We often see many different threads about reality play vs occult and or things that are all in our imaginations being discussed for gameplay and argued here on the forums. That's a good debate to have, but how much reality is too much in The Sims? Such as is it ok with actual players who prefer no other life states in their games to accept no simulation of the Sim being transported from point A to B? Is that lack of reality play acceptable in future games or even TS4?
Or for those who prefer all reality play such as those who prefer no aliens etc., no vamps!, is it ok that Sims in TS4 don't drive, fly (in planes) take a bus, or a train or a boat and that an elevator is not really an elevator in TS4?
Is it ok that their teen Sims look exactly like YAs and Adults, unless you zoom and or alter the Sim?
Or that Sims who own a shop don't have to hire a manager for the shop while they are away and can still get money from the pot with a click of a button?
Or that they don't take out the trash but players just drag it over to the can and kaching! instant cash?
Or that Sims with particular traits don't even have anything mildly related to those traits but get an inspired buff, the one go to buff for almost everything in TS4?
Or that Sims can get money faster than bees can collect pollen in TS4 or perhaps any future game?
On the other hand how much reality is too much? Such as Sims having to buy new clothes if they have grown taller? And or fatter? And or skinnier? Or having to call a taxi because yes, it is a long way to the desert from a snow capped mountain.
The things mentioned are not all of the things not simulated in TS4 but let's hope they are in TS5 etc.
Take the poll to reveal how much of your disbelief you suspend.
ETA: The poll is meant to spur a conversation about why we accept so little simulation compared to we 'think' we play a reality game when we don't and how much would be too much and for what reasons. Set aside any issues with bugs and or traits lacking, etc. etc. and think about reality of life and why we have accepted the lack of it in TS4 but defend that we play a reality game.
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For example, it's more for the player's convenience to have some forward momentum in the gameplay, so in-game time passes faster, we don't have to wait 9 months for a baby to be born, we don't have to go to the dresser to change clothes or pick out a new outfit every day, etc. I would lose interest very fast if some of those things were more realistic.
Meanwhile, I feel like other limitations exist mainly for the developer/animators' convenience: Sims fading away so that they don't have to animate them getting into cars, Sims spinning into their clothes so that they don't have to animate them getting dressed, etc.
I'm less understanding about the limitations in the latter category because these things were clearly just shortcuts, and instead of getting back to them later (like in one of the countless patches/full-priced expansions), they're just sort of accepted as personality quirks of the franchise that then persist from one installment to the next.
Overall though, it is what it is, and I usually enjoy the game without thinking about those things very much. But it would be cool if EA was more interested in fleshing out what's lacking in their game rather than continually adding more random features, like the planet Jakku from Star Wars or whatever the heck is going on in TS4 since I last paid attention.
Interesting.
I wouldn't mind better grocery store mechanics so that sometimes I could choose to play a family that only cooks what they have the fresh ingredients for and they could go buy all kinds of harvestable and craftable food items if they don't have them. But I much prefer paying at the fridge most of the time.
In my game I incorporate things like this but only through my imagination. It would be nice to have chaos spawn within the game, though. I am fully aware this will never happen because they are opting for a more positive, bubbly game, which I completely get and it's a valid choice, no shade towards that. That's why my hopes are on modders at this point
Improving how traits impact autonomy I believe is a step towards what I want. A big thing for me would also be giving purpose to the sims that walk aimlessly around the lot I am playing at. Right now, if I recognise a sim walking around I just pretend they are on their way to do XYZ. It would be nice if I didn't have to do that and if whatever the sim did autonomously had consequences.
On the other hand, when I hear about a new real life kind of tedious task being incorporated into the game, I always feel like it's unnecesary a priori - for example I felt this way about laundry, or about the mods that incorporate mestruation - two things I don't particularly enjoy irl - but when I give it a chance, I end up liking the gameplay. I'm feeling the same way about vacuming, I hate the idea a priori because it seems tedious ( and buggy ), but it's quite likely that I wouldn't mind the gameplay if I ever were to buy the kit. I feel like the developers are good at making tedious real life activities actually enjoyable in the game.
I see those things as nice if I give them a chance, because in fact it incorporates difficulty to the game and it has negative consequences if you avoid the tasks, which is cool, but it is not what I think of when I wish for more realism in the game.
You can play the other iterations that way too, you know lol! But TS4 can't do what they can.
Got a little off topic but TS4 feels limited in all its areas, to limited for me to enjoy in any capacity.
I always saw my playstyle as relatively grounded, minus that I play occults a fair bit. Although there have been times I do just want a normal neighbourhood without Joe Shmoe being abducted and Impregnated by aliens. (Even worse in the Sims 3 where its just completely unavoidable if you still have your males avoid telescopes like a plague (so I just mod aliens abductions out of every single game))
I'd like to point out the Sims 2 did the mix of occults and realism perfectly fine, EA added all the nice grounded things already although the occult area was lacking in the game, probably making it the most realistic, minus the ghosts and rather odd Social Bunny.. Plus aliens, while it still managed to expanded on the normal elements with each expansion even if it adds some odd things each time like bringing in Bigfoot with vacations.
And even the occults pretty much fit in, neutural Witches in the SIms 2 would be pretty much unidentifiable with normal clothes until they did magic, vampires were rare to showup at any downtown lot leaving you only with a non-grounded over the top caricature of a pickpocket. (Still wish they made him look and act less silly though)
The problem is I think comes from the later games, while they are definitely adding some grounded everyday things like vacuuming, universities and laundery, the silly elements still manage to force themselves in. I'll use the Sims 3 University Life as an example, if you just happen to have Supernatural installed you'll be unable to just have a normal university of people (plus the two plantsims which are relatively hard to meet personally) and it feels like 2/3 of the students are all occults with no toggle on if you want them. Which is fine for people who don't mind the occults, but then also still a problem if you just want a mostly grounded save... Or how Seasons in the Sims 2 will have penguins walking down the side of a city in the Winter...
...This has really just been a thing since the Sims 1 though with Claire the Bear thieving from trashcans since 2003...
Avoiding overly silly things from expansions that add them for most part isn't really that difficult outside of a few exceptions like above, or the downright loud ITF portal that invades every single new save within seconds. But I really think they need to be toggles in the future. Like I'd love Seasons as it is without alien abductions if there was a simple toggle.
EA cutting out the actual life sim elements like cooking with utensils and actually serving food at the dinner-table to guests, instead of having a job end up with you becoming a literal Super-hero is something all on EA since they could easily keep the grounded careers (mob-boss was the last rank for a criminal in the first game) and smaller details, while still having a few sillier elements to brighten the mood. Which the first 2 games did exceptionally.
I can't blame the less realistic elements for taking away from the life simulation area, its all on EAs developement and what they're aiming for. If the Sims 5 was a game about filing taxes and only earning a minimum wage taking a whole lifespan to finally buy a house I'd not enjoy it, but if the Sims 5 was a game about fighting dragons with only bare basic motive management I also wouldn't enjoy it. EA just need to keep remembering the old fans who liked to live a normal life with the occasional break from reality.
I find that when things get too easy for me, I have to change up my gameplay a little (e.g. ban lily farms from my Game...), but that is manageable and a personal preference.
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Not at all. I was trying to draw a distinction of how players say they don't want any occults in their games or fantasy and want a strictly reality game but we don't actually play a reality game in TS4 compared to older games do we? After all it's not reality to have seven years of Sims not being able to buy or drive a car is it? When in reality cars are all over the world. No matter where you go someone would have some sort of transportation. But not to dwell on that too much how much reality is too much, such as is it too much to watch a Sim open a drawer to be able to change clothes and see clothes folder inside that drawer all neat and pretty. Is something like that too much? Because if we cut that out (and TS4 did) what did we gain for it? Is it too much to expect Sims have to walk to a pc to be able to do something? Is it reality to say I want to play a reality game with no occults and or fantasy etc. but the Sim doesn't do anything but the player just clicks something and whatever it was it is done and over with? I'm just trying to gage how much we suspend our disbelief but defend we are playing reality when honestly we don't.
Then there are the extremes like real things such as cancers and or changes in what a Sim would experience as they age from child to elder. How deep would we want a game to go, or do we just want to play pretty Sims who don't have to drive to go somewhere, and or deal with life's challenges and or embarrassments and still claim we play reality? Something to chew on. Truth known we are all playing a fantasy.
The difference is simulation. We are playing a simulated game aren't we? Let's talk about what could be removed and how much we would be willing to still call it life simulator and reality. What if when you wanted two Sims to woohoo we just click on Sim to woohoo or try for baby and viola, over, done, no simulation? That would speed things up, right? What if we wanted Sims to eat because they are hungry so we just click on fridge and the Sims is instantly full. Would that be acceptable, too? What if we wanted Sims to get some rest and we just clicked on a pie menu on the Sim to get some rest and instantly their energy was full? I'm starting to wonder what people mean by the term reality if they are willing not to see simulation of that reality.
@Pamtastic72 you can switch to other household member and play with him if you don't want to watch one of your sims driving a car. The game doesn't stop while your sim is driving.
I personally like to watch the background in speed 1 while driving cause there's stuff happening, neighbours taking care of their lives, beautiful landscapes and locations... But sometimes i feel the need to use that time with my other sims. It's really beautiful and useful
My green thumb sim prefers to use the bike but his son has bought a great pick up as soon as he could afford it.
That all to say i'ld love to have cars in 4
That’s really no different than TS4, I can play another household member as my sim goes off to work there too. I also love the bikes in 4 and pretty much get all of my sims one.
But you can't play while your sim goes to the bar... and it's so fun to choose a new car. Also if you have roaring heights you can build a car... i really wish they bring cars to sims 4. I think it's so cool...
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against cars in TS4, I mean I have all the dlc & buy pretty much everything on release day, except JTB, which I got 50% off. So if they somehow add cars I’m not going to be mad about it, but if they never do I wouldn’t be bothered then either.
I get you
There is not one because realistic is subjective. Since none of us are playing an actual realistic game in TS4. Even less so than the other three.
I am not fine without having transportation not once have I played and not been annoyed that Sims are poofing everywhere that firemen and service npcs just all travel on foot to my Sims home and that kids vanish as they make their way to school rain or shine instead of getting on the bus. The loss of missing animations like getting knives in drawers is sad visual detail is important to me one of the reasons I cant stand my Sims all being telekinetic using the dish washer with their mind as it opens and closes itself.