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Feedback on Island Living

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  • SimburianSimburian Posts: 6,907 Member
    edited August 2019
    OK: I enjoy playing the world but it could do with more depth, literally of the sea levels with deep sea diving possible. An expansion should have been large enough to do this. Those ideas of surfing, and two person boats should have been there.

    A little more cruelty with stupid actions like touching a lava bomb having more of an effect. How about making it explode, destroying the house maybe or giving someone a virus or opening up to become a monster making for the sea and afterwards becoming a danger to divers? Getting to kill it a new pastime.

    Earthquakes and volcanos are all very well but not all that effective. SimCity4 had fantastic volcanos and meteors. How about bringing those in.

    It's all a bit too sweet at the moment, no danger when every other game around at the moment is killing in their millions! One can always choose to do dangerous things or not anyway.

    Maxis do need someone to co-ordinate the packs too. Those helpful firefighting neighbours in Sulani could always translate into helpful neighbours in other worlds, not in Sulani costume until we get proper firefighters. Waiting for fires to be extinguished is a bit of a bore.

    Why do Teams like Maxis think that young people, especially girls, these days are not as bloodthirsty in gaming as their predecessors were? They need to work on that.
  • CynnaCynna Posts: 2,369 Member
    edited August 2019
    simmer_jay wrote: »
    Once again, this isn't a thread to bash the game or the franchise. The purpose of this thread is to focus on specific features of Island Living and discuss how they could be improved upon so that developers can get tips for future projects. I kindly ask that discussion offer constructive criticism rather than blanket statements that serve no purpose. Please. 💕

    That's what some of us have been trying to do. Only, EA doesn't listen. They blame consumers for not using features that have no use. I'm suggesting that EA should stop blaming the customer for not using things that are boring and make them more useful by including actual gameplay.

    (Sidebar: I'm looking at you, bassinet babies! I bet that EA's metrics say that no one wants to play with you, either. The truth is that we don't want to play with a piece of furniture that cries.)

    Admittedly, my tone is...salty. However, nearly six years in, I'm not trying to tiptoe around the game's issues anymore.

    If EA wants a suggestion to improve IL, it's very simple: add more gameplay and fewer excuses.
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  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    simmer_jay wrote: »
    I want to start this with saying that I haven't purchased the pack yet, so my perspective is only from seeing trailers and watching LPs and reviews on YouTube. With that said, I am getting the impression that some are feeling this pack is slightly lacking in replayability. It seems to be one of those "complete and move on" type of packs, similar to strangerville. So I was thinking of giving some feedback/ideas for future content via feedback on the conception of this pack.

    What I think should have happened is Island Living should have not included mermaids. Rather, the gameplay feature should have been about living on an island and included things like resorts, hotels, tropical vacation type things. Building and running your own resort would naturally have way more replayability to it. Similar to restaurants, resorts could have had themes, lot traits etc. The tools are there already, so I'm not sure why they didn't choose this path for development.

    So what about mermaids? I know a lot of people requested them, but it doesn't seem like they got the treatment they deserved like vampires did. I was assuming that with the introduction of the occult system with vampires they would use that as a base and flush out several other occults, including mermaids.

    Both of those packs (Dine Out and Vampires) have the ability to be played with many times over. Don't get me wrong, I love what they did include (conservation, island culture, DOLPHINS) and from what I've heard/seen, it is a truly stunning world. But I get the sense that the "sandbox" type of play has been lost a bit.

    Thoughts?

    That's par for the course for TS4.

    Where else can a player use the new features? No where.
    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • drake_mccartydrake_mccarty Posts: 6,114 Member
    Cynna wrote: »
    simmer_jay wrote: »
    Once again, this isn't a thread to bash the game or the franchise. The purpose of this thread is to focus on specific features of Island Living and discuss how they could be improved upon so that developers can get tips for future projects. I kindly ask that discussion offer constructive criticism rather than blanket statements that serve no purpose. Please. 💕

    That's what some of us have been trying to do. Only, EA doesn't listen. They blame consumers for not using features that have no use. I'm suggesting that EA should stop blaming the customer for not using things that are boring and make them more useful by including actual gameplay.

    (Sidebar: I'm looking at you, bassinet babies! I bet that EA's metrics say that no one wants to play with you, either. The truth is that we don't want to play with a piece of furniture that cries.)

    Admittedly, my tone is...salty. However, nearly six years in, I'm not trying to tiptoe around the game's issues anymore.

    If EA wants a suggestion to improve IL, it's very simple: add more gameplay and fewer excuses.

    Ummmm YES thank you

    So many times I wonder if literally anyone stopped to ask themselves if what they were making was actually fun to play with. A great concept can go right in the toilet if the final product isn’t enjoyable.
  • Sk8rblazeSk8rblaze Posts: 7,570 Member
    Cinebar wrote: »
    simmer_jay wrote: »
    I want to start this with saying that I haven't purchased the pack yet, so my perspective is only from seeing trailers and watching LPs and reviews on YouTube. With that said, I am getting the impression that some are feeling this pack is slightly lacking in replayability. It seems to be one of those "complete and move on" type of packs, similar to strangerville. So I was thinking of giving some feedback/ideas for future content via feedback on the conception of this pack.

    What I think should have happened is Island Living should have not included mermaids. Rather, the gameplay feature should have been about living on an island and included things like resorts, hotels, tropical vacation type things. Building and running your own resort would naturally have way more replayability to it. Similar to restaurants, resorts could have had themes, lot traits etc. The tools are there already, so I'm not sure why they didn't choose this path for development.

    So what about mermaids? I know a lot of people requested them, but it doesn't seem like they got the treatment they deserved like vampires did. I was assuming that with the introduction of the occult system with vampires they would use that as a base and flush out several other occults, including mermaids.

    Both of those packs (Dine Out and Vampires) have the ability to be played with many times over. Don't get me wrong, I love what they did include (conservation, island culture, DOLPHINS) and from what I've heard/seen, it is a truly stunning world. But I get the sense that the "sandbox" type of play has been lost a bit.

    Thoughts?

    That's par for the course for TS4.

    Where else can a player use the new features? No where.

    Honestly, I feel like more than just sandbox play has been taken away with The Sims 4. The actual game component of this franchise is gone. There is little to work for, no challenge, no risk, no strategy involved, no planning, no budgeting, etc. It's like all game design logic has just left the building.
  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    Sk8rblaze wrote: »
    Writin_Reg wrote: »
    I have been playing this expansion a lot and really love it for my Sims. I love the fact it is not meant for Holidays and vacations and fully supports the idea it is just for locals for a change - something totally new to the Sims series for a REFRESHING change.

    I don’t think limiting options is something to be celebrated and viewed as a refreshing change despite how customary it is for The Sims 4 to take away options and freedom.

    In The Sims 2, I could own a vacation home at any destination and only have to pay for travel and bills (far cheaper than hotel fees). It was also one vacation pack, with plenty of destinations, and the ability for me to add new ones, too, rather than $40 or $20 a piece.

    Also, I fully believe TS4 should have given us one vacation expansion, with 3 locations, and game packs should have added even more. Unfortunately, opposite to what many of us believed how it would be, these game packs do not supplement expansions at all.

    In The Sims 3, worlds can be both residential and vacation types. I don't know why in TS4 that worlds can't be both. It's not realistic either. I live in an area where we get lots of tourists year round. The residents are used to it and it is BIG part of our economy. We WANT the tourists there.

    You're writing about The Sims 2, and I also want to add that hotels are very easy to build and manage in The Sims 2 with lots of different and fun kinds of amenities if one wishes. If an older iteration can do that, why couldn't The Sims 4? So lame!

  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    Simburian wrote: »
    I just wish Simmers would not keep asking why one likes what and why all the time. It gets tiring. One just does. That is all.

    Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!

  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    Simburian wrote: »
    I just wish Simmers would not keep asking why one likes what and why all the time. It gets tiring. One just does. That is all.

    Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!
    Actually I love it when people ask that. They can’t ask often enough, I love to elaborate on that subject, what I love about this game.
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  • simgirl1010simgirl1010 Posts: 35,709 Member
    I've been playing since Sims 1. I currently have 2 and 3 installed with all packs and all store content. So I'm not some newbie Sims 4 player who doesn't know any better. This according to players who find it difficult to believe some simmers prefer 4.

    For me it's not about the features. It's not about riding horses, and driving cars, and firefighters putting out fires. For me it's all about the Sims. This is the first version where I've actually felt a kinship for my Sims. It's not about looks, I care about them and this makes everything infinitely more satisfying and personal.

    In one of my previous saves my Sim's husband flirted with his mother in law. She got the sad moodlet and I almost felt like crying. I immediately banished him from the household.

    It doesn't matter that I can't zoom out to map view. It doesn't matter that my home isn't perfectly coordinated with a color wheel. What matters is that I'm perfectly content to just participate in my Sim's lives as they go about their normal day to day routines.

    And now I'm missing my little pixel people so I'm going to load my game. 😊

  • SimburianSimburian Posts: 6,907 Member
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    Simburian wrote: »
    I just wish Simmers would not keep asking why one likes what and why all the time. It gets tiring. One just does. That is all.

    Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!
    Actually I love it when people ask that. They can’t ask often enough, I love to elaborate on that subject, what I love about this game.

    Don't they just. They should do it on their own Forums though.

    They have to explain at long boring (to me who's already been there, done that) why they like 1, 2 or 3. Those who like Sims 4 don't have to. :)
  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    edited August 2019
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    Simburian wrote: »
    I just wish Simmers would not keep asking why one likes what and why all the time. It gets tiring. One just does. That is all.

    Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!
    Actually I love it when people ask that. They can’t ask often enough, I love to elaborate on that subject, what I love about this game.

    People don't even have to ask me about what and why I love TS3. If I find an opportunity to sing its praises anywhere on this forum, I just go ahead and do it! I think it's the enthusiasm of the TS3 community that keeps the game going and adding more players to its numbers. The game is so flexible and allows the most creativity - this is why there are still a lot of wonderful worlds, lots and other great and unique CC still being created for it.

    There is a thread about suggesting a cruise ship world for TS4. I just posted about a cruise ship that was already made for TS3 made in CAW and the lots built on it by another TS3 simmer. In TS4, simmers have to ask to get things made, but in TS3, the tools for it are just so powerful and flexible that it just encourages the most amazing creations like the cruise ship and the matching lots for it!

    That's another thing that I love about TS3! The devs for it gave us amazing tools so that we don't have to ask and wait for them to make it for us - we can just go ahead and create it ourselves! This is especially thoughtful of the devs because they knew that TS3's run would only last 4 years or so. Giving us these tools allowed for the game to continue to grow and evolve past that!

  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    Simburian wrote: »
    I just wish Simmers would not keep asking why one likes what and why all the time. It gets tiring. One just does. That is all.

    Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!
    Actually I love it when people ask that. They can’t ask often enough, I love to elaborate on that subject, what I love about this game.

    People don't even have to ask me about what and why I love TS3. If I find an opportunity to sing its praises anywhere on this forum, I just go ahead and do it! I think it's the enthusiasm of the TS3 community that keeps the game going and adding more players to its numbers. The game is so flexible and allows the most creativity - this is why there are still a lot of wonderful worlds, lots and other great and unique CC still being created for it.

    There is a thread about suggesting a cruise ship world for TS4. I just posted about a cruise ship that was already made for TS3 made in CAW and the lots built on it by another TS3 simmer. In TS4, simmers have to ask to get things made, but in TS3, the tools for it are just so powerful and flexible that it just encourages the most amazing creations like the cruise ship and the matching lots for it!

    That's another thing that I love about TS3! The devs for it gave us amazing tools so that we don't have to ask and wait for them to make it for us - we can just go ahead and create it ourselves! This is especially thoughtful of the devs because they knew that TS3's run would only last 4 years or so. Giving us these tools allowed for the game to continue to grow and evolve past that!
    I think this nails the difference between players (and no, there is no right or wrong, just a difference). I notice that I enjoy my game most when I sort of came up with a construction to make it work and when it does in a way (not perfect, but in a way) I’m having more fun than when EA would have just implemented it perfectly and given it to me, working but only in one particular way. I guess that’s the creativity part. The process of being creative being more important than the result as such. When I decorate a house, it’s not so much about being able to show off a result (not that I don’t enjoy that) but rather the whole process of creating it. That part’s where the fun lies for me. Trying to make it happen. Which is why that custom cruise ship world for me will always win from an official cruise ship world, handed and delivered to you by EA. Give me the tools to create such a world.

    It’s I guess why parties in the game where I have to do this and that to gain points to make sure my sim has a good time will never win (actually it’s stronger than that, I just can’t be bothered) over going to a party where everyone’s all over the place and all kind of things can happen and regardless whether the outcome will be great for my sim or a disaster, for me it will be a success either way. For me Sims needs to be a bit chaotic. I suppose that’s why the club system isn’t for me.
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  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    edited August 2019
    I've been playing since Sims 1. I currently have 2 and 3 installed with all packs and all store content. So I'm not some newbie Sims 4 player who doesn't know any better. This according to players who find it difficult to believe some simmers prefer 4.

    For me it's not about the features. It's not about riding horses, and driving cars, and firefighters putting out fires. For me it's all about the Sims. This is the first version where I've actually felt a kinship for my Sims. It's not about looks, I care about them and this makes everything infinitely more satisfying and personal.

    In one of my previous saves my Sim's husband flirted with his mother in law. She got the sad moodlet and I almost felt like crying. I immediately banished him from the household.

    It doesn't matter that I can't zoom out to map view. It doesn't matter that my home isn't perfectly coordinated with a color wheel. What matters is that I'm perfectly content to just participate in my Sim's lives as they go about their normal day to day routines.

    And now I'm missing my little pixel people so I'm going to load my game. 😊
    The game is about sims. Also when you want them to ride horses or drive a car or have them put out fires, at the end of the day it’s all about them. It’s things like that that will give them depth. It’s good that the wife reacted in this particular case, but quite often they don’t (and tbh, this is not unique for Sims 4, sims in all the versions will become sad and angry when their husband cheats). A colour wheel doesn’t mean a house is perfectly coordinated, it actually can also be nót perfectly coordinated. It’s personal, that’s the point (though I appreciate this feature will be more important to one than it is for the other). What I don’t really understand is why, when people explain why they love Sims 4, there’s always some counterposing in there. “I don’t need them to”, “it doesn’t matter that”, “I can live without”. What exactly is it that Sims 4 brings to the table that really sets it apart? Being able to live with its limitations can’t be all there is to it. What’s the charm.
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  • SimburianSimburian Posts: 6,907 Member
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    I've been playing since Sims 1. I currently have 2 and 3 installed with all packs and all store content. So I'm not some newbie Sims 4 player who doesn't know any better. This according to players who find it difficult to believe some simmers prefer 4.

    For me it's not about the features. It's not about riding horses, and driving cars, and firefighters putting out fires. For me it's all about the Sims. This is the first version where I've actually felt a kinship for my Sims. It's not about looks, I care about them and this makes everything infinitely more satisfying and personal.

    In one of my previous saves my Sim's husband flirted with his mother in law. She got the sad moodlet and I almost felt like crying. I immediately banished him from the household.

    It doesn't matter that I can't zoom out to map view. It doesn't matter that my home isn't perfectly coordinated with a color wheel. What matters is that I'm perfectly content to just participate in my Sim's lives as they go about their normal day to day routines.

    And now I'm missing my little pixel people so I'm going to load my game. 😊
    The game is about sims. Also when you want them to ride horses or drive a car or have them put out fires, at the end of the day it’s all about them. It’s things like that that will give them depth. It’s good that the wife reacted in this particular case, but quite often they don’t (and tbh, this is not unique for Sims 4, sims in all the versions will become sad and angry when their husband cheats). A colour wheel doesn’t mean a house is perfectly coordinated, it actually can also be nót perfectly coordinated. It’s personal, that’s the point (though I appreciate this feature will be more important to one than it is for the other). What I don’t really understand is why, when people explain why they love Sims 4, there’s always some counterposing in there. “I don’t need them to”, “it doesn’t matter that”, “I can live without”. What exactly is it that Sims 4 brings to the table that really sets it apart? Being able to live with its limitations can’t be all there is to it. What’s the charm.

    I suppose you want your Sims to do things all the time whereas a lot of us just want our Sims to just be. The charm is that most of us don't quite know why this iteration appeals to us more and get a bit fed up with being asked why all the time. Just accept that it must be just charm.

    This is getting off topic. Do you have Island Living and want to suggest improvements that you have experienced the deficiency of?
  • CK213CK213 Posts: 20,525 Member
    It was a nice little distraction. Pretty to look at and all, but I've already set the game aside again after exploring the content.
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  • simgirl1010simgirl1010 Posts: 35,709 Member
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    I've been playing since Sims 1. I currently have 2 and 3 installed with all packs and all store content. So I'm not some newbie Sims 4 player who doesn't know any better. This according to players who find it difficult to believe some simmers prefer 4.

    For me it's not about the features. It's not about riding horses, and driving cars, and firefighters putting out fires. For me it's all about the Sims. This is the first version where I've actually felt a kinship for my Sims. It's not about looks, I care about them and this makes everything infinitely more satisfying and personal.

    In one of my previous saves my Sim's husband flirted with his mother in law. She got the sad moodlet and I almost felt like crying. I immediately banished him from the household.

    It doesn't matter that I can't zoom out to map view. It doesn't matter that my home isn't perfectly coordinated with a color wheel. What matters is that I'm perfectly content to just participate in my Sim's lives as they go about their normal day to day routines.

    And now I'm missing my little pixel people so I'm going to load my game. 😊
    The game is about sims. Also when you want them to ride horses or drive a car or have them put out fires, at the end of the day it’s all about them. It’s things like that that will give them depth. It’s good that the wife reacted in this particular case, but quite often they don’t (and tbh, this is not unique for Sims 4, sims in all the versions will become sad and angry when their husband cheats). A colour wheel doesn’t mean a house is perfectly coordinated, it actually can also be nót perfectly coordinated. It’s personal, that’s the point (though I appreciate this feature will be more important to one than it is for the other). What I don’t really understand is why, when people explain why they love Sims 4, there’s always some counterposing in there. “I don’t need them to”, “it doesn’t matter that”, “I can live without”. What exactly is it that Sims 4 brings to the table that really sets it apart? Being able to live with its limitations can’t be all there is to it. What’s the charm.

    I didn't use that example to infer that sims in the previous versions don't show emotions or that this is unique to Sims 4. I used it to indicate how I feel about these sims as opposed to sims in previous versions. I don't recall 'feeling' that way with my sims in 2 and 3. I included the 'counterposing" because it seems that no matter what one says there exists a feeling of disbelief from Sims 2 and Sims 3 players that someone could actually enjoy 4 over 3. Or 2. I could list all the features I enjoy in Sims 4 but the majority of those features are also present in 2 and 3. Cooking, gardening, learning skills, falling in love, getting married, raising a family, running a business, going on vacation. Just your basic game-play. I just prefer doing it in 4. I don't know how else to explain it.
  • CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
    edited August 2019
    I've been playing since Sims 1. I currently have 2 and 3 installed with all packs and all store content. So I'm not some newbie Sims 4 player who doesn't know any better. This according to players who find it difficult to believe some simmers prefer 4.

    For me it's not about the features. It's not about riding horses, and driving cars, and firefighters putting out fires. For me it's all about the Sims. This is the first version where I've actually felt a kinship for my Sims. It's not about looks, I care about them and this makes everything infinitely more satisfying and personal.

    In one of my previous saves my Sim's husband flirted with his mother in law. She got the sad moodlet and I almost felt like crying. I immediately banished him from the household.

    It doesn't matter that I can't zoom out to map view. It doesn't matter that my home isn't perfectly coordinated with a color wheel. What matters is that I'm perfectly content to just participate in my Sim's lives as they go about their normal day to day routines.

    And now I'm missing my little pixel people so I'm going to load my game. 😊

    I love that sort of gameplay it's great it still happens in TS4 sometimes. Sometimes nothing happens. I have that gameplay in TS2 and TS3 so, I actually feel very close to those Sims, too. Though no moodlet is needed in older games. It's obvivous for days. It bothers me Graham one time said we didn't actually have emotions in TS2.....I think you and I both know yes, we did, but he said they were good at selling that fiction, was his exact words. We had never had emotioins like these (in TS4) I have to beg to differ with him. He must have not spent very much time playing the games. Working and viewing a game from a work view (like when you edit a video to see if you got something captured on screen) is totally different than experiencing it, I guess. I've never questioned why anyone likes TS4 so much, it can be fun for awhile. The problem for me is, that Sim can be deleted and the sad Sim will never notice. To me that breaks the immersion since I could just go ahead and delete and replace eveyrone with a clone and it wouldn't matter. And a few times I did, and it didn't matter to the Sim at all.
    "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    I've been playing since Sims 1. I currently have 2 and 3 installed with all packs and all store content. So I'm not some newbie Sims 4 player who doesn't know any better. This according to players who find it difficult to believe some simmers prefer 4.

    For me it's not about the features. It's not about riding horses, and driving cars, and firefighters putting out fires. For me it's all about the Sims. This is the first version where I've actually felt a kinship for my Sims. It's not about looks, I care about them and this makes everything infinitely more satisfying and personal.

    In one of my previous saves my Sim's husband flirted with his mother in law. She got the sad moodlet and I almost felt like crying. I immediately banished him from the household.

    It doesn't matter that I can't zoom out to map view. It doesn't matter that my home isn't perfectly coordinated with a color wheel. What matters is that I'm perfectly content to just participate in my Sim's lives as they go about their normal day to day routines.

    And now I'm missing my little pixel people so I'm going to load my game. 😊
    The game is about sims. Also when you want them to ride horses or drive a car or have them put out fires, at the end of the day it’s all about them. It’s things like that that will give them depth. It’s good that the wife reacted in this particular case, but quite often they don’t (and tbh, this is not unique for Sims 4, sims in all the versions will become sad and angry when their husband cheats). A colour wheel doesn’t mean a house is perfectly coordinated, it actually can also be nót perfectly coordinated. It’s personal, that’s the point (though I appreciate this feature will be more important to one than it is for the other). What I don’t really understand is why, when people explain why they love Sims 4, there’s always some counterposing in there. “I don’t need them to”, “it doesn’t matter that”, “I can live without”. What exactly is it that Sims 4 brings to the table that really sets it apart? Being able to live with its limitations can’t be all there is to it. What’s the charm.

    I didn't use that example to infer that sims in the previous versions don't show emotions or that this is unique to Sims 4. I used it to indicate how I feel about these sims as opposed to sims in previous versions. I don't recall 'feeling' that way with my sims in 2 and 3. I included the 'counterposing" because it seems that no matter what one says there exists a feeling of disbelief from Sims 2 and Sims 3 players that someone could actually enjoy 4 over 3. Or 2. I could list all the features I enjoy in Sims 4 but the majority of those features are also present in 2 and 3. Cooking, gardening, learning skills, falling in love, getting married, raising a family, running a business, going on vacation. Just your basic game-play. I just prefer doing it in 4. I don't know how else to explain it.
    But it’s not a matter of disbelief (because I do believe you, when you say you can’t wait to go back to your little pixel people I absolutely recognize that and of course I believe that). It’s a plain whát exactly do you love about the game. I genuinely don’t understand why that question seems to cause such sensitivity. I love playing Sims 3 and I could imagine someone not liking that game and preferring Sims 2 or 4 asking me why. Because - for instance - sims in the other two games are so much more lively and there is no endless travelling to empty spaces and you’re not stuck to one world. I’d understand that perception and I can explain that for me actually more neutral sims seem to work better because a sim that dictates their feelings too much interferes with my imagination. It’s too dictating somehow (which doesn’t mean I don’t like more expressive sims, them being more serious and neutral just isn’t a problem for me).

    It’s also the reason why I don’t like parties in the game where I have to follow orders, after which the game decides whether my sim had a good time or not. And if they didn’t, leaves me with a feeling I failed. Maybe I wanted them to have a terrible time. But not because the sim in question didn’t jump through a couple of repetitive hoops, but because the girl he fancies was flirting with someone else, or because he became embarrassed for some reason (other than an aura please). You on the other hand might in fact like that. So, why. And I love to travel around with my sim, for me that’s gameplay and quite essential gameplay too. And the empty spaces make me feel they live in an actual world that also has places where there are no people (not lying, for some reason I love taking my sims there) and being stuck to one world actually has its charm for me as well because I grow attached to a certain world and link it to my sims that live there. In short: I can explain (and I don’t mind explaining) why the actual characteristics and features specifically Sims 3 has and that define the game, are what make the game my favourite. The fact it’s different for other players doesn’t feel threatening for me, because I realize that’s personal. It’s just curiosity, that’s all. Exchanging what matters to us in the game.

    Asking for arguments doesn’t mean you don’t believe the other person. It just means you’re just curious what their arguments are.
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  • simgirl1010simgirl1010 Posts: 35,709 Member
    Cinebar wrote: »

    I love that sort of gameplay it's great it still happens in TS4 sometimes. Sometimes nothing happens. I have that gameplay in TS2 and TS3 so, I actually feel very close to those Sims, too. Though no moodlet is needed in older games. It's obvivous for days. It bothers me Graham one time said we didn't actually have emotions in TS2.....I think you and I both know yes, we did, but he said they were good at selling that fiction, was his exact words. We had never had emotioins like these (in TS4) I have to beg to differ with him. He must have not spent very much time playing the games. Working and viewing a game from a work view (like when you edit a video to see if you got something captured on screen) is totally different than experiencing it, I guess. I've never questioned why anyone likes TS4 so much, it can be fun for awhile. The problem for me is, that Sim can be deleted and the sad Sim will never notice. To me that breaks the immersion since I could just go ahead and delete and replace eveyrone with a clone and it wouldn't matter. And a few times I did, and it didn't matter to the Sim at all.

    I'm not talking about emotions and reactions, or lack thereof. I'm not talking about how she felt sad because she saw her husband flirting with her mother. I'm talking about how I felt when I saw my sim was hurt. I'm talking about how I've been playing my toddler, child, and teen for over a year and its upsetting to think about aging them up. It may be strange but I've never felt emotionally invested in the sims in any of the previous games.
  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    edited August 2019
    Caring about your sims is not what sets Sims 4 apart (bonding with sims in 4 for me is a problem actually, where in Sims 3 it will never fail to happen; I love the looks of my latest vampire sim in 4 but her total lack of personality just spoils everything for me), it probably comes down to what we personally look for concerning the characters, looks, behaviour, I don’t know. It’s also not an explanation why IL is a good or a not so very good pack, which is the subject here. Even when you absolutely adore your sims, a game or expansion pack should simply add enough things to do for them to make their lives varied and challenging.
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  • simgirl1010simgirl1010 Posts: 35,709 Member
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    Caring about your sims is not what sets Sims 4 apart (bonding with sims in 4 for me is a problem actually, where in Sims 3 it will never fail to happen; I love the looks of my latest vampire sim in 4 but her total lack of personality just spoils everything for me), it probably comes down to what we personally look for concerning the characters, looks, behaviour, I don’t know. It’s also not an explanation why IL is a good or a not so very good pack, which is the subject here. Even when you absolutely adore your sims, a game or expansion pack should simply add enough things to do for them to make their lives varied and challenging.

    OK, I'm done. Since you seem to know better than me why I prefer Sims 4.

    As for staying on topic I believe I responded to your and another simmer's comments on why Sims 4 players like the game.
    Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!
    Actually I love it when people ask that. They can’t ask often enough, I love to elaborate on that subject, what I love about this game.

  • JoAnne65JoAnne65 Posts: 22,959 Member
    edited August 2019
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    Caring about your sims is not what sets Sims 4 apart (bonding with sims in 4 for me is a problem actually, where in Sims 3 it will never fail to happen; I love the looks of my latest vampire sim in 4 but her total lack of personality just spoils everything for me), it probably comes down to what we personally look for concerning the characters, looks, behaviour, I don’t know. It’s also not an explanation why IL is a good or a not so very good pack, which is the subject here. Even when you absolutely adore your sims, a game or expansion pack should simply add enough things to do for them to make their lives varied and challenging.

    OK, I'm done. Since you seem to know better than me why I prefer Sims 4.

    As for staying on topic I believe I responded to your and another simmer's comments on why Sims 4 players like the game.
    Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!
    Actually I love it when people ask that. They can’t ask often enough, I love to elaborate on that subject, what I love about this game.
    You’re missing my point. I fully appreciate that you prefer sims in Sims 4, I believe it, I understand it, I accept it, I’m in no way doubting it, I also appreciate why that makes the game good enough to continue to play and favour it over the others. The sims indeed are important. But in a topic where actual gameplay is being discussed and whether a pack is worth its money, if it’s any good, it’s just not an argument. It is an argument why you love playing Sims 4 in general, it is not an argument why IL is an acceptable/good/ok/whatever pack and if it’s ok a lot of the packs seem to fall short for many.

    When someone tells me Sims 3 is a buggy mess that crashes all the time, I can respond: “But I love my sims”, that won’t make sense will it? It won’t refute their point. If they say “ the worlds are filled with rabbitholes” and I say “But I love my sims”, that’s not an argument. If they say “WA was a boring pack with too many RPG elements” and I say “but I love my sims”: no argument to refute that statement. So when people are giving feedback for IL (like in this topic), “I love my sims” just is not what it’s about and the very reason people keep asking “But why do you think Sims 4 and this pack in particular is great or acceptable?” It’s a legitimate question that doesn’t want to question how you feel about the game in general, it questions Sims 4 and its packs. Not people.
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  • simgirl1010simgirl1010 Posts: 35,709 Member
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    JoAnne65 wrote: »
    Caring about your sims is not what sets Sims 4 apart (bonding with sims in 4 for me is a problem actually, where in Sims 3 it will never fail to happen; I love the looks of my latest vampire sim in 4 but her total lack of personality just spoils everything for me), it probably comes down to what we personally look for concerning the characters, looks, behaviour, I don’t know. It’s also not an explanation why IL is a good or a not so very good pack, which is the subject here. Even when you absolutely adore your sims, a game or expansion pack should simply add enough things to do for them to make their lives varied and challenging.

    OK, I'm done. Since you seem to know better than me why I prefer Sims 4.

    As for staying on topic I believe I responded to your and another simmer's comments on why Sims 4 players like the game.
    Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!
    Actually I love it when people ask that. They can’t ask often enough, I love to elaborate on that subject, what I love about this game.
    You’re missing my point. I fully appreciate that you prefer sims in Sims 4, I believe it, I understand it, I accept it, I’m in no way doubting it, I also appreciate why that makes the game good enough to continue to play and favour it over the others. The sims indeed are important. But in a topic where actual gameplay is being discussed and whether a pack is worth its money, if it’s any good, it’s just not an argument. It is an argument why you love playing Sims 4 in general, it is not an argument why IL is an acceptable/good/ok/whatever pack and if it’s ok a lot of the packs seem to fall short for many.

    When someone tells me Sims 3 is a buggy mess that crashes all the time, I can respond: “But I love my sims”, that won’t make sense will it? It won’t refute their point. If they say “ the worlds are filled with rabbitholes” and I say “But I love my sims”, that’s not an argument. If they say “WA was a boring pack with too many RPG elements” and I say “but I love my sims”: no argument to refute that statement. So when people are giving feedback for IL (like in this topic), “I love my sims” just is not what it’s about and the very reason people keep asking “But why do you think Sims 4 and this pack in particular is great or acceptable?” It’s a legitimate question that doesn’t want to question how you feel about the game in general, it questions Sims 4 and its packs. Not people.

    You're right. I wasn't addressing the Island Life pack at all. Which I don't think is great. I just responded to the general query of why I love and prefer the Sims 4. Although the topic is Island Life it wasn't clear that your query was directed to that specific pack.
  • HestiaHestia Posts: 1,997 Member
    edited August 2019
    I wouldn't have minded if it took them a loading screen to give us diving lots, hidden land (where we can build on), hidden tunnels/passages and more secrets by special mermaids and dolphins.
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