After 4 years TS4 is as outdated and buggy as all previous iterations were at that point. Why they want to continue this version in all eternity is a mystery to me. I am hoping for TS5, an open world, oceans and houseboats, no lag and Sims who don't hug in the middle of the dinner or wear baseball helmets in the sauna.
You really think Sims 4 is outdated? Buggy for sure, but outdated? What exactly do you mean by outdated? From my perspective Sims 4 is not even close to being outdated yet, I think it's holding up quite well, sans the bugs of course, but it's a game that has proved to add new fundamental features/changes throughout its existence, and it's something we can expect more of in the future (something that can't really be said about past sims games all too much, the foundation never changed, they only added onto what was already there, while Sims 4 added things like the gender customization, changes to the gardening system, new roofing tweaks and so on). So if a game can add fundamental features and changes to tweak or add certain game play elements how can it possibly be considered outdated? But that's just the way I see it. I'm curious to understand your point of view.
With outdated I mean first of all the graphical design. Sure, the game looks still quite nice (especially with Seasons), but after 4 years I am tired of the simple backgrounds and the Sims who have not even body hair or other individual traits. I think a 2018 game could deliver much more details.
Another point is that the "economic scenario system" introduced with GTW (collecting perks, educating employees, reaching goals etc.) is repeated over and over again - from clubs through restaurants to vet clinics. That would be okay if this system worked better, but it is the biggest weakness of the game. Restaurant guests go jogging, restocking is for free, pets teleport to nobody-knows, waiters place dirty dishes everywhere and so on. And if we finally get a tropical beach pack, we will have hotels of the same kind. I hope that TS5 will have a better AI from the start.
I agree. I am not ready for Sims 5 right now. I am not looking forward to buying these same packs all over again. I just got into the groove of the packs we have now. Imagine waiting another 4 years for Seasons and Pets. Absolutely absurd.
But you have the Sims 2 and Sims 3 players who are ready for a new title.
After 4 years TS4 is as outdated and buggy as all previous iterations were at that point. Why they want to continue this version in all eternity is a mystery to me. I am hoping for TS5, an open world, oceans and houseboats, no lag and Sims who don't hug in the middle of the dinner or wear baseball helmets in the sauna.
You really think Sims 4 is outdated? Buggy for sure, but outdated? What exactly do you mean by outdated? From my perspective Sims 4 is not even close to being outdated yet, I think it's holding up quite well, sans the bugs of course, but it's a game that has proved to add new fundamental features/changes throughout its existence, and it's something we can expect more of in the future (something that can't really be said about past sims games all too much, the foundation never changed, they only added onto what was already there, while Sims 4 added things like the gender customization, changes to the gardening system, new roofing tweaks and so on). So if a game can add fundamental features and changes to tweak or add certain game play elements how can it possibly be considered outdated? But that's just the way I see it. I'm curious to understand your point of view.
The cartoonish artstyle alone helps the game age better. Sims 4 will probably not look "outdated" for years, even after the Sims 5 comes out.
If there’s any life and money to be made in a simulation game, EA will make it. Sims 5 will come in that case. When It does the sims 4 will still be there and those that like it can still play it.
EA haven’t announced a sims 5 because they aren’t ready to, when it suits them and they have something to show they will. The sims 4 is not endless, it never has been and it will have an end date. I’m not being funny but the amount of bugs the game has does not bode well for future proofing it’s performance.
And while I agree about micro transactions and hate them with every bone in my body, I am sure if they can find a loophole to get them in a new sims game they will.
If they catered to fans of the sims 2 and 3 and moved the series forward instead of rolling it backwards I think a sims 5 could potentially do well with the right audience. That being said I have zero faith EA will make that game. Sad but true.
They're not going to announce Sims 5 until it's either ready to launch or very close to completion. How many people, after Sims 4 was announced, didn't bother with Sims 3 content like ITF or the later Store packs? I never really got far into ITF (other than the bot making -- loved that) because I was looking forward to Sims 4.
There were a lot of issues with Sims 3; save bloat that led to save corrpution (Error Code 12 and 16). Mac players had to play under the Cider emulator instead of the native-coded versions we had from Aspyr (I was on a Mac back then though I'm on Windows now) which degraded game performance. The memory implementation was poorly done -- important events, sure, but how many people need to remember grwoing a perfect apple tree or tomato bush?
I don't really want open world if it means my Sims are stuck in the same world from birth to death -- I rarely got a save past the second generation either because the save would get corrupted, or more likely there would be a new world (either in an EP or from the Store) and I'd be off to go pursue the new shiny. Eventually Sims 4 will stop production -- the game engine won't be able to handle more content. But if they can learn from some of the mistakes in the Sims 4 launch (don't leave out key life stages, just for one) they could take the best of all the games -- the whimsy of Sims 2, the creativity and life (story progresson!) of Sims 3 and the flexibility of Sims 4 all in one package.
Even The Sims 2 had an unnecessary amount of memories. Why do my sims have to remind themselves of all the cockroaches they've seen in life? I do not remember the first cockroach I saw!
My Sims always remembered the other Sims that they met lol
After 4 years TS4 is as outdated and buggy as all previous iterations were at that point. Why they want to continue this version in all eternity is a mystery to me. I am hoping for TS5, an open world, oceans and houseboats, no lag and Sims who don't hug in the middle of the dinner or wear baseball helmets in the sauna.
You really think Sims 4 is outdated? Buggy for sure, but outdated? What exactly do you mean by outdated? From my perspective Sims 4 is not even close to being outdated yet, I think it's holding up quite well, sans the bugs of course, but it's a game that has proved to add new fundamental features/changes throughout its existence, and it's something we can expect more of in the future (something that can't really be said about past sims games all too much, the foundation never changed, they only added onto what was already there, while Sims 4 added things like the gender customization, changes to the gardening system, new roofing tweaks and so on). So if a game can add fundamental features and changes to tweak or add certain game play elements how can it possibly be considered outdated? But that's just the way I see it. I'm curious to understand your point of view.
The cartoonish artstyle alone helps the game age better. Sims 4 will probably not look "outdated" for years, even after the Sims 5 comes out.
The game looked dated the day that it launched...
No, I don't think so. When TS4 came out in 2014 it was very state of the art by incorporating the "flat design" introduced 2 years earlier by Windows 8: simple bright colors, reducing the glossy 3D effects of the 2000s to a minimum (compare the logos of TS3 and TS4!). This style is THE visual carte de visite of the 2010s. The problem is that the decade is coming to an end and I fear that TS4 may soon look as modern as the brown and orange of the 1970s.
After 4 years TS4 is as outdated and buggy as all previous iterations were at that point. Why they want to continue this version in all eternity is a mystery to me. I am hoping for TS5, an open world, oceans and houseboats, no lag and Sims who don't hug in the middle of the dinner or wear baseball helmets in the sauna.
You really think Sims 4 is outdated? Buggy for sure, but outdated? What exactly do you mean by outdated? From my perspective Sims 4 is not even close to being outdated yet, I think it's holding up quite well, sans the bugs of course, but it's a game that has proved to add new fundamental features/changes throughout its existence, and it's something we can expect more of in the future (something that can't really be said about past sims games all too much, the foundation never changed, they only added onto what was already there, while Sims 4 added things like the gender customization, changes to the gardening system, new roofing tweaks and so on). So if a game can add fundamental features and changes to tweak or add certain game play elements how can it possibly be considered outdated? But that's just the way I see it. I'm curious to understand your point of view.
The cartoonish artstyle alone helps the game age better. Sims 4 will probably not look "outdated" for years, even after the Sims 5 comes out.
The game looked dated the day that it launched...
Not necessarily. The backgrounds of the worlds are extremely bad, yes, but not the Sims, houses, or surrounding environment itself.
I like Sims 4 I am with @Loanet. Even though the game doesn't keep me playing everyday like it did because there still isn't enough things for sims to do in my opinion I just like the fact that you can create very unique stories. Sims 5 seems like it would be to like a cash grab game and then charge us for the extra content but we pay way more for the things we want in the game. Like in game purchases and I don't want that. I didn't like Sims 3 because it was harder on my computer it wasn't made for low end computers like they claimed it would be and after playing Sims 4 there are things in 4 that aren't in 3 that I can't over look anymore. I like multitasking I like that my sims just have there own little lives without me telling them what to do and make funny little things happen that I would never think would happen. Meaning that I love drama in my games and the sims 4 has tons of drama without me making it happen.
Pfft, the Sims 3 wasn't even made for higher end computers. I have a pretty decent computer and I'd still experience tons of lag, even when using mods that helped to keep the game stable.
Granted, I did have most of the expansions installed and I was using quite a few mods, so that probably didn't help.
I have a decent computer it plays games I didn't think it would so yes I agree that it was laggy and not made for lower end computers and I have all the games installed plus CC and store stuff and mods to help it and it still lags.
After 4 years TS4 is as outdated and buggy as all previous iterations were at that point. Why they want to continue this version in all eternity is a mystery to me. I am hoping for TS5, an open world, oceans and houseboats, no lag and Sims who don't hug in the middle of the dinner or wear baseball helmets in the sauna.
You really think Sims 4 is outdated? Buggy for sure, but outdated? What exactly do you mean by outdated? From my perspective Sims 4 is not even close to being outdated yet, I think it's holding up quite well, sans the bugs of course, but it's a game that has proved to add new fundamental features/changes throughout its existence, and it's something we can expect more of in the future (something that can't really be said about past sims games all too much, the foundation never changed, they only added onto what was already there, while Sims 4 added things like the gender customization, changes to the gardening system, new roofing tweaks and so on). So if a game can add fundamental features and changes to tweak or add certain game play elements how can it possibly be considered outdated? But that's just the way I see it. I'm curious to understand your point of view.
The cartoonish artstyle alone helps the game age better. Sims 4 will probably not look "outdated" for years, even after the Sims 5 comes out.
The game looked dated the day that it launched...
I have to agree. Map view looked awful especially when it wasn’t in colour. To this day it still looks like a mobile app.
After 4 years TS4 is as outdated and buggy as all previous iterations were at that point. Why they want to continue this version in all eternity is a mystery to me. I am hoping for TS5, an open world, oceans and houseboats, no lag and Sims who don't hug in the middle of the dinner or wear baseball helmets in the sauna.
You really think Sims 4 is outdated? Buggy for sure, but outdated? What exactly do you mean by outdated? From my perspective Sims 4 is not even close to being outdated yet, I think it's holding up quite well, sans the bugs of course, but it's a game that has proved to add new fundamental features/changes throughout its existence, and it's something we can expect more of in the future (something that can't really be said about past sims games all too much, the foundation never changed, they only added onto what was already there, while Sims 4 added things like the gender customization, changes to the gardening system, new roofing tweaks and so on). So if a game can add fundamental features and changes to tweak or add certain game play elements how can it possibly be considered outdated? But that's just the way I see it. I'm curious to understand your point of view.
The cartoonish artstyle alone helps the game age better. Sims 4 will probably not look "outdated" for years, even after the Sims 5 comes out.
The game looked dated the day that it launched...
No, I don't think so. When TS4 came out in 2014 it was very state of the art by incorporating the "flat design" introduced 2 years earlier by Windows 8: simple bright colors, reducing the glossy 3D effects of the 2000s to a minimum (compare the logos of TS3 and TS4!). This style is THE visual carte de visite of the 2010s. The problem is that the decade is coming to an end and I fear that TS4 may soon look as modern as the brown and orange of the 1970s.
The brown and orange of the 70s looks more modern in comparison...
After 4 years TS4 is as outdated and buggy as all previous iterations were at that point. Why they want to continue this version in all eternity is a mystery to me. I am hoping for TS5, an open world, oceans and houseboats, no lag and Sims who don't hug in the middle of the dinner or wear baseball helmets in the sauna.
You really think Sims 4 is outdated? Buggy for sure, but outdated? What exactly do you mean by outdated? From my perspective Sims 4 is not even close to being outdated yet, I think it's holding up quite well, sans the bugs of course, but it's a game that has proved to add new fundamental features/changes throughout its existence, and it's something we can expect more of in the future (something that can't really be said about past sims games all too much, the foundation never changed, they only added onto what was already there, while Sims 4 added things like the gender customization, changes to the gardening system, new roofing tweaks and so on). So if a game can add fundamental features and changes to tweak or add certain game play elements how can it possibly be considered outdated? But that's just the way I see it. I'm curious to understand your point of view.
The cartoonish artstyle alone helps the game age better. Sims 4 will probably not look "outdated" for years, even after the Sims 5 comes out.
The game looked dated the day that it launched...
I have to agree. Map view looked awful especially when it wasn’t in colour. To this day it still looks like a mobile app.
Just shocking. It looked better in TS1 back in 2000
Stilljustme, you're actually wrong. The game can handle almost infinite content. It's because everything has to load, so think of how a heavily edited world in Sims 3 would take forever to load and then suffer from lag. On the flip side, Sims 4 when you load into one house, you don't have access to every other house and person in the world. Your building space is finite. So it takes less loading time and, because it's a smaller area you're playing in, has less lag.
This is what makes it possible to just keep adding content to Sims 4.
Prepping a list of mods to add after Infants are placed into the game. Because real life isn't 'nice'.
I'm personally fine with keeping The Sims 4 around for the next few years. To me, the Sims 5 title just doesn't sound that natural to me. It seems like 4 is the top number that the words can work with. I don't know, the more I read it the better it sounds, but when I first heard of the Sims 5 speculation, I thought...what? Sims 5?! That doesn't sound right. Just me?
I don't think you can really say "I want a new game" based on Sims' graphical style alone. (although of course it's not the only reason, but I'm SO tired of hearing about it as a reason to have the next Sims game sooner)
See, here's the thing. The somewhat cartoony style of the graphics is simple - but that doesn't make it out of date. Rather, it was designed to be - and I use the word with caution - 'timeless'. As in, new additions to the game won't make old ones look bad ten years on. It can fit on weaker devices - Sims Mobile uses the exact same style and nobody complains about it looking bad there.
That's the thing with state of the art graphics. Just compare the versions of Lara Croft and see that what looked incredible ten or even five years ago looks shoddy now - and you sure couldn't put them in the same game.
Prepping a list of mods to add after Infants are placed into the game. Because real life isn't 'nice'.
I like The Sims 4. If a hypothetical Sims 5 comes along and it's an open-world Sims 3 experience again with all the bugs and coding issues and file bloat and whatnot and I'm not interested in it I've still got The Sims 4. It's not going anywhere, and it will always be there for me to play. In fact, every single one of the other three main Sims titles really weren't "complete" until the development ends. So then you've finally got the finished game with all the packs and the mods never have to be updated, and the people who make the mods can then flesh stuff out that maybe you would have wanted. It's all there for you.
Maybe it's just because I'm an old man that thinks video games are fun, but I never really sweat it over the new installment of any particular series ending up being something I'm not interested in. I thought what Bethesda did with Fallout was terrible, but I still have Fallout and Fallout 2. What is there for me to be angry or worried about, and would being so make a lick of difference?
I don't think you can really say "I want a new game" based on Sims' graphical style alone. (although of course it's not the only reason, but I'm SO tired of hearing about it as a reason to have the next Sims game sooner)
See, here's the thing. The somewhat cartoony style of the graphics is simple - but that doesn't make it out of date. Rather, it was designed to be - and I use the word with caution - 'timeless'. As in, new additions to the game won't make old ones look bad ten years on. It can fit on weaker devices - Sims Mobile uses the exact same style and nobody complains about it looking bad there.
That's the thing with state of the art graphics. Just compare the versions of Lara Croft and see that what looked incredible ten or even five years ago looks shoddy now - and you sure couldn't put them in the same game.
No one complains about how it looks on a mobile device because, well, it's a mobile device. On the other hand, PCs were created to do so much more. It's a pity that power isn't being utilized to run a game with better graphical detail as well as a more intricate simulation under the hood. TS4 has been simplified in both aspects in order to make it easier for possibly hundreds of players to play at once.
However, since that is no longer the purpose of the game, some of the textures and meshes have improved a bit. Yet, they're still way behind the curve of the older games. It's a shame, too. Because I think that the Sims series may possibly be the only one that has gone backward instead of forward.
I've basically given up on the simulation part. What we have now is what it is. I don't expect the Sims to become smarter or weirder. As the player, I no longer expect to rule. I no longer have hope for those things with TS4. Therefore, I put my hopes into the dream that EA could redeem itself with the next game.
Fingers crossed that we truly are at the beginning of the long creation process for the next game -- for those of us who look forward to it. For everyone else, I suppose that the advice that's been given to those of us who never cared for TS4 now applies?
Here's reasons why I don't want Sims 5 and don't think we'll get it anyway. Whether we need it or not is a bit too subjective.
1: I like Sims 4
Yeah, yeah, I like Sims 4. Not as it is, but the style, I especially like that. Enough of that.
2: No announcements from EA.
Face it, people are always thinking with every press conference there will be an announcement. But there hasn't. Then again, the announcement of a Sims game would overshadow the next FIFA, which is EA's big money. You need to tell yourself, "It'll be announced when it's announced". People were even anticipating it before Cats And Dogs!
3: Microtransactions
We're currently at the peak of the era of Microtransactions. EA's even fighting to be allowed to keep lootboxes still in games like FIFA! Sims 5 doesn't need lootboxes, but EA is so adamant on them right now that I wouldn't be at all surprised should they get them if it was released before lootboxes quit. We don't need the idea that they can make us pay 99p to unlock each item, releasing new skins every day. But if it comes out at the wrong time, that's what we'll get.
4: Expansion Packs
Games cost a lot to make. Expansions are cheap. Why spend all that money on a new game when you can pump out packs infinitely? There's so much missing. Many people call for a University pack, but they seem to fail to realise that the content that came in University can be split up between three or four packs, meaning that you'll get the content, but you won't necesserily get the university world. I'd rather have a pop-stars pack myself. There are potentials for circus packs. Others want Farming. It's hard to know what will go in Game Packs and what will go in Expansions, but either way it's a cow that can be milked indefinitely.
The announcement of Sims 5 would risk crippling the sale of packs. People would think "Why buy more packs when they'll be out of date in a few months?" And I wouldn't blame 'em. Others might think "Sims 4 is being cut off early. Why buy Sims 5 when the same thing is bound to happen?"
5: Consoles have just come out.
The Console release is fresh in the air. They haven't even finished catching up with packs. Why would they put off console owners when they haven't even caught up? They want console owners to buy all those packs too. Furthermore, console owners would now expect to have their own version of Sims 5. Which would certainly bring in the money if Sims 4 gets a good reception there, but would also take a fair time to convert. And indeed, Sims 4 wasn't designed to share formats with Consoles. Would a Sims 5 be treated that way? EA says it's a 1:1 conversion, and it's close, but that took effort. Would SIms 5 be lower quality, just to fit easier for a console release at the same time?
6: What would they do differently?
No, not "What haven't they done yet?" or "What can be fixed?" What would happen differently in Sims 5 to Sims 4? A full Open World sure sounds nice, but could your computer handle it? Please, I know it's something you want more than anything, but would your laptop be able to deal with an open world without obscene lag? We have glass roofs and hexagonal roofs and conical roofs. Districts have just been developed as a kind of open-world substitute. We want vehicles but we don't actually need them when everywhere is just a load screen away.
7: Technical reasons.
Sims 1 was a pretty simple game; it looked good because nothing like it had ever been done before. It wasn't even proper 3D.
When Sims 2 came out, it was a radical improvement, mostly funded by the success of Sims 1, and the discovery that yes, there was a market for games that had something other than shooting people in the head or running and jumping. As for Sims 3... well, it ran on an upgraded engine of Sims 2. It was Sims 2, but it took advantage of the success of Sims 2, and of stronger computers to make it bigger. They knew from the start that there was a limit to its engine, and that meant they'd have to make a Sims 4. If you need proof, the number of packs for Sims 3 is roughly the same as Sims 2. THIS is the reason for the four-year gap thus far, And Sims 4 still wasn't completed in that four years. Remember pools and Ghosts weren't completed at release and they only started Toddlers after release and it took a year - but we do have the best toddlers ever.
Now, they could have made a Sims 4 exactly like Sims 3 and have a space limit again and people noticing that they might as well be playing Sims 3... or they could put together something very different that could expand indefinitely. Something with the Pixar-style graphics that wouldn't go out of date or enter the Uncanny Valley. Something that could be expanded upon and improved indefinitely and need never come to an end. They can add pack after pack forever, and keep tuning up things like gardening and building and in time, open swimming.
Considering EA's track record with developers, I can't see the devs being in a rush to go to them and say "People are tiring of Sims 4 and we're running out of ideas, could you give us the money to make an exciting and radically different Sims 5? It'll be quite expensive and take a few years but-"
"Stand on top of that trapdoor; you'll find your answer at the bottom."
I'm expecting an announcement at the end of the month during the maxis montly livestream.
For Sims 5? I think that'd be jumping the gun a little bit? I mean they have surprised us before, but has an announcement for the next entry into the franchise ever happened when they're just starting work on it and possibly 4 years before release?
For all we know, it could be a spinoff game like The Sims Medieval or The Sims Stories, not Sims 5. We're about the right time in Sims 4 development for a spinoff to be considered. Some of the ideas Grant's thrown out in his tweets, like post-apocalyptic world, would better suit a spin-off than the core Sims 4 game.
@stilljustme2: I put spoilers in the wrong place when I was quoting @catloverplayer. I most definitely don't expect an announcement for TS5 next month. Like you, I believe that'd be jumping the gun completely, which is what I said previously even though I messed up the spoilers.
I agree. I am not ready for Sims 5 right now. I am not looking forward to buying these same packs all over again. I just got into the groove of the packs we have now. Imagine waiting another 4 years for Seasons and Pets. Absolutely absurd.
But you have the Sims 2 and Sims 3 players who are ready for a new title.
I have my doubts they actually are. And I wouldn't blame Maxis for having its doubts on that either.
I want The Sims 5, but only it it takes what I liked about The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 and improve on them and fix the negatives. I wouldn't mind TS4-like Sims, but I would like them to pump up the details of them. (no hexagonal thighs, irises with no details, etc)
I would really like an open world remaster of the Sims 2.
The worlds don't need to be as huge as they are in TS3. I am still amazed at how big the towns are. I would be happy with sections of towns with 15 to 20 lots, but still open with no loading screens for lots within the district. If you go to another district, you get a loading screen.
And I want to edit my towns and place lots where I want.
Here's reasons why I don't want Sims 5 and don't think we'll get it anyway. Whether we need it or not is a bit too subjective.
1: I like Sims 4
Yeah, yeah, I like Sims 4. Not as it is, but the style, I especially like that. Enough of that.
2: No announcements from EA.
Face it, people are always thinking with every press conference there will be an announcement. But there hasn't. Then again, the announcement of a Sims game would overshadow the next FIFA, which is EA's big money. You need to tell yourself, "It'll be announced when it's announced". People were even anticipating it before Cats And Dogs!
3: Microtransactions
We're currently at the peak of the era of Microtransactions. EA's even fighting to be allowed to keep lootboxes still in games like FIFA! Sims 5 doesn't need lootboxes, but EA is so adamant on them right now that I wouldn't be at all surprised should they get them if it was released before lootboxes quit. We don't need the idea that they can make us pay 99p to unlock each item, releasing new skins every day. But if it comes out at the wrong time, that's what we'll get.
4: Expansion Packs
Games cost a lot to make. Expansions are cheap. Why spend all that money on a new game when you can pump out packs infinitely? There's so much missing. Many people call for a University pack, but they seem to fail to realise that the content that came in University can be split up between three or four packs, meaning that you'll get the content, but you won't necesserily get the university world. I'd rather have a pop-stars pack myself. There are potentials for circus packs. Others want Farming. It's hard to know what will go in Game Packs and what will go in Expansions, but either way it's a cow that can be milked indefinitely.
The announcement of Sims 5 would risk crippling the sale of packs. People would think "Why buy more packs when they'll be out of date in a few months?" And I wouldn't blame 'em. Others might think "Sims 4 is being cut off early. Why buy Sims 5 when the same thing is bound to happen?"
5: Consoles have just come out.
The Console release is fresh in the air. They haven't even finished catching up with packs. Why would they put off console owners when they haven't even caught up? They want console owners to buy all those packs too. Furthermore, console owners would now expect to have their own version of Sims 5. Which would certainly bring in the money if Sims 4 gets a good reception there, but would also take a fair time to convert. And indeed, Sims 4 wasn't designed to share formats with Consoles. Would a Sims 5 be treated that way? EA says it's a 1:1 conversion, and it's close, but that took effort. Would SIms 5 be lower quality, just to fit easier for a console release at the same time?
6: What would they do differently?
No, not "What haven't they done yet?" or "What can be fixed?" What would happen differently in Sims 5 to Sims 4? A full Open World sure sounds nice, but could your computer handle it? Please, I know it's something you want more than anything, but would your laptop be able to deal with an open world without obscene lag? We have glass roofs and hexagonal roofs and conical roofs. Districts have just been developed as a kind of open-world substitute. We want vehicles but we don't actually need them when everywhere is just a load screen away.
7: Technical reasons.
Sims 1 was a pretty simple game; it looked good because nothing like it had ever been done before. It wasn't even proper 3D.
When Sims 2 came out, it was a radical improvement, mostly funded by the success of Sims 1, and the discovery that yes, there was a market for games that had something other than shooting people in the head or running and jumping. As for Sims 3... well, it ran on an upgraded engine of Sims 2. It was Sims 2, but it took advantage of the success of Sims 2, and of stronger computers to make it bigger. They knew from the start that there was a limit to its engine, and that meant they'd have to make a Sims 4. If you need proof, the number of packs for Sims 3 is roughly the same as Sims 2. THIS is the reason for the four-year gap thus far, And Sims 4 still wasn't completed in that four years. Remember pools and Ghosts weren't completed at release and they only started Toddlers after release and it took a year - but we do have the best toddlers ever.
Now, they could have made a Sims 4 exactly like Sims 3 and have a space limit again and people noticing that they might as well be playing Sims 3... or they could put together something very different that could expand indefinitely. Something with the Pixar-style graphics that wouldn't go out of date or enter the Uncanny Valley. Something that could be expanded upon and improved indefinitely and need never come to an end. They can add pack after pack forever, and keep tuning up things like gardening and building and in time, open swimming.
Considering EA's track record with developers, I can't see the devs being in a rush to go to them and say "People are tiring of Sims 4 and we're running out of ideas, could you give us the money to make an exciting and radically different Sims 5? It'll be quite expensive and take a few years but-"
"Stand on top of that trapdoor; you'll find your answer at the bottom."
I'm expecting an announcement at the end of the month during the maxis montly livestream.
For Sims 5? I think that'd be jumping the gun a little bit? I mean they have surprised us before, but has an announcement for the next entry into the franchise ever happened when they're just starting work on it and possibly 4 years before release?
For all we know, it could be a spinoff game like The Sims Medieval or The Sims Stories, not Sims 5. We're about the right time in Sims 4 development for a spinoff to be considered. Some of the ideas Grant's thrown out in his tweets, like post-apocalyptic world, would better suit a spin-off than the core Sims 4 game.
It is SIms 5. No spin-off games as considered an AAA game, nor Expansion Packs/Game Packs/Stuff Packs. But, guys, stop overthinking, they are still hiring people to work. They will not announce something they have not even started to produce!
Exactly. 3 years isn't exactly soon. And TS4 business model changed a few months ago (again). With Gurus that worked on SP's moving to the EP team, probably because of the whole SP - EP ratio and the backlash from My First Pet Stuff. They probably want to dish out EP's a little sooner, and especially, experimental EP's.
I agree. I am not ready for Sims 5 right now. I am not looking forward to buying these same packs all over again. I just got into the groove of the packs we have now. Imagine waiting another 4 years for Seasons and Pets. Absolutely absurd.
But you have the Sims 2 and Sims 3 players who are ready for a new title.
I have my doubts they actually are. And I wouldn't blame Maxis for having its doubts on that either.
So far I have played every Sims installment there was, from the original Sims, to Sims 2 and Sims Stories, through Sims 3 and now with Sims 4. Personally I love the TS4 a lot more than TS3. Not only because it's graphically more pleasing to my eyes, but because TS4 actually runs well. Not gonna lie, I do have a pretty serious grudge against TS3 because I feel almost cheated out of the money I spent on it. I upgraded my computer just so that I can experience that game better, and in the end I got the opposite result. Even with all the known fixes, fps limiters, mods etc, the game still lags far beyond my threshold of tolerance. And for the most part, that's because of the open world and lousy AI that keeps getting stuck, piling up, disappearing and thus lagging the hell out of the game. I even tried turning off progression to see if it would reduce the lag, and it didn't help. However, there are many other reasons why I love TS4. I love the emotion system and all the new animations and facial expressions, as they give me the feeling that my sims are alive, rather than walking robots, like the sims in TS3. There are many other small details that came with expansions and game packs that made me fall in love even more, like the vampires, the holidays, being a vet, active careers and so on. The only real disappointment I experienced so far was the pets expansion pack simply because I feel like the TS3 one had a lot more to offer, probably because the addition of horses added an entire new way to play - horsemanship and equine sports.
With all that in mind, I am looking forward to see what is further in store for the Sims 4. It's what I play the most these days and I am eager for more expansions or game packs. I am rather neutral towards the idea of TS5 simply because I don't see it coming any time soon; I just feel like EA still plans to release a few more expansions/game packs and stuff packs for TS4. I do believe that at one point, it will probably come (as some have mentioned, there will exist at the time a new generation of kids and adults accustomed to a new way of living, a new world, maybe or maybe not so different from what we have now, and I am sure EA will want to grab their attention with something closer to that moment in time), and when it does, I will probably pick it up, and see whether I like it enough to keep supporting it more. So far, i have enjoyed every Sims we have had to a certain degree, but have never had the need to backtrack to the old games once the new ones came out. So I am partly curious to see what TS5 (if it ever comes) will do to make it stand out from the franchise that now already has over 30+ games in it?
I like Sims 4 I am with @Loanet. Even though the game doesn't keep me playing everyday like it did because there still isn't enough things for sims to do in my opinion I just like the fact that you can create very unique stories. Sims 5 seems like it would be to like a cash grab game and then charge us for the extra content but we pay way more for the things we want in the game. Like in game purchases and I don't want that. I didn't like Sims 3 because it was harder on my computer it wasn't made for low end computers like they claimed it would be and after playing Sims 4 there are things in 4 that aren't in 3 that I can't over look anymore. I like multitasking I like that my sims just have there own little lives without me telling them what to do and make funny little things happen that I would never think would happen. Meaning that I love drama in my games and the sims 4 has tons of drama without me making it happen.
Pfft, the Sims 3 wasn't even made for higher end computers. I have a pretty decent computer and I'd still experience tons of lag, even when using mods that helped to keep the game stable.
Granted, I did have most of the expansions installed and I was using quite a few mods, so that probably didn't help.
It must have been that then. You can’t blame the game for that.
Comments
With outdated I mean first of all the graphical design. Sure, the game looks still quite nice (especially with Seasons), but after 4 years I am tired of the simple backgrounds and the Sims who have not even body hair or other individual traits. I think a 2018 game could deliver much more details.
Another point is that the "economic scenario system" introduced with GTW (collecting perks, educating employees, reaching goals etc.) is repeated over and over again - from clubs through restaurants to vet clinics. That would be okay if this system worked better, but it is the biggest weakness of the game. Restaurant guests go jogging, restocking is for free, pets teleport to nobody-knows, waiters place dirty dishes everywhere and so on. And if we finally get a tropical beach pack, we will have hotels of the same kind. I hope that TS5 will have a better AI from the start.
But you have the Sims 2 and Sims 3 players who are ready for a new title.
The game looked dated the day that it launched...
My Sims always remembered the other Sims that they met lol
No, I don't think so. When TS4 came out in 2014 it was very state of the art by incorporating the "flat design" introduced 2 years earlier by Windows 8: simple bright colors, reducing the glossy 3D effects of the 2000s to a minimum (compare the logos of TS3 and TS4!). This style is THE visual carte de visite of the 2010s. The problem is that the decade is coming to an end and I fear that TS4 may soon look as modern as the brown and orange of the 1970s.
Not necessarily. The backgrounds of the worlds are extremely bad, yes, but not the Sims, houses, or surrounding environment itself.
I have to agree. Map view looked awful especially when it wasn’t in colour. To this day it still looks like a mobile app.
The brown and orange of the 70s looks more modern in comparison...
Just shocking. It looked better in TS1 back in 2000
This is what makes it possible to just keep adding content to Sims 4.
See, here's the thing. The somewhat cartoony style of the graphics is simple - but that doesn't make it out of date. Rather, it was designed to be - and I use the word with caution - 'timeless'. As in, new additions to the game won't make old ones look bad ten years on. It can fit on weaker devices - Sims Mobile uses the exact same style and nobody complains about it looking bad there.
That's the thing with state of the art graphics. Just compare the versions of Lara Croft and see that what looked incredible ten or even five years ago looks shoddy now - and you sure couldn't put them in the same game.
I like The Sims 4. If a hypothetical Sims 5 comes along and it's an open-world Sims 3 experience again with all the bugs and coding issues and file bloat and whatnot and I'm not interested in it I've still got The Sims 4. It's not going anywhere, and it will always be there for me to play. In fact, every single one of the other three main Sims titles really weren't "complete" until the development ends. So then you've finally got the finished game with all the packs and the mods never have to be updated, and the people who make the mods can then flesh stuff out that maybe you would have wanted. It's all there for you.
Maybe it's just because I'm an old man that thinks video games are fun, but I never really sweat it over the new installment of any particular series ending up being something I'm not interested in. I thought what Bethesda did with Fallout was terrible, but I still have Fallout and Fallout 2. What is there for me to be angry or worried about, and would being so make a lick of difference?
No one complains about how it looks on a mobile device because, well, it's a mobile device. On the other hand, PCs were created to do so much more. It's a pity that power isn't being utilized to run a game with better graphical detail as well as a more intricate simulation under the hood. TS4 has been simplified in both aspects in order to make it easier for possibly hundreds of players to play at once.
However, since that is no longer the purpose of the game, some of the textures and meshes have improved a bit. Yet, they're still way behind the curve of the older games. It's a shame, too. Because I think that the Sims series may possibly be the only one that has gone backward instead of forward.
I've basically given up on the simulation part. What we have now is what it is. I don't expect the Sims to become smarter or weirder. As the player, I no longer expect to rule. I no longer have hope for those things with TS4. Therefore, I put my hopes into the dream that EA could redeem itself with the next game.
Fingers crossed that we truly are at the beginning of the long creation process for the next game -- for those of us who look forward to it. For everyone else, I suppose that the advice that's been given to those of us who never cared for TS4 now applies?
For all we know, it could be a spinoff game like The Sims Medieval or The Sims Stories, not Sims 5. We're about the right time in Sims 4 development for a spinoff to be considered. Some of the ideas Grant's thrown out in his tweets, like post-apocalyptic world, would better suit a spin-off than the core Sims 4 game.
@stilljustme2: I put spoilers in the wrong place when I was quoting @catloverplayer. I most definitely don't expect an announcement for TS5 next month. Like you, I believe that'd be jumping the gun completely, which is what I said previously even though I messed up the spoilers.
I have my doubts they actually are. And I wouldn't blame Maxis for having its doubts on that either.
I would really like an open world remaster of the Sims 2.
The worlds don't need to be as huge as they are in TS3. I am still amazed at how big the towns are. I would be happy with sections of towns with 15 to 20 lots, but still open with no loading screens for lots within the district. If you go to another district, you get a loading screen.
And I want to edit my towns and place lots where I want.
Exactly. 3 years isn't exactly soon. And TS4 business model changed a few months ago (again). With Gurus that worked on SP's moving to the EP team, probably because of the whole SP - EP ratio and the backlash from My First Pet Stuff. They probably want to dish out EP's a little sooner, and especially, experimental EP's.
You are not forced to play another sims game. You like 4? Play that
Me? I can’t WAIT for 5.
Opinions are great aren’t they? EA are gonna do what they wanna do and none of us are gonna change that.
—T
Not see you on here for a while but I will add and say 'if you don't like it, don't buy it!'
Nope we are ready for a new title
Personally I love the TS4 a lot more than TS3. Not only because it's graphically more pleasing to my eyes, but because TS4 actually runs well. Not gonna lie, I do have a pretty serious grudge against TS3 because I feel almost cheated out of the money I spent on it. I upgraded my computer just so that I can experience that game better, and in the end I got the opposite result. Even with all the known fixes, fps limiters, mods etc, the game still lags far beyond my threshold of tolerance. And for the most part, that's because of the open world and lousy AI that keeps getting stuck, piling up, disappearing and thus lagging the hell out of the game. I even tried turning off progression to see if it would reduce the lag, and it didn't help.
However, there are many other reasons why I love TS4. I love the emotion system and all the new animations and facial expressions, as they give me the feeling that my sims are alive, rather than walking robots, like the sims in TS3. There are many other small details that came with expansions and game packs that made me fall in love even more, like the vampires, the holidays, being a vet, active careers and so on.
The only real disappointment I experienced so far was the pets expansion pack simply because I feel like the TS3 one had a lot more to offer, probably because the addition of horses added an entire new way to play - horsemanship and equine sports.
With all that in mind, I am looking forward to see what is further in store for the Sims 4. It's what I play the most these days and I am eager for more expansions or game packs. I am rather neutral towards the idea of TS5 simply because I don't see it coming any time soon; I just feel like EA still plans to release a few more expansions/game packs and stuff packs for TS4. I do believe that at one point, it will probably come (as some have mentioned, there will exist at the time a new generation of kids and adults accustomed to a new way of living, a new world, maybe or maybe not so different from what we have now, and I am sure EA will want to grab their attention with something closer to that moment in time), and when it does, I will probably pick it up, and see whether I like it enough to keep supporting it more. So far, i have enjoyed every Sims we have had to a certain degree, but have never had the need to backtrack to the old games once the new ones came out. So I am partly curious to see what TS5 (if it ever comes) will do to make it stand out from the franchise that now already has over 30+ games in it?