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What do you prefer? A more complex game or a simple one?
halimali1980
Posts: 8,246 Member
As the title says what do you prefer? The game to be more complex and dynamic? or have more straight forward simple approach to it?
Example One:when your sim gets sick:
- Straight forward: your sim ordering the medicine from the PC and drink it and he is fine.
- Complex approach: your sim has to go to the hospital get diagnosed, sent home then get a call the next day from the hospital after test results are ready. Pays doctor fees, sent to pharmacy to buy the medicine, Pharmacist instruct your sim the dosage he should take for the next few days ( 2 or 3 days). if the sim has taken the exact dosage at the number of times per day the pharmacist instructed he should get well, if the sim misses the dosage few times he might not get well and need to get back to hospital, if the sim takes more than the dosage he was instructed it could be fatal!
Example Two: Buy Mode Shopping
- Straight forward: the sim buys the objects from the buy mode at a fixed price and anytime. If he needs to add that stereo to his house he can do that any time from the buy mode at the same fixed price.
- Complex Mode: Buy mode is only accessible before starting to play the house. Once play button is pressed, buy mode is not accessible. All the buy mode shopping has to be done by sending your sim to a large mall. Prices are never fixed. Prices for the items will keep changing on a daily basis. If the stereo today is priced at 75 then it is a catch because tomorrow it might become 200! There should be sales seasons, black fridays from time to time that you get to know when the mail man brings the brochures and flyers at your doorstep! Keep in mind that like you others will be waiting for sales seasons or black fridays. Don't get your sim into a fight with another sim over a TV or something!
Example Three: Hair makeover
- Straight forward: go to the mirror or a dresser and change the hair style.
- Complex Mode: To change the color of the same style hair you can use the mirror but to change the style of the hair your sim should go to the beauty salon/barber to have the new hair cut. Its not free and your sim has to pay for it.
So which approach do you like more?
Example One:when your sim gets sick:
- Straight forward: your sim ordering the medicine from the PC and drink it and he is fine.
- Complex approach: your sim has to go to the hospital get diagnosed, sent home then get a call the next day from the hospital after test results are ready. Pays doctor fees, sent to pharmacy to buy the medicine, Pharmacist instruct your sim the dosage he should take for the next few days ( 2 or 3 days). if the sim has taken the exact dosage at the number of times per day the pharmacist instructed he should get well, if the sim misses the dosage few times he might not get well and need to get back to hospital, if the sim takes more than the dosage he was instructed it could be fatal!
Example Two: Buy Mode Shopping
- Straight forward: the sim buys the objects from the buy mode at a fixed price and anytime. If he needs to add that stereo to his house he can do that any time from the buy mode at the same fixed price.
- Complex Mode: Buy mode is only accessible before starting to play the house. Once play button is pressed, buy mode is not accessible. All the buy mode shopping has to be done by sending your sim to a large mall. Prices are never fixed. Prices for the items will keep changing on a daily basis. If the stereo today is priced at 75 then it is a catch because tomorrow it might become 200! There should be sales seasons, black fridays from time to time that you get to know when the mail man brings the brochures and flyers at your doorstep! Keep in mind that like you others will be waiting for sales seasons or black fridays. Don't get your sim into a fight with another sim over a TV or something!
Example Three: Hair makeover
- Straight forward: go to the mirror or a dresser and change the hair style.
- Complex Mode: To change the color of the same style hair you can use the mirror but to change the style of the hair your sim should go to the beauty salon/barber to have the new hair cut. Its not free and your sim has to pay for it.
So which approach do you like more?
Everything I post is an opinion here and I think every post of others is as well.
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Comments
Again, with the shopping aspect. Yes, I can go to Magnolia Promenade to purchase things when I want my game to have a more realistic feel but with your Sim just waving their hand and "pocketing" the item, it does not feel that way. I'd be happy even if we had to have our Sims line up at the register and be rung up, or something along those lines.
The Salon/Barber idea sounds great too.
In your examples, simple each time.
There are some features Sims 3 has, that I wish Sims 2 had & some features Sims 4 has I wish Sims 3 had. But over all I find Sims 3 to be more of a balance of complex, have to use your skill & wit to make it work & simple in some areas which you can appreciate as a player because of the complex areas. So it balances out. Think also that the games should never lose their ability for the players to create. We've lost a bit of what we were used to having in Sims 3. But that adds a piece to the game where the player can relax a bit & just enjoy the creative aspect of the game.
ETA: and to add just a bit please :-) I think the controls of all the games should always be in the same place because it is only confusing when they are in a different place for each game. Sims 2,3 had the controls at the bottom but Sims 4 has them at the top. It adds to the learning curve which is not really a problem except that most people play games to relax & having to learn a bunch of new things can be a tad bit frustrating. Especially when you want to get into the game & just play. It is a series so the overall design should be the same. The game features can change but not the method of controls. Also is it possible to make all the Sims games with the indicator that tells the player how long the task will take or when it will be finished ? The game employs the players skill of time control/management & its a useful tool.
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That being said, I wish there were options for people who would like more complex. Hopefully that will be added as the game continues to grow.
So for example illnesses, I would have preferred a sliding scale as such. Rarer illnesses need a hospital visit like you explain, but as simplier approach such as rest or making a home remedy for more common ones. Purchasing medicine is a waste of time. However the key is consequences. Like in ts2 your sim could die if they didn't rest.
I think build mode has to be the way it is. Esp with the return of loading screens.
I'd like a beauty salon. It could be though you'd to the salon for colour and cuts. Eg you could change to any type of bobby hair if your hair was short. But to go long you have to visit the salon and get hair extensions!
I feel overall sims 4 is designed to be simple as a feature. However I feel it would benefit from some more complexity and depth, and it would allow options. Why not an easy or harder retail mode, for example.
Idea 1: it would have been nice if sick sims could get diagnosed at the hospital and given medication from the doctor. But the idea of taking the medication on a prescribed dosage at certain times would be a pain.
A lot of your suggestions are adding even more elements of RPG style of play and taking away sandbox style.
As to stores, I have my own to use if I want. I have my book store with every skill book for my sims to buy. I have a kids store that parents can go to to buy their kids furniture when they age up from babies. (if they want) And the kids can choose their own outfits from the mannequins (if they want) And their own toys. But it's not something I HAVE to do for each family. It's something I can do for fun when I want to.
I don't mind the hair salon idea, but again, I prefer choice. To be able to do it when I want and not HAVE to do it.
If I am tired one day but want to play then I could choose the easy way
then again if I am really in the mood to play my game in all out non stop game play mood then I would like the complex one.
so saying this it gives me the opportunity to choose how I would like to play on certain days.
example, if your sim was invited out on a date, and it will start that day, I would like the easy mode to dress her up, instead of having to go to the store or have her hair done on such a quick notice.
Having options is always better.
I enjoyed using the salon chairs in TS2 and building 'beauty shops' and 'barber shops' but I don't want the ability to change Sims' hair to be removed from a mirror which would hurt those who like to video Sims and write stories. Too much hassle if no way to do this shortly. I think add both options as TS2 did. A salon could be fun again.
Shopping> have both, as in TS1 which you could only buy particular outfits for parties and I think something fancy downtown in a retail store. That was fun to go get those and they were expensive back then since the Sim might only get $20 a day. Worth the trouble.
ETA: Groceries, I would rather the Sim actually run out as in TS1 and TS2 and have to go grocery shopping at a grocery store. That one I would keep and not in the middle because that was why it was fun in some cases, because we knew if they didn't get off their duff and buy groceries they were dead. Needs more suspense in the later games.
ETA: This.
Although a few of the examples went a little far for me, I assume they were just examples.
ETA: I hate that the Sims don't even have to go to the computer when I select order medicine. It pops up in their inventory before they would have even walked to the desk, if they did go there.
I'm fine with online shopping as an option (maybe not for everything though) and never BOOKCASE shopping, but then it arrives in the mail/on the doorstep ("packaged!") at LEAST an hour later. Because that's the dream, lol, it's funny and at least it's _a_ wait. But if it took a day or three or more, fine.
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