> @Jordan061102 said:
> (Quote)
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> I couldn't agree more, and still I see people saying TS4 has its potential 5 years after...
I can understand your frustration. However, I've just started playing Sims, so the importance of the earlier versions of Sims is not relevant to me, nor do I have a desire to play them. I still see more juice in Sims 4, and the sales volume testifies to that.
I have played them all and eventually did become a big fan of Sims 4 too - after toddlers came out I came back to the game and bought all the packs - then Vamps came out and i knew they were the best Vamps we ever had. Unlike some of the simmers who have been with the games since the first like me - I enjoy Sims 4 - the more I play it, the more I enjoy it. I am presently having a great time with Discover University. I avoided the pit falls of the dorms and started my sims in the small starter house on University grounds. Started my sims in a job to make money while building skills and then finally enrolled her in the University. Had her quit her job and started with 3 major courses and 1 minor but found it a bit too grueling so after the first week and making it through with all A's I chose just 2 majors and 1 minor and found that a good balance. Having a full kitchen works well for my sims besides owning the house makes her never have to worry about moving out every week. So really enjoying this game and all the friends my sim is making with not over doing classes.
You can enjoy the game - I tend to ignore the ones that never do. Some almost never like the new game - no matter how much they proclaim the past one was better they were often the worse complainers when it was the game being made. Not all mind you. Some have enjoyed them all. Some haven't. Take it with a grain of salt - it's okay to love it whether it is your first sims game or your 4th or some place in between. The Sims is unique and a great escape from the real world, as well as a great way to write stories and play them out. Enjoy. Many of us do.
By the way I have played the Sims since November of 1999 - as I got to try the first game as a tester for Will Wright - The Sims still blows me away to this day - no matter which version it is.
I’m totally fine when people learned to embrace Sims 4, even though I completely fail to manage myself (enjoying it for an hour or two, three at most, about a month in total, then back to Sims 3 to never open 4 again simply because opening 3 is such a better experience for me and time is precious). But please don’t tell people to take what I have to say (or other simmers with thorough and totally justified complaints and long lists of arguments) with a grain of salt. Do that yourself (or ignore us like you say) if that helps, but suggesting it to others in a tone as if you’re sipping truth tea is nothing but rude and condescending and I’m pretty sure that’s against forum rules. We all have our own motives and we’re all serious and genuine about it. And yes, the past games play a huge, important and undeniable part in that.
To be fair Discover University didn't bring much to the game to bring me back like I thought it would. Once you have done University once its kind of boring. I am not a big fan of University in any sims game but what I do like is that you don't have to travel to a different location all together to play University like in The Sims 3.
If anyone wants to update and look for new packs there are a lot of great deals on Origin today, some 75% off. Unfortunately I have everything but the more packs you have for Sims 4 the more enjoyable it is.
This information would probably be more pertinent, and appreciated, in general discussion. 🙂
No. That's EA/Maxis job and yours, if you want to do it. I just think Sims 4 shouldn't come to an end yet and that is pertinent to the discussion. If you don't make a fight for things they do come to an end through inertia and lethagy. Rather like not voting and getting the opposition in.
> @Jordan061102 said:
> (Quote)
>
> I couldn't agree more, and still I see people saying TS4 has its potential 5 years after...
I can understand your frustration. However, I've just started playing Sims, so the importance of the earlier versions of Sims is not relevant to me, nor do I have a desire to play them. I still see more juice in Sims 4, and the sales volume testifies to that.
I have played them all and eventually did become a big fan of Sims 4 too - after toddlers came out I came back to the game and bought all the packs - then Vamps came out and i knew they were the best Vamps we ever had. Unlike some of the simmers who have been with the games since the first like me - I enjoy Sims 4 - the more I play it, the more I enjoy it. I am presently having a great time with Discover University. I avoided the pit falls of the dorms and started my sims in the small starter house on University grounds. Started my sims in a job to make money while building skills and then finally enrolled her in the University. Had her quit her job and started with 3 major courses and 1 minor but found it a bit too grueling so after the first week and making it through with all A's I chose just 2 majors and 1 minor and found that a good balance. Having a full kitchen works well for my sims besides owning the house makes her never have to worry about moving out every week. So really enjoying this game and all the friends my sim is making with not over doing classes.
You can enjoy the game - I tend to ignore the ones that never do. Some almost never like the new game - no matter how much they proclaim the past one was better they were often the worse complainers when it was the game being made. Not all mind you. Some have enjoyed them all. Some haven't. Take it with a grain of salt - it's okay to love it whether it is your first sims game or your 4th or some place in between. The Sims is unique and a great escape from the real world, as well as a great way to write stories and play them out. Enjoy. Many of us do.
By the way I have played the Sims since November of 1999 - as I got to try the first game as a tester for Will Wright - The Sims still blows me away to this day - no matter which version it is.
I’m totally fine when people learned to embrace Sims 4, even though I completely fail to manage myself (enjoying it for an hour or two, three at most, about a month in total, then back to Sims 3 to never open 4 again simply because opening 3 is such a better experience for me and time is precious). But please don’t tell people to take what I have to say (or other simmers with thorough and totally justified complaints and long lists of arguments) with a grain of salt. Do that yourself (or ignore us like you say) if that helps, but suggesting it to others in a tone as if you’re sipping truth tea is nothing but rude and condescending and I’m pretty sure that’s against forum rules. We all have our own motives and we’re all serious and genuine about it. And yes, the past games play a huge, important and undeniable part in that.
To be fair Discover University didn't bring much to the game to bring me back like I thought it would. Once you have done University once its kind of boring. I am not a big fan of University in any sims game but what I do like is that you don't have to travel to a different location all together to play University like in The Sims 3.
I actually like that in Sims 3, but I think that’s also caused by the fact that with the open world you constantly control your whole household. Because also in Sims 4, you do travel to a different location when your sims goes to university of course, it’s a seperate neighborhood. The difference is that you don’t stay there for 7 sim days in a row. In Sims 3 I think that was the best solution to enjoy the pack and university life (total focus on your student(s)), Sims 4’s set up allows a different approach to work. For me the university pack has been very enjoyable for 7 different sims so far and I love how for every sim it somehow was a different experience (TS3 obviously, I don’t have the TS4 pack but I presume that will work the same way).
I don't expect TS5 (or whatever) to be released next year (unless late fall) but I do expect some news, some leaks, some peeks into development from someone, and some heavy rumors. I know what they say, yada, yada, yada, however, it's been more than two years since we saw those job ads for a new Maxis AAA IP which requested applicants to apply with an already formed, existing team, already in progress. Many people skipped over that little nugget of info in the fine print.
A strong indication of things beefing up to release some news will be when we see some gurus no longer here, moving over to a new game, (Grant?) or already left for new Maxis' adventures. A strong indication is when they start bundling bigger bundles on Origin, not just base, SP, and GP, but maybe 2 GPs and an SP as an incentive to buy up TS4. Or even base and 2 GPs in one bundle. A stronger indication is when we see ads for new CMs..which was on glassdoor just a month ago or more recently, can't remember.
Hints in game packs about the number 5. Already being rummored here on this site. For instance a particular door arch five, Arch E will be great....good rumor, or over reach.
I expect a few more packs for TS4 next year 2020, but I also expect some profound leaks. 'Soon'.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
> @Jordan061102 said:
> (Quote)
>
> I couldn't agree more, and still I see people saying TS4 has its potential 5 years after...
I can understand your frustration. However, I've just started playing Sims, so the importance of the earlier versions of Sims is not relevant to me, nor do I have a desire to play them. I still see more juice in Sims 4, and the sales volume testifies to that.
I have played them all and eventually did become a big fan of Sims 4 too - after toddlers came out I came back to the game and bought all the packs - then Vamps came out and i knew they were the best Vamps we ever had. Unlike some of the simmers who have been with the games since the first like me - I enjoy Sims 4 - the more I play it, the more I enjoy it. I am presently having a great time with Discover University. I avoided the pit falls of the dorms and started my sims in the small starter house on University grounds. Started my sims in a job to make money while building skills and then finally enrolled her in the University. Had her quit her job and started with 3 major courses and 1 minor but found it a bit too grueling so after the first week and making it through with all A's I chose just 2 majors and 1 minor and found that a good balance. Having a full kitchen works well for my sims besides owning the house makes her never have to worry about moving out every week. So really enjoying this game and all the friends my sim is making with not over doing classes.
You can enjoy the game - I tend to ignore the ones that never do. Some almost never like the new game - no matter how much they proclaim the past one was better they were often the worse complainers when it was the game being made. Not all mind you. Some have enjoyed them all. Some haven't. Take it with a grain of salt - it's okay to love it whether it is your first sims game or your 4th or some place in between. The Sims is unique and a great escape from the real world, as well as a great way to write stories and play them out. Enjoy. Many of us do.
By the way I have played the Sims since November of 1999 - as I got to try the first game as a tester for Will Wright - The Sims still blows me away to this day - no matter which version it is.
I’m totally fine when people learned to embrace Sims 4, even though I completely fail to manage myself (enjoying it for an hour or two, three at most, about a month in total, then back to Sims 3 to never open 4 again simply because opening 3 is such a better experience for me and time is precious). But please don’t tell people to take what I have to say (or other simmers with thorough and totally justified complaints and long lists of arguments) with a grain of salt. Do that yourself (or ignore us like you say) if that helps, but suggesting it to others in a tone as if you’re sipping truth tea is nothing but rude and condescending and I’m pretty sure that’s against forum rules. We all have our own motives and we’re all serious and genuine about it. And yes, the past games play a huge, important and undeniable part in that.
To be fair Discover University didn't bring much to the game to bring me back like I thought it would. Once you have done University once its kind of boring. I am not a big fan of University in any sims game but what I do like is that you don't have to travel to a different location all together to play University like in The Sims 3.
I actually like that in Sims 3, but I think that’s also caused by the fact that with the open world you constantly control your whole household. Because also in Sims 4, you do travel to a different location when your sims goes to university of course, it’s a seperate neighborhood. The difference is that you don’t stay there for 7 sim days in a row. In Sims 3 I think that was the best solution to enjoy the pack and university life (total focus on your student(s)), Sims 4’s set up allows a different approach to work. For me the university pack has been very enjoyable for 7 different sims so far and I love how for every sim it somehow was a different experience (TS3 obviously, I don’t have the TS4 pack but I presume that will work the same way).
True but I like that the college students can visit their relatives anytime they want. I mean I guess you could invite people to the college in 3 but didn't they have to stay like a couple days?
> @Jordan061102 said:
> (Quote)
>
> I couldn't agree more, and still I see people saying TS4 has its potential 5 years after...
I can understand your frustration. However, I've just started playing Sims, so the importance of the earlier versions of Sims is not relevant to me, nor do I have a desire to play them. I still see more juice in Sims 4, and the sales volume testifies to that.
I have played them all and eventually did become a big fan of Sims 4 too - after toddlers came out I came back to the game and bought all the packs - then Vamps came out and i knew they were the best Vamps we ever had. Unlike some of the simmers who have been with the games since the first like me - I enjoy Sims 4 - the more I play it, the more I enjoy it. I am presently having a great time with Discover University. I avoided the pit falls of the dorms and started my sims in the small starter house on University grounds. Started my sims in a job to make money while building skills and then finally enrolled her in the University. Had her quit her job and started with 3 major courses and 1 minor but found it a bit too grueling so after the first week and making it through with all A's I chose just 2 majors and 1 minor and found that a good balance. Having a full kitchen works well for my sims besides owning the house makes her never have to worry about moving out every week. So really enjoying this game and all the friends my sim is making with not over doing classes.
You can enjoy the game - I tend to ignore the ones that never do. Some almost never like the new game - no matter how much they proclaim the past one was better they were often the worse complainers when it was the game being made. Not all mind you. Some have enjoyed them all. Some haven't. Take it with a grain of salt - it's okay to love it whether it is your first sims game or your 4th or some place in between. The Sims is unique and a great escape from the real world, as well as a great way to write stories and play them out. Enjoy. Many of us do.
By the way I have played the Sims since November of 1999 - as I got to try the first game as a tester for Will Wright - The Sims still blows me away to this day - no matter which version it is.
I’m totally fine when people learned to embrace Sims 4, even though I completely fail to manage myself (enjoying it for an hour or two, three at most, about a month in total, then back to Sims 3 to never open 4 again simply because opening 3 is such a better experience for me and time is precious). But please don’t tell people to take what I have to say (or other simmers with thorough and totally justified complaints and long lists of arguments) with a grain of salt. Do that yourself (or ignore us like you say) if that helps, but suggesting it to others in a tone as if you’re sipping truth tea is nothing but rude and condescending and I’m pretty sure that’s against forum rules. We all have our own motives and we’re all serious and genuine about it. And yes, the past games play a huge, important and undeniable part in that.
To be fair Discover University didn't bring much to the game to bring me back like I thought it would. Once you have done University once its kind of boring. I am not a big fan of University in any sims game but what I do like is that you don't have to travel to a different location all together to play University like in The Sims 3.
I actually like that in Sims 3, but I think that’s also caused by the fact that with the open world you constantly control your whole household. Because also in Sims 4, you do travel to a different location when your sims goes to university of course, it’s a seperate neighborhood. The difference is that you don’t stay there for 7 sim days in a row. In Sims 3 I think that was the best solution to enjoy the pack and university life (total focus on your student(s)), Sims 4’s set up allows a different approach to work. For me the university pack has been very enjoyable for 7 different sims so far and I love how for every sim it somehow was a different experience (TS3 obviously, I don’t have the TS4 pack but I presume that will work the same way).
True but I like that the college students can visit their relatives anytime they want. I mean I guess you could invite people to the college in 3 but didn't they have to stay like a couple days?
No, you can’t invite people from home over to the campus in Sims 3. Only when they graduated you can invite them and they’ll show up when they get their diploma. I’ve never minded that myself (it is a reason I always choose one semester though, not more) but I can see how for others it can be a pro there’s always a connection with home.
Sk8rblaze mentioned the Bella Goth disappearance, just wanted to point out that our current fearless leader producer lady mentioned once she was the cause of the Strangetown incident back in the day. And that it was a simple mistake rather than any attempt at storytelling. Actual character development in this series is mostly just production mistakes that accumulated over the decades.
True. “The idea was Bella was supposed to have run away and ended up in Strangetown, and she was supposed to be a townie wandering around in Strangetown in The Sims 2, but I made a mistake in the neighborhood data so she never showed up anywhere. Everyone thought that was like this huge, ‘Oh gosh, where did she go?’ I was like, ‘Oh, that was a bug. Sorry, I didn’t mean to.’ It was fun. It actually fuelled this idea of, ‘Oh, what happened to Bella?’”
(Lindsay Pearson)
So it wasn’t a question of developers coming up with a dark mystery, that was actually the fans picking up a storyline themselves, based on an error. I also disagree the series hasn’t come up with stories since TS2. There are quite a few families in Sims 3 with an interesting backstory and details in their household to back that story up. The insane dollmaker in Midnight Hollow comes to mind, or the Psycho based household in the same world. And the Cinderella reference in Hidden Springs. Hidden Springs also has the green premades that offer the player a mystery to solve themselves (which is what I prefer personally, just handing something and yóu figure out what happened there). And I remember having a big laugh when my sim entered Gracie Loveland’s bedroom once (Appaloosa Plains). There’s certainly a weird story hidden there Gracie’s not as innocent as she might look.
Interesting story about Lyndsay's mistake with Bella, but has she ever explained why she gave the real Bella a death token in the main base hood? Or did she mean that was her mistake? Because Sims that get death tokens can't be resurrected without causing some huge corruption to the game. But then created a different Bella in Strangetown (there is one, you know, who does show up in odd places). Without answers to those questions it sort of doesn't explain anything really. ETA: Especially since they don't even look alike. Odd explanations in my opinion.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
Interesting story about Lyndsay's mistake with Bella, but has she ever explained why she gave the real Bella a death token in the main base hood? Or did she mean that was her mistake? Because Sims that get death tokens can't be resurrected without causing some huge corruption to the game. But then created a different Bella in Strangetown (there is one, you know, who does show up in odd places). Without answers to those questions it sort of doesn't explain anything really. ETA: Especially since they don't even look alike. Odd explanations in my opinion.
We'll have to remind Lindsay to bring the Bella saga to a close with the last pack, not killing her off but maybe as a character in one of the lots.
Interesting story about Lyndsay's mistake with Bella, but has she ever explained why she gave the real Bella a death token in the main base hood? Or did she mean that was her mistake? Because Sims that get death tokens can't be resurrected without causing some huge corruption to the game. But then created a different Bella in Strangetown (there is one, you know, who does show up in odd places). Without answers to those questions it sort of doesn't explain anything really. ETA: Especially since they don't even look alike. Odd explanations in my opinion.
Would actually be interesting to ask her that. But anyway, I prefer stories like that to the sealed story they added with Strangerville. No matter what brought up the Bella Goth story, people have been speculating about it for, what, 15 years now? And it's never the same story I bet. Thát defines Sims for me. Like the green people in Hidden Springs I mentioned. In my story they became that colour due to drinking from the fountain of youth too often (which stopped my sims from doing that when they heard ). It's hardly a story, but I just love on the side fantasies like that. My own. I don't need EA for that. And when others came with other theories about the green people, I loved and went with that while following their stories.
Sk8rblaze mentioned the Bella Goth disappearance, just wanted to point out that our current fearless leader producer lady mentioned once she was the cause of the Strangetown incident back in the day. And that it was a simple mistake rather than any attempt at storytelling. Actual character development in this series is mostly just production mistakes that accumulated over the decades.
True, but that's irrelevant to me. They took a mishap and expanded the whole event into a really interesting and mysterious story. It felt like there was an underlying, hidden conspiracy going on between multiple households (Mortimer, Don Lothario, the Calientes), Bella Goth, aliens, etc. They even did little things like throw her face on the missing persons area of the cartridges of milk that your Sims use to prepare meals.
I don't really want story-telling like Strangerville in my game, but I'd love to see it implemented somewhere between it and TS2, with the ability to, of course, not get involved/delete premades altogether. I do think they should have far more interesting stories than just bank off the fact, say, they are a diverse household, or 2 females roommates with one male. Without any depth or twist, that's pretty boring to me.
True. “The idea was Bella was supposed to have run away and ended up in Strangetown, and she was supposed to be a townie wandering around in Strangetown in The Sims 2, but I made a mistake in the neighborhood data so she never showed up anywhere. Everyone thought that was like this huge, ‘Oh gosh, where did she go?’ I was like, ‘Oh, that was a bug. Sorry, I didn’t mean to.’ It was fun. It actually fuelled this idea of, ‘Oh, what happened to Bella?’”
(Lindsay Pearson)
So it wasn’t a question of developers coming up with a dark mystery, that was actually the fans picking up a storyline themselves, based on an error. I also disagree the series hasn’t come up with stories since TS2. There are quite a few families in Sims 3 with an interesting backstory and details in their household to back that story up. The insane dollmaker in Midnight Hollow comes to mind, or the Psycho based household in the same world. And the Cinderella reference in Hidden Springs. Hidden Springs also has the green premades that offer the player a mystery to solve themselves (which is what I prefer personally, just handing something and yóu figure out what happened there). And I remember having a big laugh when my sim entered Gracie Loveland’s bedroom once (Appaloosa Plains). There’s certainly a weird story hidden there Gracie’s not as innocent as she might look.
Yep that was it. Thank you. Agnes Crumplebottom's story is interesting too. I must admit how well done Sims 2 and 3 did with excellent storytelling with all the premade backstories. They felt fresh and interesting and making me want to know more.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
Sk8rblaze mentioned the Bella Goth disappearance, just wanted to point out that our current fearless leader producer lady mentioned once she was the cause of the Strangetown incident back in the day. And that it was a simple mistake rather than any attempt at storytelling. Actual character development in this series is mostly just production mistakes that accumulated over the decades.
True, but that's irrelevant to me. They took a mishap and expanded the whole event into a really interesting and mysterious story. It felt like there was an underlying, hidden conspiracy going on between multiple households (Mortimer, Don Lothario, the Calientes), Bella Goth, aliens, etc. They even did little things like throw her face on the missing persons area of the cartridges of milk that your Sims use to prepare meals.
I don't really want story-telling like Strangerville in my game, but I'd love to see it implemented somewhere between it and TS2, with the ability to, of course, not get involved/delete premades altogether. I do think they should have far more interesting stories than just bank off the fact, say, they are a diverse household, or 2 females roommates with one male. Without any depth or twist, that's pretty boring to me.
Me, either. Maybe if I was playing a rpg game but not in The Sims. The differences from TS2 and TS3 and TS4 are the later games don't actually setup or follow through with any possible outcome. I prefer that, too, however, like in the Pleasant household, the two teen sisters in TS2 are already mad when you load the lot. It gives it a nice twist since the 'backstory' is about they are upset over their father having an affair with a maid, and have some sibling rivalry going on. It's not a go here, do this type of tasks lists like SV but just a nice added depth for them to be already mad and mean to each other. It's up to the player to fix that relationship or roll with it, and help it to worsen so they do wind up actually hating each other and fighting.
Or like the lady who has all the buried husbands in her backyard. You wonder why. lol If TS4 wants to do backstories, at least if they say a Sim is an enemy of another Sim then when you load the game they should at least be mad at each other but in TS3 and TS4 the Sims were not mad nor upset with each other or anything. They should at least add just a little flavor then let the player play out a premaid 'backstory' without any check lists but their own imagination. It's hard to play a premaid household where Sims are supposed to be upset with each other only to see them all hugging etc. Why bother even writing a backstory Lyndsay, yes, it is sandbox but at least make them angry with each other then let the player roll with that.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
Yes. The Sims 4 has outstayed it's welcome at this point. Every time there's a new release, there's just not much to it and it feels boring and lifeless, especially compared to what the Sims 2 offered, even Sims 3, despite it's heavy flaws, seemed to offer more content wise. With 4, it's always trade offs and limitations. If they do the right thing and NOT have multiplayer in mind for 5, I have some hope they can keep me invested. If the Sims 5 launches with ridiculous omissions, limitations, or tradeoffs, I'm bailing.
Sims 3 has heavy flaws in the bug and performance department, but for me it's always been so much fun to play and my family was so dear to me, that I simply never even considered quiting. I've been frustrated, angry, sad with the game, but not one split second did I decide to throw in the towel. Too motivated and eager to pick up the pieces, fix the issue and continue. For Sims 4 (for me, obviously) it's the other way around. Everything's smooth and bugless (I haven't played in ages plus don't own a lot of the packs, so it's always been a bugless experience for me), but I totally miss that motivation to play because it's all so tame and dull. There's no trigger, no challenge, no spark. People may bash Sims 3 for its flaws and obstinacy, at the end of the day I'm just not bothered by that.
Strange anecdote comes to mind. When I was a teen I was playing in a lake with a small inflatable boat. My mom joined me and we decided to try to sit on the bottom of the boat, turned upside down, using it as a floating sofa. My mom's pretty clumsy (and I inheritated that quality), so we never succeeded. Had a lot of fun and laughs and there was a lot of splashing but never did we manage to sit on that darn thing together.
Then my dad showed up. "Oh dear, I've been following all your hilarious attempts from a distance, I can't believe it, it's pathetic LOL! Come on, we'll try it." (to me). So, my mom stepped aside, we positioned the boat, we jumped on and we sat. Together. No fun, no laughter, no splashing. We sat. And that was it. We were sitting on the bottom of a boat as if it was a floating sofa and it was boring. The fun, as it turned out, had been the attempts to jump on and failing. Not managing to actually do so.
All those years I knew there was a life lesson hidden in there somewhere and I'm still not sure what it is but I do see a connection there with my Sims experience
Sims 3 has heavy flaws in the bug and performance department, but for me it's always been so much fun to play and my family was so dear to me, that I simply never even considered quiting. I've been frustrated, angry, sad with the game, but not one split second did I decide to throw in the towel. Too motivated and eager to pick up the pieces, fix the issue and continue. For Sims 4 (for me, obviously) it's the other way around. Everything's smooth and bugless (I haven't played in ages plus don't own a lot of the packs, so it's always been a bugless experience for me), but I totally miss that motivation to play because it's all so tame and dull. There's no trigger, no challenge, no spark. People may bash Sims 3 for its flaws and obstinacy, at the end of the day I'm just not bothered by that.
Strange anecdote comes to mind. When I was a teen I was playing in a lake with a small inflatable boat. My mom joined me and we decided to try to sit on the bottom of the boat, turned upside down, using it as a floating sofa. My mom's pretty clumsy (and I inheritated that quality), so we never succeeded. Had a lot of fun and laughs and there was a lot of splashing but never did we manage to sit on that darn thing together.
Then my dad showed up. "Oh dear, I've been following all your hilarious attempts from a distance, I can't believe it, it's pathetic LOL! Come on, we'll try it." (to me). So, my mom stepped aside, we positioned the boat, we jumped on and we sat. Together. No fun, no laughter, no splashing. We sat. And that was it. We were sitting on the bottom of a boat as if it was a floating sofa and it was boring. The fun, as it turned out, had been the attempts to jump on and failing. Not managing to actually do so.
All those years I knew there was a life lesson hidden in there somewhere and I'm still not sure what it is but I do see a connection there with my Sims experience
Oh what a great story! Thanks for sharing!
The fun does seem to stop after you've mastered something, not in all cases, but in a lot of cases and it's especially true in video games. Mastering, learning and discovering seem to be where the real fun is. Hopefully when TS5 does come out, it has more challenges and mysteries.
I don't really think there's anything fundamentally wrong with the Sims 4 that couldn't be fixed. Its biggest problem, which I think people have noticed in a variety of aspects, is that there are no *stakes," which is not good for games or stories. I don't think there would be anything ignoble about retconning this. Consider:
Realm of Magic: You can do whatever magic you please, whenever you please, but you can ONLY do it in front of up to 4 people. Surpassing that will attract the interests of the "scientists" who will try to abduct you for experimentation. Experimentation may not kill you, but rather erase all of your magic points.
Island Living: similar conditions for Mermaids. Perhaps there are other Sims who could have a different villainous trait that would make them want to exploit Mermaids? Perhaps businessmen destroying mermaid homes such that the conservation skill would come in handy as a way to save the ocean and mermaids?
Romance, basegame: unequal romance systems. You can spend a ton of time performing romance socials on someone who simply isn't attracted to you and consequently never get far. Perhaps there are interactions where you can gauge the NPC's interest in you and see where the relationship is going.
Social, basegame: getting into fights with your friends causing a sad moodlet that lasts for a day or so. Losing a loved one may mean a permanent +1 sad, or a +1 sad that intermittenly appears for the rest of the Sims' life. In other words, love has real consequences.
Etc. Sure it would take some extra work and might be a little embarassing, but I think at this point the Sims team needs to think just as much about keeping players as much as bringing players in. I was very intrigued when I first joined, but there are no challenges. Even without a story, having zoning regulations would be great to design a house to specific standars.. Something to make my mind work a little.
Honestly the fact they're forcing out packs like they're candy now and selling off the smallest pieces in these "Stuff Packs" that shouldn't even be legal lol i feel like maybe they're getting ready to pack up the game at some point and that this will be the last but if they did TS5 this Pack system can't continue they need to put it all into 1 game and focus on it longer to get it all right but.. What else can they really do with it now? TS4 is honestly already pushing it now i feel after giving us everything in TS2 i even felt like they were already pushing it with TS3 really and i just groaned at another game, i've bought the TS4 Base Game yup but one of the reasons is the TS2 Build Tools are just too limiting to really Build SO much more and we know it could have had better Building Tools back then or in TS3 but they sold off it off piece by piece in each "version" and here we are in TS4 where i definitely feel they've reached the ultimate limit now and totally ran out of ideas.
If they try to do Microtransactions though if they make TS5 which is what we all worry about then noop... i don't want a TS5 and if they intend to resell any Expansions all over again noop... not buying into again either, i stopped after TS2 and don't like the look of TS3 so i didn't invest in that and didn't have the Build Tool improvements i wanted still, but now it does the Base Game is as good as it's gonna get but cos they're more focused on forcing put all these packs rather than on the game it's not worth buying any at this point. They can clearly make a game with everything in it since they can made TS2 Ultimate Collection and gave it us for free LOL, although even with TS2 and having bought half the packs it really didn't feel any different past that.
Free Time which i didn't have improved some interactions and allowed the sims to walk around objects in a smaller space but not by much and even then i didn't feel it added much to the game beyond the 5 Expansions plus Happy Holiday Stuff Pack that i already had and the Business Tools were broken with Open For Business so all you could do with that even then was make Cafés and Restaurants into Community Lots and the same thing they've sold to you now with Get To Work but it's not even worth getting the Café now it's so boring because it's just the Espresso Stand but you can order plates of food from it LOL *sigh*. I really honestly just think they shouldn't do any more games and maybe focus on TS4 for a lot longer so they can add more little things back into it, make sure all the bugs are fixed and make it more engaging for people again but they have to slow down and stop caring more about Competition to do that, if not then i'm just not seeing anything else beyond The Sims 4, they've already done everything as it is.
Comments
No. That's EA/Maxis job and yours, if you want to do it. I just think Sims 4 shouldn't come to an end yet and that is pertinent to the discussion. If you don't make a fight for things they do come to an end through inertia and lethagy. Rather like not voting and getting the opposition in.
A strong indication of things beefing up to release some news will be when we see some gurus no longer here, moving over to a new game, (Grant?) or already left for new Maxis' adventures. A strong indication is when they start bundling bigger bundles on Origin, not just base, SP, and GP, but maybe 2 GPs and an SP as an incentive to buy up TS4. Or even base and 2 GPs in one bundle. A stronger indication is when we see ads for new CMs..which was on glassdoor just a month ago or more recently, can't remember.
Hints in game packs about the number 5. Already being rummored here on this site. For instance a particular door arch five, Arch E will be great....good rumor, or over reach.
I expect a few more packs for TS4 next year 2020, but I also expect some profound leaks. 'Soon'.
(Lindsay Pearson)
So it wasn’t a question of developers coming up with a dark mystery, that was actually the fans picking up a storyline themselves, based on an error. I also disagree the series hasn’t come up with stories since TS2. There are quite a few families in Sims 3 with an interesting backstory and details in their household to back that story up. The insane dollmaker in Midnight Hollow comes to mind, or the Psycho based household in the same world. And the Cinderella reference in Hidden Springs. Hidden Springs also has the green premades that offer the player a mystery to solve themselves (which is what I prefer personally, just handing something and yóu figure out what happened there). And I remember having a big laugh when my sim entered Gracie Loveland’s bedroom once (Appaloosa Plains). There’s certainly a weird story hidden there
We'll have to remind Lindsay to bring the Bella saga to a close with the last pack, not killing her off but maybe as a character in one of the lots.
True, but that's irrelevant to me. They took a mishap and expanded the whole event into a really interesting and mysterious story. It felt like there was an underlying, hidden conspiracy going on between multiple households (Mortimer, Don Lothario, the Calientes), Bella Goth, aliens, etc. They even did little things like throw her face on the missing persons area of the cartridges of milk that your Sims use to prepare meals.
I don't really want story-telling like Strangerville in my game, but I'd love to see it implemented somewhere between it and TS2, with the ability to, of course, not get involved/delete premades altogether. I do think they should have far more interesting stories than just bank off the fact, say, they are a diverse household, or 2 females roommates with one male. Without any depth or twist, that's pretty boring to me.
Me, either. Maybe if I was playing a rpg game but not in The Sims. The differences from TS2 and TS3 and TS4 are the later games don't actually setup or follow through with any possible outcome. I prefer that, too, however, like in the Pleasant household, the two teen sisters in TS2 are already mad when you load the lot. It gives it a nice twist since the 'backstory' is about they are upset over their father having an affair with a maid, and have some sibling rivalry going on. It's not a go here, do this type of tasks lists like SV but just a nice added depth for them to be already mad and mean to each other. It's up to the player to fix that relationship or roll with it, and help it to worsen so they do wind up actually hating each other and fighting.
Or like the lady who has all the buried husbands in her backyard. You wonder why. lol If TS4 wants to do backstories, at least if they say a Sim is an enemy of another Sim then when you load the game they should at least be mad at each other but in TS3 and TS4 the Sims were not mad nor upset with each other or anything. They should at least add just a little flavor then let the player play out a premaid 'backstory' without any check lists but their own imagination. It's hard to play a premaid household where Sims are supposed to be upset with each other only to see them all hugging etc. Why bother even writing a backstory Lyndsay, yes, it is sandbox but at least make them angry with each other then let the player roll with that.
It's time for a change.
Strange anecdote comes to mind. When I was a teen I was playing in a lake with a small inflatable boat. My mom joined me and we decided to try to sit on the bottom of the boat, turned upside down, using it as a floating sofa. My mom's pretty clumsy (and I inheritated that quality), so we never succeeded. Had a lot of fun and laughs and there was a lot of splashing but never did we manage to sit on that darn thing together.
Then my dad showed up. "Oh dear, I've been following all your hilarious attempts from a distance, I can't believe it, it's pathetic LOL! Come on, we'll try it." (to me). So, my mom stepped aside, we positioned the boat, we jumped on and we sat. Together. No fun, no laughter, no splashing. We sat. And that was it. We were sitting on the bottom of a boat as if it was a floating sofa and it was boring. The fun, as it turned out, had been the attempts to jump on and failing. Not managing to actually do so.
All those years I knew there was a life lesson hidden in there somewhere and I'm still not sure what it is but I do see a connection there with my Sims experience
Oh what a great story! Thanks for sharing!
The fun does seem to stop after you've mastered something, not in all cases, but in a lot of cases and it's especially true in video games. Mastering, learning and discovering seem to be where the real fun is. Hopefully when TS5 does come out, it has more challenges and mysteries.
Realm of Magic: You can do whatever magic you please, whenever you please, but you can ONLY do it in front of up to 4 people. Surpassing that will attract the interests of the "scientists" who will try to abduct you for experimentation. Experimentation may not kill you, but rather erase all of your magic points.
Island Living: similar conditions for Mermaids. Perhaps there are other Sims who could have a different villainous trait that would make them want to exploit Mermaids? Perhaps businessmen destroying mermaid homes such that the conservation skill would come in handy as a way to save the ocean and mermaids?
Romance, basegame: unequal romance systems. You can spend a ton of time performing romance socials on someone who simply isn't attracted to you and consequently never get far. Perhaps there are interactions where you can gauge the NPC's interest in you and see where the relationship is going.
Social, basegame: getting into fights with your friends causing a sad moodlet that lasts for a day or so. Losing a loved one may mean a permanent +1 sad, or a +1 sad that intermittenly appears for the rest of the Sims' life. In other words, love has real consequences.
Etc. Sure it would take some extra work and might be a little embarassing, but I think at this point the Sims team needs to think just as much about keeping players as much as bringing players in. I was very intrigued when I first joined, but there are no challenges. Even without a story, having zoning regulations would be great to design a house to specific standars.. Something to make my mind work a little.
If by "milking simmers" you mean releaseing new content for Ts4, then yes. EA can "milk me" all they want.
If they try to do Microtransactions though if they make TS5 which is what we all worry about then noop... i don't want a TS5 and if they intend to resell any Expansions all over again noop... not buying into again either, i stopped after TS2 and don't like the look of TS3 so i didn't invest in that and didn't have the Build Tool improvements i wanted still, but now it does the Base Game is as good as it's gonna get but cos they're more focused on forcing put all these packs rather than on the game it's not worth buying any at this point. They can clearly make a game with everything in it since they can made TS2 Ultimate Collection and gave it us for free LOL, although even with TS2 and having bought half the packs it really didn't feel any different past that.
Free Time which i didn't have improved some interactions and allowed the sims to walk around objects in a smaller space but not by much and even then i didn't feel it added much to the game beyond the 5 Expansions plus Happy Holiday Stuff Pack that i already had and the Business Tools were broken with Open For Business so all you could do with that even then was make Cafés and Restaurants into Community Lots and the same thing they've sold to you now with Get To Work but it's not even worth getting the Café now it's so boring because it's just the Espresso Stand but you can order plates of food from it LOL *sigh*. I really honestly just think they shouldn't do any more games and maybe focus on TS4 for a lot longer so they can add more little things back into it, make sure all the bugs are fixed and make it more engaging for people again but they have to slow down and stop caring more about Competition to do that, if not then i'm just not seeing anything else beyond The Sims 4, they've already done everything as it is.