False Utopias

Shaobun

Hi, I believe this is something that the Sims Studio needs to think about. There have been many movies (and books) set in the future, sometimes this future seems pretty great on first glance and sometimes it's awful right from the start. What's important is that "perfect/ideal/utopian" futures never stay that way and certainly aren't ideal for everyone. Why? One reason is that it wouldn't be very entertaining for us (the viewer/reader) but also because human nature can't accept "perfect". It feels wrong. We can't really appreciate the good without the bad. We can't be friends with everyone equally because it diminishes the value of key relationships. Sometimes we want to feel sad, and when that sadness passes our joy is more "real" for having felt a range of emotions. There's the matrix, logan's run, the island, the truman show, demolition man, etc. All of these showing how valuable choice and consequences are. How important freedom is.

It's not that we want to sit around torturing our sims, that's not it at all for me. I want my sims to be happy. I want them to have as meaningful a life as a sim can have. We know our actions don't matter, that our sims aren't real. It would still be nice if within the game it felt like our actions mattered and changed the "life" of our sims.

So basically what I'm trying to say is we need fail states in this game. We need a challenge beyond the tiny living, apocalypse, asylum, 100 babies, etc challenges that we invent. We need sims that are actually different from this rich, young adult, single sim that you guys seem so focused on. We need part time jobs for adults, self-employed sims, losers, vegetarians, middle-class average joe sims who want a hobby, grandmas who knit onesies for their grandkids, etc. Variety is important. Not everyone is the same and the truth is we don't want them to be. I can't be special or unique if everyone is just like me, and neither can our sims.

JoxerTM22

Sims 4 is a specific type of videogame without win/lose with predetermined game over. The player chooses when it ends.
Also, it's not supposed to be virtual reality. Onesie knitting grandmas simply don't live in Sims world.

Shaobun

Sims isn't a win/lose type game but it is supposed to have fail states. That doesn't mean "losing" that means if you don't feed your sim they get hungry, if you don't let them use the bathroom they lose control of their bladders and get smelly and embarrassed. Those are "fail states". While we sorta have those in TS4 they aren't very strong and they are easily fixed. I don't want all my sims to be incredibly "successful". That doesn't mean I've "lost the game", it's just another way of playing.

As for onesie knitting grandmas, just because grandmas (which are definitely a part of a sims world) haven't been able to knit baby clothes previously doesn't mean they never should be able to. Actually sims in TS2 freetime could knit and sew clothing. The knitting was a mod I think, but sewing wasn't.

mtwtfss71

This is my biggest beef with this version. I love to play rags to riches style but with this version, even gardening makes my Sims rich very quickly. It's like they forgot to add the gaming portion to it because they focused so hard on the multitasking system.

MrHawk

Excellent post, Shaobun.

Cinebar

Failure states and Sims having to overcome things just like humans was the heart of The Sims. As time went on people wanted less and less of this and here we are. A lack luster, game which now needs a set script of goals and linear play since failure states are removed. In my opinion that makes The Sims any old game out there, now.

By removing failure and or the impact of what motives have on a Sim and or aspiration failures they took the heart out of the game to me. I didn't want my hand held to tell me how to gain a promotion. No, I wanted to play as always have, if I picked the wrong thing, (or ignore it) in a chance card, or if I didn't get my Sim to work on time then fired, equals failure.

I liked that environment was a good or bad thing for them. Now, it's just a buff system with a low impact moodlet for bad and adds like ten thousand more points adding to the 'happy' state of mind.

Easy is the TS4. It's not about the Sim at all but how to manipulate buffs to finish goals. That's not my idea of a life simulator. Because honestly there are hundreds of those sort of games out there..they are called short/casual time management, strategy games that are played either by controlling several little simulated beings to work on a project and or to build up something etc.

They are a dime a dozen. And I see this game no differently than those I might play to kill off one afternoon, same thing can be done in this game now, just put it on ultra speed and 'get through it'.

sparkfairy1

Cinebar wrote: »

Failure states and Sims having to overcome things just like humans was the heart of The Sims. As time went on people wanted less and less of this and here we are. A lack luster, game which now needs a set script of goals and linear play since failure states are removed. In my opinion that makes The Sims any old game out there, now.

By removing failure and or the impact of what motives have on a Sim and or aspiration failures they took the heart out of the game to me. I didn't want my hand held to tell me how to gain a promotion. No, I wanted to play as always have, if I picked the wrong thing, (or ignore it) in a chance card, or if I didn't get my Sim to work on time then fired, equals failure.

I liked that environment was a good or bad thing for them. Now, it's just a buff system with a low impact moodlet for bad and adds like ten thousand more points adding to the 'happy' state of mind.

Easy is the TS4. It's not about the Sim at all but how to manipulate buffs to finish goals. That's not my idea of a life simulator. Because honestly there are hundreds of those sort of games out there..they are called short/casual time management, strategy games that are played either by controlling several little simulated beings to work on a project and or to build up something etc.

They are a dime a dozen. And I see this game no differently than those I might play to kill off one afternoon, same thing can be done in this game now, just put it on ultra speed and 'get through it'.

Oh and those other games? They are cheap because they know replay value is limited...TS4 is expensive.