Personally I really really find a desperate need for Elders in this game to be given some love.
Once a sim is out of adulthood, their lives are over. I found myself just moving elders in legacy families to a 'retirement home' lot I made for them to die in. It's so sad, but they have nothing to do.
They can work until they die, or they can accidentally work OUT til they die. And sometimes they live to see a grandchild born, maybe.
There aren't any specific hobbies for elders (or just more home-bound sims like knitting, sewing, making jam/jellies from home-grown fruits, care packages/baskets of baked goods, etc). They don't have canes, or really any appropriate clothing or accessories for them.
Half the time too, if playing on Normal life spans, they will die before their first grandchild is born, which is really upsetting since I have even rushed couples to get married immediately upon reaching YA status, and once the child is born, and old enough for the grandparent to interact with properly, the elder just. Dies. And the kid doesn't even really care.
I really want some interactions that are specific to Elders, among themselves, and to younger sims. As of right now, there's no reason to play with Elder sims. Everything is exhausting and dangerous, even for sims who were fit their whole lives, gym rats, with 10 athletic skill and healthy living - the elder wants to work out because they are active, and they fall over and die. One of my sims lost his active husband like that because I didn't notice him in time. It's ridiculous.
Since Sims 2, I've always just killed off my elders to get them out of the way. lol.
I agree about the elders @thecatsred. I think we might see some stuff appropriate for them in a Farming pack (ie. jam making), perhaps knitting could come in a Hobbies pack, and I think we might get canes when the wheelchairs patch rolls out (this is something EA have been discussing for a while, and I do hope and believe it will see the light of day soon).
and I think we might get canes when the wheelchairs patch rolls out (this is something EA have been discussing for a while, and I do hope and believe it will see the light of day soon).
If we can get wheelchairs, and/or other things like this I'd be overjoyed!!
I have an OC who uses a wheelchair, and I have a few sims who SHOULD BE missing an arm or leg, with a prosthetic in place of it, and I'd love to be able to have them look right!
I really hope the team understand that, if their intention is to represent everyone in-game, then they need to understand not everyone who plays their game is an able-bodied early 20 something!!
I definitely want more focus on other age groups, including elders. But I would also want recognition that not all elders are sitting around in rocking chairs in retirement homes. Some are out there winning marathons or changing the world.
I definitely want more focus on other age groups, including elders. But I would also want recognition that not all elders are sitting around in rocking chairs in retirement homes. Some are out there winning marathons or changing the world.
I also want wheelchairs and other similar items.
I would love that for elders too and yes more representation with those items. I know a lot of elders who are active and can be just as naughty as teenagers.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
What do you mean by "families are very different today"? No families that I know of are such addicts to electronics as the sims in Sims 4 seem to be portrayed. The impression I get is that the devs are so disconnected with the real world and are interjecting the trendy fakeness that they must thrive upon.
Edited for being way too long and way TMI when the point was simply to say that the level of tech use in Sims4 doesn't seem out of line with normal daily reality for me or anyone I know, so tech infrastructure and use must be pretty unevenly distributed in the US.
Anyway, this is just to assure you that families can and do exist, who are deeply invested in screens and things digital, who also are deeply invested in deep conversations, literature, logic, math, playing guitar, creating art, laughing and being weird, and most importantly, in each other. The tech available to the Sims families in TS4 doesn't seem contrived or odd to me, though we expect the tablet to find its place alongside the 8-track cassette in history, sometime soon.
Post edited by Nushnushganay on
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
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.
Maybe they need to observe families and visit places other than the big cities of California. I know in the Midwest, most kids play outside or non-electronic games. Many jobs DO NOT involve social media and have limited computer use. Heck, my teen hardly uses her phone or a computer in the trendy way they are marketing. She is at the age of their target demographic.
We live in the far northeast, and there is a lot of hunting in my state, and a lot of woods and mudrooms, snowmobiling, fishing, you name it, but teens are pretty much inseparable from their phones regardless. I guess one doesn't negate the other. Must be different where you are. Even people who live in flannel and lug boots and actually enter livestock in county fairs, here, use social media, use computers and smartphones all the time, etc. The two are not incompatible, at least not here. It's okay that things are not that way everywhere, like in your case, though.
Post edited by Nushnushganay on
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
@JoAnne65, in TS2 toddlers do things based on personality and not necessarily just because they are toddlers. Not all toddlers can escape the babybed. Only outgoing Sims. Others who aren't as outgoing may cry and scream for mommy for a few minutes but if not very social etc. they may sit down and just play and wait for someone to come get them. I figure TS3 toddlers work somewhat the same way. Like only sloppy Sims in 2 and 3 can actually dig in trash autonomously etc. I thought toddlers in TS4 were the best ever, but not because of individual personality which TS4 lacks but because of animations concerning making messes and playing and climbing up on things. I guess when I say TS4 toddlers are the best ever some might have thought I meant personality but maybe some of us should have clarified no they all act the same as any other toddler, and what I meant three years ago was aminations and simulation rather than individual personality as in 2 and 3.
If they ever combine those things then I would be satisified with overall toddler play. Like in 2 some toddlers are slower to learn and why there is an aspiration reward to make smarter milk and to feed them to shorten the amount of time it takes to potty train. Not all toddlers need social etc. depending on personality points like loner in TS3.
I thought picking a toddler's personality in Sims 4 really meant something?
Their animations are absolutely super, no doubt about that, but I thought on top of that choosing a personality really means something in the game (unlike choosing traits for adults in the game).
ETA: I'm definitely against the use of bars in this picture
The traits for toddlers do work well - otherwise, players wouldn't feel so passionately against some of them. (Personally, I will never, ever have another 'wild child', and I don't much care for the sassy 'independent' trait, either.) I'd only like to see more traits, or even better, a 'sub-trait'.
I'd really like some sort of variation in baby temperaments, too - not necessarily selected by the player or dependent on parenting skill (just as in real life). Fussy babies, happy babies, babies who sleep all the time... . Even better, I'd like baby care to mean something when they age up to toddler. While caring for the baby does build relationship and parenting skills, it would be nice if babies that get a lot of bouncing and cuddling gain skills as toddlers faster, while those given the absolute minimum (feed and change) are a little slower (again, just like real life).
And I want the changing table for babies and toddlers and diapers that don't evaporate. And a baby bath. And more mental skill toys for my toddlers.
If you are using cc to illustrate topics can you say so please? Otherwise it looks as if it is a Maxis bug when it isn't.
What bug?
I think that the poster was referring to evaporating diapers? That's a base game feature. In TS2, diapers and bottles had to be cleaned up, they didn't just disappear into thin air. It was kind of cool, actually. The homes of sloppy parents always looked a mess -- moldering diapers and bottles everywhere.
I think they might be referring to the crib and the quite painful experience that must be for the father there Even I though (not exactly a Sims 4 expert) knew that must be CC because the game has toddler beds and not cribs.
Yes, I think they're referring to your picture. (The poor father!) The funny part is, I remember cc creators making toddler beds because we wanted them rather than cribs in a previous iteration. (S3? S2? They all run together, now.)
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.
Maybe they need to observe families and visit places other than the big cities of California. I know in the Midwest, most kids play outside or non-electronic games. Many jobs DO NOT involve social media and have limited computer use. Heck, my teen hardly uses her phone or a computer in the trendy way they are marketing. She is at the age of their target demographic.
We live in the far northeast, about an hour away from the only real "city" in Maine in an area more known for tractor pulls, harness racing, and county fairs, than other things. Certainly not tech-forward compared to my hometown of Austin, TX. We live in a place where far more kids are out hunting and fishing than delving deeply into tech, and we have one whose fondest dream is to go hunting and fishing...ugh... we're trying to figure out how that works (I am from Austin, and the hubs is from Massachusetts), but it feels like something you had to grow up under, to truly understand. Regardless, even in the part of not-so-trendy Maine we live in, our teen daughter was the last one she knew, to get a smartphone, and she just got it her junior year of high school, for her 15th birthday. She prefers not to splatter herself all over social media, and is more selective in how she uses it, which is apparently a Gen Z level of caution new to the social media phenomenon, for which I am grateful. But I find the behavior of teen Sims, in constantly sharing funny or absurd videos (Youtube) and taking silly or distorted self-images to laugh about together (in this case, not necessarily to share online) very real-to-life.
Yes, it's long lived fad going on. But my neighbor's kid isn't using it every few seconds, and I see him walking down the road to go fishing at a near by fishing hole (huge creek). I just wish Maxis would start to see, not everyone is into tech, and there is life outside the tech bubble and no not everyone is on FB or Twitter, and have absolutely no desire to be on those sites, or plaster selfies for the world to like, but live more private lives and actually enjoy outdoors, and never bother to take along a phone for a selfie. The memory is in their head shared by a few close friends and a picture hangs on the wall or sets on a desk (taken with a real camera) or table instead of in a gadget they are going to have to replace every few years for the newer and better one. It's disappointing to me TS4 lacks the depth of a world outside the tech world.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
I wish cellphones weren't automatic for kids in TS4.
Me too. It takes away the parenting of the game by forcing the Sim to have a phone as soon as they become a child. Phone should have always been a choice and in TS3, too. But so much of so called gameplay in TS4 depends on a phone.. it's used for everything, that I'm suprised the game just doesn't text to the player the parent's action to correct the child rather than see the animation. But the phone is so over used in this game it has become the game, along with their computers.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
Personally I really really find a desperate need for Elders in this game to be given some love.
Once a sim is out of adulthood, their lives are over. I found myself just moving elders in legacy families to a 'retirement home' lot I made for them to die in. It's so sad, but they have nothing to do.
They can work until they die, or they can accidentally work OUT til they die. And sometimes they live to see a grandchild born, maybe.
There aren't any specific hobbies for elders (or just more home-bound sims like knitting, sewing, making jam/jellies from home-grown fruits, care packages/baskets of baked goods, etc). They don't have canes, or really any appropriate clothing or accessories for them.
Half the time too, if playing on Normal life spans, they will die before their first grandchild is born, which is really upsetting since I have even rushed couples to get married immediately upon reaching YA status, and once the child is born, and old enough for the grandparent to interact with properly, the elder just. Dies. And the kid doesn't even really care.
I really want some interactions that are specific to Elders, among themselves, and to younger sims. As of right now, there's no reason to play with Elder sims. Everything is exhausting and dangerous, even for sims who were fit their whole lives, gym rats, with 10 athletic skill and healthy living - the elder wants to work out because they are active, and they fall over and die. One of my sims lost his active husband like that because I didn't notice him in time. It's ridiculous.
There's such a lack I am wondering if we'll be getting a pack for them sometime. I hope so. A cruise pack might be an idea! All the pensioners I know tend to go or want to go on one.
You would think they would have more respect for elders and introduce gameplay that allows an elder to pass along knowledge or experiences or tell the younger Sim a life lesson (they did a little of this with IL by having ghosts/ancestors tell stories to other Sims). But it needs to be a relationship between a young Sim and an elder (kin). Write wills, leave nothing or all to other Sims. Every town in the US probably has a senior citizen center. (members/club) Maybe they should go spend some time in those and see what things elders do and plan and what activities they promote for seniors. Not everyone belongs to one, but specific activities for elders would be a good idea. And family day for elders and younger kids in the game would be a good idea. They should spend some time with those centers to find out if elders like dances, moonlight walks, trail walks, bird watching, craft making, or if they would rather get together and have a cruise or nothing at all. But elder is totally ignored in the TS4 family. At least in TS2 Sims cry and moan when one passes and won't go to work or eat or play until they get that inheritance which lightens the mood.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
True but I will take it further and say we need better babies that play can play older than a newborn and fill all the gaps that are in-between a walking talking toddler.
Sims 4 went from "You Rule" to "One of the stories we want you to tell"
Yes, it's long lived fad going on. But my neighbor's kid isn't using it every few seconds, and I see him walking down the road to go fishing at a near by fishing hole (huge creek). I just wish Maxis would start to see, not everyone is into tech, and there is life outside the tech bubble and no not everyone is on FB or Twitter, and have absolutely no desire to be on those sites, or plaster selfies for the world to like, but live more private lives and actually enjoy outdoors, and never bother to take along a phone for a selfie. The memory is in their head shared by a few close friends and a picture hangs on the wall or sets on a desk (taken with a real camera) or table instead of in a gadget they are going to have to replace every few years for the newer and better one. It's disappointing to me TS4 lacks the depth of a world outside the tech world.
What you say makes sense. But what about the fishing, the naturalist aspiration, the ability to live off the grid in TS4? You can do those things, though I am not sure whether teens still use cellphones in that case...are phones still useful off-grid? I want to try off-grid but am still looking for ways to do it that don't give my Sims negative buffs for taking lukewarm showers and eating food that is raw, harvested ("That certainly tasted...natural!"). I guess they are reflecting the majority of cases, though. Most teens have phones, and most users of any age, tend to check their phones a lot, use them for everything, and watch videos on them, share things about social media, etc. It would probably be easy to patch in a "tech-free" trait that gets rid of the phone in a given Sim's possession, though.
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
You would think they would have more respect for elders and introduce gameplay that allows an elder to pass along knowledge or experiences or tell the younger Sim a life lesson (they did a little of this with IL by having ghosts/ancestors tell stories to other Sims). But it needs to be a relationship between a young Sim and an elder (kin). Write wills, leave nothing or all to other Sims. Every town in the US probably has a senior citizen center. (members/club) Maybe they should go spend some time in those and see what things elders do and plan and what activities they promote for seniors. Not everyone belongs to one, but specific activities for elders would be a good idea. And family day for elders and younger kids in the game would be a good idea. They should spend some time with those centers to find out if elders like dances, moonlight walks, trail walks, bird watching, craft making, or if they would rather get together and have a cruise or nothing at all. But elder is totally ignored in the TS4 family. At least in TS2 Sims cry and moan when one passes and won't go to work or eat or play until they get that inheritance which lightens the mood.
I think a big problem with special activities for elders, is that older adults are just that...adults, who happen to be older, and for my part I know I would be really insulted if I were an elderly adult now, and saw my entire generation typecast as playing bingo in a senior center. Elders are depicted as being able to do all the things other adults can do, with certain physical limitations on stamina that can have adverse effects if ignored, which is accurate. And you can still have your elders form their own clubs if you have Get Together, to do whatever they like that the game provides. If you like, you can even have them get together at the library for a book club, or a pub for Don't Wake the Llama and darts.
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
Personally I really really find a desperate need for Elders in this game to be given some love.
Once a sim is out of adulthood, their lives are over. I found myself just moving elders in legacy families to a 'retirement home' lot I made for them to die in. It's so sad, but they have nothing to do.
They can work until they die, or they can accidentally work OUT til they die. And sometimes they live to see a grandchild born, maybe.
There aren't any specific hobbies for elders (or just more home-bound sims like knitting, sewing, making jam/jellies from home-grown fruits, care packages/baskets of baked goods, etc). They don't have canes, or really any appropriate clothing or accessories for them.
Half the time too, if playing on Normal life spans, they will die before their first grandchild is born, which is really upsetting since I have even rushed couples to get married immediately upon reaching YA status, and once the child is born, and old enough for the grandparent to interact with properly, the elder just. Dies. And the kid doesn't even really care.
I really want some interactions that are specific to Elders, among themselves, and to younger sims. As of right now, there's no reason to play with Elder sims. Everything is exhausting and dangerous, even for sims who were fit their whole lives, gym rats, with 10 athletic skill and healthy living - the elder wants to work out because they are active, and they fall over and die. One of my sims lost his active husband like that because I didn't notice him in time. It's ridiculous.
There's such a lack I am wondering if we'll be getting a pack for them sometime. I hope so. A cruise pack might be an idea! All the pensioners I know tend to go or want to go on one.
The idea that becoming an older adult means you're "out of adulthood" and life is therefore over, doesn't happen in my game. They can retire or not, but their marriages or relationships, their hobbies and interests, and their activities (with the difference being that they need to take it down a notch on extreme exertion) are all still there, regardless of age. I can see having some bonus activities for Elders, like a storytelling option of "back in my day" or something, but sequestering them into retirement homes so they can die out of sight and out of mind, is not something I would like to see in the Sims, as I consider it one of the worst ideas of the 20th century that is still holding on in places, but is being supplanted in progressive areas by more emphasis on in-home care and "Aging in place" rather than being institutionalized just because of age and disability.
Edited for brevity and focus, and also to explain that I didn't intend to kick dirt on people's wish to make Elder gameplay more distinct somehow from Adult. That's a laudable goal too.
Post edited by Nushnushganay on
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
You would think they would have more respect for elders and introduce gameplay that allows an elder to pass along knowledge or experiences or tell the younger Sim a life lesson (they did a little of this with IL by having ghosts/ancestors tell stories to other Sims). But it needs to be a relationship between a young Sim and an elder (kin). Write wills, leave nothing or all to other Sims. Every town in the US probably has a senior citizen center. (members/club) Maybe they should go spend some time in those and see what things elders do and plan and what activities they promote for seniors. Not everyone belongs to one, but specific activities for elders would be a good idea. And family day for elders and younger kids in the game would be a good idea. They should spend some time with those centers to find out if elders like dances, moonlight walks, trail walks, bird watching, craft making, or if they would rather get together and have a cruise or nothing at all. But elder is totally ignored in the TS4 family. At least in TS2 Sims cry and moan when one passes and won't go to work or eat or play until they get that inheritance which lightens the mood.
I think a big problem with special activities for elders, is that older adults are just that...adults, who happen to be older, and for my part I know I would be really insulted if I were an elderly adult now, and saw my entire generation typecast as playing bingo in a senior center. Elders are depicted as being able to do all the things other adults can do, with certain physical limitations on stamina that can have adverse effects if ignored, which is accurate. And you can still have your elders form their own clubs if you have Get Together, to do whatever they like that the game provides. If you like, you can even have them get together at the library for a book club, or a pub for Don't Wake the Llama and darts.
A lot of older adults have one thing in common: they’re grandparents. And I don’t know about Sims 2, but Sims 3 and 4 are completely ignoring that given. I think a lot of great interactions would be possible around that, including both grandparents and grandchildren acknowledging each other as such. The bond between grandchildren and grandparents is a very special one and in my opinion would be perfect to play out in this game.
Luckily, most of the elders I know enjoy singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments, which I can also have my elders do in game. But I would love to see things added like Reminisce, Share Wisdom, Play With Grandchild, etc.
What you say makes sense. But what about the fishing, the naturalist aspiration, the ability to live off the grid in TS4? You can do those things, though I am not sure whether teens still use cellphones in that case...are phones still useful off-grid? I want to try off-grid but am still looking for ways to do it that don't give my Sims negative buffs for taking lukewarm showers and eating food that is raw, harvested ("That certainly tasted...natural!"). I guess they are reflecting the majority of cases, though. Most teens have phones, and most users of any age, tend to check their phones a lot, use them for everything, and watch videos on them, share things about social media, etc. It would probably be easy to patch in a "tech-free" trait that gets rid of the phone in a given Sim's possession, though.
Phones can only be used to call people, register as self employed, quit a job you already have, or travel. You have to go to a community lot to do anything else. So, I find that my Sim never messes with it at home.
There are some tips to avoid dealing with the negative buffs.
Put a laptop in your Sim's inventory, go to a community lot, and use the computer to order parts. You can use books to get high enough handiness to start upgrading. Then fully upgrade all of your Sinks, tubs, and fireplaces if you have them. The positive buffs you get from the upgraded appliances will override the negative buff from the shower.
If your fitness is high, and you add flowers to your wash water, you won't get negative buffs from washing the laundry, it will be clean and you will actually get a positive buff from it.
There's not much, currently, to be done about the food. It's one of the many things they need to address if they ever re-visit the trait. I'm playing with a vampire so I don't have to deal with it.
You would think they would have more respect for elders and introduce gameplay that allows an elder to pass along knowledge or experiences or tell the younger Sim a life lesson (they did a little of this with IL by having ghosts/ancestors tell stories to other Sims). But it needs to be a relationship between a young Sim and an elder (kin). Write wills, leave nothing or all to other Sims. Every town in the US probably has a senior citizen center. (members/club) Maybe they should go spend some time in those and see what things elders do and plan and what activities they promote for seniors. Not everyone belongs to one, but specific activities for elders would be a good idea. And family day for elders and younger kids in the game would be a good idea. They should spend some time with those centers to find out if elders like dances, moonlight walks, trail walks, bird watching, craft making, or if they would rather get together and have a cruise or nothing at all. But elder is totally ignored in the TS4 family. At least in TS2 Sims cry and moan when one passes and won't go to work or eat or play until they get that inheritance which lightens the mood.
I think a big problem with special activities for elders, is that older adults are just that...adults, who happen to be older, and for my part I know I would be really insulted if I were an elderly adult now, and saw my entire generation typecast as playing bingo in a senior center. Elders are depicted as being able to do all the things other adults can do, with certain physical limitations on stamina that can have adverse effects if ignored, which is accurate. And you can still have your elders form their own clubs if you have Get Together, to do whatever they like that the game provides. If you like, you can even have them get together at the library for a book club, or a pub for Don't Wake the Llama and darts.
A lot of older adults have one thing in common: they’re grandparents. And I don’t know about Sims 2, but Sims 3 and 4 are completely ignoring that given. I think a lot of great interactions would be possible around that, including both grandparents and grandchildren acknowledging each other as such. The bond between grandchildren and grandparents is a very special one and in my opinion would be perfect to play out in this game.
Comments
Since Sims 2, I've always just killed off my elders to get them out of the way. lol.
If we can get wheelchairs, and/or other things like this I'd be overjoyed!!
I have an OC who uses a wheelchair, and I have a few sims who SHOULD BE missing an arm or leg, with a prosthetic in place of it, and I'd love to be able to have them look right!
I really hope the team understand that, if their intention is to represent everyone in-game, then they need to understand not everyone who plays their game is an able-bodied early 20 something!!
I also want wheelchairs and other similar items.
But it's ridiculous that my sim who was active his whole life, got the long lived trait from it, died because he wanted to work out.
Edited for being way too long and way TMI when the point was simply to say that the level of tech use in Sims4 doesn't seem out of line with normal daily reality for me or anyone I know, so tech infrastructure and use must be pretty unevenly distributed in the US.
Anyway, this is just to assure you that families can and do exist, who are deeply invested in screens and things digital, who also are deeply invested in deep conversations, literature, logic, math, playing guitar, creating art, laughing and being weird, and most importantly, in each other. The tech available to the Sims families in TS4 doesn't seem contrived or odd to me, though we expect the tablet to find its place alongside the 8-track cassette in history, sometime soon.
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
We live in the far northeast, and there is a lot of hunting in my state, and a lot of woods and mudrooms, snowmobiling, fishing, you name it, but teens are pretty much inseparable from their phones regardless. I guess one doesn't negate the other. Must be different where you are. Even people who live in flannel and lug boots and actually enter livestock in county fairs, here, use social media, use computers and smartphones all the time, etc. The two are not incompatible, at least not here.
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
Yes, I think they're referring to your picture. (The poor father!) The funny part is, I remember cc creators making toddler beds because we wanted them rather than cribs in a previous iteration. (S3? S2? They all run together, now.)
Yes, it's long lived fad going on. But my neighbor's kid isn't using it every few seconds, and I see him walking down the road to go fishing at a near by fishing hole (huge creek). I just wish Maxis would start to see, not everyone is into tech, and there is life outside the tech bubble and no not everyone is on FB or Twitter, and have absolutely no desire to be on those sites, or plaster selfies for the world to like, but live more private lives and actually enjoy outdoors, and never bother to take along a phone for a selfie. The memory is in their head shared by a few close friends and a picture hangs on the wall or sets on a desk (taken with a real camera) or table instead of in a gadget they are going to have to replace every few years for the newer and better one. It's disappointing to me TS4 lacks the depth of a world outside the tech world.
Me too. It takes away the parenting of the game by forcing the Sim to have a phone as soon as they become a child. Phone should have always been a choice and in TS3, too. But so much of so called gameplay in TS4 depends on a phone..
There's such a lack I am wondering if we'll be getting a pack for them sometime. I hope so. A cruise pack might be an idea! All the pensioners I know tend to go or want to go on one.
What you say makes sense. But what about the fishing, the naturalist aspiration, the ability to live off the grid in TS4? You can do those things, though I am not sure whether teens still use cellphones in that case...are phones still useful off-grid? I want to try off-grid but am still looking for ways to do it that don't give my Sims negative buffs for taking lukewarm showers and eating food that is raw, harvested ("That certainly tasted...natural!"). I guess they are reflecting the majority of cases, though. Most teens have phones, and most users of any age, tend to check their phones a lot, use them for everything, and watch videos on them, share things about social media, etc. It would probably be easy to patch in a "tech-free" trait that gets rid of the phone in a given Sim's possession, though.
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
I think a big problem with special activities for elders, is that older adults are just that...adults, who happen to be older, and for my part I know I would be really insulted if I were an elderly adult now, and saw my entire generation typecast as playing bingo in a senior center. Elders are depicted as being able to do all the things other adults can do, with certain physical limitations on stamina that can have adverse effects if ignored, which is accurate. And you can still have your elders form their own clubs if you have Get Together, to do whatever they like that the game provides. If you like, you can even have them get together at the library for a book club, or a pub for Don't Wake the Llama and darts.
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
The idea that becoming an older adult means you're "out of adulthood" and life is therefore over, doesn't happen in my game. They can retire or not, but their marriages or relationships, their hobbies and interests, and their activities (with the difference being that they need to take it down a notch on extreme exertion) are all still there, regardless of age. I can see having some bonus activities for Elders, like a storytelling option of "back in my day" or something, but sequestering them into retirement homes so they can die out of sight and out of mind, is not something I would like to see in the Sims, as I consider it one of the worst ideas of the 20th century that is still holding on in places, but is being supplanted in progressive areas by more emphasis on in-home care and "Aging in place" rather than being institutionalized just because of age and disability.
Edited for brevity and focus, and also to explain that I didn't intend to kick dirt on people's wish to make Elder gameplay more distinct somehow from Adult. That's a laudable goal too.
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
Phones can only be used to call people, register as self employed, quit a job you already have, or travel. You have to go to a community lot to do anything else. So, I find that my Sim never messes with it at home.
There are some tips to avoid dealing with the negative buffs.
Put a laptop in your Sim's inventory, go to a community lot, and use the computer to order parts. You can use books to get high enough handiness to start upgrading. Then fully upgrade all of your Sinks, tubs, and fireplaces if you have them. The positive buffs you get from the upgraded appliances will override the negative buff from the shower.
If your fitness is high, and you add flowers to your wash water, you won't get negative buffs from washing the laundry, it will be clean and you will actually get a positive buff from it.
There's not much, currently, to be done about the food. It's one of the many things they need to address if they ever re-visit the trait. I'm playing with a vampire so I don't have to deal with it.
I agree