update. The game is old and bloated with DLC. They expect you to buy all these packs but then feel no need to make them work together in a meaningful way. If they did it would justify the money spent a little more but instead it feels, like said, that they just bloat the game i.e. adding a feature which is then detached from everything else, instead of actually organically growing and developing your game (you know, like a proper expansion). Adding wants & fears while ignoring 8 years of content (since only the base game and future stuff is considered) is just... I don't even know what to say.
Also, apparently there isn't even compatibility with Parenthood and High School Years which is asinine to say the least. Watched a Youtuber specifically test this. She got a sim drop out of school, even got an in-game message how "parents are going to be SO disappointed, how can you face them?" aaaand... there was nothing. Same thing with getting caught while sneaking out. Sure the parents react but you can do absolutely nothing with Parenthood options like punish the teen by grounding them.
Comments
Most neighbourhoods have like 2 empty lots at most and a cheap home. Any of my Japanese Sims will quite basically have to fight for who lives where in Mt Komerebi, any of my Floridan/Texan Sims are basically forced to compete for the one trailer park house in Strangerville, building a cheap shack in the mansion area there just doesn't fit.
Either I search through the gallery to try and find the best looking house that won't be impossible to buy without cheats, or I just have to go accept that San Myshuno apartments are where 90% of my Sims will have to reside.
I wish I could place my own lots like the Sims 2 and 3 so I can throw smaller shacks around Strangerville to make it as it should be, a strange place for all my stranger Sims.
And major issue 2 is situational outfits. I have to use many mods to disable them, and still very often I will spot a Sim who shouldnt be seen breaking character, breaking character. Stay in your clothes I gave you, not a random mismatch of unfunny jester and bad Ludador outfits.
Origin ID: simaddict1990
1. No singer career in The Sims 4 (why do we have a singing skill then?).
2. No burglars!
3. Too many pranked toilets!
4. No consequences//sickness just treated with medicine instead of hospitalisation.
5. Situational outfits. (Why do these even exist?)
I would love to see more differencies between each stage like kids being real kids : They could sit really weirdly on couch for example, they could run around, scream, play game hands, being messy, etc.
Teenagers wouldn't clean and be responsable. They could be capricious, be more annoying with their parents and spend a lot of times with their friends or in their rooms.
Adult & young adult are okay.
Elders could gossiping around or sit on bench in the city. They could walk with more difficulties.
I would love to see more action together and not just next to each other. Like kids playing together, running after each other, fighting together. Couple walking hand in hand, cuddling in bed, etc.
I miss those mini interaction that makes them really look real and alive.
The gameplay systems don't feel rewarding or interesting. The features are cumbersome and lack any sort of innovation beyond grind and it feels like it wasn't designed by experienced PC game designers. It also feels like the game's directors/managers did not plan the game's lifespan out, and things are all over the place from expansion concepts, to DLC formats, to DLC release schedules.
It's been the same story since 2014.
Bugs on the console version of the game take much longer to get patched and does anyone else remember when some of the marketing was about PC and Console versions finally being up-to-date?
Where is UI Scaling for console?!
It's 2022, and there's been absolutely no news for whether UI Scaling is even coming to the console port! Would love to play without eye strain or headaches, would love to read the notifications and flavour text...but I can;t because the UI is too small even on my large TV...
ohh plenty of love here!! for money that is
The neighbourhoods should have more interactable objects and stuff that would make exploring them more meaningful. I love to explore and camp with my sims around neighbourhoods, so I want there to be stuff that they can do and interact with. I also still dream of swimmable waters in older worlds... even wading in the waters of them was cool (I wish we could still do it).
Sims should have more distinctive personalities.
There are cool features (wants & fears, lifestyles, sentiments etc) that aren't implemented well enough and lack depth and cross pack compatibility.
Also some occults need more special things to do and stuff. I want mermaids to have more little details like how they react to rain, maybe they could be able to blow bubbles without bubble blowers and they should be able to use their beautiful singing skills on land and in karaoke or at least like somehow be special and different from normal sims as they sing.
And other occult toddlers and kids should have some special things like the werewolf toddlers and kids have.
Or is that just me?
I remember when EA was the game developer you could depend on...they always put out a quality game. Remember the little startup robot voice and the whispered "Challenge Everything"? I can still say that dead on lol. Trendy is fine, in its place - like a kit. Let's go back to making awesome games, EA. I know Maxis is up for it. While I'm sure there is still a lot that can be done with Sims 4, I'm not sure you can truly fix what is broken - but you can really knock it out of the park with Sims 5.
Instead we have weird, compartmental neighborhoods, with just a few pre-sized lots.
I strongly second this. I switched to Sims 4 due to TS3 constantly lagging. Now TS4 is broken since the new update. If you're still thinking of updating, DON'T!!!
Yes, to this. We can add the mod that allows more walkbys and more cars (or one or the other) and TS2 is just as busy (actually more) than the TS4 tiny districts. After all those 20 in TS4 are just walking by and stopping for a few seconds. This is all possible in TS2 as well with the mod. Might as well stick with a game that is better in so many ways and just beef it up a little more with a few handy mods. I especially love the cars passing by my Sims' houses in TS2 because they are also 'fake' in TS4, it's nice to immerse in a busy city feel or to see my custom cars pull up and stop at my Sim's house in TS2 then pull out again as if it stopped for the stop sign. lol With a real driver by the way.
I wish we had worlds with less set dressing, by that I mean the background lots we can't remove. No matter what I build in Willow Creek or Newcrest the environment will always seem like a Sims version of Lousiana to me so it often looks odd if I use house styles from other places. Its one of the reasons as a Brit I don't want Cottage Living however much it appeals, because its a fantasy romanticised cottagecore version of the UK and the houses I want to build won't match the thatched roof aethestic of the set dressing. Can we not just have a few worlds with trees and hills, somewhat like Glimmerbrook with at least 12-15 lots which could represent anywhere.
In terms of gameplay there is a distinct lack of animations and quite often the animation used doesn't really suit the topic. When Nancy Landgraab complains to Geoffrey about the size of the television set his reaction shouldn't look like she just said she wanted a divorce. Since most of the animations are the same I find I care less about the conversations themselves and simply spam the interactions I need to get the intended result.
For all the traits etc. I don't feel the personalities are particularly distinctive between sims, the only thing that I think makes them different is how I choose to play them. Moods also change way too fast, its far too easy to flip from angry to very happy. There are also no severe consequences for actions, adulterers aren't punished like they were in Sims 3.
The message and phone system often feels intrusive, its like the devs want us to be aware of all these events and engage with the game. That would be fine except I'm already engaging with the game and enjoying it thanks but these stupid messages keep breaking my gameplay flow.
Also why most loner sims have a fear of strangers? I'm a loner and other people don't phase me at all.
Now that's a lot of negatives so I'll end by saying I really do love this game but I feel theres always room for improvement.
1. I have to update my game in order to play. I should be able to choose if and when I wish to update my game, especially since the Sims team does not care about quality control and just releases broken packs, kits, etc., that can potentially destroy your game. I'd like to be able to play without being forced to update my game when an update, especially a broken one at that, becomes available.
2. I especially dislike not being able to have multiple players online at the same time. What happened to the good ole days when people within the same household could play at the same time? For example, let's say a parent purchases the Sims for their children in the same household who want to play around the same time? Those kids cannot access the gallery at the same time because they will be booted out and forced to play in "offline" mode. While the Sims have slightly improved on this issue by not rendering the game completely unplayable by multiple people, it still sucks that one has to be forced into "offline" mode. Is there a way to "gift" or "share" a game that you already have with someone so they can create their own username, but play with the games I purchased because I gave them permission to play?
As for in game issues-
3. I hate that even though I take autonomy off, my sims still do NOT listen and basically choose to do what they want.
4. Toddlers have few interaction options with each other. They should be able to play with each other and have group play options with children, adults, and maybe even pets. Toddlers should also be able to join groups to go to restaurants and eat out. Maybe even the newborns too. How- what about bringing back strollers?!!! I hate that we do not have strollers anymore.
5. I dislike that you have to buy and adjust the thermometer for weather changes even at non-residential lots.
6. I hate that my sim cannot cook in their own restaurant. We should be able to do what we want, whether that is cooking, hosting, or serving customers.
7. I dislike that you can order only one food option and one drink per sim at a restaurant. Sure, that makes sense for NPCs, but for playable characters, you should be able to order what you want.
8. I dislike that the lawyer career isn't a playable career (modders if you are listening, please make a venue for lawyers such as courthouse and lawfirm). There is sooo much that they could have done with this career! I miss the Sims 3 lawsuits btw, lol.
9. I dislike that Sims cannot own more businesses without the use of a mod. For example, in Sims 3, I enjoyed having a doctor's office as my own private practice. But because of the restrictions, the buyable venues are only set up with a retail-type system that only tracks sales. What about tracking services?? Sure, that's what kind of happens with the vet office and restaurant, but it just falls flat in my opinion. It should be broken down into Sales or Services, or both.
This list could go on and on, but for the sake of brevity, I'll try to keep it short, lol.
1. Quality Control: This is, perhaps, my biggest gripe. Now, to be fair, each game of The Sims goes through their own aches and pains on this subject. As with anything, there will always be some bugs, even after testing. However.... I have noted that the quality of the Sims 4 releases (patches, packs, expansions, kits, etc.) has been severely slipping for a while now. To be fair, there could be some very valid reasons behind the scenes that we, the end users of said product, will probably never know. But, there have been some very significant and blatantly obvious bugs (like game breaking ones) in recent releases that should have been addressed before final implementation. As I stated before, bugs happen even after testing. I am okay with that, and my expectations allow for this. But the things I am referring to are the game breaking bugs that emerge even after you have disabled all CC, backed up your save files, and even possibly started a new game. And the game breaking bug hits you almost immediately. That is something that the QA should find and address before final product release. They should be given enough time to do this. I would much rather wait for a good game release, than deal with the pain and hassle of a very buggy, unplayable, and hastily released one.
2. Lack of a color wheel. Now this may seem insignificant to some people, but I really dislike not being able to choose my own colors for things and am forced to use premade swatches. The big reason this sets my teeth on edge is due to the lighting variations in the Sims 4. Back when the Sims 4 was first released, I remember choosing the color white for items, only to find that basic white was different for each item! Changing the lighting intensity, color and even time of day, didn't seem to help. It was like someone armed all the gnomes with various colored spray cans and turned them loose wildly. Now I did give my feedback on this, back in the day and the devs did address this, even updating a lot of our swatches. <claps enthusiastically>. That being said, I still have this same issue, even with those swatch updates. Rather than beat my head against a wall, it would be so much easier to give us simmers the ability to create and adjust color tones as we see fit, allowing us to work within the scope of the lighting variations. Saves the devs time and money, imo.
3. No open worlds. What can I say, I have never been a fan of the small worlds in this game. However, I do understand what they were trying to achieve by going this route. I have come to accept that we will likely never get this ability, hence why I have listed it here further down in my list. It's not a game breaking thing for me <wince>, and it still sets my teeth on edge, but hey, can't blame a girl for wishing!
Anyway, these are the major criticisms I have. Sure, I have more, but I consider those to be minor.
Also, apparently there isn't even compatibility with Parenthood and High School Years which is asinine to say the least. Watched a Youtuber specifically test this. She got a sim drop out of school, even got an in-game message how "parents are going to be SO disappointed, how can you face them?" aaaand... there was nothing. Same thing with getting caught while sneaking out. Sure the parents react but you can do absolutely nothing with Parenthood options like punish the teen by grounding them.