This isn't a shocker to us, nor is it a hard-hitting expose to sims fans as we know what's been happening since the rise and fall of the game series following Sims 3's release a decade ago (Man, I feel old), but today, while watching the rain outside, I decided to throw on a youtube video and it happened to be onlyabidoang's 50 fun little details that weren't in the Sims 3/4, and managing to keep myself focused on it despite the storm headache I've had since waking up (I'm literally wearing sunglasses in a dark room as we speak, thats how bad it is), it dawned just how ridiculously robotic the sims have become, ironically speaking for a game that came out at the beginning of 2000, seemingly life-like and 'human' when games were in their infancy and mostly blocks with weird textures. Back then, the sims, despite being new to the gaming world, was the best it had ever been!
No complaints on the video or its creator, I love his channel and it's just sad to see how far downward we've come, regardless of how much "Better" the sims engine is advertised to be. Yes, it doesn't kill computers like it used to (Sorry dad), but overall, the game is not more than some smooth-ish interactions (Few as they are) and easier facial construction, the overall gameplay is bland, soulless, has no goal or real aspirations and nothing affects the creatures we create, nothing! You can bro fist your way through an affair, send your kid off to college with no heartfelt goodbye and no relationship with your family members to a point your sim acts surprised when their grandchild slips out of their human disguise and reveals themselves to be an alien!
YOU'RE HER GRANDMOTHER, CYNTIA! YOU TOOK YOUR SON TO THE PLUM HOSPITAL SO HE COULD GIVE BIRTH, HOW IS THIS NEWS TO YOU?!
See what I mean? Soulless.
No little hints that there's a leak in the house unless you listen out for the hissing of a burst pipe when during a couple drips from the ceiling would give you a helpful indicator.
No clocks to rewind.
No swinging your child through the air or being puked on because you decided it was a fun idea to play throw the baby.
Running up and downstairs, sliding down the curly ones which got you down faster and looking cool as you did it.
NO YOGA ON THE COFFEE TABLE! I MEAN CMON THAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR CHILDHOODS!
No cute interactions during dinner.
No body, no heart, watching that video made me so upset because when Night Life came out, all I did was take my sim to the club, have them flirt and be adorable and watch them steal food from their partners, many as they were, and then go home to watch their toddlers fight over milk (She had a lot of kids, don't worry, the teenagers helped raise their little siblings).
Even just the pizza from the trunk of a car got me because that is the level of depth we had! From a game released in 2000.
Maybe I'm a bit overemotional, maybe the video just made a good point about how too streamline the sims 4 is.
Yes we have backs, a lot of packs, but none of them has depth, none of the content we received has matched to what the sims 2/1 gave us, and maybe thats just me but go watch that video and come back with your thoughts because the more content like this is made, the more obvious it is how much the sims 4 needs to pull itself together, or just stop coming out, for EA to scrap the sims franchise altogether because at this point, they might as well revamp the first 2 series and throw that at us because plum knows it'll be better than what we have now.
With that rant made, I'm going to go cool off and rest, no disrespect to the staff, just an upset simmer here, praying for a miracle and to be heard so an update can be released and things in the sims 4 aren't so empty.
Please note that I don't speak for everyone, you can feel differently, this is just my opinion, but if you do feel the same, comment with what could be done or what details you miss from the older sims games.
I don't expect anything to get done about these issues but hey, it doesn't hurt to ask.
Happy simming, everybody
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Comments
Hope your headache is better!
The Sims used to be a canvas for us to fill with possibilities and fun, now it's got none of that and it's not even ours anymore. It's somebody else's Sims game and we don't get choices, possibilities, or even fun. I'm seriously sick of being beat over the head with annoyances, and that is all Sims 4 does anymore. I want to love this game, but it is breaking me.
I was at that stage for awhile before I realized I felt they're just not worth it altogether. It's paying for a game that's vastly unchanged from its predecessors and always comes with caveat on top of caveat. That's not to mention how stale and repetitive the gameplay is.
Once I started to really follow other studios' projects, and how much thought/detail they put into them, it became very clear that Maxis is not putting their best effort into this series. Whether that's from a discrepancy between players and Maxis or EA and Maxis, I don't know, but I'm beyond even caring. Just make a good game, and I'll gladly pay full price, lol.
Sims 4 is really in desperate need of some catching up. Now that we're past most of the standard pack titles, the gaps in the game are even more prominently standing out, so maybe some development can be spent on making it right. No one should be getting bored after five and a half years of content.
Couldn't even be bothered to animate a new dance for your expansion pack so you just reused an older dance that doesn't go with the mood at all just because when someone told you they needed new animations you just groaned and went "Can't we just reuse the old animations?!"
That'll be $40.
I agree, but it's crazy we're still saying this after its lifespan extends further than that of both The Sims 2 and The Sims 3.
IMO, at some point, it's just admitting it'll never catch up, and its base game development woes have permanently compromised its potential.
For sims 4, even though it's a closed world again, they've opted for backgrounds and vistas and views that our sims can never visit. They make the worlds beautiful, and the sims beautiful. But it's all just so empty.
20 years later, here we are with a game that can't even begin to compare with either of the 1st two even after crazy technological advances in those 20 years.
I think the sims is really lazy lately... it just feels like there is no effort put into it, and Maxis is just putting the bare minimum and calls it a day...
I dislike it, when they just copy past animations after animations in new packs and be like... thats fine, instead of creatin NEW animations
I dislike it, when they create Sims who are for an example related or friends and inGame it isnt even a thing.
I dislike it, when they just use the same food and call it differently... Same goes for the interactions... Its the same animation just written differently.
I say this, because there are litterally mods that you can download for free.. and these modders are doing the same thing.
I dislike it, when they just remove things from packs and make it Base game, instead of creating... you know something new.
20th anniversary gift was the peak of laziness. I was so dead xD. They suprised me good with it.
I watched a Video about the other Sims birthdays and there was a lot more into it (minus the t-shirts) they gave us a classic NPC, the tragic clown. And they did made a better job in playing catch up.
One would say... oh they have theyre budget... these are just little things... whatever.
I dont know. This Game costs a lot of money. And i always associated the Sims with a quality game, so the least amount of effort put into it irks me. Its why i would never pay full price. I just can not justify that.
You see a bunch of Game Changers going back to the previous Games, because Maxis forgot, why we loved the Sims so much. You always see the details that was put in the previous ones. There was so much love and realistic things- It was just a lot of care, effort and passion put into it.
And now that... I think its embarassing seriously...¨
Honorable mention: Because this Video is still revelant after 5years...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqaprLT7zic
Will they change it? I dont think so. Do i have hope... not really, but i still like to play the game.
i am really glad that game changers are speaking up about it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I swear I said all of this on stream and Jesse just sums it up so well. The hot tub felt like the last nail in the coffin of exactly why people are frustrated and let down by Sims 4. Completely fell flat and doesn't spark any hope for the future<a href="https://t.co/A4rtk4aarW">https://t.co/A4rtk4aarW</a></p>— The English Simmer (@EnglishSimmer) <a href="
vent over ---
HAHHHAHAHAH OMG I thought I was the only one who found this ridiculous. I really try not to pick that gig because I just cannot stand the hip hop dance for singing in the rain. It is sooooo out of place.
When I did it the animation was appropriate.
That looks like the singing part of the routine, not the dance part. The singing part is fine -- but the dance part definitely is GT dance battle. Or did you get a different dance? I also was expecting something tap dance and laughed so hard when my sim sang her bit than started getting down.
True there is the Legacy Edition and info about that: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/the-sims/the-sims-4/the-sims-4-legacy-edition/
With the Sims 4 I've learned, never assume which is a good life advice anyways. People shouldn't assume you are using the Legacy edition. Plus not like the Legacy edition is any less buggy than the Standard and Deluxe editions anyways. I probably would have teased them and asked where their IT degree is. But yes that is why I don't like social media sometimes especially during times like this where people are so bored they will gaslight anyone.
Gentlemen, from this day forward... you will all refer to me by the name... Betty... myahhahah!
So updated amounts:
Base game digital deluxe
$50
Expansion packs
8 x ($40 each) = $320
Game packs
8 X ($20 each) = $160
Stuff packs
16 X ($10 each) = $160
= Grand Total (year 5) = $690
Using source: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/packs
Sims 1 base game:
$25
Sims 1 EPs
7 X ($20 each) = $140
= Grand Total = $165
Sims 2 base game:
$30
Sims 2 EPs:
8 X ($25 each) = $200
Sims 2 SPs:
10 X ($20 each) = $200
= Grand Total = $430
Sims 3 base game:
$50
Sims 3 EPs:
11 X ($40 each) = $440
Sims 3 SPs:
9 X ($20 each) = $180
Sims 3 Store: Sims 3 Store: $698.72
Source: https://forums.thesims.com/en_us/discussion/744958/how-much-do-you-think-the-sims-entire-collection-is-worth
= Grand Total = $1,368.72
Total cost main iterations only:
$2,653.72
You know what's amazing? Even at those prices, people are still willing to buy TS3! It really IS the much better game!
The sims 4 cost is more now since there are packs that have been released that aren’t on there. I’ve did the maths before with all the iterations and dlc only for people to argue with me and say the sims 4 is cheaper.
I agree though with the OP. The sims 4 lacks soul. It lacks charm and as far as I’m concerned it’s priorities are all wrong. The game is far too focused on being a safe space where “We can all learn and grow”, it’s too busy chasing trends and hiring celebrities to market the game. The amount of recycled animations is pathetic. The island living “cultural” dance is the bonfire dance from Get Together. So many of the social animations are the same animation with a different name. There are so many swatches recycled in cas and build mode, quite frankly it’s a joke. Spell casters are a joke and aren’t unique at all.
Budget shouldn’t be an excuse. This isn’t a little indie studio. Put your money where your mouth is EA and show us. Don’t hide behind vague statements like the sims 4 player base is increasing and how apparently it’s the best selling sims game and then tell fans that bunk beds are too hard, dog houses are cruel, we can’t have spiral stairs or ladders, freed babies, children and toddlers being neglected severely in every way and tell us it’s down to budget. When was the last time the game got any new traits added? We can’t have those but we can have more hairstyles and colour swatches that look suspiciously identical to what we have.
The amount of corner cutting in this game is ridiculous. Even the simlish is lazy. I still play the three earlier games and when you listen to sims talk they use a lot more simlish. Sims 4 I swear re uses the same few phrases repeatedly. At this stage it’s embarrassing quite frankly.
I asked SimGuruGraham about the budget thing. It is more like assets allowed per pack rather than financial budget and honestly the asset budget has been quite low and focused on shallow visual things that Sims can't interact with. But the Sims 4 is not lacking profit but according to the Gurus is the most profitable iteration yet and how much one Simmer can spend on both the Sims 3 and 4 it is a mockery that it was said there would be no Sims 5 when the franchise is doing extremely well over the past 20 years. So no it is far from an indie game and even compared to indie games it is lacking the technology advancements that have been made so far.
And, yeah, people like to rag on Sega and the Sonic franchise for botching their 15th anniversary so badly with a bad attempt at a partial reboot that turned out to be so bad that gaming YouTube only just stopped ragging on it three or four years ago...but at least they learned from their mistake. They realized that they messed up with '06, they tried a new gameplay style for sonic in Sonic Unleashed and took the successful boost-based gameplay from the day stages and expanded upon and refined it in later games. Then, for the big 2-0, they busted out Sonic Generations, which is one of the best 3D Sonic games ever produced. They even made a proper return to 2D after the disaster that was Sonic the Hedgehog 4 by hiring fangame creators to build Sonic Mania, probably the best 2D entry to the series since Sonic 3 and Knuckles! Sega learns and tries to do right by their (admittedly very persnickety) fans.
With TS4...Maxis/EA have been trying to skate by on nostalgia and name recognition alone, pandering as much as possible to a "Magical Demographic" of 11-21-year-old girls (and the 21 is generous, their real upper limit is probably more like 14...) with no regard to their core playerbase (the ones with the money to buy every pack and afford a decent computer to run the game in all its full glory and have been with the series since TS1 or TS2) with as few consequences as possible and an emotion system that leans way too heavily on happiness, and covering up how botched things have become with this game with a rebrand centered around "inclusiveness" and "safe spaces"...AKA, everything that stuck-up Boomers (and you don't have to be rich to be stuck-up, there are stuck-up broke people too) think Millenials and Gen-Z are all about because they think we're weak little snowflakes who can't handle anything that's not covered in kittens and rainbows and smiley face stickers (which, as a Millenial, I find extremely insulting). Of course, their brand of "inclusiveness" is a gender patch and a game where unhappy feelings are easily buried under a mountain of happy feelings from everything from your furniture, to your food, to taking some medicine when you're sick. That's not inclusive, because it excludes people with depression and anxiety and anger issues. #FakeInclusiveBull This game is also not very inclusive of introverts (as is most of our society), because even though they have a Loner trait, a Loner sim is no less likely to jump into your conversation when you're out on a date with your boo than anyone else, because all of our sims are extroverts no matter what traits we give them! #NotEveryoneIsAnExtrovert
When you have to download mods to fix a game's poor tuning and emotional flatness (which I've had to do by getting MC Command Center and now Meaningful Stories too), you know that, somewhere in the production pipeline, someone is either slacking off, cheaping out, or letting their assumptions about their audience take priority over the actual input from their audience. TS4 is a game that (even with its limitations) could have been great, but has ended up being mediocre because they dumped out their whole box of hoots to give in the River Styx and never looked back.
I think that's a great point, and exactly why more packs is not the answer. If anything, they highlight the shallowness and make me feel disappointed all over again. That's why I just cannot understand people begging for the next pack or investing energy/money into what is next. I so wish that they would fix the game because I love The Sims, and TS2 does show its age when you play. But, geez, The Sims 4 is starting to just depress me. So much depth is missing in a game that should be MILES BETTER than its predecessors.
Well said. Instead of trying to simulate life, the game simulates a simulation (social media) of life, and misses all the good, deep, important stuff. Just because nobody is sad, and everyone is everyone's best friend, and everyone has a beautiful vacation/home/family in Instagram does NOT mean that real life has changed. Where is the good, bad, deep important stuff, like relationship quality and memory and sadness and thoughtfulness and unique personalities?
I miss the days when The Sims simulated life and not some poor social media substitute for it.