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The Sims 4 is six years old now, is it time to move on?
TOLKIEN
Posts: 1,594 Member
The Sims 4 turned 6 this month, no other Maxis or Sims game has over 4 years of content development and numbering at 35, the Sims 4 has more packs than any previous game released.
Which brings me to the subject of my topic, is it time for the Sims 5?
That question is less based on do you enjoy playing the Sims 4 (I still play the Sims 3 for example) but is the Sims 5 be in a better position to address community issues and bring something fresh to simmers?
Some of you will say, I just want “babies” and not the sims 5, but clearly after 6 years the team has struggled to implement many of the communities requests. For example a color wheel would be an easy obvious fix for skin tones - but for whatever reason Maxis simply can’t make it work despite how easy it might seem to us to add.
So I base my arguments on four points,
1. I don’t believe the Sims 4 functions properly as a long-term service game and not sustainable in its current format without drastic changes to its retail and game mechanics. Otherwise it risks becoming outrageously expensive and trapped within a cycle of limited gameplay without evolving.
2. The sims 4 is what it is. After six years, the Sims developers are still struggling with how to implement features or request into an engine/game possibly not designed for them in mind or conflict with other mechanics.
That doesn't mean its a bad game, it might just not be able to do everything everybody wants from it.
3. Emotions, every action your sim takes or requires has an emotional action or reaction and cannot be disabled in any form outside of setting them in a cheated “neutral” state.
Emotions are the foundation of the Sims 4 (according to their own GDC presentation) to the point of conflicting, breaking or influencing all game play with sims. Its the reason I believe babies are objects in this game (emotional babies might not be a think we want lol).
I believe a whole new rethinking of the emotional system is needed and designed with a personality system partnering it.
4. The Sims 5 would allow Maxis to take the community’s requests, feedback and create a new game with some new ideas. Allowing them to evolve the series, taking lessons from all the past games, community and make something potentially great. Or...it could be an utter MMO Second Life like clone, online only disaster.
Regardless, what do you think?
Personally I voted 3, simply because...I still play Sims 3 and jump between whatever game I'm in the mood for.
Which brings me to the subject of my topic, is it time for the Sims 5?
That question is less based on do you enjoy playing the Sims 4 (I still play the Sims 3 for example) but is the Sims 5 be in a better position to address community issues and bring something fresh to simmers?
Some of you will say, I just want “babies” and not the sims 5, but clearly after 6 years the team has struggled to implement many of the communities requests. For example a color wheel would be an easy obvious fix for skin tones - but for whatever reason Maxis simply can’t make it work despite how easy it might seem to us to add.
So I base my arguments on four points,
1. I don’t believe the Sims 4 functions properly as a long-term service game and not sustainable in its current format without drastic changes to its retail and game mechanics. Otherwise it risks becoming outrageously expensive and trapped within a cycle of limited gameplay without evolving.
2. The sims 4 is what it is. After six years, the Sims developers are still struggling with how to implement features or request into an engine/game possibly not designed for them in mind or conflict with other mechanics.
That doesn't mean its a bad game, it might just not be able to do everything everybody wants from it.
3. Emotions, every action your sim takes or requires has an emotional action or reaction and cannot be disabled in any form outside of setting them in a cheated “neutral” state.
Emotions are the foundation of the Sims 4 (according to their own GDC presentation) to the point of conflicting, breaking or influencing all game play with sims. Its the reason I believe babies are objects in this game (emotional babies might not be a think we want lol).
I believe a whole new rethinking of the emotional system is needed and designed with a personality system partnering it.
4. The Sims 5 would allow Maxis to take the community’s requests, feedback and create a new game with some new ideas. Allowing them to evolve the series, taking lessons from all the past games, community and make something potentially great. Or...it could be an utter MMO Second Life like clone, online only disaster.
Regardless, what do you think?
Personally I voted 3, simply because...I still play Sims 3 and jump between whatever game I'm in the mood for.
Post edited by EA_Rtas on
The Sims 4 is six years old now, is it time to move on? 247 votes
Yes, I'm ready for the Sims 5
44%
110 votes
No, I'm happy with the Sims 4
28%
70 votes
I really don't care either way, I play everything.
9%
23 votes
I'm not sure tbh... (explain below if you like!)
17%
44 votes
3
Comments
I think, creatively, the Sims 4 is really out of ideas. They have so much stuff that needs to be added to the game, but I don't think the game can handle any of it. Cars, babies, attraction, likes/ dislikes, story progression, etc. The Sims team seems to be avoiding all of these ideas, and doing random things like Star Wars. Is the game capable of having these things? Or is the technology too dated at this point?
If the technology of the Sims 4 is too unstable to add anything substantial to it, then it's time to move on!
But, I agree with Scobre that they may go with Sims 5 being an MMO. It will probably be subscription based and all online. It may even have loot boxes. The micro-transactions will be even worse. And EA does love online games.....
What I'm really hoping is that another franchise comes and takes this genre away from EA for good, a company like Paradox, or that Paralives is a worthy successor to the Sims.
I agree with the bolded. I think after a while there needs to be the realistic conversation of when is enough enough? When do we stop fighting with the technology and develop tech that works for us, rather than making the game work for weaker tech. And I don't mean as in making sure the game can run on lower end systems. I mean like...if it's too hard for you to add in bunk beds with the current tech then maybe you just need new tech that makes it easy for you to add in bunk beds. You can replace bunk beds with any other content that the team or the fans have thought about being added to the game.
There has to be a point of recognition where someone says "a lot of things that a life sim has the potential to be, can't be achieved in this iteration, and I think we need to reassess our technology for the next version to see how we can include more content." This goes beyond just improved babies, and cars, and farming, etc. It includes robust AI, an immersive operating world, the depth of the animations, etc. And if the developers actually want to include these kinds of things, then yes absolutely try again on a new engine with a brand new game. If they don't want to include these things, then...I mean it's kind of disappointing because I feel like they're playing pretend at developing a life sim game to an extent. Or perhaps I should say, they're developing a life sim game that feels slightly unsatisfying to me.
And it does become a question of can they or can't they? Or is it really they can and they won't? Sometimes it's hard to recognize the distinction between the two with the dev team. But the recent statement that was released saying they hear the fans asking for these things (cars, bunk beds, improved babies) and for this or that reason they're not being added at this time. But after so many years of fans requesting this, it really does make me wonder if it's that they can add these things and they don't want to, or if they simply can't figure out how to add them in-game without issues which goes back to what I was saying up above.
With the way games are going and the way life is headed, I personally don't think ts5 is going to be this dream ts2 with ts3 everybody is hoping for.
Personally i think it's going to be worse in many ways but with better tech.
Just my opinion though. 😃
Well, maybe console players should stop wanting to play games that were never designed for console to begin with... simulation games literally have no place being on consoles. It never made sense to me why anyone would even prefer playing any simulation game on a console VS PC to begin with. Either EA needs to stop putting Sims on console OR they should go back to what they used to do (prior to Sims 4) and make the console games run on a different engine than the PC version. Otherwise, console Sims players are gonna be the reason for this game's ultimate downfall.
Sims 1: Hot Date
Sims 2: Seasons
Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff
Sims 3: Seasons
Sims 3: 70's, 80's, & 90's Stuff
Sims 4: Seasons
Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff
Sims 4: Strangerville Game Pack
I think the devs are struggling with the programming or the engine of the game. For example, they have a color wheel for the pets but for some reason did not implement this for the sims too. My guess is it could be a lot of work to revamp the whole coloring method for the sims themselves.
There's always so many packs being added, there's only so much the base game can take. Heck, even my laptop that exceeds the required specs can't handle the game.
I'm also concerned that Sims 5 will become one of the following:
1) A multiplayer online game
2) A micro-transaction game
3) Both of the above
The video game industry is, unfortunately, becoming heavily reliant on these types of games... which is very concerning for me. It seems like gaming companies are becoming more lazy and releasing unfinished games so they can release the rest in forms of DLC later on. Also, with phones and tablets becoming a new trend in gaming, I'm worried Sims 5 could be nothing more than an app, as opposed to an actual game.
If I hadn't already lost all faith for EA, I would remain hopeful that I'm wrong and they'd learn from their mistakes... but after witnessing them making consistent mistakes over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, I just don't see it happening. It would be a miracle if Sims 5 turned out to be a fantastic game... and here I am hoping for a miracle because that's all I can do at this point.
Sims 1: Hot Date
Sims 2: Seasons
Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff
Sims 3: Seasons
Sims 3: 70's, 80's, & 90's Stuff
Sims 4: Seasons
Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff
Sims 4: Strangerville Game Pack
All in all I don't think I'd be ready to move on until I know what the basics of ts5 are.
And unless ts5 is ready for release soonish, I do believe it would be wise if they allocated more resources to the bug fixing part of ts4. Just adding more content only makes it worse atm. But, since that's their main sales tactic and a demand/request from a large part of the player base (I see people constantly asking for new content), I fear that's not gonna happen.
That said, I do generally like sims 4, but the recent lack of proper bug fixes has me unmotivated and slightly worried.
A lot of angry simmers wanted to be done with it and wanted the Sims 4 now. I dont' see those simmers here anymore, careful what you wish for I guess?
It does go to show we have no idea what the Sims 5 could be.
Hahaha, if there is a TS5 but I don't want to buy it -- assuming I don't like the features, I know I'll still be on the forums talking to my friends.
On the other hand, I say ”should” because I’m not certain what’s going to change. The main players behind the scenes will be the same. Similar issues can reasonably be expected. So we’d be resetting to base game level content with the strong possibility that the same cycle of ineptitude repeats itself.
I’d probably be ever-so-slightly in favour of them sticking it out with TS4.
But at the same time, The Sims 5 might be better since six years is a long lifespan for The Sims 4 and I hope they have been developing The Sims 5 behind the scenes for these long six years.
I would be interested in Sims 5, provided they take it in the direction of Sims 2 and 3, with Sims 4 build and CAS, and new content like neighbourhoods modelled from around the globe, more dynamic gameplay, etc.
There's still quite a few packs I want in The Sims 4 though before we move on to the next game though. I want to atleast get the stuff I want in this game before we go back to the boredom of the seasons-university-pets pack cycle yet again
I do hope that they will not just make another sims5 though, but that they will improve the sims so that it is able to give the fans what they want, while they still are able to make content that they want to make as well. If they are taking the sims5 online, then I hope that it's a separate module and that the normal singe player will not receive less content.
I think that they should assign multiple studios to work on the sims5, that could help with them making more content and also making what the fans want.
Will it be a step forward from its predecessor like sims 2 and 3 were, then yes, I'm all for it.
Will it be like sims 4 and a huge step backwards, the no. If they leave out base game features of sims 1 again.... I don't know if I will still bother buying a fifth installment under those circumstances.
In order for Sims 5 to be a good online game, they need to look at how their competitors make it succeed. They need to learn from past mistakes and actually listen to what the community wants.
That said, I'd still observe with interest. If/when Sims 5 does release, I'm happy to wait quite a while before jumping on that bandwagon. Like I said, I've still got plenty I want to do with Sims 4 yet and I think going through the wait for seasons/pets/university would drive me crazy