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Too Much Meaningless Gameplay
NoWayJose527
Posts: 1,456 Member
I'm playing Sims 4. I'm adapting to Sims 4. All the same, I still find it lacking in many areas. Sometimes I feel the development team was more concerned with being "cute" than with creating a satisfying gaming experience for sim players.
The game, it seems, is filled with menu choices that, as far as I can tell, don't really do anything. Much of it is tied to the over-hyped "emotion" system. An example is the option -- while feeling confident, I think -- to "pee like a champion." Real cute, EA. But how does this affect gameplay? Does peeing like a champion make my sim's life better in some way? I don't think so.
Some of my sims have developed the ability to "analyze" books they read. Yeah, so? What effect does that have on my sims? Does it affect anything in the sim's life? Does it change anything in the way my sim responds to life events? I don't think so.
It's interesting, I suppose, to open a menu and see a variety of choices -- talk about dreams, share brilliant idea, enthuse about space -- and I do see that in some instances, it can help sims "connect" with others who share similar traits. But so many of those options seem pointless, really. They don't add anything to the "gameplay" of creating/simulating an individual's life experience. They don't shape the sim's personality. They don't lead to different outcomes for the sim. They're meaningless.
That's how I see it, but maybe I'm missing something. Do any of these options have any consequences or significant life changes as a result?
The game, it seems, is filled with menu choices that, as far as I can tell, don't really do anything. Much of it is tied to the over-hyped "emotion" system. An example is the option -- while feeling confident, I think -- to "pee like a champion." Real cute, EA. But how does this affect gameplay? Does peeing like a champion make my sim's life better in some way? I don't think so.
Some of my sims have developed the ability to "analyze" books they read. Yeah, so? What effect does that have on my sims? Does it affect anything in the sim's life? Does it change anything in the way my sim responds to life events? I don't think so.
It's interesting, I suppose, to open a menu and see a variety of choices -- talk about dreams, share brilliant idea, enthuse about space -- and I do see that in some instances, it can help sims "connect" with others who share similar traits. But so many of those options seem pointless, really. They don't add anything to the "gameplay" of creating/simulating an individual's life experience. They don't shape the sim's personality. They don't lead to different outcomes for the sim. They're meaningless.
That's how I see it, but maybe I'm missing something. Do any of these options have any consequences or significant life changes as a result?
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Comments
Sorry I had to do it.
- Going back to your post. I definitely agree with you. The Sims Team has a bit of work on their hands to polish up this game.
They had them in TS3 as well. They make me smile if nothing else. If they make me smile, I assume they do others, which is, I'd assume the entire point.
Like the "Pee Like a Champion".. really? Why is there no boastful superhero pose with that? Or theme music that usually accompanies superheroes? Or at least a riff from Chariots of Fire?
And "Angry Poop", I'm seriously supposed to think that is angry? Where is the one-sided tirade complete with shaking fists? Shouldn't it break the toilet?
I don't smile when I see things like the pee like a champion and the dude just sits and blankly smiles off into the distance or pulls a glass of milk out and calmly sips while using the toilet. There's no champion. There's no angry. I frown with disappointment at the missed opportunities.
Man, you just articulated why I haven't been able to fall in love with TS4 and why I hated TS3. It just feels like you are reading actions and interactions. This why it was hard for me to become attached to my sims and why it was easy to stash the game away without looking back.
An example of the opposite is in TS2 when you skill up a sim's creativity and then when you leave that sim alone out of the blue they start whistling. Or you set a sim to be lazy and then later when you direct them to make their bed, they stop what they're doing, look up at you, frown and say something along the lines of "Aw, come on... seriously?!"
No gabazillion menu items needed for those moments of sheer charm and delight.
Yeah, that's why I loved Sims 2 and was so attached to my sims. They had real personality and their interactions (with us and with other sims) were priceless. I still laugh when I think of the time a big bully met with a rather unfortunate accident...and all the sims in the room high-fived each other. LOL. Makes me wonder, you know...was it really an accident? Yeah, times that like. I wish we had them in this game.
"We Don't Care If You LIKE The Game, Just As Long As You BUY The Game!"
I Disapprove (Naturally)
I Took The Pledge!
But I agree. In TS3 and TS4, there is a huge difference in seeing the action and reading about it. One of the reasons that TS2 was so successful and beloved was because the Sims were actually animated. And they were different from one another. I was really hoping that they would use the point system from TS2 along with the traits to create truly unique Sims. In reality, with have the same old robots from TS3 with some special, over-the-top emotional animations. They aren't unique in any way and they all react to situations the same exact way.
And when I see pee like a champion, I expect to see the male Sim standing at the toilet with his hands behind his head, same for the female, but sitting. Instead It is just words and completely meaningless and pointless. Why even bother taking the micrometer of mouse movement to select it? I really don't get why people think it is cool or smile about it. All I see is wasted resources and team mismanagement.
I admit, I miss these things as well. Last night I loaded up TS1 to grab some screen shots for a final project I've been working on in a grad class in digital media. It has been so very long, I had forgotten how they used to go around singing and whistling! I had forgotten how they would stop and look at me in amazement/disgust when I'd ask them to do something they didn't want to do or how they'd come out and say they weren't in the mood for that right now. I had forgotten how they would try to cheer up the Tragic Clown, and how the clown would cry if you had a picture of his ancestor in the house (was playing with the Newbies, purposely recreating Tragic Clown scenario). I had forgotten the pangs of jealousy if two Sims spontaneously started dancing together, and how the dancers would laugh and shout, "Go, go!"
Fast forward to Sims 2: I always loved how Lazlo Curious would look at me, groan and shuffle when I'd direct him to mop up from his messy shower. I loved how he would do the "pistol" move with his hands, flash a smile, and say, "Shazza bobo!" at someone when he'd walk through the room. I loved the spontaneous fist-fights between Olive Specter and General Buzz Grunt. I loved the horror on the Pleasant twins' faces if they saw their dad kissing another woman, and how it would decrease their relationship with him. I loved the nervous breakdowns.
Sims 3 seemed very vacant by comparison, and I never liked the story progression and graphics. I'll leave that one there.
Sims 4 seems to have more of the old stuff that I loved, but I'm not convinced their system of "emotions" is superior to Sims 2. I miss the 'fourth wall" aspect, where Sims would look at me, their Goddess, in reaction to what I'd direct them to do. I like Sims 4 very much and feel there is much potential for growth, and some aspects are very cool, but I feel the designers could take some lessons from Sims 1 and 2 on the direction of that growth.
- skilling up sims increases their interests in different categories and gives them unique autonomous actions as well as expands their want types.
- directing sims to go on vacations enables them to have autonomous conversations about their trip at dinner parties
- directing a sim to take a photo allows them to later buy a photo album which they can pass down to their families for generations to come
- if your sim loses a fight or gets dumped, they might easily become the local gossip in the neighbourhood
- personality traits matter and affect gameplay, family-oriented sims will tuck their kids in caress their cheeks and read them a bedtime story
- special traits that sims get enable them to make more money, heal illnesses, stay home longer to raise families with less nanny care
- encouraging children would change their personalities so sim parents could make a shy sim outgoing just through gameplay and without a cheat
- learning how to cook could improve your mini-game score with the private school headmaster, and going on vacation could do that as well, or having tons of money and living in a swanked out house with a jacuzzi and cappuccino machine
- sims who had a shy trait actually had work harder at dating
- reading a specific book could change the way your sim skilled, handled fires, or anticipated their baby's needs
- cheering up a sim was a unique/rare interaction that made it a treat in gameplay
- etc.
* - My serious sim once lectured his son when he walked in the room and saw the boy jumping on the bed, this only ever happened once and I don't know if it was supposed to do that or if it was a glitch, but it was perfect because that was the type of rapport I had imagined for this family... I only needed it once.
You know...a lot of the things you mentioned are expansion pack things. Like vacation. Yes, I totally expect my sims to autonomously talk about something that isn't even possible yet.
Reading books that help with fires, child care...again. an expansion pack. I could see how it would work in the base game, but again...not fair to compare base game with expansion.
Seeing how there is no interests, your first point is moot. I have noticed that gaining skills in certain things does increase a chance for them to do it autonomously. My painter never painted on her own until she got to lvl 4ish. Now I can't stop her when she's inspired or happy. My gamer is always doing livestreams autonomously. They may not be entirely unique, but their skills do influence what they do autonomously.
I have a funny story too, that proves to me that ts4 is almost as alive as ts2 is. My childish (and insane) YA sim was just sitting at her desk, talking to her lamp, and angry because of the random insane moodlet, and she was hungry (I won't let her cook lol).
Her mom was in a bad mood, she had just found out she was pregnant and she hates children. She was tense from that and work. As soon as she came home from work, she marched to her daughter's room and destroyed her dollhouse.
Instead of being upset at the destroyed dollhouse, she started to do negative socials with her mom. They were friends, and now they aren't. This was all autonomously done. Based on traits, and emotions.
I'm not sure what you do in ts4 to make it seem so lifeless, or that the traits and emotions don't matter. Because there's a few people that have experienced life and working traits and emotions. It's not flawless, but neither was ts2.
You're right a lot of the actions come from EPs, which is why I am reserving my judgement of TS4 until the EPs come out. I have said repeatedly that I think TS4 has potential. Right now however, it's boring and I am very biased as I loathed TS3 like a no-good cheating ex-boyfriend, so anything that reminds me of TS3 (like these pointless menus) is going to get a thumbs down.
As for meaningless actions that make simmers smile, I enjoy watching my sims do quirky things, not reading about it pie menus. I tried watching my music sim initially in TS4 but all he did was read books and watch TV... oh and he drank a lot of milk autonomously. I had to direct him to do everything else. And I like sims that let me know when I'm forcing them to do something that goes against their grain or when I've done a good job. Someone mentioned earlier how that 4th wall makes a difference... TS2 sims did things with personality and when they felt things you *saw* them feel it. "Pee like a Champ" and "Angry Poop" are not endearing. Giving me a thumbs up when I direct them to "make out" is endearing... just my opinon
TS2 was definitely not flawless, I play with so many annoyance_fix mods that they could've been their own EP!
And, my buddy Will here certainly knows how to pee like a champion lol
Yup pretty much this. Instead of "Share Brilliant Idea" you literally could've said something else like, "Tell an Unbelievable Story" and the outcome would've been the same. It is all very pointless.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
In Sims 3 half of my sims were bookworms. In sims 4, none are as it does nothing.
Even without eps though, they broke that forth wall & had so much personality.
Sorry if I repeat some stuff you mentioned, but in ts2 the kids would stop what they're doing to run outside & hug their parents when they come home from work. When they got an A they would wave their report cards in the parents face.
Little things like when my sim is playing piano really well, others notice & cheer without having to watch.
Couples In love or really attracted to one another will swoon.
So much more I'm missing, but just my observations since I went back to ts2.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
Bad reputation and then they were cheaters? I like to see that you get revamped as well. If someone saw them cheating and went around gossiping about it and that's how they got their reputation that would be okay... But not just knowing out of nowhere that's not okay.
I loved honeymoons in ts2...even before Bon voyage a limo would pick them up & it was so cute. Not just a moodlet.
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Anyway, what is it with this back-and-forth between wanting every little thing to give a Sim a buff then complaining when something seems like it's only there to make it easier to do something? Most of the socials are just that; socials. They're just Sims chatting and different Sims respond differently to them. That's it. Angry poop and Pee like a Champion are stupid and pointless; the entire Confident emotion seems to be pointless too. If every interaction gave some sort of buff, people would be flocking to the forums complaining about it.
...I don't understand the people on this forum.
Or also, I thought analyzing books gave the inspired mood sometimes? I swear I've had it happen.
First of all, try TS2 and all of its expansions if you haven't already. Then you'll see what most are talking about.
Anyway, it's not about making the game easier or harder, it's just the fact those said interactions have no depth at all.
Lmao! Robots, are you serious? You're the first person I've ever heard called ts2 sims robots. I think we're playing different games.