I believe the reason they are ignoring these complaints is because they have no intention of taking the time to fix things. 4 has been a huge disappoint for me. I hung there longer than I should have while hoping things would improve, but finally realized it wasn't going to happen and stopped buying packs after Cats and Dogs.
Sadly, I think 4 is an example of things to come and I don't see 5 being any better. I'd love it if they surprised me with improved sims, quality and content in 5, but I seriously doubt it's going to happen.
Yeah it would take them to much time and to many resources. It's easier for them to add new things (+ simmers seem to like it) but like Carl said, it just gives you something else to explore for a few times but the base game stays shallow. Just like a meal, if the main dish is tasteless and you only get a few appetizers beside, you stay hungry.
The only game changer I've noticed talking about it was Carl. James questioned the quality of the game but just in regards to CAS/BB once (and it was emergency patched...). I think Plumbella has mentioned a few small things, but Carl is the one really is putting it out there. LGR has been saying things about the depth and quality since launch, but he's also not a game changer and his refusal to blindly band wagon jump is likely why he's not. He used to get free packs, but they stopped when he started to voice negatives. *hmmmm* Carl will probably get his taken away too rather than try to address issues and fix the game.
Carl is not the kind of person who would change his point of view just to please EA. He has NEVER really spoken negatively about anything. He’s always been super correct, constructive and nice He would never point out lack of gameplay and bug critics if it wasn‘t really so. He always makes sure of that by really inspecting every new pack and actually playing the game and not just joking or messing around. If EA can’t deal with constructive critics and hates that a GC IS pointing out the truth and not lying around and beating around the bush like most, and therefore would get kicked out of the group, then I‘m sure Carl can live with it.
„ - Criticism may not be agreeable, but it's sometimes necessary - “
Carl is constructive, thorough and very respectful where it comes to criticizing the game. And as for his general contribution to the franchise: I still find myself using his Sims 3 tutorials and tips. Glad they’re still up there, they’re often very helpful. Bless Carl(‘s).
I like all of the ideas in your comments. I also wish relationships between sims were not two sided. For example, relationship between to sims could be friendly for one sim and annoyance for the other. Or romance could be 50 for 1 sim and 100 for the other in a relationship. In reality, people don't reciprocate feelings about each other equally.
I honestly have respected Carl as much as I do LGR. His guides have always been the first to use. I use him and LGR as a guide on how to do constructive criticism well.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
All I want for christmas is better personalities. I'm gonna ask them to fix it on every Livestream. Eventho I know they won't. They didn't even bother to add a new trait in Discover Rabbitholes University.
All I want for christmas is better personalities. I'm gonna ask them to fix it on every Livestream. Eventho I know they won't. They didn't even bother to add a new trait in Discover Rabbitholes University.
No new traits, no new whims, and aspirations aren't general life goals that are related to a Sim's traits. Instead, aspirations are de facto tutorials for the latest pack and are relevant for only as long as it takes to get through that pack's list of features.
Yeah, I'd say that EA is done with the pretense of trying to create 'smarter Sims'.
All I want for christmas is better personalities. I'm gonna ask them to fix it on every Livestream. Eventho I know they won't. They didn't even bother to add a new trait in Discover Rabbitholes University.
I really don't think they are going to do anything about it.
There is nothing behind the scenes going on except what they've coded to make it "appear" like things are going on with them.
Something I've come to realize recently after reading multiple posts on what is missing from TS4, what can improve it, what would you like to see, etc....
Sims are really reactive, but not proactive. They might get an angry emotion moodlet, but they don't carry out substantial long-lasting actions propelled by that anger.
Also traits...some of them are just very broad and they don't tell me who the Sim really is? Like even within some of the traits there could exist a spectrum, which I think goes back to the TS2 personality sliders. It means little in terms of personality differentiation between Sims to have a Genius Sim if another Sim comes along and is equally as much of a Genius. Like yes this Sim is smart, but HOW smart? What sets them apart from another smart Sim? And how does this affect their lives?
And, I think looking at the toddler life stage is a good example of generalizing traits, while also not being as dynamic as they could. Because by allowing them to only have one trait, they're saying this one trait defines all that this Sim is right now, when in reality a toddler can be just as angelic as they are adventurous, or just as fussy as they are wild. The more combinations a Sim can have, the more dynamic they become.
I feel like the devs don't think of the Sims' personalities as independent from the objects or careers that are in the game. Probably not the best wording but I can't think of how to better explain it right now. But, maybe that's why every Sim will read books, play games on their phone or rush to the computer to browse the web despite all having different traits. Why does every Sim love to read? Why is every Sim really into technology? It's because the objects are just sitting there in the world, and Sims have nothing else to do, and their AI isn't telling them that Hey! I actually am not really into reading at all.
Also, there's a certain specificity missing from TS4 Sims; Sims used to want to carry out actions that were linked to other Sims (have Baby with XYZ, etc.) and now it's just Hug Someone...like Who?? Who do you want to hug???? Just random longing for a Hug makes it seem so pointless and there's no context for why a Sim would desire that interaction.
On one hand, I'm sitting here thinking how EA/Maxis needs to buckle down and just straight up rework the base game AI to make Sims smarter and more substantial and well-rounded, and on the other hand I'm like...eh that's improbable because of money and time. BUT LIKE, they market and sell a life simulator series; creating characters who are well-rounded to live any sort of life thought up by the players should be all they put their money and time into. I get that it's a lot to create an abundance of animations based on interactions and individual behaviors and personalities, but that's what the series needs. And also if you don't want to make animations and program more in-depth gameplay, then maybe you shouldn't be in the video game development industry, but alas...
If they're not going to focus on fixing this for TS4, I really think they should consider making TS5 significantly larger and more intuitive.
> @NationalPokedex said: > Something I've come to realize recently after reading multiple posts on what is missing from TS4, what can improve it, what would you like to see, etc.... > > Sims are really reactive, but not proactive. They might get an angry emotion moodlet, but they don't carry out substantial long-lasting actions propelled by that anger. > > Also traits...some of them are just very broad and they don't tell me who the Sim really is? Like even within some of the traits there could exist a spectrum, which I think goes back to the TS2 personality sliders. It means little in terms of personality differentiation between Sims to have a Genius Sim if another Sim comes along and is equally as much of a Genius. Like yes this Sim is smart, but HOW smart? What sets them apart from another smart Sim? And how does this affect their lives? > > And, I think looking at the toddler life stage is a good example of generalizing traits, while also not being as dynamic as they could. Because by allowing them to only have one trait, they're saying this one trait defines all that this Sim is right now, when in reality a toddler can be just as angelic as they are adventurous, or just as fussy as they are wild. The more combinations a Sim can have, the more dynamic they become. > > I feel like the devs don't think of the Sims' personalities as independent from the objects or careers that are in the game. Probably not the best wording but I can't think of how to better explain it right now. But, maybe that's why every Sim will read books, play games on their phone or rush to the computer to browse the web despite all having different traits. Why does every Sim love to read? Why is every Sim really into technology? It's because the objects are just sitting there in the world, and Sims have nothing else to do, and their AI isn't telling them that Hey! I actually am not really into reading at all. > > Also, there's a certain specificity missing from TS4 Sims; Sims used to want to carry out actions that were linked to other Sims (have Baby with XYZ, etc.) and now it's just Hug Someone...like Who?? Who do you want to hug???? Just random longing for a Hug makes it seem so pointless and there's no context for why a Sim would desire that interaction. > > On one hand, I'm sitting here thinking how EA/Maxis needs to buckle down and just straight up rework the base game AI to make Sims smarter and more substantial and well-rounded, and on the other hand I'm like...eh that's improbable because of money and time. BUT LIKE, they market and sell a life simulator series; creating characters who are well-rounded to live any sort of life thought up by the players should be all they put their money and time into. I get that it's a lot to create an abundance of animations based on interactions and individual behaviors and personalities, but that's what the series needs. And also if you don't want to make animations and program more in-depth gameplay, then maybe you shouldn't be in the video game development industry, but alas... > > If they're not going to focus on fixing this for TS4, I really think they should consider making TS5 significantly larger and more intuitive.
Yes, I really agree with this comment. I think for me it's that the personalities aren't separated from the skills. I really realized this when I learned most people designed the personality of the sim around the profession. For instance: a gardener would want "genius" to get the occasional focus boost and they would want "loves outdoors" to get a boost when gardening outdoors. Another trait at random might be thrown in, like "loner," so that the gardener could focus on plants. In reality, good gardeners are detail-oriented, creative, and kind, with the capacity to show care in the planting of their flowers and vegetables while also having the mind to arrange them in practical, aesthetically pleasing positions. I would hardly say being a genius is necessary for this, though being careful is.
Life is super complicated, and no one expects the Sims to be able to encompass it even near-perfectly. But from what I'm hearings Sims 4 is LESS complicated than previous Sims and that just should not be. Wondering if there would be a way to bring back horoscope-like personalities that could be adjusted. Sims needs more than just three broad traits per person.
Definitely like what NationalPokedex said about them being proactive and totally agree about technology. My sims always rush to watch TV when they have low fun, even when they have book-reader and loves outdoors traits. Like what?
Personalities not being separate from skills is actually a great point! And related to that is also personality separated from Aspiration.
I think part of it is, Simmers (or I should say I) have to create personalities within the traits in our imaginations to help build up the idea of the Sim because of what they want that Sim to become (hope that makes sense). For example, I made a Sim recently who I decided wants to become a Stand Up Comedian. I gave her the Gregarious and Goofball traits because I wanted to establish the idea that she's really funny, and I gave her Geek because I feel like a lot of really good comedians are smart/awkward/nerdy. I suppose I could have given her Genius for this too. But anyways, I realized that I felt like I had to give her all of these specific traits to fully buy into the idea of her as a stand up comedian. But it doesn't offer more opportunity for her in other areas like how she feels about romance, or or more mundane life activities. Yeah she's funny, but is she nice is she mean??? yeah she's a geek but is she more into sci-fi or fantasy or is she a history nerd?? I basically decided that being funny was her entire personality, and 1) that's all my fault, 2) sounds awful as I've just typed it out lol, 3) it's essentially meaningless because traits have only so much significance.
And then, there is another Sim I recently made. She is a Gloomy, Snob, Ambitious Sim and aspires to one of the Family aspirations (I started making her in CAS knowing that I wanted her to have a Family aspiration, and then I decided on traits afterwards and I thought none of those traits necessarily affect the aspiration which is what I was going for). But as I was planning her outfits, I also was imagining that she's also a kind, loving, and intelligent Sim who happens to be perfectly okay with buying sweaters that cost 600 simoleons a pop. I didn't want to make her a Good Sim because I liked the idea of having disparate Traits together, but I also felt like I had to create my own imagined personality to help fully realize her. And the personality I had to imagine for her is somehow both in the game and also not in the game, as Sims tend to be generally really nice and loving anyways.
@NationalPokedex Yes, yes, yes, 100% agree. The eldest child of the family I've been playing with was a straight-A student, cheerleader, and soccer-player in high-school, not to mention being pretty and charming, so she had a little bit of an ego, until her mother died in a car-accident during her sophomore year of college, which forced her to drop out of school to raise her youngest siblings since their dad had also died. I get there's no way to express that personalty in a game, but I try as much as possible to express the dual sides of her: that she is at once charming, athletic, responsible, neat, and perfectionistic as well as compassionate, a little sad, unsure, parental, and a little lost in life. And to have to sum that up in three personalty traits kind of kills me. I chose neat, loves outdoors, and music lover, but was unable to choose good, active, perfectionist, and gloomy consequently. Laura is always the first one to introduce herself to the neighbors, the first one to see if her sister needs help with her homework, but she's become unsure around romantic attention now and feels less confident about her skills - never boasting, never wearing makeup or dressing up beyond gardening apparel. Wish there was a way to bring more of her to life, even just to see her more instinctually behave the way I feel she would.
Your Sim Laura sounds so much more fully developed than the mechanics of the game really allow, and that there is what's not working with Sims.
My snobby Sim Yunji recently moved into an apartment in the Fashion District of San Myshuno, and she did a small renovation, and the entire time I was just like....Yunji is the type of Sim who would not be able to live in a grody apartment, but she would find a way to make her situation work, and she does! (Of course, this is the imagined scenario in my head). And then, as I was decorating I had to imagine what items she would like if she were to go out furniture shopping, and I can't help but wonder if things like style/color (on top of things like Genre, Weather, etc.) can't be added to a Sims' personality in CAS.
@NationalPokedex Yes! I love favorite colors! My youngest, Alice, is obsessed with yellow and is always picking out yellow clothes to wear. Would be so fun if that affecting what she wanted to buy. Also, would be so cool if the Sims had foods they liked/disliked. I've noticed that no matter how much I have the second oldest child, Celeste, listen to classical music, she still constantly turns the radio to pop? Seems like she'd get the memo. Alice, on the other hand, loves pop. Also, I mentioned somewhere else that the Sims' personality doesn't seem to affect their past-time inclination. Every time my sims get low on fun they go straight to dancing to the radio, watching TV, or playing fooseball - even though Laura loves the outside, Celeste loves reading, Erik loves dogs, and Alice is a geek. Makes no sense to me. They should all have different go-to past-times for their fun needs.
I completely agree about past times. I'm sure I've put that in one of my posts somewhere around here (btw, I love how we're both new members lol). Sims will just go for whatever object offers an activity when they're idle, irrespective of personality differences.
Lol, I know I was thinking the same. I'm just hoping the Sims teams takes notes that there are new members picking up on the dissatisfaction in the community and realizing that there may be previous iterations of the game that provide a better, more immersive experience.
Something else I was just reminded about in another post in this thread, back in TS2, interaction possibilities were dictated by Sims relationships with one another. If Sims were mad at another Sim, there would be a limited option of interactions they could actually do with the other Sim. Stranger/acquaintances had less interactions than Sims who were friends. I remember so many married Sims angry with one another and only having the Break Up option in the interaction spider lol. Incredible.
This should definitely be re-implemented. I'm realizing now that it's so easy to work on relationships in TS4 because there are no real limitations to what interactions can be done no matter the Sims' feelings towards one another.
I completely agree about past times. I'm sure I've put that in one of my posts somewhere around here (btw, I love how we're both new members lol). Sims will just go for whatever object offers an activity when they're idle, irrespective of personality differences.
Usually that activity while idle is getting a glass of water or if the sim is energized, to drop and give some pushups. *eyeroll*
A lot of what you are describing are things we had in TS2 and/or TS3.
TS2 you could choose things your sim was interested in and how much. Are they into sci-fi? Allot a point number. Fashion? Again another group of points. It really helped, IMO, to flesh out the sim in your mind on what they were interested in. They also got along better or worse with other sims and their friendships gained quickly or slowly depending on the interests of the sims. Sims that liked the same sorts of things got along better. Much like in RL.
TS3 you had favourite colours, music and foods to choose from and 5 trait slots (and a whole lot more traits and aspirations on offer than what we have now) and this also helped flesh out your sim. Instead of randomly turning on the radio to a station, your sim would actively choose to listen to what they liked. The aspirations were lifetime achievements and it took a life time to achieve a lot them and thus felt like an achievement. Being able to change them on the fly... is convenient, but now I feel they've lot their sense of any kind of purpose. Who cares what they want? It doesn't matter. It's easy now too, I often complete an aspiration in their teens, YA, Adult lifestates. Thats three on average (for me) per lifetime and yeah, that takes a lot away from the satisfaction of any kind of accomplishment. (That's also on normal mode so I would imagine I could complete a lot of the aspirations available on a long lifespan if I tried, again, diminishing the satisfaction). What is the real point if all sims can do everything?
Both of these systems, while different, are a lot better than what we have now (IMO) but they're also not so far out there with programming that I don't see why they couldn't be implemented now for TS4. BOTH of them. I'd love to have all my sim's interests down from favourite colour to lifestyles and have them find other sims with similar interests to be friends with, or opposites to get a challenge (because in sims 2, despite different interests, 2 sims could get a long with some work put in by the player) or just plain dislike/hate and have a reason to not like them besides me just deciding it for them.
These were supposed to be our "smartest" sims ever. By including neither systems from past iterations, and making everyone the same, they are the most undynamic sims we've ever had and I think this is where a lot of people feel the game is lacking.
All I want for christmas is better personalities. I'm gonna ask them to fix it on every Livestream. Eventho I know they won't. They didn't even bother to add a new trait in Discover Rabbitholes University.
I really don't think they are going to do anything about it.
There is nothing behind the scenes going on except what they've coded to make it "appear" like things are going on with them.
I mean, I hate to be pessimistic, but you are probably right. We are more than 5 years after the launch of The Sims 4. There are likely going to be just more tiny, insignificant adjustments to personalities at this point (which is basically what we've gotten since launch anyway) rather than a much needed large patch which overhauls traits, aspirations, and whims to make these Sims interesting and dynamic (evolving themselves past CAS).
At this point, any discussion I post in or feedback I provide is really with hope it's used for The Sims 5. I just hope it won't be a trainwreck like The Sims 4's launch, and we see some actual innovation in the life sim genre, which is what we've received in greater amount with every base game aside from The Sims 4.
Comments
Yeah it would take them to much time and to many resources. It's easier for them to add new things (+ simmers seem to like it) but like Carl said, it just gives you something else to explore for a few times but the base game stays shallow. Just like a meal, if the main dish is tasteless and you only get a few appetizers beside, you stay hungry.
Carl is not the kind of person who would change his point of view just to please EA. He has NEVER really spoken negatively about anything. He’s always been super correct, constructive and nice He would never point out lack of gameplay and bug critics if it wasn‘t really so. He always makes sure of that by really inspecting every new pack and actually playing the game and not just joking or messing around. If EA can’t deal with constructive critics and hates that a GC IS pointing out the truth and not lying around and beating around the bush like most, and therefore would get kicked out of the group, then I‘m sure Carl can live with it.
Aspirations are not Tutorials.
It bothers me how the heck did the team missed this one.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/924539/features-that-needs-depth-and-ways-to-improve
No new traits, no new whims, and aspirations aren't general life goals that are related to a Sim's traits. Instead, aspirations are de facto tutorials for the latest pack and are relevant for only as long as it takes to get through that pack's list of features.
Yeah, I'd say that EA is done with the pretense of trying to create 'smarter Sims'.
I really don't think they are going to do anything about it.
There is nothing behind the scenes going on except what they've coded to make it "appear" like things are going on with them.
Sims are really reactive, but not proactive. They might get an angry emotion moodlet, but they don't carry out substantial long-lasting actions propelled by that anger.
Also traits...some of them are just very broad and they don't tell me who the Sim really is? Like even within some of the traits there could exist a spectrum, which I think goes back to the TS2 personality sliders. It means little in terms of personality differentiation between Sims to have a Genius Sim if another Sim comes along and is equally as much of a Genius. Like yes this Sim is smart, but HOW smart? What sets them apart from another smart Sim? And how does this affect their lives?
And, I think looking at the toddler life stage is a good example of generalizing traits, while also not being as dynamic as they could. Because by allowing them to only have one trait, they're saying this one trait defines all that this Sim is right now, when in reality a toddler can be just as angelic as they are adventurous, or just as fussy as they are wild. The more combinations a Sim can have, the more dynamic they become.
I feel like the devs don't think of the Sims' personalities as independent from the objects or careers that are in the game. Probably not the best wording but I can't think of how to better explain it right now. But, maybe that's why every Sim will read books, play games on their phone or rush to the computer to browse the web despite all having different traits. Why does every Sim love to read? Why is every Sim really into technology? It's because the objects are just sitting there in the world, and Sims have nothing else to do, and their AI isn't telling them that Hey! I actually am not really into reading at all.
Also, there's a certain specificity missing from TS4 Sims; Sims used to want to carry out actions that were linked to other Sims (have Baby with XYZ, etc.) and now it's just Hug Someone...like Who?? Who do you want to hug???? Just random longing for a Hug makes it seem so pointless and there's no context for why a Sim would desire that interaction.
On one hand, I'm sitting here thinking how EA/Maxis needs to buckle down and just straight up rework the base game AI to make Sims smarter and more substantial and well-rounded, and on the other hand I'm like...eh that's improbable because of money and time. BUT LIKE, they market and sell a life simulator series; creating characters who are well-rounded to live any sort of life thought up by the players should be all they put their money and time into. I get that it's a lot to create an abundance of animations based on interactions and individual behaviors and personalities, but that's what the series needs. And also if you don't want to make animations and program more in-depth gameplay, then maybe you shouldn't be in the video game development industry, but alas...
If they're not going to focus on fixing this for TS4, I really think they should consider making TS5 significantly larger and more intuitive.
> Something I've come to realize recently after reading multiple posts on what is missing from TS4, what can improve it, what would you like to see, etc....
>
> Sims are really reactive, but not proactive. They might get an angry emotion moodlet, but they don't carry out substantial long-lasting actions propelled by that anger.
>
> Also traits...some of them are just very broad and they don't tell me who the Sim really is? Like even within some of the traits there could exist a spectrum, which I think goes back to the TS2 personality sliders. It means little in terms of personality differentiation between Sims to have a Genius Sim if another Sim comes along and is equally as much of a Genius. Like yes this Sim is smart, but HOW smart? What sets them apart from another smart Sim? And how does this affect their lives?
>
> And, I think looking at the toddler life stage is a good example of generalizing traits, while also not being as dynamic as they could. Because by allowing them to only have one trait, they're saying this one trait defines all that this Sim is right now, when in reality a toddler can be just as angelic as they are adventurous, or just as fussy as they are wild. The more combinations a Sim can have, the more dynamic they become.
>
> I feel like the devs don't think of the Sims' personalities as independent from the objects or careers that are in the game. Probably not the best wording but I can't think of how to better explain it right now. But, maybe that's why every Sim will read books, play games on their phone or rush to the computer to browse the web despite all having different traits. Why does every Sim love to read? Why is every Sim really into technology? It's because the objects are just sitting there in the world, and Sims have nothing else to do, and their AI isn't telling them that Hey! I actually am not really into reading at all.
>
> Also, there's a certain specificity missing from TS4 Sims; Sims used to want to carry out actions that were linked to other Sims (have Baby with XYZ, etc.) and now it's just Hug Someone...like Who?? Who do you want to hug???? Just random longing for a Hug makes it seem so pointless and there's no context for why a Sim would desire that interaction.
>
> On one hand, I'm sitting here thinking how EA/Maxis needs to buckle down and just straight up rework the base game AI to make Sims smarter and more substantial and well-rounded, and on the other hand I'm like...eh that's improbable because of money and time. BUT LIKE, they market and sell a life simulator series; creating characters who are well-rounded to live any sort of life thought up by the players should be all they put their money and time into. I get that it's a lot to create an abundance of animations based on interactions and individual behaviors and personalities, but that's what the series needs. And also if you don't want to make animations and program more in-depth gameplay, then maybe you shouldn't be in the video game development industry, but alas...
>
> If they're not going to focus on fixing this for TS4, I really think they should consider making TS5 significantly larger and more intuitive.
Yes, I really agree with this comment. I think for me it's that the personalities aren't separated from the skills. I really realized this when I learned most people designed the personality of the sim around the profession. For instance: a gardener would want "genius" to get the occasional focus boost and they would want "loves outdoors" to get a boost when gardening outdoors. Another trait at random might be thrown in, like "loner," so that the gardener could focus on plants. In reality, good gardeners are detail-oriented, creative, and kind, with the capacity to show care in the planting of their flowers and vegetables while also having the mind to arrange them in practical, aesthetically pleasing positions. I would hardly say being a genius is necessary for this, though being careful is.
Life is super complicated, and no one expects the Sims to be able to encompass it even near-perfectly. But from what I'm hearings Sims 4 is LESS complicated than previous Sims and that just should not be. Wondering if there would be a way to bring back horoscope-like personalities that could be adjusted. Sims needs more than just three broad traits per person.
Definitely like what NationalPokedex said about them being proactive and totally agree about technology. My sims always rush to watch TV when they have low fun, even when they have book-reader and loves outdoors traits. Like what?
Personalities not being separate from skills is actually a great point! And related to that is also personality separated from Aspiration.
I think part of it is, Simmers (or I should say I) have to create personalities within the traits in our imaginations to help build up the idea of the Sim because of what they want that Sim to become (hope that makes sense). For example, I made a Sim recently who I decided wants to become a Stand Up Comedian. I gave her the Gregarious and Goofball traits because I wanted to establish the idea that she's really funny, and I gave her Geek because I feel like a lot of really good comedians are smart/awkward/nerdy. I suppose I could have given her Genius for this too. But anyways, I realized that I felt like I had to give her all of these specific traits to fully buy into the idea of her as a stand up comedian. But it doesn't offer more opportunity for her in other areas like how she feels about romance, or or more mundane life activities. Yeah she's funny, but is she nice is she mean??? yeah she's a geek but is she more into sci-fi or fantasy or is she a history nerd?? I basically decided that being funny was her entire personality, and 1) that's all my fault, 2) sounds awful as I've just typed it out lol, 3) it's essentially meaningless because traits have only so much significance.
And then, there is another Sim I recently made. She is a Gloomy, Snob, Ambitious Sim and aspires to one of the Family aspirations (I started making her in CAS knowing that I wanted her to have a Family aspiration, and then I decided on traits afterwards and I thought none of those traits necessarily affect the aspiration which is what I was going for). But as I was planning her outfits, I also was imagining that she's also a kind, loving, and intelligent Sim who happens to be perfectly okay with buying sweaters that cost 600 simoleons a pop. I didn't want to make her a Good Sim because I liked the idea of having disparate Traits together, but I also felt like I had to create my own imagined personality to help fully realize her. And the personality I had to imagine for her is somehow both in the game and also not in the game, as Sims tend to be generally really nice and loving anyways.
Sims just really lack nuance.
Your Sim Laura sounds so much more fully developed than the mechanics of the game really allow, and that there is what's not working with Sims.
My snobby Sim Yunji recently moved into an apartment in the Fashion District of San Myshuno, and she did a small renovation, and the entire time I was just like....Yunji is the type of Sim who would not be able to live in a grody apartment, but she would find a way to make her situation work, and she does! (Of course, this is the imagined scenario in my head). And then, as I was decorating I had to imagine what items she would like if she were to go out furniture shopping, and I can't help but wonder if things like style/color (on top of things like Genre, Weather, etc.) can't be added to a Sims' personality in CAS.
I completely agree about past times. I'm sure I've put that in one of my posts somewhere around here (btw, I love how we're both new members lol). Sims will just go for whatever object offers an activity when they're idle, irrespective of personality differences.
Lol, I know I was thinking the same. I'm just hoping the Sims teams takes notes that there are new members picking up on the dissatisfaction in the community and realizing that there may be previous iterations of the game that provide a better, more immersive experience.
This should definitely be re-implemented. I'm realizing now that it's so easy to work on relationships in TS4 because there are no real limitations to what interactions can be done no matter the Sims' feelings towards one another.
Usually that activity while idle is getting a glass of water or if the sim is energized, to drop and give some pushups. *eyeroll*
A lot of what you are describing are things we had in TS2 and/or TS3.
TS2 you could choose things your sim was interested in and how much. Are they into sci-fi? Allot a point number. Fashion? Again another group of points. It really helped, IMO, to flesh out the sim in your mind on what they were interested in. They also got along better or worse with other sims and their friendships gained quickly or slowly depending on the interests of the sims. Sims that liked the same sorts of things got along better. Much like in RL.
TS3 you had favourite colours, music and foods to choose from and 5 trait slots (and a whole lot more traits and aspirations on offer than what we have now) and this also helped flesh out your sim. Instead of randomly turning on the radio to a station, your sim would actively choose to listen to what they liked. The aspirations were lifetime achievements and it took a life time to achieve a lot them and thus felt like an achievement. Being able to change them on the fly... is convenient, but now I feel they've lot their sense of any kind of purpose. Who cares what they want? It doesn't matter. It's easy now too, I often complete an aspiration in their teens, YA, Adult lifestates. Thats three on average (for me) per lifetime and yeah, that takes a lot away from the satisfaction of any kind of accomplishment. (That's also on normal mode so I would imagine I could complete a lot of the aspirations available on a long lifespan if I tried, again, diminishing the satisfaction). What is the real point if all sims can do everything?
Both of these systems, while different, are a lot better than what we have now (IMO) but they're also not so far out there with programming that I don't see why they couldn't be implemented now for TS4. BOTH of them. I'd love to have all my sim's interests down from favourite colour to lifestyles and have them find other sims with similar interests to be friends with, or opposites to get a challenge (because in sims 2, despite different interests, 2 sims could get a long with some work put in by the player) or just plain dislike/hate and have a reason to not like them besides me just deciding it for them.
These were supposed to be our "smartest" sims ever. By including neither systems from past iterations, and making everyone the same, they are the most undynamic sims we've ever had and I think this is where a lot of people feel the game is lacking.
I mean, I hate to be pessimistic, but you are probably right. We are more than 5 years after the launch of The Sims 4. There are likely going to be just more tiny, insignificant adjustments to personalities at this point (which is basically what we've gotten since launch anyway) rather than a much needed large patch which overhauls traits, aspirations, and whims to make these Sims interesting and dynamic (evolving themselves past CAS).
At this point, any discussion I post in or feedback I provide is really with hope it's used for The Sims 5. I just hope it won't be a trainwreck like The Sims 4's launch, and we see some actual innovation in the life sim genre, which is what we've received in greater amount with every base game aside from The Sims 4.