Not to be insensitive to your plight, but it is an American game that is literally sold and played all over the world. It would be impossible to include all the content from different parts of the world in the game and have it be playable. In my personal opinion, they try to keep the items mostly generic and not related to any particular origin. As for the vacuum, the canister vacuum was popular in the US in the 70s and before so that is why you probably don't see that in-game. As for the pricing, I would suspect that the Exchange Rate has a lot to do with that. Probably everything in Europe is more expensive than it is in the US. You don't notice this because everything you purchase doesn't involve a forum where people are discussing the price of things.
Not to be insensitive to your plight, but it is an American game that is literally sold and played all over the world.
Being an American game published by American developers, doesn't mean it has to be focused around America all the time and neither does the rest of the users around the world have to keep accepting that as is or even the american developers themselves. We get so much exposure of America all the time, why not try the other way once in a while and have American users get a dose of European, or Australia or African values and culture.
The fact of the matter is that America is a much greater melting pot of many different cultures and there is no one culture that is greater than the other, America has no culture of its own since it's a mix of every other person (and what they bring) from every other country who have settled into the USA, ever since the 1600's before there was this idea of America and it was a bunch of colonies controlled by a number of European powers. These people accepted to the way the country is run and the laws that are set down, but that doesn't mean they gave up their right to their own cultures or having that part seen from time to time, which it turn creates its own problems on occasion.
American developers should look outward once in a while, there is a whole world out there that they are apart of as much as anyone else from any other country and that is often forgotten when working within a bubble and their lives are within bubbles. It might be refreshing and invigorating just stepping outside America for one or two months and exploring another culture in depth, and the developer has this whole customer base they can work with to expose new cultures and different ideas to. Would it be so bad to give it an actual try once in a while to put America aside in one or two instances? it's not like anyone is asking the developers to stop the majority of their American focused consumerism in the process.
American developers should look outward once in a while, there is a whole world out there that they are apart of as much as anyone else from any other country and that is often forgotten when working within a bubble and their lives are within bubbles. It might be refreshing and invigorating just stepping outside America for one or two months and exploring another culture in depth, and the developer has this whole customer base they can work with to expose new cultures and different ideas to. Would it be so bad to give it an actual try once in a while to put America aside in one or two instances? it's not like anyone is asking the developers to stop the majority of their American focused consumerism in the process.
What I'm afraid of though is that the whining won't stop if Maxis DID make some other worlds set in other cultures. Look what happened with the Japan themed-pack and the ruckus created from that.
I think we should just ask for The Sims 5 to be as customizable as possible and have a Create-A-World from the start so everyone can make whatever world that represents whatever culture the simmer wants. In TS3, we've been able to get a wide variety of worlds including African and you don't get a lot of whining for different worlds because we've been given the tools to make those worlds ourselves.
I do know that one of the modders has been working on an open world mod for TS4. And he said that people can create new worlds using his mod so that is something to consider. I would much prefer to see a European TS4 simmer build a European world than Maxis, because that European simmer would know what best represents their country and culture.
On the first point I looked into it a while ago the price being higher is just down to VAT on games being much higher in Europe than the States. VAT in America is around 10%, whilst in Europe it's 17% in the lowest countries.
The average VAT rate of the European countries covered is 21.3 percent
With regards to other countries, Canadian players are not being overcharged and never have been, they're charging the fair exchange rate. It's the same price as your American peers are paying, packs are just that expensive for everyone.
With the rest of it yeah I wish we saw more non-American inspired things in the game, especially with regards to worlds. For context this is a quick map with all the Sims 4 worlds and the location they're based on and.. it's not great.
I know snowy escape is based on Japan, but which other one is? I’m curious do you have the town names of the town the others are based on? Some I can guess, but not others. I always saw get famous and San Myshuno based in California, even Oasis Strings possibly.
I would love to see more European influence in the game. But keep in mind that the developers are American and the game is developed in the U.S. so when they do try to represent another country's flavor, sometimes they don't get it quite right because they only use what they find online. It can be difficult sometimes for someone in one country to understand the normalcies of a place they've never lived or visited. But hopefully we'll get some new Euro-inspired places like Windenburg (but different) because I just love that world.
I agree, I live in California, but Windenburg, partly because of size and partly because of the wallpapers is my favorite pack. I sure wish they would have added beach lots to get famous. I am still hoping they will add a world with pacific coast beach lots. I can understand people wanting worlds like theirs too. I like worlds from all over, but wish the worlds had af least 20 lots each.
Why I love desert hoods I have no idea how "American" OS is, but anyway far from here, Scandinavia , and always warm
My sims do not have to shovel their cars (imagined ones) from snow at every morning
Too funny..... I actually grew up in a desert ( a high desert meaning it was cold, but we didn’t haerdly get any precipitation ..... I live a hundred miles from there now, where crops are grown, but we have been experiencing a drought for the last several years..... so I have to say the rain ( and blizzards ) are kind of annoying. I had my sim out at Granite falls one day looking for something and she got struck by lightning and her eyes glowed.
Not to be insensitive to your plight, but it is an American game that is literally sold and played all over the world.
Being an American game published by American developers, doesn't mean it has to be focused around America all the time and neither does the rest of the users around the world have to keep accepting that as is or even the American developers themselves. We get so much exposure of America all the time, why not try the other way once in a while and have American users get a dose of European, or Australia or African values and culture.
The fact of the matter is that America is a much greater melting pot of many different cultures and there is no one culture that is greater than the other, America has no culture of its own since it's a mix of every other person (and what they bring) from every other country who have settled into the USA, ever since the 1600's before there was this idea of America and it was a bunch of colonies controlled by a number of European powers. These people accepted to the way the country is run and the laws that are set down, but that doesn't mean they gave up their right to their own cultures or having that part seen from time to time, which it turn creates its own problems on occasion.
American developers should look outward once in a while, there is a whole world out there that they are apart of as much as anyone else from any other country and that is often forgotten when working within a bubble and their lives are within bubbles. It might be refreshing and invigorating just stepping outside America for one or two months and exploring another culture in depth, and the developer has this whole customer base they can work with to expose new cultures and different ideas to. Would it be so bad to give it an actual try once in a while to put America aside in one or two instances? it's not like anyone is asking the developers to stop the majority of their American focused consumerism in the process.
You seem angry. First of all, if you are going to quote someone and comment on it like this, include the entire quote. You responded to one tiny part of my post and neglected to include the statement where I said most of the items in the Sims 4 seem to be generic, among other things.
Secondly, your second paragraph contradicts the first to some degree. First, you are saying: "Being an American game published by American developers, doesn't mean it has to be focused around America all the time..." Then you say "...why not try the other way once in a while and have American users get a dose of European, or Australian or African values and culture." I am not sure what you mean by "values" but, in paragraph 2, you say we are a melting pot and don't have a culture of our own." which is it? If we don't have our own culture, how can we not be reflecting the cultures we are comprised of? Thus you really don't have a complaint here. And American developers don't have to look outward because they are being inspired by the melting pot that represents all cultures right here in the United States, right?
People came to the landmass upon which the United States is currently situated to expand their horizons and get away from the tyranny that threatened their existence in some cases. They brought their values and cultures with them and, as with all things, they changed over time, wanting to not repeat the tyranny that existed in their homeland. Here's a surprise for you, that probably can describe all countries in the world to some degree. Australia began its current existence as a penal colony for Britain. As a matter of fact, many countries have Britain's footprint embedded in their culture because of colonization. Just a little history lesson there.
Believe it or not, American developers do look outwards in my opinion, but to try to develop, expand and market a game using all the cultures of the world, or even just a few, would be an entirely undoable undertaking. There would be too much conflict. Let us not forget that they tried to use Japan as a basis for their Snowy Escape pack and immediately caught backlash from Korean players who were insulted by some aspects of the pack. Do you know enough about all cultures in the world to create something that wouldn't offend people? I don't.
In my opinion, the sims world should be a world onto itself. The items, sims, locales should all be as generic as possible and not reflect any one culture anywhere. As for the price point, I suspect that the exchange rates from country to country cause the change in price, not the company that makes the game.
American developers should look outward once in a while, there is a whole world out there that they are apart of as much as anyone else from any other country and that is often forgotten when working within a bubble and their lives are within bubbles. It might be refreshing and invigorating just stepping outside America for one or two months and exploring another culture in depth, and the developer has this whole customer base they can work with to expose new cultures and different ideas to. Would it be so bad to give it an actual try once in a while to put America aside in one or two instances? it's not like anyone is asking the developers to stop the majority of their American focused consumerism in the process.
What I'm afraid of though is that the whining won't stop if Maxis DID make some other worlds set in other cultures. Look what happened with the Japan themed-pack and the ruckus created from that.
I think we should just ask for The Sims 5 to be as customizable as possible and have a Create-A-World from the start so everyone can make whatever world that represents whatever culture the simmer wants. In TS3, we've been able to get a wide variety of worlds including African and you don't get a lot of whining for different worlds because we've been given the tools to make those worlds ourselves.
I do know that one of the modders has been working on an open world mod for TS4. And he said that people can create new worlds using his mod so that is something to consider. I would much prefer to see a European TS4 simmer build a European world than Maxis, because that European simmer would know what best represents their country and culture.
This is well said! Bravo!
By the way, where did you get the amusement park mod? That looks awesome.
I do feel like all religious symbols & traditions should be removed/ignored because all religions have a history of converting others with violent means & destroying precious heritage sites of others, so it would be a lot better & interesting to focus on other aspects of the coultures like folklore, food etc. Snowy Escape felt like such an easy-way-out by the devs, like they didn't really understand or even research the coulture or history. Just slap together the most well known/seen traits.
Don't forget the American perception of Transylvania.
Ha! Thank you! As a romanian, I must say there are no vampires in our mythology.
They can't represent all countries and all cultures in the game and I don't think they should even try. Also, it's a fantasy game and representing a culture to the letter might actually ruin it. I want to play a fun game, not an antropology simulation. I, personally, do not feel the need to be represented in the game. Sure, it would be cool to see a bit of Eastern European inspired packs, but I don't feel that they are missing.
I love your post. I just wanted to clarify that Vlad the Impaler was Romanian. His real-life story is amazing. He is the historical person that loosely inspired Bram Stoker's main character in the novel, Dracula. Sadly, a lot of people don't understand this concept and believe that Count Dracula himself was a real person from Romania. I apologize on behalf of all Americans for this oversight.
Don't forget the American perception of Transylvania.
Ha! Thank you! As a romanian, I must say there are no vampires in our mythology.
They can't represent all countries and all cultures in the game and I don't think they should even try. Also, it's a fantasy game and representing a culture to the letter might actually ruin it. I want to play a fun game, not an antropology simulation. I, personally, do not feel the need to be represented in the game. Sure, it would be cool to see a bit of Eastern European inspired packs, but I don't feel that they are missing.
No folklore about the undead? I didn't know that since I watch a lot of documentaries of where folklore comes from and it was all about the old beliefs from your area of the world about those ancient practices of burying people in odd ways. I wonder why any of us think there is ancient folklore from your country when we see it in documentaries showing the text of your country in the history of your books.
I'm not sure exactly where vampire folklore came from but Bram Stoker's inspiration for Dracula comes from a small fishing town in the UK called Whitby in North Yorkshire. There is a lot of vampire/wiccan themed stuff in the town for this reason. Although I think the story of Dracula is in Transylvania but that was never the initial inspiration place for the story. Sorry I know this is off topic to the thread.
The inspiration for the main character was a Romanian. Apparently, Bram Stoker, who was Irish, wrote the story in a British castle which inspired the background elements of the location of the story though it is supposed to be in Transylvania. The castle itself is said to be visited by thousands of people every year solely for this reason. I just recently heard this history told on a podcast, like over this past weekend. I would love to see that castle!
American developers should look outward once in a while, there is a whole world out there that they are apart of as much as anyone else from any other country and that is often forgotten when working within a bubble and their lives are within bubbles. It might be refreshing and invigorating just stepping outside America for one or two months and exploring another culture in depth, and the developer has this whole customer base they can work with to expose new cultures and different ideas to. Would it be so bad to give it an actual try once in a while to put America aside in one or two instances? it's not like anyone is asking the developers to stop the majority of their American focused consumerism in the process.
What I'm afraid of though is that the whining won't stop if Maxis DID make some other worlds set in other cultures. Look what happened with the Japan themed-pack and the ruckus created from that.
I think we should just ask for The Sims 5 to be as customizable as possible and have a Create-A-World from the start so everyone can make whatever world that represents whatever culture the simmer wants. In TS3, we've been able to get a wide variety of worlds including African and you don't get a lot of whining for different worlds because we've been given the tools to make those worlds ourselves.
I do know that one of the modders has been working on an open world mod for TS4. And he said that people can create new worlds using his mod so that is something to consider. I would much prefer to see a European TS4 simmer build a European world than Maxis, because that European simmer would know what best represents their country and culture.
It has more to do with research. It is also worth pointing out that just because something is set in America or about Americans and made by Americans doesn't mean more research should not be done. There are a lot of examples both of games set in America and about American "things" that are made within the last or present decade that completely butcher or is outright offensive regarding LGBTQ+, Native populations, Latin culture, black culture or just glorifying things like war crimes and torture as long as it is done by Americans to people of other cultures.
Again, the key is to hire experts regarding the culture. If you're doing a game about a transgender character, hire a transgender consultant if you don't have trans people in your writing staff. And so on.
I really dont think theres anything wrong with an American game made by Americans promoted to an American audience....especially when there ARE worlds inspired by other countries in the game. I wonder if people keep this same energy when playing Japanese games? Or Russian games? Or any other medium with its origin country.
The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5
I really dont think theres anything wrong with an American game made by Americans promoted to an American audience....especially when there ARE worlds inspired by other countries in the game. I wonder if people keep this same energy when playing Japanese games? Or Russian games? Or any other medium with its origin country.
On a serious note, if it's a life simulation, it should include something for everybody. It's not called "The white upper class american simulator", even though it bloody well should be lmao
On a serious note, if it's a life simulation, it should include something for everybody. It's not called "The white upper class american simulator", even though it bloody well should be lmao
What makes you think this is "The white upper class american simulator"? You as the player create the classes.
I really dont think theres anything wrong with an American game made by Americans promoted to an American audience....especially when there ARE worlds inspired by other countries in the game. I wonder if people keep this same energy when playing Japanese games? Or Russian games? Or any other medium with its origin country.
On a serious note, if it's a life simulation, it should include something for everybody. It's not called "The white upper class american simulator", even though it bloody well should be lmao
I mean you can make any race sim, any age sim, and set how much money they have so its a bit of moot point lol;
Post edited by EA_Mako on
The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5
I really dont think theres anything wrong with an American game made by Americans promoted to an American audience....especially when there ARE worlds inspired by other countries in the game. I wonder if people keep this same energy when playing Japanese games? Or Russian games? Or any other medium with its origin country.
Russians can hardly speak english so who is there to judge except them (I'm allowed to say that I'm finnish)
On a serious note, if it's a life simulation, it should include something for everybody. It's not called "The white upper class american simulator", even though it bloody well should be lmao
I mean you can make any race sim, any age sim, and set how much money they have so its a bit of moot point lol;
No matter what you do in the game, you get ridiculous amounts of money. Sure, all my sims start out with absolutely nothing, but in a few hours no matter what ridiculous limitations I put on myself and the game's features, my sim will be filthy rich. You could not be any race sim for five years, though. The clothing is 90% dreadfully western, the hairsyles are almost all western. It's a "life" simulation for the american dream.
Not to mention every world except san myshuno is a suburbia.
(Also if you wish to build anything except modern - blue suburban, you need to pay extra)
I really dont think theres anything wrong with an American game made by Americans promoted to an American audience....especially when there ARE worlds inspired by other countries in the game. I wonder if people keep this same energy when playing Japanese games? Or Russian games? Or any other medium with its origin country.
Russians can hardly speak english so who is there to judge except them (I'm allowed to say that I'm finnish)
On a serious note, if it's a life simulation, it should include something for everybody. It's not called "The white upper class american simulator", even though it bloody well should be lmao
What makes you think this is "The white upper class american simulator"? You as the player create the classes.
The fact that you literally have to use cheat codes NOT to become super duper rich very quickly? This is by far the easiest game in the Sims series when it comes to earning money; heck the new dust kit nets you several hundred Simolions a day just by letting your house get filthy.
I mean my last save was two mermaids living in an enormous house with no education and no jobs; all they did was to swim all day and make Fizz that they sold. They were millionares before reaching elderhood. And I deliberately tried NOT to make them rich.
American developers should look outward once in a while, there is a whole world out there that they are apart of as much as anyone else from any other country and that is often forgotten when working within a bubble and their lives are within bubbles. It might be refreshing and invigorating just stepping outside America for one or two months and exploring another culture in depth, and the developer has this whole customer base they can work with to expose new cultures and different ideas to. Would it be so bad to give it an actual try once in a while to put America aside in one or two instances? it's not like anyone is asking the developers to stop the majority of their American focused consumerism in the process.
What I'm afraid of though is that the whining won't stop if Maxis DID make some other worlds set in other cultures. Look what happened with the Japan themed-pack and the ruckus created from that.
I think we should just ask for The Sims 5 to be as customizable as possible and have a Create-A-World from the start so everyone can make whatever world that represents whatever culture the simmer wants. In TS3, we've been able to get a wide variety of worlds including African and you don't get a lot of whining for different worlds because we've been given the tools to make those worlds ourselves.
I do know that one of the modders has been working on an open world mod for TS4. And he said that people can create new worlds using his mod so that is something to consider. I would much prefer to see a European TS4 simmer build a European world than Maxis, because that European simmer would know what best represents their country and culture.
This is well said! Bravo!
By the way, where did you get the amusement park mod? That looks awesome.
That's The Boardwalk which is a Sims 3 Store venue. It goes really well with the world, Roaring Heights, but you can put it in any world. I added it to Rflong's Isle of Sims III since it had the perfect spot for it:
It's pretty neat and you can design the roller coaster rides themselves if you don't want the default one. I didn't make any changes to them though. I also added the air balloon from TS3's Aurora Skies world, Douglas Viega's ferris wheel (mod), and the merry-go-round from the World of Wonders venue (also from the Sims 3 Store). Also threw in all the arcade games from the various venues and sets, the bobbing for apples tank and other celebration stuff from Seasons EP, bucking bronco ride from Showtime and the Archer's Gauntlet from the Duke of Bows Renaissance Faire venue.
The fact that you literally have to use cheat codes NOT to become super duper rich very quickly? This is by far the easiest game in the Sims series when it comes to earning money; heck the new dust kit nets you several hundred Simolions a day just by letting your house get filthy.
I mean my last save was two mermaids living in an enormous house with no education and no jobs; all they did was to swim all day and make Fizz that they sold. They were millionares before reaching elderhood. And I deliberately tried NOT to make them rich.
I had a save where I decided I would only make money by DJ tips & parties (normal lifespan) and by the time my starter was an elder they lived in a mansion worth around 300k. Doing anything in the game is so meaningless, you get so much money and there is nothing to spend it on.
I tried to build a starter home for 17k on TS3 today and literally could not do anything but the exterior and the house was only worth 13k because of the instant item depreciation :'DD
American developers should look outward once in a while, there is a whole world out there that they are apart of as much as anyone else from any other country and that is often forgotten when working within a bubble and their lives are within bubbles. It might be refreshing and invigorating just stepping outside America for one or two months and exploring another culture in depth, and the developer has this whole customer base they can work with to expose new cultures and different ideas to. Would it be so bad to give it an actual try once in a while to put America aside in one or two instances? it's not like anyone is asking the developers to stop the majority of their American focused consumerism in the process.
What I'm afraid of though is that the whining won't stop if Maxis DID make some other worlds set in other cultures. Look what happened with the Japan themed-pack and the ruckus created from that.
I think we should just ask for The Sims 5 to be as customizable as possible and have a Create-A-World from the start so everyone can make whatever world that represents whatever culture the simmer wants. In TS3, we've been able to get a wide variety of worlds including African and you don't get a lot of whining for different worlds because we've been given the tools to make those worlds ourselves.
I do know that one of the modders has been working on an open world mod for TS4. And he said that people can create new worlds using his mod so that is something to consider. I would much prefer to see a European TS4 simmer build a European world than Maxis, because that European simmer would know what best represents their country and culture.
It has more to do with research. It is also worth pointing out that just because something is set in America or about Americans and made by Americans doesn't mean more research should not be done. There are a lot of examples both of games set in America and about American "things" that are made within the last or present decade that completely butcher or is outright offensive regarding LGBTQ+, Native populations, Latin culture, black culture or just glorifying things like war crimes and torture as long as it is done by Americans to people of other cultures.
Again, the key is to hire experts regarding the culture. If you're doing a game about a transgender character, hire a transgender consultant if you don't have trans people in your writing staff. And so on.
Don't you get the impression that EA doesn't give Maxis enough funding to hire more people for that? I do. So the next best thing is to have the current staff create tools for the game so the simmers can do it themselves. That way, all groups can be represented as the simmers want. Currently, no one is doing that either, so I think Arnie's open world mod may be the best thing right now.
I really dont think theres anything wrong with an American game made by Americans promoted to an American audience....especially when there ARE worlds inspired by other countries in the game. I wonder if people keep this same energy when playing Japanese games? Or Russian games? Or any other medium with its origin country.
Russians can hardly speak english so who is there to judge except them (I'm allowed to say that I'm finnish)
On a serious note, if it's a life simulation, it should include something for everybody. It's not called "The white upper class american simulator", even though it bloody well should be lmao
I mean you can make any race sim, any age sim, and set how much money they have so its a bit of moot point lol;
No matter what you do in the game, you get ridiculous amounts of money. Sure, all my sims start out with absolutely nothing, but in a few hours no matter what ridiculous limitations I put on myself and the game's features, my sim will be filthy rich. You could not be any race sim for five years, though. The clothing is 90% dreadfully western, the hairsyles are almost all western. It's a "life" simulation for the american dream.
Not to mention every world except san myshuno is a suburbia.
(Also if you wish to build anything except modern - blue suburban, you need to pay extra)
I do think in TS4 its too easy to make money. I tried downloading a mod that slashed my pay in half but it was outdated after cats & dogs 😭😭😭 I do think in the other sims games its not as easy. And def not in TS1 😩
Wdym cannot create other races for 5 years? If you mean the skintones, i never felt you couldnt create black sims. Im happy for the new skin colors giving more variety but I wouldnt go as far as to say I couldn't create a black sim.
Ya lots of worlds are suburbian but you can place any kind of lot down from the gallery. I do wish there was a create a world/neighborhood tool, that would fix so many issues. Also i may be losing my marbles but besides surburbia and city what other kind of community living types out there? Like village? Villa? Maybe rural...
Interesting you say the hair is western. What do you mean by western hair? And what kind of nonwestern clothing do you want to see (do you mean traditional clothing?)?
The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5
I do think in TS4 its too easy to make money. I tried downloading a mod that slashed my pay in half but it was outdated after cats & dogs 😭😭😭 I do think in the other sims games its not as easy. And def not in TS1 😩
Wdym cannot create other races for 5 years? If you mean the skintones, i never felt you couldnt create black sims. Im happy for the new skin colors giving more variety but I wouldnt go as far as to say I couldn't create a black sim.
Ya lots of worlds are suburbian but you can place any kind of lot down from the gallery. I do wish there was a create a world/neighborhood tool, that would fix so many issues. Also i may be losing my marbles but besides surburbia and city what other kind of community living types out there? Like village? Villa? Maybe rural...
Interesting you say the hair is western. What do you mean by western hair?
Street fashion in other countries has VERY different hairstyles, and not the preppy/modern type we now have in the game. Also all hair accessories, when we rarely have them (do we even have them for other than kids??), are all very simple. I'd like to see more of stuff like tokyo, Pretoria or Delhi street fashion (google them and fall in love) from different decades.
Also I would've loved to see more yankee fashion with SnowyEscape. It's like western clothing put through google translate. I love it.
Also I'd love to see small towns that feel like small towns, rural areas with farms etc.
@Marinuttonen those sound like good ideas 😆 I especially would like to see more traditional clothes from all over the world ♡♡♡and maybe some that are a modern version too. And that is true about accesories. I recently learned the name of these; Cholitas
The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5
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My Plumbob is GREEN today
Being an American game published by American developers, doesn't mean it has to be focused around America all the time and neither does the rest of the users around the world have to keep accepting that as is or even the american developers themselves. We get so much exposure of America all the time, why not try the other way once in a while and have American users get a dose of European, or Australia or African values and culture.
The fact of the matter is that America is a much greater melting pot of many different cultures and there is no one culture that is greater than the other, America has no culture of its own since it's a mix of every other person (and what they bring) from every other country who have settled into the USA, ever since the 1600's before there was this idea of America and it was a bunch of colonies controlled by a number of European powers. These people accepted to the way the country is run and the laws that are set down, but that doesn't mean they gave up their right to their own cultures or having that part seen from time to time, which it turn creates its own problems on occasion.
American developers should look outward once in a while, there is a whole world out there that they are apart of as much as anyone else from any other country and that is often forgotten when working within a bubble and their lives are within bubbles. It might be refreshing and invigorating just stepping outside America for one or two months and exploring another culture in depth, and the developer has this whole customer base they can work with to expose new cultures and different ideas to. Would it be so bad to give it an actual try once in a while to put America aside in one or two instances? it's not like anyone is asking the developers to stop the majority of their American focused consumerism in the process.
What I'm afraid of though is that the whining won't stop if Maxis DID make some other worlds set in other cultures. Look what happened with the Japan themed-pack and the ruckus created from that.
I think we should just ask for The Sims 5 to be as customizable as possible and have a Create-A-World from the start so everyone can make whatever world that represents whatever culture the simmer wants. In TS3, we've been able to get a wide variety of worlds including African and you don't get a lot of whining for different worlds because we've been given the tools to make those worlds ourselves.
I do know that one of the modders has been working on an open world mod for TS4. And he said that people can create new worlds using his mod so that is something to consider. I would much prefer to see a European TS4 simmer build a European world than Maxis, because that European simmer would know what best represents their country and culture.
I agree, I live in California, but Windenburg, partly because of size and partly because of the wallpapers is my favorite pack. I sure wish they would have added beach lots to get famous. I am still hoping they will add a world with pacific coast beach lots. I can understand people wanting worlds like theirs too. I like worlds from all over, but wish the worlds had af least 20 lots each.
Too funny..... I actually grew up in a desert ( a high desert meaning it was cold, but we didn’t haerdly get any precipitation ..... I live a hundred miles from there now, where crops are grown, but we have been experiencing a drought for the last several years..... so I have to say the rain ( and blizzards ) are kind of annoying. I had my sim out at Granite falls one day looking for something and she got struck by lightning and her eyes glowed.
You seem angry. First of all, if you are going to quote someone and comment on it like this, include the entire quote. You responded to one tiny part of my post and neglected to include the statement where I said most of the items in the Sims 4 seem to be generic, among other things.
Secondly, your second paragraph contradicts the first to some degree. First, you are saying: "Being an American game published by American developers, doesn't mean it has to be focused around America all the time..." Then you say "...why not try the other way once in a while and have American users get a dose of European, or Australian or African values and culture." I am not sure what you mean by "values" but, in paragraph 2, you say we are a melting pot and don't have a culture of our own." which is it? If we don't have our own culture, how can we not be reflecting the cultures we are comprised of? Thus you really don't have a complaint here. And American developers don't have to look outward because they are being inspired by the melting pot that represents all cultures right here in the United States, right?
People came to the landmass upon which the United States is currently situated to expand their horizons and get away from the tyranny that threatened their existence in some cases. They brought their values and cultures with them and, as with all things, they changed over time, wanting to not repeat the tyranny that existed in their homeland. Here's a surprise for you, that probably can describe all countries in the world to some degree. Australia began its current existence as a penal colony for Britain. As a matter of fact, many countries have Britain's footprint embedded in their culture because of colonization. Just a little history lesson there.
Believe it or not, American developers do look outwards in my opinion, but to try to develop, expand and market a game using all the cultures of the world, or even just a few, would be an entirely undoable undertaking. There would be too much conflict. Let us not forget that they tried to use Japan as a basis for their Snowy Escape pack and immediately caught backlash from Korean players who were insulted by some aspects of the pack. Do you know enough about all cultures in the world to create something that wouldn't offend people? I don't.
In my opinion, the sims world should be a world onto itself. The items, sims, locales should all be as generic as possible and not reflect any one culture anywhere. As for the price point, I suspect that the exchange rates from country to country cause the change in price, not the company that makes the game.
I'm sorry my post made you so irate.
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This is well said! Bravo!
By the way, where did you get the amusement park mod? That looks awesome.
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I love your post. I just wanted to clarify that Vlad the Impaler was Romanian. His real-life story is amazing. He is the historical person that loosely inspired Bram Stoker's main character in the novel, Dracula. Sadly, a lot of people don't understand this concept and believe that Count Dracula himself was a real person from Romania.
The inspiration for the main character was a Romanian. Apparently, Bram Stoker, who was Irish, wrote the story in a British castle which inspired the background elements of the location of the story though it is supposed to be in Transylvania. The castle itself is said to be visited by thousands of people every year solely for this reason. I just recently heard this history told on a podcast, like over this past weekend. I would love to see that castle!
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It has more to do with research. It is also worth pointing out that just because something is set in America or about Americans and made by Americans doesn't mean more research should not be done. There are a lot of examples both of games set in America and about American "things" that are made within the last or present decade that completely butcher or is outright offensive regarding LGBTQ+, Native populations, Latin culture, black culture or just glorifying things like war crimes and torture as long as it is done by Americans to people of other cultures.
Again, the key is to hire experts regarding the culture. If you're doing a game about a transgender character, hire a transgender consultant if you don't have trans people in your writing staff. And so on.
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
On a serious note, if it's a life simulation, it should include something for everybody. It's not called "The white upper class american simulator", even though it bloody well should be lmao
What makes you think this is "The white upper class american simulator"? You as the player create the classes.
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I mean you can make any race sim, any age sim, and set how much money they have so its a bit of moot point lol;
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
No matter what you do in the game, you get ridiculous amounts of money. Sure, all my sims start out with absolutely nothing, but in a few hours no matter what ridiculous limitations I put on myself and the game's features, my sim will be filthy rich. You could not be any race sim for five years, though. The clothing is 90% dreadfully western, the hairsyles are almost all western. It's a "life" simulation for the american dream.
Not to mention every world except san myshuno is a suburbia.
(Also if you wish to build anything except modern - blue suburban, you need to pay extra)
The fact that you literally have to use cheat codes NOT to become super duper rich very quickly? This is by far the easiest game in the Sims series when it comes to earning money; heck the new dust kit nets you several hundred Simolions a day just by letting your house get filthy.
I mean my last save was two mermaids living in an enormous house with no education and no jobs; all they did was to swim all day and make Fizz that they sold. They were millionares before reaching elderhood. And I deliberately tried NOT to make them rich.
That's The Boardwalk which is a Sims 3 Store venue. It goes really well with the world, Roaring Heights, but you can put it in any world. I added it to Rflong's Isle of Sims III since it had the perfect spot for it:
It's pretty neat and you can design the roller coaster rides themselves if you don't want the default one. I didn't make any changes to them though. I also added the air balloon from TS3's Aurora Skies world, Douglas Viega's ferris wheel (mod), and the merry-go-round from the World of Wonders venue (also from the Sims 3 Store). Also threw in all the arcade games from the various venues and sets, the bobbing for apples tank and other celebration stuff from Seasons EP, bucking bronco ride from Showtime and the Archer's Gauntlet from the Duke of Bows Renaissance Faire venue.
I had a save where I decided I would only make money by DJ tips & parties (normal lifespan) and by the time my starter was an elder they lived in a mansion worth around 300k. Doing anything in the game is so meaningless, you get so much money and there is nothing to spend it on.
I tried to build a starter home for 17k on TS3 today and literally could not do anything but the exterior and the house was only worth 13k because of the instant item depreciation :'DD
Don't you get the impression that EA doesn't give Maxis enough funding to hire more people for that? I do. So the next best thing is to have the current staff create tools for the game so the simmers can do it themselves. That way, all groups can be represented as the simmers want. Currently, no one is doing that either, so I think Arnie's open world mod may be the best thing right now.
I do think in TS4 its too easy to make money. I tried downloading a mod that slashed my pay in half but it was outdated after cats & dogs 😭😭😭 I do think in the other sims games its not as easy. And def not in TS1 😩
Wdym cannot create other races for 5 years? If you mean the skintones, i never felt you couldnt create black sims. Im happy for the new skin colors giving more variety but I wouldnt go as far as to say I couldn't create a black sim.
Ya lots of worlds are suburbian but you can place any kind of lot down from the gallery. I do wish there was a create a world/neighborhood tool, that would fix so many issues. Also i may be losing my marbles but besides surburbia and city what other kind of community living types out there? Like village? Villa? Maybe rural...
Interesting you say the hair is western. What do you mean by western hair? And what kind of nonwestern clothing do you want to see (do you mean traditional clothing?)?
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
Street fashion in other countries has VERY different hairstyles, and not the preppy/modern type we now have in the game. Also all hair accessories, when we rarely have them (do we even have them for other than kids??), are all very simple. I'd like to see more of stuff like tokyo, Pretoria or Delhi street fashion (google them and fall in love) from different decades.
Also I would've loved to see more yankee fashion with SnowyEscape. It's like western clothing put through google translate. I love it.
Also I'd love to see small towns that feel like small towns, rural areas with farms etc.
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.