I think it's a matter of taste, really. I didn't play the Urbz, but I watched part of your video. I don't like the way it looks at all. Maybe if I had played and had fond, nostalgic memories of it I'd think it still looked ageless and timeless -- but looking at it from my perspective it really looks bad.
Sims 2 looks fine to me to this day. Not like old milk at all, lol.
There’s no Nostalgia for me at all. Just saying that with some fine tuning it pretty much resembles games with similar artstyles today.
It actually looks very similar to City Living.
Not talking about whether it looks good or not (I personally find it too stylised for my taste) but it’s aged really well.
The Sims 2 on the other hand, looks its age. It looks straight out of 2004, and a remaster in HD wouldn’t change that fact.
Point is, there are games that are current now, that still use The Sims 4 artsyle (like Fortnite) which is why the game won’t age anywhere near as fast.
It’s like how Toy Story was from the 90’s but no one would ever look at it now and think “oh this feels stuck in the 90’s” it’s effectuvely timeless.
I really don't need more packs, EPs or SPs. This game has been a mess since the beginning due to the change from an online game to an offline one in a rush.
This game is boring, not very well designed, childish, lacking humour and sarcasm. This is the fourth iteration of the game and should be much better. Instead we get a 2.5 iteration. They should already know what people want and what we don't. It's been quite a numer of years with The Sims for them to know.
I'm still playing S3 waiting for The Sims 5.
Sorry, it is my humble opinion.
Then you're going to be waiting some time, my hopeful friend. I've given my opinion on a Sims 5 and it is that there probably won't be one, partly because of all the consoles Sims 4 is being ported to. Now THAT is how you get more customers. And the X-box is yet to finish getting up to date on DLC, during which more DLC is being made for the PC version...
What we want or need is irrellevant - to EA, anyway. They're making more money from Packs than they would if they set up a whole new team for Sims 5. It's true that graphics are more realistic than ever, but those same graphics are expensive and incredibly rough on your system requirements. The graphics of Sims 4 are simple, but ageless.
Think you’re confusing graphics and art style there? Graphics are graphics (in some ways superior in TS4, in some ways painfully clumsy), art style is personal taste. Nothing ‘ageless’ about it.
Eh, I have to disagree. A lot of game’s that go the Pixar style route are ageless.
The Sims 2 aged like milk because they tried to mix too much realism within a cartoon environment.
By comparison, the Urbz, which came out a month after the Sims 2, has aged much better and looks incredible in HD.
The Sims 4 can be pushed for a lot longer than 2 & 3, simply because it’s not being compared to realism, which 2 & 3 tried to dabble in.
We’ll have to agree to disagree then That’s quite alright. I think it’s real hard to be able to judge if something will age anyway when it’s still happening. Going pixar is not a guarantee it won’t age. And apart from that, aging can turn into vintage and people love that. They even create games using that concept.
isn't mainstream appeal a good thing I mean their trying to make money not be really cool and hipster like
I think mainstream can be either a fine thing or a not fine thing. Like really cool and hipster can be a fine thing or a not so fine thing. It depends. For me the most important thing in this game is realism to some extent (like, I want there to be things in my houses that are clearly wood, or metal, or fabric, or plastic, I don't want everything to look like Fimo clay) and sims with unique and human appearances, but not in a photorealistic way. I do like a somewhat stylized art style for this franchise.
isn't mainstream appeal a good thing I mean their trying to make money not be really cool and hipster like
I don't necessarily disagree with the money part, but mainstream appeal these days means watering and dumbing down things to make everyone and their grandma able to understand and play it. It means taking out anything that might just rub anyone the wrong way a.k.a. making things so safe that you don't get decent entertainment out of it because it can't challenge you emotionally or mentally.
And especially for games that's a huge issue because games are supposed to be a challenge. Of course not every game has to be a Dark Souls, but we play games ( not just video games ) to overcome challenges ( big or small ) and feel good about it.
What does this have to do with art style you ask ? Well if everything already looks like a very family friendly and safe environment for your 3yr old, then chances are you're not gonna find any challenge in the content. The visuals support the narrative they're trying to tell.
Quirky/"weird" style = mainly humerous, exaggeration of life, might fail at delivering a serious atmosphere
Overly realistic style = serious tone, something out of real life, might try too hard if the rest of the product doesn't support it
dark, desaturated color palettes = sad, creepy, etc.
bright, colorful color palettes = cheerful, upbeat, etc.
Of course there's exceptions to this, people use these principles to reflect the change of tone in the story or highlight a particular moment all the time. That doesn't make them perfect but it makes them more believable for the audience.
I think everyone here can see that TS4's visuals pretty much stay on the cheerful happy oversatured side for about 90% of the game unless you enter Forgotten Hollow and that was a narrative decision because TS4's vampires were supposed to be a ( mostly ) serious version of these creatures.
Personally I'd like to see them strike a good middle ground because that's what The Sims is about for me. You can have heartbreaking slice of life stories, you can have over the top silliness, you can have fantasy, you can have realism. Or you can combine it all. But for that to be possible the current Sims style would definitely have to change. The gameplay and what you're trying to tell with it influence the game's visuals and vice versa.
I think you have a lot of good points and I agree with these general principles.
I'd like to chime in that I think a great example of having that balance between quirky/funny and dark/realistic, can be found in Anime. I'm not saying that I think the devs should go and design the next Sims game in Anime style, but they could use to take some of the flavors of creative balance from that genre. I'll use Black Butler as an example:
Black Butler is a well known and much loved anime that is basically about a demon who offers his loyalty in exchange for the soul of a very young (13 year old), influential noble who seeks to avenge his family's death, and the demon serves as his master's butler. The premise sounds silly and lighthearted, and there are certainly many funny and ridiculous moments throughout the series, but it also has its fair share of moments where it gets so dark and creepy that it borders on horror. Its episodes can contain serial killers and creepy animated dolls, but then suddenly turn about and have the butler cuddling a cat and gushing over how "perfect" a creature it is. The series is a very strange and interesting journey, but it doesn't limit itself to the confines of a genre; instead, keeping itself open to a variety of story opportunities in each episode.
I'll also point out that this show is rated TV14, which is very close to the same target age group as Sims 4 (and has a very strong female following), but it doesn't compromise itself by babying its audience. So when we hear the excuse that the devs are trying to stay within the ESRB rating, I just have difficulty accepting that.
I guess my point is that we can have a stylized art that generally lightens the mood, but it is still no excuse for dumbing down the darker aspects of life, like fear, calamity, death, or crime. In fact, I feel that because the art style is more "cartoony", it should give leeway to be able to put more of those things into the game without having to coat it with silliness, and it still wouldn't risk being too horribly realistic. Just look at how Vampires came out.
I sometimes wonder if it's actually the Disney influence over EA that is destroying the Sims as we knew and loved it.
@Yoko2112 Well said. I’d like to add, concerning “quirky/weird, mainly humerous, exaggeration of life, might fail at delivering a serious atmosphere”: for me the difference in that respect between Sims 1&2 and Sims 4 (leaving out 3 because the approach is more serious in that game, which is why it feels like the odd one out for many) is striking. In 1 and 2 the quirky part supports darkness, because it’s sharp and the starting point is human behaviour. In Sims 4 the starting point is not human behaviour, it’s being silly, weird, funny, clowny. An example for this is the way highly skilled sims cook. In all the games (also 3 in this case) they show their expertise by showing off. In 2 and 3 (don’t know what it looks like in 1) this showing off stays loyal to what they’re doing: cooking. In Sims 4 it rather looks as if they’ve become jugglers in the circus, it doesn’t look like cooking anymore (same with mixing drinks, what on earth are they doing). For me that’s where it goes wrong. It’s not exaggerating human behaviour anymore, it’s overdoing it, trying too hard, and by doing that missing the mark (as far as I’m concerned, obviously).
When I play Sims 2 (didn’t know the game, first played it when I got the UC) it strikes me how the quirkiness in fact is highlighting human behaviour, using it as a tool in order to be able to go very dark and still have a laugh about it. Which is essential I think for this franchise the way we know it.
isn't mainstream appeal a good thing I mean their trying to make money not be really cool and hipster like
I don't necessarily disagree with the money part, but mainstream appeal these days means watering and dumbing down things to make everyone and their grandma able to understand and play it. It means taking out anything that might just rub anyone the wrong way a.k.a. making things so safe that you don't get decent entertainment out of it because it can't challenge you emotionally or mentally.
And especially for games that's a huge issue because games are supposed to be a challenge. Of course not every game has to be a Dark Souls, but we play games ( not just video games ) to overcome challenges ( big or small ) and feel good about it.
What does this have to do with art style you ask ? Well if everything already looks like a very family friendly and safe environment for your 3yr old, then chances are you're not gonna find any challenge in the content. The visuals support the narrative they're trying to tell.
Quirky/"weird" style = mainly humerous, exaggeration of life, might fail at delivering a serious atmosphere
Overly realistic style = serious tone, something out of real life, might try too hard if the rest of the product doesn't support it
dark, desaturated color palettes = sad, creepy, etc.
bright, colorful color palettes = cheerful, upbeat, etc.
Of course there's exceptions to this, people use these principles to reflect the change of tone in the story or highlight a particular moment all the time. That doesn't make them perfect but it makes them more believable for the audience.
I think everyone here can see that TS4's visuals pretty much stay on the cheerful happy oversatured side for about 90% of the game unless you enter Forgotten Hollow and that was a narrative decision because TS4's vampires were supposed to be a ( mostly ) serious version of these creatures.
Personally I'd like to see them strike a good middle ground because that's what The Sims is about for me. You can have heartbreaking slice of life stories, you can have over the top silliness, you can have fantasy, you can have realism. Or you can combine it all. But for that to be possible the current Sims style would definitely have to change. The gameplay and what you're trying to tell with it influence the game's visuals and vice versa.
I think you have a lot of good points and I agree with these general principles.
I'd like to chime in that I think a great example of having that balance between quirky/funny and dark/realistic, can be found in Anime. I'm not saying that I think the devs should go and design the next Sims game in Anime style, but they could use to take some of the flavors of creative balance from that genre. I'll use Black Butler as an example:
Black Butler is a well known and much loved anime that is basically about a demon who offers his loyalty in exchange for the soul of a very young (13 year old), influential noble who seeks to avenge his family's death, and the demon serves as his master's butler. The premise sounds silly and lighthearted, and there are certainly many funny and ridiculous moments throughout the series, but it also has its fair share of moments where it gets so dark and creepy that it borders on horror. Its episodes can contain serial killers and creepy animated dolls, but then suddenly turn about and have the butler cuddling a cat and gushing over how "perfect" a creature it is. The series is a very strange and interesting journey, but it doesn't limit itself to the confines of a genre; instead, keeping itself open to a variety of story opportunities in each episode.
I'll also point out that this show is rated TV14, which is very close to the same target age group as Sims 4 (and has a very strong female following), but it doesn't compromise itself by babying its audience. So when we hear the excuse that the devs are trying to stay within the ESRB rating, I just have difficulty accepting that.
I guess my point is that we can have a stylized art that generally lightens the mood, but it is still no excuse for dumbing down the darker aspects of life, like fear, calamity, death, or crime. In fact, I feel that because the art style is more "cartoony", it should give leeway to be able to put more of those things into the game without having to coat it with silliness, and it still wouldn't risk being too horribly realistic. Just look at how Vampires came out.
I sometimes wonder if it's actually the Disney influence over EA that is destroying the Sims as we knew and loved it.
I think they should have room to do things as well even even clue has murder and its for nine yearolds
I think the reason they have to be so careful is because sims 4 is world wide and the ratings are different in other places
the rating system in Australia was really bad a few years ago they band a painting game because it had graffiti art
I hope sims 4 last longer and they give them the freedom that the other sims games have
Very worried to read pets is the biggest one
And the possibility of more stuff packs
What about expansion packs?
Cats&dogs was pretty small.
Does that mean we won't be getting any new big packs.
Run out of ideas for big expansion packs already?
Very worried to read pets is the biggest one
And the possibility of more stuff packs
What about expansion packs?
Cats&dogs was pretty small.
Does that mean we won't be getting any new big packs.
Run out of ideas for big expansion packs already?
I honestly think they mean big on a technical term. To be fair making 2 new lifeform of animations is the biggest they’ve done.
Very worried to read pets is the biggest one
And the possibility of more stuff packs
What about expansion packs?
Cats&dogs was pretty small.
Does that mean we won't be getting any new big packs.
Run out of ideas for big expansion packs already?
I honestly think they mean big on a technical term. To be fair making 2 new lifeform of animations is the biggest they’ve done.
There weren't many items in C&D (and we saw why when they brought out MFP) but the actual pet programming was HUGE. Plus we got a very pretty world for it.
And there's no way they're out of ideas.
Prepping a list of mods to add after Infants are placed into the game. Because real life isn't 'nice'.
Very worried to read pets is the biggest one
And the possibility of more stuff packs
What about expansion packs?
Cats&dogs was pretty small.
Does that mean we won't be getting any new big packs.
Run out of ideas for big expansion packs already?
I honestly think they mean big on a technical term. To be fair making 2 new lifeform of animations is the biggest they’ve done.
If you’re happy with 10 game packs, 8 EP’s and TWENTY FOUR stuff packs, you’re nuts.
I hope it ends ASAP and somebody, ANYBODY, makes a real sims game. I’m quite happy to forget TS4 entirely.
—T
After Seasons and a Tropial Vacation Destination I think I'll be ready for TS5. Hopefully no lifestates are left out of the base game.
TS5 must be realistic, if it's released in 2020 or 2021 as predicted then it'll be ridiculous if it's cartoony style, by that time technology will much more advanced and they don't have to keep coping with people with older PCs, they can still play older Sims..
TS5 must be like TS3 but with better graphics and much better animation (TS3 animations were very robotics and horrible even with smoother animation on)
There is a difference between Art Style and Graphics. The sims was always meant to be cartoony and whimsical, the more realistic graphics we get the creepier it gets. If sims 5 suddenly got GTA styled graphics or something then that's the day I quit the sims series.
If you’re happy with 10 game packs, 8 EP’s and TWENTY FOUR stuff packs, you’re nuts.
I hope it ends ASAP and somebody, ANYBODY, makes a real sims game. I’m quite happy to forget TS4 entirely.
—T
After Seasons and a Tropial Vacation Destination I think I'll be ready for TS5. Hopefully no lifestates are left out of the base game.
TS5 must be realistic, if it's released in 2020 or 2021 as predicted then it'll be ridiculous if it's cartoony style, by that time technology will much more advanced and they don't have to keep coping with people with older PCs, they can still play older Sims..
TS5 must be like TS3 but with better graphics and much better animation (TS3 animations were very robotics and horrible even with smoother animation on)
Can you provide an example of what you mean by realistic?
By realistic I mean kinda like this:
I apologize if the male sim looks way too realistic he's actually kind of cartoony but the well defined beard makes him look weird to be in Sims however I didn't find better picture for the male..
Notice the girl pic isn't too realistic as might you've expected as I know too much realistic Sims looking like mass effect 3 characters for ex, will look kinda weird but that doesn't mean we can't have more realistic looking Sims
I think Sims 4 sims are better looking than Sims 3 sims, i love the well defined muscles and abs..
In TS3 males hardly even had plum, but I think hair textures in TS3 were much better
I want Sims 4 Sims with TS3 hair not a big tree leaf on their head
Way too realistic. No thanks. You complained about ts3 sims being robotic looking and there's a reason for that. The more realistic the artstyles are then the more realistic the animations have to be to compensate and not make them look super robotic.
Cartoony sims are easier to make feel alive. The photos you posted are way too much for me.
I like that there will be more, I personally don't want a new Sims game yet... I'd be willing to wait 10 more years if it meant they fully finished and fleshed out Sims 4. I want more content, more expansions, and just overall more potential gameplay! What they have thus far is great but you can't go wrong with more! I enjoy Sims 4, and even if I can't afford all the expansions at the moment I'm hoping to eventually complete my collection.
Hello! My name is KittHaven, or Kitt, and I have played the Sims 4 for quite a while. Maybe I'll think of something worthwhile to put here one day...
If you’re happy with 10 game packs, 8 EP’s and TWENTY FOUR stuff packs, you’re nuts.
I hope it ends ASAP and somebody, ANYBODY, makes a real sims game. I’m quite happy to forget TS4 entirely.
—T
After Seasons and a Tropial Vacation Destination I think I'll be ready for TS5. Hopefully no lifestates are left out of the base game.
TS5 must be realistic, if it's released in 2020 or 2021 as predicted then it'll be ridiculous if it's cartoony style, by that time technology will much more advanced and they don't have to keep coping with people with older PCs, they can still play older Sims..
TS5 must be like TS3 but with better graphics and much better animation (TS3 animations were very robotics and horrible even with smoother animation on)
There is a difference between Art Style and Graphics. The sims was always meant to be cartoony and whimsical, the more realistic graphics we get the creepier it gets. If sims 5 suddenly got GTA styled graphics or something then that's the day I quit the sims series.
I on the other hand might pick it up again Though I agree a more stylized art style suits the game better (and I get the same vibes from those examples as you) but for me, I rather have it leaning towards realism than towards cartoon.
P.s. Sims 3 is as stylized as Sims 4 by the way, just not cartoony.
Its not an art style if you use mashed low resolution textures or remove the alpha channel on hairstyles etc.
You can make it look cartoonish and still make it look good and detailed,
or you can make it look outdated and flat.
Theres for example wonderful looking mod hair son goku style that looks more cartoonish than any of the stock hair.
And still people keep mixing sims 3 and sims 4 pics thinking sims 3 is the follow up.
By the way Sims was also meant to be a life simluation yet its taking a sharp turn into adventure nowadays.
Well maybe they could alternate between more realistic iterations focusing on the simulation part and the cartoonish adventure ones. Cant stay a kid forever.
then you probably have to lock yourself in your room and never come out again.
i once saw some statistic on sims death reasons and not many did die of old age...
also there are games like gta 5 where you basically are killing people all the time and they are super successful and even more successful when they get better graphics. i guess there no way back to gameboy age.
Who wants to see super-realistic Sims burning to death or catching Hamster Rabies? Who wants to torture them in 1x1 rooms and deliberately drown them?
Because I'd rather not meet those people.
Because characters don’t die in games with realistic graphics?
(I’ve never understood this whole wanting to torture sims in 1x1 rooms and deliberately drowning them in the first place by the way, it’s not exactly a pro or con for me that makes sense)
With no mods/only around 10 or less CC, my Sims3 game plays fine. Out of the two, I love S3 better. I think the open world, my sims doing what I want period when I want it, my sims able to run when I want, the huge amount of content in EPs versus now, content coming out often compared to "when are we ever going to get something new, fun content versus a party themed game (I next to never use the party nor go to the clubs; family, traveling, collecting are some things I like). My sims in S4 cancel out what I want at times. Toddlers are able to get down from highchairs by themselves and my sims won't do anything once they have a mind to get them down out of the highchairs with no way to cancel it because they won't stop. In S3, I can leave my toddlers in the chair all day if I want and the sims don't override what I want done in my game. While I made many things with the color wheel and liked it, I could live with the way S4 does it if only they would really consider colors. Basic colors should always be there along with the others they choose. There are some outfits that I can't use with some shoes because there is no black or white choices and the colors don't match. With emotions being huge in S4, there aren't favorites to pick out in S4, like there was in S3. I don't think the favorites did much in S3, but I always loved picking them out. Also, this many years and boy/girlfriend option in relationships in CAS isn't an option??? and NO GROCERY STORE??? This last one is a disgrace, this far into the game. Loads of partying, but no grocery store. Not everyone uses the party stuff, but every sim has to eat and some would like to go to the store and get all the fruits/veg./other foods without collecting or gardening at all.
That said, there are also things I like about S4 that S3 can't touch.
1. First, the ease of getting in and out of game and saving.
2. Having CC content turned off in the gallery so that tainted CC can't get into our games and mess them up. If someone wants extras then they should have to work for it. There came a point in time that I just quit downloading from S3 gallery, because people said no cc, but the content came with it anyways. Now, we can see what packs ect. the downloads come with. As I said in S3 forums, a game's gallery shouldn't be able to wreck your game. If you choose to add extras, then you take the chances and the pains that come with them, but Vanilla should be a given.
3. The fact that it is easy to take accessories off in CAS extremely easy as opposed to having to find it in "an all day list" and manually taking it off one by one. Getting out of CAS fast as opposed to S3 long loading.
4. The house building system: roofs, moving the house, ect.
5. I just love the yardsale table, finding stuff on city streets, and the buying table in the new vacation destination. I hope so much that we can get a huge FARMING EP and add to this.
6. Very happy with Pets not adding to house count, being able to be sold, ect. I wasn't exactly planning to get Pets(I just don't play with them much and small pets/new aquariums not being added was a huge letdown), but was very pleased by CAS and the vet job.
7. LOVE the adoption(kids and pet) just wish they had a kennel at the vets office for it and that there was an adoption agency. I don't like poof your here.
8. BEING able to go and find TOWNIES/THOSE NOT IN GAME and doing what you want with them as opposed to S3 having to build relations/add to household to do anything with them.
I'm personally glad that S4 is continuing, because I feel that we don't have 90% or more of the content we had in S3 and frankly, I would be mad and feel cheated after putting this much money in S4 only to have it close down with such limited content. I feel that the last vacation destination was a huge step in the right direction. There are some things right with this game and with just the right content: SEASONS, FARM EP, UNIVERSITY, MORE VACATIONS, MORE JOBS(interior design, stylist, house builder , wedding planner, grim fleshed out with wills, funerals, urn/gravestone options, services), and collecting insects/and the addition of small pets/more fish tanks (EXTREMELY TALL FISHTANK THAT SIMS CAN SWIM IN LIKE IN PAST SIMS GAMES, COFFEE TABLE AQUARIUM UPDATED OR ADDED TO, AND MANY MORE OPTIONS FOR AQUARIUMS AND WHAT YOU CAN BUY AT THE FISH STORE). I'm not into supernaturals past vampires, but I would love some FANTASY creatures and the ability to add them to your house with the ease of Pets. I don't want to work for a unicorn. Unicorns, angels, dragons, manitaurs, Pegasus, ect added with ease and customization. Visiting the wizards & witches culdesack and buying fantasy beasts or if it is a mentaur, adding to the household. Potions would be a blast & Secret doors that you don't have to work for would be a blast. Miss instant best friend potion. I hate leveling up or working for things. I want to be able to aquire and buy at ease and if some want to work for it, then there is that option for them.
My hope is that S4, since it is online(able to get to your content from now on as opposed to loosing it/instant fixes/fix game) lasts for many more years to come and I mean like 7 or so. With fresh content and more of it, I think S4 could shape up and be a must play game. We just have to get the content that makes a simmer say, "Which way do I want to go". In S3, we had: World Adventures, University, Seasons, Supernatural, a loads of worlds, so it really seemed like you had choices instead of just creating a sim in S4 and going from there. I think that is what is missing in S4 that S3 got right.
My hope is that they NEVER move on to S5 until they can make a game outstanding as the Sims 3 with all the eases/+'s/innovations of S4. OPEN WORLD & loads of content.
Wish we had the underline feature back for the forums comment section.
I really don't need more packs, EPs or SPs. This game has been a mess since the beginning due to the change from an online game to an offline one in a rush.
This game is boring, not very well designed, childish, lacking humour and sarcasm. This is the fourth iteration of the game and should be much better. Instead we get a 2.5 iteration. They should already know what people want and what we don't. It's been quite a numer of years with The Sims for them to know.
I'm still playing S3 waiting for The Sims 5.
Sorry, it is my humble opinion.
Then you're going to be waiting some time, my hopeful friend. I've given my opinion on a Sims 5 and it is that there probably won't be one, partly because of all the consoles Sims 4 is being ported to. Now THAT is how you get more customers. And the X-box is yet to finish getting up to date on DLC, during which more DLC is being made for the PC version...
What we want or need is irrellevant - to EA, anyway. They're making more money from Packs than they would if they set up a whole new team for Sims 5. It's true that graphics are more realistic than ever, but those same graphics are expensive and incredibly rough on your system requirements. The graphics of Sims 4 are simple, but ageless.
LOL. Porting this game over to consoles has nothing to do with if there will be a Sims 5 or not. They have been doing that to the best of my knowledge and memory since TS2. Every one of these games have been ported to console. And with $75 Million upfront when the game was in it's first year, I think they can 'afford' a TS5 by now. Graphics are more realistic? Is that some sort of joke? Do you mean they sort of look pixar..yeah, it's not a new thing, either. VR is the new avenue for games, since they already have Sims on the mobile (again). They keep trying that. The Sims Social, The Sims Mobile...and that other one I have forgotten what they called that one (Before The Sims Social).
But EA sometimes lags behind with what is coming for the future, such as VR, they were way behind the curve when it came to social media/mobile games and trying to play catch up. It's not working out all that much (again). Everyone else is moving on to VR. EA is over here screaming look we have a new mobile game! lol
They don't know what people want because they keep hiring developers who don't have any experience with sandbox and The Sims title. So, they develop (TS4) which is chalked full of 'achievements' instead of simulations and sandbox with consequences. I doubt anyone loads TS4 ten years from now and says 'oh wow, these graphics are timeless'. lol Flat paint is not the wave of the future.
Example of stepping backwards: TS2 Sims in my game can easily walk over uneven terrain, it doesn't even have to be slopped. That was something they patched into TS2 years ago. TS3 and TS4 can not.
Post edited by Cinebar on
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
Comments
good point about toy story
Sims 2 and 3 aren’t compared to realism either by the way, they are just as stylized as Sims 4.
I think you have a lot of good points and I agree with these general principles.
I'd like to chime in that I think a great example of having that balance between quirky/funny and dark/realistic, can be found in Anime. I'm not saying that I think the devs should go and design the next Sims game in Anime style, but they could use to take some of the flavors of creative balance from that genre. I'll use Black Butler as an example:
Black Butler is a well known and much loved anime that is basically about a demon who offers his loyalty in exchange for the soul of a very young (13 year old), influential noble who seeks to avenge his family's death, and the demon serves as his master's butler. The premise sounds silly and lighthearted, and there are certainly many funny and ridiculous moments throughout the series, but it also has its fair share of moments where it gets so dark and creepy that it borders on horror. Its episodes can contain serial killers and creepy animated dolls, but then suddenly turn about and have the butler cuddling a cat and gushing over how "perfect" a creature it is. The series is a very strange and interesting journey, but it doesn't limit itself to the confines of a genre; instead, keeping itself open to a variety of story opportunities in each episode.
I'll also point out that this show is rated TV14, which is very close to the same target age group as Sims 4 (and has a very strong female following), but it doesn't compromise itself by babying its audience. So when we hear the excuse that the devs are trying to stay within the ESRB rating, I just have difficulty accepting that.
I guess my point is that we can have a stylized art that generally lightens the mood, but it is still no excuse for dumbing down the darker aspects of life, like fear, calamity, death, or crime. In fact, I feel that because the art style is more "cartoony", it should give leeway to be able to put more of those things into the game without having to coat it with silliness, and it still wouldn't risk being too horribly realistic. Just look at how Vampires came out.
I sometimes wonder if it's actually the Disney influence over EA that is destroying the Sims as we knew and loved it.
When I play Sims 2 (didn’t know the game, first played it when I got the UC) it strikes me how the quirkiness in fact is highlighting human behaviour, using it as a tool in order to be able to go very dark and still have a laugh about it. Which is essential I think for this franchise the way we know it.
I think they should have room to do things as well even even clue has murder and its for nine yearolds
I think the reason they have to be so careful is because sims 4 is world wide and the ratings are different in other places
the rating system in Australia was really bad a few years ago they band a painting game because it had graffiti art
I hope sims 4 last longer and they give them the freedom that the other sims games have
And the possibility of more stuff packs
What about expansion packs?
Cats&dogs was pretty small.
Does that mean we won't be getting any new big packs.
Run out of ideas for big expansion packs already?
I honestly think they mean big on a technical term. To be fair making 2 new lifeform of animations is the biggest they’ve done.
that is true
And there's no way they're out of ideas.
Maybe your right.
There is a difference between Art Style and Graphics. The sims was always meant to be cartoony and whimsical, the more realistic graphics we get the creepier it gets. If sims 5 suddenly got GTA styled graphics or something then that's the day I quit the sims series.
Way too realistic. No thanks. You complained about ts3 sims being robotic looking and there's a reason for that. The more realistic the artstyles are then the more realistic the animations have to be to compensate and not make them look super robotic.
Cartoony sims are easier to make feel alive. The photos you posted are way too much for me.
Origin ID: KittHaven
P.s. Sims 3 is as stylized as Sims 4 by the way, just not cartoony.
You can make it look cartoonish and still make it look good and detailed,
or you can make it look outdated and flat.
Theres for example wonderful looking mod hair son goku style that looks more cartoonish than any of the stock hair.
And still people keep mixing sims 3 and sims 4 pics thinking sims 3 is the follow up.
By the way Sims was also meant to be a life simluation yet its taking a sharp turn into adventure nowadays.
Well maybe they could alternate between more realistic iterations focusing on the simulation part and the cartoonish adventure ones. Cant stay a kid forever.
Because I'd rather not meet those people.
i once saw some statistic on sims death reasons and not many did die of old age...
also there are games like gta 5 where you basically are killing people all the time and they are super successful and even more successful when they get better graphics. i guess there no way back to gameboy age.
(I’ve never understood this whole wanting to torture sims in 1x1 rooms and deliberately drowning them in the first place by the way, it’s not exactly a pro or con for me that makes sense)
oh you dont say
That said, there are also things I like about S4 that S3 can't touch.
1. First, the ease of getting in and out of game and saving.
2. Having CC content turned off in the gallery so that tainted CC can't get into our games and mess them up. If someone wants extras then they should have to work for it. There came a point in time that I just quit downloading from S3 gallery, because people said no cc, but the content came with it anyways. Now, we can see what packs ect. the downloads come with. As I said in S3 forums, a game's gallery shouldn't be able to wreck your game. If you choose to add extras, then you take the chances and the pains that come with them, but Vanilla should be a given.
3. The fact that it is easy to take accessories off in CAS extremely easy as opposed to having to find it in "an all day list" and manually taking it off one by one. Getting out of CAS fast as opposed to S3 long loading.
4. The house building system: roofs, moving the house, ect.
5. I just love the yardsale table, finding stuff on city streets, and the buying table in the new vacation destination. I hope so much that we can get a huge FARMING EP and add to this.
6. Very happy with Pets not adding to house count, being able to be sold, ect. I wasn't exactly planning to get Pets(I just don't play with them much and small pets/new aquariums not being added was a huge letdown), but was very pleased by CAS and the vet job.
7. LOVE the adoption(kids and pet) just wish they had a kennel at the vets office for it and that there was an adoption agency. I don't like poof your here.
8. BEING able to go and find TOWNIES/THOSE NOT IN GAME and doing what you want with them as opposed to S3 having to build relations/add to household to do anything with them.
I'm personally glad that S4 is continuing, because I feel that we don't have 90% or more of the content we had in S3 and frankly, I would be mad and feel cheated after putting this much money in S4 only to have it close down with such limited content. I feel that the last vacation destination was a huge step in the right direction.
My hope is that S4, since it is online(able to get to your content from now on as opposed to loosing it/instant fixes/fix game) lasts for many more years to come and I mean like 7 or so. With fresh content and more of it, I think S4 could shape up and be a must play game. We just have to get the content that makes a simmer say, "Which way do I want to go". In S3, we had: World Adventures, University, Seasons, Supernatural, a loads of worlds, so it really seemed like you had choices instead of just creating a sim in S4 and going from there. I think that is what is missing in S4 that S3 got right.
My hope is that they NEVER move on to S5 until they can make a game outstanding as the Sims 3 with all the eases/+'s/innovations of S4. OPEN WORLD & loads of content.
Wish we had the underline feature back for the forums comment section.
LOL. Porting this game over to consoles has nothing to do with if there will be a Sims 5 or not. They have been doing that to the best of my knowledge and memory since TS2. Every one of these games have been ported to console. And with $75 Million upfront when the game was in it's first year, I think they can 'afford' a TS5 by now. Graphics are more realistic? Is that some sort of joke? Do you mean they sort of look pixar..yeah, it's not a new thing, either. VR is the new avenue for games, since they already have Sims on the mobile (again). They keep trying that. The Sims Social, The Sims Mobile...and that other one I have forgotten what they called that one (Before The Sims Social).
But EA sometimes lags behind with what is coming for the future, such as VR, they were way behind the curve when it came to social media/mobile games and trying to play catch up. It's not working out all that much (again). Everyone else is moving on to VR. EA is over here screaming look we have a new mobile game! lol
They don't know what people want because they keep hiring developers who don't have any experience with sandbox and The Sims title. So, they develop (TS4) which is chalked full of 'achievements' instead of simulations and sandbox with consequences. I doubt anyone loads TS4 ten years from now and says 'oh wow, these graphics are timeless'. lol Flat paint is not the wave of the future.
Example of stepping backwards: TS2 Sims in my game can easily walk over uneven terrain, it doesn't even have to be slopped. That was something they patched into TS2 years ago. TS3 and TS4 can not.