Is It Bad For The Sims 4 To Be Realistic? «123...Next Go

playermarko456

Not saying that realism in the Sims 4 is a bad thing. But on the other side of the spectrum, the Sims 4 taking the more realistic approach in comparison to previous iterations ends up risking one huge factor: fun.

I'm not saying that a more realistic Sims game can't be enjoyable, because they certainly can be. But Sims 4 going more so for realism limits more so as to what the player is able to do, and it also takes away that wacky/fantasy value that most of us adore. The Sims give us the ability to place ourselves in situations and be something we couldn’t possibly hope to imagine or accomplish, and that is a huge part of the game's appeal.

The Sims, at the core, is about pure enjoyment and entertainment, and that’s the most important factor at the end of the day. Whether the game is realistic or not should never determine how great it is, but a game “not being realistic enough” should never be seen as a negative when there are thousands of different positives that can make the game shine.

Being realistic or off the walls crazy are just preferences, and much like every hobby, everyone has ones that differ. And any game, whether historically accurate, inaccurate, or just insane, can hold a special place in anyone’s heart.

Admiral8Q

I agree! Well said!

FlyingPotato659

I personally never understand people claiming that the game is not realistic enough.

Since when was Sims ever realistic? We had social bunnies, ghosts, plant-sims, aliens and male pregnancy for years lol

dearie_blossom

How is TS4 more realistic than its predecessors? It‘s just more utopian and idealistic.

MyriadSims

It's not THAT realistic. It has aliens and vampires and even witches/wizards . sure, they have real world implications like bills and having your baby taken away, but that amount of realism is fine. I dont have that many problems with it, but it's fine.

Rouensims

I love the fantastic elements of the game! I enjoy the gigantic microscopes and the aliens casually chatting at the bar. It keeps the game fun for me.

FluffusCanarus

I do enjoy realistic game play a lot, but I also like having fantasy elements in my game too. I just like having more options in my game so I don’t feel limited as a player 🤷🏽‍♀️ It’s like if I get tired of one, I can always switch to the other.

I don’t think it’s necessarily bad for the Sims 4 to be realistic, I just hope that there’s more of a balance between the two.

luxsylvan

I agree! By adding in less realistic opportunities, there is less limitation. More people can play how they like, because you don't HAVE to do the wacky things. But by taking them out, everyone is restricted to one style of realistic gameplay.

Personally, I miss those things and thought they added a lot to the game.

Babykittyjade

Completely agree. Too much realism sacrifices fun for me. I always enjoyed video games for the escape and freedom of a whole different world. I know the sims try hard to balance both but for some reason I feel life they are scared to push boundaries or steer too far from realism..... 😕

QueenofMyshuno

I like realism for the most part (although I must admit I adore mermaids and talking dolphins). I think everyone has their own playstyle, so the key isn't realism vs. fantasy, the key is for the devs to make the game flexible enough so that everyone can play to their preference.

Bloosmoo

I think the game as it stands is realistic enough, I'd like to see more occults and fantasty elements added and more silly goofy moments, I really liked them. I would hate for the game to become like Big Brother, too much realism and I'd have to go outside and socialize for a fix of weird.

comicsforlife

Finbar659 wrote: »

I personally never understand people claiming that the game is not realistic enough.

Since when was Sims ever realistic? We had social bunnies, ghosts, plant-sims, aliens and male pregnancy for years lol

Agreed

comicsforlife

I wouldn't say The Sims 4 super realistic because it's the only one in the Sims franchise but does not burglars and it doesn't have been police so if it wants marks for realism it needs to add those things first otherwise they missed the mark by a long shot

Sharonia

I like realism in the game but not to much of it. I'm not against fantasy things being added to an extent. I'm fine with occults. However I do not ever want to see dragons and other unbelievable rubbish in my sims game.

playermarko456

Does the Sims 4 have enough of that wacky/fantasy element though? If you compare it to its predecessors, there are occults that are missing/don't have and that good ole Sims humor. Does that mean it won't be added? No, it just means that we don't know.

If they decide to eventually create a Happy Haunts pack, I would like to see Werewolves or Zombies (Sims 4 StrangeVille Sims are not Zombies) or for the heck of it, Faeries, and maybe the Ghost Hunting career we had with Sims 3 Ambitions or the Fortune Telling Career we had with Sims 3 Supernatural.

Would love to see my Sims do the smustle. It is my favorite dance.

gothiclolitapl

i think it depends what one considers to be important in realism if that makes sense. as you said a player wants to insert themselves into the game and to do that successfully some 'realistic' options may be needed to be added into the game. i know in the most recent survey there were talks about adding prosthetics and such, which have been discussed in the sims community int he past. some people argue that disability shouldn't be added into sims because it would make it too 'upsetting' to play, which to me is such a ridiculous argument. at the end of the game its still a life simulation game, forms of disability are just an everyday aspect of many people's lives and personally I hope it could get added into the game in order to be able to play more varied stories with your sims. if EA could make custom gender options which are both realistic and fun then they can definitely do this as well

Scobre

Honestly I think the Sims 4 is the least realistic of all the iterations. It is very role play social media focus where everyone is tech obsessed, so caters only to the billionaire lifestyle.

I don't think it is wrong for the Sims to be realistic and have a fantasy element and I think the Sims 2 was not only the most realistic, but handled supernaturals really well too.

I also would like disabilities and more cultures represented in the game especially for the blushes.

I don't believe in the supernatural in real life, but would like to see them in the Sims. They represent a lot of the underdogs and really cool seeing some of the origins of them being tied to medical conditions.

Chazzzy

Realism > Supernatural

DaWaterRat

For me, it's not a matter of "realistic" I'm fine with it being certain kinds of realistic. What I'm less interested in is the mundane. (Yes, I know that many people see knitting as mundane. I'm a crafter/maker. I know it doesn't have to be.)

Cops? Firemen? Burglars? These are not mundane. Consequences? Not mundane.

Chores? Mundane.

Scobre

DaWaterRat wrote: »

For me, it's not a matter of "realistic" I'm fine with it being certain kinds of realistic. What I'm less interested in is the mundane. (Yes, I know that many people see knitting as mundane. I'm a crafter/maker. I know it doesn't have to be.)

Cops? Firemen? Burglars? These are not mundane. Consequences? Not mundane.

Chores? Mundane.

Good thing it will have chores and consequences then. Consequences of not cleaning up, smog and death by flies. Dystopian world doesn't seem mundane to me.

cody6268

Is it bad. I think it depends. I would say it would not interest what EA thinks is the target age group (12 year old girls), but to adult players like myself, it can make things immature and irritating. The biggest problem is the shallowness of Sims, and their complete oblivion to what happens. There are some cases where realism may bump up the rating, but there is so much that can be done with little effort and not effecting the rating in the least. And I don't see why packs more aimed at older players could not be made.

Sigzy05

It's a life sim. And honestly, TS4 is less realistic than past iterations. So I don't really get this thread. You want more occults, we get it.

And no, being overall realistic isn't bad.

MsKatieRose

playermarko456 wrote: »

Not saying that realism in the Sims 4 is a bad thing. But on the other side of the spectrum, the Sims 4 taking the more realistic approach in comparison to previous iterations ends up risking one huge factor: fun.

I'm not saying that a more realistic Sims game can't be enjoyable, because they certainly can be. But Sims 4 going more so for realism limits more so as to what the player is able to do, and it also takes away that wacky/fantasy value that most of us adore. The Sims give us the ability to place ourselves in situations and be something we couldn’t possibly hope to imagine or accomplish, and that is a huge part of the game's appeal.

The Sims, at the core, is about pure enjoyment and entertainment, and that’s the most important factor at the end of the day. Whether the game is realistic or not should never determine how great it is, but a game “not being realistic enough” should never be seen as a negative when there are thousands of different positives that can make the game shine.

Being realistic or off the walls crazy are just preferences, and much like every hobby, everyone has ones that differ. And any game, whether historically accurate, inaccurate, or just insane, can hold a special place in anyone’s heart.

Well, it does seem some players are always wanting to make the game way too serious, negative, and realistic that could make the game dull. Instead of making it just a little more challenging. Which is what I think most players really want. That's why I would prefer to have the option to make certain worlds as realistic or relaxing fun as individual players want it to be. Maybe the developers can work on that.

For example, The Eco living pack seems appealing to those who wish to live in a polluted world but for others, they may not want to do all the work they wouldn't even do in real life. or having it affect all the other worlds they created affected by the pollution as well. Instead, they may prefer if it stays in that one particular world and they can choose to play in that world or just utilize all the other CAS/Build features that come with it. Saying you can turn the feature off doesn't help, if you want it limited to one world not others or a number of saves. Also, the turn off feature for rain storms does not always work for seasons.

Scobre

MsKatieRose wrote: »

playermarko456 wrote: »

Not saying that realism in the Sims 4 is a bad thing. But on the other side of the spectrum, the Sims 4 taking the more realistic approach in comparison to previous iterations ends up risking one huge factor: fun.

I'm not saying that a more realistic Sims game can't be enjoyable, because they certainly can be. But Sims 4 going more so for realism limits more so as to what the player is able to do, and it also takes away that wacky/fantasy value that most of us adore. The Sims give us the ability to place ourselves in situations and be something we couldn’t possibly hope to imagine or accomplish, and that is a huge part of the game's appeal.

The Sims, at the core, is about pure enjoyment and entertainment, and that’s the most important factor at the end of the day. Whether the game is realistic or not should never determine how great it is, but a game “not being realistic enough” should never be seen as a negative when there are thousands of different positives that can make the game shine.

Being realistic or off the walls crazy are just preferences, and much like every hobby, everyone has ones that differ. And any game, whether historically accurate, inaccurate, or just insane, can hold a special place in anyone’s heart.

Well, it does seem some players are always wanting to make the game way too serious, negative, and realistic that could make the game dull. Instead of making it just a little more challenging. Which is what I think most players really want. That's why I would prefer to have the option to make certain worlds as realistic or relaxing fun as individual players want it to be. Maybe the developers can work on that.

For example, The Eco living pack seems appealing to those who wish to live in a polluted world but for others, they may not want to do all the work they wouldn't even do in real life. or having it affect all the other worlds they created affected by the pollution as well. Instead, they may prefer if it stays in that one particular world and they can choose to play in that world or just utilize all the other CAS/Build features that come with it. Saying you can turn the feature off doesn't help, if you want it limited to one world not others or a number of saves. Also, the turn off feature for rain storms does not always work for seasons.

Which is funny and ironic because I see the L word used so much about the Gurus by those same Simmers that don't like doing chores. It is like so Gurus are essentially the ones doing their job and are asked to do gameplay beyond just sitting on a computer all day and thinking only of themselves. Something wrong with this picture.

I don't think making the Sims games more challenging like online games is what most players want. That is kind of why the Sims 4 seems like such a mundane RPG game as it is. Having it challenging in that way isn't making Simmers happier but more upset over the past six years.

I don't think you have checked this out about the toggle being per save:

https://twitter.com/SimGuruFrost/status/1258896797264752640

That sounds like a bug with the rain storms not turning off and should be reported to the QA Gurus like SimGuruArvin and SimGuruNick. But if you don't want to do the work of reporting it, I can try to help with that easily.

Yes I am someone who has cleaned up other people's trash and with this pandemic having good hygiene is more important than ever. Sad it has taken a pandemic to remind people to wash their hands, but such is life.

Colton147147

I prefer having a mix of both realism and fantasy in my games.

ArcherDK

Sims 4? Realistic? Not enough. Not even remotely. To make the game even begin approaching realism, one needs mods and a lot of them. I mean - alcohol? substances? lovemaking (No, not woohoo)? And lets not forget more realistic aspects of life that I'm pretty sure very few people actually want, like crippled sims (not offence intended to anyone), children's lives ending, incurable disease. List goes on. And yes, I do use mods that add realist. Trust me - problems with alcohol are not fun in both reality and modded Sims 4. Just saying.

Sims 4 is a bit more realistic, it's true. But not even remotely realistic. Want realism? How about your favorite sim getting hit by a car and ending up in a wheelchair for life? That would be realistic. Again, no offence to anyone intended. Heck, the base game doesn't have that time of the month! Tell me, ladies - it something so realistic fun?

My point being - Sims 4 is exactly what it needs to be. It just takes itself just a tad more seriously. Not trying to convince anyone, but pointing out the lack of realist in the game.
That is all.