I wholeheartedly agree with your analysis, @Sucom - my biggest problem with TS4's gameplay* is that the sims' emotional responses are so often wrong. Far too often I find myself thinking, 'that sim, with those characteristics [& the background story in my mind, of course], would never have reacted in that way, would never have done this or that.' They are just all wrong.
I've given up on so many stories because the sims don't act right, can't be made to act right, because the base-game programming takes priority and precedence over anything I want. I didn't have this problem with TS1, 2, or 3. (And I won't even go into the bugs that make this worse, like family relationship-culling, being unable to cancel automated actions, or having them re-activate if I do manage to cancel them!)
I make do, often half-heartedly, because the few games I like better are too painful for me to play now. But if TS5 does not return to its sandbox roots, then this money-grabbing iteration is the last I'll buy.
And I intend to wait for months after the game comes out, until the shininess wears off & those willing to pay to beta-test the new game provide plenty of in-depth analysis. Then I'll decide.
EA has fully earned my distrust.
*I also have issues unrelated to gameplay, in particular EA charging us so much for packs that have so very little compared to previous versions; they're simply not worth full price, & imo not truly worth even half-price--though I've been buying them for half-price. So far.
Nope, not just you. I quit buying content at full price 2 years ago. Right now, Sims 4 is a bunch of sims who are addicts to social media or any electronics in general. That to me is not meaningful gameplay.
I am bored because there are hardly any surprises in this game.
In the past games you can go in wondering, "What's going to happen today?"
In the Sims 4 it's mostly what you choose to do and the occasional fire, or broken appliance.
This is the biggest issue I have with the game -- the lack of surprises, as well as consequences.
I play the game in spurts. I was playing Sims 2 for a while, but I started to miss the build/buy content of Sims 4. Now I'm back to Sims 4 (having fun with an Off-the-Grid hippie commune). But it takes more imagination to create challenge and drama than previous games. I take breaks, sometimes up to three months, and then by that time there's usually some content that's been released that draws me back in again.
I am bored because there are hardly any surprises in this game.
In the past games you can go in wondering, "What's going to happen today?"
In the Sims 4 it's mostly what you choose to do and the occasional fire, or broken appliance.
This is the biggest issue I have with the game -- the lack of surprises, as well as consequences.
I play the game in spurts. I was playing Sims 2 for a while, but I started to miss the build/buy content of Sims 4. Now I'm back to Sims 4 (having fun with an Off-the-Grid hippie commune). But it takes more imagination to create challenge and drama than previous games. I take breaks, sometimes up to three months, and then by that time there's usually some content that's been released that draws me back in again.
I have that same issue with the game as well. I can’t even get myself to click the icon to play at this point because of how predictable and stale the gameplay has gotten.
The Sims 2, even being more than a decade old, feels like it has more to offer.
Definitely not just you. I don't hate this version of the game, I just feel that it's beginning to lack the life and quirkiness that was originally such a massive pull for TS2 and TS3. Sometimes it feels as though my sims are very shallow in character no matter what traits I give them and I end up having to break away from the game for a while. I think the main problem I have personally is that TS4 is far less detailed than previous versions in terms of gameplay (it feels like they've focused too much on the visual effects and not enough on fleshing out the game itself imo) and, as others have said, it's also that it's lost all unpredictability. The idea that in TS2 was that you couldn't control everything and that made it interesting. That game made you work hard for success and it really felt like how your sim behaved would impact them down the line. I miss that and I think that's why I've been getting bored of playing for long periods of time.
I think that a lot of it comes from the online game roots, live player interacting with live player. Problem is, once that ended the sim needed to take up the slack, but they never changed the coding to do that. TS1-3 were planned from the get go to be single player games, so the coding focus had to be internal. Because of the TS4 engine, not sure it can ever be fixed even if they actually wanted to.
The Sims 4 is very boring for me as well. I've played since the Sims 2 and that game still is great and exciting. The packs now are shallow and severely lacking in decent gameplay and customization. The Sims 2 set standards that Sims 4 will never be able to reach, which is sad, considering sims 2 came out in 2004 and this is a modern day game made by a AAA studio. It's clear the standards for this franchise have hit rock bottom.
Yeah, I'm negative. Really negative. But I can't sugarcoat this anymore. I used to defend the Sims 4, but it's ridiculous at this point how lacking this installment is and how it's nothing but shallow gameplay and very poor and questionable design decisions.
It's not necessarily an age thing. I passed the big 7 zero a while back and still hugely enjoy TS2. There I can do what Sucom speaks about, create my own sims and have them live according to my plan, even when the game throws a curve ball to be dealt with. For me that game is the best for both creating (world and sims) and for depth of game play. I place TS1- the daring pioneer innovator that blew the sales charts to bits and inspired an amazing amount of 3rd party creativity (much of it on sale in game stores right along side the Sims) - just below it. I still have all my disks so just may reinstall one of these days. I discovered that game while doing a paper in grad school, followed its progress, and bought it the day it came out. Have been happily simming ever since, and with that many years of simming experience can say the problem is in the TS4 game itself. The quality stinks. How many automakers would be in business if their cars were as flawed as this 'game'? Game play, if you can call it that, is shallow and simplistic. It's pretty, but pretty goes only so far when you can't get engaged with your sims, are bored to tears, and are weary of empty promises. Life is fleeting, OP, so live it to the full.
Agree with everything you state about gameplay - TS2 vs TS4 - still playing TS2 (and 1 & 3) - such a backwards and disappointing step.
Age and maturity have nothing to do with it - it just is not the same gameplay we have come to expect in this series.
It's not necessarily an age thing. I passed the big 7 zero a while back and still hugely enjoy TS2. There I can do what Sucom speaks about, create my own sims and have them live according to my plan, even when the game throws a curve ball to be dealt with. For me that game is the best for both creating (world and sims) and for depth of game play. I place TS1- the daring pioneer innovator that blew the sales charts to bits and inspired an amazing amount of 3rd party creativity (much of it on sale in game stores right along side the Sims) - just below it. I still have all my disks so just may reinstall one of these days. I discovered that game while doing a paper in grad school, followed its progress, and bought it the day it came out. Have been happily simming ever since, and with that many years of simming experience can say the problem is in the TS4 game itself. The quality stinks. How many automakers would be in business if their cars were as flawed as this 'game'? Game play, if you can call it that, is shallow and simplistic. It's pretty, but pretty goes only so far when you can't get engaged with your sims, are bored to tears, and are weary of empty promises. Life is fleeting, OP, so live it to the full.
Nope, it’s not an age thing. It has become one ever since they imaged themselves some stereotype of ‘the teenage player’ and decided to start focusing on that figment.
Comments
I've given up on so many stories because the sims don't act right, can't be made to act right, because the base-game programming takes priority and precedence over anything I want. I didn't have this problem with TS1, 2, or 3. (And I won't even go into the bugs that make this worse, like family relationship-culling, being unable to cancel automated actions, or having them re-activate if I do manage to cancel them!)
I make do, often half-heartedly, because the few games I like better are too painful for me to play now. But if TS5 does not return to its sandbox roots, then this money-grabbing iteration is the last I'll buy.
And I intend to wait for months after the game comes out, until the shininess wears off & those willing to pay to beta-test the new game provide plenty of in-depth analysis. Then I'll decide.
EA has fully earned my distrust.
*I also have issues unrelated to gameplay, in particular EA charging us so much for packs that have so very little compared to previous versions; they're simply not worth full price, & imo not truly worth even half-price--though I've been buying them for half-price. So far.
This is the biggest issue I have with the game -- the lack of surprises, as well as consequences.
I play the game in spurts. I was playing Sims 2 for a while, but I started to miss the build/buy content of Sims 4. Now I'm back to Sims 4 (having fun with an Off-the-Grid hippie commune). But it takes more imagination to create challenge and drama than previous games. I take breaks, sometimes up to three months, and then by that time there's usually some content that's been released that draws me back in again.
Sim Stuff by Pegasys
I have that same issue with the game as well. I can’t even get myself to click the icon to play at this point because of how predictable and stale the gameplay has gotten.
The Sims 2, even being more than a decade old, feels like it has more to offer.
Yeah, I'm negative. Really negative. But I can't sugarcoat this anymore. I used to defend the Sims 4, but it's ridiculous at this point how lacking this installment is and how it's nothing but shallow gameplay and very poor and questionable design decisions.
Agree with everything you state about gameplay - TS2 vs TS4 - still playing TS2 (and 1 & 3) - such a backwards and disappointing step.
Age and maturity have nothing to do with it - it just is not the same gameplay we have come to expect in this series.
Great advice.