I guess I approach the game differently. I stayed with Sims 3 for years after 4 came out to give it time to develop (and come down in price) before jumping in. I didn’t come in with expectations that it would be “just like the past games, only better” because none of the past games were perfect for me, either. I actually wanted different. I direct theater and have written some plays, and I approach the game the same way I write a stage show: Give me a concept to build on, let me create the set and characters and let me interpret their journey my way with some game input, but don’t lock me in to your preferred outcome. For me, Sims 2 was too restrictive in character design and too daily needs oriented. I couldn’t create Sims whose life aspirations weren’t practical (creative or spiritual Sims, for example) and I didn’t like the art style, at all. Sims 3 had better initial character design, with more goal freedom and just enough random events to shake up my self written script a little, but aesthetically the “sets” seemed drab and no matter how hard I worked on a Sim in CAS they all looked pretty much alike in actual play.
On to Sims 4. By the time I started playing, most of those early problems had already been worked out. What I found was an aesthetically pleasing world in which I could direct my own Pixar movie. CAS and BB are less of a chore. The cast actually looks like the version I have in my head, just Pixar style. I can create Sims whose life goals don’t revolve around money, love or power and I can fully direct their stories. What I don’t get from Sims 4 are those fun, random events that provided the plot twists in Sims 3. They happen, but not very often. Sims 4 with the Sims 3 balance of sandbox/simulation would be my perfect game.
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On to Sims 4. By the time I started playing, most of those early problems had already been worked out. What I found was an aesthetically pleasing world in which I could direct my own Pixar movie. CAS and BB are less of a chore. The cast actually looks like the version I have in my head, just Pixar style. I can create Sims whose life goals don’t revolve around money, love or power and I can fully direct their stories. What I don’t get from Sims 4 are those fun, random events that provided the plot twists in Sims 3. They happen, but not very often. Sims 4 with the Sims 3 balance of sandbox/simulation would be my perfect game.
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