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A few small things that annoy me I would change/add to the Sims 4
redrogue60
Posts: 2,053 Member
This is just a list of things we had in the past that I would have added or changed.
Seasons, Weather & Temperature Arguably one of the best Expansions but it could have been exponentially better with just a little bit of tweaking.
Upgrades & Ambiance
Pets & Animals
Plants & Gardening
Build & Buy
The Sims Themselves
Activities & Skills
Miscellaneous
Seasons, Weather & Temperature Arguably one of the best Expansions but it could have been exponentially better with just a little bit of tweaking.
- I would have allowed for Seasons/Weather/Climate be choosable per neighborhood. For example if the place was set in a tropical area it could be set to Summer year round. A Mountain Town could be set to Fall, Fall, Winter, Winter. This would have been the single biggest improvement to the Seasons expansion
- I would have settings for precipitation so a desert area would be dry and a tropical place would be rainy
- Hail, Fog (Regular and Magical Vampire protecting kind) and Deep Snow - Nuff Said
- Should have had allergies and wildflowers back in Spring
- Sims 3 Wildflowers were - Azaleas, Blue Flax, Black Eyed Susans, Cosmos, Daisy, Indian Blanket, Sulfurs, and Sweet Williams
- Squalls and Windstorms would have been nice it would be nice to see wind vanes, chimes, and flags actually move.
- I'd love to see an umbrella get blown out from high winds
- The umbrellas should have gotten the light upgrade
- Speciality Weather for particular areas Ex: Deserts - Sandstorms & Dust Devils, Coastal Area - Water Spout
Upgrades & Ambiance
- I would have made the auto-light upgrade on the fireplaces only operate during cold weather. It doesn't make sense for it to be on during the summer
- I would have given the thermostat an auto feature that bases the temp inside to coincide with the outside temperature. So if it was cold outside then the heat would come on and vice versa.
- I would have added Electric Blankets as a bed upgrade and of course as mentioned before subject to an auto function for weather and temp.
- I would have added the flame color choice from Sims 3 for fireplaces, fire pits, candles, and torches
- I would have had a Front Door Setting for doors on a Sims house. I would have also had doorbells and being able to choose from a variety of chimes.
- I would have kept the ability for Grandfather clocks to be wound, chime set, and gear cleaning & maintenance. Cleaning and maintenance would have given handiness skill. I honestly love mechanical objects and their maintenance. Grandfather clocks and all other clocks should be able to tell the Sims time.
- I would have had all the mantle clocks need to be wound and to have a single standard chime.
- I would have had a cuckoo clock that cuckooed on the hour. I would have also added the option to turn the chimes off on all clocks
- Since we are on the subject of clocks and time I would have added the actual IRL time to the upper right hand side by the Icons for saving the game and gallery etc.
- I would have kept the needing to tune Pianos, Guitars, and violins from Sims 2. Cellos and Harps if introduced. It would allow for skill in Handiness & the respective Instrument skill simultaneously.
- Doorbells and the ability to change the tune including when different holidays come up. My real life doorbell that came with my security system adds unique tunes during Halloween, Christmas, New Years, adds a Gobble Gobble for Thanksgiving and I'll get back to you for Easter and St. Valentine's Days as I haven't checked those holidays yet
Pets & Animals
- I would have had phone calls from the Vets office to pet owners to remind them of checkups, shots, heartworm preventative with real world consequences if you ignore proper care i.e. the Pet Police come and collect your pooch or your poor pet gets heartworm and its super expensive to treat.
- Pet licenses and microchipping if the pet runs away or gets lost they will be returned
- I would have added the pet jobs from Sims 2. Search & Rescue, Police, Military, Security, Entertainment for dogs
- I would have added setting ownership to pet beds so that Pets would more often sleep in their own beds
- I would have added much cuter pet beds. Sims 2 & 3 had better choices
Lil' Critter Pet Bed from Sims 3
Persian Plush Pet Bed from Sims 1
Pet Pillow Fantastic from the Sims 2
- I would have added a groomer/trainer/dog walker NPC
- I would have added a Pet Store Community Lot Designation
Pet Store from Sims 1 - Notice the big Iguana Cage, the Toy Stand, the small stand with collars, the large bird stand and the bird cage for small birds.
- I would have given the fox unique vocalizations specific to foxes
- Exotic birds should have been in the Jungle Adventures pack so should have the Llamas.
- Sheep should have been in Cottage Living. Llamas in jungle adventure
- Pet Cemetery
- Dog water fountains at the dog parks
- Water bowls in addition to food bowls because they need food AND water
- Rain & Winter gear for pets because they will get cold as well
- Dog Grooming including trimming and painting their nails
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QQlIZguhXE - I miss Dog houses and what fun it would have been to give them upgrades like HVAC to accommodate for temperature
- Vampires really should have had a bat for a pet. How cool would that have been for them. Traditionally
- I would have put deer back in the game there are a couple of places that would have been better for it
- I most certainly would add wolves as wild animals in wooded areas and rural areas if Werewolves are added
- I would have done holiday costumes for Pets
- Bumblebee
- Count Dracula
- Cowboy
- Cupid
- Fairy
- Firefighter
- Ghost
- Hotdog
- Leprechaun
- Lil'Devil
- Lion
- Police Officer
- Reindeer Antlers
- Santa's Elf
- Sherlock Holmes
- Skeleton
- Spider
- Witch
- I would have had Holiday Themed collars and Tags if it were me
Plants & Gardening
- I would have had the garden judging like in Sims 2 except I would have had the judges go around looking at the gardens of your neighbors too and awarding the trophy of whomever they liked best
- I would have added speciality weather in various types of areas hot/dry would get the occasional dust devils, Tropical and adjacent to water you'd get tropical storms or Typhoons depending on where the place is fictionally located
- I would have kept the concept of plant grafting and selective breeding however I would have used it to get new varieties of the same kind of plant like red apples to green apples. Types of grapes for nectar making, Varieties of Roses, Tulips, Lilies and Orchids.
- With the above you could have had plant shows much earlier and gardens would have been far superior especially if the plants looked more like their real life counter parts
- I would have put in the conservatory style roofs for the green houses as an option in addition to the transparent roofs we have now for public spaces and grander homes.
- Flower arranging could have had far more beautiful arrangements with flowers that looked like their actual species. I would have had an actual florist come in and consult with designs and levels of difficulty.
- There could have been different types of arrangements like floral leis, or funeral displays or even a simple box of a dozen roses that could be given as a gift that the gift could have placed in a vase with water upon receiving it
- New worlds should give us new types of floral arrangements to learn. We could have learned a bit of Ikebana in Snowy Escape. We could have made leis in the Islands. This would be a great way to extend the usability of this skill
Ikebana Example
Floral Lei
Kukar Tahir the Tibetan Festival and the second day of Diwali set aside to honor dogs
- In my opinion box hedges should be able to be trimmed and even shaped. They had this in Sims 2. Would be great if shaping the box hedges contributed to a sculpting skill as well as gardening skill
- I would have brought back composting since we have all sorts of packs about tiny living and Eco-lifestyles. This seems like a no brainer.
- I think some level of weeds could be in the yard that need to be attended in a responsible amount of time. Sims 2 had weeds and I think they were a bit excessive so more than zero and less than Sims 2.
- I would have added these Harvestables in addition to the ones we already had
- Aloe Vera
- Bay Leaf
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cantaloupe
- Cinnamon
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Ginger
- Grapefruit Tree
- Habanero Chili Pepper
- Jalapeño Pepper
- Lavender
- Lettuce
- Licorice
- Lime Tree
- Mango Tree
- Maple Trees
- Mint
- Nutmeg
- Orange Trees
- Peach Tree
- Pecan Tree - For Pecan Pie
- Plum Tree
- Porcini Mushrooms
- Portabello Mushrooms
- Rosemary
- Sweet Potatoes
- Thyme
- Watermelon
- Zucchini Squash
Build & Buy
- Topiaries should have lighted and unlit versions. Maybe a free gift for the holidays
- The fact we don't have spiral stairs yet is now beyond annoyance Im actually angry at his point. We have a lot of nonsense things they shoved into the game to tick a box but we are still without certain basics. If it were me running the show that would not be happening.
- Burglar Alarms should make a come back along with the Burglars
- Dog bathing tub and high velocity dryer
- The above mentioned Dog Houses and better pet beds
- I think the bird bath should be able to have birds move about in it. Here is an example. I think birds drinking and splashing would be better than what the mod does but it's a better use of an otherwise useless object.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL_6nhWDcu4&t=67s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu3c9WTNV4Q - Personally I would have used a tool for awnings and the large party tents
- Carnival & Festival Attractions from past packs. Let's Be honest I really loved the Seasonal Festivals from Sims 3. I can see some of the items in a Carnival Game Pack. If you want to make a satisfying Game Pack with plenty to do this would be it.
- Bobbing For Apples Tub - Not necessarily has to be with the carnival items. Personally I'd make this a free holiday gift for Halloween
- Carnival Food Stand - Shaved Ice, Funnel cakes, Corn Dogs, Pretzels, Cotton Candy, Carmel Apples
- Carousels
- Dart Game with Balloons
- Dunk Tanks
- Face Painting Booth
- Ferris Wheel - Seriously add the …. ferris wheel
- Food Eating Contest Table - Pie, Sausages, Very Hot Wings
- Hall of Mirrors Maze
- Kissing Booth
- Lights
- Love Tester
- Roller Coaster Build Pieces
- Strongman Game
- Tea Cup Ride
- Tunnel of Love Canal with Swan Boats
- Whack A Mole
- Zoltan Machine
- Bobbing For Apples Tub - Not necessarily has to be with the carnival items. Personally I'd make this a free holiday gift for Halloween
- Waxing Table for the Spa - See the next section for why
- I would add a China Hutch Icon to the Dining Room Tab because thats where they are normally placed in a home and it's a pain the caboose to find all of them for dining rooms mixed in with I think statues for goodness sake.
- I would make separate icons for Coffee Tables, End Tables, AND Occasional Tables in the Living Room Tab. This is because they are different pieces of furniture and serve different functions. Also it would be a lot easier to find what you are looking for in let's face it a poorly sorted Buy tabs.
- I would add in the Lot Window which determines what type of Lot you are creating a Drop Down if you mark a lot as Community Lot - Restaurant a drop down which determines what kind of Restaurant the place is. So for example it would be Restaurant - French Bistro. This is just additional information about a lot like the Name or hours of operation in Lot Window. It's not that you cannot already make and design any kind of restaurant you like. I have mentioned this before and people with little imagination and no reading comprehension "you can already do that" I know you can build any type you like and decorate it and feature the food we already have or get some from downloads but we cannot add what kind it is in the information window. Which is the only thing I'm asking for.
- Pull Up Bars, Jump Ropes, Stationary Bikes - These are all things we had in the past and would be a welcome return in order to freshen gyms
- Pool Tables, Pool Cue Wall Mounted Rack, Pool Themed Ceiling Lights, Shuffleboard (Floor and Table please) - Its overdue far, far overdue
- Pool Hall Signage, Front Window with Pool Balls & Cue Icon
The Sims Themselves
- Timid Sims should have body language that shows their discomfort in crowds, and any kind of performing singing, comedy etc.
- During Summer when a Sim goes outside and its bright out why not have them shade their eyes for a moment
- Rock, Paper, Scissors
- Why we don't have the attraction system yet simply boggles the mind
- Vampires unless they have sun immunity should be limited to only certain types of jobs and their posted hours should shift to nighttime hours only
- Playing Mary Mack for children
- Marco Polo in the pool
- Heterochromia - Being able to choose the color of each eye
- Teeth Customization
- Braces
- Buck Teeth
- Single Gold Tooth
- I would differentiate between rain gear and cold weather clothing
- The Seasonal Allergies as mentioned before
- Body Hair AND add Waxing - Back & Legs to Spa Day
- Old Interactions
- Roughhousing with a child
- All of the Table interactions from Sims 2
- Playing with a Yo-yo
- Kids doing basic acrobatics - Headstand, Somersault, Cartwheels
- Daring to Eat - Cinnamon, Hot Peppers, REALLY Hot Wings,
- Food Fights
- Stealing Candy from a Baby
- Groveling
- Noogies
- Kiss and Make Up
- Zodiac Based Tattoos - Western & Lunar Zodiac
- One of the costume type parties doesn't allow you to pick your own costume. I'd change that AND expand upon the costume choices
- Bela Lugosi's version of Dracula
- Bride of Frankenstein
- Classic Bed Sheet Ghost
- Frankenstein's Monster
- The Invisible Man
- Medusa the Gorgon
- The Mummy
- Phantom of the Opera
- Scarecrow
- Sherlock Holmes & Watson - Why not costume pairs
- Vampira
- Witch
- The Wolfman
Activities & Skills
- Archeology is a skill that would be nice to engage in Cottage Living area and other types of zones
- At this point I would overhaul Cooking & Baking. I'd update Baking as a Base Game skill and consolidate all the baking recipes that are currently in cooking. It benefits everyone in two ways. Those of us who have the pack that added Baking mostly thought that the recipes should have been consolidated and those that didn't get it will get a new skill. I would also have split the cooking by Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner simply for ease of searching for a recipe but allow for all recipes to available all day. I'd leave Gourmet Cooking alone as its "Gourmet"
- I'd allow for two skills to be improved upon at once as applicable.
- I would have had riding a bicycle a hidden skill and one that can be taught as an event with an adult Sim (Like driving in Sims 3) and a child during childhood. Yes along with falling down and skinned knees.
- Reading Books to Learn about a New Thing (Fire Safety, Parenting, First Aid, First Aid for Pets, Composting) for Conversation Topics
- More Icons for Clubs as we get new activities for example. I'd also use the Club function to create team activities in order to compete against other teams or individuals.
- Bird Watching
- Dart Team
- Knitting
- Pool League
- Nectar Making would have already been in the Sims 4 by now if it were up to me.
- It would have had a beautiful area to grow the grapes like Provence, Napa Valley, or Tuscanny
- Personally I like the idea of Hot Air Balloons in such an area just drifting over the vineyards.
- I'd also take the opportunity to have also introduced juicing as well so that folks who have an objection to the fermentation of juice could still have a reason to buy the pack.
- I'd add Sketching back to the game in any of the three areas
- If Napa was what I was modeling I'd add the train and make it rideable
- If Provence was the area I'd make sure I'd have a Patisserie, a Boulanger as well, sunflower fields and fields of lavender
- If it was Tuscany i'd have the gorgeous city of Florence feature although scaled down a bit, see the Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, the Ponte Vecchio, Bobeli Gardens, the Accademia
- I'd also make it so that you could choose to live there or own a vacation home there.
- I'd have Opera be the new radio channel in Tuscany and a French station like in World Adventures
- I'd have Etruscan ruins in Tuscany and Catacombs in Provence
- If it's Provence I'd add additional Water color paintings to the painting repertoire AND more Impressionist styles
- If we got Tuscany I'd add sculpture making. Because you couldn't have a place like the Accademia to visit and not want to do some marble work as well.
- I like tying getting new skills to new worlds to explore so of course I love the idea of tying sculpture work to a place like Tuscany BUT if it were up to me and there was no gorgeous new world to explore I'd still add sculpture making but like last time in Sims 3 I'd have different media to work with but not necessarily on the same bench. I'd LOVE to have ice sculpture back but I'd kinda like a stand that could be taken outside and not look weird. Same with topiaries
- If I had my way Sewing, Pottery Making, Sketching, Jewelry Making, and Perfumery would all be included. I'd add Craft Shop, Perfumery, and Jewelry Shop as Community Lot designations
Miscellaneous
- The fact that in the Sims 4 we neither have cemeteries or funerals is to me embarrassing when we have had in the recent past rather decent cemeteries. The fact that we have a wider array of gatherings but a funeral isn't among them is incredibly embarrassing.
- I would add various customs that you see at funerals commonly
- Eulogies
- Lighting candles for the deceased
- Leaving flowers at graves
- Maybe some international customs to give it some inclusion and flair
- I'm annoyed that you cannot specify what kind of shop you are running whether that be a Toy Store, Florist, Candle Store on what we can manufacture currently. The not getting a grocery store after it was such a popular request really chaps my ….
- I wish we had the Fortune Teller caravan and the Paranormal Mystic career as we did in Sims 3. I'd add Tarot Cards & Tea Leaves to the mix as well
- Fairies should have been in Cottage Living. It literally screamed for them.
- If I were doing things I would make Midsummer Nights Dream (w/Michelle Pfeiffer), The Tempest, Legend (w/Tom Cruise), and the Nutcracker section from Fantasia (1940) required watching and Grimm's Fairy Tales as well as the descriptions of Paracelsus' four elementals as required reading. Then I'd make whoever might be assigned to create fairies play the Sims 3 version first. After that if they could tell me who the Summerdreams are and what a Spriggan is then I'd let them work on a fairy for Sims 4.
- If I were picking people to create werewolves I'd have them watch 1. American Werewolf in London 2. The Wolfman (1941) 3. The Howling 4. House of Dracula (1945) 5. Silver Bullet 6. The first Underworld only as required watching.
- I'd have filters for the Kits so we can quickly find things
“All mushrooms are edible, but some only once.” Terry Pratchett
Post edited by redrogue60 on
9
Comments
100% Agree
First we need clocks that tell the actual sim time. If they could do that in 3, I see no reason they can't do it in 4. I mean, jeez, even My Time at Portia has clocks that tell the in-game time.
Completely done with EA
I also feel like there isn't enough regular activities and hobbies in general and a lot of the TS2 Freetime hobbies should return like ballet
The Sims lacks the sort of visualisation I'd like (something similar to the way Cities Skylines displays various effects in colour on a greyscale version of your city). Maybe just making the "cozy fire" moodlet a bit more responsive?
This is the sort of effect I was thinking about from Cities Skylines. This pic shows Noise Pollution.
Oh, and put me down for some electric blankets. Excellent suggestion from @redrogue60
I was thinking that was sort of implied by them chiming on the hour but I'll edit and make that more clear
- Sims should auto lock the door when they‘re in the bathroom.
- Sims should wait until everyone is seated before they start eating (when the call to meal interaction is selected)
- Sims should be able to say „call me in an hour“ when another sim wants to meet up.
- The simple living challenge should also require ingredients for ice cream, popcorn, tea and coffee (basically everything that isn‘t just water)
- The worlds shouldn’t be separated in residential and vacations. Let us use residential houses and rentals to make the worlds as we want.
- Make phones optional. There should be a non-phone way to get most of the services the phone offers. Newspaper, landlines, etc.
CAS:
- More columns (like the mod)
- Save outfits
- Copy makeup/hair styles across outfits
- Undress sim button
- More relationships
CAS & B/B
- Let us recategorize, hide and disallow for random items
- Delete CC
I never thought of that and boy wouldn't that little slice of real life make things in game better
Thanks I gave it a lot of thought