A recent tweet on Sims Twitter went viral comparing Sims 4 to Sims 2. Why do you think it resonated with so many people? Are attention to detail and graphics important to you in video games? Or do you prioritize something else?
I think it's a given that people prefer more detailed assets but lack of detail is not a deal breaker. The gameplay is more important for me. And 4 comes in first for me.
I enjoy Minecraft for its fun unique creative sandbox as it still gets updated with new gameplay features and so on. And although I didn't get the chance to play The Matrix Awakens, I'm interested in games with realistic aesthetics too.
But what's a game that is pretty to look at but boring to play? And what's a game that is not pretty to look at but fun to play? I prefer games that are both pretty to look at and fun to play. And yes, PS1 era games are still great to play and look at...maybe because of nostalgia but it doesn't bother me to play older games like NES/SNES/N64/GBC/PSP/Dreamcast/etc.
TS4 doesn't interest me visually or gameplay wise so I don't have it. TS/TS2/TS3 is what I play from time to time besides Urbz: Sims in the City (PS2), The Sims (PS2), The Sims 2 Castaway (PS2), and The Sims Bustin' Out (PS2).
But my main Sims game I play is TS3 because of the more realistic aesthetic, graphics and gameplay. Besides having the creative freedom, the A.I. is one of the best features in TS3 that keeps me coming back and playing since it released.
Still.Not.Bored.
“What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter”
The Pizza meme works so well because it condenses the debate into a catchy format that also gamers (and non gamers) who never played either sims game can understand. They immediately know that the new iteration is viewed as inferior by the fandom without needing to go into the nitty gritty details. And if one already is dissatisfied with Sims 4, then for that person the ugly pizza works nicely as a symbol for everything they find wrong the game.
More personal answer:
These are my two favorite/most emotional scenes from videogames:
The first (Disco Elysium) is in no way inferior to the second (Detroit Become Human) just because it doesn't use fancy computer graphics. Disco has the better writing, but both games know exactly how to hit in the feels. So, no, more sophisticated graphics don't mean much to me in themselves. I value a complex gameplay system (Disco) and characters I can attach myself to (Detroit & Disco both).
Now the two screenshots I've posted showcase two very different artstyles, whereas the Sims 4 pizza is also bad in the context of Sims 4's artstyle. I like to compare Sims 4 to Lego Duplo and Sims 2 to Lego Constructor or regular lego. One cannot dismiss Duplo as the worse Constructor, because they both serve different purposes. Just that pizza... it's really bad. Like a Duplo figure that is just a blob with no discernable head or paint coming off.
Attention to detail is something that I have often liked in video games, it adds to the immersion that you actually are in the world and doing something or eating something...in this case. Good graphics adds to that immersion.
The food in The Sims 4 can look pretty different, some food that they added in Cottage Living like the beef wellington looked great while some food like the pumpkin soup looked really bad in my opinion. It probably comes down to some things in the game getting more worked on than others.
As for the rest of the game, I think the detail in the Sims 4 is okay, they probably have to reduce some things like texture detail so the game will run decently on computers and console. Sometimes I think they go too far with some objects.
I also think that the graphics are not sharp enough. In this picture that I have posted before the left picture is how the game looks as default and the right picture is the game running with reshade with a setting that makes the graphics sharper.
As for the rest of the game, I think the detail in the Sims 4 is okay, they probably have to reduce some things like texture detail so the game will run decently on computers and console. Sometimes I think they go too far with some objects.
I am a bit concerned that they've hinted that they plan to have the same TS5 to play on both PCs and mobile phones. We have more than 32GB of RAM on our gaming PCs as well as personal video cards that alone can do super-computing, so can we please get at least one sims game that leverages this and stop pandering to those who still try to play games on toasters, please? 🙄
While gameplay is, or at least should be, the bread-and-butter, good graphics for the technology level of the game and other detail things like quaity of animations are still important. For TS4 pizza to look much worse than TS2 pizza even though the technology bar in 4 is much higher says a lot about the attitude towards players by the game makers. They don't care. For all its imperfections, TS2 is obviously a labor of love with attention to detail, including the little ones. Thus, its huge and vocal fanbase.
As for gaming platforms, There should be a different version for each platform the game is intended to be played on. There is no one size fits all. EA better not even think about trying to tow an 18-wheeler with a Toyota.
I like good graphics and I think one's video card has much to do with it. As for what truly matters to me, is the Sims, themselves. Those cute, crazy, sometimes perky, pixilated characters. I got introduced to the Sims franchise with Sims2. The Sims were lively, silly, and almost always surprising. The ones in Sims3 lost that. No more tantrums when a lazy Sim was given a chore to do. Rarely, if ever did they break that 4th wall. I had a love/hate relationship with that game, due to the lack of wackiness. I was tentative about Sims4, as a result. I told myself, and others, that if the Sims aren't more like they were in Sims2, I wouldn't purchase anything else, Sims4. But, EA came through when they evaluated what to take from the three previous iterations of Sims. While the Sims aren't exactly the same as the way the ones in Sims2 behaved, the fact that they were so much better than the previous ones, mattered a great deal to me. As the packs started rolling out, I began to play more and more. My playing was rather sporadic at first. Now, I play everyday, sometimes even on Sundays, if I'm not too worn-out after church.
@Oldeseadogge I fully agree with you on the platform issues. A version for each anticipated platform would be good. In this day and age, one would expect this to be reasonably easy. We paid dearly for the Base game. I know I did.
The graphics settings are not the same in those two pizza pictures.
From the look of the diagonal edges of the pizza box, I'm guessing the one on the left is at low graphics settings, and then zoomed in quite a bit.
Things tend to be a bit more blurry or Pixelated in TS4 but the overall graphics on max settings look really good. People complain about lag and stuttering in sims games overall so maybe the devs knew this game was going to go on for a long time and decided to keep graphics lower so that different computers can handle it.
It's not a big deal to me but I remedy the problem with food graphic replacements and other replacements cc creators make, since my sims like to eat a lot.
Really the only reason it went viral is because it gives people more reason to hate on aTs4 which is something they love to do as a pastime hobby🤷♀️
It's not a reflection of the game itself and the devs are always proving that they put a lot of love and effort into Ts4. Rather or not one recognizing that depends on the individual.
The image is kind of deceiving. Zoom in on that TS2 pizza as it is in TS4 pizza!
800x600
2560x1440
TS3 pizza texture doesn't look bad but it is definitely not high res, hence the blurriness. TS2 pizza wins the best looking quality for me.
2560x1440
*Also anyone here with TS4 could easily grab an in-game screenshot of pizza but I'm surprised no one did that. Or at least yet. Since the topic accurately is TS2 and TS4 pizza texture/quality comparisons.
“What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter”
The image is kind of deceiving. Zoom in on that TS2 pizza as it is in TS4 pizza!
800x600
2560x1440
TS3 pizza texture doesn't look bad but it is definitely not high res, hence the blurriness. TS2 pizza wins the best looking quality for me.
2560x1440
*Also anyone here with TS4 could easily grab an in-game screenshot of pizza but I'm surprised no one did that. Or at least yet. Since the topic accurately is TS2 and TS4 pizza texture/quality comparisons.
Now that's a reasonable zoom which should have been in the original comparison. I agree, TS2 pizza does have high quality. Thanks for sharing the image. However, for TS4, the pizza seems extremely blurry as compared to what I've seen, but I'm going to double-check.
EDIT:
Yep, sadly there is truth to the original comparison, and this is a less zoomed-in version of TS4 pizza. This was taken at 1920x1080 resolution.
On the other hand, you won't be getting that beautiful scenery in TS2 as you get in TS4! Also, the Sims themselves look much better in TS4 than they do in TS2 (open images in new tap or window to see full resolution).
Am I the only one preferring the S4 pizza? 😄 The S2 pizza, while more detailed, looks like a piece of cardboard. The S4 pizza looks more realistic and appetizing with the raised cheese filling, definable pepperoni slices, and thick rounded crust.
Am I the only one preferring the S4 pizza? 😄 The S2 pizza, while more detailed, looks like a piece of cardboard. The S4 pizza looks more realistic and appetizing with the raised cheese filling, definable pepperoni slices, and thick rounded crust.
I like realism for style , and sims 2 style is a win for me.The sims 2 pizza looks more like pizza.
I think a lot of people who dislike sims 4 style. Probably do not like how cartoony and sometimes flat it looks.I hope next cartoony and a bit more realistic.Not completely realistic, but like a hybrid .I have high hopes.
TS2 definitely does food, and its preparation, a lot better than TS4. When it comes to the sims, some TS4 features are better but some not. Am still of the opinion that I have more flexibility and control making TS2 sims and TS4 has nothing that remotely compares to Body Shop. On the other hand, TS4 is the hands down winner on landscaping. Now, if only we could access it more fully.
I'm of the mind that gameplay is more important than graphics. A game that isn't fun to play but has great graphics may as well be a pretty painting. Nice to look at and that's it.
I think the point of the comparison is to show that despite being the latest iteration and therefore, a more improved version of the Sims, something as simple as a pizza looks better in the older iteration than the new one.
For some people, the difference makes it seem like the Sims decreased in quality with the latest entry when it should be improving.
I think people try to misinterpret this tweet as it is a question of graphics versus gameplay which makes it easy to portay "people prefering graphics" as "shallow" while it is actually more of a question of caring versus "eh whatevet it will do". Sure, one can cook an ugly dish that tastes maybe even fine but someone who cares about you won't offer you a messy dish, especially if they are not a newbie and had prepared great dishes in all regards before.
Would TS4 be less computationally demanding than TS2 it could be a question of priorities, but as I doubt this is the case and I don't see any apparent win because of the graphics downgrade, I think the proposed opposition of graphics and gameplay makes little sense here.
Comments
Graphics is the quality of how the game looks. Are the textures clear or blurry? Etc.
Aesthetics is the art style or lack of. Like cel-shaded, real-time ray tracing realism, etc. For example:
Minecraft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmB9b5njVbA
The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU0gvPcc3jQ
I enjoy Minecraft for its fun unique creative sandbox as it still gets updated with new gameplay features and so on. And although I didn't get the chance to play The Matrix Awakens, I'm interested in games with realistic aesthetics too.
But what's a game that is pretty to look at but boring to play? And what's a game that is not pretty to look at but fun to play? I prefer games that are both pretty to look at and fun to play. And yes, PS1 era games are still great to play and look at...maybe because of nostalgia but it doesn't bother me to play older games like NES/SNES/N64/GBC/PSP/Dreamcast/etc.
TS4 doesn't interest me visually or gameplay wise so I don't have it. TS/TS2/TS3 is what I play from time to time besides Urbz: Sims in the City (PS2), The Sims (PS2), The Sims 2 Castaway (PS2), and The Sims Bustin' Out (PS2).
But my main Sims game I play is TS3 because of the more realistic aesthetic, graphics and gameplay. Besides having the creative freedom, the A.I. is one of the best features in TS3 that keeps me coming back and playing since it released.
Still.Not.Bored.
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter”
More personal answer:
These are my two favorite/most emotional scenes from videogames:
The first (Disco Elysium) is in no way inferior to the second (Detroit Become Human) just because it doesn't use fancy computer graphics. Disco has the better writing, but both games know exactly how to hit in the feels. So, no, more sophisticated graphics don't mean much to me in themselves. I value a complex gameplay system (Disco) and characters I can attach myself to (Detroit & Disco both).
Now the two screenshots I've posted showcase two very different artstyles, whereas the Sims 4 pizza is also bad in the context of Sims 4's artstyle. I like to compare Sims 4 to Lego Duplo and Sims 2 to Lego Constructor or regular lego. One cannot dismiss Duplo as the worse Constructor, because they both serve different purposes. Just that pizza... it's really bad. Like a Duplo figure that is just a blob with no discernable head or paint coming off.
The food in The Sims 4 can look pretty different, some food that they added in Cottage Living like the beef wellington looked great while some food like the pumpkin soup looked really bad in my opinion. It probably comes down to some things in the game getting more worked on than others.
As for the rest of the game, I think the detail in the Sims 4 is okay, they probably have to reduce some things like texture detail so the game will run decently on computers and console. Sometimes I think they go too far with some objects.
I also think that the graphics are not sharp enough. In this picture that I have posted before the left picture is how the game looks as default and the right picture is the game running with reshade with a setting that makes the graphics sharper.
I am a bit concerned that they've hinted that they plan to have the same TS5 to play on both PCs and mobile phones. We have more than 32GB of RAM on our gaming PCs as well as personal video cards that alone can do super-computing, so can we please get at least one sims game that leverages this and stop pandering to those who still try to play games on toasters, please? 🙄
As for gaming platforms, There should be a different version for each platform the game is intended to be played on. There is no one size fits all. EA better not even think about trying to tow an 18-wheeler with a Toyota.
@Oldeseadogge I fully agree with you on the platform issues. A version for each anticipated platform would be good. In this day and age, one would expect this to be reasonably easy. We paid dearly for the Base game. I know I did.
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
From the look of the diagonal edges of the pizza box, I'm guessing the one on the left is at low graphics settings, and then zoomed in quite a bit.
It's not a big deal to me but I remedy the problem with food graphic replacements and other replacements cc creators make, since my sims like to eat a lot.
Really the only reason it went viral is because it gives people more reason to hate on aTs4 which is something they love to do as a pastime hobby🤷♀️
It's not a reflection of the game itself and the devs are always proving that they put a lot of love and effort into Ts4. Rather or not one recognizing that depends on the individual.
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TvCLF8zrFJH7Sgf1YYkR0Jvo3-E=/480x0:3360x2160/1200x675/filters:focal(480x0:3360x2160)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52388823/schnitzel06.0.0.jpeg
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tZz4dZyLO0mJl7y2Jys5zz36w5A=/0x0:1200x675/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1200x675):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7680615/croquemadame.0.jpeg
You mean that when a sim transfers a fried egg from pan to plate you want it to look like a fired egg and not grains of sand?
800x600
2560x1440
TS3 pizza texture doesn't look bad but it is definitely not high res, hence the blurriness. TS2 pizza wins the best looking quality for me.
2560x1440
*Also anyone here with TS4 could easily grab an in-game screenshot of pizza but I'm surprised no one did that. Or at least yet. Since the topic accurately is TS2 and TS4 pizza texture/quality comparisons.
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter”
Now that's a reasonable zoom which should have been in the original comparison. I agree, TS2 pizza does have high quality. Thanks for sharing the image. However, for TS4, the pizza seems extremely blurry as compared to what I've seen, but I'm going to double-check.
EDIT:
Yep, sadly there is truth to the original comparison, and this is a less zoomed-in version of TS4 pizza. This was taken at 1920x1080 resolution.
On the other hand, you won't be getting that beautiful scenery in TS2 as you get in TS4! Also, the Sims themselves look much better in TS4 than they do in TS2 (open images in new tap or window to see full resolution).
I like realism for style , and sims 2 style is a win for me.The sims 2 pizza looks more like pizza.
https://youtu.be/PUug-Z9ricE
i can't have sims do that to me as well
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I think the point of the comparison is to show that despite being the latest iteration and therefore, a more improved version of the Sims, something as simple as a pizza looks better in the older iteration than the new one.
For some people, the difference makes it seem like the Sims decreased in quality with the latest entry when it should be improving.
Would TS4 be less computationally demanding than TS2 it could be a question of priorities, but as I doubt this is the case and I don't see any apparent win because of the graphics downgrade, I think the proposed opposition of graphics and gameplay makes little sense here.