Disclaimer: I wanted to focus on positives here because I feel there has been a lot of negativity recently surrounding the rebrand, which is totally valid, but I have been feeling overall positive about
The Sims 4!
Background: I have only been reliably playing
The Sims 4 for about one month now and joined the forums within the past few months. Upon launch,
The Sims 4 interested me until I started playing it. It lacked
many things, including the toddler life stage. I put down the game until this year because of that.
Source:
The Sims Fandom
Upon doing a little research, I found in
this wiki article that
The Sims 4 was originally an engine built for some type of successor to
The Sims Online and was repurposed at the last minute. I feel that this is the best explanation for any lacking features, past or present. Maybe that is not news to you, but for me it actually allows me to forgive the game developers in the current moment. No need for me to carry a poor attitude five years in when there
is some pretty positive things going on. Besides, as people we cannot change the past, so it is good to focus on what we can control going forward.
For the game developers, I see some of that happening now. The numerous free updates, whether they have features that should have been included to begin with or not, have added
so many game features for
everyone. There is an incentive to play the game every time there is an update with new features because the game
automatically gets better.
Source:
The Sims Fandom
I also only recently bought some extra packs. I have to say, some of the packs really do augment the game in a great way. I am in love with the
Get Famous expansion pack because it reminds me of
The Sims: Superstar, allowing me a lot of interactivity and they overhauled the celebrity system from
The Sims 3: Late Night. It makes me feel like it is not random anymore. There is a certain quality of immersion to it that is charming and makes me feel like it warrants a spot in
The Sims series.
The fact that the developers are going to continue with the game's development for longer means they have a chance to work out many errors and add many features (not even including any new types of packs which will be coming). By all means, continue to give your feedback because they should cater the game more to fans. But maybe, there is also more potential for the game that may actually be fulfilled.
Examples for what may be capable:
- Expanded coloring and/or customization options (see: The Sims 4 Cats and Dogs)
- Expansion of features such as cars (see: added pools, basements, and toddlers).
- Expanded CAS sliders or features (see: CAS story mode, new CAS items, and CAS teeth)
Are there cons?
Definitely. Is the new rebrand questionable?
Undoubtedly. But is there much more capable?
Absolutely!
Comments
Saying the game is the way that it is now because it was supposed to be a totally different type of game doesn’t make me feel better about the status of the game currently. You’re saying you feel some type of relief knowing this. Why does that give you relief?
Because it would be more frustrating if the game that they released in 2014 was intentional rather than unintentional, as it is. Yeah, we have all heard how irritating it was that they left out toddlers or pools. But I imagine they didn't sit down in a room and go, "let's leave out the following features." Instead, it probably went more like, "The release is when? Oh, plumbobs. We'll do what we can, I guess."
Also, while the details about The Sims 4's development is disappointing with the content left out in 2014, understanding why that is the case validates for me why they have to add extra free content. They need to add that to keep the game at all relevant because it has been seriously lacking for their fans. It was the only way to get me back. That doesn't mean it can't catch up to be a better game though.
Hope that is more clear!
Edit: edited for clarity (hopefully)
I'm honestly excited for future content though! I have no idea what people are doing in their game when they say there is nothing to do because I brought the jungle pack when it came out and have yet to explore the jungle. All because I've been so busy doing other things in the game I never get around to it all.
I personally think things are only going to get better.
Burgerlers are just one example. People were screaming its abuse or something. But if I were them I would be afraid too. It's like they have to walk on eggshells not to offend anybody.
That's an interesting take for EA that I have never heard of. Holding back content for fear of backlash? Their brand does seem to be fit for everyone in a careful way.
On the other hand, having a burglar in the game (like we should) couldn't be nearly as bad as the mischief skill
I believe she said she was so busy with other things in her game that she just hadn't had time to explore Jungle Adventure. Sort of like Get Famous for me. I'd planned on having my teen age up and become a famous actress but things happen. She's still a teen. 😄
To me, the game is limping through its life cycle because of this.
The life cycle will be extended due to so many missing base game features.
This is great for people who absolutely love the series and want it to go on forever.
I am concerned that traits will be forever weak in this game and sims will never project the uniqueness of their traits, only the sameness of their emotions. This makes the sims themselves not so interesting to play. Nothing interesting happens on its own through the interaction of different personalities. You have to force things to happen. It's the heart and soul of the game to me and all the packs just a game play refresher. If EA address that, then my optimism for this game as a series will flip.
I loved what they did with Toddlers and Parenthood. I loved Spa Day and the Dine Out dining experience. I love the depth of Vampires. I love the size and variety of locations of Windenburg and the clubs mechanic has brought life to my sims since I can make social groups and choose where they hang out and what they do. Get famous brought some neat stuff. I had this cosplayer hobby going on in my game since City Living, because of GeekCon. Get Famous made that explode to new heights with all the content it provided.
But with the great stuff comes some disappointments:
It's a gross place to live. There were also all the dirty and rotten leave piles, but I heard that has been fixed. I still saw a bunch of leave piles in Windenburg, but at least they weren't rotting.
City Living is alright, but it doesn't allow me to make custom apartments and I can't have apartments in other worlds at all.
I don't believe many of my sims will live there. Probably just University students fresh out of Uni. Or going to University. I tend to have several sims from different household attend University together. If it's like TS3 instead of TS2, I will have to move them into the same household. I will use an apartment if this is the case. San Myshuno will be more of a place to visit for my other sims.
Get To Work is a cool idea, but I only enjoy the science career.
The hospital has very weak support staff and isn't all the fun to play for me, and I wish my other sims could go there for treatment instead of ordering a bottle of instant medicine. I don't play the detective career much after issues with identifying suspects. I haven't played it in a while though. Maybe things have been fixed. Owning a business is a bit underwhelming. Open for Business did it so much better in TS2, but considering the three active careers, that could be forgiven, but it's not that great for simmers who wanted a more Open for Business focused pack.
I like Get Famous, but I feel it is missing at least two more active careers.
Modeling, singing, bands? I think we are going to need another expansion or game packs to make up for that.
Also, the world is too small. And I feel all the worlds from here on out will feel too small.
Seasons brought what I needed: the immersion factor of seasonal weather.
I don't like that there isn't any depth to snow. It's just a flat texture.
Holidays were cool, but I tend to ignore them now and some are annoying.
Island Living is nice and relaxing and it's good for simmers who want to live in all destinations.
But I don't want my sims to live there. I want them to vacation there. You would think EA would make a small concession to simmers who want to play this way by allowing some lots to be bought as a vacation home. I had to create a work around by turning a Get To Work retail feature into a vacation home. Vacation homes are doable in Sulani, but it's not true vacation game play. Sulani culture could have used more depth and the should have been given their own dance. I wish mermaids were at least half as detail as vampires. They could use a few more powers.
With new content remaining to be created and fixing bugs,
I don't believe Maxis will have the time, staff, or budget to address the shortcomings and bugs of so many packs, let alone address all the work that would have to be done to make sims and their personalities stand out more. I don't believe they will overhaul traits and make them matter more, but I hope they at least give us a TS3-like bloom that gives us access to all their trait related socials instead of having to dig around for them.
This will help with bring out their personality instead of burying it.
It still doesn't bring out autonomous trait behaviors, but it helps in expressing their traits.
Just talking about the things I do like about the series raises my optimism,
but as you can see, I remain mixed.
Lol I mean I installed it yet my sims never traveled there. Between wedding planning, downloading days of cc, house designing, cas designing, meeting sims needs, trying to build and maintain my celebrity status, friendships, relationships, careers etc. I just have yet to get to it. It's on my vacation to do list though and I'm excited for it.
I agree that a lot of the pacing of development, the bareness of the game at launch, and the very gradual addition of features is largely due to the development team being asked to take over a project initially intended to be a different thing. But they have done that successfully.
The watershed moment, for me, is when they were able to bring Toddlers as a life stage back into the game. And they didn't half-do it - TS4 Toddlers are really, really well done. So much so that, while the recent "sticky hands" bug persisted through my play of that stage for my entire second generation, I still enjoyed the heck out of it.
I get a bit testy when I hear of features like gender flexibility being denigrated as "pandering". It's just opening up more ways to customize play. And it is something that make me, and players like me, feel like we can exist in this world. And it's something that players who would rather that I, or people like me, not exist in their world can freely ignore.
There is a ton of content that I freely ignore, too. I am not drawn to Vampires, for instance. Or Moschino fashions. I would have zero use for a Farming pack. But that's okay - not every new feature or pack is something I will want, and if I don't, I don't have to play it. And I have no objection to development going to those features, which others will enjoy.
So yes - I am glad I picked up TS4, I am enjoying my play. I have moved forward in the story of a couple I made for and played in TS3, and they look a little different, and they aren't Supernatural, but their core personas are the same, they interact the same way, and now they have finally found time for a family. It's been satisfying. I look forward to more.
I agree with you on the point of not having to buy every pack. I do feel as though some of The Sims 4 content has gotten nichey, but there is plenty of content also focused on the masses. It is as if they purposefully designed the pack line-ups to have a little something for everyone so far.
@CK213 that is all very valid. I am interested by the point that so many repeat on here that their sims are lifeless, boring, or not interesting. I went in thinking that, both as myself and feeling a little influenced by others. But I have been so surprised lately by how fun the mechanics of this game can be.
I very much agree that the trait system leaves a lot to be desired. Most times it feels as though a sim's traits do not really matter too much except for adding another moodlet here or there. But, with a feature like traits I am on the side of optimism. They could add more trait slots. They could just add more traits. They might tweak the mood system a bit to make them more integral.
But the multitasking and moments where you let emotions run themselves out provide for some really interesting and unanticipated experiences sometimes. Gnomes appearing in my bathroom for Seasons or getting invited to a ghost bar. Then, there was another bar event where everyone had to dress as knights. It feels whimsical and reminds me of The Sims actually.
I find it upsetting we are still getting these types of threads. I shouldn’t have to feel hopeful that this game may take a direction I like, I should be able to trust that they know what they’re doing and are going to cover everyone and I don’t. Their actions have shown that’s opposite for me.
—T
My thoughts exactly. I knew when I played the base game that I wasn't going to really like this iteration of the game. The base game is just that, a base , or foundation, to a whole game. If the base isn't structured well (which I don't believe it is), then the whole thing will fail. If you're still hoping for a better future five years down the line, then you're probably hoping in vain. Things don't just get better in time; there needs to be significant change in order to get things fixed/done right - which, as of 2019, hasn't happened. And adding superficial "stuff" to the game isn't what's needed to fix the lackluster gameplay.
I'm happy that the OP likes the game. I wish I could say the same because I genuinely love the series. And I don't hate Sims 4, but it's the least impressive one in the series to me.
Definitely agree with the both of you.
I shouldn’t have to purchase a 59.99 game (or 69.99 for the “premium” version) with the hopes that it’ll be a better game later on and/or after I invest another $400 dollars.
I haven’t purchased anything TS4-related in awhile now, and I still have my own policy of not paying full price for anything TS4-related as well. It’s not deserved.
The main reason I'm finding hope 5 years down the line is because that's when I have returned! I am sorry you are upset by my thread. My hope for you is that in the next 5 years you find a game which meets your needs better.
Maybe you feel that the game has not gotten better, but I would disagree. There have been so many changes to the base game since release that it is not the same game. Do not get me wrong as it is not perfect by any means. With that being said though, if you already know you weren't going to like it, my guess is that you are determined to continue not to like it. I guess I don't really feel like the DLC is superficial because funny and unexpected things happen in my game. Hopefully whatever gaps they have, either Paralives or a sequel will address adding more depth for players like you.
This is true. Every iteration is, and has been, quite different. Everyone has their preferences, but I remember since the beginning of The Sims 3, people have had about the same tone. "The game is so buggy that it's not even playable," would be the types of comments to come in all the time. My hope is that, perhaps, some positive outlooks will encourage positive outcomes!
I don't know why you would think TS4 would fill the bill for an MMO player such as you. Shouldn't you be playing other multiplayer games instead when your boyfriend can't play? SWTOR isn't the only one around.
Maybe EA is trying to introduce the idea of MMOs in The Sims series either for this iteration or the next, but they need to accept that the genre just doesn't draw that type of person. Most simmers HATE the idea of having their sim game become an MMO.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
Freezes in TS3 are actually fixable - just go to the TS3 section for help on that. That's why the TS3 community is still able to play the game with no problem.
I don't think TS4 is an improvement - it has more bugs than TS3 ever had at this point that can't be fixed, especially in live mode. So much so, that a lot of people who have waited patiently to have those bugs fixed FOR YEARS have given up. On top of that, there's very little gameplay compared to previous iterations that there isn't much to do and people have gotten quickly bored with it.
I can understand why they're rebranding it and aiming it toward younger children. MySims catered to the youngest children, but EA didn't have anything for the those in grammer school and junior/middle school. TS4 is simple enough for them to play. It doesn't have as much features, but it might still be fun for them. When they get older, they can play the more full featured ones like TS1, TS2, TS3 and hopefull TS5 and other iterations after that.
It's fun to watch them come into the game and decide they enjoy it.. whether completely new folks or even older simmers.
I'm also feeling very positive of it's future and .. well have the whole time it's been out. I've enjoyed it from the start and each pack just built on and gave me more stuff to do. I've explored it slowly and still haven't come close to doing everything in the game. Some because the timing or sim character isn't right and doesn't fit the thing to do (job, activity, aspiration ect...) and some because the theme/gameplay just doesn't interest me yet. Like running a retail store in the game. It's just not a draw for me and probably never will be pricing objects and managing employees isn't my cuppa. Just because I don't play with every aspect of the game doesn't make it bad for me though. This game isn't built for just me alone. I can deal with the parts that don't interest me personally as long as other parts do.
The reason that I'm feeling positive for the future though is they have repeatedly stated basically that this game is here and they will continue to make for it as long as it's feasible too. Which means to me as long as it's selling and they can come up with ideas and it remains stable. My game is very stable, I have alllll the packs and I've put thousands of hours into playing it. There are just so many themes I want covered that haven't been or have never been and hope for at the very least 2-4 years more to bring those dreams to life.