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A solution to the Open World Vs Closed Debate
teamjen
Posts: 50 Member
Ok its not a great idea but its an idea. As I'm sure most of you guys are aware of the big debate of open world vs non-open world for sims 5. Well I think I came to a solution. What if we got two different versions of the same game. One with open world like the sims 3 and the other closed like sims 4. Every time I read a thread or post almost everyone had the same reason for not wanting an open world which is because of lag. Not everyone has powerful computer or can afford to upgrade to play the sims which I understand to a certain extent.
A good number of us players would love to have open world again but to get that we may possibly need a computer that can handle it and I'm sure most of us is willing to get. I feel like this could potentially be a good compromise for the divided community. Those who can handle it will have it and those who don't can simply buy the other version of the same product.
This is just a random idea/solution that I came up with and I'm curious to hear other opinions on it. I also like the idea of open neighborhoods/or districts. Basically anything that doesn't require a loading screen to enter the lot right next to my sim.
A good number of us players would love to have open world again but to get that we may possibly need a computer that can handle it and I'm sure most of us is willing to get. I feel like this could potentially be a good compromise for the divided community. Those who can handle it will have it and those who don't can simply buy the other version of the same product.
This is just a random idea/solution that I came up with and I'm curious to hear other opinions on it. I also like the idea of open neighborhoods/or districts. Basically anything that doesn't require a loading screen to enter the lot right next to my sim.
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Comments
I think Sims 4 was the best compromise to 2/3 and I think the Sims dev team has successfully iterated on creating a better game world for Sims 2 and Sims 3 players who can't agree.
As far as my opinion goes on the open/closed world solution for TS5 if we have to pick one... while I'm keen on an open world and on pushing my hardware to the max and upgrading if necessary, I'm also fine with loading screens--especially if they eliminate rabbit holes. I also prefer the focus of the game to be on Sims development (better psychology and behaviour logic, more detailed object interactions, animations, quirks, and design) rather than a pretty world and ghastly uncanny valley sims whose emotions are now constrained to little blocks of mood icons on my screen, or in the case of TS4 sims that go poof with annoying moodlets. If there needs to be a compromise, I'm more for closed worlds. If it's just a matter of blowing up hardware, then I'm pro-open world.
I know its possible and can be done but they're so many players that are just scared of open world for what it may or may not do. I was actually playing gta earlier on a friends computer and I kept thinking if rockstar can do it why can't ea.
I do think its crazy for them to release two different versions of the game but its still possible. I only came up with this idea because of another thread. A part of me just foolishly believe that we can all get what we want out of the game. I don't think sims 4 is the best compromise between 2 and 3 at all but it is one. I think everyone at this point is pro sims development and i think its totally possible to have that and open world.
I also want larger worlds with many many lots instead of the pidly little number of lots we are given. I don't want set dressing and fake houses either. That should be optional for players depending on how taxing it is on their own system if they can handle having each lot filled with buildings. There is tremendous wasted space in every TS4 world, which is a huge pet peeve of mine.
I also want the ability to change anything in my world, no more locking "the world" around my lot. If I want my world totally devoid of trees and flowers, then I should have the ability to remove them. If I want that park to have playground equipment that came out in other packs, then I should have the ability to add that to that lot.
I'm done with the restrictions from the devs!
The sims4 is too extreme, it removes the entire world every time you travel, it doesn't keep any assets at all. It removes everything and loads it again.
At the same time, however, my favorite part of Sims 4 is that Sims 2-esque self-contained story element. If you turn off story progression and non-played-sims aging, you can keep multiple narratives going and bounce pretty seamlessly between them on different playthroughs, creating huge long-running save files across multiple years of play.
Speaking of story progression, it'd be neat if, unlike in Sims 4 as currently constituted, you could find another middle ground between "NPCs are static unless you explicitly make them dynamic" and "your sim can better affect the NPCs in the world by having 'story progression on active lot' or something similarly named turned on."
That is to say, if you go to the gym and mentor an NPC sim in fitness, the NPC picks up Fitness skill. Or if NPCs in the background talk and get friendly while you're working out, they'll maintain those friendships should you decide to play as them later, but only when the player can outright see what's going on.
There are so many things EA could do really well in Sims 5 if they get the blend just right.
And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
My NBA site, Pace and Space
There's tones of open world games that work fine. It's embarrassing seeing indie games doing such things and a company like EA failing on that! We have to stop putting The Sims franchise bar so low because of the Sims 4 reality and The Sims 3 problems.
If something was wrong I naturally expected improvement and fixes, not going two steps down and that's what happened with The Sims 4. For me that's more like avoiding the problem. If there'+s no intention for improvement there's no need of The Sims 5 when we already have The Sims 1, 2 and 4.
But they'd need to be slightly larger than they are now, maybe with 8-12 lots.
It's not the whole world, but it's enough to have one sim pop next door while the kids are off at the play ground, and another of your household is at the cafe down the street. You could switch back and forth between your sims, while they're within your own neighbourhood, without any loading screens.
The Sims 3 had an open world, but the open world and the routing errors were prone to lag, which made the game unplayable for low-end computer users.
The Sims 4 has a semi-open world. You can explore the little world and bring stuff home, maybe discover a secret lot. So, it is a little more expansive than The Sims 2 in that regard.
Also less rabbit holes for sure.