2 and 3 are equal in my eyes (now that I've given 3 a good chance). They both have something different to offer and I get my fix either way. Though I've been playing 3 non stop lately, almost like I'm addicted. There's so much to explore and I haven't installed all my EPs yet.
I'll feel those 2 really touched on what a simulation should'a, could'a, would'a been.
When I get a hankering for something different, I play 1. It's way better than 4 and a lot more fun.
4 has some pretty good ideas, but that's about all it has. The gameplay is dull and I haven't had the urge to hit the play button for months. I still have it installed, but I can't really say why that is because I don't know. Wishful thinking, maybe.
For me, a game isn't about the graphics. Fun factor always trumps pretty landscapes and pretty sims.
Dissatisfied with Sims 4 and hoping for a better Sims 5
I absolutely LOVE Sims 3 and am majorly addicted to it. I find that there is so much more in Sims 3 than Sims 4. I played Sims 4 briefly, and although I liked the game play style, there were still things that I enjoy from Sims 3 more, like no loading screens other than the initial one, or travelling, toddlers, cars, etc. I know that TS4 is well on it's way and if I ever get a better laptop that will run TS4 more smoothly, I might get back into it and buy more of the expansions/stuff packs
I am a Sims 3 Fan and player and I have The Sims 4 but it is missing great expansion packs. At least two per year. The game is so boring with all the stuff packs that are copies of things that we have in previous versions.
I am really tired of the way there are creating the game. I am more happy with The Sims 3 and maybe this game is going to be my favorite.
I am a Sims 3 Fan and player and I have The Sims 4 but it is missing great expansion packs. At least two per year. The game is so boring with all the stuff packs that are copies of things that we have in previous versions.
I am really tired of the way there are creating the game. I am more happy with The Sims 3 and maybe this game is going to be my favorite.
I thought I had a problem with the lack of EPs too and thought it would get better "once they release toddlers" or "once we have seasons" etc., but then realized my problem with TS4 was far deeper than content: it was the sims themselves. They are too happy all the time and their personalities are just bland (traits have little to no effect on their behavior and whims). It's a problem with the base game. No amount of EPs will fix that unless they overhaul the entire base...
@QDog If you have NRaas mods, MasterController has an option that really speeds up load times in CAS. MC - settings - CAS - show in compact form - true. You can enable it for clothing and accessories and hair too, I think. All those hairs that show three different versions will only show one and it loads so much quicker!
Is that the basic version of MC?
I think it is. I saved me on my old computer and I might enable it again just because CAS loads so fast then. Unfortunately I haven't played recently so I can't remember where to click but it's easy to find.
Oh sorry, didn't get an alert! Click on town hall to get to the MC menu.
I am a Sims 3 Fan and player and I have The Sims 4 but it is missing great expansion packs. At least two per year. The game is so boring with all the stuff packs that are copies of things that we have in previous versions.
I am really tired of the way there are creating the game. I am more happy with The Sims 3 and maybe this game is going to be my favorite.
I completely agree. I don't see the value in piecemeal content that some simmers are now calling "junk food". All those 10 dollar stuff packs add up quickly and end up costing more than a proper expansion pack. We will not see any more hot tub varieties because then it will diminish Perfect Patio's main selling point. That's what bothers me when you compare to how many different hot tubs Sims 3 offered.
It's a shame once you leave Sims 4's fantastic CAS, barring no CASt and color wheel, that it all goes downhill. I will give EA/Maxis credit for creating a bird feeder in Backyard Stuff though. Too bad it's not enough to make me want to spend another dime on the current iteration.
I use to dislike the sims 3 but now since sims 4 is a flop/boring/mobile game Im starting to like 3 a WHOLE LOT more and im happy a gave it another chance so right now im really enjoying the sims 3 at the moment. The only thing I enjoyed from 4 is CAS and multitasking.
I didn't even like the Sims 3 that much back then, I played the Sims 4 thinking it was the best game, buying (with regret) all of the packs and realizing that.. there's just not much to do. I'm actually starting to easily prefer the Sims 3 and my pc can barely run it without lag, I still have to fix some things but I still prefer it. After two years of giving Sims 4 a good defend system I got tired of it. If there's a good Expansion pack which I love (Pets or Seasons) i'll give it a go ofcourse, those two EP's mean the most to me, but until then i'll just go back and play the Sims 3.
Personally, I think it's very telling that so many years on, there is still a thriving community for creating and modding ( and maintaining ) TS2. When a game is so involved, with gameplay so rich and appealing that even after 12 years people are still invested, it really sets the bar high.
Sadly, with TS4 EA lowered the bar so much to what seems a move to appeal to the mobile throwaway dudebro crowd, that there isn't really anything to hold the attention of those that invested heavily in previous games. I'm not referring to monetary value, though I believe it's important to have quality for your money, but they've invested time... hours, sometimes years if you're like me. They're attached to their Sims, and even the premades mean something to them.
I haven't seen much of this with TS4 at all. People are bored within a brief time and it does leave me with the thought that in 12 years time, there wont be anyone creating or modding TS4 that has been there right from the beginning.
I'm not sure there is or will be enough to occupy people for that long if EA keep putting out these cheapo packs.
Personally, I think it's very telling that so many years on, there is still a thriving community for creating and modding ( and maintaining ) TS2. When a game is so involved, with gameplay so rich and appealing that even after 12 years people are still invested, it really sets the bar high.
Sadly, with TS4 EA lowered the bar so much to what seems a move to appeal to the mobile throwaway dudebro crowd, that there isn't really anything to hold the attention of those that invested heavily in previous games. I'm not referring to monetary value, though I believe it's important to have quality for your money, but they've invested time... hours, sometimes years if you're like me. They're attached to their Sims, and even the premades mean something to them.
I haven't seen much of this with TS4 at all. People are bored within a brief time and it does leave me with the thought that in 12 years time, there wont be anyone creating or modding TS4 that has been there right from the beginning.
I'm not sure there is or will be enough to occupy people for that long if EA keep putting out these cheapo packs.
Totally agree with this! Ea took out the heart of the game, that had people talking about their sims like they were real people. Now they are to happy, to goofy just to cartoony. I felt when I played it, when it first came out, that my sims were stuck in some kind of utopia, where nothing bad ever happens.
Personally, I think it's very telling that so many years on, there is still a thriving community for creating and modding ( and maintaining ) TS2. When a game is so involved, with gameplay so rich and appealing that even after 12 years people are still invested, it really sets the bar high.
Sadly, with TS4 EA lowered the bar so much to what seems a move to appeal to the mobile throwaway dudebro crowd, that there isn't really anything to hold the attention of those that invested heavily in previous games. I'm not referring to monetary value, though I believe it's important to have quality for your money, but they've invested time... hours, sometimes years if you're like me. They're attached to their Sims, and even the premades mean something to them.
I haven't seen much of this with TS4 at all. People are bored within a brief time and it does leave me with the thought that in 12 years time, there wont be anyone creating or modding TS4 that has been there right from the beginning.
I'm not sure there is or will be enough to occupy people for that long if EA keep putting out these cheapo packs.
I'm very curious to be honest what Sims 4's future has in store anyway, now that they seem to be almost completely focusing on stuff (animated or not) so much instead of EP's. And all this promising 'traveling between neighborhoods' (at the moment all available tied together comparable to one basegame Sunset Valley and that's without all the space SV has for other lots if you want to) and a great engine that could manage so much more than Sims 3 (but so far Sims 3 seemed to have far more possibilities than 4). I can't deny it leaves me rather suspicious concerning the future of the game. All those riddles and teasers and indirect promises that sort of lead to nothing feel strange to me.
TS3 is the perfect iteration for my play style but it's not perfect in and of itself without mods to correct glitches and twitches that EA never corrected, I still can't get my Moroccan fountain to work 2 and half years after purchasing it and it still bugs me. Having said that I love the open world, to me it feels bigger, grander, freer and less claustrophobic than confined little towns of TS2 and TS4.
TS3 is a kind of therapy to me when my illness gets too much and I can't get out much I can pop on my game and escape into that world for a while, the other day whilst confine to barracks I was following my sim jogging round Roaring Heights and a blast of autumn leaves and cut grass blew in my RL window and just for a minute I felt like I was the sim.
I adore the creativity of TS3 and that it allows you to tell your own story with your sims whereas reading one of the TS$ CL developer blogs they actually have the audacity to say "we want you to tell the story of your sims start from a cheap apartment to penthouse" (I slightly paraphrase). Erm no thanks I don't want my creativity stifled or directed thank you and the rags to riches thing has been done to death surely they don't consider that old trope as inspiration. (I do tend to do the rags to riches thing in my game anyway).
TS4 is a huge nope on a rope for me however I must admit there has been a few things I thought that might be interesting but not interesting enough to pay for it and give up on the freedoms I have. The thing that makes me most uncomfortable is players attacking each other...it's one thing to hate on the game an other to hate on the players!
Edited: Don't know what happened but several of my words were missing, this pc has been having weirdo issues all day!
I used to love The Sims 2 a lot more than The Sims 3, but now I really love The Sims 3 and it is by far my favourite game of the series because of two major reasons: open world and story progression. I do use the Nraas story progression mod, but really I love it so much to just stay in a town for multiple generations and see all these family trees developed all over town! It's great to see random townies get it on together and see how their kids turn out. Besides this I just love taking random strolls around the town and bump into accidental adventures, instead of choosing the lot I want to visit beforehand. This is something we can't have in The Sims 4, so just like I won't return to Sims 2 anymore, I won't go on to Sims 4 either because I just can't play without these two things anymore.
I love all of the sims games 1 through 4, and I'm still playing all of them.
If I must play the comparison game, I'll put them in order of which ones I played the most and which had the most appeal to me (with mods):
For me, Sims 2>Sims 3>Sims 4=Sims 1.
For open-ended creativity in building worlds and creating sims, obviously Sims 3 wins for me in that department.
Sims 1 still has a special place in my heart, but I don't play it that much anymore, but it still has some good stuff. I wouldn't know where to put it in the line up, so I put it on equal footing with Sims 4 or lower.
However....
If I didn't have any mods for any sims games, then even S1 would be up there above both Sims 3 and Sims 4. Yup.
No mods? Then line up would be: Sims 2>Sims 1>Sims 4>Sims 3. Or maybe even Sims 1>Sims 2 (due to corruption bugs).
For me, the mods make the difference for me in the lineup. (I'm not fond of story progression in Sims 3, and Sims 4 has the decay and culling aspect. I needed to mod both games to fit my playstyles. So they're both equal in my eyes.)
I grew up on Sims 1 and Sims 2, so I'm used to my playstyles being a certain way (rotational play and immortal sims), and they had some stuff I love so much, so they would be near the top, if I didn't use mods.
I think each of the games has their own unique strengths and flaws. Mind you I'm leaving TS1 out of this because I've never played it and thus don't know very much about it, but I'm certain that's true of it as well.
Something I really liked about TS2 was the ability to do rotational play without needing to worry about your previously active Sims going to heck in a handbasket. Iirc, when you came back to your other family, they would be just how you left them. I really liked the wants/fears system, too. As for mods/CC, the fact that people were able to make custom majors and jobs was super cool. Oh, and being able to put in your own paintings and TV shows so easily was also great.
On the other hand, TS2 was missing a lot in customization, though admittedly we got spoiled in TS3 with Create-a-Style. But I do not miss the days of, "I really want my Sim to have pink hair, so I'm going to open this texture file and fill the entire thing in with pink even though it looks terrible." (All I had was Microsoft Paint.) Also, the personality system, as far as I could tell, influenced practically nothing. And the attraction/turn-ons system was terrible.
TS3, hands down, and this really goes without saying, but it has the best customization of any game in the series. Not just aesthetically, but also I really like the traits system, which influenced at least some (more or less depending on the trait). And having such a wide variety of LTWs to choose from is awesome. Having such a variety of skills to choose from is nice, too.
TS3's main issues are that for laptop players it's very graphics-intensive, and the load times. Not to mention the dreaded Error 12. 'nough said there.
Sims 4 has the shortest load times of any of the games (again, with the potential exception of TS1 which I can't speak to). I like the expansion on different types of conversations, and I'm happy there is finally some sort of emotion system.
At the same time, the emotion system is a huge disappointment to me, because it could have been so much more. I had wished for a long time for Sims to have real emotions but this just isn't it. The addition of them only to have them be so shallow somehow feels worse than not having them at all. I have several gripes with them. There is no individual variation in anything, regardless of traits. Most glaringly, many people don't feel angry when someone has been mean to them -- they feel sad, or even scared, maybe embarrassed. Also, in addition to friendships being harder to form in the first place, the way emotions work in conversations is terrible (based on my limited experience). Like, having all my Sim's conversations fail because they're in an unhappy mood (sad, embarrassed. . .) is total nonsense. And the lack of contextualization of emotions is also sad, even if I also recognize that that would mean a lot of complexity to code in. But imagine the realism it would add if your Sim had different emotional reactions to seeing certain other Sims based on their relationship, for example, like being happy when they're around someone they're close to. Also, the fact that the traits seem to influence so little seems like a step backwards. As do the whims.
I'm overall withholding judgment from TS4 though. I mean, it feels wrong to compare TS3 with all its expansions to TS4 without many, comparatively.
The Sims 2 was the best sims game ever made, but the open world of the Sims 3 got me hooked. I made the mistake of buying the Sims 4 when it first came out ($60) but I had done that with the Sims 3 so what could go wrong? Within the first few minutes I was already bored, but I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt, played it for a bit more to try and get my money's worth, but... no toddlers?! Loading screens everywhere! The only thing I liked about it was the sim creation and building. I find myself wishing I enjoyed the Sims 4 more, but I guess my main reason for not enjoying it is the expectations I had for it and the reality.
I'm overall withholding judgment from TS4 though. I mean, it feels wrong to compare TS3 with all its expansions to TS4 without many, comparatively.
What you did before making this statement was compare the base game playing style of each game (and rather well too). I don't feel that any EPs for TS4 will correct its unsatisfying shallow emotion system you describe so it doesn't matter how many EPs they add to that game.
Comments
I'll feel those 2 really touched on what a simulation should'a, could'a, would'a been.
When I get a hankering for something different, I play 1. It's way better than 4 and a lot more fun.
4 has some pretty good ideas, but that's about all it has. The gameplay is dull and I haven't had the urge to hit the play button for months. I still have it installed, but I can't really say why that is because I don't know. Wishful thinking, maybe.
For me, a game isn't about the graphics. Fun factor always trumps pretty landscapes and pretty sims.
Twitter: @Bee77
I am really tired of the way there are creating the game. I am more happy with The Sims 3 and maybe this game is going to be my favorite.
I thought I had a problem with the lack of EPs too and thought it would get better "once they release toddlers" or "once we have seasons" etc., but then realized my problem with TS4 was far deeper than content: it was the sims themselves. They are too happy all the time and their personalities are just bland (traits have little to no effect on their behavior and whims). It's a problem with the base game. No amount of EPs will fix that unless they overhaul the entire base...
Oh sorry, didn't get an alert! Click on town hall to get to the MC menu.
ETA: Love Harmony!
I completely agree. I don't see the value in piecemeal content that some simmers are now calling "junk food". All those 10 dollar stuff packs add up quickly and end up costing more than a proper expansion pack. We will not see any more hot tub varieties because then it will diminish Perfect Patio's main selling point. That's what bothers me when you compare to how many different hot tubs Sims 3 offered.
It's a shame once you leave Sims 4's fantastic CAS, barring no CASt and color wheel, that it all goes downhill. I will give EA/Maxis credit for creating a bird feeder in Backyard Stuff though. Too bad it's not enough to make me want to spend another dime on the current iteration.
I didn't even like the Sims 3 that much back then, I played the Sims 4 thinking it was the best game, buying (with regret) all of the packs and realizing that.. there's just not much to do. I'm actually starting to easily prefer the Sims 3 and my pc can barely run it without lag, I still have to fix some things but I still prefer it. After two years of giving Sims 4 a good defend system I got tired of it. If there's a good Expansion pack which I love (Pets or Seasons) i'll give it a go ofcourse, those two EP's mean the most to me, but until then i'll just go back and play the Sims 3.
Sadly, with TS4 EA lowered the bar so much to what seems a move to appeal to the mobile throwaway dudebro crowd, that there isn't really anything to hold the attention of those that invested heavily in previous games. I'm not referring to monetary value, though I believe it's important to have quality for your money, but they've invested time... hours, sometimes years if you're like me. They're attached to their Sims, and even the premades mean something to them.
I haven't seen much of this with TS4 at all. People are bored within a brief time and it does leave me with the thought that in 12 years time, there wont be anyone creating or modding TS4 that has been there right from the beginning.
I'm not sure there is or will be enough to occupy people for that long if EA keep putting out these cheapo packs.
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InnaLisa Pose Archive
Devolution of Sims - a once customisable open world sandbox which has become a DLC Party catalog in a shoebox
I ♡ Pudding
Totally agree with this! Ea took out the heart of the game, that had people talking about their sims like they were real people. Now they are to happy, to goofy just to cartoony. I felt when I played it, when it first came out, that my sims were stuck in some kind of utopia, where nothing bad ever happens.
TS3 is a kind of therapy to me when my illness gets too much and I can't get out much I can pop on my game and escape into that world for a while, the other day whilst confine to barracks I was following my sim jogging round Roaring Heights and a blast of autumn leaves and cut grass blew in my RL window and just for a minute I felt like I was the sim.
I adore the creativity of TS3 and that it allows you to tell your own story with your sims whereas reading one of the TS$ CL developer blogs they actually have the audacity to say "we want you to tell the story of your sims start from a cheap apartment to penthouse" (I slightly paraphrase). Erm no thanks I don't want my creativity stifled or directed thank you and the rags to riches thing has been done to death surely they don't consider that old trope as inspiration. (I do tend to do the rags to riches thing in my game anyway).
TS4 is a huge nope on a rope for me however I must admit there has been a few things I thought that might be interesting but not interesting enough to pay for it and give up on the freedoms I have. The thing that makes me most uncomfortable is players attacking each other...it's one thing to hate on the game an other to hate on the players!
Edited: Don't know what happened but several of my words were missing, this pc has been having weirdo issues all day!
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If I must play the comparison game, I'll put them in order of which ones I played the most and which had the most appeal to me (with mods):
For me, Sims 2>Sims 3>Sims 4=Sims 1.
For open-ended creativity in building worlds and creating sims, obviously Sims 3 wins for me in that department.
Sims 1 still has a special place in my heart, but I don't play it that much anymore, but it still has some good stuff. I wouldn't know where to put it in the line up, so I put it on equal footing with Sims 4 or lower.
However....
If I didn't have any mods for any sims games, then even S1 would be up there above both Sims 3 and Sims 4. Yup.
No mods? Then line up would be: Sims 2>Sims 1>Sims 4>Sims 3. Or maybe even Sims 1>Sims 2 (due to corruption bugs).
For me, the mods make the difference for me in the lineup. (I'm not fond of story progression in Sims 3, and Sims 4 has the decay and culling aspect. I needed to mod both games to fit my playstyles. So they're both equal in my eyes.)
I grew up on Sims 1 and Sims 2, so I'm used to my playstyles being a certain way (rotational play and immortal sims), and they had some stuff I love so much, so they would be near the top, if I didn't use mods.
(She/her)
Something I really liked about TS2 was the ability to do rotational play without needing to worry about your previously active Sims going to heck in a handbasket. Iirc, when you came back to your other family, they would be just how you left them. I really liked the wants/fears system, too. As for mods/CC, the fact that people were able to make custom majors and jobs was super cool. Oh, and being able to put in your own paintings and TV shows so easily was also great.
On the other hand, TS2 was missing a lot in customization, though admittedly we got spoiled in TS3 with Create-a-Style. But I do not miss the days of, "I really want my Sim to have pink hair, so I'm going to open this texture file and fill the entire thing in with pink even though it looks terrible." (All I had was Microsoft Paint.) Also, the personality system, as far as I could tell, influenced practically nothing. And the attraction/turn-ons system was terrible.
TS3, hands down, and this really goes without saying, but it has the best customization of any game in the series. Not just aesthetically, but also I really like the traits system, which influenced at least some (more or less depending on the trait). And having such a wide variety of LTWs to choose from is awesome. Having such a variety of skills to choose from is nice, too.
TS3's main issues are that for laptop players it's very graphics-intensive, and the load times. Not to mention the dreaded Error 12. 'nough said there.
Sims 4 has the shortest load times of any of the games (again, with the potential exception of TS1 which I can't speak to). I like the expansion on different types of conversations, and I'm happy there is finally some sort of emotion system.
At the same time, the emotion system is a huge disappointment to me, because it could have been so much more. I had wished for a long time for Sims to have real emotions but this just isn't it. The addition of them only to have them be so shallow somehow feels worse than not having them at all. I have several gripes with them. There is no individual variation in anything, regardless of traits. Most glaringly, many people don't feel angry when someone has been mean to them -- they feel sad, or even scared, maybe embarrassed. Also, in addition to friendships being harder to form in the first place, the way emotions work in conversations is terrible (based on my limited experience). Like, having all my Sim's conversations fail because they're in an unhappy mood (sad, embarrassed. . .) is total nonsense. And the lack of contextualization of emotions is also sad, even if I also recognize that that would mean a lot of complexity to code in. But imagine the realism it would add if your Sim had different emotional reactions to seeing certain other Sims based on their relationship, for example, like being happy when they're around someone they're close to. Also, the fact that the traits seem to influence so little seems like a step backwards. As do the whims.
I'm overall withholding judgment from TS4 though. I mean, it feels wrong to compare TS3 with all its expansions to TS4 without many, comparatively.
What you did before making this statement was compare the base game playing style of each game (and rather well too). I don't feel that any EPs for TS4 will correct its unsatisfying shallow emotion system you describe so it doesn't matter how many EPs they add to that game.
Sims 2 > Sims 4 > Sims 1 > Sims 3
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/901357/why-i-hate-ts3/p1
NRaas has moved!
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They keep doing this even in the sims 4 section. Threads keep getting shut down. The subject is getting old and so is the baiting