No it isn't. If you leave your home lot, you have a loading screen. The same is true if you travel to a community lot. If you want to leave that community lot, you will have a loading screen to go to the next lot or to go home. It's more restrictive than the Sims 4 in that you only have access to one lot at a time and have to go through a loading screen to get to any other lot.
No it isn't. If you leave your home lot, you have a loading screen. The same is true if you travel to a community lot. If you want to leave that community lot, you will have a loading screen to go to the next lot or to go home. It's more restrictive than the Sims 4 in that you only have access to one lot at a time and have to go through a loading screen to get to any other lot.
That's really not true- While TS4 has more open area around the lot, changing lots still require another loading screen, the Same as TS2.
@SataiDelennn
In Sims4 you can walk to the community lot either from the residential lot or another community lot.
In Sims2, you need Apartment Life to walk to a community lot/work/school.
No it isn't. If you leave your home lot, you have a loading screen. The same is true if you travel to a community lot. If you want to leave that community lot, you will have a loading screen to go to the next lot or to go home. It's more restrictive than the Sims 4 in that you only have access to one lot at a time and have to go through a loading screen to get to any other lot.
That's really not true- While TS4 has more open area around the lot, changing lots still require another loading screen, the Same as TS2.
@Rflong7
Let me clarify. I didn't mean to imply that TS4 does not have loading screens, of course it does. I was simply saying that TS2 it is not an open world like TS3, and that it is more closed than TS4 in that you have a loading screen any time you leave your home lot in TS2 as opposed to TS4 which gives you an extended area beyond your own home lot before you have to go through a loading screen.
In TS3, you have access to a whole map. Once the game and map loads, there are no loading screens to go anywhere. You can move your camera and follow sims around as they walk, bike, or drive. All sims on the map are active, as in they follow their work schedules and go entertain themselves at community lots. You play as your family, but everything around you is happening in real game time. Nothing is suspended when you are in your house.
@SataiDelennn Yeah, in 3 you play one family (that is how EA set it up to be played) and the whole world ages and dies around you, without you really even noticing (not kidding either). You can send family members out to separate places (community lots or residential) at the same time, but then you'll need to keep jumping back and forth to keep an eye on them all and they'll often head back home when you aren't looking.
While it has less loading screens (it does have some), your sims have to travel all the way to where they want to go, which can take about the same amount of time as if there was a loading screen, if not longer. The game is less stable then 2, to the point that you could sneeze and your game save corrupts itself and you can't play that save anymore. It might have helped if EA fixed some of the more serious issues with the game but they couldn't be bothered. How well it runs on anyones computer (awesome or low end) is a crapshoot that may never make sense.
All that said, it does have some good points and can be fun to mess around in. The world is pretty and the sims are...not, but hey, cc can help a little with that...kinda. I really enjoyed playing in CAW (Create A World).
You have to play differently in TS3. I went into it thinking I would play rotationally like I did 2. Well since the world around you keeps moving, there really isn't any option in doing that. However, instead of playing one family at a time, I played the whole neighborhood everyday. I tracked schedules and made it so that while certain sims were at work or school, I'd go off to my retirement home and get the oldies out to the cafes where they'd have a grand time together. I started a MOMS group that would meet at the park with their babies and tots for social gatherings. I'd make my singles head to the gym during the day and clubs at night. When kids got out of school, they'd head to the library for study clubs. Workers would stop at the pub for drinks with their colleagues. My neighborhood was so interactive that I couldn't go back to TS2 for a long time once I figured out how I liked playing TS3.
And yes, all this running at the same time with unoptimized programming made for a very glitchy experience. It can be slow and lag. But, that is mainly in the EA created worlds that have routing problems. My world is medium sized with about 80 lots and around 250 sims. Haven't had any issues.
No it isn't. If you leave your home lot, you have a loading screen. The same is true if you travel to a community lot. If you want to leave that community lot, you will have a loading screen to go to the next lot or to go home. It's more restrictive than the Sims 4 in that you only have access to one lot at a time and have to go through a loading screen to get to any other lot.
That's really not true- While TS4 has more open area around the lot, changing lots still require another loading screen, the Same as TS2.
@Rflong7
Let me clarify. I didn't mean to imply that TS4 does not have loading screens, of course it does. I was simply saying that TS2 it is not an open world like TS3, and that it is more closed than TS4 in that you have a loading screen any time you leave your home lot in TS2 as opposed to TS4 which gives you an extended area beyond your own home lot before you have to go through a loading screen.
You didn't imply, you said it. I clarified but It's not a problem though. To get to another lot, both TS2 and TS4 go through a loading screen.
Interesting. Thank you everyone, for the explanations. I understand now. HOWEVER, it does not sound like I would enjoy TS3 at all. I have enough trouble keeping track of the Sims I have in ONE household, whether it's just a couple, a couple with a kid, or my most expansive family, the McBlade's who have five kids (I had a fight break out in one part of the house while I was focusing on another part, and had no clue anything was wrong until that little specialized pop-up window came up to indicate something "special" was going on, and when I scrolled over to the other side of the house, the three oldest boys were standing and staring each other down, and dust was clearing, and I was like, "WHOA! 🐸🐸🐸🐸 just happened that I missed?"). Though, having access to private cars over taxis and carpools sounds like a plus.
I see many other simmers have already answered your question about whether TS2 is an open world game. No it is not, but you can do some cool things with the world surrounding the household you are playing - you can edit the neighbourhood and change the placement of lots, the way the surroundings look, add landmarks, add/remove trees and decorations etc. and you can also create custom neighbourhoods however there is no story progression (which I don't mind to be honest, I like rotational play) and there are loading screens.
While there are loading screens like Sims 4, I would say Sims 2 is slightly more "open" then Sims 4. You can actually see your neighborhood while you are in the menu and on your lot. But that's only a slight difference and probably doesn't bother most people.
While there are loading screens like Sims 4, I would say Sims 2 is slightly more "open" then Sims 4. You can actually see your neighborhood while you are in the menu and on your lot. But that's only a slight difference and probably doesn't bother most people.
The TS4 maps bother the heck out of me. Especially because they are made to look like they are together, but when you are in a lot, you can't see the stuff the map says should be around you.
One thing I have always loved about the worlds (once TS2 enabled it and WOW! in TS3) was seeing the rest of the neighborhood while in a lot.
While there are loading screens like Sims 4, I would say Sims 2 is slightly more "open" then Sims 4. You can actually see your neighborhood while you are in the menu and on your lot. But that's only a slight difference and probably doesn't bother most people.
The TS4 maps bother the heck out of me. Especially because they are made to look like they are together, but when you are in a lot, you can't see the stuff the map says should be around you.
One thing I have always loved about the worlds (once TS2 enabled it and WOW! in TS3) was seeing the rest of the neighborhood while in a lot.
Wait, what? When and how? I can't see anything around me when in a lot!
While there are loading screens like Sims 4, I would say Sims 2 is slightly more "open" then Sims 4. You can actually see your neighborhood while you are in the menu and on your lot. But that's only a slight difference and probably doesn't bother most people.
The TS4 maps bother the heck out of me. Especially because they are made to look like they are together, but when you are in a lot, you can't see the stuff the map says should be around you.
One thing I have always loved about the worlds (once TS2 enabled it and WOW! in TS3) was seeing the rest of the neighborhood while in a lot.
Wait, what? When and how? I can't see anything around me when in a lot!
It was an EP that enabled it. Don't quote me on it, but I want to say Nightlife did it. Yeah, once we could see past the lot, it was amazing. They're like blurry structures, but it added so much more to the visual depth of the game.
Comments
That's really not true- While TS4 has more open area around the lot, changing lots still require another loading screen, the Same as TS2.
So, then, how do you go from one lot to another?
In Sims4 you can walk to the community lot either from the residential lot or another community lot.
In Sims2, you need Apartment Life to walk to a community lot/work/school.
@Rflong7
Let me clarify. I didn't mean to imply that TS4 does not have loading screens, of course it does. I was simply saying that TS2 it is not an open world like TS3, and that it is more closed than TS4 in that you have a loading screen any time you leave your home lot in TS2 as opposed to TS4 which gives you an extended area beyond your own home lot before you have to go through a loading screen.
In TS3, you have access to a whole map. Once the game and map loads, there are no loading screens to go anywhere. You can move your camera and follow sims around as they walk, bike, or drive. All sims on the map are active, as in they follow their work schedules and go entertain themselves at community lots. You play as your family, but everything around you is happening in real game time. Nothing is suspended when you are in your house.
While it has less loading screens (it does have some), your sims have to travel all the way to where they want to go, which can take about the same amount of time as if there was a loading screen, if not longer. The game is less stable then 2, to the point that you could sneeze and your game save corrupts itself and you can't play that save anymore. It might have helped if EA fixed some of the more serious issues with the game but they couldn't be bothered. How well it runs on anyones computer (awesome or low end) is a crapshoot that may never make sense.
All that said, it does have some good points and can be fun to mess around in. The world is pretty and the sims are...not, but hey, cc can help a little with that...kinda. I really enjoyed playing in CAW (Create A World).
And yes, all this running at the same time with unoptimized programming made for a very glitchy experience. It can be slow and lag. But, that is mainly in the EA created worlds that have routing problems. My world is medium sized with about 80 lots and around 250 sims. Haven't had any issues.
You didn't imply, you said it. I clarified but It's not a problem though. To get to another lot, both TS2 and TS4 go through a loading screen.
Well, we'll see how I handle University Expansion pack before I even CONSIDER trying to acquire the UC! lol
The TS4 maps bother the heck out of me. Especially because they are made to look like they are together, but when you are in a lot, you can't see the stuff the map says should be around you.
One thing I have always loved about the worlds (once TS2 enabled it and WOW! in TS3) was seeing the rest of the neighborhood while in a lot.
Wait, what? When and how? I can't see anything around me when in a lot!
It was an EP that enabled it. Don't quote me on it, but I want to say Nightlife did it. Yeah, once we could see past the lot, it was amazing. They're like blurry structures, but it added so much more to the visual depth of the game.
Just about everything behind the guy is on other lots (or in the case of some of the trees, hood deco).