Sul sul Simmers!
What’s on your mind for the next Sims 411?
We heard you say that you want a higher level of challenge and depth in the Base Game. And we’d love to hear more about it!
Let us know what a higher level of challenge and depth in the Base Game would look like for you.
- What would you expect from it?
- How would this change your current experience of The Sims 4?
- What specific aspects of the game would you like to see more depth in?
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but please continue to report bugs on AHQ
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Comments
My post will be written in a problem-solution form. This way I clearly state what departments need an extra level of challenge and depth, and how the needed improvements can be implemented into the game.
Problem 1 – Inconsequential and shallow illnesses (Get to Work). For example, my Sim got sick. I can definitely buy the all-powerful medicine that cures all the diseases and costs like a toilet paper, but it’s not necessary because my Sim will eventually get cured regardless. I strongly believe that there should be a deadly disease similar to Rabid Rodent Fever that Sims will have to treat at the clinic or by calling a doctor and having them come over. Doctors can prescribe a medicine, give a shot and charge for the visit afterwards. Plus, there should be different types of medicine depending on the sickness, with cost varying from cheap to expensive. It would add a bigger level of depth and realism to the illness system.
Problem 2 – Relationships are one-sided. My Sim is always the only one who initiates the relationship and triggers 90% of the actions. I think the game would benefit a lot if romantic relationships were improved by introducing autonomous decisions made by the Sim outside the household. You don’t socialize with your partner and basically ignore them? You might get a break-up message! You have a high romance with a Sim but didn’t propose going out yet? There’s a chance that the unplayed Sim will do that! Being a couple always involves two. Having the Sim that you don’t control make certain propositions and decisions would enrich the gameplay in a unique new way.
Problem 3 - Neglected whims. Whims are one of the primary features that need urgent reworking. What we have now is basically random, repetitive desires that do not reflect our Sims' personalities as they should. In order for whims to be more in-depth, they should be defined by Sims' traits, likes, aspirations, skills, jobs, relationships, pregnancies, age and childhood phases (Parenthood). Having all Sims constantly want to buy a bee box in spring isn't something that makes them feel like individuals. A much bigger variety of whims would make Sims more lively and unique.
Problem 4 – Lack of danger. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible for our Sims to unexpectedly face Grim Reaper. Simmers are in charge of whether their Sim dies from something or not which completely erases the challenge. For example, my Sim got electrocuted while repairing a TV. I know for sure that they will die on the second try, after they get the dazed moodlet from the first electrocution. I know what to expect from the game, and it makes the gameplay a bit less exciting. Adding more random deaths would bring the quirkiness and challenge that The Sims franchise is known for (death by satellite, I’m looking at you )
Problem 5 - Cool features get removed. I genuinely don't understand why certain features get removed, especially those that add to challenge and depth. As an example, there was an "ideal mood" requirement for our Sims that influenced their work performance - it was removed because some Simmers didn't enjoy it. Well, what about those who did enjoy the feature? It's impossible to please everyone, that's why there must be a toggle for certain things in Settings. This way we'd be able to customize the experience in our preferred way. With regard to storytelling, I'm disappointed that the ability to take a selfie with a tombstone at Mt. Komorebi was also removed. This was a completely optional interaction, yet it wasn't implemented in the final version of the pack because some were confused by it. The Sims Team, please, don't be afraid to be quirky. Don't be afraid to be challenging. There's a reason why The Sims is the franchise
I really do hope you consider implementing these ideas in the future! Have a great day everyone!
My name is Jack (@jackofallgames7 on Twitter) and I have brainstormed some ideas from all areas of the game that I think could be more challenging, without making it a nightmare for all players who don't appreciate an increase in challenge.
I love challenge in my game, but I understand not everyone does, so I tried to make all of my ideas on an ''opt in" basis.
I have also tried my best to use existing resources where possible so these ideas could be built into the game, without having to build entire systems from scratch.
***LOT CHALLENGES***:
I think this was such an excellent idea from the Cottage Living patch, but I have some more ideas that could seamlessly add challenge to the game without forcing it upon everyone;
Example 1:
"Pricey Area"
Want to live in one of the most desired locations in town for a fraction of the cost? Too bad! Businesses know you're made of money and won't be afraid to charge premiums on everything from your bills to everyday goods and services.
*Features;
- Increased cost of bills & utilities, increased cost of everyday goods and supplies such as canvasses for painting, food from the fridge etc.
- Increased costs for services such as Zoomers, Pizza and Maids
- Increased premiums for Build and Buy items"
Example 2:
"Neighbourhood Watch"
The neighbours TV being stolen was just a silly misplacement, right? And the Newbies down the road, their flamingo's just blew away in the breeze? And the footsteps downstairs, that's just the maid starting early? Right?
*Features;
- Burglars may attempt to rob items from properties. Purchasing a burglar alarm or phoning the Police in time will stop them from stealing.
- Local teens may also attempt to swipe an item from outside, make sure you have the cops on speedial!
Example 3:
"Grim Living"
The Grim Reaper is just like us! He has his favourite spots around town and he happens to have a fondness for this very lot! He will use any excuse to visit, so you might want to be extra cautious by making sure you don't burn your grilled cheese or have enough handiness skill to fix that fridge. The absence of bad things happening are short-lived around here!
*Features;
- Sims have a much higher and faster chance of dying from certain events, such as electrocution and fires. '
- Sims may be at a higher risk of drowning from low energy than usual.
Example 4:
"Old Unreliable"
It seems the area which you moved into isn't know for it's stellar electricity grid. Blackouts are frequent here, for up to 3 hours at a time. So make sure you have plenty of Off The Grid items for when things go dark.
*Features;
- The lot will have random blackouts multiple times a week for up to 3 hours each.
- Household gets a notification when the blackout has started and when it is over.
***PAYMENT OPTIONS***:
I thought it would be cool to explore some non-intrusive ways for players to avoid cheating out of necessity, but still have access to more money. But for it to be an ongoing challenge as a result: '
Bank loan for first house:
A lot of Simmers use freerealestate or motherlode to get into a big house straight away, especially if they like to play with large families and its not realistic to live in a starter home. But they may not like the lack of grind from that point on. So when you go to purchase a house from the main screen, there could be an option for "take out a loan" next to the tick and the x. This means players don't need to cheat for starting funds, however they will have to make weekly payments each week to pay off the loan. I'd say maybe 5% of the loan each week. If a payment isn't made by the time the next one is due, the RepoMan comes to take the amount equivalent in items. And the repayments continue as normal.
SimoliPay:
Similar to apps like AfterPay, Sims can use the app on their phone when their low on cash. Similar to the Bank Loan, they would be required to make the payments back at 25% each per week, and if they don't the RepoMan visits. I would say there should be a "Turn on SimoliPay" button in the phone the forces household funds to freeze and instead create a balance on the phone. Or maybe a new UI for when you click on the household funds to toggle from debit to credit. I'm sure you clever Guru's will slot it in nicely! :)
***WORLD SETTINGS***:"
This one is a bit more work, but I would see it having HUGE changes to how we add challenge and depth into the game.
Next to each world name on the mapscreen, there could be a little cog (like most settings apps) that load up a "World Settings" screen.
This could allow players to customise things such as how expensive it is to live in this world (so inflating or deflating how much food, services, build/buy, bills and items sold on community lots cost).
Or what kind of "traits/quirks" the world will have such as high crime, power blackouts, how maintained the public gardens are, alien abductions etc.
As I am a new user, I cannot post photos, but I have a mockup of how this could look on my Twitter as my pinned tweet (@jackofallgames07) that can help explain my point better.
To start, a little about myself so you know who you are reading. I consider myself a disaffected lifelong Sims player. I no longer desire to buy any Sims 4 packs or play that game (I primarily play the Sims 2 but revisit the Sims 1 and 3). By EA Marketing’s definition, I do not fit the mold of what a “typical” Sims player is: female, teenager or early-twenties, and interested in “storytelling.” My favorite Sims content creators are LGR, PleasantSims, Carl’s Sims 4 Guide, SimmerErin, EnglishSimmer, and Plumbella. I am active on Twitter in what can only be called a protest movement to improve the game. We've been advocating improvements to the Sims 4 for the last 7 years including skin tones, playable character lore fix, and gameplay. I care deeply about this franchise.
I want to bucket my observations and suggestions into the following:
1) Sims 4 is sandboxy to a fault; it is devoid of conflict and challenge
I have to control the story of every aspect of the Sims. It’s a dollhouse to the extreme. If my Sims’s social need is low I can invite literally anyone over. I can marry anyone in a day…and Sims can cheat with little consequence. Sims personality or current mood almost never prevents or encourages certain behavior in the AI or actions players can perform.
2) Design choices for personality are flawed and Sims feel too similar
Traits alone do not suffice for personality as it is difficult to use them as the basis for programming different animation styles, idle actions, actions queued by the AI, etc... Sims 2-style slider traits forming core personality and Sims 3-style traits layered on top are necessary to make Sims feel different and add challenge to gameplay.
3) “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”: beloved systems such as Wants and Fears, Aspiration Meter, Chemistry, and Memory Tokens have been ignored or partially reimplemented
Important systems, primarily from the Sims 2 base game, add challenge and depth to gameplay. Here I will discuss why they are needed and how they impact the player experience.
4) Design choices in the Sims 4 UI and information pop-ups dumb down the game and discourage exploration
Producers went for an overly-minimalist user interface for the HUD that removes core details, such as numerical scores (e.g., 73 out of 100) for relationships and stripped the interface of necessary gauges and status monitors that are essential to the simulation genre. We are burdened with tutorial pop-ups and information that break immersion.
Finally, I have included Sims content creator reference videos.
In the months leading up to the Sims 4 base game launch, we learned about a revolutionary emotions system that would add depth and make our Sims feel more alive than ever. Now, in retrospect, the majority of the Sims community can confidently say that emotions were a flawed experiment, and many of us want to be able to disable them.
Why don’t they work? Well, like many features in the game, there is no consequence. We might get a change in the HUD UI and our Sims expression will change...but no consequence. What is consequence and what am I defining it as? Consequence includes actions that can or CAN NOT happen due to state changes in the game. If your sim is depressed due to their spouse dying, I want them to reject actions by the player to throw a party or make out with someone. If someone wants to do random storytelling….LET THEM USE CHEATS! But we can’t back out of the default right now which is basically almost pure sandbox. The players can’t add these hindrances, but they can generally be removed via cheats.
Gameplay is boring as a result. Sims can matchmake with everyone. Anyone can get along with anyone. Emotions are purely cosmetic - they appear in the UI, the animations might change for a bit, and you might get some new interactions which are basically recycled actions with a new text string (“Take a Brisk Shower”) and a color associated with it (green) so you know it’s because of the emotion. I want sims to stomp on the ground and reject my actions because they are in a bad mood. I want almost all of their social interactions to get double red negative signs because they are stressed. Add the challenge.
We need the diametric personality sliders (Sims 2 style) e.g. active-lazy, outgoing-shy, neat-messy. This is the CORE Personality. Sims AI (what actions they choose by default), as well as the animation styles that are used (such as how they react or talk with other sims), are DETERMINED first by the core personality. EA threw this amazing personality system away in favor of Sims 3 traits.
HOWEVER, traits still have their place. Traits ON TOP of personality adds additional flavor.
A good question: why can't traits alone suffice? Answer: the act of forcing the core personality into a diametric slider of extremes (e.g., strong active, neutral, or strong lazy) as well as over a fixed number of dimensions that is consistent for ALL SIMS no matter the future expansion packs make the personality ACTUALLY PROGRAMMABLE AND LOGICAL.
It's reasonable to make animations and AI decisions by saying....okay, if your Sim has at least 7 out of 10 in the direction of active, we're going to give them the quick get-out-of-bed animation instead of the slow get-out-of-bed. They are going to lose energy need faster. They will be naturally interested in working out and will queue actions to use objects classified as workout equipment. When idle, they might do jumping jacks. Basically, every Sim can be understood for every personality aspect.
With traits...there is an effectively infinite number of them, and they range in type. A "vegan" trait is different from a "neurotic" trait which is different from an "ambitious" trait. Sure, you can program specific quirks or abilities for each trait, but they range in type and not every Sim has a degree of strength in every single trait. This makes programming animations and AI difficult for every single trait. The problem expands when you add additional traits.
Let’s talk first about Aspirations.
I feel like EA made aspirations in The Sims 4 a catch-all for any "gameplay element." Added a new feature? Make an aspiration out of it. Added a new skill? Make an aspiration. Need a tutorial for a new world? New aspiration.
This misses the point entirely and is not great game design. There are legitimate reasons for including tutorials and objectives....but make them something else! Make that a new system entirely....simply call them "Objectives." Objectives can be those checklist items that are currently masquerading as aspirations in TS4. A romance sim can still complete the objective to explore Henford on Bagley just like a family-oriented sim. Hence, a separate system. An Objectives system.
But let's be clear. They're not aspirations. Aspirations are best implemented in The Sims 2. What are they? They are a high-level orientation for the Sims. What do they want to get out of life? What type of experience makes them happy? Knowledge, Romance, Friendships, etc.? The Sims 2 aspirations were a great list, though I can think of a few more to add...an "Exploration" aspiration and a "Creativity" aspiration...the former would focus on quests, travel, and collecting and the latter focused on freelancing, craftables, and creative endeavors.
Aspirations should be semi-permanent and DIRECTLY related to a wants and fears system. Why? Well if the only wants you have are basic actions like talk with a sim or order a drink at a bar, that's NOT impactful. Wants should be stepping stones aligned with the general orientation of that aspiration. You are a fortune sim? Wants you should roll should be related to making money, developing your career, and building businesses. But someone that does not care for money would be unlikely to have those wants. In general, wants should start small but ultimately lead to longer-term wants that require time and work to complete.
This aspiration system should work with wants and fears. It adds challenge and incentivizes the player. Give Sims the ability to have multiple of these aspirations. And there are consequences if your Sim goes into aspiration failure. The whims feature doesn’t cut it.
Now for the other systems.
If you are familiar with the Sims 2, you should know what tokens are. In the programming, tokens are hidden objects that can be modified or passed from one Sim to the other. There is a jealousy token that is created when an event such as cheating is triggered. Tokens like these can decay over time. Memories are also represented via tokens. Gossip can be passed from one sim to the other. We need some sort of consequence and record of our events. Nothing appears to matter in the Sims 4.
Chemistry is another must. Again, Sims 4 feels too sandboxy. We need some ways to hinder the player. There will always be a place for cheats if the player wants to create some story. But for gameplayers...we feel ignored. Give us roadblocks. Make some sims get along better with others.
It’s clear the Sims team went for an overly-minimalist user interface for the HUD. Core dashboards and details, especially from the Sims 1 and Sims 2, have been ignored. Unfortunately, EA appears to consistently underestimate the intelligence of Sims players and, in a desire to “make the game accessible,” they’ve stripped detail and challenge.
Why not add back both a Daily and Lifetime relationship in the panel. There were obvious design reasons why Will Wright created the Sims 1 and 2 this way. Daily represents the day-to-day fluctuations in a relationship. Lifetime is slower to build and represents cumulative relationships. Let’s see the actual relationship numerical value. That way, the player can discover…”Oh, this social was rejected, maybe I’ll try again when I increase relationship by 20 extra points.”
Separately on this topic, the UI design was poor at anticipating future expansion packs and systems that would be added to the Sims 4. Lifestyles and sentiments and all of the other modules of the UI...now we’re scrolling through pages and pages of modules in a single section to access the information we want.
Finally, notification popups and tutorials are everywhere. The Sims 1 Makin’ Magic is an excellent example of the best way to implement advice. Make it INTERACTIVE. Don’t break the immersion. In this game, Magic Town had specific guides that you could talk to. You could select the “Ask about…” interaction and learn about quests and magicoins and duels.
As a design principle, limit gratuitous popups in the UI as much as possible in favor of interaction. Right now if we order an object, it just appears in your inventory and you get a popup notification. How about if we order something, some time passes (24 hours) and then a cardboard box is delivered on your doorstep so we can interact to open the box and get the item? This example detail is significant because it adds depth and realism as well as some challenge (delayed gratification from waiting for the item). Also, if we need to be explained something, make the user interact for that popup via talking to someone like talking to the garden club member to learn about gardening! Exploration and interaction is rewarding and adds depth.
Plumbella - The Sims 2 Is The Best Game Ever Made
EnglishSimmer - I have too many emotions and so does The Sims 4
Carl's Sims Guide - In Sims 4, I'm God - Must I Always Be in Charge of Drama and Story for EVERY Sim?
Carl's Sims Guide - Sims 4 Gameplay Could Be Better. Here's How!
Thank you for reading and for doing this!
How you can improve the gameplay:
1-In The Sims 2, our decisions made an impact on our sims' lives thanks to Wants & Fears system. They had their best moments and the worst. Although the game was always light-hearted and didn't exactly simulate reality, it felt meaningful. Their desires and fears shaped their personality, their little memories helped us to create stories. It wasn't always colorful and happy, but it felt unique. Thus I think this should be the number 1 priority to improve the sims 4's gameplay. Bring back the wants & fears system, combined with TS2-style memories (TS3 memories were too much, we don't need a new memory for every time our sims visit a new venue), allow us to see the consequences of the actions we take in our sims' lives, let us see the negative outcomes too. Emotions, buffs and sentiments are too weak when compared to what we had back in TS2.
2-Traits do not feel like traits. I saw a tweet the other day, it was "The Sims 2 pulled off a better personality system with only 8 aspirations." Can you even argue with that? I believe that The Sims 3 had the best personality & aspiration system when compared to all other existing games, maybe copy from that? Lactose intolerant or vegetarian isn't a personality trait, it is a condition or preference. Please give us PERSONALITY traits that define a sim's personality, that affect a sim's autonomy and idle behavior. It is utterly annoying to see all of the sims acting the same, walking around with an s i l l y smile on their faces. Even TS2 did a way greater job when it comes to authenticity. Please, I'm begging you, please just let us give our sims personality as you promised with the game's initial launch advertisements. Please just keep your promises. We want smarter and more authentic sims.
3-Aspirations are way too easy and do not feel like lifetime goals. It is nice that now we have milestones and small rewards while we are advancing in aspiration, but do they really have to require zero IQ? I mean, come on, nobody aspires to sit on a lounge chair (Beach Life aspiration) or something equally ridiculous. Most of the aspirations literally serve as tutorials for new game features coming in new packs and that is just unacceptable. We need reasonable, challenging and satisfying aspirations WITH meaningful and satisfying rewards. We don't need any more "skill bonuses" or "emotion buffs" as aspiration rewards, the game already serves everything on a golden platter for free, our sims can master ANYTHING without any struggle, they do not need more bonuses.
--While many of the existing aspirations suck, just a couple of them are really nice though, maybe look at them for inspiration? Eg. writer aspiration is somewhat challenging and the reward is unique and totally worth it (being able to write a book of life that actually has an impact on gameplay). We need more things like that for ALL of the aspirations. Financial aspirations should be a LOT harder too since earning money is TOOOOOOOOOOOO easy.
4-The economy in TS4 is messed up. It is unrealistic, dissatisfying and poorly executed. Our sims earn way too much money, way too easily... It is almost impossible to play the game without mods that allow us to tweak the amount of money they get. In real life, we can't sell the flowers we grow at home and get rich, this may be a poor example but you can get my point. It should be harder for them to earn money. Instead of bonuses, chance cards that give even more money freely, there should be more expenses to maintain a sim's life. With Eco Lifestyle update, the bills started to make more sense indeed, but that isn't enough. There is almost nothing to spend simoleons on in the live mode. In previous games, there were more things to do with money. Our sims paid for transportation, sometimes got tricked and lost their money... We need that kind of approach back in the game. Remember the sims sessions earlier this summer? Why could our sims enjoy those concerts for free? It was a perfect opportunity to sink some of their simoleons! It would be much more realistic. Other than food, services, bills and furniture, there should be more expenses overall. (Plus, all of the prices in build-buy catalog should be revised. A toilet roll costs 50 bucks, that doesn't make sense.)
Edit: Return of clothing stores (again, like in the sims 2 the masterpiece) would help a bit to sink simoleons. It doesn't make sense that we have access to an infinite amount of clothing items anyway.
5-We need more failures in the game. Like, our sims shouldn't be good at everything. I wish there was like a slider/bar to define their talents and abilities like they would be good at arts but they would suck at sports kind of thing. The skill gain would be a lot more challenging for them.
6-Negative outcomes are a must. Maybe they should get rejected from a job or they should get demoted or fired if they can't meet certain deadlines or performance criteria... It makes no sense that they get paid and promoted with literally no effort. Same should apply for the rest of the game, not just their career. They must fail every now and then.
7-Relationships are ridiculously unchallenging and dissatisfying as well. We DEFINITELY need an attraction system, but it is not enough. What made The Sims 2 PERFECT (chefs kiss) is that our sims didn't share a mutual friendship/romance bar. Their feelings were their own, our sims could have a one-sided romance with their crushes. Sim A could have 60 friendship points with Sim B and Sim B could have like 50 friendship points in return. They didn't always have to share the same feelings for each other and IT WAS JUST PERFECTLY REALISTIC. If you are planning to bring back the attraction system, please consider this too. It would add more challenge and more consequences. Eg. Sim A wants to kiss Sim B (because Sim A has more feelings for Sim B --) but Sim B would reject because they do not feel the same. Again, authenticity and intelligence. We need that back in the game!
---Regarding the attraction system, long ago I proposed a way for you to reintroduce horoscopes. While some signs may find it easier to get along, it shouldn't be the base factor of how their chemistry works. Read here to see more: https://simscommunity.info/2019/11/27/how-the-sims-4-should-re-introduce-zodiac-signs-and-why/
8-We need more activities, more skills, more gameplay objects, more interactions with the world around our sims. Again, feel free to copy from previous games because you will see how much we lack when we compare the sims 4 to them.
9-We need more events like sleepovers and funerals. Such events would make the gameplay experience more wholesome and satisfying.
10-We need more customization to create more authentic sims. Maybe walk styles should also affect the idle animation/pose? Because the current idle animation/pose sucks. The sims 2 had the best idles. The stance was anatomically more correct and the idle was totally neutral and their personality & moods shaped how they appeared. It can be a lot better with all of the customizations we now have in the sims 4.
11-We need more freedom in our neighborhoods. Revisit the existing worlds and expand the explorable areas of the neighborhoods, the game feels super claustrophobic most of the time. Allow us to visit/interact with the pagoda in Mt. Komorebi, let us walk in the forests of Windenburg islands, let us roam the streets of Brindleton Bay and see that town hall/watchtower, let us walk in the back streets of Strangerville... I mean, we can see all those places, but we can't click those parts of the map and our sims can't go there, this is super annoying.
12-REVISIT THE EXISTING WORLDS' WATERS AND ALLOW OUR SIMS TO SWIM IN THERE! It is super painful for us that our sims can't enjoy the sea in Windenburg & Brindleton Bay or the lake in Granite Falls.
13-LET THE COUPLES HUG OR SPOON EACH OTHER WHILE THEY'RE SLEEPING IN THE SAME BED, LIKE IN THE SIMS 2. AND AGAIN, PLEASE LET THEM CUDDLE EACH OTHER IN THE BED WHEN THEY WAKE UP, LIKE IN THE OLD DAYS.
I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT WE ARE IN 2021 AND I STILL HAVE TO REMIND YOU OF THIS, WHILE WE HAD THESE BY DEFAULT IN PAST SIMS GAMES. LOVE WINS, RIGHT? WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF LOVE?
Lastly, please know your audience better. The sims shouldn't be an educational game targeting children. You can target kiddos with a new game, with a different title. Please stop trying to be super child-friendly because I think this is what holds you back for real.
I miss the old raunchy sims experience.
Thanks for this opportunity so I could express my thoughts once more.
When it comes to challenges in The Sims 4, the first thing you need to urgently review is the simoleon earning system, and everything that goes with it.
It is EXTREMELY easy to get high simoleon values in the game legitimately without using cheats. It's possible to earn a lot of money through small interactions, or interactions with specific objects, or with careers, or with other types of activities in the game, whether it's painting or planting, or whatever.
The game has gotten easier and less challenging, and sometimes that worries me a lot, especially when I think about future releases.
Global Economy System
One thing that I think would be SUPER cool, and that could be COMPLETELY OPTIONAL, is if you guys added a global economy system to the game, which is directly controlled by you, from Maxis.
With the global economy system, you at Maxis could control the price of Build/Buy Mode objects and items. There could be times when objects in general are costing cheaper, or more expensive. Also, you could create "inflation" or "crisis times" where everything is costing MUCH more than usual.
With this system, you could also control the amount of simoleons that can be gained from interactions/objects/activities. Example: one day I can sell a professional painting for a high price, but the next day sales will be paying lower prices.
Anyway, I really believe that a global economy system, where the price of things is never fixed, and which can still count on economic crisis, could bring a VERY fun level of challenge to the game, because then we players would never know what we can expect, because one day things can be very cheap, but the next they can be VERY expensive.
I even imagine how funny and fun it would be go play The Sims 4 and find out that we are in a week of economic crisis, and everything is costing absurdly expensive. This leaves room for players to explore new ways to play The Sims 4 and deal financial issues that are being caused by the global economy online system.
Imagine if, for example, a global crisis happens, and a person is forced to live in an off-grid lot because everything is too expensive?
Obviously, the global economy system would be FULLY optional. No one would be forced to gamble having to deal with any high prices, inflation, or low simoleon earnings from activities or sales of things.
I start from the following principle: players who want a higher level of challenge will enable the global economy system, and will play with it enabled. It would still be possible to use simoleons cheats, but I believe that those who really want challenge will not use simoleons cheats naturally.
A global economy system could create a unique level of challenge in the franchise.
The return of The Sims 2 Wants and Fears system, and the consequences if we don't fulfill the wants, or fulfill the fear.
The Sims 4 is an extremely sandbox game. And this has caused a great lack of challenge and depth.
The Sims 2 had a Wishes and Fears system that was AMAZING. If we didn't eventually fulfill some of our Sims' wishes, they could end up going crazy. And if we completed their fears, they would look bad and could also go crazy, but the results were fun, especially when we completed a fear accidentally because of something that happened.
In The Sims 3, Wishes and Fears were removed, and now what we had were sorts of "missions" that we could do or not, because they were optional, you didn't have to do them if you didn't want to.
And the same thing happened in The Sims 4. Fulfilling whims is completely optional, and there is no consequence to the sim if the player wishes not to fulfill them. Fulfilling wishes basically just gave you points to spend in a shop, and that was it.
The Sims 2 was fun because it BROUGHT challenges and gameplay, while The Sims 4 is about looking for challenges and gameplay.
You should bring back The Sims 2 Wishes and Fears, and MOSTLY the fears.
ADDON:
I LOVED The Sims 2 Wants and Fears roulette animation when we completed some Want or Fear. You guys should bring something like that too, it would be really cool.
P.S: English isn’t my first language, so if there’s any mistakes, I’m sorry!
1. I think that all jobs shouldn’t be available at all times and when sims apply for it, should have some sort of interview, much like the audition in the actor career, where the sim only gets the job if they have affinity with it, considering their likes and abilities, because this gives more meaning to the abilities and makes the game more realistic.
2. The burglars add more challenge because makes the game more realistic and now with Cottage Living this happens with chickens, so I don’t see why this can’t happen with the sims.
3. The relationships should be harder to maintain and harder to gain. For example, couples should fight when one of them does something when the other doesn’t like, because when they live together and are married it seems like a paradise, their relationship bar doesn’t move that much and when someone flirts with a married person the partner should react and impact on their relationship. And to gain, is like if my sim has good reputation from Get Famous, for example, when they introduce themselves, they are instantly good friends and with a close sentiment, sentiments should be for those that have a longer connection because be good friends with everyone along with sentiments makes friendships shallow.
4. The happy emotions shouldn’t have bigger impacts than the negative ones. For example, my sim’s wife just died in front of him and he got the sad moodlet but in an instant he was energetic because of the lot trait and because he had just exercised, that takes the impact of such an important event.
5. Harder to complete aspirations. From what I understand, aspirations are desires for a lifetime and there’s a couple that sims can complete in a month. Harder aspirations inspire ideas, stories and push us to get more excited to play.
6. Add fears. Everyone has some type of fear in life and to not have this in game makes it shallower and more unrealistic, everything has a consequence, if it doesn’t have a consequence, it isn’t life and the concept of the game is to play with life.
7. The dislikes should have more impact. My sim had a party and some guest disliked the song that was playing but kept up dancing happily anyway, if they keep doing things they don’t like and that doesn’t impact in relationships or anything, I don’t see the point of them existing.
Sorry for the long post and thanks for listening!
Personalities: Being able to create more unique sims would bring more depth to the game. Adding things like wants, fears, turn offs/on, set gender preference, grudges and memories would help to create more distinctive sims.
More consequences: Adding more negative results for different actions would bring more challenge to the game. Things like evictions, getting arrested, bad investments, poor health, fines, injuries, furniture needing repair over time, pests in untidy homes, cheating affecting reputation, etc
Unexpected events: this would bring more challenge and unpredictability to the game. Things like layoffs, autonomous proposals, and break ups. Weather conditions having negative affects can be challenging, for example, things like power outages during a storm, strong winds breaking outside objects, shovel snow as a necessity, snow days, etc.
I also believe the game could accommodate more players by giving us more control of our stories and surroundings. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including by adding more familial relationships that we can set in CAS, and more unique interactions for Sims who share those relationships.
A toggle to switch off certain life states could benefit players looking for more realism, while population controls would no doubt be of interest to fantasy players that don't want their immersion broken by Nancy Landgraab jogging through their neighborhood.
Speaking of immersion-breaking, why do Sims have to autonomously sit down every time they're arguing? This is something that really breaks the illusion of the game for me.
I think these features could add more challenge and depth to the base game and make it more versatile for all types of players.
The thing about the concept of “depth and challenge” is that it means different things to different people. For myself, my biggest concern is that everything in the game feels…episodic, for lack of a better word. This is primarily due to the game’s over-reliance on the Emotion system. No matter what happens in a Sims’ life-from getting a job to having child to losing a loved one-the only reaction is an emotional buff. Now, yes, the buffs do have varying degrees of intensity and durations. But the thing about emotions is they are not permanent, and once that emotional buff expires it’s as if that major life event never happened.
There’s also the issue that the emotional buffs only apply to Sims who are physically there for an event. Certain events should have at least some emotional impact regardless of whether you were physically present. If I’m playing a lot where an elder passes away from old age, it seems odd that when I switch to their adult children in another house they’re smiling without a care in the world. I know that TS2’s memory system was a huge source of technical issues, but there needs to be some middle ground between that and Sims having no awareness at all unless they’re physically in the room.
The other effect of relying on the emotion system is that there are no real, long-term consequences for anything a Sim does or does not do. Again, compare to Sims 2. If a Sim neglected to teach a toddler to walk and talk, they aged to a child with a disadvantage. If a Sim didn’t meet their wants, or realized too many fears, they would have a nervous breakdown-and if this continued for long enough their lifespan would be shorter.
The Emotions system is nice to have, and I know it’s one of TS4’s headline features. But it can’t provide a in-depth experience on it’s own, because emotions are fleeting. When the only impact of a Sims’ actions is a brief emotional reaction, it makes the entire game feel shallow. With the Aspiration system having shifted away from providing long-term goals to providing player tutorials, there needs to be another way to show how a Sim is impacted by their life beyond how they feel in the short term. This may or may not be something that can be brought to TS4-but if it can’t, I hope that it’s taken into consideration if/when development begins on TS5.
So here are my thoughts:
Different play styles have different necessities. It would be fun to have a slider to the features in the game, on how often things are triggered in the game. When someone plays with the aging on there are very different necessities than someone playing with aging off, for example. A slider feature to control the difficulty level on how hard to earn money, learn skills in these different ways of playing the game would be a very interesting way of creating a more challenging gameplay. This is necessary in many aspects… controlling how many times in the week the cleaner or the Gardner comes to help when you have hired them could be very effective to change the difficulty of the game.
Improving the babies would be a nice way to give the game a bigger challenge… Having babies with traits like "calm" or "crier" assigned to them when they are born would make them feel different from each other and add another layer of difficulty.
Adding a feature that would difficult getting a job, especially if it's a new save, would be nice as well. Not only applying to the job and being immediately hired. But having to meet a little requirement on something or having a friend on the Career to give them a recommendation on the job.
Having a toggle "on and off" to the plants in game to Add the need to water and trim like it was in previous iterations would be a nice way to make the game harder. The same on feeding fish and cleaning their tanks. (Even though this last one would make my play style impossible to play, lol).
Allowing the user to set the amount of money Sims make for an hour would be nice as well… if you set the highest amount per career level, but allowing to low it down.
Allowing players to start the game without the obligation of owning a lot would be a nice way to make the game more challenging.
Using the calendar feature in game (since it has been moved to the base game) it would be possible to allow old challenges and give the players the possibility to unlock those locked items (like the fruit plant planters).
Removing the career attached mark, like it happens into the entertainment and food aspirations, may add more challenge to those who try to complete all the aspirations with just one Sim in one save.
Eaten bad food could take days of the Sims away… so they become older more quickly… that would also be a neat challenge.
Losing skill level on unused abilities after some time would be another nice way to improve the game challenge and difficulty.
The way Sims earn money on TS4 is easy, it would be nice to have a feature that took things away from them… like hurricanes, burglars, meteor falling…
About depth, I feel that there are a few issues that need to be addressed about romantic interactions. The first one is related to the spying career. Romantic interactions have nothing to do with being a spy and this gets in the way of the story telling for the character. If I want, for example, create a spy that is asexual I can't, because the game forces them to be actively exploring romantic interactions with other Sims. The second is the lack of romantic interactions. People have a lot of ways to show affection other than woohoo. It would be nice to have options to cuddle, to hold hands, to hold tenderly, to slow dance, to serve someone their favourite meal…
Another thing that would improve the Depth is adding the ability to create multiple purpose lots. The worlds now have fewer and fewer lots and it would be nice to have a legitimate way of creating spaces that serves more than one function.
I would like more reasons to play the game for longer and encourage me as a player to try out different sims and do different things in the game. These could be larger aspirations, life goals or larger scenarios which could add more challenge and depth to the game.
I think we could also add more challenge and depth to activities and careers in the game by allowing us to increase the difficulty and the rewards.
With careers we could have more options to work overtime, work additional days or set additional work tasks in order to get paid more, but that could require more time and skills.
With activities we could have more options to do things together and sims skill levels, emotions, traits and likes and dislikes matter more with how successful those sims are with completing an activity with positive buffs. Sims could also become friends by doing activities together and having more likes and dislikes that they share.
Thank you and Happy Simming.
Car pools
The simple thing of watching your Sims go to work in a carpool or children going into the school bus. This added a huge amount of depth.
This simple animation gave you a feeling that Sims were actually going somewhere. That‘s what I mean by depth.
Story progression - Sims lives outside of the household should progress without player input. For example, NPC Sims autonomously find partners, get married, get children, get divorced, find new friends, make new enemies, etc.
It makes you feel like the world around you is alive and has depth to it.
Unpredictable random events - I want life events that are thrown at me that I have to deal with in gameplay. The game currently is too predictable. Examples for random life events would be: One of my Sims gets hit by a meteor and dies. Or a burglar breaking into my house. Or my house getting a cockroach infestation I have to deal with like in Sims 1. Or the TV randomly falling off the wall like in Sims 2. It’s those things that you won‘t discover first hand. Most players are still finding new things in Sims 2 to this day (like the TV falling off the wall)
More events at night. Nighttime is quite boring in Sims 4. I would want more random things to happen in the neighborhood at night. In Sims 1 there would be a bear suit NPC (Claire the Bear) that would roam through your trashcan at night.
Or raccoon NPCs that roam the neighborhood at night.
CHALLENGE:
Burglars - I want the Burglars back that your Sims have to fight off. Burglars would break into your home at night and make nighttime more interesting. Your Sims could fight the burglars if they‘d got high Fitness skill. Or they could upgrade their doors with burglar alarms if they have high Handiness skill.
This motivates player to play with these skills and level them up.
Prices of B&B objects - The prices of most B&B objects are pretty low compared to previous games. This makes the game too easy and less challenging. Once you earn enough money, you don‘t know what to buy anymore because everything is so cheap.
The prices of middle- and high-end B&B objects should be raised.
I would like to see a TEMPERAMENT / PERSONALITY SYSTEM with sliders (Sims 1 & Sims 2) as an addition to the traits.
1. SENSITIVE - RATIONAL
*Faster increasing skills: Creativity skills, Pet skills, Life skill
*Increased performance in following careers: Therapist, Doctor, creative careers
*Decreased performance in following careers: Detective, Law, Military, Secret agent
*Easier to gain sentiments
*Collects higher negative life points from negative experiences LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
*Collects higher positive life points from positive experiences LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
RATIONAL (6-10)
*Faster increasing skills: Logic skills
*Increased performance in following careers: Detective, Law, Military, Secret agent
*Decreased performance in following careers: Therapist, creative careers
*Harder to gain sentiments
*Collects lower negative life points from negative experiences LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
*Collects lower positive life points from positive experiences LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
*If having a very “negative childhood” +high point in SENSITIVE = risk of developing Sensitive maniac trait (van Gogh)
*If having a very “negative childhood” +high points in RATIONAL = risk of developing Rational maniac trait (mad scientist/John Nash)
*Decreased performance in following careers: Entertainer, Comedian, Actor
*Faster decreasing energy bar around unknown/acquaint sims
*Slower decreasing social bar
*Can get the moodlet Overwhelmed introvert around (unknown) sims
*Can get the moodlet Shy around (unknown) sims
*Harder to socialize with new sims
*Higher risk of getting the Social anxious moodlet (when low points in Self-Esteem) LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
*More negative feelings/moodlets around new/unknown sims
*Tend to get less/no whims about parties/social events/getting to know new sims/attention
*Tend to get more fears (whims) about making a fool of themselves/social embaressment/to be in the centrum of attention
CAS Traits only available for INTROVERT: Loner
CAS Traits not available for INTROVERT: Outgoing
EXTROVERT (6-10)
*Increased performance in following careers: Entertainer, Comedian, Actor
*Faster increasing skill: Charisma
*Slower decreasing energy bar around unknown/acquaint sims.
*Faster decreasing social bar
*Can get the moodlet Exited extrovert around other sims.
*Easier to socialize with new sims
*More positive feelings/moodlets around new/unknown sims
*Tend to get more whims about parties/social events/getting to know new sims
CAS Traits only available for EXTROVERT: Outgoing
CAS Traits not available for EXTROVERT: Loner
*Faster increasing skills: Creativity skills, Comedy skills
*Increased performance in following careers: Creative careers, Babysitter career (part time job)
*More often playful and inspired emotion/moodlets
*Faster Bored or Tensed when performing serious actions (e.g. studying)
*More whims with playful actions, less whims with serious actions
CAS Traits only available for PLAYFUL: Goofball
SERIOUS(6-10)
*Slower increasing skills: Creativity skills, Comedy skill
*Decreased performance in in following careers: Creative careers, Babysitter career (part time job)
*Increased performance in following careers: Astronaut, Business, Detective, Law, Salary person, Politician
*Easier to fail with jokes
*Easier to get other sims gain the moodlet “bored” from a conversation with your sim
*Easier for other sims to gain the sentiment “reliable” about your sim (=easier to convince someone)
*Slower Bored or Tensed when performing serious actions (e.g. studying)
*Increased fun bar from performing serious actions (e.g. studying)
*More whims with serious actions, less whims with playful actions
CAS Traits not available for SERIOUS: Goofball
*Tend to change their whims (positive & negative) more often
*More impulsive whims
*Can become tensed when sedentary for a longer period of time
*Tends to get more smaller whims with smaller rewards
*Faster Bored with repetitive conversations
*Faster Bored when performing repetitive actions / from repetative interaction
*Faster Bored with long-spun actions (e.g. short attention span, bored when doing a homework that take a long time to do).
*Will autonomously do more impulsive actions and jump through different actions (doing some homework ->now playing a game on the phone -> now start learning this new skill /etc)
*Harder to get and remain Focused from actions (e.g. playing chess)
*Can get the moodlet: Excited!
* Easier to get the moodlet Life feels meh (+1 Bored and Decreasing Meaningfulness points).
*Rapidly changing temperament: Tend to more easily become agitated/excited/scared/etc, and more mood swings
REFLECTIVE (6-10)
*Tend to change (refresh) their whims (positive & negative) less often (will stick with their whims for a longer period of time)
* Will be able to see one/several of the tasks from the Quest want before accepting the quest
*Less/no impulsive whims
*Tend to get more “bigger” whims with bigger rewards
*Easier to get Focused from actions (e.g. playing chess)
*Will autonomously stick with their routines (no new impulsive actions), will stick with their actions for longer periods of time
*Smooth/even temperament: less mood swings and "freak outs"
*A persistent sim that failing with a Quest want or a whim that you have locked (=by removing it or by completing the opposite fear) will get a bigger decrease in Self Esteem points and Meaningsfulness points and tend to get the same whim instant afterwards
*Bigger increased Meaningsfulness points when completing a Quest want or a whim that you have locked
*Decreased Meaningsfulness points when failing with a new years resolution (SEASONS EP).
CAS Traits only available for PERSISTENT: Ambitious
CAS Traits not available for PERSISTENT: Lazy
UNMOTIVATED(6-10) (Example: Bob Panncake!)
*Smaller loss in Meaningsfulness points when failing with a Quest want or a whim that you have locked
*If you have a Quest want or a whim that you have locked for a longer period of time without completing it => the sim will get the negative moodlet LET ME GO! and tend to get whims with: UNLOCK THE WANT! / LET ME GO! (=> urging to the player, because of low motivation)
CAS Traits only available for UNMOTIVATED: Lazy
CAS Traits not available for UNMOTIVATED: Ambitious
Improved experience: Sims will feel more unique. Just having specific traits is a very shallow way of describing a human / sim.
#FixThePersonalities
LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
Consequences
It really is that simple. There is not enough fully in-depth consequences like there was in previous games. Any of the "consequences" that do occur won't affect Sims in any way or at least not a long period of time. Negative emotions that sims have quickly disappear as if it never happened at all.
Things like getting arrested or a s/o breaking up/divorcing their partner doesn't autonomously happen which makes the game boring to me (these are just 2 examples, but I'm sure there are plenty more). Really, any interaction or situation doesn't autonomously happen and it doesn't make the game fun when I have to make things happen EVERY SINGLE TIME. And might I add, sims' emotions are off. For example, a sim acts happy around their ex when they shouldn't. Or if a sim loathes another sim they tend to have friendly conversations. These are the things that make the game that feel like I'm playing a game for 5 yr olds and need to be fixed.
We also don't see enough randomness in the game either, such as aliens abductions or vampires biting Sims outside of their homes. I like seeing random things like that and would like to see it happen more often.
- What can be Added:
* I would suggest adding in Sims getting arrested.
* Autonomous break ups after sims cheat on there s/o's
* More Sim deaths/sim deaths occur a little bit more often
* Sims feeling happy after a divirce/breakup after being in an unhappy relationship
* Going on bad dates
Burglars
Burglars have been a pretty popular ask for years, especially when you teased them in your current pack Cottage Living. Kinda like how vampires come into sims' house at night, burglars can do the same thing but steal stuff. Sims would have to lock their doors in order to prevent them from coming in.
Wants and Fears
One of the things that make the sims different is their various personalities and part of that is wants/fears. I want my sims to be fearful of dogs, but want to adopt a cat. Or have phobias and be able to give them as many phobias as I want. The game feels very vanilla which makes me want to play less, which is sad because I love this franchise.
- What can be added:
* Something I suggest adding to the likes/dislikes system is food and drink, favorite animals, fashion preference.
* System just similar to likes/dislikes, but with listing a sims' phobia.
* More phobias in general
SENTIMENTS
When a sim gets caught while he/she is betraying the partner, he/she doesn't have any sentiment about it.
When something really bad happens between two sims it would be nice to have a stronger buff so that sim will be angry or sad without changing the emotion because of other less important buffs as the beautiful furnitures or something else (also because in real life you are happy when you see a beautiful room for the first time but the second time that you see it you are not interested anymore).
It would be nice to see a register of the sentiments (something like memories) to see what's happened in the past between two sims.
ASPIRATIONS
The actual aspirations are like short time tutorials, they feel really too easy and they don't add any depth to the sims, maybe they can be changed with long time aspirations (sometimes something vague and simple gives more freedom to the gamer).
The aspirations are not so many, it would be nice to see a sim that dreams to be a doctor or an astronaut.
WHIMS
Whims are broken now but it's so a good system, it would be nice to see whims that work together with the aspirations and the personality traits of the sim: a brave sim would like to start a career as astronaut or start an adventure in Selvadorada, a family sim would like to marry someone or maybe fear to be betrayed.
It would be nice to see consequences if whims are not satisfied for a long time like having social and fun going down really fast and also like losing aspirations points.
PERSONALITY TRAITS
It would be nice to see more autonomy based on personality traits.
Like and dislikes compatible with personality traits: a lazy sim can't enjoy fitness.
It would be great to have a different category for bad personality traits ( as the lot challenges).
LIKE AND DISLIKES
I love like and dislikes so much, they make a big difference in the game, it would be nice to have more of them because of the many activities in the game.
It would be nice to see more autonomy in the game, a sim that loves to play piano should autonomy play it when fun is too low.
When a sim hates a music genre he should leave the room while listening to a genre he/she dislikes.
MORE CHALLENGE
It would be nice to have the possibility to deactivate the dust bunnies, the help from the wild animals in cottage livings and other kinds of help in the game.
NO SUPERNATURAL
It would be nice to have the possibility to deactivate supernatural stuff like ghosts, mermaids etc… for a lot of people it is nice to have supernatural stuff happening in the game but for other gamers it is really a game breaker, it could be great to have the options to deactivate them... same for dust bunnies.
TABLE MANNERS
The sims do everything except sit, eat and drink, I would love to see that the sims could enjoy their meal without standing up all the time doing the chairs dance.
It could also be nice if they automatically start to speak ( if they are not angry or sad) with each other while they are eating.
PUSH UPS
It would be nice to see Sims doing push ups only in the gym, sometimes it is a bit crazy that they start to do push ups while a group of sim is mourning a death sim in the park.
COMMUNITY LOTS AND NPCS
It would be nice to have the possibility to choose which NPC has to show up in a not owned community lot, for example in this way you can make a library with a coffee bar inside.
OWNED COMMUNITY LOT (RESTAURANT OR SHOP)
It would be really nice to have more tasks to give to our employees so we could have the possibility to make a shop with a coffee bar inside ( Get to work - Get together) or a hairdresser salon (Get to work - Get famous).
It could be fantastic to give multiple (compatible) tasks to our employees and to give those tasks also to the sims of the household that own the community lot.
It could be really nice to see that if you give a task to a sim of the household he/she will show up doing the same task also when you visit the lot with a sim of another household.
In the SIms 4 Get to work you don’t need to make new food if you need to restock it (same for other stuff that you can’t buy from the buy mode), it would be nice to see that the sim is unable to restock things if they are sold out ( so he/she needs to make remake everything to sell them again).
JOBS INTERVIEWS
In the SIms 4 you can easily apply for all jobs by telephone, it would be funny if you just need to prepare your sim for a job interview before your sim could get the job with a 40% possibility of getting rejected.
NPCS
It would be great to see more NPC in the game as the social worker, or the burglars….
It would be really nice to see that the firefighters will directly put out the fire instead of waiting a long time in front of the lot.
Anyway I’m really happy to have the opportunity to write here some ideas, I see a lot of improvements in the game and I’m really curious to see the future of The Sims 4, good luck!
Plallo ( I’m using a new account because my real account doesn't work in the forum)
First of all thanks for this initiative! The lack of enough depth and challenge in TS4 has been a recurring concern of the community for years now and I’m hopeful something good will come out of this! I will try to be brief for the sake of whoever has to read through this (because I assume there will be hundreds of responses to process):
1.- Making the game more challenging and in-depth
2.- How to implement more challenge in the game?
I am aware that not everyone wants this level of challenge or may want different levels of challenge. I think what you guys did with lot challenges could be a very smart way to add a lot of challenge back.
Most of the features I mentioned, such as burglars, natural disasters, death without warnings, harder chance cards, etc. could definitely be implemented as lot features. And all the challenges relating to social progression (attraction system, interests system, chemistry, etc.) could be optional in the game menu; or there could just be a purchasable reward in the reward store to make your sim super attractive and friendly and annul any challenge in that regard.
Thinking “bigger”, I would ideally implement different difficulty modes (in the game menu): easy, medium and hard, where the current game is the “easy” mode, and all the added challenges I mentioned (and more that I’m sure I haven’t thought about) could be added.
I’m sorry for the lengthy post. I hope this feedback is helpful!
I would like to see a TALENT SYSTEM in sims 4.
Example: Choose what your sim will learn Faster / Slower.
Improved experience: Would give more personality to sims + provide more challenges
LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
First of all, the romance system needs a complete overhaul – the problem is that there is no system. It’s basically a free-for-all where anyone can flirt with anyone with no consequences and no consideration for gender preference, trait compatibility or marital status. Basically, all sims are bisexual whether you want them to be or not and all sims cheat on their partners whether you want them to or not. This is not representative of the real world.
It would be nice if we could choose whether our sims are straight, gay or bisexual in CAS. We can now set preferences for hobbies, décor, music and activities so why not also select gender preference? You could have “Male” and “Female” as options and you could select one or both as preferences. And while we’re at it, why not include a whole attraction system where you can also select what your sim is attracted to – such as hair & eye colour, physique (Fit or Unfit), traits, occult state, skills, careers or even financial status (for all those gold-diggers out there). Think of all the storytelling possibilities. Relationship status could also be a preference – you could choose “Attached” or “Unattached” as preferences and have your sim only be attracted to sims that are not already in a relationship. Or you could select “Attached” or both and have them be a potential homewrecker.
This way, relationships will no longer be a slam dunk where romance interactions ALWAYS succeed – in order for romance interactions to succeed, the sim you’re flirting with has to be attracted to you. How attracted they are to you and how they respond to your flirting would depend on what preferences are set for them. Things like gender preference, physical appearance, physique, trait compatibility, occult state, career, financial status, skills and relationship status will all now be taken into account – as it would in real life. Sims will now have to work harder to find a partner. No longer will sims have that little pink romance bar under the relationship panel icon of almost EVERY sim they meet. The pink bar would not be activated unless a romantic interaction succeeds, and a romantic interaction should not succeed unless you meet the criteria that the sim is attracted to, or at the very least don’t have any of the characteristics that they find unattractive. This will make relationships much more challenging and also much more realistic.
In addition, to help make all this work, we will need to have two new traits – Faithful and Unfaithful. These traits will supersede any attraction preferences – meaning that even if Sim A is extremely attracted to Sim B, they will not flirt with Sim B or accept any romantic advances from Sim B if Sim A is in a relationship AND has the Faithful trait. This is similar to how it works when a sims gifts another sim with a tulip-scented flower arrangement, except in this case the effects are permanent as long as they have this trait.
I have one other suggestion, and this idea came to me after seeing the lactose intolerant trait from Cottage Living. I feel that this shouldn’t be a trait since it’s more of a medical condition rather than a personality trait. I don’t dislike having it in the game, I just think there’s a better way it could be used. We now have lot challenges in the game – simple living, off the grid, etc. which enhance the way we play the game without having to take away one of our 3 lot trait slots. Since sims are allowed only 3 trait slots in CAS, it seems ridiculous to use up one of those few precious trait slots for something like lactose intolerant which doesn’t even affect the sim’s behaviour or relationship with other sims. So I thought, since we now have lot trait challenges, why not have sim trait challenges as well? These could be “traits” like “lactose intolerant” that make life challenging for a sim, but also won’t take up a trait slot. And you could use as many of them as you want, just like with lot trait challenges. You could also add the Vegetarian trait to this list and maybe add some new ones like allergies and certain mental health issues (ie. social anxiety) which can certainly be challenging for a sim in terms of building relationships.
I am a huge fan of playing occult sims and I would love it if you could add more to the game, such as werewolves and fairies and maybe even genies too. I would also love to see the gambling from Sims 3 brought back to the game, with poker tables, roulette wheels, slot machines, etc. I’ve been wanting to build a casino in San Myshuno for years now! I like that we're getting more international locations (Japan with Snowy Escape, England with Cottage Living). Would also love to see much more of that.
These are my two cents. I know this was a really long post and if you stuck with it this far, thank you for reading! I’ve been playing the Sims for years now and I still think it’s the best game out there, but there is still some room for improvement. I think it’s great that you guys are willing to give us fans a chance like this to give you our thoughts on the game and to listen to our suggestions. I really do think it will improve and enhance the game and make it more interesting to play. I look forward to whatever you bring to the game in the future! Thanks again for reading.
Here's my feedback on what I think needs adding to the base game to add depth.
1. Smarter Artificial Intelligence (AI)
2. Story Progression
- Toggle off to disable this feature entirely.
Toggle on features include:- Relationships
- Friendships
- Marriage
- Babies
- Clubs replenish
- Sims moving in/out worlds / filling up households
- Ageing for non-played sims
- Ageing for household
… and more3. Adding and Fixing of NPC’s
Fixing:
- NPC’s need to truly feel unplayable that they cannot be added to families; additionally we shouldn’t be able to enter CAS and remove a costume and find a base sim underneath. It breaks immersion. Otherwise NPC’s are just like other townies and are no fun.
Adding:- Burglars
- Repo-man
- Conman
- Social Bunny
- Social worker
… and more4. Add Memories
- Sims should remember significant instances in their lifetime.
- Ability to autonomously recall memories and have dreams / nightmares about memories
- Memories can be expanded according to the base game and packs.
- Memories can be perceived as negative, positive or neutral
Memories should include but are not limited to:- First kiss
- Who taught them to walk / potty / talk
- Death of a loved one
- Birth
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Career Promotion / Demotion
- Achieving their aspirations
… and more5. Add Wants & Fears
6. Add an Attraction / Chemistry System
- Ability to select turn on / offs in Create a Sim
- Scope the room feature to look for a potential sim/s to interact with
- Turn on / offs can affect relationships and friendships and either make it easier or harder for the player to build said relationships / friendships
- Sims that fulfill turn ons / offs will have it displayed in the relationship panels
- These can be expanded based on packs.
Examples of Turn on / offs- Hair
- Clothing
- Body Type / Fitness
- Makeup
- Accessories
- Hygiene / Smell
- Employment Status
- Personality traits
… and more7. Add Cut scenes
8. Additional Traits, Career Options, Aspirations, Likes & Dislikes
9. Adding a Touch of Realism
10. Improved Personalities
11. Improve The Family Trees
12. Improve Toddlers, Kids & Teens
13. Improve Babies
14. Improve Emotions
15. Improving Needs
16. Improving Relationships
17. Improve the Interaction Menus
18. Improved CAS Abilities
19. Integration, integration, integration
Thanks to the sims team for opening up this discussion thread and allowing us the opportunity to speak. Much appreciated!
Edited to fix spelling errors, add bullet points where there weren't and to add one last point listed number 19.
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/17959481#Comment_17959481
I would like to see a TOGGLE FOR SLOWER SKILL PROGRESSION in the settings. (or Difficulty levels).
Example: The game is to easy when playing on long life span and getting Topnotch-toddler, Scout-reward trait, etc.
Improved experience: Would provide more challenges
LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
I want to see more STRUGGLES & CONSEQUENCES to sims lives, ex. longer lasting Negative Emotions & Sentiments. And more difficulty to get along with certain sims & to fix Negative Sentiments / Emotions.
Example: Having to visit the THERAPIST or put in some work to sort Relationships, Sentiments & Emotions out
Improved experience: Would provide depth, personality & uniqueness to sims. Also giving more challenges & realism to players. Would give the feeling that your choices actually impact your game
LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
Challenges are too easy. Almost everything is too easy. I don't like perfect Sims. Anyone can master the piano, anyone can be very intelligent, anyone can be artistic and paint master paintings so easily..and I don't like that. Everyone should be more unique, more different than others. Sims should have the ability to have strengths and weaknesses, just like people in real life because this is a simulation game isn't it. I wish that perfecting some skills, depending on their traits, will be more harder.
Any Sims can be friends with anyone too easily, anyone can romance anyone too easily..and I don't think it's a good thing, at least for me. I hope Sims will have gender preferences and preferences on physical traits, personality or something like those. Like, a Sim will have the ability to have a "dream guy" or "dream girl". There should also be things like bad dates, awkward dates, things like those. And we need more romance interactions.
Likes and dislikes are good, but why can lazy Sims still like fitness? My Sim who hates electronica will still listen to electronica autonomously? This area needs more improvement too.
I would like to see long time MEMORIES in sims 4. 🧠
Example: Certain events (childbirth / death) could be saved as a long time Memory and be remembered at random
(will give MEMORY MOODLETS with the same buff as back then).
Sims remember their memories and will at random get a moodlet with the memory
(eg. "Simsis was born") that have the same buff as back then (e.g. “+1 happy”).
This moodlet will give them the interaction share memory with other sims that are included in the memory (e.g. parents can share a memory of a child birth). This will make the other sim remember = trigger their memory moodlet.
Redefined memories = sims will get a Negative moodlet (tensed/sad/angry) when remembering these memories. The Redefined memories will turn back into Positive memories when the negative sentiment disappears.
Improved experience: Would provide depth, personality & uniqueness to sims. Would give the feeling that your choices actually impact your game.
#BringBackTheMemories
LIFE STRUGGLES PACK