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Why isn't TS4 inclusive of family players?

SimaniteSimanite Posts: 4,833 Member
edited September 2019 in The Sims 4 Game Feedback
It just seems that everything is catered to telling #YourStory but only if you are a single teen or YA...

Hey, EA! I like to play Sims who fall in love and raise their families, and I feel like my gameplay isn't represented in TS4 lately. :disappointed: It feels like if you aren't a YA who wants to be famous or take selfies, TS4 doesn't have much to offer. It is VERY shallow.

Where is this good stuff?

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Post edited by Simanite on

Comments

  • ChazzzyChazzzy Posts: 7,166 Member
    Had no idea there were remote control cars, that’s pretty cool.

    And what does your first screenshot mean? It just looks like a parent giving a toddler a bath, but we can do that now so I’m confused.
  • PrincipleOfEntropyPrincipleOfEntropy Posts: 389 Member
    Probably because they only want to appeal to Gen Z teens, which means nothing but social media, selfies, and parties

    I totally agree with you. It's sad to me that like 95% of this game is dedicated solely to single, young adult gameplay. Babies-kids and elders have barely anything to do or anything unique to them, and teens are just young adults with a slightly difference face. My only hopes for this game are that we can get a baby update and Generations-type pack to improve on the vastly lacking family play and non-YA life stages.

    Pretty much this.

    They've made clear through recent marketing what we all knew already; young adults are largely the focus. There hasn't been anything outside of that focus for quite a while now.
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  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    Probably because they only want to appeal to Gen Z teens, which means nothing but social media, selfies, and parties

    I totally agree with you. It's sad to me that like 95% of this game is dedicated solely to single, young adult gameplay. Babies-kids and elders have barely anything to do or anything unique to them, and teens are just young adults with a slightly difference face. My only hopes for this game are that we can get a baby update and Generations-type pack to improve on the vastly lacking family play and non-YA life stages.
    The weird thing to me (an adult) is, that for years now I notice many teens love to play teens. Many stories I followed in the past (both Sims 2 and 3, I stopped following stories so I don’t know what that’s like for Sims 4) were about the lives of teens in the game. And I can perfectly understand that. That it’s great to play out a teens at school kind of story when you’re a teen, it’s the life stage that matters most to you when you’re a teen. So, why are the life stages other than YA/A, especially teens, so limited?
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  • Writin_RegWritin_Reg Posts: 28,907 Member
    edited August 2019
    Chazzzy wrote: »
    Had no idea there were remote control cars, that’s pretty cool.

    And what does your first screenshot mean? It just looks like a parent giving a toddler a bath, but we can do that now so I’m confused.

    Well to be fair Sims 4 has remote control flying devices in Get Famous that Sims 2 did not have. On top of it Sims 4 flying thingy's can take pictures, record, and our sims can use what they record as part of their free lance career from that ep on top of it. They are much more advanced than just playing with remote control cars. Were Sims 2 devs lazy that made those as that is all they are good for is a few chuckles in Sims 2?

    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.

    In dreams - I LIVE!
    In REALITY, I simply exist.....

  • Writin_RegWritin_Reg Posts: 28,907 Member
    edited August 2019
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    Chazzzy wrote: »
    Had no idea there were remote control cars, that’s pretty cool.

    And what does your first screenshot mean? It just looks like a parent giving a toddler a bath, but we can do that now so I’m confused.

    Well to be fair Sims 4 has remote control flying devices in Get Famous that Sims 2 did not have. On top of it Sims 4 flying thingy's can take pictures, record, and our sims can use what they record as part of their free lance career from that ep on top of it. They are much more advanced than just playing with remote control cars. Were Sims 2 devs lazy that made those as that is all they are good for is a few chuckles in Sims 2?

    You mean drones? I don’t think that was a big thing in 2004 to be fair.

    Yeah - well remote control cars are not really a big thing in in 2019 - which is why drones is the "toy" this time around. They obviously do a heck of a lot more than the cars did which means they had a lot of programming work to get in this game for us to have them then remote control cars.

    That's like Sims 2 toddlers had See and Say rabbit head toys, Sims 4 toddlers have toddler tablets. Times change so do Sims things.

    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.

    In dreams - I LIVE!
    In REALITY, I simply exist.....

  • Writin_RegWritin_Reg Posts: 28,907 Member
    edited August 2019
    Sk8rblaze wrote: »
    i remember SimGuruGrant tweeting that family-gameplay doesnt really appeal to most players so they decided to release Parenthood as a game pack only. he also refused to update the babies when Lyndsay Pearson asked him to do so. he personally believes there's no immersion in playing with families and that directly affects the output of the game. so that explains it.

    it's Grant Rodiek decision why we are left asking for more family interactions.

    a family-oriented expansion pack, aka Generations could have been better than Get Famous..

    most of us obviously need more family oriented game play, a full expansion pack dedicated to that aspect i supposed. but no, they be releasing full expansion packs like get famous to cater more on rich instagram girls with rich daddies and stuff who are willing to throw their money at EA no matter how bad the pack is.

    Didn’t Parenthood go on to be either the top selling, or one of the top selling, game packs? Laundry Day too — a lot of people love this type of “normal” gameplay over packs like Strangerville (which if I remember correctly, he pushed hard for). The Sims shines best when it gives us realistic gameplay and chores, but with a fun spin.

    He also didn’t want a search tool for build/buy mode, yet everyone loves it. I think it was one of the best ideas they’ve introduced with The Sims 4.

    I don’t agree with SimGuruGrant’s choices for this franchise whatsoever. It doesn’t make it any better he’s always getting into something on Twitter with players.

    But it is a fact he held the same jobs on Sims 2 and 3 and you had no problem apparently with his choices then. He has been a producer for a long time. The fact remains - no single person really decides on what is in each pack - it takes a team to decide - keep that in mind.

    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.

    In dreams - I LIVE!
    In REALITY, I simply exist.....

  • DragonCat159DragonCat159 Posts: 1,896 Member
    edited August 2019
    Probably because they only want to appeal to Gen Z teens, which means nothing but social media, selfies, and parties

    I totally agree with you. It's sad to me that like 95% of this game is dedicated solely to single, young adult gameplay. Babies-kids and elders have barely anything to do or anything unique to them, and teens are just young adults with a slightly difference face. My only hopes for this game are that we can get a baby update and Generations-type pack to improve on the vastly lacking family play and non-YA life stages.

    Pretty much this.

    They've made clear through recent marketing what we all knew already; young adults are largely the focus. There hasn't been anything outside of that focus for quite a while now.

    That, and many times there blatant obvious hint that TS4 isn't about to meet the demands of what players want. In short, TS4 isn't about what players want, don't seem to now even bother at all satisfying customer, so that leaves the leading conclusion it's there to make a buck.

    When Sims, core competent of the game, has yet received the #1 fan desire to get the deserved personality revamped, while modders alone manage and somewhat improved emotions of Sims (often receive positive reception from downloaders), it's hard to believe the game is catered for anyone in a sense its for players enjoyment and that TS4 isn't a counterfeit machine that many recognize of what it has become.
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    Probably because they only want to appeal to Gen Z teens, which means nothing but social media, selfies, and parties

    I totally agree with you. It's sad to me that like 95% of this game is dedicated solely to single, young adult gameplay. Babies-kids and elders have barely anything to do or anything unique to them, and teens are just young adults with a slightly difference face. My only hopes for this game are that we can get a baby update and Generations-type pack to improve on the vastly lacking family play and non-YA life stages.
    The weird thing to me (an adult) is, that for years now I notice many teens love to play teens. Many stories I followed in the past (both Sims 2 and 3, I stopped following stories so I don’t know what that’s like for Sims 4) were about the lives of teens in the game. And I can perfectly understand that. That it’s great to play out a teens at school kind of story when you’re a teen, it’s the life stage that matters most to you when you’re a teen. So, why are the life stages other than YA/A, especially teens, so limited?

    Pretty much above. Honestly, what they're catering is a niche group that's all about being in hippy in-touch-with-newest-trends social media type persons. I mean those that thrive on that stuff and not casually use them. I don't need explain how that's ineffective way of targeting this particular specific group, If they're goal/direction is to widespread the game by introducing more people on the expanding population. Whether they're targeting teenage girls and young adults, regardless of gender, never really did much in pleasing and often times is discriminating because it feels like they're generalizing with exaggerated/false stereotypes. I'm 20, I don't use apps like instragram/snapchat, hardly use facebook and doesn't have friends on messaging apps apart from one. Simply because I don't like living that digital life that much. I maybe the one person that's like that in this community, but I don't hear a lot of approval from simmers that enjoy the theme is going for. Though I don't mind it. What I do mind when you really prioritize it or try to put it above missing meaningful features from past game or not bothering to expand these heavily promote 21st-century-things that make them deeper gameplay wise.

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  • MidnightAuraMidnightAura Posts: 5,809 Member
    edited August 2019
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    Sk8rblaze wrote: »
    i remember SimGuruGrant tweeting that family-gameplay doesnt really appeal to most players so they decided to release Parenthood as a game pack only. he also refused to update the babies when Lyndsay Pearson asked him to do so. he personally believes there's no immersion in playing with families and that directly affects the output of the game. so that explains it.

    it's Grant Rodiek decision why we are left asking for more family interactions.

    a family-oriented expansion pack, aka Generations could have been better than Get Famous..

    most of us obviously need more family oriented game play, a full expansion pack dedicated to that aspect i supposed. but no, they be releasing full expansion packs like get famous to cater more on rich instagram girls with rich daddies and stuff who are willing to throw their money at EA no matter how bad the pack is.

    Didn’t Parenthood go on to be either the top selling, or one of the top selling, game packs? Laundry Day too — a lot of people love this type of “normal” gameplay over packs like Strangerville (which if I remember correctly, he pushed hard for). The Sims shines best when it gives us realistic gameplay and chores, but with a fun spin.

    He also didn’t want a search tool for build/buy mode, yet everyone loves it. I think it was one of the best ideas they’ve introduced with The Sims 4.

    I don’t agree with SimGuruGrant’s choices for this franchise whatsoever. It doesn’t make it any better he’s always getting into something on Twitter with players.

    But it is a fact he held the same jobs on Sims 2 and 3 and you had no problem apparently with his choices then. He has been a producer for a long time. The fact remains - no single person really decides on what is in each pack - it takes a team to decide - keep that in mind.

    Grant wasn’t a producer in sims 2. He worked on it I believe from Bon Voyage but he didn’t have the same role he had on the sims 4.

    https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/sims-2/credits

    Grant is credited as working in production from Family Fun stuff, I stand corrected but he was not a senior producer.
    https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,216087/
    Post edited by MidnightAura on
  • Writin_RegWritin_Reg Posts: 28,907 Member
    edited August 2019
    Sims 4 follows every trend going- I don’t think that’s up for dispute.

    I agree family play is still missing a lot. It has improved but family relationships still feel empty in many ways. Sims 2 definitely had it better.

    Sims 2 fit that time period - you said it yourself more or less with remote control cars. Families were like that - families are very different today. Everything today is about what is trending and from what I see of todays families not at all like the more simplistic Sims stories of Sims 2. Discovery and imformation did not exist for easy access. There was no Amazon - people physically went out and shopped for everything. Some things were great 15 years ago - but much was not. As a woman in particular and I am pretty sure most women would agree who were raising children 15-20 years ago. I would not care for the world to still be like it was then and I am darn sure todays teens and 20's somethings would not even know what to make of that time period if they lived it in their 20's and 30's or older too.

    Sims 2 my sim could rebuild a junk car in his garage or drive way. 20 - 30 years ago so could my husband in real life. Move ahead to 10 years ago and the housing authority would cite you for doing the very same thing in your own garage on your own land as not being allowed in your neighborhood. It is no wonder our Sims do not have that.

    Maybe it made a better game - it was a simpler time but let's face it - it does not represent people in 2019 very well.

    ETA - In real time Sims 4 is supposed to be almost 50 years after Sims 2 - not the same Sims 15 years later. Sims 3 was Sims 2 sim 25 years later.
    Post edited by Writin_Reg on

    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.

    In dreams - I LIVE!
    In REALITY, I simply exist.....

  • Writin_RegWritin_Reg Posts: 28,907 Member
    Well they are around here where I live - just about every kid i n my family has gone to college or is going to college in the field of computer sciences, networking, programming. I guess it depends on where one lives. California has a lot of that too.

    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.

    In dreams - I LIVE!
    In REALITY, I simply exist.....

  • Sk8rblazeSk8rblaze Posts: 7,570 Member
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    Sk8rblaze wrote: »
    i remember SimGuruGrant tweeting that family-gameplay doesnt really appeal to most players so they decided to release Parenthood as a game pack only. he also refused to update the babies when Lyndsay Pearson asked him to do so. he personally believes there's no immersion in playing with families and that directly affects the output of the game. so that explains it.

    it's Grant Rodiek decision why we are left asking for more family interactions.

    a family-oriented expansion pack, aka Generations could have been better than Get Famous..

    most of us obviously need more family oriented game play, a full expansion pack dedicated to that aspect i supposed. but no, they be releasing full expansion packs like get famous to cater more on rich instagram girls with rich daddies and stuff who are willing to throw their money at EA no matter how bad the pack is.

    Didn’t Parenthood go on to be either the top selling, or one of the top selling, game packs? Laundry Day too — a lot of people love this type of “normal” gameplay over packs like Strangerville (which if I remember correctly, he pushed hard for). The Sims shines best when it gives us realistic gameplay and chores, but with a fun spin.

    He also didn’t want a search tool for build/buy mode, yet everyone loves it. I think it was one of the best ideas they’ve introduced with The Sims 4.

    I don’t agree with SimGuruGrant’s choices for this franchise whatsoever. It doesn’t make it any better he’s always getting into something on Twitter with players.

    But it is a fact he held the same jobs on Sims 2 and 3 and you had no problem apparently with his choices then. He has been a producer for a long time. The fact remains - no single person really decides on what is in each pack - it takes a team to decide - keep that in mind.

    A producer obviously has a loud voice in terms of the direction their team takes the game in. You can argue that SimGuruLyndsay's predecessor is also at fault for taking the franchise in the direction they did, with their Facebook gaming background, having not developed for a single main Sims title.

    I'm not bashing him at all, I just don't agree with his ideas whatsoever.
  • AnmirlaAnmirla Posts: 3,835 Member
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    ETA - In real time Sims 4 is supposed to be almost 50 years after Sims 2 - not the same Sims 15 years later. Sims 3 was Sims 2 sim 25 years later.

    If TS4 is about 50 years after TS2, then The Goths should be the descendants and not the family unit prior to Bella's "disappearance". Also, isn't Malcolm Landgraab (a teen), the Malcolm Landgraab who is an adult in TS2 from Bluewater Village? I don't play premades in TS4 so I don't know where all of them are falling in line with one another, but that timeline doesn't sync with at least some of the premade families.

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