It's pretty clear that there's a
lot of negativity on the Sims 4 areas of forum at the moment, both amongst ourselves and towards the EA team. It's making me sad so I decided to make a more positive thread to try and even things out a little. I'm not going to pretend the game is perfect, because that would be a lie. There are bugs, and things I'd like which haven't been included yet, but then, no game is perfect, Sims or otherwise. Sims 3 had it's fair share of glitches due to the open world, Sims 2 had increasingly long loading screens depending on how many packs you owned, and so forth. Of course non-EA games have their fair share of bugs and other issues too, but let's not go into that here. No game is ever going to be perfect, even if all the bugs could be fixed, because everyone wants different things, but at the same time, we are all here because we consider ourselves simmers.
So let's get to the good stuff. The current negativity aside, it's actually pretty cool to have somewhere we can talk about the game, both the good and bad, where we can learn new tips and tricks from each other, find out about mods and cool buildings made by other simmers. Then there are the wonderful people who are kind enough to do giveaways. I remember back in the height of Sim's 3's popularity, there were some really cool people who liked to randomly gift people items of store content. How great is that?
Then we have the gurus, the developers, and all the people who work on the Sims games, both in the public eye and behind the scenes. Sure, we don't all agree with every decision the team make, but that's human nature. They still spend their working lives making games for us to enjoy, and I'm sure many of them are fans of the franchise too. Even when we're gutted that they didn't make our most-wanted pack, they've still done something wonderful in bringing us to the franchise we all love, and that counts for something. Until we're told that Sims 4 is officially over, there's still hope that the most popular packs and content ideas will be coming back, and no doubt there will be some great new ideas too.
So yeah, thanks gurus and everyone else who works for EA, or has worked for them since Sims 1 was released all those years ago. I've spent WAY too much time playing Sims games but at the same time, I've had a lot of fun too!
PS - Please can we keep all negativity out of this thread. Thanks in advance.
Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.
Comments
Dear EA Team, Devs of "The Sims 4",
I wanted to share with you my appreciation of all the hard work you've put into this game over the last 4 years, almost 5!.
You have done pretty amazing, i really appreciate the new game pack, it feels like the right step in direction.
I want you to know that of course some of the people who own this game will complain of the differences you've done, but there is
still a lot of us who appreciate everything you've done so far, and we will continue to support you on this journey!
I hope many of the people who join in on this appreciation thread will also share wonderful comments towards you, as you deserve it.
I cant wait to see what pack you release next, i wonder if its a new pack or something everyones asking for, but either way, im really excited!
Please everyone share your appreciation towards the EA Team, they bought you this game, without them you wouldn't have this great simulation game!
Legacy Challenge
I hope that will include no bashing previous versions. Just praising Sims 4 for all the reasons people have to love the game. The toddlers are perfect in my opinion and the vampires are very in depth as well. Plus building mode has a lot of amazing options.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
Nonetheless, it has great graphics, great ideas, and interesting content. I think we only want EA to unleash its talent, and to catch up.
Personally, I love the pets. I didn't even take to the Sims 4 until pets were added. So there's an example of good content.
@Mariefoxprice83 Thanks for the thread. The community is lovely. Looking at all discussions, I do not think that there is too much negativity.
We owe a lot to the guys who do the actual programming and design. First person mode was apparently the brainchild of a member of staff.
Favourite Worlds Sims 3: Hidden Springs, Barnacle Bay, Riverview, Isla Paradiso, Sunlit Tides, Monte Vista, Dragon Valley, Al Simhara, Shang Simla, Roaring Heights, Lunar Lakes
Favourite Worlds Sims 4: Britechester, Windenburg, Sulani - possibly Mt. Komorebi
I'm hopeful that more gameplay, build items and terrain tools are still to come but it's a game I would still play if it came to an end tomorrow.
But GF is also seriously awesome. Which is still a little funny to me because when it was first announced I was a tiny bit disappointed as I didn't think it would be my jam and I didn't like the extreme focus on acting.
But IMHO fame and reputation have never been executed better in the entire series. I love how fame is built, I love the little opportunities you get when you build fame or a good reputation (blind dates, PR agencies, job recruitments).
Plus I'm extremely thankful they brought self-employment back - and that it works so beautifully with the fame system. Man this EP and its patch, I've really got nothing but positive things to say about them. Job well done sims team. More of that
I find that multi-tasking, the calendar, and the gallery are three features to TS4 that I can't imagine any future Sims iterations existing without, that's how vital they've become to the franchise. And as it was said above, I do love toddlers in this iteration. They so adorable it's almost impossible not to love them. I was a die-hard TS2 fan, and TS4 has really scratched that itch for me in a way TS3 just never could. Don't misunderstand me, I spent a lot of money on TS3 for a reason. World Adventures got me into that series, and I was hooked ever since. I just needed a better way to play rotationally because that's the kind of simmer I am. One last feature I'll mention that I don't think may simmers think about too often is the aspiration system in this game. Always wanted to be able to switch from aspiration to aspiration, and now that I can I do it all the time. Really enhances gameplay for me.
The devs really created some features this time around that are absolutely fantastic. Features I didn't even know I wanted, but I absolutely could not live without. I'll be playing this game for years to come.
Sims 4 Blog
Don't feed trolls. Do feed cowplants.
The food stalls and being able to create new recipes from the foods we eat at them. Really cool.
Collectible items like bugs, and fossils, and fish that a sim has to engage their environment to find. The willow whisp and the dragon that spits fire are my favs. And the bat and shark fish.
Photography. I wish this was expanded on but I still appreciate having it. I take soooooo many pics with all of my sims to create family memories or just cool pics of nature. One time I caught a rainbow and it made for an awesome picture.
YOGA. Omg I love the yoga and meditation. I'm a yoga instructor irl so this was so special for me and let me tell you they did an amazing job with all the poses. I just wish we didn't float during meditation and that our sims could actually teach classes.
More recently. I love love the vault. So cool. Will post more later
One of my favourite packs is Parenthood. I play families a lot so this pack really helped with that. I also love Seasons, it just makes the game come alive for me. The fact that sims can die of overheating or freezing adds a nice random element too.
I totally agree with @soko37 - I LOVE the addition of yoga! And I wish we could teach it too, that'd be awesome. I was just thinking about that the other day.
Another thing I love, from Get Famous, is Del Sol Valley. I am from the overall city it's based off of, and it's so spot on. I love that it doesn't snow there (with Seasons) and the sunsets are soo beautiful. The little details are awesome, like the airplanes flying overhead (I live close to an airport so this is especially cute to me), the pigeons, the graffiti on walls, the ALLEY behind some houses? I thought that bit was so cool. I've never noticed an alley in The Sims before. Also the random tourist Sims that show up are hilarious... although I do rock a fanny pack from time to time lol.
I haven't properly explored Del Sol Valley, I have to admit. I will do, at some point. I really need to stop and notice the little things in the game. I get really into goals and watching genealogies develop that I often to slow down and see what's going on. Perhaps I'll even experiment with First Person mode more frequently as well.
I have always wanted to have this feature in the game and it made my game just so more organized and realistic
I’ve never been the best at having my sims travel outside their home or even develop friendships, so I highly appreciate Get Together. The club system makes it easier to create friendship. And I recently learned I can make a club of co-workers which adds a bit more depth to my gameplay. And it was a new concept to the game which for the developers to take a risk on is apperciated as well.
First, the openness of the CAS. Being able to remove the filters and use any clothing item for any outfit category, as well as being able to use masculine items on female sims and feminine items on male sims has made it so I can really create the kind of characters that interest and inspire me.
Second, I love that all the worlds are available to play in regardless of which world my sim is living in. Being free to travel around to different environments like this has opened up so many more interesting story possibilities for me.
Those two things alone make it worth it to me, but on top of that, the Get Together club system is an amazing tool for storytelling that I use constantly. I use it to create atmosphere, increase the chances of running into certain sims I want my sims to interact with, create the feel of other sims having lives of their own, tweak the way a lot is used, and much more. It's a way for me to have some "director's" control over how the extras behave while my main characters are doing their thing.
For the way I like to play, sims 4 has worked extremely well for me.
CAS, for example. The layout is very easy to use and the options for adult Sims are simply staggering, particularly in the facial department. Lots of cheek, nose, lip, and head types. The sliders are also top-notch, allowing you to sculpt your Sim to your heart's content to get it exactly the way you envisioned. In addition, the lifting of gender restrictions on clothing a while ago was a particularly excellent choice, allowing for much more freedom when creating Sims with clothing that fits their interests.
Vampires are another aspect of the game that has been particularly well-done. The facial details are awesome, the power/weakness system is very well thought out, and of course, more ways to WooHoo are also a delightful addition. The Ask Permission interaction for drinking is also quite excellent for Sims who have a high relationship with each other. The Command powers are helpful for dispensing justice on Evil Sims. *cough* Malcolm Landgraab *cough*
The Scientist career is honestly one of the most fun careers to play. Being able to create inventions and use them on other Sims is one of the best parts. The Satellite Dish is handy for bringing aliens around in case one wants an Alien Baby. The Cloning Machine comes in handy for ingredients, and it also makes for more drama if you end up with an Evil twin. And again, the Mind Control ray is useful for the above reasons in the last paragraph.
So I'll mention some things/tools that I've been really appreciating just lately.
The ability to transfer stuff so easily between sims.. either as a drag from one family member to another or in gifting to sims. It's come in super handy lately.. especially since I've taken to playing larger households very recently. I know these were things that weren't present in the base game on release and for some time after.. but they make a world of difference for me. Gifting is especially wonderful because it fits into a story much more seamlessly.
I also am making use of the easy to access cheats. I mean we always had them in some form but they are super easy to access at this point. Even if I still look them up too often. I haven't been a big cheat user in the past. Actually feeling like a cheater when I did.. but now especially after doing certain things so often I feel like I can jump past them and get to the good stuff without feeling guilty. I've wanted to remake a lot of townies in world lately.. change the name and looks but leave them with their title and it's been very easy to so. Just a hop in and out of managed worlds and done.
Also groups and clubs, not sure where my game would be without them. I love the ability to tell all the sims in my groups to go over here or all do something together it's wonderful. I don't miss having to use "chat here" to get sims to go where you want.
The gallery.. there is a problem just lately with the old chemical analyzer from GTW. It's not available like it use to be. I'm guessing because there is some problem because there is also a new one with StrangerVille. Anyway... I can just get one from the gallery or find the cheat to make it accessible (couldn't find the cheat at the time I needed it). There's always more than one way to do things and I don't have to feel stressed about it.
Gotta put it in Strangerville. I didn't even know I needed it until I got it. Thanks!
I also love how fast the game in general is. Things are very snappy and nothing feels like it's burdening my system. Obviously people's mileage may vary depending on their computer, but for me, it's a joy to play and a revelation.
The gallery is my favourite addition maybe ever to the franchise, it simplifies things immensely and again, it's so quick and incredibly easy to swap things out.
I'm a big fan of the calendar, it wasn't something I had even thought about adding to the game before, but now, I can't be without it. Planning events is great and the ability to customise your own holidays is marvellous.
The cheats rock, they cover so much and are simple to use. I also love how the cheat window stays open so I don't need to keep opening it up again when I spam motherlode.
I think that the scenery is gorgeous, I have a sim who lives in a penthouse in San Myshuno and I stopped the gameplay for a while to just admire the scenery.
Food diversity is really cool, I like how there's standard cooking, gourmet and even baking. It makes it feel more personal when I can micro control what my sims eat for each meal.
Finally, my favourite thing about Sims 4 is how stable it is. I've never experienced corruption of any kind and it's nice to be able to say, flirt with the Grim Reaper without making my game implode.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/924539/features-that-needs-depth-and-ways-to-improve