Yeah, there is a lot of things I do like with get together. The club system may seem to be directed towards YA, but it'seems good for anyone, any age.
Couple old farts want to play chess in a park? Sure Want to create a club so the family can skill up faster? Sure All the kids on the block want to play at the playground? Sure A bunch of guys want to go to a bar? Sure
I also like the ability to go on a date without objectives. Relationships are just the right amount of freedom in the YA stage.
But yeah, even though I do have a lot of single sims, for a handful, I already have a pre-selected partner in mind for when their stories get to the point, so I can play my second favorite stage: kids
Lets make The Sims 4 great again!
-- Origin ID: Audio5urf --
Feel free to add me, and check out my gallery shenanigans.
I've tried the family play many times but I just don't like it. Dealing with whiny babies and toddlers is not enjoyable in my game and babysitting is something I'd want to get paid for in real life. I like playing with at least 2,3, or 4 sims that usually aren't married. I just have some of them mess around with random sims in the town. I need go back and change some traits because some of them have wanted babies. This mainly happens in sims 3 for me but I know this is about 4. I haven't played sims 4 in weeks. I guess it seems like should enjoy it because I'm not into the family play but it's still boring to me.
Ditto for me. I actually played with families a lot in TS2 but my preferences changed and now I prefer single Sims. In TS3 and now in TS4 I prefer 2-person households, maybe 3. Any more and it's hard to keep up.
And this is exactly why telemetry doesn't tell the full story...
I tried playing single sims in TS4 too to try to gloss over what I missed from my style of family play. It's just not the same draw of the older games-I don't feel that 'pull' to play TS4.
Exactly! Telemetry is a joke in my opinion. It's suppose to let EA know how we play the game right and what we want? Well how can it be accurate when all various play styles are not offered. There is no real family play here. Sure there are a few interactions here and there but not a whole lot. Babies are just objects tied to a crib. I can't take my sim babies, lay them on a blanket on the floor and pretend they are learning how to roll over and crawl. In my game I pretend in my head that sims age like we do. My real game play consists of a mix of aging on and off. I will have pretend birthday parties as they age from year to the next. Right now my main sim is 18 years of age and it just seems odd to me for an 18 year old to have an 8 year old child!!!!!! I know I'm just used to being able to play that way since TS2. Telemetry can't read that is how I would play TS4 if we had more life stages. It can only read how we play the game with how it is offered! There just isn't enough in TS4 for me to play the way I would actually want to play. I play with what is offered and not how I would really like to play TS4 because the options are just not there.
You are right, telemetry can't account for how one play the sims in their head. However, I'm pretty sure the telemetry used was from TS3, that's how they knew toddlers were the least played life stage. It's funny reading some of these comments as if we've forgotten that TS3 didn't off much for toddlers or children until the release of Generations and still afterwards with the release of specific store content. As the game goes on and more expansions and game packs are added more interactions will come. I still feel we are comparing a "complete" game to one that is still growing and evolving. There are interactions exclusive to kids and teens, but I agree we could use more.
I play both styles. There's plenty of potential (and even some existing things) for family play in TS4, although they do need to start making extras packs with similar focus. Dining Out and the Camping are avenues for family play, if you play them realistically and take the fam camping or out to eat. Merely they should at least make some EPs solely focused on that style of play, since after all - the single Sim players got Get Together~
Simmer since day one. Owns every Expansion and extras. Even the console games. XD
Feel free to chat me (I like games/RPGs, game dev, and animu/anime)
And this is exactly why telemetry doesn't tell the full story...
I tried playing single sims in TS4 too to try to gloss over what I missed from my style of family play. It's just not the same draw of the older games-I don't feel that 'pull' to play TS4.
Exactly! Telemetry is a joke in my opinion. It's suppose to let EA know how we play the game right and what we want? Well how can it be accurate when all various play styles are not offered. There is no real family play here. Sure there are a few interactions here and there but not a whole lot. Babies are just objects tied to a crib. I can't take my sim babies, lay them on a blanket on the floor and pretend they are learning how to roll over and crawl. In my game I pretend in my head that sims age like we do. My real game play consists of a mix of aging on and off. I will have pretend birthday parties as they age from year to the next. Right now my main sim is 18 years of age and it just seems odd to me for an 18 year old to have an 8 year old child!!!!!! I know I'm just used to being able to play that way since TS2. Telemetry can't read that is how I would play TS4 if we had more life stages. It can only read how we play the game with how it is offered! There just isn't enough in TS4 for me to play the way I would actually want to play. I play with what is offered and not how I would really like to play TS4 because the options are just not there.
You are right, telemetry can't account for how one play the sims in their head. However, I'm pretty sure the telemetry used was from TS3, that's how they knew toddlers were the least played life stage. It's funny reading some of these comments as if we've forgotten that TS3 didn't off much for toddlers or children until the release of Generations and still afterwards with the release of specific store content. As the game goes on and more expansions and game packs are added more interactions will come. I still feel we are comparing a "complete" game to one that is still growing and evolving. There are interactions exclusive to kids and teens, but I agree we could use more.
I have to agree that telemetry was used for TS3 to make TS4, but they still use it for TS4. It is also true that TS3 didn't offer much until the release of generations. I didn't play much with toddlers in TS3 but I did more so with the release of generations. I didn't use cheats to skill them up as much and I didn't stick them in a corner with peg box until they aged up as often. Once I obtained all the store content regarding toddlers, they no longer went into the corner and I actually played them. So I had to spend a lot of money and time obtaining free points to actually play a life stage in the game. Which I did only because I knew I would put it to good use. To me toddlers in TS3 were "I would play them more if this was offered" Eventually what I wanted was offered and I played, which all of that was more than likely recorded by telemetry. Thus the reason as to why I feel one would have to put a large hole in their pocket for more family play. True, I think the skip from baby to child is odd but I still do it. I did it in TS1 and TS4 feels more like a reboot of TS1 than an addition to the series.
What kills family play for me more than the lack of toddlers is the closed world. It really turns the game away from families or even couples because you can only play the sim on the active lot. Unless you drag everyone around to the same lot all the time, you're stuck in a situation where you play this sim or that sim but not both or all sims.
I enjoyed toddlers in the previous installment and thought that I would really miss them in 4, but I've found that I'm not heartbroken about it. It's something that I would love to be included, but it doesn't massively detract from the game for me.
I'll admit that it feels a bit lacking without them, and the way that that impacts family play. Before the inclusion of Get Together and clubs, the lives of my child and teen sims felt really lackluster... But now that I can utilize those, those life stages feel a little less... I don't know, basic. I just kind of felt like beyond a couple different things, like early development in preparation for the Young Adult stage that there wasn't much for children or teens to be doing, really.
I expect that they will improve upon the lack of family play in the future, but until then I'm making the most of what's already there and trying to use my imagination, honestly.
It definitely doesn't feel as magical as it did before, but I do still keep in mind that even The Sims 3 (and others) improved upon themselves with more content and that in some instances certain things that we started with were similar to the way that things are now. I'll be patient and hope for the best.
I'm still set in my old mold, playing families as well as roomates, rarely ever a single sim. My two singles at the moment are two self-epmployed enterpreteurs that are more or less chained to their crafting stations (woodcarving and bar, respectively). It just doesn't feel right for them to found a family yet, before they can "provide for a wife and children" (by that they mean "before I have become filthy rich").
Cradle to gradeschool is no problem for me, as it feels no worse than fast-forwarding the time in between two seasons of a TV show. Lately I even find myself skipping pregnancy altogether and jumping into the child stage directly by playing with genetics in CAS.
I think that's one of the main differences between the target audience and players on this board. I get the impression that for many players here immersion is created by watching their sims go through animations and executing certain labeled actions. Examples are driveable cars, walking to lots instead of using cellphone-teleport and seeing the schoolbus arrive. While for the target audience the enjoyment comes from playing a series of exiting scenes that skip the "boring" parts. We know our sims sat in a bus or car or on their horse to get from A to B or that they have been toddlers. But we are either okay with not seeing that part or perhaps don't even want to, because by not getting shown the actual means of transport we can insert our own ideas without the game breaking our sandbox.
Sims 4 made my play style back to the way it was in Sims 1. I never did have children in Sims 1 because they never grew up. Now with teens the same height, no toddlers, I just don't feel the same towards family play in Sims 4, but I am having a hoot with the outings.
What kills family play for me more than the lack of toddlers is the closed world. It really turns the game away from families or even couples because you can only play the sim on the active lot. Unless you drag everyone around to the same lot all the time, you're stuck in a situation where you play this sim or that sim but not both or all sims.
Actually the world is demi-open, not closed. It didn't much kill family play in TS2 and that WAS closed. I thought families were more family-like in TS2 than any so far......
Simmer since day one. Owns every Expansion and extras. Even the console games. XD
Feel free to chat me (I like games/RPGs, game dev, and animu/anime)
What kills family play for me more than the lack of toddlers is the closed world. It really turns the game away from families or even couples because you can only play the sim on the active lot. Unless you drag everyone around to the same lot all the time, you're stuck in a situation where you play this sim or that sim but not both or all sims.
Actually the world is demi-open, not closed. It didn't much kill family play in TS2 and that WAS closed. I thought families were more family-like in TS2 than any so far......
Agree. Sims 2 was sold on family play. I remember when I first heard about toddlers and teens. I was excited.
What kills family play for me more than the lack of toddlers is the closed world. It really turns the game away from families or even couples because you can only play the sim on the active lot. Unless you drag everyone around to the same lot all the time, you're stuck in a situation where you play this sim or that sim but not both or all sims.
Actually the world is demi-open, not closed. It didn't much kill family play in TS2 and that WAS closed. I thought families were more family-like in TS2 than any so far......
I disagree that it's "demi-open". They've made some open area around each lot so you can go outside a house or building. You still have only that one area. You can't go from the library to the gym without a loading screen because they're two different lots. That's a closed world. You can't play two sims on two different lots at that same time. You have to leave one behind and follow the other. That's a closed world.
No demi, semi, or hemi. Just closed, closed, closed.
What kills family play for me more than the lack of toddlers is the closed world. It really turns the game away from families or even couples because you can only play the sim on the active lot. Unless you drag everyone around to the same lot all the time, you're stuck in a situation where you play this sim or that sim but not both or all sims.
Actually the world is demi-open, not closed. It didn't much kill family play in TS2 and that WAS closed. I thought families were more family-like in TS2 than any so far......
I disagree that it's "demi-open". They've made some open area around each lot so you can go outside a house or building. You still have only that one area. You can't go from the library to the gym without a loading screen because they're two different lots. That's a closed world. You can't play two sims on two different lots at that same time. You have to leave one behind and follow the other. That's a closed world.
No demi, semi, or hemi. Just closed, closed, closed.
What kills family play for me more than the lack of toddlers is the closed world. It really turns the game away from families or even couples because you can only play the sim on the active lot. Unless you drag everyone around to the same lot all the time, you're stuck in a situation where you play this sim or that sim but not both or all sims.
Actually the world is demi-open, not closed. It didn't much kill family play in TS2 and that WAS closed. I thought families were more family-like in TS2 than any so far......
I disagree that it's "demi-open". They've made some open area around each lot so you can go outside a house or building. You still have only that one area. You can't go from the library to the gym without a loading screen because they're two different lots. That's a closed world. You can't play two sims on two different lots at that same time. You have to leave one behind and follow the other. That's a closed world.
No demi, semi, or hemi. Just closed, closed, closed.
A closed world would operate like TS2 (one lot and just the lot, blank space around you cannot touch), which is different. This is not closed, just not as open as you'd like in a demi-open world. There's different levels of openness, y'know. ^3^
Simmer since day one. Owns every Expansion and extras. Even the console games. XD
Feel free to chat me (I like games/RPGs, game dev, and animu/anime)
Honestly I used to hate toddlers. I mean really hate them, but now that they're gone it just feels...odd. Don't get me wrong, I love this game and it is a lot better for me, and my computer xD, than Sims 3. But hey, we might get them. If we don't, than I would at least like babies to be unstuck from their crib and given a little more interaction.
Yeah, the baby stuck to the crib part is a little strange, but a pro is that you don't have to buy a crib when you give birth because you get one for free
What kills family play for me more than the lack of toddlers is the closed world. It really turns the game away from families or even couples because you can only play the sim on the active lot. Unless you drag everyone around to the same lot all the time, you're stuck in a situation where you play this sim or that sim but not both or all sims.
Actually the world is demi-open, not closed. It didn't much kill family play in TS2 and that WAS closed. I thought families were more family-like in TS2 than any so far......
I disagree that it's "demi-open". They've made some open area around each lot so you can go outside a house or building. You still have only that one area. You can't go from the library to the gym without a loading screen because they're two different lots. That's a closed world. You can't play two sims on two different lots at that same time. You have to leave one behind and follow the other. That's a closed world.
No demi, semi, or hemi. Just closed, closed, closed.
What kills family play for me more than the lack of toddlers is the closed world. It really turns the game away from families or even couples because you can only play the sim on the active lot. Unless you drag everyone around to the same lot all the time, you're stuck in a situation where you play this sim or that sim but not both or all sims.
Actually the world is demi-open, not closed. It didn't much kill family play in TS2 and that WAS closed. I thought families were more family-like in TS2 than any so far......
I disagree that it's "demi-open". They've made some open area around each lot so you can go outside a house or building. You still have only that one area. You can't go from the library to the gym without a loading screen because they're two different lots. That's a closed world. You can't play two sims on two different lots at that same time. You have to leave one behind and follow the other. That's a closed world.
No demi, semi, or hemi. Just closed, closed, closed.
A closed world would operate like TS2 (one lot and just the lot, blank space around you cannot touch), which is different. This is not closed, just not as open as you'd like in a demi-open world. There's different levels of openness, y'know. ^3^
Then I think you need to choose a different prefix than demi or it's cousins semi and hemi. They all mean half. The world is not half open. The world is about 1/10th open. Not sure the prefix for that is....maybe I should google.
Edit: Deci...I should have known. The world is deci-open.
Comments
Couple old farts want to play chess in a park? Sure
Want to create a club so the family can skill up faster? Sure
All the kids on the block want to play at the playground? Sure
A bunch of guys want to go to a bar? Sure
I also like the ability to go on a date without objectives. Relationships are just the right amount of freedom in the YA stage.
But yeah, even though I do have a lot of single sims, for a handful, I already have a pre-selected partner in mind for when their stories get to the point, so I can play my second favorite stage: kids
-- Origin ID: Audio5urf --
Feel free to add me, and check out my gallery shenanigans.
Ditto for me. I actually played with families a lot in TS2 but my preferences changed and now I prefer single Sims. In TS3 and now in TS4 I prefer 2-person households, maybe 3. Any more and it's hard to keep up.
You are right, telemetry can't account for how one play the sims in their head. However, I'm pretty sure the telemetry used was from TS3, that's how they knew toddlers were the least played life stage. It's funny reading some of these comments as if we've forgotten that TS3 didn't off much for toddlers or children until the release of Generations and still afterwards with the release of specific store content. As the game goes on and more expansions and game packs are added more interactions will come. I still feel we are comparing a "complete" game to one that is still growing and evolving. There are interactions exclusive to kids and teens, but I agree we could use more.
Feel free to chat me (I like games/RPGs, game dev, and animu/anime)
I have to agree that telemetry was used for TS3 to make TS4, but they still use it for TS4. It is also true that TS3 didn't offer much until the release of generations. I didn't play much with toddlers in TS3 but I did more so with the release of generations. I didn't use cheats to skill them up as much and I didn't stick them in a corner with peg box until they aged up as often. Once I obtained all the store content regarding toddlers, they no longer went into the corner and I actually played them. So I had to spend a lot of money and time obtaining free points to actually play a life stage in the game. Which I did only because I knew I would put it to good use. To me toddlers in TS3 were "I would play them more if this was offered" Eventually what I wanted was offered and I played, which all of that was more than likely recorded by telemetry. Thus the reason as to why I feel one would have to put a large hole in their pocket for more family play. True, I think the skip from baby to child is odd but I still do it. I did it in TS1 and TS4 feels more like a reboot of TS1 than an addition to the series.
Follow me on Twitter
Check out my Gallery
Peace, Love, and Unity.
`•.,¸¸,.•´¯ ¯`•.,¸¸,.•´
I'll admit that it feels a bit lacking without them, and the way that that impacts family play. Before the inclusion of Get Together and clubs, the lives of my child and teen sims felt really lackluster... But now that I can utilize those, those life stages feel a little less... I don't know, basic. I just kind of felt like beyond a couple different things, like early development in preparation for the Young Adult stage that there wasn't much for children or teens to be doing, really.
I expect that they will improve upon the lack of family play in the future, but until then I'm making the most of what's already there and trying to use my imagination, honestly.
It definitely doesn't feel as magical as it did before, but I do still keep in mind that even The Sims 3 (and others) improved upon themselves with more content and that in some instances certain things that we started with were similar to the way that things are now. I'll be patient and hope for the best.
Cradle to gradeschool is no problem for me, as it feels no worse than fast-forwarding the time in between two seasons of a TV show. Lately I even find myself skipping pregnancy altogether and jumping into the child stage directly by playing with genetics in CAS.
I think that's one of the main differences between the target audience and players on this board. I get the impression that for many players here immersion is created by watching their sims go through animations and executing certain labeled actions. Examples are driveable cars, walking to lots instead of using cellphone-teleport and seeing the schoolbus arrive. While for the target audience the enjoyment comes from playing a series of exiting scenes that skip the "boring" parts. We know our sims sat in a bus or car or on their horse to get from A to B or that they have been toddlers. But we are either okay with not seeing that part or perhaps don't even want to, because by not getting shown the actual means of transport we can insert our own ideas without the game breaking our sandbox.
Actually the world is demi-open, not closed. It didn't much kill family play in TS2 and that WAS closed. I thought families were more family-like in TS2 than any so far......
Feel free to chat me (I like games/RPGs, game dev, and animu/anime)
Agree. Sims 2 was sold on family play. I remember when I first heard about toddlers and teens. I was excited.
I disagree that it's "demi-open". They've made some open area around each lot so you can go outside a house or building. You still have only that one area. You can't go from the library to the gym without a loading screen because they're two different lots. That's a closed world. You can't play two sims on two different lots at that same time. You have to leave one behind and follow the other. That's a closed world.
No demi, semi, or hemi. Just closed, closed, closed.
A closed world would operate like TS2 (one lot and just the lot, blank space around you cannot touch), which is different. This is not closed, just not as open as you'd like in a demi-open world. There's different levels of openness, y'know. ^3^
Feel free to chat me (I like games/RPGs, game dev, and animu/anime)
Yeah, the baby stuck to the crib part is a little strange, but a pro is that you don't have to buy a crib when you give birth because you get one for free
Then I think you need to choose a different prefix than demi or it's cousins semi and hemi. They all mean half. The world is not half open. The world is about 1/10th open. Not sure the prefix for that is....maybe I should google.
Edit: Deci...I should have known. The world is deci-open.