I think its sad, that this game is about the players and not so much about the sims themselfs
But then when you tell people you want to play an actual game and not make everything up like its a dollhouse they say "It's your fault you find it boring, you are not creative enough".
Since when do we have to make such a huge effort to enjoy a game?
What would you all want? Honest question, because I liked the fact StrangerVille gave you a goal and actually something to do besides go to work or a date, but everybody seemed to hate it. Or Jungle Adventure gave you a goal to explore the jungle and try to survive it, and there's a real chance your sim won't make it unless you have the right stuff. Is this stuff you all would want expanded more on? Or something totally different.
I think its sad, that this game is about the players and not so much about the sims themselfs
But then when you tell people you want to play an actual game and not make everything up like its a dollhouse they say "It's your fault you find it boring, you are not creative enough".
Since when do we have to make such a huge effort to enjoy a game?
What would you all want? Honest question, because I liked the fact StrangerVille gave you a goal and actually something to do besides go to work or a date, but everybody seemed to hate it. Or Jungle Adventure gave you a goal to explore the jungle and try to survive it, and there's a real chance your sim won't make it unless you have the right stuff. Is this stuff you all would want expanded more on? Or something totally different.
@eternalrainn What I meant is for example your sims personalities actually affecting their behavior. Kind of like they did in the Sims 2. So depending on what traits and personality you give them, they are attracted to certain people and not attracted to others, like doing certain things while not doing others, have certain goals that they won't to achieve or they will become miserable, have unexpected things happen to them like getting fired.
Also a better AI that allows them to automatically do different things based on their personality or their hobby. Not all drink water and play computer games for all sims. Maybe also interact and call sims they want to talk to without you telling them.
Another thing is long-term consequences, you do something, it has an effect on your life and the sims around you.
There are tons of great ideas to spice up the game that a lot of people in the feedback forums have shared, many are just features from previous sims games, like wants, fears, good aspirations, attaction systems, memories etc.
Just a way to individualize every sim so it doesn't feel like "This doll is gonna do this and that other doll is gonna do this".
I think its sad, that this game is about the players and not so much about the sims themselfs
But then when you tell people you want to play an actual game and not make everything up like its a dollhouse they say "It's your fault you find it boring, you are not creative enough".
Since when do we have to make such a huge effort to enjoy a game?
What would you all want? Honest question, because I liked the fact StrangerVille gave you a goal and actually something to do besides go to work or a date, but everybody seemed to hate it. Or Jungle Adventure gave you a goal to explore the jungle and try to survive it, and there's a real chance your sim won't make it unless you have the right stuff. Is this stuff you all would want expanded more on? Or something totally different.
Something totally different. It's kind of hard to explain, especially if you play completely differently.
I do not like linear gameplay like with Strangerville where you have redundant tasks to complete and an ending to the game with no replay value. So gameplay like that is very unappealing.
I'll speak from TS2, which is my favorite in the series and I still play it. The sims are all different personality-wise. There wasn't too many different personality types, but when you combine them with interests, points, likes and dislikes + the wants and fears system, it was possible to get unique sims. They behaved differently. And they had so many different interactions with unique animations that it was hard to get bored. Plus the gameplay was much more intricate and nuanced. Family members had special relationships and bonds. I love seeing my teens taunting their younger siblings. Plus they didn't all get along. If their interests weren't aligned, they wouldn't receive the social interactions well. Plus they have the ability to be really angry with someone whole still caring about them. I have had a couple of kids in the same family where one of the kids will be nice to everyone except one of the siblings. They will get into physical fights, but this kid is nice to everyone else in the world. I've also had a romance sim who started off wanting to woohoo the town, but I didn't let him. Instead he got married and had a family, all while being a romance sim and instead of cheating and those kinds of wants, he started getting wants to go on dates with his own wife. He was actually one of my most loyal sims in the end.
I guess that's the kind of underlying system I want for TS4. I want a system that makes my sims feel unique where they have their own personality and it isn't always rainbows and sunshine. There should be negative things that happen. There should be sims that don't all think the same and aren't always happy and smiling. They shouldn't just accept every interaction. And every family should be different. So when I move from one family to another, it doesn't just feel like I'm playing the same family over and over, which is what TS4 feels like to me. In the previous games, there were enough challenges and the sims had enough personality to be different. I could play the exact same scenario with 2 different households and none of it would go the same. In TS4 it is always the same and I have to use my imagination for most of it because the animations and interactions simply aren't there in this version.
I think its sad, that this game is about the players and not so much about the sims themselfs
But then when you tell people you want to play an actual game and not make everything up like its a dollhouse they say "It's your fault you find it boring, you are not creative enough".
Since when do we have to make such a huge effort to enjoy a game?
What would you all want? Honest question, because I liked the fact StrangerVille gave you a goal and actually something to do besides go to work or a date, but everybody seemed to hate it. Or Jungle Adventure gave you a goal to explore the jungle and try to survive it, and there's a real chance your sim won't make it unless you have the right stuff. Is this stuff you all would want expanded more on? Or something totally different.
I would want the game to direct me to different ways to play the game. That's what I have always thought the pre-made households, npc's, events and aspirations are supposed to do.
Right now the sims4 treats you as a god, not a player which makes you leave everything up to your own imagination and it doesn't do a very good job of encouraging you to create or try new things. I often think about this when I see their trailers, you could recreate what you see in the trailers, but the game doesn't really make it easy for you to do so with the way everything is limited and all packs are stretched thin.
People that design games often adds different things to encourage the player but with the sims4 it feels like they don't do that for the sake of it being a sandbox game and also because they just focus on making stuff, not expand or improve the game.
The game has turned into a dollhouse, not a life simulator.
I find ways to make the game fun for me and Carl's Sims has always been there alongside me. I am sort of disappointed with him for putting out such a video. YOU as the player have to put in the time and energy to make or break your game experience. It is the same with ANY game you choose to put your time and energy into.
I find ways to make the game fun for me and Carl's Sims has always been there alongside me. I am sort of disappointed with him for putting out such a video. YOU as the player have to put in the time and energy to make or break your game experience. It is the same with ANY game you choose to put your time and energy into.
I admire that you find the time and energy to enhance your game experience, me, I feel so limited. I visited the light festival in Snowy Escape yesterday and the experience was exactly the same as when I visited it with another sims family. Nothing happens there unless you make something happen.
I think the last time I really had fun at a festival was when I was playing Get Famous, I did silly things like doing promotions for movies by dancing around at San Myshuno Festivals in a Knight Costume. But that was all me, the game did nothing to encourage me to do that.
So again, more power to you, but I fear that with the direction we are going the sims4 is just going to be a dollhouse of untested packs where players and modders have to salvage what they can to have a good playing experience.
I find ways to make the game fun for me and Carl's Sims has always been there alongside me. I am sort of disappointed with him for putting out such a video. YOU as the player have to put in the time and energy to make or break your game experience. It is the same with ANY game you choose to put your time and energy into.
@SimsLady2000 I kindly want to disagree because in my opinion all games out there are made to be fun without you having to "force the fun". Even the Sims 2 was made in a way that you didn't need to go out of your way to think of ways to make the game fun since it was created in a way to be entertaining, always with a different outcome.
In a game you shouldn't have to force the fun, it's supposed to be entertainment, it's supposed to be fun already on its own, that's why it's a game. Games, no matter what time period of history you look at were made in way to be enjoyable, if that's board games, sports or anything else that fits the game category.
Imagine if there was a board game where you are supposed to create the fun. Just a blank piece of cardboard you have to somehow make enjoyable. Even if that's possible, it's still not a game, it's just blank. Why do you then have to pay so much money to then also have to make an effort to have fun. That way of thinking really doesn't make any sense to me.
I find ways to make the game fun for me and Carl's Sims has always been there alongside me. I am sort of disappointed with him for putting out such a video. YOU as the player have to put in the time and energy to make or break your game experience. It is the same with ANY game you choose to put your time and energy into.
I have never had to do that with any game. If it isn't fun, I'm not playing it. That's why I dropped TS4 for years and am just giving it another go right now.
I think what people and especially the devs don't understand is that when we created stories in previous games, we weren't actually creating stories. The stories were being created as we played the game. Yes, there were some people that just posed their sims and called it gameplay, but for the majority of us, we played the game and let the story create itself. That's the difference between TS4 and the other iterations.
The current Sims 4 fits my play style so well, I don't even notice I'm making up dollhouse stories. I think I always did this?
Sims 1: I had my international House of roommates. Peter, in the kilt was my main character. He was social and helped his roommates get enough friends to scale up their careers.
Sims 2: I made an internal orphanage, with a child from each continent with a different life ambition. When two of the daughters became enemies I was heart broken.
Sims 3: It was too big. I did had a ghost Hunter girl who did all the world adventures, but you weren't able to travel between home worlds which was a major pain.
Sims 4: I have my legacy family, playing in the fourth generation with aging off, and they are spread out over 13 households. I love it! I can finally explore every single career, and every single thing do it in the game. I never got there with any of the others, way too much of a time suck.
I guess others might think I'm just screwing around with CAS/BB, but I'm not. Making clubs, raising kids, going to university, and playing active-from-hone careers is super fun.
I didn't watch the video, and I can already tell you why it isn't going to get any better---TS4 sells, and sells well. Where is the incentive for improvement when they make a small fortune off of every pack they release? For every 1 critic, there are 9 players that are ready and willing to buy whatever they put out
I love Carl's channel. I must say I do agree. I don't know if I would call myself a castaway.
Playtesting - not just tabletop games and card games any more. Really that should have been playtested in Beta and not [img]just with accounting and marketing but actual players. https://i.imgur.com/t48COW6.jpg[/img]
Funnily enough the "whinny" Youtubers actually make good, valid points and have arguements and constructive criticism. I guess some people hate them so much because their perpective is always backed-up by their arguements and they feel like they need to find other ways to insult them.
Seems like to the community everyone who has something critical to say is selling-out or accused in other ways. And then they say this community isn't biased...
I think its sad, that this game is about the players and not so much about the sims themselfs
But then when you tell people you want to play an actual game and not make everything up like its a dollhouse they say "It's your fault you find it boring, you are not creative enough".
Since when do we have to make such a huge effort to enjoy a game?
What would you all want? Honest question, because I liked the fact StrangerVille gave you a goal and actually something to do besides go to work or a date, but everybody seemed to hate it. Or Jungle Adventure gave you a goal to explore the jungle and try to survive it, and there's a real chance your sim won't make it unless you have the right stuff. Is this stuff you all would want expanded more on? Or something totally different.
I would want the game to direct me to different ways to play the game. That's what I have always thought the pre-made households, npc's, events and aspirations are supposed to do.
Right now the sims4 treats you as a god, not a player which makes you leave everything up to your own imagination and it doesn't do a very good job of encouraging you to create or try new things. I often think about this when I see their trailers, you could recreate what you see in the trailers, but the game doesn't really make it easy for you to do so with the way everything is limited and all packs are stretched thin.
People that design games often adds different things to encourage the player but with the sims4 it feels like they don't do that for the sake of it being a sandbox game and also because they just focus on making stuff, not expand or improve the game.
The game has turned into a dollhouse, not a life simulator.
I think even as a dollhouse it does a shallow job at it too. I mean even seeing the Gurus do DnD with their Extra Life streams they actually provide more interesting storylines than what the Sims 4 offers. I find majority of Let's Plays repetitive and lacking imagination and creativity actually. DrGluon and his team was actually one of the few that provided original storylines and thus why they won the Spark'd challenge while the rest of the stories I heard just stole ideas from existing sitcoms, thus why they lost. So even for the most avid Simmer, storytelling the game provides isn't enough. I mean the lore stinks, has no reference to past games, gamechangers said prior lore wasn't used because Gurus didn't want to take the effort to do it, and there are no personal bios and the memory system is super buggy as well. Honestly feel like Sims 4 is nothing more than a mirage, looks pretty from afar, but looking it it close it ends up being something it is not. I do feel like it is a bit too late to even save the dollhouse aspect of it like too late in development and they just end up concentrating on CAS only products for the remaining lifetime thus why the kits are working to phase the game out.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” –Helen Keller
I think its sad, that this game is about the players and not so much about the sims themselfs
But then when you tell people you want to play an actual game and not make everything up like its a dollhouse they say "It's your fault you find it boring, you are not creative enough".
Since when do we have to make such a huge effort to enjoy a game?
What would you all want? Honest question, because I liked the fact StrangerVille gave you a goal and actually something to do besides go to work or a date, but everybody seemed to hate it. Or Jungle Adventure gave you a goal to explore the jungle and try to survive it, and there's a real chance your sim won't make it unless you have the right stuff. Is this stuff you all would want expanded more on? Or something totally different.
Somewhat agree...
But to be honest Strangerville was a nice attempt but playing that pack felt like i was in the tutorial section before the game even starts for the whole time. It had no backround storie or challenge what so ever... So does it feel like you achieved a goal that you had to work on?
There was an attempt there, but when you make everything so freaking easy then its a failure.
I want what they advertised from the beginning. Smarter, Sims Deep Emotions. Doesnt sit well with me how they brushed that under the rug.
I find it very hard to play with autonomy on, because these sims act like maniacs in my game. I would not even wonder if they disable autonomy from the game like they disabled the whims at this point. Sometimes when a NPC visits and stands in front of the doorsteps they move so awkward its quiet crazy looking.
Would love to see more attributes to the traits. Favourite food. More types of TV Channels. Then you can also define what he likes to watch. Etc- In the Sims3 your book lover Sim would love watching the history Channel. Idk small things like that. But it feels like, i am asking for the world at this point, when the Sims4 sells so well, and thats also something carl mentioned.
Emotions. I mean at least make it so recent events and the moodlets that come with it are at the top front and define a mood for the moment. Make it that certain moods go away quicker and dont always reacurre. Yes Jimmy we know you like that painting, now get over yourself. I dont have to be reminded about that all the effing time. I would actually love if i can switch what moodlet is at the front tier. Because you can be happy but when something scary happens you are gonna be scared for a 🐸🐸🐸🐸 minute.
I enjoy the Sims 4 a lot. I haven’t watched the video yet cause I need to sleep. I will get to it later. The biggest issue I have with the Sims 4 is the sheer lack of neglect it suffers from and the very obvious lack of testing that each new pack is released with. The amount of bugs and glitches the game has currently really brings the game down and I think it’s such a shame because the game in my opinion is actually great. When it works well I enjoy it more than any of the previous sims games.
I really just wish they would focus more on fixing the bugs and also do it in a timely fashion. We shouldn’t have to wait months for broken content that we paid for to be fixed. It’s just not right and we shouldn’t have to rely on mod creators to make our games playable. It’s honestly just so frustrating to see the game being treated this way by the people that created it. This is just my opinion, I’m sure some of you will disagree and that’s fine.
Looking back at the state of the game during launch it was so obvious the team wanted to take advantage of DLC. They released a full base game with almost nothing in it. The worlds are tiny and there were no lots to play on.
I definitely think this series will always suffer having the typical large gaming corporation behind it. I mean, let’s look back. The game wasn’t even out the door yet and they planned on launching it with a subscription program which was cancelled due to the terrible launch. DLC quality has abysmal with TS4 compared to the predecessors. And, 7 years later, they’ve added a dang fourth line of DLC products, kits (which I’m personally hoping is TS4’s sad way of fizzling out in favor of TS5 taking over, but I digress).
They are more focused with that stuff than they are with the game’s actual programming and game design. With EA, programming/design is second-class to profit potential. And it’s sad because it hasn’t always been like this — The Sims 2 featured such great game design and functionality. Literally do anything in both and watch how flawless TS2 handles things like bowling, dining, the repair service NPCs, and ordering coffee compared to TS4. And that list doesn’t end there. Just from watching TS2 producer walkthroughs and dev talks alone, I definitely felt the environment there was far more professional, with a higher standard being held.
With that said though, I don’t think The Sims is forever immune from having an indie dev studio take over its place within the genre, similar to how Cities Skylines overtook SimCity and Stardew Valley overtook Harvest Moon. Whether or not it’ll be Paralives that takes over the life sim genre, I don’t know, but it definitely will happen to The Sims soon enough if EA continues to go down this trend (which they probably will, let’s not kid ourselves).
I like the Sims 4. I can do what I want and there's not really any obstacle to overcome. I found Sims 2 to be too challenging. I didn't like the aspiration meter, the wants and fears, and the need decay was too fast. I got bored playing Sims 3. I find it boring to watch and wait while my Sim walks from one side of town to the other. The game was also very laggy and didn't run well on my computer. Sims 4 is the first Sims game where I don't need cheats to keep on top of their needs. It's easy to get promotions or do well in school, build relationships, and skill up in whatever I want my Sim to be good at. Sims 4 really suits me and my way of playing.
To preface this, I’m glad you found a Sims game which meshes better with your style of play, and I wouldn’t want them to radically redesign TS4 to take that away from you.
But I don’t think the solution for everyone is to strip the game entirely of fun gameplay systems and make retained systems like Needs way too easy to manage. Not at all insinuating you are, but I’m personally not someone that lives vicariously through my Sims. Keeping the game in normal mode and watching them slowly ski, rowboat, or go to the spa does absolutely nothing for me. That’s all visual stuff. I need depth/meaning behind it, and I need to feel like the game is challenging me in some capacity, otherwise I leave. And I don’t even think it needs to be complex. Things to the extent of TS2’s dating or headmaster system were fine enough.
I’ve said it before, but I definitely think they should make a simplified sandbox mode for players like you and a life simulation mode for players like myself that want challenge, risk, and spontaneity.
I am a Castaway. I gave it a fair shot from the very beginning. I’ve praised it for the things I enjoy (even when it seemed like many people disagreed, Snowy Escape for example) and I’ve complained when I’ve been disappointed. To each their own, but to deny there is a problem is unreasonable given the number of people who have become fed up with this game. Carl knows the Sims series better than anyone, in my opinion. He’s catalogued every detail. He’s been patient, too. Many of us are out of patience and out of hope.
I did not watch it. Carl is now the whiny "wannabe LGR".. anyhow I am sure he makes great amount of money at his patreon at these days. Good for him
I think it's good that we have people like Carl, the sims community don't have many youtubers left with a large amount of subscribers that focus on constructive criticism. We do see the occasional video with that from other larger youtubers like James Turner and Plumbella but Carl have a good way to analyze these things more in detail which I think is a good thing.
While I do love the Sims 4, there are many aspects that are still lacking. Unique sims, hobbies, activities, socials - I could go on. I do love that Sims 4 is a bit more "relaxed" mode than the rest of the series, but I do miss having some negative events and spontaneity. Doesn't have to be to a Sims 2 level, just something. Just take it up a notch, but keep it relaxed. Add some depth, connect the dots, and for all the gods sakes, give us more to actually do that means something!
No. I do not regard myself as a Castaway. I have my own ship to sail and it’s floating just fine.
However I do agree that we need to voice our concerns with the game. That has to happen in a constructive manner, which means we need to offer solutions and not just rant and complain without giving new ideas. A lot of these ideas have been implemented already. They just don’t work the same for everybody. That’s why not everyone’s happy. Including Carl.
Personally I get great enjoyment out of The Sims 4 for what it is and what I can currently do with it. It has come a long way. I also see all elements offered in the Sims as gameplay elements: I get just as much enjoyment out of CAS and BB as I get out of live mode.
Having said that, I’ve always felt that there’s a lack of sim personalities, challenges and consequences in this title. It can feel bland at times.
For me the lack of “personalities” is actually the main problem. I prefer to explore character driven stories which is not easy when the sim looks the part but doesn’t act the part. Take umbrellas for example. My jungle hero Rambo dude doesn’t give a darn about getting his head wet. He doesn’t Care. One. Bit. Yet the game insists he’d use a bleedin’ umbrella in the slightest pis. s of drizzle.
The game should give me a (hidden?) behavior trait that disables umbrella use for this specific dude!! Not just a toggle to turn off the umbrella. It should go as deep as their personality. But there is none, because the game doesn’t really care about who he is deep inside. I care. I care about who he is deep inside. So at least there’s that.
Anyway. I know there are truckloads of mods for those things, but these nuances should be weaved into the core script that make our sims who they are. Not something “patched” on top.
I’m also aware that this can’t be easy, creating a life simulator that simulates personalities and consequences in a non-linear - based on real life - fashion. I actually believe TS4 tried to do this, but bit off more of the “smart sim cake” than it could actually chew resulting in not really succeeding in any of it. As a consequence it may have made the previous iterations look better in that regard. I’m not sure if it will succeed. I do appreciate sentiments & lifestyles and I wonder how and if these will develop into something more substantial and meaningful.
For me the lack of personalities is the only thing that actually bothers me in TS4.(+ Judith, Nancy and those ugly Pear Shaped Ogres constantly ruining the landscape. STAY HOME FFS! )
I can easily live with the rest. I don’t mind any of the pack types, including Kits. Doesn’t bother me one bit. Sure I have a couple of comments to make about the content, but not about the concept itself.
Overall I still look forward to see what else TS4 can offer us. I’m pretty sure I can work with it. But that’s just me on my boat.
I like the Sims 4. I can do what I want and there's not really any obstacle to overcome. I found Sims 2 to be too challenging. I didn't like the aspiration meter, the wants and fears, and the need decay was too fast. I got bored playing Sims 3. I find it boring to watch and wait while my Sim walks from one side of town to the other. The game was also very laggy and didn't run well on my computer. Sims 4 is the first Sims game where I don't need cheats to keep on top of their needs. It's easy to get promotions or do well in school, build relationships, and skill up in whatever I want my Sim to be good at. Sims 4 really suits me and my way of playing.
To preface this, I’m glad you found a Sims game which meshes better with your style of play, and I wouldn’t want them to radically redesign TS4 to take that away from you.
But I don’t think the solution for everyone is to strip the game entirely of fun gameplay systems and make retained systems like Needs way too easy to manage. Not at all insinuating you are, but I’m personally not someone that lives vicariously through my Sims. Keeping the game in normal mode and watching them slowly ski, rowboat, or go to the spa does absolutely nothing for me. That’s all visual stuff. I need depth/meaning behind it, and I need to feel like the game is challenging me in some capacity, otherwise I leave. And I don’t even think it needs to be complex. Things to the extent of TS2’s dating or headmaster system were fine enough.
I’ve said it before, but I definitely think they should make a simplified sandbox mode for players like you and a life simulation mode for players like myself that want challenge, risk, and spontaneity.
In previous games, the solution for those types of players was the sheer amount of cheats included. They could have instant money and max motives. That was easy mode.
Having said that, I’ve always felt that there’s a lack of sim personalities, challenges and consequences in this title. It can feel bland at times.
For me the lack of “personalities” is actually the main problem. I prefer to explore character driven stories which is not easy when the sim looks the part but doesn’t act the part. Take umbrellas for example. My jungle hero Rambo dude doesn’t give a darn about getting his head wet. He doesn’t Care. One. Bit. Yet the game insists he’d use a bleedin’ umbrella in the slightest pis. s of drizzle.
The game should give me a (hidden?) behavior trait that disables umbrella use for this specific dude!! Not just a toggle to turn off the umbrella. It should go as deep as their personality. But there is none, because the game doesn’t really care about who he is deep inside. I care. I care about who he is deep inside. So at least there’s that.
Anyway. I know there are truckloads of mods for those things, but these nuances should be weaved into the core script that make our sims who they are. Not something “patched” on top.
I agree with this part so much. I didn't start playing 4 until about this point last year because of everything that was left out. When I saw most of it was (slowly) added back in I decided to check it out. I've played all iterations of this game and 2 is likely always going to be my favorite. Despite the limited aspirations they had so much more personality. If they weren't interested in something they had negative reactions. They had hobbies!
I didn't really get into 3 because of their looks but recently started playing again and was amazed at the complex personalities in that. My sim had to wear down an unflirty sim for DAYS. He would let some things fly and then throw down a "you have problems, bye" and I'd have to try again the next day.
And don't even get me started on reactions to cheating.
I think adding more personality and making traits actually mean something would quell a lot of issues people have.
I do agree with Carl as well. I legit used to skip college classes to play the new Sims 2 expansions right away. I was out with friends in high school and just wanted to go home and play Sims 1. And I could play for HOURS. I sometimes can play for awhile in 4 but I need to be doing some kind of challenge and not just casual play. I haven't felt motivation to play in a few weeks.
I'm meh on Kits. But I think if they put out one that was focused on personality or adding more interactions in regards to family and romance a lot of people would appreciate that.
They rely on modders too much to add things for them and try to get too creative with some (not all) of these packs. They need to listen to the community. But they likely won't because why would they? They get that money either way.
I think its sad, that this game is about the players and not so much about the sims themselfs
But then when you tell people you want to play an actual game and not make everything up like its a dollhouse they say "It's your fault you find it boring, you are not creative enough".
Since when do we have to make such a huge effort to enjoy a game?
What would you all want? Honest question, because I liked the fact StrangerVille gave you a goal and actually something to do besides go to work or a date, but everybody seemed to hate it. Or Jungle Adventure gave you a goal to explore the jungle and try to survive it, and there's a real chance your sim won't make it unless you have the right stuff. Is this stuff you all would want expanded more on? Or something totally different.
Imho Strangerville would have been better off as an side project like they did with Sims 2 Castaway which was not part of the Sims 2 line but as an separate entity and used some of Sims 2 assets. Also for me if Sims 4 had all the features that I loved I wouldn't have minded Strangerville but it didn't so the disappointment. Glad Carl commented on Sims City 2013 for which he is 100% correct about Sims 4 being partially influenced by that game outcome and Sims 4 not being the game it should have been and it is an weakened form of an Sims game.
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What would you all want? Honest question, because I liked the fact StrangerVille gave you a goal and actually something to do besides go to work or a date, but everybody seemed to hate it. Or Jungle Adventure gave you a goal to explore the jungle and try to survive it, and there's a real chance your sim won't make it unless you have the right stuff. Is this stuff you all would want expanded more on? Or something totally different.
@eternalrainn What I meant is for example your sims personalities actually affecting their behavior. Kind of like they did in the Sims 2. So depending on what traits and personality you give them, they are attracted to certain people and not attracted to others, like doing certain things while not doing others, have certain goals that they won't to achieve or they will become miserable, have unexpected things happen to them like getting fired.
Also a better AI that allows them to automatically do different things based on their personality or their hobby. Not all drink water and play computer games for all sims. Maybe also interact and call sims they want to talk to without you telling them.
Another thing is long-term consequences, you do something, it has an effect on your life and the sims around you.
There are tons of great ideas to spice up the game that a lot of people in the feedback forums have shared, many are just features from previous sims games, like wants, fears, good aspirations, attaction systems, memories etc.
Just a way to individualize every sim so it doesn't feel like "This doll is gonna do this and that other doll is gonna do this".
Something totally different. It's kind of hard to explain, especially if you play completely differently.
I do not like linear gameplay like with Strangerville where you have redundant tasks to complete and an ending to the game with no replay value. So gameplay like that is very unappealing.
I'll speak from TS2, which is my favorite in the series and I still play it. The sims are all different personality-wise. There wasn't too many different personality types, but when you combine them with interests, points, likes and dislikes + the wants and fears system, it was possible to get unique sims. They behaved differently. And they had so many different interactions with unique animations that it was hard to get bored. Plus the gameplay was much more intricate and nuanced. Family members had special relationships and bonds. I love seeing my teens taunting their younger siblings. Plus they didn't all get along. If their interests weren't aligned, they wouldn't receive the social interactions well. Plus they have the ability to be really angry with someone whole still caring about them. I have had a couple of kids in the same family where one of the kids will be nice to everyone except one of the siblings. They will get into physical fights, but this kid is nice to everyone else in the world. I've also had a romance sim who started off wanting to woohoo the town, but I didn't let him. Instead he got married and had a family, all while being a romance sim and instead of cheating and those kinds of wants, he started getting wants to go on dates with his own wife. He was actually one of my most loyal sims in the end.
I guess that's the kind of underlying system I want for TS4. I want a system that makes my sims feel unique where they have their own personality and it isn't always rainbows and sunshine. There should be negative things that happen. There should be sims that don't all think the same and aren't always happy and smiling. They shouldn't just accept every interaction. And every family should be different. So when I move from one family to another, it doesn't just feel like I'm playing the same family over and over, which is what TS4 feels like to me. In the previous games, there were enough challenges and the sims had enough personality to be different. I could play the exact same scenario with 2 different households and none of it would go the same. In TS4 it is always the same and I have to use my imagination for most of it because the animations and interactions simply aren't there in this version.
I would want the game to direct me to different ways to play the game. That's what I have always thought the pre-made households, npc's, events and aspirations are supposed to do.
Right now the sims4 treats you as a god, not a player which makes you leave everything up to your own imagination and it doesn't do a very good job of encouraging you to create or try new things. I often think about this when I see their trailers, you could recreate what you see in the trailers, but the game doesn't really make it easy for you to do so with the way everything is limited and all packs are stretched thin.
People that design games often adds different things to encourage the player but with the sims4 it feels like they don't do that for the sake of it being a sandbox game and also because they just focus on making stuff, not expand or improve the game.
The game has turned into a dollhouse, not a life simulator.
My Plumbob is GREEN today
I admire that you find the time and energy to enhance your game experience, me, I feel so limited. I visited the light festival in Snowy Escape yesterday and the experience was exactly the same as when I visited it with another sims family. Nothing happens there unless you make something happen.
I think the last time I really had fun at a festival was when I was playing Get Famous, I did silly things like doing promotions for movies by dancing around at San Myshuno Festivals in a Knight Costume. But that was all me, the game did nothing to encourage me to do that.
So again, more power to you, but I fear that with the direction we are going the sims4 is just going to be a dollhouse of untested packs where players and modders have to salvage what they can to have a good playing experience.
@SimsLady2000 I kindly want to disagree because in my opinion all games out there are made to be fun without you having to "force the fun". Even the Sims 2 was made in a way that you didn't need to go out of your way to think of ways to make the game fun since it was created in a way to be entertaining, always with a different outcome.
In a game you shouldn't have to force the fun, it's supposed to be entertainment, it's supposed to be fun already on its own, that's why it's a game. Games, no matter what time period of history you look at were made in way to be enjoyable, if that's board games, sports or anything else that fits the game category.
Imagine if there was a board game where you are supposed to create the fun. Just a blank piece of cardboard you have to somehow make enjoyable. Even if that's possible, it's still not a game, it's just blank. Why do you then have to pay so much money to then also have to make an effort to have fun. That way of thinking really doesn't make any sense to me.
other things not at all
I see tons of potential
but i fear it will be left undiscovered
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I have never had to do that with any game. If it isn't fun, I'm not playing it. That's why I dropped TS4 for years and am just giving it another go right now.
I think what people and especially the devs don't understand is that when we created stories in previous games, we weren't actually creating stories. The stories were being created as we played the game. Yes, there were some people that just posed their sims and called it gameplay, but for the majority of us, we played the game and let the story create itself. That's the difference between TS4 and the other iterations.
Sims 1: I had my international House of roommates. Peter, in the kilt was my main character. He was social and helped his roommates get enough friends to scale up their careers.
Sims 2: I made an internal orphanage, with a child from each continent with a different life ambition. When two of the daughters became enemies I was heart broken.
Sims 3: It was too big. I did had a ghost Hunter girl who did all the world adventures, but you weren't able to travel between home worlds which was a major pain.
Sims 4: I have my legacy family, playing in the fourth generation with aging off, and they are spread out over 13 households. I love it! I can finally explore every single career, and every single thing do it in the game. I never got there with any of the others, way too much of a time suck.
I guess others might think I'm just screwing around with CAS/BB, but I'm not. Making clubs, raising kids, going to university, and playing active-from-hone careers is super fun.
Seems like to the community everyone who has something critical to say is selling-out or accused in other ways. And then they say this community isn't biased...
Somewhat agree...
But to be honest Strangerville was a nice attempt but playing that pack felt like i was in the tutorial section before the game even starts for the whole time. It had no backround storie or challenge what so ever... So does it feel like you achieved a goal that you had to work on?
There was an attempt there, but when you make everything so freaking easy then its a failure.
I want what they advertised from the beginning. Smarter, Sims Deep Emotions. Doesnt sit well with me how they brushed that under the rug.
I find it very hard to play with autonomy on, because these sims act like maniacs in my game. I would not even wonder if they disable autonomy from the game like they disabled the whims at this point. Sometimes when a NPC visits and stands in front of the doorsteps they move so awkward its quiet crazy looking.
Would love to see more attributes to the traits. Favourite food. More types of TV Channels. Then you can also define what he likes to watch. Etc- In the Sims3 your book lover Sim would love watching the history Channel. Idk small things like that. But it feels like, i am asking for the world at this point, when the Sims4 sells so well, and thats also something carl mentioned.
Emotions. I mean at least make it so recent events and the moodlets that come with it are at the top front and define a mood for the moment. Make it that certain moods go away quicker and dont always reacurre. Yes Jimmy we know you like that painting, now get over yourself. I dont have to be reminded about that all the effing time. I would actually love if i can switch what moodlet is at the front tier. Because you can be happy but when something scary happens you are gonna be scared for a 🐸🐸🐸🐸 minute.
I really just wish they would focus more on fixing the bugs and also do it in a timely fashion. We shouldn’t have to wait months for broken content that we paid for to be fixed. It’s just not right and we shouldn’t have to rely on mod creators to make our games playable. It’s honestly just so frustrating to see the game being treated this way by the people that created it. This is just my opinion, I’m sure some of you will disagree and that’s fine.
I definitely think this series will always suffer having the typical large gaming corporation behind it. I mean, let’s look back. The game wasn’t even out the door yet and they planned on launching it with a subscription program which was cancelled due to the terrible launch. DLC quality has abysmal with TS4 compared to the predecessors. And, 7 years later, they’ve added a dang fourth line of DLC products, kits (which I’m personally hoping is TS4’s sad way of fizzling out in favor of TS5 taking over, but I digress).
They are more focused with that stuff than they are with the game’s actual programming and game design. With EA, programming/design is second-class to profit potential. And it’s sad because it hasn’t always been like this — The Sims 2 featured such great game design and functionality. Literally do anything in both and watch how flawless TS2 handles things like bowling, dining, the repair service NPCs, and ordering coffee compared to TS4. And that list doesn’t end there. Just from watching TS2 producer walkthroughs and dev talks alone, I definitely felt the environment there was far more professional, with a higher standard being held.
With that said though, I don’t think The Sims is forever immune from having an indie dev studio take over its place within the genre, similar to how Cities Skylines overtook SimCity and Stardew Valley overtook Harvest Moon. Whether or not it’ll be Paralives that takes over the life sim genre, I don’t know, but it definitely will happen to The Sims soon enough if EA continues to go down this trend (which they probably will, let’s not kid ourselves).
To preface this, I’m glad you found a Sims game which meshes better with your style of play, and I wouldn’t want them to radically redesign TS4 to take that away from you.
But I don’t think the solution for everyone is to strip the game entirely of fun gameplay systems and make retained systems like Needs way too easy to manage. Not at all insinuating you are, but I’m personally not someone that lives vicariously through my Sims. Keeping the game in normal mode and watching them slowly ski, rowboat, or go to the spa does absolutely nothing for me. That’s all visual stuff. I need depth/meaning behind it, and I need to feel like the game is challenging me in some capacity, otherwise I leave. And I don’t even think it needs to be complex. Things to the extent of TS2’s dating or headmaster system were fine enough.
I’ve said it before, but I definitely think they should make a simplified sandbox mode for players like you and a life simulation mode for players like myself that want challenge, risk, and spontaneity.
I think it's good that we have people like Carl, the sims community don't have many youtubers left with a large amount of subscribers that focus on constructive criticism. We do see the occasional video with that from other larger youtubers like James Turner and Plumbella but Carl have a good way to analyze these things more in detail which I think is a good thing.
My Families Via PlumTree App
However I do agree that we need to voice our concerns with the game. That has to happen in a constructive manner, which means we need to offer solutions and not just rant and complain without giving new ideas. A lot of these ideas have been implemented already. They just don’t work the same for everybody. That’s why not everyone’s happy. Including Carl.
Personally I get great enjoyment out of The Sims 4 for what it is and what I can currently do with it. It has come a long way. I also see all elements offered in the Sims as gameplay elements: I get just as much enjoyment out of CAS and BB as I get out of live mode.
Having said that, I’ve always felt that there’s a lack of sim personalities, challenges and consequences in this title. It can feel bland at times.
For me the lack of “personalities” is actually the main problem. I prefer to explore character driven stories which is not easy when the sim looks the part but doesn’t act the part. Take umbrellas for example. My jungle hero Rambo dude doesn’t give a darn about getting his head wet. He doesn’t Care. One. Bit. Yet the game insists he’d use a bleedin’ umbrella in the slightest pis. s of drizzle.
The game should give me a (hidden?) behavior trait that disables umbrella use for this specific dude!! Not just a toggle to turn off the umbrella. It should go as deep as their personality. But there is none, because the game doesn’t really care about who he is deep inside. I care. I care about who he is deep inside. So at least there’s that.
Anyway. I know there are truckloads of mods for those things, but these nuances should be weaved into the core script that make our sims who they are. Not something “patched” on top.
I’m also aware that this can’t be easy, creating a life simulator that simulates personalities and consequences in a non-linear - based on real life - fashion. I actually believe TS4 tried to do this, but bit off more of the “smart sim cake” than it could actually chew resulting in not really succeeding in any of it. As a consequence it may have made the previous iterations look better in that regard. I’m not sure if it will succeed. I do appreciate sentiments & lifestyles and I wonder how and if these will develop into something more substantial and meaningful.
For me the lack of personalities is the only thing that actually bothers me in TS4.(+ Judith, Nancy and those ugly Pear Shaped Ogres constantly ruining the landscape. STAY HOME FFS! )
I can easily live with the rest. I don’t mind any of the pack types, including Kits. Doesn’t bother me one bit. Sure I have a couple of comments to make about the content, but not about the concept itself.
Overall I still look forward to see what else TS4 can offer us. I’m pretty sure I can work with it. But that’s just me on my boat.
In previous games, the solution for those types of players was the sheer amount of cheats included. They could have instant money and max motives. That was easy mode.
I agree with this part so much. I didn't start playing 4 until about this point last year because of everything that was left out. When I saw most of it was (slowly) added back in I decided to check it out. I've played all iterations of this game and 2 is likely always going to be my favorite. Despite the limited aspirations they had so much more personality. If they weren't interested in something they had negative reactions. They had hobbies!
I didn't really get into 3 because of their looks but recently started playing again and was amazed at the complex personalities in that. My sim had to wear down an unflirty sim for DAYS. He would let some things fly and then throw down a "you have problems, bye" and I'd have to try again the next day.
And don't even get me started on reactions to cheating.
I think adding more personality and making traits actually mean something would quell a lot of issues people have.
I do agree with Carl as well. I legit used to skip college classes to play the new Sims 2 expansions right away. I was out with friends in high school and just wanted to go home and play Sims 1. And I could play for HOURS. I sometimes can play for awhile in 4 but I need to be doing some kind of challenge and not just casual play. I haven't felt motivation to play in a few weeks.
I'm meh on Kits. But I think if they put out one that was focused on personality or adding more interactions in regards to family and romance a lot of people would appreciate that.
They rely on modders too much to add things for them and try to get too creative with some (not all) of these packs. They need to listen to the community. But they likely won't because why would they? They get that money either way.
Imho Strangerville would have been better off as an side project like they did with Sims 2 Castaway which was not part of the Sims 2 line but as an separate entity and used some of Sims 2 assets. Also for me if Sims 4 had all the features that I loved I wouldn't have minded Strangerville but it didn't so the disappointment. Glad Carl commented on Sims City 2013 for which he is 100% correct about Sims 4 being partially influenced by that game outcome and Sims 4 not being the game it should have been and it is an weakened form of an Sims game.