Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.

The TS4 Tropical Pack - Is it enough to tempt you away from TS3?

I'm curious. The new tropical pack for TS4 is released this weekend and from what I have seen so far it looks like the best offering the dev team has put forward so far. It all looks very pretty and for a brief moment I was tempted to get it and try it. However when I stopped and considered I already have all I want with the TS3 tropical pack. This is especially true now solutions have been found to most of the major routing issues.

What do you think ? Is it enough to tempt you to try it. For many who play both games regularly I should imagine it will be added to their collections without a second thought. For others who are totally immersed and busy with their TS3 games the whole hullabaloo will probably pass them by. However there are TS3 players who regularly keep up with latest developments as well.

I would ask the following of any posters to treat one another respectfully. This is not an opportunity to bash either TS3 or 4. Both games have their merits even though they are not obvious to everyone.

For any passing moderator. Please do not move this to a TS4 section. This is a debate aimed at TS3 forum members. I am sure the TS4 fora are already full of threads where TS4 players can discuss the matter to their heart's content. Thank you.
I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
Wherever I am friends call me Betty

Sim enim est vita

Comments

  • AmphoraAmphora Posts: 3,959 Member
    Honestly, this only tempts me slightly.

    I got S4 for free a few weeks ago (I was too tempted by the free bait that was offered :D ) and while it does have a lot of pretty features, I was somewhat put off by the lack of detail. Having no textures on items like clothing, furniture, or the outdoor landscaping like tree trunks is a turn off for me. I’ve become far too picky in my gameplay lol

    However, I can completely see why people love the game! I love seeing people’s Sims 4 gameplay so I usually enjoy Sims 4 vicariously through them. I’m just too invested in Sims 3 :)
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    @Amphora I am sure they said somewhere that they were adding a couple more terrain paints with this pack or possibly in the free patch update.

    As for the vicarious playing I will confess to watching TS4 build videos lol.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • SPARKY1922SPARKY1922 Posts: 5,965 Member
    Hi @Bettyboop55

    As a dedicated S3 player closely followed by S2 I have been playing S4 intermittently since it came out but quickly got bored and then would not play for months in between however as a complete lover of all things tropical there was no way I was not going to buy this new tropical island pack and after just sitting through a livestream tonight which is nowhere near as good as the ones I used to look forward to when new S3 packs were coming out I feel I have made the right decision in my purchase however there certainly does not appear to be the replayability or the same amount of content that was released with island paradise so I will never be tempted to move from series 3/2 to 4 completely I just feel occasionally I will get something from S4 even if it is not the same as past iterations of the game..

    I am 5 mins away from from being able to download the new pack so I will know more then :)
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    @SPARKY1922 I hope you really enjoy your new purchase :) As a fellow lover of tropical themed worlds I had exactly the same debate with myself as you. In my case I have not touched TS4 in over two years and it is no longer installed on my computer. Fairly easy to fix but then I considered the content I have with TS3. So for now I am sticking with the one game but I will say with this new pack the dev team have upped the standard for TS4. Not enough perhaps to solve all the things I find off putting about the game but definitely a move in the right direction.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • SimplyJenSimplyJen Posts: 14,823 Member
    No way am I leaving Sims 3 in the dust. It's still top dog in my book and always will be. The last few months I've been playing Sims 4 more and more. I own packs I've hardly touched so I'm finally getting use out of them. For me, Sims 4 felt pretty empty until enough packs had come out. Seasons really brought the game to life. I still don't find myself sinking too many hours in this game like I can with Sims 3.

    I pre-ordered the Island Living pack. Started playing this morning and haven't stopped but most of that has been CAS & build/buy. Island Living and Island Paradise are both good packs but I will say this... Scuba diving is a rabbit hole and there's no water under the surface. That was disappointing to me and I'll admit very typical of Sims 4.
    i7-13700K • 16GB • RTX 4070
    S3 simblr: http://simplysimming.tumblr.com/
    S4 simblr: http://simlogic.tumblr.com/
  • cocococo Posts: 2,722 Member
    SimplyJen wrote: »
    I pre-ordered the Island Living pack. Started playing this morning and haven't stopped but most of that has been CAS & build/buy. Island Living and Island Paradise are both good packs but I will say this... Scuba diving is a rabbit hole and there's no water under the surface. That was disappointing to me and I'll admit very typical of Sims 4.
    I'm surprised they didn't just put a loading screen in for players to be able to scuba dive with their sims.

    To be honest, I saw the trailer and it looks fine. I liked that they tried to put some new ideas in there to make it different. I own a couple packs for TS4 and I was disappointed with what it offered compared to TS3 so I haven't played it in a long time. I'm not interested in playing any more because I know the lack of textures, no open world and just overall simplicity is not my cup of tea. Plus, I'm not attached to any sims or anything from that game so there's nothing tempting me at all.
  • PalmArrowPalmArrow Posts: 4,329 Member
    It's definitely more than enough to tempt me, but not away from the sims 3. I took one look at the trailer and pre-ordered the pack instantly, and just now played it very briefly before going to work and I absolutely love it. But I will not stop playing the sims 3.
  • GabbyGirlJGabbyGirlJ Posts: 6,858 Member
    edited June 2019
    Nah. TS4 always looks good in adverts, but every time I try to jump back in I feel like the gameplay just isn't there for me. There's just something fundamentally missing at its core for me as a player that I've never been able to explain, and I don't think more stuff will fix that. The new pack does look nice. I like the theme and I appreciate that they seem to be trying to add more little details into the game. I also love that they put in a new supernatural life state. But, the game itself has always felt too... restrictive for me.

    For now I'll stick with TS3, and I've got a new Final Fantasy XIV expansion to play in less than two weeks, so that's where all of my gaming energy is going. :smile: I do hope that the people who buy the new TS4 expansion enjoy it! I will say the mermaids look awesome this time around.
    IHJCfa6.jpg
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,584 Member
    I didn't even give their topic or video a look see. I'm not tempted by the game. Maybe when it's out of production I can see if it's good enough for when I want a quick, tablet game. :blush:
  • LinamintsLinamints Posts: 952 Member
    I plan to order the pack on my next paycheck. I love the tropics, I love mermaids, and I love that they put in a clean up the beaches thing. I don't often play the Sims 4, but this is content I want to see more of.
    "Parenting is just like gardening, except if you let your garden die you don't go to prison." - Anna Blast
  • simmerLellasimmerLella Posts: 612 Member
    Not even close and I've been looking forward to getting my last 3 expansions packs for TS3. For a long while I didn't think I wanted ItF, SN or IP; but lately I do (or at least some objects/features) and until recently I was more looking forward to playing Supernatural, but became antsy for Island Paradise. I've been impatiently waiting for the Steam Summer Sale. I always wait for those sales.

    This pack looks fine but it's not the kind of pack that would lure me. (If I were playing TS4 I would get the pack on sale.) An enhanced music career pack might make me want to reinstall TS4 (especially if it's much more than just a singer career). I was into Get Famous for a while, or thought I was, that faded. A music career pack might disappoint or frustrate as well. I wanted University but at this point I wouldn't bother with it unless I were already playing TS4.

    What I truly need are base game overhauls.

    TS3 plays well on my new computer, with mods (more than just the recommended NRaas), cc (skins and more) and a lighting tweak file. I've been enjoying it greatly, but anxiously looking forward to TS5 ... or even TS6 (if 5 isn't great but the series doesn't die).

    I also love TS2 and would play that if I weren't occupied by TS3.
    "Challenge everything"
    My Game Twitter
    tumblr_inline_pwgxs3dfiz1t4sbjh_500.jpg
    EA, fix the EA app & CAW EIG!
  • MidnightAuraMidnightAura Posts: 5,809 Member
    After not being sure about this pack I got it last night.

    I haven’t played the sims 4 since February. I had uninstalled it and only re installed it to show my niece that the console version has some of the same bugs as pc.

    Island paradise is one of my favourite expansions in sims 3. I also love the tropical worlds in sims 2 and 1 so for me island living has a lot to love up to.

    Sulani is beautiful. I will say that. CAS items are nice. Major disappointments so far is all the rabbit holes. So many rabbit holes. No diving, no underwater lots, even the odd jobs are rabbit holes.

    And I may be biased there I know because I love island paradise so much. As beautiful as Sulani is sometimes I see some nice little Island and I want my sims to go there.. but they can’t. Fx backdrop.

    That said I am enjoying it for now. I havent played a lot. Am i going to give up the sims 3 or even the older games? Nope. Not a chance in hell.
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    Thank you for all your replies.

    @SimplyJen I think this might become a theme for this thread. The pack being fun to try but not enough to tempt anyone away completely. At the end of the day we all know what game holds our attention the most. I can imagine the disappointment with the underwater and wonder if that has more to do with the limitations of the TS4 game engine or production budget.

    @coco I wondered if they had made more of an effort with the textures this time. It is certainly something that needs to be strong in such a tropical themed environment. The problem is being able to gauge any major improvement without downloading the game. As for the rest I agree.. when I was playing I was constantly looking to use a CASt which wasn't there :'(

    @GabbyGirlJ You must be getting excited about Final Fantasy :) Hope you really enjoy it. As for the rest please keep producing your gorgeous fairies :)

    @Rflong7 please don't scare people. When you said check out TS4 I nearly passed out. The thought of no more Rflong worlds is not to be contemplated. Then you said about playing on tablet and I knew you were joking :D

    @Linamints I hope you enjoy it when you get it and that it exceeds your expectations. I agree the beach cleaning feature is good addition.

    @simmerLella I hope you get your last three packs soon. SN is one of my personal favourites but I am sure you will enjoy all three. IP has issues but if you are using mods and cc you should be able to avoid most problems.

    @MidnightAura I hope you really enjoy the pack and it exceeds your expectations :)
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • MidnightAuraMidnightAura Posts: 5,809 Member
    Having had a bit of a chance to play around with it more it’s in no way exceeds island paradise. Island paradise I love going diving, I love my sims doing the water activities like windsurfing, I love my sims being life guards and even though I’m quite new to the resort feature in that I don’t always play around with it it it’s another’s feature.

    With island living, the main feature is swimming and the ocean which is fine but when so much of that is not accessible you can’t help but compare it to previous versions. I don’t really get lag in Isla paradiso so the performance side of it isn’t an arguement although I appreciate for many that will be. Island paradise is fun but I think if you were stuck there and couldn’t move between worlds it would get boring fast. And of course that’s not an issue with the sims 4, but I can’t help but regret that the world itself is not enough to imagine multiple generations living there without running out of things to do and enough variety of lots. I don’t have that issue in Isla paradiso and sunlit tides.

    Island paradise is okay. It has its fun moments. But the sims 3 still has my little simming heart.
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    @MidnightAura First thank you for the feedback :) Thank you also to @simplyjen for the same thing. Other players will find the comments useful when deciding to invest or not.

    @MidnightAura I am sorry if the new pack doesn't live up to expectations. When I watched various videos it did genuinely seem to be much better than previous TS4 packs in terms of content and features. At the same time I am always concerned by direct comparison between the two games, because they are such different creatures. With TS4 players have come (albeit reluctantly), to accept less.

    I also wondered as I was watching the videos precisely how much had been cut out from the previous version. I could see there were no houseboats and had a rough idea that surface swimming and snorkelling might be the limit of what you could do with your sims. Not having a playable life saving career must be really annoying. I love it as a career when I am playing in Sunlit Tides. Again though I wonder if it is the limitations of both game engine and budget which meant EA cutting it like that. The same with resorts which would have made a great feature.

    Still I hope you find other things in the pack to enjoy. Now I am going to poddle off for a couple of hours to work on my CAW project.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    @PalmArrow my apologies I missed you out earlier :) I hope you enjoy the pack when you get a chance to try it later today :)
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • MidnightAuraMidnightAura Posts: 5,809 Member
    edited June 2019
    @Bettyboop55 Well that’s the thing, it’s one of the better expansions. My favourite is seasons with that a close second. If someone was thinking about trying it, I would suggest to. Perhaps I am too biased with my love for TS3 because I can’t not help but compare.

    If I try very hard to pretend the sims 3 doesn’t exist I would give it a 6.
  • PalmArrowPalmArrow Posts: 4,329 Member
    @Bettyboop55 , thanks! I'm sure I will enjoy it! I'm at work right now and feeling very excited, as if I'm going to travel to an actual tropical island after work. :smile: But this has nothing to do with TS4 replacing TS3. TS4 has brought me lots of enjoyment, but I can only play it with a single sim. With a household of more than one, I don't think I could stand the fact that two sims can't be on two different lots at the same time. That's what bothers me most about closed world. The loading screens I can actually live with, but not with the fact that lots are "alive" only one at a time.
  • dreamerz13dreamerz13 Posts: 9,927 Member
    I do want this EP so bad. Like I've never really *wanted* anything for TS4 but gosh darnit I want this EP! It's not likely going to happen because I can't and won't pay the current EP prices (I'll save that whole rant though) even if it's practically killing me right now (this EP is gonna test my willpower I tell ya). It would never tempt me away from TS3 though, I enjoy TS3 that won't stop just because of one TS4 EP, I have so much invested into my TS3 game and I'm nowhere near ready to move on yet. It could tempt me back to TS4 (which I haven't touched since January) and I'd play both games but I would never give up TS3 over it.

    Though I do find I lose interest in EP's, and the whole game itself, after a week or two when it comes to TS4. So I don't know, this one, if I were to get it would not surprise me to be very much the same. In fact, I originally started typing my response hours ago (getting distracted many many times in true Dreamerz fashion) and reading some more replies that have come in since... it already sounds like that would be the case. I mean it still sounds like something I'd want to try (okay I still really want this darned pack >.<) but it already sounds like it just wouldn't compare to IP in TS3 like my mind says it should.
  • SPARKY1922SPARKY1922 Posts: 5,965 Member
    @Bettyboop55

    After my comment yesterday I downloaded the pack opened it added some ladders to a beach lot and almost fell to sleep so closed the game and went to bed lol Got up this morning have had 5 mins here and there to browse the threads but have been too busy to actually play but I haven't forgotten I will come back when I get the time to explore more, interestingly though a lot of other players comments above resonate with my own feelings so far as I doubt we will have the content or depth of play IP provides us :)
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    @Bettyboop55 Well that’s the thing, it’s one of the better expansions. My favourite is seasons with that a close second. If someone was thinking about trying it, I would suggest to. Perhaps I am too biased with my love for TS3 because I can’t not help but compare.

    If I try very hard to pretend the sims 3 doesn’t exist I would give it a 6.

    You clearly have more experience of the TS4 packs than I do. I think we all do a comparison to our favourite version. It must be hard for those players who go all the way back to TS1. Is there any benefit in you treating Sulani as a holiday destination so it can be incorporated into your gameplay without you feeling that generational play is not a possibility with this pack. Probably not was intended but it might allow you to get more from it. Thanks again for the feedback.
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • MidnightAuraMidnightAura Posts: 5,809 Member
    @Bettyboop55 Well that’s the thing, it’s one of the better expansions. My favourite is seasons with that a close second. If someone was thinking about trying it, I would suggest to. Perhaps I am too biased with my love for TS3 because I can’t not help but compare.

    If I try very hard to pretend the sims 3 doesn’t exist I would give it a 6.

    You clearly have more experience of the TS4 packs than I do. I think we all do a comparison to our favourite version. It must be hard for those players who go all the way back to TS1. Is there any benefit in you treating Sulani as a holiday destination so it can be incorporated into your gameplay without you feeling that generational play is not a possibility with this pack. Probably not was intended but it might allow you to get more from it. Thanks again for the feedback.

    I am guilty of doing that, when Get Famous came out I compared it to superstar.
    I could move future families out and have them visit, that is always a possibility. Perhaps it will get vacation homes added. The world is beautiful though. Did a lot more exploring and found some other fun things. It’s definitely growing on me.
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    @PalmArrow it looks a good pack to try with a single sim.

    @dreamerz13 I get you want the pack lol :) Sometimes the rational part of the brain keeps getting in the way though. Let's hope you can get it soon, hopefully in a sale :)

    @SPARKY1922 take your time ! I remember that lovely feeling of exploring a new pack. When I got SN I was gone for days. Fell asleep several times over the keyboard :D
    I no longer use Origin or My Page. You can find me on YouTube or Twitter as Bettyboop711000. You are welcome to contact me as I explore options for a PC sandbox life simulation game.
    Wherever I am friends call me Betty

    Sim enim est vita
  • Deshong04Deshong04 Posts: 4,278 Member
    Is it enough to tempt me from TS3?

    No. I would rather play The Sims: Vacation and actually I've been meaning to re-install all of TS anyway. Too bad they never brought back volleyball. :(

    Why does TS4 Island Living not tempt me from TS3?

    Because it does nothing extensively better and is actually worse because of retrogression while having loading screens interrupt the immersion of gameplay than have one seamless huge play area. The game engine overall is nothing spectacular and is not on the same level in terms of improvement and advancements that TS3 game engine/TS3 Island Paradise introduced. Most features and content I have seen in the trailer are the same things already done before but this time around is just a weak version of it rather than improving and advancing over the old plus with brand new worthwhile features and content never been done before in the main PC series.

    So no, I'm not impressed nor tempted. But off-topic, I've become impressed by Cyberpunk 2077 and now I hope that will be one of the few games I get day one besides Final Fantasy VIII:Remastered and Death Stranding. Oh and Pokemon Sword and Shield. Too many quality games that I actually care about and have proven to be worthy of my attention. Overall, TS4 Island Living can't hold a candle to TS3 Island Paradise.

    So that's my honest thoughts and criticism. Delete it, leave it...I don't care. Do as you please.
    “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
    Stand a little taller
    Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
    What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
    Footsteps even lighter”
  • KevinL5275KevinL5275 Posts: 2,489 Member
    I will keep playing Sims 3 until the Sims 4 packs I want go on sale. I like both games but I am not done with Sims 3 yet.
    I'm a 48 year old married man, with a beautiful wife, a cat, and a simverted personality.My Sims 3 Pictures
Sign In or Register to comment.
Return to top