It feels odd reading these since TS3 was that for me - where I felt like I maybe wasn't into The Sims anymore. 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Store, linear world adventures, robotic sims, glitchiness to the point of unplayability or breaking saves, serious glitches that never got fixed by EA especially with WA and IP, glitched life aspirations, invisible sims... But I didn't feel like it was the end of the series, at one point I thought that maybe I'll like the next sims game more and years later it turns out I did.
I agree, time for you to move on. I don't really know why people such as you feel the need to post these things, but oh well. I gave up on Sims 3, but I didn't feel the need to make some long post about it. These type of posts only come down to one thing... Because you didn't like it, you want to insist that there is something wrong with it. I have played all the Sims games and I like 4 the best of them all. Does that make me right and you wrong? No, and you are not "right" either. I wonder why you pushed yourself as well, because I certainly let go of Sims 3 in a hurry.
As far as the food is concerned, better produce does make better food, so I don't know what you mean there. There is no nectar making at this time so... Also, for my farming sims better produce sells for more money. So those comments of yours don't really hold weight. All of the Sims games had repetitive actions. In Sims 2, having to read skill books all night in order to advance in careers drove me nuts, so I used a mod. In Sims 4 at least making painting, and filling business reports is more realist and more fun for me. I never was into "collecting" that was introduced in Sims 3. As far as I was concerned, if I wanted to play a role playing, collecting game I would. I found the gameplay in Sims 3 to be very lacking, wondering around in the open world with it's rabbit holes....boring! The few community lots empty... total fail! So you see there are different ways of looking at everything.
Thank you for your courage mentioning this with the risk of people calling you a sock puppet (which is totally disrepectful). You're absolutely right to wonder why people who quit playing feel the need to complain about the game and spoil it for those who like it.
In my case it was an emotional thing. And I'm guilty at only pointing out things that I didn't like, while there certainly were aspects of the game I *did* like. For example I think clubrules added depth to the game.
In defence of the sock puppet caller, Mendota calls out people who are criticising the game frequently, in topics like this that are completely clear in their title where it comes to the content. Consistently entering topics like that to rebuke the OP and everyone reacting is as uncalled for afaic as entering a happy Sims 4 thread and spoil the party.
It feels odd reading these since TS3 was that for me - where I felt like I maybe wasn't into The Sims anymore. 🐸🐸🐸🐸 Store, linear world adventures, robotic sims, glitchiness to the point of unplayability or breaking saves, serious glitches that never got fixed by EA especially with WA and IP, glitched life aspirations, invisible sims... But I didn't feel like it was the end of the series, at one point I thought that maybe I'll like the next sims game more and years later it turns out I did.
I guess you didn't feel like it was the end of the series because too many people apparently didn't agree with you and the fact they kept overpricing and developing content for it indicated the game was very alive and kicking.
So where did it go wrong?
Well it feels a bit like the Sims went to plastic surgery for a younger look, but had to pay this with their soul.
The TS4 base game disappointed me quite a bit when it came out, and it wasn't because of no toddlers or loading screens, but because I couldn't really connect with my sims. I felt that no matter what trait combinations I gave them, they still acted all the same and had the same whims. I've gotten used to it now, but I still get the feeling that I have to play out their personalities for them, because they won't have any themselves.
And what's with this woohoo acceptance fist pump? This has to be the most annoying thing in the game to me, thankfully a mod came out to change this. Maybe it's just me, but to me, this is so childish and unromantic, I could hardly even look at it... I would have found it funny for the teens messing around, but for adult sims?
Then the EPs, GPs and SPs came around.
Some of them I really enjoyed, others were another disappointment for me. They added a lot of content to play with, and I do have fun playing the game, but I'm still not really getting attached to my sims. The game itself was just not getting better for me, no matter how many packs I installed.
So I thought, I'd wait what EP3 brings, because that's the first EP that has not been in development/planning before the base game came out. They really had a chance to work with community feedback for this one, and we had already gotten Dine Out, which I like - and I would like it even better if it didn't play as buggy for me.
And we got City Living. I love the city theme, the look of the world, the food carts, the festivals and the lot traits. But what I really wanted from this EP was to build my own apartments and put them into the other worlds as well. CL doesn't provide any of that, not even a limited version where we could place premade shells elsewhere, although apartments are supposed to be a main feature. The lot traits might have convinced me to still buy it, but some of them get patched into our games anyways, so I don't really need to buy the EP for that.
Seems like EP3 is once again not for me.
Or maybe the whole Sims 4 is not really for me.
I'll keep it installed, because I still love CAS and I get some fun out of the game, but I don't get addicted to it like I do with 2 and 3 (I never stopped playing those two) or even Minecraft - I can play this game for hours and hours, just like TS2 and 3.
If there's a pack that really speaks to me, I will buy it, but I won't buy all of them anymore, because there's just no point in doing this for me.
I'm a bit sad that the addiction-factor is not there for me in TS4, but thankfully, 2 and 3 will always be around.
--
Edit for typo
"Children of the night, Soldiers of our time
Scream it out loud, One generation
Riot in the streets, Fighting and debris
Raise your fist high, the Generation Wild!"
I am sorry that you have been disappointed in TS4, OP but I have been in a relationship with TS3 since 2009 and as of yet, I haven't broke up with it except for a quick muck around with the TS4 Free Trial which I thought as 'not being worth pursing anymore involvement as this time'
First off I totally agree with OP many of your remarks are the same ones that I feel.
On another topic though; when people say that the complaints for TS4 is the same as TS3 I don't really agree. Also do people complain about repetative animations? To me the sims in TS4 feel like they are all the same, they are usually happy(unless some trait make them angry or sad) and they all have the same wishes and stuffs. Don't really feel like the traits have much to do with their personality because they don't have alot of it. The most interesting thing I found when TS4 came out was the discussion about how you couldn't compare TS4 with the other games because it wasn't a sequal. Can't remember people saying the same when TS3 came out?? Also I don't think people got tired of how the sims was before TS4, I still think that ea wanted a new fanbase so they rebooted the series(even though they call it TS4).
I'm also hoping for a better TS5 although if TS4 don't improve I don't see how TS5 would change much. Luckily I can still play TS2 and 3 too bad they didn't give out a TS1 pack thingy like with TS2 so I could have played that too xD
I tried playing TS4 many different ways. I have always been a generational, rotational player. My sims have kids, those kids move out and have kids, and those kids move out and have kids, etc. I continue playing them all forever and ever. But TS4 just doesn't support this type of play. Originally, my sims were disappearing. Then they formed romances with sims they didn't even know. -like new romances, but I had to introduce them if I saw said sim around town. Then the walk bys that were kids who should be in school. Or the sims that should be at work. Finally my breaking point was the absolute disaster that is relationship culling. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if you don't jump around a lot, but I can jump between 12 different families in a single sim day. It just wasn't working for me to have to repair those relationships every single time in every single household. So I worked up my courage over a weekend and said goodbye to TS4.
One thing i can say, though...I never really liked TS3 during its run. I put up with it and still bought all of it, but I always wanted something better, more akin to TS2, but with open world. Well, TS4 was not it, but it made me appreciate everything about TS3 and see what a far superior game I had at my fingertips and took for granted. I recently started playing TS3 again and am having a blast. I also started playing TS2 again and am having more fun than ever. With CC, TS2 can be downright beautiful.
So there you have it. I think plenty of us "oldies" who were hanging on to a shred of hope, not willing to break off our emotionally abusive relationship are being to reach our limits. I tried having faith. I kept that game installed just in case. But I got to the point where I thought that the wasted space on my drive could serve a better purpose some other way.
I am sorry, OP. That must be heartbreaking. I can sort of understand some of your pain, since I'm getting a bit agitated myself.
Two years in, and I still don' feel satisfied. I'm not sure if it's me (since I didn't like Sims 3 that much in the past, either) and it's time for me to move on from the sims series, or if the company's just changing, and I just can't keep up...
I can only hope Sims 4 improves or that Sims 5 will be better (or there's competition from another developer)..
I loved playing Sims so I understand that it's so hard and frustrating when you can't enjoy the games. (This was me with Sims 3, and am starting to get there with Sims 4.)
I'm struggling with a similar conflict myself, as I feel sims 4 was okay/good, but it is not as engrossing as the older Sims games (even Sims 3, which I was not a big fan of, but still had some fun playing with it using mods). It feels like it's still missing so much.
However, I want a new Sims game to play with, so I'm trying to stick with it for a few more years, while still playing the older Sims games. Lots of ups and downs.
I'm still waiting for lots of content, so I'm still holding out hope...
I'm hoping there will be a future turnaround, like Dragon Age did after DAII (though DAO is still my all-time fave)...
Thank you for your interesting feedback to my original post.
First of all: yes I was over-dramatic.
But I genuinely felt pain when I uninstalled the game and I'm still analyzing for myself what it is that made me do that.
Especially this you said caught my eye:
In short, everything you're saying here can be applied to any Sims game. There's really nothing here that your describing, that cannot be said as valid criticism for any other game.
ESPECIALLY, when it comes to Animations. Seeing as The Sims 4 has the most Animation variance of any game, the previous games were especially more repetitive. Sure, The Sims 2 had extra animations here and there, but for the everyday stuff, The Sims 4 may have 4 animations for the same interaction. The Sims 2 and 3 will have one, two at most.
It sounds like, in all honesty, you're just tired of the The Sims formula. Which is understandable after 15 years.
(I'm sorry for not quoting the full post because it is very long).
I think it is true that previous Sims games also were a cycle of animations. But maybe they did a better job in creating an illusion that they weren't? Maybe it's the load screens that take the bubble of illusion away?
Maybe there are too many animations so you as a player feel less freedom (help, they are alive!)?
I'm not sure if it's true that I'm tired of the Sims Formula.
With every other game I play I keep wishing they were more like the Sims. But this might be because of being used to it for so long.
Maybe games like the Sims and Minecraft are like Lego. It is the toy that feels like you will never stop playing, but one day you grow over it and put it in the attic.
OP! I can understand and relate sort of...........
When I started playing, it was with Sims 3. I loved it because it was something new to me. (RPG and Final Fantasy Fan). I played for hours and hours for years and years, completely addicted. My favorite was teaching my teens to drive a car (Pretty accurate actually, teaching my real life daughter to drive it is scary lol). I sucked at making Sims though in 3 and was hoping four would improve this and was pretty excited about it. When Sims 4 came out, I played an hour and put the game away for a year. I guess you could say I was disappointed. I came to the forums around this time and decided I would try EP's and SP's and GP's to see if they would improve my game. There is just something missing and honestly I think you said a lot right with what I was missing in the game. It makes me sad because the Sims was my favorite game, I wanted to be 80 and still playing the Sims. Sadly I cannot get into four and Well my new computer doesn't like Sims 3 and hubby still isn't done building my new desk top.
To not go off topic to much. I started playing Sims 3. I heard people say sims 3 was shallow compared to sims 2. So I finally tried 2 and I seen exactly what they were talking about. I finally understood it and in my personal opinion it does appear with each new iteration they get lazy and take more and more away from the game.
My Favorite Quote: No matter how pretty you make something, if it doesn't have deep meaningful inside, it will be worth nothing.
I feel your pain. When i hear for this talking toilet i instantly start to think for... well, ea. Still, if you ignore and forget the past sims games, S4 its great experience.
I took your challenge and asked myself what I would have thought of Sims4 when I never played it before and experienced it for the first time.
I think I would have been blown away with excitement and cheering all of it.
And I might not have played it for years and years, but still for many hundreds of hours which is a good score for a game.
Maybe I would uninstall it after 2 years like I did now, but without all these strong emotions because there wasn't disappointed involved.
@jackjack_k Aren't you tired of this sort of thing by now? OP just wanted to post about their disappointment this game and how their love for the franchise made it hard to uninstall. They weren't asking for your opinion, or anyone's really. Yet you still found a reason to come in here and try to prove them wrong somehow. Unbelievable.
OP, I think you really hit the nail on the head. Well said.
@jackjack_k Aren't you tired of this sort of thing by now? OP just wanted to post about their disappointment this game and how their love for the franchise made it hard to uninstall. They weren't asking for your opinion, or anyone's really. Yet you still found a reason to come in here and try to prove them wrong somehow. Unbelievable.
OP, I think you really hit the nail on the head. Well said.
But...and this applies to everyone...this has to stop. And I literally mean stop.
Everyone and I emphasise everyone, has the right to an opinion. (Begs the question btw, why it moved from Feedback to GD). People also have the right to a different opinion, and so long as it is within the rules, a right to voice that opinion wherever they wish.
What a beautiful post. I haven't uninstalled, on the feign hope that EA will fix this game. But it's been 2 years, and all they've done is release more restrictions
@jackjack_k Aren't you tired of this sort of thing by now? OP just wanted to post about their disappointment this game and how their love for the franchise made it hard to uninstall. They weren't asking for your opinion, or anyone's really. Yet you still found a reason to come in here and try to prove them wrong somehow. Unbelievable.
OP, I think you really hit the nail on the head. Well said.
Maybe I did't make it clear enough in my last post but I truly appreciated jackjack's opinion. He had some good arguments and it helped me to analyze what I was feeling.
@jackjack_k Aren't you tired of this sort of thing by now? OP just wanted to post about their disappointment this game and how their love for the franchise made it hard to uninstall. They weren't asking for your opinion, or anyone's really. Yet you still found a reason to come in here and try to prove them wrong somehow. Unbelievable.
OP, I think you really hit the nail on the head. Well said.
But...and this applies to everyone...this has to stop. And I literally mean stop.
Everyone and I emphasise everyone, has the right to an opinion. (Begs the question btw, why it moved from Feedback to GD). People also have the right to a different opinion, and so long as it is within the rules, a right to voice that opinion wherever they wish.
I think you are doing the right thing by shelving it and attempting to walk away from those bad feelings and focus on a new game (for you). Minecraft is great I played it for many years myself, still have it installed and sometimes still load it up... very infrequently now but it's there still.
I had many of these feelings when I bought and didn't enjoy Sims 3 and moving on was a good thing for me emotionally. I was in a situation where free time was not easy to come by and I think it made it easier to let it go for me. I like to be happy and look at the bright side of things so I shed it.. time was too precious not too. I don't think cycling dissatisfaction is good for anyone and if you can let it go you'll be healthier for it.
I think the sims is one of those games that's more than surface play and it's hard to release. We get involved in the creation process and love the lives we create.. or use them as punching bags if need be. I don't feel the same way about any other game series so I know it's hard to let go. Good luck letting go.
But that's no reason to completely give up on the sims.
I still play Sims3 sometimes, I totally love to achieve a basement full of tiberium, using transfiguration with collectables and perfect aged nectar. And then tinkering for hours with cast for a perfect display. And all of this was already possible with the first EP.
I might be interested in a new generation when there is some grinding for survival involved.
But I learned my lesson and will not buy it at once, I must be really convinced before I commit again.
I know the feeling but I already got it, when the Sims 3 was completely ruined and never got properly patched. After the big disappointment The Sims 3 Island Paradise was for me, also been playing since the early Sims 1 days, I was about to give up, and I had learned my lesson. so I waited for several months before I thought W T.... and bought the Sims 4 base game and Outdoor Retreat. I had in mind that the developers had said: This is a whole NEW way of playing the Sims, and after being a bit disappointed with the small surroundings in Willow Creek, I fell in love with the game. The Sims 4 has convinced me by a much better and faster gameplay, a very wonderful graphic all over and sims so full of fun, feelings and soul. I could never wish for anything better. Now I am so happy playing that I never was before.
I felt the same way with 3. Unfortunately, 4 was worse. So much that I now enjoy 3. To each their own.
Thanks OP for summing it up. I have nothing to add other than to say thanks for taking the time to explain how many of us feel.
It's nice to see community members who care enough about this franchise to step up and explain where the issues are.
Dissatisfied with Sims 4 and hoping for a better Sims 5
Thank you for your interesting feedback to my original post.
First of all: yes I was over-dramatic.
But I genuinely felt pain when I uninstalled the game and I'm still analyzing for myself what it is that made me do that.
Especially this you said caught my eye:
In short, everything you're saying here can be applied to any Sims game. There's really nothing here that your describing, that cannot be said as valid criticism for any other game.
ESPECIALLY, when it comes to Animations. Seeing as The Sims 4 has the most Animation variance of any game, the previous games were especially more repetitive. Sure, The Sims 2 had extra animations here and there, but for the everyday stuff, The Sims 4 may have 4 animations for the same interaction. The Sims 2 and 3 will have one, two at most.
It sounds like, in all honesty, you're just tired of the The Sims formula. Which is understandable after 15 years.
(I'm sorry for not quoting the full post because it is very long).
I think it is true that previous Sims games also were a cycle of animations. But maybe they did a better job in creating an illusion that they weren't? Maybe it's the load screens that take the bubble of illusion away?
Maybe there are too many animations so you as a player feel less freedom (help, they are alive!)?
I'm not sure if it's true that I'm tired of the Sims Formula.
With every other game I play I keep wishing they were more like the Sims. But this might be because of being used to it for so long.
Maybe games like the Sims and Minecraft are like Lego. It is the toy that feels like you will never stop playing, but one day you grow over it and put it in the attic.
In some ways. I think The Sims 2, had the most "detailed" animations most of the time. But they were repetitive.
I guess you kind of get used to them, which then you don't notice they happen.
If Animations are done well, they never get old.
For me, The Sims 3 was more noticeable because of how stiff most of them were. Especially the way they walk, sit, stand, eat.
I think if The Sims 5 decides to change it up, and offer something groundbreaking, you'll like it.
The Sims 4 stays to close to the original formula, but recreates it.
Sort of like, when they remake an old movie. Most people who grew up with the old movie, either dislike it, or can appreciate it. But won't consider it as good as the original.
Yet, a Sequel (whether it's a direct sequel, or in-direct), usually garners good attention if it's well made.
The Sims 4 is more a remake of the idea of The Sims. Rather than trying to be a sequel. They announced 4 as a "back to roots" game rather than the "sequel to The Sims 3".
I think the main purpose of this game was to re-establish "The Sims" concept to a new generation. Hence, it being more of a remake. Less of a sequel of the original.
I still think it's a case of being tired of the same formula (since 4 just recreates it).
I think if The Sims 5 adds to the formula rather than try to recreate it, you'll enjoy it.
@jackjack_k Aren't you tired of this sort of thing by now? OP just wanted to post about their disappointment this game and how their love for the franchise made it hard to uninstall. They weren't asking for your opinion, or anyone's really. Yet you still found a reason to come in here and try to prove them wrong somehow. Unbelievable.
OP, I think you really hit the nail on the head. Well said.
Not trying to prove them wrong at all. I just said what was criticised could be said about any of the 4 games, and the OP may just be tired of getting it a 4th time.
It's no secret that The Sims 4 base game didn't shake new ground. It was a base game that remade certain aspects of each of the 3 games, and packaged them in one. CAS & Build Mode being the only re-invention. Emotion based gameplay was a first for The Sims on PC, but console players had them in The Sims 2, The Sims 2 Pets and The Sims 2 Castaway.
Think back to pre-launch. Apart from the "first look" trailer, the first official gameplay trailer was CAS. Second was Build Mode. Third was Live Mode.
Thank you for your interesting feedback to my original post.
First of all: yes I was over-dramatic.
But I genuinely felt pain when I uninstalled the game and I'm still analyzing for myself what it is that made me do that.
Especially this you said caught my eye:
In short, everything you're saying here can be applied to any Sims game. There's really nothing here that your describing, that cannot be said as valid criticism for any other game.
ESPECIALLY, when it comes to Animations. Seeing as The Sims 4 has the most Animation variance of any game, the previous games were especially more repetitive. Sure, The Sims 2 had extra animations here and there, but for the everyday stuff, The Sims 4 may have 4 animations for the same interaction. The Sims 2 and 3 will have one, two at most.
It sounds like, in all honesty, you're just tired of the The Sims formula. Which is understandable after 15 years.
(I'm sorry for not quoting the full post because it is very long).
I think it is true that previous Sims games also were a cycle of animations. But maybe they did a better job in creating an illusion that they weren't? Maybe it's the load screens that take the bubble of illusion away?
Maybe there are too many animations so you as a player feel less freedom (help, they are alive!)?
I'm not sure if it's true that I'm tired of the Sims Formula.
With every other game I play I keep wishing they were more like the Sims. But this might be because of being used to it for so long.
Maybe games like the Sims and Minecraft are like Lego. It is the toy that feels like you will never stop playing, but one day you grow over it and put it in the attic.
I don't even think Sims 4 has the most animation variety, I wonder what people are basing that on when I don't see that at all when I'm playing. I believe it's based on a statement of one of the gurus the game has the most animations or something like that? I don't know what they meant by that, I see a lot more variety in Sims 2 and 3.
I've been with The Sims since the very beginning and the Sims 4 is the fist game that I have not bought the day it came out. Everytime I think about buying the game I only need to read the reviews and see how disappointed everyone is to make me rethink the decision.
Sims 3 has been my favorite version of the sims for it's open world and lots of things to do. With the mods that I've used for the game there is no end to the things I can do with the game and the stories I can create. From what I've read the Sims 4 lacks this big time. For the Sims 4 I feel I would HAVE to find mods to make the game more playable whereas for the Sims 3 the mods were just bonuses but not necessary. Twallen isn't even making mods for the Sims 4 so it's not like I would have access to my favorite mods for the game.
Open for Business was my favorite expansions pack and I was excited to see they were creating an expansion back like that one with Get to Work. I thought, "This is what's going to make me get the Sims 4!" but then I read the reviews from other players and decided that it wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be. My cousin bought the Sims 4 (as the Sims 3 never worked on her computer) and she says it's only okay.
I'm sad that I won't be continuing with the future installments of the Sims. Even if they did come out with something really cool that made buying the Sims 4 worth it, I would have to spend so much money buying the other expansion and stuff packs to bring the game up to snuff (due to the base game being so stripped) that I probably will just never buy sims 4 unless it is HEAVILY discounted (I'm talking like, $20 for the base game and following expansions and $10 for the stuff packs).
Comments
Especially this part sums up how I often feel:
The TS4 base game disappointed me quite a bit when it came out, and it wasn't because of no toddlers or loading screens, but because I couldn't really connect with my sims. I felt that no matter what trait combinations I gave them, they still acted all the same and had the same whims. I've gotten used to it now, but I still get the feeling that I have to play out their personalities for them, because they won't have any themselves.
And what's with this woohoo acceptance fist pump? This has to be the most annoying thing in the game to me, thankfully a mod came out to change this. Maybe it's just me, but to me, this is so childish and unromantic, I could hardly even look at it... I would have found it funny for the teens messing around, but for adult sims?
Then the EPs, GPs and SPs came around.
Some of them I really enjoyed, others were another disappointment for me. They added a lot of content to play with, and I do have fun playing the game, but I'm still not really getting attached to my sims. The game itself was just not getting better for me, no matter how many packs I installed.
So I thought, I'd wait what EP3 brings, because that's the first EP that has not been in development/planning before the base game came out. They really had a chance to work with community feedback for this one, and we had already gotten Dine Out, which I like - and I would like it even better if it didn't play as buggy for me.
And we got City Living. I love the city theme, the look of the world, the food carts, the festivals and the lot traits. But what I really wanted from this EP was to build my own apartments and put them into the other worlds as well. CL doesn't provide any of that, not even a limited version where we could place premade shells elsewhere, although apartments are supposed to be a main feature. The lot traits might have convinced me to still buy it, but some of them get patched into our games anyways, so I don't really need to buy the EP for that.
Seems like EP3 is once again not for me.
Or maybe the whole Sims 4 is not really for me.
I'll keep it installed, because I still love CAS and I get some fun out of the game, but I don't get addicted to it like I do with 2 and 3 (I never stopped playing those two) or even Minecraft - I can play this game for hours and hours, just like TS2 and 3.
If there's a pack that really speaks to me, I will buy it, but I won't buy all of them anymore, because there's just no point in doing this for me.
I'm a bit sad that the addiction-factor is not there for me in TS4, but thankfully, 2 and 3 will always be around.
--
Edit for typo
Scream it out loud, One generation
Riot in the streets, Fighting and debris
Raise your fist high, the Generation Wild!"
On another topic though; when people say that the complaints for TS4 is the same as TS3 I don't really agree. Also do people complain about repetative animations? To me the sims in TS4 feel like they are all the same, they are usually happy(unless some trait make them angry or sad) and they all have the same wishes and stuffs. Don't really feel like the traits have much to do with their personality because they don't have alot of it. The most interesting thing I found when TS4 came out was the discussion about how you couldn't compare TS4 with the other games because it wasn't a sequal. Can't remember people saying the same when TS3 came out?? Also I don't think people got tired of how the sims was before TS4, I still think that ea wanted a new fanbase so they rebooted the series(even though they call it TS4).
I'm also hoping for a better TS5 although if TS4 don't improve I don't see how TS5 would change much. Luckily I can still play TS2 and 3
I tried playing TS4 many different ways. I have always been a generational, rotational player. My sims have kids, those kids move out and have kids, and those kids move out and have kids, etc. I continue playing them all forever and ever. But TS4 just doesn't support this type of play. Originally, my sims were disappearing. Then they formed romances with sims they didn't even know. -like new romances, but I had to introduce them if I saw said sim around town. Then the walk bys that were kids who should be in school. Or the sims that should be at work. Finally my breaking point was the absolute disaster that is relationship culling. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if you don't jump around a lot, but I can jump between 12 different families in a single sim day. It just wasn't working for me to have to repair those relationships every single time in every single household. So I worked up my courage over a weekend and said goodbye to TS4.
One thing i can say, though...I never really liked TS3 during its run. I put up with it and still bought all of it, but I always wanted something better, more akin to TS2, but with open world. Well, TS4 was not it, but it made me appreciate everything about TS3 and see what a far superior game I had at my fingertips and took for granted. I recently started playing TS3 again and am having a blast. I also started playing TS2 again and am having more fun than ever. With CC, TS2 can be downright beautiful.
So there you have it. I think plenty of us "oldies" who were hanging on to a shred of hope, not willing to break off our emotionally abusive relationship are being to reach our limits. I tried having faith. I kept that game installed just in case. But I got to the point where I thought that the wasted space on my drive could serve a better purpose some other way.
Two years in, and I still don' feel satisfied. I'm not sure if it's me (since I didn't like Sims 3 that much in the past, either) and it's time for me to move on from the sims series, or if the company's just changing, and I just can't keep up...
I can only hope Sims 4 improves or that Sims 5 will be better (or there's competition from another developer)..
I loved playing Sims so I understand that it's so hard and frustrating when you can't enjoy the games. (This was me with Sims 3, and am starting to get there with Sims 4.)
I'm struggling with a similar conflict myself, as I feel sims 4 was okay/good, but it is not as engrossing as the older Sims games (even Sims 3, which I was not a big fan of, but still had some fun playing with it using mods). It feels like it's still missing so much.
However, I want a new Sims game to play with, so I'm trying to stick with it for a few more years, while still playing the older Sims games. Lots of ups and downs.
I'm still waiting for lots of content, so I'm still holding out hope...
I'm hoping there will be a future turnaround, like Dragon Age did after DAII (though DAO is still my all-time fave)...
(She/her)
Thank you for your interesting feedback to my original post.
First of all: yes I was over-dramatic.
But I genuinely felt pain when I uninstalled the game and I'm still analyzing for myself what it is that made me do that.
Especially this you said caught my eye:
(I'm sorry for not quoting the full post because it is very long).
I think it is true that previous Sims games also were a cycle of animations. But maybe they did a better job in creating an illusion that they weren't? Maybe it's the load screens that take the bubble of illusion away?
Maybe there are too many animations so you as a player feel less freedom (help, they are alive!)?
I'm not sure if it's true that I'm tired of the Sims Formula.
With every other game I play I keep wishing they were more like the Sims. But this might be because of being used to it for so long.
Maybe games like the Sims and Minecraft are like Lego. It is the toy that feels like you will never stop playing, but one day you grow over it and put it in the attic.
When I started playing, it was with Sims 3. I loved it because it was something new to me. (RPG and Final Fantasy Fan). I played for hours and hours for years and years, completely addicted. My favorite was teaching my teens to drive a car (Pretty accurate actually, teaching my real life daughter to drive it is scary lol). I sucked at making Sims though in 3 and was hoping four would improve this and was pretty excited about it. When Sims 4 came out, I played an hour and put the game away for a year. I guess you could say I was disappointed. I came to the forums around this time and decided I would try EP's and SP's and GP's to see if they would improve my game. There is just something missing and honestly I think you said a lot right with what I was missing in the game. It makes me sad because the Sims was my favorite game, I wanted to be 80 and still playing the Sims. Sadly I cannot get into four and Well my new computer doesn't like Sims 3 and hubby still isn't done building my new desk top.
To not go off topic to much. I started playing Sims 3. I heard people say sims 3 was shallow compared to sims 2. So I finally tried 2 and I seen exactly what they were talking about. I finally understood it and in my personal opinion it does appear with each new iteration they get lazy and take more and more away from the game.
My Favorite Quote: No matter how pretty you make something, if it doesn't have deep meaningful inside, it will be worth nothing.
OP I'm sorry the game did not live up to your expectations.
I took your challenge and asked myself what I would have thought of Sims4 when I never played it before and experienced it for the first time.
I think I would have been blown away with excitement and cheering all of it.
And I might not have played it for years and years, but still for many hundreds of hours which is a good score for a game.
Maybe I would uninstall it after 2 years like I did now, but without all these strong emotions because there wasn't disappointed involved.
OP, I think you really hit the nail on the head. Well said.
But...and this applies to everyone...this has to stop. And I literally mean stop.
Everyone and I emphasise everyone, has the right to an opinion. (Begs the question btw, why it moved from Feedback to GD). People also have the right to a different opinion, and so long as it is within the rules, a right to voice that opinion wherever they wish.
Nobody has the right to tell anybody to go away.
@xitneverendss cc @jackjack_k
Maybe I did't make it clear enough in my last post but I truly appreciated jackjack's opinion. He had some good arguments and it helped me to analyze what I was feeling.
Who was telling anyone to go away though?
I had many of these feelings when I bought and didn't enjoy Sims 3 and moving on was a good thing for me emotionally. I was in a situation where free time was not easy to come by and I think it made it easier to let it go for me. I like to be happy and look at the bright side of things so I shed it.. time was too precious not too. I don't think cycling dissatisfaction is good for anyone and if you can let it go you'll be healthier for it.
I think the sims is one of those games that's more than surface play and it's hard to release. We get involved in the creation process and love the lives we create.. or use them as punching bags if need be. I don't feel the same way about any other game series so I know it's hard to let go. Good luck letting go.
I felt the same way with 3. Unfortunately, 4 was worse. So much that I now enjoy 3. To each their own.
Thanks OP for summing it up. I have nothing to add other than to say thanks for taking the time to explain how many of us feel.
It's nice to see community members who care enough about this franchise to step up and explain where the issues are.
In some ways. I think The Sims 2, had the most "detailed" animations most of the time. But they were repetitive.
I guess you kind of get used to them, which then you don't notice they happen.
If Animations are done well, they never get old.
For me, The Sims 3 was more noticeable because of how stiff most of them were. Especially the way they walk, sit, stand, eat.
I think if The Sims 5 decides to change it up, and offer something groundbreaking, you'll like it.
The Sims 4 stays to close to the original formula, but recreates it.
Sort of like, when they remake an old movie. Most people who grew up with the old movie, either dislike it, or can appreciate it. But won't consider it as good as the original.
Yet, a Sequel (whether it's a direct sequel, or in-direct), usually garners good attention if it's well made.
The Sims 4 is more a remake of the idea of The Sims. Rather than trying to be a sequel. They announced 4 as a "back to roots" game rather than the "sequel to The Sims 3".
I think the main purpose of this game was to re-establish "The Sims" concept to a new generation. Hence, it being more of a remake. Less of a sequel of the original.
I still think it's a case of being tired of the same formula (since 4 just recreates it).
I think if The Sims 5 adds to the formula rather than try to recreate it, you'll enjoy it.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
Not trying to prove them wrong at all. I just said what was criticised could be said about any of the 4 games, and the OP may just be tired of getting it a 4th time.
It's no secret that The Sims 4 base game didn't shake new ground. It was a base game that remade certain aspects of each of the 3 games, and packaged them in one. CAS & Build Mode being the only re-invention. Emotion based gameplay was a first for The Sims on PC, but console players had them in The Sims 2, The Sims 2 Pets and The Sims 2 Castaway.
Think back to pre-launch. Apart from the "first look" trailer, the first official gameplay trailer was CAS. Second was Build Mode. Third was Live Mode.
Insta: https://instagram.com/jkarajs?igshid=oef2ymrand3g
But you'd think I'm exactly their target audience at the age of 17. Almost none of my friends bought the game and I now know why.
Sims 3 has been my favorite version of the sims for it's open world and lots of things to do. With the mods that I've used for the game there is no end to the things I can do with the game and the stories I can create. From what I've read the Sims 4 lacks this big time. For the Sims 4 I feel I would HAVE to find mods to make the game more playable whereas for the Sims 3 the mods were just bonuses but not necessary. Twallen isn't even making mods for the Sims 4 so it's not like I would have access to my favorite mods for the game.
Open for Business was my favorite expansions pack and I was excited to see they were creating an expansion back like that one with Get to Work. I thought, "This is what's going to make me get the Sims 4!" but then I read the reviews from other players and decided that it wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be. My cousin bought the Sims 4 (as the Sims 3 never worked on her computer) and she says it's only okay.
I'm sad that I won't be continuing with the future installments of the Sims. Even if they did come out with something really cool that made buying the Sims 4 worth it, I would have to spend so much money buying the other expansion and stuff packs to bring the game up to snuff (due to the base game being so stripped) that I probably will just never buy sims 4 unless it is HEAVILY discounted (I'm talking like, $20 for the base game and following expansions and $10 for the stuff packs).
Such a shame.