I really appreciate everyone who spends so much time creating houses/lots! I have absolutely zero patience or vision for that, but other people get SO creative and it's amazing to see what they craft!
Give some empty house and i will be more than happy to decorate it. Love to decorate houses, it really relaxes me. The gameplay is a little boring, im giving the 9999999... chance for it again. Lers see how much time a can handle the lack of gameplay in this game.
I like to build the homes my Sims are going to live in. I rarely take days upon days doing so. At most I've taken two days, which really results in just a few hours. If I can't complete the build in about three hours, I grow impatient. You see, I love to play the game. To me, there is nothing more satisfying then building a home and then PLAYING in it. Some may not enjoy the gameplay, but miss their Sims, so they build. I confess, if things get a tad dull in my game, and a house idea is nagging at me, I'll save then go into map mode find the lot and start building for a time. Building can be relaxing, too. I also have collected 18th century cc clothing, et al, to add a sense of realism to my ancestral game save. I do play the game with it, however. So, I guess I should move along as I am an interloper, since I do play the game …
Yep, right there with ya. I do all three, build, CAS and play, but playing takes top spot. I build houses then plop them in my library to save so when I intro a new sim, they will have their house ready for them. I have built houses to put on the gallery without cc but playtested. I don't worry about downloading houses on the gallery as I usually take them apart anyway.
In my house, dog hair sticks to everything but the dog.
For me, the building and designing lots is what i live for in The Sims 4. Sims 3 had awesome gameplay and I loved living in live mode. Sims 4 gameplay is to be honest, very, VERY boring. To me its just so tedious. Also for me, I can spend literally hours upon hours, designing a home. And for me its so relaxing and the sense of accomplishment when its ready to be uploaded and lived in by other people's sims. If the gameplay was more fun, it would be closer to 50/50 for me.
But as it stands right now. its about 90/10 for building/live mode. And with the September 3rd patch having broken so much CC, I haven't been playing at all, because now I can't build the way I want to.
For me, the building and designing lots is what i live for in The Sims 4. Sims 3 had awesome gameplay and I loved living in live mode. Sims 4 gameplay is to be honest, very, VERY boring. To me its just so tedious. Also for me, I can spend literally hours upon hours, designing a home. And for me its so relaxing and the sense of accomplishment when its ready to be uploaded and lived in by other people's sims. If the gameplay was more fun, it would be closer to 50/50 for me.
But as it stands right now. its about 90/10 for building/live mode. And with the September 3rd patch having broken so much CC, I haven't been playing at all, because now I can't build the way I want to.
I'm the same as you.
In TS2 and TS3, I spent most of my time playing the game in live mode. In TS4, I spend most of my time in build mode decorating and building things.
My Gallery ID: AncientMuse2
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~ Mark Twain
I play in live mode and make or makeover my own sims. For building, sometimes I build and sometimes I download, it just depends. I am picky about what I download. Unplaytested builds are a pet peeve so I'll tear those houses down if they don't work. I've sometimes added a downloaded lot and taken it out because it just wasn't right. I've kept a few high quality downloads that I appreciate. They generally have quite advanced architectural features that I might not want to mess with learning.
I do like most of my own builds, maybe I would ultimately share some. I've gotten away from boxy builds. When I build my own lots they do always "feel" right in the space. I've built a nicely done Craftsman house, a mansion in Newcrest, a bowling alley/"funplex" and more recently, I've built a spa hotel in Sulani. I've kept a Victorian vampire mansion, a colonial library for Newcrest, a toddler park that I edited to be a family hangout for those with toddlers, a palace that is really too big for almost any lot, and a large Sulani beach house that was very well done and that I would not want to attempt to build on my own.
I lean toward doing more of my own building but sometimes I'll search the gallery for builds. I don't need to for sims. The quality of some of the builds is a little off-putting but I like what I've kept and what I've built myself.
I do play the game and have a game that works though I would like more packs that add optional things to do. With all the backlash recently, who knows, but I'm still open to the game and to new ideas if I want to work them in.
They are playing the game, just differently to how you and I play it.
So true @Alwe1507 -- folks are like we want free babies, we want a better romance system, and I am like I want round walls. I want to create split levels. I want to round windows. I want to be able to make waterfalls and cliffs.
I play the game, but I get bored quickly and start building. I am not the greatest builder, but I enjoy it and get really excited when I learn new ways to do things with roofs. Folks were like this was a dinky update and I'm like WE CAN STACK WINDOWS and place them above doors.
So @Chazzzy sure by now you've gotten lots of comments that reiterate a variant of what I've posted. The short of it is, there are different Sims players. Some are designers who only like to dress their sims and love posing them and posting them. Others build these elaborate lots using uncanny items that are beautiful, but not sim tested, and then there are some folks who live to just kill their sims in every way possible. So many different flavors of simmers out there. That's the attraction of the game, you play it how you want to.
After I play through a career, skill, aspiration the first time, it gets repetitive and tedious, so I cheat a sim to where I want them to be and do something different. Some people love the grind, but that's not how I play.
Anywho - cool topic.
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I like an even mix of live and build but I’ve always liked building in the Sims. 4 has some parts to improve but it flows better than other iterations. But the point of these lots is the sims that go there.
Some people are really out here spending hours/days/weeks/months/years designing homes within TS4 or creating Sims within TS4 and then do not actually play with these Sims in these homes. They make stuff but don’t actually play the game. It’s like a phenomenon. I’ve never heard of this happening in other games.
Did this used to happen in prior Sims games too or is this new for TS4?
And then some people spend a ton of time downloading CC to use for these Sims and homes and again do not actually play them.
I can’t understand it. I mean, it’s nice that folks can get enjoyment from the game period, but I wonder why they don’t bother to play the actual game? Is it because they don’t enjoy the gameplay? Do they have zero interest for some other reason?
I’m puzzled. If this is how you choose to use TS4, enlighten us.
For me, it's a sign of the times. I'm going through a lot of things right now. Rather than go through the rigors of actually playing the game, I find using it to build homes or create outfits for Sims is a lot more enjoyable.
"That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero." - Stan Lee
Some people are really out here spending hours/days/weeks/months/years designing homes within TS4 or creating Sims within TS4 and then do not actually play with these Sims in these homes. They make stuff but don’t actually play the game. It’s like a phenomenon. I’ve never heard of this happening in other games.
Did this used to happen in prior Sims games too or is this new for TS4?
And then some people spend a ton of time downloading CC to use for these Sims and homes and again do not actually play them.
I can’t understand it. I mean, it’s nice that folks can get enjoyment from the game period, but I wonder why they don’t bother to play the actual game? Is it because they don’t enjoy the gameplay? Do they have zero interest for some other reason?
I’m puzzled. If this is how you choose to use TS4, enlighten us.
For me, it's a sign of the times. I'm going through a lot of things right now. Rather than go through the rigors of actually playing the game, I find using it to build homes or create outfits for Sims is a lot more enjoyable.
I suppose like lots of people have said it really depends on what brings you the most joy when playing.
Creating lots is certainly my thing but I always approach it with a brief in mind and also consider what kind of Sims would enjoy living/working in a particular space.
I just finished a large science-commune type lot which took a very long time and I have just only started to fill it with Sims.
I know a lot of people who prefer the live-mode aspect are grateful for commited builders as well, if they don't feel they have the patience/time/skill to produce something complex/detailed.
I like to do both, I start of with a small house and a single sim usually, they get married and the family starts to come along and I extend the house. my aim is to stay on the same lot for a few generations, but I get bored very quickly and can't get passed the childen becoming teens before I start again. once they start making money I get bored, the play is too easy. But i can spend hours just going around and redoing all the premade homes. it's so fun.
There's no wrong way to play, and if some people just want to focus on building & creating, more power to them. And with the live game so lacking in substance, I don't blame them. I wish I had the patience & talent for building.
They seem to have a full record of what people do in the game...how many babies are born, how many woo hoos, how many vampires created, etc.
It sure would be interesting to see hours played CAS vs hours played live mode vs hours played BB.
As a few others have pointed out, recent packs seem to be suuuuper heavy on CAS and BB and very light on new gameplay opportunities. Perhaps the team has mined the data that people just aren’t spending a ton of time in live mode so why prioritize it.
Kind of a chicken/egg thing, though. By the numbers, I don’t spend too much time in live mode anymore, but I would love to if there was more to do there....live gameplay is actually the part of the game most important to me.
They seem to have a full record of what people do in the game...how many babies are born, how many woo hoos, how many vampires created, etc.
It sure would be interesting to see hours played CAS vs hours played live mode vs hours played BB.
As a few others have pointed out, recent packs seem to be suuuuper heavy on CAS and BB and very light on new gameplay opportunities. Perhaps the team has mined the data that people just aren’t spending a ton of time in live mode so why prioritize it.
Kind of a chicken/egg thing, though. By the numbers, I don’t spend too much time in live mode anymore, but I would love to if there was more to do there....live gameplay is actually the part of the game most important to me.
That makes sense. So the increased number of people building lots just to create videos for YouTube could be having a negative affect on the rest of us who actually enjoy Live mode.
"That makes sense. So the increased number of people building lots just to create videos for YouTube could be having a negative affect on the rest of us who actually enjoy Live mode."
And the sad thing is ... Some (most) of those houses aren't even playable and sometimes get a favorite by Maxis and have huge download numbers. It does not make sense to me. I got another Maxis favorite from the gallery yesterday and there are no stairs or ladders to go to the upstairs or to the basement. I had move objects on when I placed the lot. Then I found the YT video and the creator admits they forgot stairs but it looks great. "Sims have to teleport in this build." They left it up to the viewers to add stairs or ladders if we download it.
"That makes sense. So the increased number of people building lots just to create videos for YouTube could be having a negative affect on the rest of us who actually enjoy Live mode."
And the sad thing is ... Some (most) of those houses aren't even playable and sometimes get a favorite by Maxis and have huge download numbers. It does not make sense to me. I got another Maxis favorite from the gallery yesterday and there are no stairs or ladders to go to the upstairs or to the basement. I had move objects on when I placed the lot. Then I found the YT video and the creator admits they forgot stairs but it looks great. "Sims have to teleport in this build." They left it up to the viewers to add stairs or ladders if we download it.
That’s just sad and shows where their priorities lie
"That makes sense. So the increased number of people building lots just to create videos for YouTube could be having a negative affect on the rest of us who actually enjoy Live mode."
And the sad thing is ... Some (most) of those houses aren't even playable and sometimes get a favorite by Maxis and have huge download numbers. It does not make sense to me. I got another Maxis favorite from the gallery yesterday and there are no stairs or ladders to go to the upstairs or to the basement. I had move objects on when I placed the lot. Then I found the YT video and the creator admits they forgot stairs but it looks great. "Sims have to teleport in this build." They left it up to the viewers to add stairs or ladders if we download it.
That's quite a specific example 😅 but I take your point about lots becoming more like dioramas rather than something which is practical to move Sims into.
I am guilty of watching those videos but mainly to nick a few ideas about using BB objects in unconvential ways to make the lot look more architecturally and decoratively interesting or realistic. At the end of the day if your Sim can't walk cleanly between the things they need then it's good to no one. With the teleporting, that seems to be common among the really outrageous builds with spaceships and the like.
I guess I generally view those sorts of lots as sources of inspiration rather than playable but then like you say, the creator should be more transparent about that.
I go through phases. Right now I'm creating a new template save, trying to spread out the venues a bit more and finding good houses on the Gallery because I can't build worth a lick. I've got Willow Creek done with a remodeled Museum Muses, a bowling alley/nightclub, a restaurant, remodeled library and a wedding chapel. Next is Oasis Springs which will likely get a lounge, a burger place, a gym (or spa), maybe a bar, and a community pool. By the time I'm done I'll be ready to get back to actual game play. (I started the template save by playing through the tutorial; I have my Sim, Selina Hill, in the Athletic career but I might have her quit to join the military.)
Check out my Gallery! Origin ID: justme22
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
Not playing the game itself, therefore his houses and lot aren't being playtested, tried it and it's unplayable due to move object cheats.
Honestly, this is my biggest issue/gripe with a lot of builds I come across on the gallery, lots of lovely builds and lots, but so many of them are unplayable because of Move Objects and sometimes very strange layout choices. Like do what you want in the sims, it's your game ect but if you're going to upload your creations to the gallery at least make sure it's playable or state in the description that it is an untested lot/build.
Give our Vampires back their fangs!!! Reverse the Nerf!!! Occult simmers should not be shoved aside for the "realism players"! It's time Occult lovers/players started to demand equal treatment. #JusticeForOccults
I'm surprised this is even a question. Is there anything fun other than CAS and Build Mode? Yes, there's live mode, but it's so 🐸🐸🐸🐸 boring it shouldn't come as a surprise people do not spend much time in it.
I'm sure there are some people who enjoy live mode, but if I had to go by the posts here, on reddit and YouTube, most people build houses and make Sims and don't play the game.
I have played all 4 Sims and would consider myself a "builder" for each one. I have always put more time into building and designing lots/rooms/etc than gameplay. One reason I believe someone already mentioned is the relaxed game style. I can sit and play around and just take my time making things look exactly how I want them to... and for someone with high anxiety it really helps take my mind off things. I also have always been into architecture and interior design and have been searching ENDLESSLY for any kind of game that has a similar engine for house building and decorating and have not found anything that I could use long term and thats why I always resort to using the Sims for those types of things. Also gameplay for me tends to get a little boring after a while. It could be the lack of options for interactions. I mean there are quite a few interaction options in gameplay now compared to other older versions of the sims but after a while you end up doing the same things over and over again (maybe its just me). I however do playertest about 90% of my builds (basically as long as I remember, which now is more often than not). I also love participating in all the build challenges and seeing how different and creative other people's entries are
TS4 gameplay is a lot more boring tbh. You can tell sims youtubers and streamers are also bored, creating challenges and building. Not actually playing the game.
I've built enough houses and made enough Sims now to fill all my worlds in one Save I've gone back to. I've done that and now go randomly from one to another household to see how they are getting on as they have full autonomy. The last three I've visited this week have had a house refurb with eco stuff and inventories filled with useful stuff for visiting Batuu.
It's all go, trying to manage all of them. My Witch is just starting her Batuu adventure but has to skill up in magic first, The second needs to find new work so I've made him a scientist, but he needs a butler or somebody to look after his daughter. The third couple are into eco tech and conservation work but their three dogs are proving a handful.
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Yep, right there with ya. I do all three, build, CAS and play, but playing takes top spot. I build houses then plop them in my library to save so when I intro a new sim, they will have their house ready for them. I have built houses to put on the gallery without cc but playtested. I don't worry about downloading houses on the gallery as I usually take them apart anyway.
But as it stands right now. its about 90/10 for building/live mode. And with the September 3rd patch having broken so much CC, I haven't been playing at all, because now I can't build the way I want to.
I'm the same as you.
In TS2 and TS3, I spent most of my time playing the game in live mode. In TS4, I spend most of my time in build mode decorating and building things.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~ Mark Twain
I do like most of my own builds, maybe I would ultimately share some. I've gotten away from boxy builds. When I build my own lots they do always "feel" right in the space. I've built a nicely done Craftsman house, a mansion in Newcrest, a bowling alley/"funplex" and more recently, I've built a spa hotel in Sulani. I've kept a Victorian vampire mansion, a colonial library for Newcrest, a toddler park that I edited to be a family hangout for those with toddlers, a palace that is really too big for almost any lot, and a large Sulani beach house that was very well done and that I would not want to attempt to build on my own.
I lean toward doing more of my own building but sometimes I'll search the gallery for builds. I don't need to for sims. The quality of some of the builds is a little off-putting but I like what I've kept and what I've built myself.
I do play the game and have a game that works though I would like more packs that add optional things to do. With all the backlash recently, who knows, but I'm still open to the game and to new ideas if I want to work them in.
So true @Alwe1507 -- folks are like we want free babies, we want a better romance system, and I am like I want round walls. I want to create split levels. I want to round windows. I want to be able to make waterfalls and cliffs.
I play the game, but I get bored quickly and start building. I am not the greatest builder, but I enjoy it and get really excited when I learn new ways to do things with roofs. Folks were like this was a dinky update and I'm like WE CAN STACK WINDOWS and place them above doors.
So @Chazzzy sure by now you've gotten lots of comments that reiterate a variant of what I've posted. The short of it is, there are different Sims players. Some are designers who only like to dress their sims and love posing them and posting them. Others build these elaborate lots using uncanny items that are beautiful, but not sim tested, and then there are some folks who live to just kill their sims in every way possible. So many different flavors of simmers out there. That's the attraction of the game, you play it how you want to.
After I play through a career, skill, aspiration the first time, it gets repetitive and tedious, so I cheat a sim to where I want them to be and do something different. Some people love the grind, but that's not how I play.
Anywho - cool topic.
For me, it's a sign of the times. I'm going through a lot of things right now. Rather than go through the rigors of actually playing the game, I find using it to build homes or create outfits for Sims is a lot more enjoyable.
*hugs* we are living in a weird/scary time
Creating lots is certainly my thing but I always approach it with a brief in mind and also consider what kind of Sims would enjoy living/working in a particular space.
I just finished a large science-commune type lot which took a very long time and I have just only started to fill it with Sims.
I know a lot of people who prefer the live-mode aspect are grateful for commited builders as well, if they don't feel they have the patience/time/skill to produce something complex/detailed.
My Gallery 🏠 | Gamer 🎮 | Husband 👬
It sure would be interesting to see hours played CAS vs hours played live mode vs hours played BB.
As a few others have pointed out, recent packs seem to be suuuuper heavy on CAS and BB and very light on new gameplay opportunities. Perhaps the team has mined the data that people just aren’t spending a ton of time in live mode so why prioritize it.
Kind of a chicken/egg thing, though. By the numbers, I don’t spend too much time in live mode anymore, but I would love to if there was more to do there....live gameplay is actually the part of the game most important to me.
That makes sense. So the increased number of people building lots just to create videos for YouTube could be having a negative affect on the rest of us who actually enjoy Live mode.
And the sad thing is ... Some (most) of those houses aren't even playable and sometimes get a favorite by Maxis and have huge download numbers. It does not make sense to me. I got another Maxis favorite from the gallery yesterday and there are no stairs or ladders to go to the upstairs or to the basement. I had move objects on when I placed the lot. Then I found the YT video and the creator admits they forgot stairs but it looks great. "Sims have to teleport in this build." They left it up to the viewers to add stairs or ladders if we download it.
That’s just sad and shows where their priorities lie
That's quite a specific example 😅 but I take your point about lots becoming more like dioramas rather than something which is practical to move Sims into.
I am guilty of watching those videos but mainly to nick a few ideas about using BB objects in unconvential ways to make the lot look more architecturally and decoratively interesting or realistic. At the end of the day if your Sim can't walk cleanly between the things they need then it's good to no one. With the teleporting, that seems to be common among the really outrageous builds with spaceships and the like.
I guess I generally view those sorts of lots as sources of inspiration rather than playable but then like you say, the creator should be more transparent about that.
My Gallery 🏠 | Gamer 🎮 | Husband 👬
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
Honestly, this is my biggest issue/gripe with a lot of builds I come across on the gallery, lots of lovely builds and lots, but so many of them are unplayable because of Move Objects and sometimes very strange layout choices. Like do what you want in the sims, it's your game ect but if you're going to upload your creations to the gallery at least make sure it's playable or state in the description that it is an untested lot/build.
I'm sure there are some people who enjoy live mode, but if I had to go by the posts here, on reddit and YouTube, most people build houses and make Sims and don't play the game.
Challenges: Builder's Wanted!!!
It's all go, trying to manage all of them. My Witch is just starting her Batuu adventure but has to skill up in magic first, The second needs to find new work so I've made him a scientist, but he needs a butler or somebody to look after his daughter. The third couple are into eco tech and conservation work but their three dogs are proving a handful.