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Fixing the Sims 4
Garfieldwxg55
Posts: 76 Member
Hi, first off, I want to say that I don’t think that the Sims 4 is a bad game, but I do think, especially considering the amount of time the game has been around for and the amount of DLC the game has gotten, that it should be a lot better. I’ve been thinking about it a bit, and I think that there are some things that EA could do to greatly improve the quality of the game. I’ve tried to make it semi-realistic, which is why I’ve considered EA’s monetisation of the game throughout (The Sims has been heavily monetised since TS3, it’s unlikely they’d ever change that), but while also adding good gameplay content.
Fixing bugs: One of the biggest criticisms of the Sims 4 I see is the bugs. It’s a bit of a buggy mess. So, the first thing I would do is try to fix as many significant bugs as I could and fix broken features (like Wants and Fears). I believe this would go a long way to repairing player’s trust.
New packs and base-game content: Having been in the Sims community, I believe that adding the following content would prove to be a popular decision on EA’s part and might bring in new Simmers or old-school Simmers who loved specific features from the older games. You’ll also see that a lot of what I add in the base-game will relate to the packs I’ve mentioned.
Base Game: Firstly, I would add 40 new traits, 20 to the base-game, 20 would be included in DLCs. I would reintroduce cars to the base-game. They would work like they do in the Sims 2, where you can use them for travel. I would keep the option to travel from the phone, but it would work like calling a taxi. You would have to pay $10 for travel in your current world, and $20 for out-of-world travel. I would revamp the teen life-stage a bit, to try and make them a bit more different from Young Adults. I would also fulfill the promise to refresh the three existing base-game worlds. Lastly, I would introduce the option to create hybrid occults, through different occults having a baby together. I would also make the occult aspirations their own separate category, with a new bonus trait which makes the Sim earn 50% more occult EXP (I’d probably merge the existing Werewolf category into this category).
Game Packs:
Fairies – This is the last occult type from the Sims 3’s Supernatural pack still not in the Sims 4. And occult packs generally are well liked and sell well. Vampires and Werewolves have proven to be very popular, and even Spellcasters are relatively well-liked. If done right, this could be an easy success for EA.
Equestrian Pack – So, essentially this pack would add Horses, and Unicorns as an occult life-state for Horses. This pack would give your Sims the opportunity to own a Horse/Unicron, and they would also be able to have a career in Showjumping. There would also be new horse-related traits.
Stuff Packs:
Garage Stuff Pack - This pack would reintroduce cars, the base-game would probably only have 3 and a couple of basic driveways, but 7 more cars and most of the garage stuff would be available in this pack.
Teen Stuff Pack - This is probably the pack I’ve thought the least about, but it would probably add more teen related stuff to complement the updated teens, like a new social media app, maybe some new gaming related equipment, and maybe an aspiration. Kinda like a mini-High School Years but without the glitchiness.
Kits:
Criminal Kit - This would be a small kit, it would add some criminal CAS items, the famous criminal thief from the earlier games, and a home alarm system which will call the cops when a criminal breaks in.
Pack refreshes: I wouldn’t just add new content, I would also refresh some of the less-loved existing packs, to try to improve them.
Get to Work – I would probably refresh the Doctor and Detective careers a bit, add a few more rewards to make them closer to the Scientist career. I’d also probably give Aliens and Sixam minor update.
Discover University – I would add an online University for Sims who want to study at-home, and Sims who want to attend Britechester/Foxbury would have to attend in-person. I would also make dorms more similar to the dorms from Sims 2: University.
Island Living – I would refresh Mermaids to be more consistent with Vampires/Spellcasters/Werewolves and give them a few new powers, a skill tree, and an aspiration. I would also add some more vacation options, like a hotel for Sims to stay at and maybe a tour guide.
Get Famous – Maybe not a huge refresh, but I’d make fame a bit more hard to come by, as in less activities make you famous. It feels like it’s not hard to become famous just by doing everyday things in some careers.
Realm of Magic – I’d add some new spells/potions (including ones that interact with Vampires/Werewolves), nerf some of the existing spells/potions, update Glimmerbrook, add some new CAS items, add a bit more depth to broom riding (like in the older games), and add a Spellcaster career for Spellcasters (with caster/potion brewer branches).
Dream Home Decorator - This one’s pretty simple, I’d have the pack include Create-A-Style. They’d sell so many copies they would be stupid not to.
My Wedding Stories/Dine Out – These two are most famous for their glitches, which I would have presumably fixed most of, so I’d give them a refresh to thank the consumers who bought them while they were in their broken state. I’d also probably try to make the dining experience a bit more like the Sims 2.
Subscription Service:
This might be a bit of an unpopular choice, but here me out. Essentially, for a monthly fee, you’d have access to all of the Expansion Packs, Game Packs, Stuff Packs, and Kits. You could still buy all the packs on Origin/Steam if you wanted to, however, new packs would be released first to subscribers. This gives perhaps a more financially viable option to Simmers who want to own every pack, gives EA a constant stream of revenue, and gives packs the chance to be tested (and have bugs squashed) before they are released to the main audience. I would also provide a yearlong free subscription to cynical Simmers who are not fans of TS4 (LGR comes to mind) after making all these updates, to see if their minds might be changed, because if they are, then many other older Simmers who are sticking to the Sims 2/3 might be willing to give the Sims 4 another chance.
Now, of course, I don’t expect EA to do all this, but I do think EA has to do something if they want the Sims to stay relevant. Paralives is going to come out someday, which could end up being better and cheaper, and if EA isn’t careful, they could end up in the same position they had with SimCity (2013) and Cities: Skyline. Whether it be to fix the Sims 4 like I have suggested, or make sure the Sims 5 is everything that it can be, something will most likely have to be done to keep the Sims series relevant.
P.S. Thanks to all the wonderful Simmers who were able to help me understand the criticisms of Spellcasters!
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/1003397/why-are-spellcasters-not-as-well-liked-as-vampires-werewolves#latest
Fixing bugs: One of the biggest criticisms of the Sims 4 I see is the bugs. It’s a bit of a buggy mess. So, the first thing I would do is try to fix as many significant bugs as I could and fix broken features (like Wants and Fears). I believe this would go a long way to repairing player’s trust.
New packs and base-game content: Having been in the Sims community, I believe that adding the following content would prove to be a popular decision on EA’s part and might bring in new Simmers or old-school Simmers who loved specific features from the older games. You’ll also see that a lot of what I add in the base-game will relate to the packs I’ve mentioned.
Base Game: Firstly, I would add 40 new traits, 20 to the base-game, 20 would be included in DLCs. I would reintroduce cars to the base-game. They would work like they do in the Sims 2, where you can use them for travel. I would keep the option to travel from the phone, but it would work like calling a taxi. You would have to pay $10 for travel in your current world, and $20 for out-of-world travel. I would revamp the teen life-stage a bit, to try and make them a bit more different from Young Adults. I would also fulfill the promise to refresh the three existing base-game worlds. Lastly, I would introduce the option to create hybrid occults, through different occults having a baby together. I would also make the occult aspirations their own separate category, with a new bonus trait which makes the Sim earn 50% more occult EXP (I’d probably merge the existing Werewolf category into this category).
Game Packs:
Fairies – This is the last occult type from the Sims 3’s Supernatural pack still not in the Sims 4. And occult packs generally are well liked and sell well. Vampires and Werewolves have proven to be very popular, and even Spellcasters are relatively well-liked. If done right, this could be an easy success for EA.
Equestrian Pack – So, essentially this pack would add Horses, and Unicorns as an occult life-state for Horses. This pack would give your Sims the opportunity to own a Horse/Unicron, and they would also be able to have a career in Showjumping. There would also be new horse-related traits.
Stuff Packs:
Garage Stuff Pack - This pack would reintroduce cars, the base-game would probably only have 3 and a couple of basic driveways, but 7 more cars and most of the garage stuff would be available in this pack.
Teen Stuff Pack - This is probably the pack I’ve thought the least about, but it would probably add more teen related stuff to complement the updated teens, like a new social media app, maybe some new gaming related equipment, and maybe an aspiration. Kinda like a mini-High School Years but without the glitchiness.
Kits:
Criminal Kit - This would be a small kit, it would add some criminal CAS items, the famous criminal thief from the earlier games, and a home alarm system which will call the cops when a criminal breaks in.
Pack refreshes: I wouldn’t just add new content, I would also refresh some of the less-loved existing packs, to try to improve them.
Get to Work – I would probably refresh the Doctor and Detective careers a bit, add a few more rewards to make them closer to the Scientist career. I’d also probably give Aliens and Sixam minor update.
Discover University – I would add an online University for Sims who want to study at-home, and Sims who want to attend Britechester/Foxbury would have to attend in-person. I would also make dorms more similar to the dorms from Sims 2: University.
Island Living – I would refresh Mermaids to be more consistent with Vampires/Spellcasters/Werewolves and give them a few new powers, a skill tree, and an aspiration. I would also add some more vacation options, like a hotel for Sims to stay at and maybe a tour guide.
Get Famous – Maybe not a huge refresh, but I’d make fame a bit more hard to come by, as in less activities make you famous. It feels like it’s not hard to become famous just by doing everyday things in some careers.
Realm of Magic – I’d add some new spells/potions (including ones that interact with Vampires/Werewolves), nerf some of the existing spells/potions, update Glimmerbrook, add some new CAS items, add a bit more depth to broom riding (like in the older games), and add a Spellcaster career for Spellcasters (with caster/potion brewer branches).
Dream Home Decorator - This one’s pretty simple, I’d have the pack include Create-A-Style. They’d sell so many copies they would be stupid not to.
My Wedding Stories/Dine Out – These two are most famous for their glitches, which I would have presumably fixed most of, so I’d give them a refresh to thank the consumers who bought them while they were in their broken state. I’d also probably try to make the dining experience a bit more like the Sims 2.
Subscription Service:
This might be a bit of an unpopular choice, but here me out. Essentially, for a monthly fee, you’d have access to all of the Expansion Packs, Game Packs, Stuff Packs, and Kits. You could still buy all the packs on Origin/Steam if you wanted to, however, new packs would be released first to subscribers. This gives perhaps a more financially viable option to Simmers who want to own every pack, gives EA a constant stream of revenue, and gives packs the chance to be tested (and have bugs squashed) before they are released to the main audience. I would also provide a yearlong free subscription to cynical Simmers who are not fans of TS4 (LGR comes to mind) after making all these updates, to see if their minds might be changed, because if they are, then many other older Simmers who are sticking to the Sims 2/3 might be willing to give the Sims 4 another chance.
Now, of course, I don’t expect EA to do all this, but I do think EA has to do something if they want the Sims to stay relevant. Paralives is going to come out someday, which could end up being better and cheaper, and if EA isn’t careful, they could end up in the same position they had with SimCity (2013) and Cities: Skyline. Whether it be to fix the Sims 4 like I have suggested, or make sure the Sims 5 is everything that it can be, something will most likely have to be done to keep the Sims series relevant.
P.S. Thanks to all the wonderful Simmers who were able to help me understand the criticisms of Spellcasters!
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/1003397/why-are-spellcasters-not-as-well-liked-as-vampires-werewolves#latest
1
Comments
Fixing bugs should be top priority, even to the point of a DLC 'holiday'. The number and severity of them is inexcusable and many have been around since launch.
Occults: they should be allowed to stack as they do in TS2. Simple
University: online study at home is a good idea but no need for a separate school, just have it an option with the existing two.
Hotels: should be an option for any vacation world. Tour guides work well in TS2 so should in 4
Celebrities: they are like rats, they are everywhere. They should be found only in: Del Sol Valley, their home world and even then only occasionally, a game scripted event where appearance is appropriate. The hysteria surrounding their presence is overdone. I've met real ones, including a Hollywood actor, and interactions were much more like normal.
RoM: Ixnay on the nerfing. Spell casters are too bland and uninteresting as it is. If anything, they need to be beefed up and made more vibrant. Would like to have the option to bring back the original sages, two in particular.
Subscription service: Don't even think of going there. EA gets entirely too much of our money as it is. This is something they are sure to find one or more ways of abusing to their profit and our loss.
Recently I've played TS2, and I think Occults Hybrids would be a bit more complex in TS4, largely due to GUIs. When I said nerf Spellcasters, I was really only thinking the Copypasto spell and make the Plentiful Need Potion a bit harder to brew, everything else would be beefing them up.
True, I feel like a Subscription Service could work for most companies, but with EA there's a good chance they wouldn't do it in a good way.