Who else misses the randomness and challenge of the sims 2? «123...Next Go

peterskywalker

The sims 4 has gotten better over the years, but one thing I really miss is the randomness and challenge from the sims 2. I don’t like to purposely kill my sims, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want my sims to ever die or face hardship. Without challenges or randomness it makes sims lives more boring and predictable.

Here are several random things I miss

1. Fires were deadly if you got caught in them (couldn’t extinguishe self)
2. Cow plants would kill sims in one try.
3. Sims who were electrocuted would die if needs were low.
4. Certain interactions like printing money on the moneymaker could either cause your sim to get a fine or burst into flames the longer you used it. (Using aspiration objects also cause negative outcomes if sims aspiration was in the red)
5. Chance cards were more meaningful and could give great rewards but also lead to skill losses, fines, demotions, and even getting fired
6. Sims hit by lightning would die if needs were low.

And here are the challenges that I miss from the sims 2
1. Aspiration levels which show how well sim is doing and living life. (If it gets low sims would get upset, worry, and eventually act a little crazy)
2. Sims had fears that would lower aspiration level so you sometimes had to put off doing certain things
3. Sims had interests so when you talked relationships didn’t always go up
4. Sims were more likely to reject certain friendly or romantic interactions when friendship was low so there was a chance to fail interactions and loose relationship
5. Sims could get furious with others and would temporarily have a decreased relationship causing more mean interactions between the two sims.
6. Sims who didn’t like each other got into fights more often
7. Sims had a mood bar and would refuse to do certain skilling tasks if it got too low.
8. Sims could through bad parties if they didn’t attend to their guests.
9. Sims could have bad dates if the date meter went down and the time ran out
10. Various other things

While I understand the sims 4 is a different game and enjoy playing it. I still miss these things and that is why I still play the sims 2 for longer amounts of time.

So_Money

TS4 isn’t very dynamic, full stop. If you’re the type who likes to micromanage and guide every facet of your game, it’s fine, but otherwise it’s lacking.

Sigzy05

Honestly, they really dumbed it down. Some people complained about the random events and that they hated that their sims died without their input, basically they hated playing a video game, so the devs took all the fun stuff out so they could have their soy version of The Sims.

Really it bothers me that TS4 lacks real consequences...now instead of sims dying from lighting they get superpowers.... -.- Lifesim 10/10.

bella_goth

i'd say it's because of the whole "safe space" stuff going on with ts4. either that or the sims AI & the limitations of the engine.
if it's the first reason (or because people complained about such randomness) then devs could add toggles.

Becka28

Yes more toggles are definetely needed. There are certain saves / sims I would like safe but mostly i wish they would bring on the randomness and death!

I had a sim die from bad pufferfish the other day and its the first random death in months. I kind of enjoyed having my plans all changed and had a nostalgia moment for sims 2 myself.

peterskywalker

Love all the responses. The randomness doesn’t even have to lead to death. I would be happy if they just added events or actions that could cause loss of skills, demotions in job, massive drop in fun, rather than just a +1 negative mood that does practically nothing and goes away quickly.

ArcherDK

Off-topic, but people complain about Sims 4 lacking challenge and depth of Sims 2 and yet STILL continue to play Sims 4. Why not just play Sims 2? NO - worse graphics is NOT an excuse. We are talking about GAMEEPLAY.

So_Money

ArcherDK wrote: »

Off-topic, but people complain about Sims 4 lacking challenge and depth of Sims 2 and yet STILL continue to play Sims 4. Why not just play Sims 2? NO - worse graphics is NOT an excuse. We are talking about GAMEEPLAY.

Why not? Graphics are a legitimate component of a game’s overall appeal. You’re substituting one issue for another. I’m not going to go back and play Daggerfall because it’s deeper and more complex than Skyrim. A game of TS4’s stature should aim to deliver on both fronts.

bella_goth

ArcherDK wrote: »

Off-topic, but people complain about Sims 4 lacking challenge and depth of Sims 2 and yet STILL continue to play Sims 4. Why not just play Sims 2? NO - worse graphics is NOT an excuse. We are talking about GAMEEPLAY.

yes, it's an excuse, and there's many other reasons people still plays sims 4. you can dislike the gameplay and still play it for the build mode, cas, etc. a person who likes something has the right to dislike something else about it and vice versa.

Simmingal

bellagoth_ wrote: »

ArcherDK wrote: »

Off-topic, but people complain about Sims 4 lacking challenge and depth of Sims 2 and yet STILL continue to play Sims 4. Why not just play Sims 2? NO - worse graphics is NOT an excuse. We are talking about GAMEEPLAY.

yes, it's an excuse, and there's many other reasons people still plays sims 4. you can dislike the gameplay and still play it for the build mode, cas, etc. a person who likes something has the right to dislike something else about it and vice versa.

+ the fact that ts2 complete collection is no longer available on origin for download or in stores to buy (depending on region)

and many people have lost their discs in moves or due to discs breaking or maybe never actually bought all of it

and there is also some very irritating mismatch problems with new computers + older games like ts2 which idk may just be game breaking

I too would love to go back to play ts1 and 2 sometimes but its just so complicated whenever i try to

++ there is loads of things i love about ts4 too that i can't have in ts2 or 1 and id be missing the second i start playing

(especially build and cas cause back in ts1-2 days the tools were pretty nonexistent and you could only create like britney spears in some very weird houses which i mean is vibe of its own but idk)

I just wish ts4 could have some of the old gameplay goodness too since like why not?

thats really only reason i enjoyed my britneys in weird houses since despite the looks of it those sims had some cool personalities and drama in their life and all the achievements fears memories and such just made it feel so much more interesting

bella_goth

@Simmingal true.
some people just don't trust third websites to buy it or pirated games so they can't play ts1 nor ts2. their alternatives to ts4 in the genre is ts3 and not everyone likes it either. sims 4 is a pretty game but the gameplay is the way it is.
ea should give more copies of ts1 & ts2 or even remaster them & especially make them compatible with newer computers.

peterskywalker

ArcherDK wrote: »

Off-topic, but people complain about Sims 4 lacking challenge and depth of Sims 2 and yet STILL continue to play Sims 4. Why not just play Sims 2? NO - worse graphics is NOT an excuse. We are talking about GAMEEPLAY.

That is exactly what I do. I just play both and enjoy them for different reasons.

Sims 4 has some great mods, a lively community if you set up clubs and other features I like. However I still enjoy sims 2 and play it immensely for the features and depth it has.

You can hold several things in your heat and move them all.

morganlefaye

I can't remember everything from sims 2, but I would play sims 2 pets rather than anything else, because it was the only thing I had at the time. I like the sims 4 game, but it's kind of boring in gameplay. I think it would be more fun if they added personality to the sims and different noses. I'm glad we are getting new skin tones, but I wish they would add different things that go along with skin tones like noses. I don't know why it's a thing for me, but it is.

For gameplay it would be fun to have a ouija board to talk to your dead relatives or friends who aren't playable anymore.

Simmingal

morganlefaye wrote: »

I think it would be more fun if they added personality to the sims and different noses. I'm glad we are getting new skin tones, but I wish they would add different things that go along with skin tones like noses. I don't know why it's a thing for me, but it is.

wait what is wrong with the noses?
o_O is there nose type that can't be created with the dragging things in cas?

Sharonia

I prefer the randomness of previous iterations. The Sims 4 seems to be to much of a safe space. I don’t personally kill sims and I do get sad when they die but them only really being able to die of old age without assistance from the player is kind of dull. I don’t like that sims can extinguish themselves in fires and I don’t like that they can repair electrical equipment while standing in a pool of water and have no danger of anything bad happening. It’s just unrealistic. I also miss the slight more mature humour of the previous games as well.

I love the Sims 4 a lot but at the same time I can’t help feel a little sad knowing that it isn’t living up to it’s true potential game play wise.

texxx78

The thing i miss more from the ones op mentions are the aspiration levels. I think sims should get a depressed moodlet if they're completelly ignoring their aspiration and an overjoyed one when they complete an aspiration. At least that...

Alwe1507

ArcherDK wrote: »

Off-topic, but people complain about Sims 4 lacking challenge and depth of Sims 2 and yet STILL continue to play Sims 4. Why not just play Sims 2? NO - worse graphics is NOT an excuse. We are talking about GAMEEPLAY.

Not off topic, but you're assuming the complaints come from people who still own it, can get it or have slightly dated PCs that will still run it.

If EA released the complete collection again with a version like TS4 Legacy option, but for newer models, I'd never touch The Sims 4 again.

Sharonia

ArcherDK wrote: »

Off-topic, but people complain about Sims 4 lacking challenge and depth of Sims 2 and yet STILL continue to play Sims 4. Why not just play Sims 2? NO - worse graphics is NOT an excuse. We are talking about GAMEEPLAY.

A person can actually still love and enjoy the current version while also wanting it to be improved on at the same time. There is no harm in it. I've been playing the same save in my Sims 4 game for almost a year and a half now. I'm very attached to my sims and I don't just want to leave all my families and progress behind. I want more for them and for us as players. What's so wrong with that exactly?

Also I personally don't want to go back to playing the Sims 2 and yes graphics are an excuse. It's so actually dated now and I wouldn't be able to enjoy it the same as I did when it was the current version because of that reason. I don't care if it's a shallow reason. The visuals of games are actually important to me and they do play a part in whether or not I will enjoy playing them.

Daephene

I did love Sims 2 for ten years but I am enjoying the control I have in Sims 4 now. I am more of a story teller type of player, so having a limited amount of random interruptions in my plans suits me. Some players want more of a life simulation along the lines of sim city being a city simulator, with more of a win/lose aspect, and 4 seems to be the least like that in the franchise so I can see where those players would be frustrated.
Sims 4 improved the things I liked least about Sims 2 but also left out some of the things that were really well done in that game, so it is hard for me to say which I think is better, but right now I am enjoying 4 more.

Ray_Trace

Sigzy05 wrote: »

Some people complained about the random events and that they hated that their sims died without their input, basically they hated playing a video game, so the devs took all the fun stuff out so they could have their soy version of The Sims.

That would be me.

I don't like the random events that can occur out of my control like a Sim just deciding to set fire to himself one day or a Sim killing himself from electrocution. A lot of the things posted in the OP look unappealing and frustrating to me and it's apparent a sizable amount of people agree with me. The Sims isn't Mario Party, and it isn't any more "soy" that in a game all about freedom developers decide to minimize the amount of detrimental curveballs the game throws at you just because.

Even if you all prefer having random chance in the Sims 2, I don't appreciate the accusation that we "hated playing a video game" and that we play a "soy" version of the Sims. This condescending, gatekeeping attitude is counter-intuitive to what the series is really about.

izecson

I miss the randomness, i remember i had planned my primary sims to be a sucessfull man, but as soon as he graduated from high school and look for a job in a hospital there was meteor strike in front of the building and he was caught in it. so i postpone the story and switch my primary sim to his mother(single mother) to master cooking skills, fishing and gardening to prepare ambrosia to resurrect her deceased son so I can continue the story by the time he was resurrected his mother was already days away from dying of old age. that was the most fun I had in sims 3.

I didnt play TS2 for that long so i've actually havent seen any randomness event in it.

Alwe1507

Ray_Trace wrote: »

Sigzy05 wrote: »

Some people complained about the random events and that they hated that their sims died without their input, basically they hated playing a video game, so the devs took all the fun stuff out so they could have their soy version of The Sims.

That would be me.

I don't like the random events that can occur out of my control like a Sim just deciding to set fire to himself one day or a Sim killing himself from electrocution. A lot of the things posted in the OP look unappealing and frustrating to me and it's apparent a sizable amount of people agree with me. The Sims isn't Mario Party, and it isn't any more "soy" that in a game all about freedom developers decide to minimize the amount of detrimental curveballs the game throws at you just because.

Even if you all prefer having random chance in the Sims 2, I don't appreciate the accusation that we "hated playing a video game" and that we play a "soy" version of the Sims. This condescending, gatekeeping attitude is counter-intuitive to what the series is really about.

Perhaps that is why so many people consider TS4 to be vanilla and topics raised complaining about personalities, emotions, whims and general gameplay are in their hundreds 🤷🏼‍♂️

IMO, except for a few rather useful Build tools being unavailable for this game, The Sims 4 is undoubtedly the best builder of the entire series...

That said, if The Sims 2 Complete Collection was released for Win10 tomorrow with updated graphics, I'd be done with TS4 forever.

I'd be interested to know how many feel the same?

Simmingal

idk actually I'm quite micromanagy myself with my sims like i have autonomy off and all but i liked the level of randomness and accidental discoveries in ts2

in ts4 it just feels like you never accidentally end up with anything except like vlad visiting which makes me happy cause it sort of reminds me of the burglar except like he burglars your plasma

and i also really dislike how i have to murder my sims if I want rid of them like there is no way id ever get my sims killed accidentally cause theres the "warning"

RememberJoy

Sometimes I like randomness and sometimes I want complete control of what happens to my sims. It would be ideal in a possible future version of the game if we could select the level of difficulty we want for each save.

As for nostalgia for how TS2 did things, I have little to none as I have few memories of that addition. TS3 may have also had more randomness but I didn't experience much of it and I played almost nonstop for about two years. I don't think I ever had a meteor land on a sim, experienced maybe one shark attack, and robberies were few and far between.

SheriSim57

peterskywalker wrote: »

The sims 4 has gotten better over the years, but one thing I really miss is the randomness and challenge from the sims 2. I don’t like to purposely kill my sims, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want my sims to ever die or face hardship. Without challenges or randomness it makes sims lives more boring and predictable.

Here are several random things I miss

1. Fires were deadly if you got caught in them (couldn’t extinguishe self)
2. Cow plants would kill sims in one try.
3. Sims who were electrocuted would die if needs were low.
4. Certain interactions like printing money on the moneymaker could either cause your sim to get a fine or burst into flames the longer you used it. (Using aspiration objects also cause negative outcomes if sims aspiration was in the red)
5. Chance cards were more meaningful and could give great rewards but also lead to skill losses, fines, demotions, and even getting fired
6. Sims hit by lightning would die if needs were low.

And here are the challenges that I miss from the sims 2
1. Aspiration levels which show how well sim is doing and living life. (If it gets low sims would get upset, worry, and eventually act a little crazy)
2. Sims had fears that would lower aspiration level so you sometimes had to put off doing certain things
3. Sims had interests so when you talked relationships didn’t always go up
4. Sims were more likely to reject certain friendly or romantic interactions when friendship was low so there was a chance to fail interactions and loose relationship
5. Sims could get furious with others and would temporarily have a decreased relationship causing more mean interactions between the two sims.
6. Sims who didn’t like each other got into fights more often
7. Sims had a mood bar and would refuse to do certain skilling tasks if it got too low.
8. Sims could through bad parties if they didn’t attend to their guests.
9. Sims could have bad dates if the date meter went down and the time ran out
10. Various other things

While I understand the sims 4 is a different game and enjoy playing it. I still miss these things and that is why I still play the sims 2 for longer amounts of time.

I agree. One of the things that bothers me in the sims 4 is that they add conversation, that is superfluous and has no consequences.... here is on example: my boss sim is married to a jealous wife. When he’s gone she is always whiny, which is a bit overkill, when he was having an affair and fell in love with his mistress and I have his wife ask a question to her husband about how he liked her friend (his mistress) he tells her he is in love with her her friend.....his wife is jealous, she should react badly to that right?? But, she doesn’t react at all. And her husband should have lied to her about being in love with her friend anyway.,,,,

So_Money

This is probably my top criticism of TS4. Not much “happens” in the game. It’s less a simulation, more a sandbox (or a dollhouse). They should consider renaming the series, really.