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    What is the fascination with toddlers?

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    SimCalamitySimCalamity Posts: 43 Member
    in The Sims 4 Game Feedback
    I've been reading the forum for the past couple of weeks and it seems that people are really fixated by the lack of Toddlers in The Sims 4. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with wanting them. Not trying to cause a debate. Talking for myself, I never really enjoyed that stage. In fact, I rather hated it and in The Sims 3, I would set the age so the toddler stage was as short as possible.

    My question is, besides the fact that they are missing and fidelity of the simulation; What is the fascination with toddlers? What did everyone do with them in the previous games that added to the enjoyment of those games?

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      Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,588 Member
      Hi :)

      It's okay to not want to play all the ages in the Sims games. TS3 and 4 both allow growing the ages up quickly so it's not a hassle at all. :)
      There are many posts about toddlers and many discussions on what people want, what Maxis could do, what people liked. This will only fuel the fight more. You can search Toddlers and read some more.

      The fascination is - We all don't play the same! Happy Simming and Welcome to the Forums. :mrgreen:
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      JoBass24usJoBass24us Posts: 1,629 Member
      You know what they say, When you don't have something, you want it even more.

      Toddlers provided a lot in my gameplay. I'll be the first to admit that I never played with them from the on set. I normally play Young adults/adults for a while before I settle them and have families.

      Having them in the game allows the player to have full immersion with their sims. It allows for a more profound game experience. Especially if you are playing out story. Toddlers are a fact of life and its jarring to see a baby turn into a full grown child. It ruins immersion.

      While there are many like you that don't really like them or play with them, it's at the end of the day about choices. Those who liked them played with them and those who didn't just aged them up.

      Unfortunately Maxis took that choice away and its unfortunate because there are so many simmers who absolutely cannot play with out them.
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      RafxxRafxx Posts: 75 Member
      I don't care either way about toddler but, they are cute and make great plot devices. That being said I think a large portion of the people wanting them are lagacey and story driven players.
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      ShellySubShellySub Posts: 4 New Member
      edited August 2015
      . .
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      jessathemessajessathemessa Posts: 2,342 Member
      While I would like toddlers, I'm not one of the people who desperately need them. However, I do think aging feels weird in this game without them. If your family has many children, they all end up being in the same life stage for an abnormally weird period of time, ever on normal aging. I mean, at least this is how I feel. It isn't game breaking for me though.
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      SimCalamitySimCalamity Posts: 43 Member
      Ok, maybe I'm not being precise enough. I'm just at a loss as to what game play mechanics toddlers added that made them enjoyable?
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      Ponder the SimPonder the Sim Posts: 3,054 Member
      People have different play styles. Legacy players & family type players feel like they can't play the sims 4 without them.
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      CrackFoxCrackFox Posts: 1,507 Member
      I enjoy the concept of parenting and building families. It's my favourite thing to do in the Sims. Never been a fan of cheap thrills like going to space and being a celebrity etc. As a 'family player' the toddler stage is vital. Not only is it the most fun stage in terms of parenting but it's the foundation for building a bond and a Sim that feels like it has more about him/her. It's vital to character depth later in life and without the toddler stage I feel like my Sims are pretty distant from their own children.
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      Ponder the SimPonder the Sim Posts: 3,054 Member
      SimCalamity wrote: »
      Ok, maybe I'm not being precise enough. I'm just at a loss as to what game play mechanics toddlers added that made them enjoyable?
      I'm guessing teaching them to walk, talk, go potty etc and then seeing that bond your sim has created carry over as they grow is something people enjoy.
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      Sheli3Sheli3 Posts: 60 Member
      I just miss them cause they were adorable and fun to play with. The whole idea of a little human playing with toys and learning to walk&talk is amazing.
      Origin ID: ShellySub
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      PixelsSquaredPixelsSquared Posts: 3,265 Member
      They were there in TS2 and TS3 to fill the awkward gap between the baby and child life stages. You taught them all the essential skills like talking, walking, and using the bathroom. Without them, it feels too empty. Toddlers made Sim families feel more like actual families.
      ypU37gD.gif
      Pricefield forever.
      Time Won't Keep Us Apart - A story.
      MTS: SimsForever15 | Origin: vba152318 | Paradox: PixelsSquared | Simblr: PixelsSquared
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      JoBass24usJoBass24us Posts: 1,629 Member
      I really hope they are added back. They are missed.

      Besides kids in this game are so darn cute, I love just looking at them. I can only imagine how adorable toddlers would be.
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      GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,790 Member
      Unfortunately, if you started with Sims3, you're not to blame for your lack of understanding of this life stage. Yes, toddlers can be difficult in more ways than one. But, we all go through it, if we survive and having baby leap out of the bassinet into a half-grown child is revolting, at best. Without the toddler stage, you lack the gradual transition from baby/infant to child. I really enjoy this life stage, personally. In Sims3, they stripped the toddler of many, many interactions (which in the long run made them fun) and were nothing short of boring to play. In TS2, they could throw tantrums, throw food, play in the toilet/puddles, steal a bottle from another toddler, be bathed, and if you had taught the toddler how to walk, some might even be able to climb out of their crib! Lots of little details like these were missing in TS3. Now, we don't even have what we had in TS3. They're just gone.

      Besides all of that, it's hard to space the children out when creating large families without a toddler in the mix, too.
      You can download (free) all three volumes of my Night Whispers Star Trek Fanfiction here: http://galacticgal.deviantart.com/gallery/ You'll need to have a pdf reader. New websites: http://www.trekkiefanfiction.com/st-tos.php
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      ArielDelphinusArielDelphinus Posts: 628 Member
      For me toddlers are a life stage that is very important, just like in life. In real life this is where they begin to learn and this is also where you begin to see who this little human being is going to be and what their personality is and for parents what you dream for them begins to take form. In game standards this is as well what happens and you begin to plan their life store. In many ways this is where my emotional attachment starts with my Sim. I know for some people this stage is annoying but in this stage I see the potential in the game. I love toddlers playing in the toilets and making a mess, I love watching them learn to walk, talk, and use the potty, I love watching their relationships grow with other Sims, I love watching toddlers hug each other, I love watching family hugs and kisses, I love watching my sweet little toddler girl be the world to her father Sim (especially since my own father never game me that kind of love), I even adored the little things picking boogers out of their noses. Yes toddlers are work, just like in real life but nothing in life comes easy especially the good things, nor should it because it makes you appreciate it all the more.
      “Because if you don't stand up for the stuff you don't like, when they come for the stuff you do like, you've already lost.”
      ― Neil Gaiman
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      AdelaideMannAdelaideMann Posts: 196 Member
      I suffered through toddlers in TS3, sort of like in real life. I find the transition from baby to child too abrupt and, like others have said, having only two stages for children beyond babies results in families with lots of children or teens, all seemingly the same age.
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      ConclueConclue Posts: 2,307 Member
      Honestly, it's as simple as this. When Sims 2 came out it changed the "Simming" game. We had generations, pregnancies the baby was born, grew to a toddler, then a child, then a teen then a young adult (if they went to University in 2) adult and then elder. So, our "experiences" with the "modern" Sims game was those life stages. So when your used to your gameplay for 10 years, and you suddenly make babies crib objects, remove toddlers and make it nearly impossible to distinguish teen from YA it's frustrating. Not to mention, toddlers really give the feeling of a family in your game.

      But the short answer is... we've had them since BG launch day for the past two series over an 11 year period. *We* expect to see them.

      Don't think I never used "maxmotives" or "testingcheatsenabledtrue" slide those needs up with my play style of "long life spans". Toddlers needed to be tuned forever in the Sims3 they never did it, they were OBNOXIOUS to attend to because they're needs drained too quickly. That was a coding thing but they were too worried about keeping us distracted from how bad teh "core" engine of Sims 3 really was by pumping out content left and right and never fixing stuff.

      It's clear as day Sims 4 was a rushed,low budget job. CC plates and decor that were circular look better in the Sims 2 from 10 years ago then games made today. It's cheap. They wasted tons of time with their MMO "The Sims Online 2" concept.
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      GabbyGirlJGabbyGirlJ Posts: 6,858 Member
      edited August 2015
      It's an important developmental stage. The Sims is supposed to be a life simulator at its core. When Toddlers and other age groups were added in TS2, it was a game changer. It allowed players to simulate life in deeper, more meaningful ways. Now, if you chose, you could guide a sim from the cradle, through his/her first steps, first words, through childhood and the ups and downs of teen years, to life as an adult, etc. The toddler age group is recognized as a milestone in cognitive development.

      http://www.webmd.com/children/piaget-stages-of-development

      I think that when these different stages were included and represented well, it showed a lot of forward-thinking in the series. I mean, how many other series out there allow you to take a character through his or her entire life in such depth? By omitting toddlers and making teens carbon copies of young adults, the series lost a lot of that earlier feeling of innovation.
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      WindelyWindely Posts: 652 Member
      One more thread about toddlers! smiley-dance001.gif
      Dina Caliente. ♡ TS2. ♡ Nina Caliente.
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      CK213CK213 Posts: 20,545 Member
      SimCalamity wrote: »
      Ok, maybe I'm not being precise enough. I'm just at a loss as to what game play mechanics toddlers added that made them enjoyable?

      It's the bonding stage for parent and child for me.
      Babies are too young, needy, and oblivious, and children are too old as they are at the beginning stage of independence.
      Also the fact that it is a life stage that I played in TS2 and TS3 and I don't want to play families without them.

      The%20Goths.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
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      wistfoolwistfool Posts: 74 Member
      I think some (scratch that, MOST) people genuinely like toddlers and like their game to emulate life as far as possible. I hate toddlers and children, and used to ignore them in my game as much as possible (thank you, Bonehilda, baby mats, Aurora Skies objects and boarding schools), but I do like dogs a lot, even if they don't do anything, and if someone took them out of the Pets expansion, I would probably murder everyone at EA.
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      CinebarCinebar Posts: 33,618 Member
      SimCalamity wrote: »
      I've been reading the forum for the past couple of weeks and it seems that people are really fixated by the lack of Toddlers in The Sims 4. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with wanting them. Not trying to cause a debate. Talking for myself, I never really enjoyed that stage. In fact, I rather hated it and in The Sims 3, I would set the age so the toddler stage was as short as possible.

      My question is, besides the fact that they are missing and fidelity of the simulation; What is the fascination with toddlers? What did everyone do with them in the previous games that added to the enjoyment of those games?

      Life Simulator.
      "Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
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