I've decided to open both games to see how the two fared when creating Sims which accurately represent the age group they are a part of. For this comparison, I decided to use beards on the males to really test the games. I'm skipping over YA.
I think TS2 is the clear winner of accurately representing each age group. I'm personally not a fan of the age transitions in TS4, and this comparison highlights why. Teens don't look accurate, adults (not YA) look too old to the point where its exaggerated, and elders look far too exaggerated and old.
The Sims 2
The Sims 4
Comments
The Sims 2
The Sims 4
Thanks. I certainly think the flow isn't as strong as it was in prior games. Really hope this is something they review in time for the family GP, or at least down the line eventually.
if you were to hide the words on the right and only show me the images of teen and adult in TS2, I would not be able to guess which one is the teen and which is the adult. For the sims 4 pictures I would be able to.
did ts2 have a YA stage though? (I'm not sure, I haven't played ts2 since I was a child)
if not, I think comparing ts4's YA to ts2's adult would better support the argument here.
yes I think so to
I love the wrinkles especially how they appear in CAS. In game for me, however (and maybe it's my settings, I think my Sim settings are on high but not Ultra), the wrinkles are much softer. I'm one of those rare people who wants older looking elders. I think the elders in this game look around 60, which is cool, but I want octagenarians!
tldr; I don't think the elders look exaggerated at all; if anything they could look even more elderly. However, I do completely agree about the teens, in that I wish they looked younger.
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As for adults, I think they look just fine, a wrinkle here, an age spot there. But I will say between then and YA's, they should make the Adults cheeks to start slimming out. The fat deposits there are some of the first to start to "dry' up upon hitting middle age.
As for the teens, for the most part they should have the most youthful appearance among the older lifestages. They have left childhood behind, but they haven't fully reach maturity, therefore you should be able, just by looking, tell them apart from a YA and an Adult. And right now you can't. Even with the addition of acne, the whole body type is still there, and that just don't fly.
Feel like that didn't have enough time to make teens and really just made them a bit thinner as well as taking that defining facial feature off of them like the adults have. ):
Maybe that's way adults look over-exaggrated. Hence why they are called adults, not young adults.
I imagine he omitted it because it isn't the strongpoint of either game. Young Adults were added to TS2 via University and what distinguished them was their walk animation. And as for Sims 4, well...just imagine the adults without laugh lines and you're done.
I always think sims 4 adults are 30/40 year old, so the eye bags fit.
Yes, but I don't like the wrinkle locations and the depth of the wrinkles. It makes them look a bit too old to me, when an adult does not necessarily look that aged (to me). Someone said they think adults look 30/40, but I think they look far older, and I want them to actually look more how I see a 30/40 year old.
I think the most sensible solution would be to allow us to control and edit wrinkles on age groups like we can with facial features on vampires. Not all people age the same, and the same logic should apply to Sims. I know I would love that feature when it comes to my adult and elderly Sims.
but I love the transition from YA (Smooth Skin) to Adult (sunken skin) to Elder (wrinkles)
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I think family play and age stages in general are just the strong point in TS2. Let's not forget it introduced basically both and an entirely new way of playing The Sims which has been a massive success amongst the general playerbase of the game. People want legacy/family play over partying, bars, drinking, etc. Even the new mobile game is chasing after this gameplay design with its heavy emphasis on legacy play. It wasn't until toddlers were introduced that TS4's concurrent population rose by the ten thousands.
EA not realizing this was a massive oversight on their part, and I think TS5 will certainly have to take TS2's formula and improve upon it MASSIVELY to the point where it's an actual improvement without being the same exact game (don't want what I already have) nor behind TS2's momentum either.
I think it was always the focus of 4, but deadlines meant otherwise.
Kids, don't care what anyone says, were the best of the franchise. They have so much depth, personality, and quirkyness (facial expressions) that I just love.
Then it seems they had like 4 months to do the rest, added object babies, Teen clones with a slightly youthful look, and elders who's back cracks once a day with wrinkles (and I'm pretty sure elders didn't get wrinkles in the base game only through CAS).
So yeah, I'd say with how fleshed out Kids were, the rest was just due to EA stamping a deadline and not budging.
........
Why they didn't space out the last 5 expansions over two years instead of one for The Sims 3, and given The Sims 4 an extra 12 - 18 months is beyond me.
The last 5 Sims 3 expansion packs could have used way more time as it is (looks at Island Paradise and Uni in particular).
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The problem is, when I am playing the game I don't often zoom in close enough to inspect wrinkles! So I need a more visual difference, which is provided better in ts2 with their different heights and the teen slouches etc.
I agree with this too. In Sims 2 they look basically the same just with grey hair.