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Severe build mode disappointment
Absimiliard
Posts: 51 Member
It has been stated many times in many places, different people play the Sims games for different reasons. For some its the Sims themselves, whether its helping them acheive, living vicariously through, or just killing 'em. For some its the building of houses, for some its modding. For most its a combination.
I primarily play trying to recreate existing people/places/relationships. The major failing point in the series has been Build Mode. The fact that the Sims 2 didn't have the ability to recreate many common architectural features eventually led me to abondon the game. I have been following the development of the the Sims 3 assuming they'd have to fix many of the obvious concerns, but all I ever read about was the new Create-a-Style, and the seamless neighborhood. I went and bought it anyways assuming they'd at least have to fix the absence of basements...
In the Sims 3:
1-You still cannot create real basements (basements with a normal wall thickness that can have windows)
2-lot placement and sizing has been... REMOVED!? and they're all flat!?
3-The fake (Sims 2 style) basements are now harder to create (despite the promise they'd be easier) as the ground does not raise/lower in set increments.
4-There is still an arbitray 4-step minimum distance between the ground and any foundation.
5-Still no split levels
6-Garages. The split-level above isn't even that important for split levels for me, the problem is attached garages. You cannot have a foundation (required for a basement - and many other purposes and have an attaced garage.
7-Still no adjustable ceiling heights
8-Two doors still cannot face eachother in a corner (this could have been easily fixed by making the door only open away from the potential collision)
9-Doors and windows cannot be centered between tiles. (2-tiled hallways will have off centered doors)
10-Stairs do not recives the wall under them if any part of the stairs touches foundation
In my own mind i'd solved a great host of these problems by abandoning the grid system currently used for terrain and floors, and replacing it with every tile having its own elevation and tehn being implicitly or explicitly assigned to a level (or floor of a house) and walls with adjustable heights. This would've allowed for retaining walls, split levels, attached garages, walk out basements etc.
The fact that they actually made building more difficult in many respects, is to me devastating. I played the entire eveing on release day, but realsising now that I cannot even recreate the limited buildings I made in the Sims 2 has me wondering if I'm going to turn it on again any time soon.
I primarily play trying to recreate existing people/places/relationships. The major failing point in the series has been Build Mode. The fact that the Sims 2 didn't have the ability to recreate many common architectural features eventually led me to abondon the game. I have been following the development of the the Sims 3 assuming they'd have to fix many of the obvious concerns, but all I ever read about was the new Create-a-Style, and the seamless neighborhood. I went and bought it anyways assuming they'd at least have to fix the absence of basements...
In the Sims 3:
1-You still cannot create real basements (basements with a normal wall thickness that can have windows)
2-lot placement and sizing has been... REMOVED!? and they're all flat!?
3-The fake (Sims 2 style) basements are now harder to create (despite the promise they'd be easier) as the ground does not raise/lower in set increments.
4-There is still an arbitray 4-step minimum distance between the ground and any foundation.
5-Still no split levels
6-Garages. The split-level above isn't even that important for split levels for me, the problem is attached garages. You cannot have a foundation (required for a basement - and many other purposes and have an attaced garage.
7-Still no adjustable ceiling heights
8-Two doors still cannot face eachother in a corner (this could have been easily fixed by making the door only open away from the potential collision)
9-Doors and windows cannot be centered between tiles. (2-tiled hallways will have off centered doors)
10-Stairs do not recives the wall under them if any part of the stairs touches foundation
In my own mind i'd solved a great host of these problems by abandoning the grid system currently used for terrain and floors, and replacing it with every tile having its own elevation and tehn being implicitly or explicitly assigned to a level (or floor of a house) and walls with adjustable heights. This would've allowed for retaining walls, split levels, attached garages, walk out basements etc.
The fact that they actually made building more difficult in many respects, is to me devastating. I played the entire eveing on release day, but realsising now that I cannot even recreate the limited buildings I made in the Sims 2 has me wondering if I'm going to turn it on again any time soon.
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