-Focus on daily life.
Nothing supernatural, no crazy jobs like secret agent, no objects like a rocket or something, just focus on the life simulation first. Family life. And focus on objects commonly found in households, and commonly used furniture styles.
Could be some things for the wealthy like hot tubs, pools, a huge television and a piano perhaps, but they could save the millionaire lifestyle stuff for expansions.
Ummm. Why not? I'm sorry, I can't take that seriously. No weirdness and oddities at all in the base game? How boring. What a way to alienate players.
Building on your slider idea, what if traits had a slider?
Like you pick a trait, cat lover, for example. Normal range would be like yeah I love cats they cute. High range would be like omg i 🐸🐸🐸🐸 love cats. I'm obsessed with them. The sim would stop everytime they see a cat to go gawk and pet it.
A slider for vegetarian trait in the high range would probably be strictly veggie eater and get mad when other sims eat meat.
Romantic trait could go from hopeless charming romantic to lustful maybe?
Neat trait could go from like normal not a slob and always cleans up after themselves to being obsessive over cleaning and over cleaning things that don't need to be cleaned and getting upset when anything at all is dirty.
A sim with the hot headed trait could range from normal angry mood problems to completely 🐸🐸🐸🐸 psycho who is always having a temper tantrum and taking their anger out on other sims.
The ability to have traits vary in intensity would actually make the sims 5 game perfect for me without even knowing what else the game would include. And having a wants/fear system that correlate with their traits and aspirations would be awesome.
But in terms of what I actually expect to happen, the sims 5 should have pets and seasons/weather as base game content. That way pets can always get new content with each dlc. And maybe they can do a holiday pack to build upon seasons. Or just include holidays at the start.
Well I think they should go with a system of sliders and traits that complements each other.
For example slob to neat could return like it was in sims 1 and 2. That's a good slider. But Squeamish could still be a trait that can be added to this, available only from a certain neatness level since it would conflict with being a slob.
I think when you have a shy/outgoing slider and a gender preference slider that ranges from 100% interest in men to 100% interest in women, there could be several romantic focused traits that interact with that and some could require a sim to be either more shy or outgoing.
Like not having romantic interest in any sim could be a trait.
Flirty sims would want more romance, and how much they want to woohoo could rely on the shy/outgoing slider. The shyest sims can't be flirty, but from say, 4 out of 10 points in this slider a sim could be flirty. A fully outgoing sim would constantly want to woohoo.
I think a major thing that bothers me about Sims 4 is how long it has taken for them to release eveything.
With Sims 3 they released all the packs in 4 years, sometimes releasing 3 expansions a year.
We are 5 years into Sims 4 and we havent even got some of the usual packs like University.
It took 3 years for us to get Pets, 4 years for Seasons and 5 years has come and gone and no University and they are still not done.
If the release time for Sims 5 is like this, we will be getting Sims 5 Seasons in like 2025.
If they are going to take as long to release Seasons, Pets and University then we NEED
Basic University - Online or Rabbit Hole, they can add the world later
Basic seasons - they can calendars and farm fesitvals and other seasons stuff later
Basic pets - just cats and dogs with only a few types they can add horses other types, extra game play etc and make a in later
Open World but not as big worlds as in TS3, more Oasis Springs size maybe a bit bigger
Being able to visit lot types in the open world using CARS and vehicles - they can still do a Cars pack and add in additional cars
Lot types like groceries, shopping, salon, spa, laundry that you can watch your sim drive/ride to , even if they add all the extra lots later in packs
Firemen and Fires, Burglars and Cops, Curfews and Sneaking Out
SLOW DANCING
Swimmable waters - they can still do island living later with all the extras
Private School and Boarding school option
All the small details that made TS2 and TS3 good with the TS4 graphics and game play sysetms
I don't see pets as essential as all, many people don't have them. I'd prefer stuff more common to be in like cars, university and seasons perhaps.
But they can't put everything in at once due to limited resources. They obviously can do more than sims 4 which is very bare bones, but not everything so choices do have to be made.
I think sims 5 on release should feel like it's a base game + a big expansion. And that expansion should be stuff that would greatly benefit from interacting with all future expansions. Like university, to properly interact with all future careers added through expansions and maybe have expansions add a magic school or other alternatives.
Cars can go with that too since it's not that big a feature and a very common thing of life, bicycles and motorcycles can be included in it as well.
Seasons is an option too, but it would be unrealistic to expect them to add both seasons and university in the base game. They'd only do that if they actually got a legit competitor pushing them to put more effort in to not lose their playerbase to the competition.
What the sims series might need most above all, may be serious competition.
I agree with Simulationname. I find it a pretty sad state of affairs when list after list of desired Sims 5 features are actually features that we had years ago in previous versions of the game but they have since been dropped. This isn't how it ought to be when sequels to games come out. Yes, there are things that the Sims 4 has done better than previous Sims titles (Build Mode and CAS for instance), but personally, I don't think that leaving out what fans consider vital features and yet charging more than ever for these games, is acceptable. I started playing The Sims shortly after it came out (before Aspyr started porting it to Mac, I had to go to my friend's house to play as she had a PC - I was there solidly for weeks when I discovered this game) and have stuck with this game ever since. However, I really am not sure I could do another sequel that feels like a shiny downgrade. I never thought I would say those words, but there we have it; I am so tired of spending so much money on new Sims 4 content that barely hook my attention for longer than an afternoon because underneath the pretty shininess, it's a pretty hollow experience.
I personally feel that if EA wanted to produce an excellent, genuine sequel to the Sims franchise and take the game to the next level, they would need to bring back the best of the past games, but then move forwards significantly as well with features that ought to be possible considering the processing power most computers have these days.
Old features I would like to see return (including from Sims 4):
- Open World: yes, it was buggy. Yes, it lagged. Yes, it was deserted most of the time. If they do this right this time, this would be essential for me. I despise the loading screens of the Sims 4 and it means I hardly ever send my sims anywhere.
- Create a style OR a colour wheel: I know they say it caused lag/problems, but this was an excellent feature that is sorely missed.
- Create a world: I never played it as it wasn't available for Mac players, but it looked brilliant.
- All age states at the beginning of the game
- Teens to be proper teens, not strangely out of proportion narrow young adults.
- A wants/whims system that impacts the game
- Emotions: but a much more intelligent emotions system. The one we have right now doesn't seem fit for purpose.
- Active careers from the beginning
- Food/clothes shopping - where you can take them in to the shops rather than Sims 3's rabbit holes.
- Multi-purpose lots
- Calendar from Sims 4: it's brilliant.
- Clubs from Sims 4: another brilliant, useful feature.
- Cars
- Ocean swimming (and river swimming)
- The gallery
Features that have traditionally been expansions, but should be part of the base game because after paying for them four times (in most cases), I have no desire to do so for a fifth (especially seeing as expansion packs this time around have NOT felt like value for money - I feel pretty fleeced actually):
- Weather/seasons
- Pets
- University
New features I would like to see introduced:
- Gradual ageing. No more dramatic changes. I know this is a big ask considering what we have in game currently, but this is what I'm talking about; I feel the next game should have a few enormous changes like Sims 2 (true 3D, different ages) and Sims 3 (Create-a-style and Open world) offered (yet Sims 4 failed to deliver). There would be rough age ranges - newborn, baby, toddler, child, preteen, teen, young adult, adult, middle-aged, golden years, elderly - and your sim would be known as such, but within that range they would grow a little each day. This would also allow for babies to be more interesting than they ever have been. Babies would start to do more each day, start to move, crawl, roll, sit up etc. They would start off breast/bottle feeding, but you would move on to weaning them (either when you get a notification or the baby sim starts demanding solid food). Kids, preteens and teens would be much more fluid and their wants/interests/available interactions would change slightly as they grew. You could also then, in combination with the calendar, still have birthdays for your sims, but they don't suddenly pop from one age state to the next. I think introducing this would be so enormously more immersive.
- An actual world, not just 'open world' in the sims 3 sense, but a whole world with different regions: Instead of the current system where you choose one of the worlds to play in, instead, you would be faced with a Sims planet/world as the opening screen. It's a fictional world obviously, but with distant areas - coastal, desert, jungle, mountains, polar, islands etc. (even if they didn't have each area open at the beginning to allow to expansion packs). It's mainly just a viewpoint thing, to show how everything is connected, as there would be areas that are highlighted that you can visit - showing details about each settlement and which sims live there. In the beginning there wouldn't be many available, but as the game went on, you could open up new areas. This could also allow for 'Worlds' to be sold separately, to open up new areas - if weather were in the game from the beginning, this would work better. When you clicked on one of the settlements, it would probably need a loading screen, but it would be cool if it were a dynamic one that showed you a video of you zooming into that part of the world while it loaded and flowed seamlessly into the 'open world' (in the Sims 3 sense) view of that part of Sims world. Travelling to different areas would then require different modes of transport. If you were in a Windenburg style part of the world and wanted to travel to the tropics, you would need to take a plane etc. This would obviously be a rabbit/hole/off screen thing, but the loading screen could show a video of a plane travelling across the world etc. Different areas of the world could have distinct geographical features as well as unique building styles, as well as different collectables/plants/wildlife.
- Highly customisable personalities that actually impact gameplay: I remember how basic the sliders from The Sims seem now, but actually, in some ways, they had the right idea. Further up the thread people have discussed sliders for traits and I think that would be a great idea. Instead of static traits, you would have a set of sliders with two opposing characteristics - i.e. Neat VS Slob, Energetic VS Lazy, Uptight VS laid-back, Loves Kids vs Hates Kids, etc. You could also have an additional Quirks system that allows you to choose a few of the more quirks, but most of these would be acquired in game through your sim's repeated actions. This system would impact gameplay more than it has before and would interact with an upgraded emotions system. A sim more towards the slob end would never start tidying or cleaning up and would never be emotionally impacted by messy surroundings. When you made them clean up, they would do so reluctantly (the animation would be different) and it would affect their mood. Their wants/whims would change to suit the situation - they might get a 'Stop Cleaning!' want. Or let's say there is a sim that loves kids - when they're around kids, they would autonomously play with/care for kids when they are nearby, whereas a sim who hates kids, would have their mood affected where they feel uncomfortable or angry. Their behaviour would reflect this with them casting the nearby offending kids glares/furtive glances and moving away from the children. These more customised Sim personalities could also fit in with jobs. Job adverts now come with Sim Specifications that lists some traits that a sim should have for the role. Sims could now interview for jobs and they would be less likely to get the job if they had the wrong personality for it. Or if they did actually get it though they're not suited for it because you got them in a really good mood before the interview and you completed a list of tasks that would give you the most success of getting the job (let's say a Teacher who hated children), then it would be much harder to progress in that career and your performance would naturally decline.
- Gameplay affecting sims in the form of quirks and memories: Sims start customised, but become their own unique personality through gameplay. Your sim could form memories and fears that impact how they behave and how they feel for the rest of their lives (unless they take steps to address them in the case of fears). Let's say a sim burns down their kitchen - instead of a temporary fire buff affecting them for a sim day or two, they would have the permanent memory of how they once burnt down their kitchen. This wouldn't impact the game as directly in the rudimentary emotions system we have now, but it means that forever more, they feel nervous while cooking (or maybe it starts with cooking, then moves on to nervous while making that specific meal as time goes on). They may develop a fear of that particular meal and when they see it (someone else has made it or they're out at a restaurant and see it there) they get triggered and have an emotional response or they show a desire to leave (a want/whim flashes up expressing a desire to leave) or just autonomously leave the room. This could work with happy memories too. Let's say your sim gets engaged in a particular location (a waterfall view). Your sim would get a positive memory from that. They may frequently want to return to the same spot and they get happy from being there. Or they could take a picture and frame it - looking at the picture could cheer them up when they're sad etc. Along with this they could develop quirks - which are like one-off traits - from repeated behaviours you make them do. If you constantly make your sim develop their skills they may get a 'genius' quirk or if you always have them tidying up they may develop a 'neat freak' quirk. These quirks would affect their emotions in the same way and would change autonomous behaviour.
- Careers: As I mentioned briefly in a previous point, you would need to prepare for interviews now instead of just getting the job straight away. Similarly to the Audition aspect of Get Famous, you could improve your chances with having certain skills, or completed certain tasks. If university were embedded from the beginning, having a degree may be a prerequisite for the more specific jobs (i.e. doctor, lawyer, teacher). If university weren't included from the beginning, you may need to finish high school with a certain grade. Careers would also not automatically promote your sim anymore and you would need to instruct your sim to go for a promotion or a pay rise when their performance was high enough - there would also be more ways of progressing within the same career - so you don't have a fixed route. This would give more control to the player.
- CAS: even more customisation. As others have mentioned in this and other threads - items of clothing should be separate. You should be able to choose underwear, trousers/leggings/tights, socks, shoes, skirts, dresses, tops, jumpers/cardigans, coats/jackets, scarves, hats etc. all as separate categories for you to layer how you wish. I really thought we'd get this with Sims 4 and was surprised we didn't, as the way we created the sims themselves had improved so dramatically. Along with this the ability to save your own styled looks and share these with other simmers. Also, customisation with hair and facial hair would be expected (considering what you can do in so many other games now) - within a hairstyle you could change the length of hair, texture (wavy, straight, curly, frizzy), fringe presence/length, have highlight and low lights once more. Perhaps with make up, similar to current pet paint palette, you could customise your own sim's make up in game. As for the sims themselves, I would like them to be a tad more realistic (though not uncanny valley territory) and less cartoony. I'd also like a return of body hair. I find the sims men just look like kawaii cartoons half the time, they never seem terribly manly. As others have suggested, within CAS, it would be great to be able to pre-make your sim how you like. Level of education, wealth, skills, maybe some key memories, relationships to existing sims in world already etc. Simmers could still start with blank slates if they like (and I would start with a blank slate sim as my main sim), but the ability to make sims that have stories already would be so useful for when I am populating worlds with my main sim's would be friends, families, potential partners etc. Finally in CAS, I would like to see variable heights. I know it's not been done before, but we are talking about a sequel, it should achieve things that weren't possible before!
- Buy/build - Having glimpsed at some of the features in that new life simulation game that I forget the name of, I'd like to see even more intuitive, customisable build mode features. Circular walls, split level homes through different foundation heights, resizable windows and doors, flexible stairs (like we have now in Sims 4 at last), spiral stairs and lifts/elevators etc. As well as resizable objects (dragging to resize a bookcase/desk/table to make it work for your space. I'd also like to see an option to automatically populate your garden with plants/trees/decorations. I love landscaping my Sims homes, but I'm not always in the mood. Would be nice to click a button an a few trees and plants would appear artfully arranged in the open spaces.
Right, I have spent way too long on this. I have more ideas, but this post is ridiculously long! I don't for one second think we will get any of these features, but all it would take is for one or two of them (or things like them) to be present in Sims 5 for me to consider buying it. I really do need it to feel like an actual leap forward before I decide to buy it.
I want to see the base game of Sims 5 pack in as many features, including traditional expansion features, as possible.
There are two levels to this:
1) I'm assuming a lot of Sims fans are probably getting sick of buying more or less the same things every time, not just for the money they put into it, but for how long they might have to wait for their favorite features to return. The Sims 4 launch controversy was related to this. Sims 5 would probably be hit even harder if that happened again. The Sims 4 still feels modern enough to not feel the need to upgrade if that means starting completely over.
2) There are still a million other things the Sims could do, both in focusing on any particular aspect of real life, or just plain making something up by drawing from fiction. In fact, you might even be able to get a lot more excitement out of expansions that provide something we've never seen before, than fans just desperate to get what they used to have back.
Of course, doing all those features at once would be quite the daunting development task, but they have all of the previous games to reference.
Yes I agree. I think that we should have pets and weather in a base game to wait for those EPs again. There has been a pets related EP since TS1 so will we need a total of up to five of them?
Ironically there would be still a lot to add.
Robots/high tech
Supernatural
Celebraties/Fame system
Other animals
Movie theaters
Bands
Vacation worlds
With other cultures around the world
Having pets and seasons in the base game.Would not take away from anything they can add.
Ironically there would be still a lot to add.
Robots/high tech
Supernatural
Celebraties/Fame system
Other animals
Movie theaters
Bands
Vacation worlds
With other cultures around the world
Having pets and seasons in the base game.Would not take away from anything they can add.
And having pets in base game would allow them to actually give us more content for pets in future dlc.
Personally I tend to find pets rather annoying and prefer them to be optional. In sims 2 stray cats and dogs kept messing up your stuff and you couldn't kick them off your property for it. It's like that duck hunt dog all over again.
I only had pets in that one because back then me and my sister shared a computer for it and we bought the expansion packs in turns and she wanted pets.
But people have different tastes. That's why it's also good to keep the supernaturals to expansions so people can leave those out if they wish.
I do not want weather or seasons at the start because if its in a pack it can be more focused and as best as it can be
Maybe it could be more focused in later packs and thus constantly improved upon rather than simply being in a pack and then being forgotten about later
I also think that basic seasons and weather should be in the base game and expanded with holidays, traditions etc. later. Each new world created could potentially have a new celebration as appropriate for it, that way, as said above, it would be even more integrated right from the outset.
Hi there, it's me again. That person who seems to request things no one else does...
I was riding the bus the other day and come to think of something. How about some new building tools?
The biggest thing I would want in The Sims 5 in regards to building is this. (feel free to answer me with your things in this regard)
More freedom when it comes to walls, ROUND WALLS for example and even more so, kind of the same way you draw a simcity road... (how come no one has mentioned this??) The walls placements is soooo outdated!
it feels like every single person in this thread (exluding a few) are those people who get "fooled" by EA. For example, "we want toddlers, we want that etc) all the freaking basic things that will obviously be in the game or it will be a "worst game in history" event.
So please people, use your imagination and live out a little!
Here are a few more things.
Bills that come each week/"month" should have seperate for elextricity and rent. It should not be possible to buy land straight from the start, you should either have to rent an apt, or rent a tiny house. Obviously the map toll should make it possible so we can build neighboorhoods just like IRL, where houses are really close together. Kind of like this ( https://static2.bigstockphoto.com/2/1/1/large2/112960007.jpg ) someone else can certainly find a better suiting picture.
Anyway, that's me ranting about possible a HUGE game coming in the future, cause let's face it people. They will FOR SURE, bring it all they have.
-Focus on daily life.
Nothing supernatural, no crazy jobs like secret agent, no objects like a rocket or something, just focus on the life simulation first. Family life. And focus on objects commonly found in households, and commonly used furniture styles.
Could be some things for the wealthy like hot tubs, pools, a huge television and a piano perhaps, but they could save the millionaire lifestyle stuff for expansions.
Ummm. Why not? I'm sorry, I can't take that seriously. No weirdness and oddities at all in the base game? How boring. What a way to alienate players.
Wow no. TS4 was the one who alienated players lmao.
TS1, TS2 and TS3 BG's did not have giant rocket ships, giant observatories, giant cupcake machines, giant microscopes, giant playground ships, giant dollhouses, giant teddy bears, woohoo fist bumps, constant selfying, crazy careers, bros and crazy costumes in their BG.
They were, ahem, GROUNDED life simulators. Many of the silly NPC's and other small things were added later as part of EP's like Livin' Large or the store. Obviously there has always been some silliness in the BG but it didn't overwhelm the players with ridiculous things, neither were they focal points in a BG to the point where it doesn't feel like a lifesim anymore.
Okay. I have a lot of strong opinions, i apologize for offending anyone or writing a long post. but here goes. -Graphics/options/overall game instead of gameplay: I feel like we should keep the sims 4 graphics, but tone it down a little so all of the houses aren't so, um, hideous. I personally am fine with the sims, but i can't stand the houses and furniture. Also, I need a frickin color wheel, bad. Maybe a couple patterns. As for open/closed world, i would prefer an open neighborhood. So your sims could walk to the park, garden, neighbors house, etc. If the world is open, make the cars go faster. in ts3, you left at 12 for the library and arrived at 3. wth, EA. For options, I love that you can decide how long the seasons are, the sims live for, what supernaturals there are, etc in ts3. Please put that in. And less rabbit holes, please please please -Base game: Ok. EA. What happened? Why would you even consider not putting toddlers in the base game? Was someone sleeping on the job? I honestly dont get it! Also, the poooooools. whyyyyy. I also think there should be some small form of seasons. Like. Ah, yes, i shall now pay 40 bucks for wEaThEr. or, at least put seasons and pets in the first expansion packs. Oh, and, I WANT TO RUN/OWN A BUSINESS. -Build mode: Let's face it. The houses were out of perspective in 1, flat in 2, bbm was crazy in 3, and the looks are just. Bleck in 4. In 5, figure out something that looks like a better version of 3 but is more organized, but with the ability to make your own folders/organization for the items like in 3 as well. I personally have set items for each...stereotype (i guess) of home. Like, suburban, richie dude, kids, etc. -Possible expansions: note: My opinion. doesnt have to be yours. Supernatural, university, travel, a game pack of job stuff (adds extra jobs, specialized items/buildings), island, something futruistic like Into the future (that was so fun), etc. Also, try and maybe put them out in order of how much they are wanted.
Thank you so much for listening to my whining about the sims. sorry i have high demands, but, hey, im literally giving you thousands of dollars. I should be satisfied.
What the sims series might need most above all, may be serious competition.
Truth.
I think TS5 should deliver one or two revolutionary leaps forward right at base game. Do you remember how exciting TS2's life stages were? Do you remember how impressive TS3's open worlds were? TS5 should launch with something new and impressive that really expands the franchise. I'm not talking tweaks or improvements; I'm talking new features.
Some possible groundbreaking new features might include, but certainly are not limited to, the following:
Culture
In past expansions, hints of culture have been slowly and painstakingly baked into pre-built worlds by way of name choices, clothing, architectural styles, etc. Of course, with story progression, each location slowly begins to lose that unique flavor as names and clothes are randomized. Whether we decide to call the base geographic location a neighborhood, town, or world, that base geographic location should have a culture. Certain names, clothing styles, hairstyles, transportation types, etc., should be weighted so as to appear more often. Automatically spawned children and sims should be programmed to recycle/recombine names from their ancestors and/or from other sims in the location. Each location should have unique foods, maybe one or two unique careers, a unique few mood buffs, a unique lot type or two, some unique holidays or traditions, and maybe this base geographic location could have neighborhood/town/world-level traits, just like the lot traits we have now. Future packs could expand on this base game concept by offering more cultures to explore, but the rudimentary system should be in place with the base game. It's much harder to implement a culture system later, retrofitting existing locations from the base game and other packs, than it is to include it from go.
Of course, culture would require quite a robust base game. At least basic climate controls (is it a snowy world? a desert one?) would be required. Perhaps we could get new climate/weather types as appropriate for new locations. Have an Island Themed pack? Why not add hurricanes as a weather type? Rainforest location? Happy monsoon season! Wintry north? Brrr. Break out the snowboots, hot chocolate, and snowstorms. Perhaps, just as it is tradition for most new packs to provide a related supernatural life state, most new packs could provide region-related animals. Think camels for the desert, or dolphins for the seaside, wild horses or antelope for grasslands, alligators for swamps, or adorable reindeer or dogsled dogs for snowy worlds, or maybe pigeons for urban concrete jungles. Build the ability for pets from base, but then add a wider diversity of animals in as needed for each expansion. Players would need to be able to toggle on or off quite a lot of options, but a culture system would also lend itself well to an eventual Create-a-World pack, allowing players to craft their own cultures and create their own locations.
Consequences
We've already seen hints, in the conservationist career and the Strangerville mission, that EA/Maxis can incorporate wide-reaching consequences into the game in response to player actions. TS3's Into the Future pack also showed us how actions undertaken in the present might influence the future. Introducing this ability in some expansions and not others, however, leads to a strangely lop-sided world in which some sims' actions matter more than others. Why does the conservationist wield more power than the political top dog? Careers, quests (like Strangerville), etc. should matter. TS5 should incorporate a cascade effect of consequences so that criminals commit crimes and, say, property values decrease. Politicians and business leaders make decisions and strikes and demonstrations follow. Scientists create new technologies - with environmental side effects. Actions, in short, have consequences.
This concept can play out on the small stage, as well. We can see some version of this in the current Reputation metric. Fights, temper tantrums, leaving the toilet seat up, etc. - a sim's actions can influence the opinions of other sims in ways that are deeper and longer lasting than a temporary mood buff.
Expanding on this idea, then, could be packs like Crime and Punishment - supporting a new network of connected actions, each with consequences, as well as new careers as lawyers, criminals, and police. One can easily imagine government themed packs, military packs (secret agents? average enlisted soldiers? intelligence branch?), science themed packs, or even supernatural themed packs that, with a system of consequences already in place, would greatly expand on that base game capability.
I was going to call this mutability, but I think Consequences has a bit of a nicer ring to it. Story progression would matter a lot. Imagine a world in which tombs remained explored or plundered, environments remained wrecked by evil giant plant spores, and criminals actually went punished... or not... depending upon your sim's actions.
Eras
One of the perennial popular play styles, one that is highly dependent upon DLC, is a through-the-eras type of gameplay in which simmers start in the stone ages, or maybe in the medieval era, or maybe in the 1950s... and then, generation by generation, advance the the town (or, at least, the family home) until they get to the current era. This idea would rely upon the previous two ideas in order to work. In TS3's Into the Future, we saw how fun it can be to alter the timeline. Why not build in some sort of passage-of-time system from the get-go? Think of the potential for themed clothes packs, EA! This idea would require some way to mark the passage of time, perhaps something similar to the calendar from Seasons, and a way to cycle fashions in and out of style so that townie sims and npcs spawn looking right. Stuff packs could be sold for multiple eras, and players could toggle various options on and off. In an era of luddites? No fancy looms allowed! Err, or cell phones. Did your sims make good, responsible decisions in previous generations? Well, lucky you, the environment is healthy! Were your grandparents less than responsible? Well... enjoy the green gunk around your volcano. We can already do this, but we should do it from the beginning, in a purposeful way.
Combined with Culture and Consequences, this idea lends itself to innumerable packs, mostly stuff packs. Medieval stuff, Jazz Age stuff, Future Stuff, etc. Why limit it to stuff, though? Maybe the Medieval pack comes with new/different careers (blacksmith? courtier? plague doctor) technology (blacksmith's forge, sword), and skills (fencing, jousting), new diseases, new animals (plague rats? wolves? work horse?), a new supernatural type (werewolves?). Imagine an opulent 18th century pack complete with pirates, parrots, lots of wigs, and a watermelon decapitation machine. Ancient Rome? Bask in the delights of ancient technologies like... showers, soap dispensers, pneumatic doors, heated floors and baths (of course, those were largely public baths), and... honestly, it took us until the 1800s to get most of this stuff! Pre-history? No problem! Island Living showed us how to go off-grid!
I apologize for the length of this post. It is by no means exhaustive. My point is that I'd like to see a different approach to content. Instead of the same old packs we're used to, I'd like for most of that to be available as a base game and then expanded upon in later packs. I'd also like to see a rotation of packs we're used to and new ideas. For example: Seasons (expands on weather, holidays, and plants), Ancient Worlds (maybe gives us Egypt, Rome, and Atlantis to explore), Pets (expands on base game cats and dogs, maybe lets us be vets or ranchers), Crime and Punishment (expands on the consequences system to give us awesome criminals, police, lawyers, and consequences that we see in game), Zombie Attack (a Strangerville-like mission pack with consequences for the whole world) and so on.
To accomplish all of this, the base game should have a few things to start:
Rudimentary weather/seasons & calendar
Animals (just cats and dogs, and maybe one or two variants of wild animals to start, but enough to make adding on easier later)
Active careers with far-reaching consequences (no teachers, doctors, etc. to start, unless they want to include university in the base game)
A robust, smooth U.I. with plenty of player-controlled toggles, including ways to group and sort objects.
A good system by which to control passage of time and lifespans. It still takes sims 30 mins to pee. Included therein is a solid aging system. I'd prefer gradual aging to sudden, and I definitely think Middle Age needs to be added between Adult and Elder.
Although Create-a-World can be released later, the base game should be developed with modding/editing in mind.
Other things I'd like to see:
A more open world, with the ability to toggle back and forth between multiple sims in multiple locations.
Create-a-Style
Trait sliders. Lots of other people in this thread have commented on what a good idea those would be. I agree!
Apartments and/or roommates. I'd love to be able to rent a place from the get-go, and I'd also love to be able to move sims into my house (even spouses or kids) and NOT control them, but have to deal with their A.I.-generated craziness.
I know this has been long, so thanks for listening to my ideas!
-Focus on daily life.
Nothing supernatural, no crazy jobs like secret agent, no objects like a rocket or something, just focus on the life simulation first. Family life. And focus on objects commonly found in households, and commonly used furniture styles.
Could be some things for the wealthy like hot tubs, pools, a huge television and a piano perhaps, but they could save the millionaire lifestyle stuff for expansions.
Ummm. Why not? I'm sorry, I can't take that seriously. No weirdness and oddities at all in the base game? How boring. What a way to alienate players.
Wow no. TS4 was the one who alienated players lmao.
TS1, TS2 and TS3 BG's did not have giant rocket ships, giant observatories, giant cupcake machines, giant microscopes, giant playground ships, giant dollhouses, giant teddy bears, woohoo fist bumps, constant selfying, crazy careers, bros and crazy costumes in their BG.
They were, ahem, GROUNDED life simulators. Many of the silly NPC's and other small things were added later as part of EP's like Livin' Large or the store. Obviously there has always been some silliness in the BG but it didn't overwhelm the players with ridiculous things, neither were they focal points in a BG to the point where it doesn't feel like a lifesim anymore.
There's nothing wrong with any of that in a BG. Yes, I want smaller telescopes, dollhouses, etc, but what's wrong with someone wanting an observatory if they're creating a mad scientist sim? Or wanting an extra large dollhouse because they're creating Sims who are super rich and snooty and think bigger = better?
TS2's base game contained alien abductions and male pregnancy. TS1 had the tragic clown. TS2 had the social bunny, the therapist, Sims dancing around with a flour sack baby or a mop.
IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE A 100% REALISTIC LIFE SIMULATOR. The weirdness and wackiness of it is a cherished, integral part of the game. If they take it out, they're spitting in the faces of the consumers who have been with the game for 20+ years and want to play to get away from the horrors of real life, like me.
I can't believe so many people are willing to buy a Sims 5. The ish show that has been Sims 4 - I would never buy another game from them. The only other thing I plan to get on Sims 4 is University. After that, EA and I are over!
> @Palabra said: > (Quote) > > Truth. > > I think TS5 should deliver one or two revolutionary leaps forward right at base game. Do you remember how exciting TS2's life stages were? Do you remember how impressive TS3's open worlds were? TS5 should launch with something new and impressive that really expands the franchise. I'm not talking tweaks or improvements; I'm talking new features. > > Some possible groundbreaking new features might include, but certainly are not limited to, the following: > > Culture > In past expansions, hints of culture have been slowly and painstakingly baked into pre-built worlds by way of name choices, clothing, architectural styles, etc. Of course, with story progression, each location slowly begins to lose that unique flavor as names and clothes are randomized. Whether we decide to call the base geographic location a neighborhood, town, or world, that base geographic location should have a culture. Certain names, clothing styles, hairstyles, transportation types, etc., should be weighted so as to appear more often. Automatically spawned children and sims should be programmed to recycle/recombine names from their ancestors and/or from other sims in the location. Each location should have unique foods, maybe one or two unique careers, a unique few mood buffs, a unique lot type or two, some unique holidays or traditions, and maybe this base geographic location could have neighborhood/town/world-level traits, just like the lot traits we have now. Future packs could expand on this base game concept by offering more cultures to explore, but the rudimentary system should be in place with the base game. It's much harder to implement a culture system later, retrofitting existing locations from the base game and other packs, than it is to include it from go. > > Of course, culture would require quite a robust base game. At least basic climate controls (is it a snowy world? a desert one?) would be required. Perhaps we could get new climate/weather types as appropriate for new locations. Have an Island Themed pack? Why not add hurricanes as a weather type? Rainforest location? Happy monsoon season! Wintry north? Brrr. Break out the snowboots, hot chocolate, and snowstorms. Perhaps, just as it is tradition for most new packs to provide a related supernatural life state, most new packs could provide region-related animals. Think camels for the desert, or dolphins for the seaside, wild horses or antelope for grasslands, alligators for swamps, or adorable reindeer or dogsled dogs for snowy worlds, or maybe pigeons for urban concrete jungles. Build the ability for pets from base, but then add a wider diversity of animals in as needed for each expansion. Players would need to be able to toggle on or off quite a lot of options, but a culture system would also lend itself well to an eventual Create-a-World pack, allowing players to craft their own cultures and create their own locations. > > > Consequences > We've already seen hints, in the conservationist career and the Strangerville mission, that EA/Maxis can incorporate wide-reaching consequences into the game in response to player actions. TS3's Into the Future pack also showed us how actions undertaken in the present might influence the future. Introducing this ability in some expansions and not others, however, leads to a strangely lop-sided world in which some sims' actions matter more than others. Why does the conservationist wield more power than the political top dog? Careers, quests (like Strangerville), etc. should matter. TS5 should incorporate a cascade effect of consequences so that criminals commit crimes and, say, property values decrease. Politicians and business leaders make decisions and strikes and demonstrations follow. Scientists create new technologies - with environmental side effects. Actions, in short, have consequences. > > This concept can play out on the small stage, as well. We can see some version of this in the current Reputation metric. Fights, temper tantrums, leaving the toilet seat up, etc. - a sim's actions can influence the opinions of other sims in ways that are deeper and longer lasting than a temporary mood buff. > > Expanding on this idea, then, could be packs like Crime and Punishment - supporting a new network of connected actions, each with consequences, as well as new careers as lawyers, criminals, and police. One can easily imagine government themed packs, military packs (secret agents? average enlisted soldiers? intelligence branch?), science themed packs, or even supernatural themed packs that, with a system of consequences already in place, would greatly expand on that base game capability. > > I was going to call this mutability, but I think Consequences has a bit of a nicer ring to it. Story progression would matter a lot. Imagine a world in which tombs remained explored or plundered, environments remained wrecked by evil giant plant spores, and criminals actually went punished... or not... depending upon your sim's actions. > > > Eras > One of the perennial popular play styles, one that is highly dependent upon DLC, is a through-the-eras type of gameplay in which simmers start in the stone ages, or maybe in the medieval era, or maybe in the 1950s... and then, generation by generation, advance the the town (or, at least, the family home) until they get to the current era. This idea would rely upon the previous two ideas in order to work. In TS3's Into the Future, we saw how fun it can be to alter the timeline. Why not build in some sort of passage-of-time system from the get-go? Think of the potential for themed clothes packs, EA! This idea would require some way to mark the passage of time, perhaps something similar to the calendar from Seasons, and a way to cycle fashions in and out of style so that townie sims and npcs spawn looking right. Stuff packs could be sold for multiple eras, and players could toggle various options on and off. In an era of luddites? No fancy looms allowed! Err, or cell phones. Did your sims make good, responsible decisions in previous generations? Well, lucky you, the environment is healthy! Were your grandparents less than responsible? Well... enjoy the green gunk around your volcano. We can already do this, but we should do it from the beginning, in a purposeful way. > > Combined with Culture and Consequences, this idea lends itself to innumerable packs, mostly stuff packs. Medieval stuff, Jazz Age stuff, Future Stuff, etc. Why limit it to stuff, though? Maybe the Medieval pack comes with new/different careers (blacksmith? courtier? plague doctor) technology (blacksmith's forge, sword), and skills (fencing, jousting), new diseases, new animals (plague rats? wolves? work horse?), a new supernatural type (werewolves?). Imagine an opulent 18th century pack complete with pirates, parrots, lots of wigs, and a watermelon decapitation machine. Ancient Rome? Bask in the delights of ancient technologies like... showers, soap dispensers, pneumatic doors, heated floors and baths (of course, those were largely public baths), and... honestly, it took us until the 1800s to get most of this stuff! Pre-history? No problem! Island Living showed us how to go off-grid! > > > I apologize for the length of this post. It is by no means exhaustive. My point is that I'd like to see a different approach to content. Instead of the same old packs we're used to, I'd like for most of that to be available as a base game and then expanded upon in later packs. I'd also like to see a rotation of packs we're used to and new ideas. For example: Seasons (expands on weather, holidays, and plants), Ancient Worlds (maybe gives us Egypt, Rome, and Atlantis to explore), Pets (expands on base game cats and dogs, maybe lets us be vets or ranchers), Crime and Punishment (expands on the consequences system to give us awesome criminals, police, lawyers, and consequences that we see in game), Zombie Attack (a Strangerville-like mission pack with consequences for the whole world) and so on. > > To accomplish all of this, the base game should have a few things to start:* Rudimentary weather/seasons & calendar > * Animals (just cats and dogs, and maybe one or two variants of wild animals to start, but enough to make adding on easier later) > * Active careers with far-reaching consequences (no teachers, doctors, etc. to start, unless they want to include university in the base game) > * A robust, smooth U.I. with plenty of player-controlled toggles, including ways to group and sort objects. > * A good system by which to control passage of time and lifespans. It still takes sims 30 mins to pee. Included therein is a solid aging system. I'd prefer gradual aging to sudden, and I definitely think Middle Age needs to be added between Adult and Elder. > * Although Create-a-World can be released later, the base game should be developed with modding/editing in mind. > > > Other things I'd like to see:* A more open world, with the ability to toggle back and forth between multiple sims in multiple locations. > * Create-a-Style > * Trait sliders. Lots of other people in this thread have commented on what a good idea those would be. I agree! > * Apartments and/or roommates. I'd love to be able to rent a place from the get-go, and I'd also love to be able to move sims into my house (even spouses or kids) and NOT control them, but have to deal with their A.I.-generated craziness. > > > I know this has been long, so thanks for listening to my ideas! :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You formulated what i have in my head but could not get out into words. You're breathtaking!!
Other stuff that is not essential for a complete game. That's what expansions should be.
The basegame should be a complete game with all the basics of a life simulation game. Not having to pay extra to get basic stuff like weather.
I think I see what you mean.
If weather came in the base game, then summer stuff could be a separate pack that adds sunburn, water fights, heatstroke, tanning, and pool parties, winter stuff could be a separate pack that adds snowmen, skiing, skating, frozen fingers, chills, and winterfest stuff.
Other stuff that is not essential for a complete game. That's what expansions should be.
The basegame should be a complete game with all the basics of a life simulation game. Not having to pay extra to get basic stuff like weather.
I think I see what you mean.
If weather came in the base game, then summer stuff could be a separate pack that adds sunburn, water fights, heatstroke, tanning, and pool parties, winter stuff could be a separate pack that adds snowmen, skiing, skating, frozen fingers, chills, and winterfest stuff.
I don't see any reason why weather and seasons/related activities such as building a snowman, getting a sunburn/tan, cannot be part of the base game.
We are talking about EA; A multi billion dollar company, not a small indie company. They have the resources. Maybe it's time for the Community to stop supporting their milking scheme and demand a decent product. Weather and it's related activities are part of basic life imo, so they should come with the base game.
Gives them room to be creative for once instead of remaking every pack for every iteration (but worse in the case of Sims 4).
Comments
Then what would you want added later?
Ummm. Why not? I'm sorry, I can't take that seriously. No weirdness and oddities at all in the base game? How boring. What a way to alienate players.
Like you pick a trait, cat lover, for example. Normal range would be like yeah I love cats they cute. High range would be like omg i 🐸🐸🐸🐸 love cats. I'm obsessed with them. The sim would stop everytime they see a cat to go gawk and pet it.
A slider for vegetarian trait in the high range would probably be strictly veggie eater and get mad when other sims eat meat.
Romantic trait could go from hopeless charming romantic to lustful maybe?
Neat trait could go from like normal not a slob and always cleans up after themselves to being obsessive over cleaning and over cleaning things that don't need to be cleaned and getting upset when anything at all is dirty.
A sim with the hot headed trait could range from normal angry mood problems to completely 🐸🐸🐸🐸 psycho who is always having a temper tantrum and taking their anger out on other sims.
The ability to have traits vary in intensity would actually make the sims 5 game perfect for me without even knowing what else the game would include. And having a wants/fear system that correlate with their traits and aspirations would be awesome.
But in terms of what I actually expect to happen, the sims 5 should have pets and seasons/weather as base game content. That way pets can always get new content with each dlc. And maybe they can do a holiday pack to build upon seasons. Or just include holidays at the start.
For example slob to neat could return like it was in sims 1 and 2. That's a good slider. But Squeamish could still be a trait that can be added to this, available only from a certain neatness level since it would conflict with being a slob.
I think when you have a shy/outgoing slider and a gender preference slider that ranges from 100% interest in men to 100% interest in women, there could be several romantic focused traits that interact with that and some could require a sim to be either more shy or outgoing.
Like not having romantic interest in any sim could be a trait.
Flirty sims would want more romance, and how much they want to woohoo could rely on the shy/outgoing slider. The shyest sims can't be flirty, but from say, 4 out of 10 points in this slider a sim could be flirty. A fully outgoing sim would constantly want to woohoo.
Other stuff that is not essential for a complete game. That's what expansions should be.
The basegame should be a complete game with all the basics of a life simulation game. Not having to pay extra to get basic stuff like weather.
With Sims 3 they released all the packs in 4 years, sometimes releasing 3 expansions a year.
We are 5 years into Sims 4 and we havent even got some of the usual packs like University.
It took 3 years for us to get Pets, 4 years for Seasons and 5 years has come and gone and no University and they are still not done.
If the release time for Sims 5 is like this, we will be getting Sims 5 Seasons in like 2025.
If they are going to take as long to release Seasons, Pets and University then we NEED
Basic University - Online or Rabbit Hole, they can add the world later
Basic seasons - they can calendars and farm fesitvals and other seasons stuff later
Basic pets - just cats and dogs with only a few types they can add horses other types, extra game play etc and make a in later
Open World but not as big worlds as in TS3, more Oasis Springs size maybe a bit bigger
Being able to visit lot types in the open world using CARS and vehicles - they can still do a Cars pack and add in additional cars
Lot types like groceries, shopping, salon, spa, laundry that you can watch your sim drive/ride to , even if they add all the extra lots later in packs
Firemen and Fires, Burglars and Cops, Curfews and Sneaking Out
SLOW DANCING
Swimmable waters - they can still do island living later with all the extras
Private School and Boarding school option
All the small details that made TS2 and TS3 good with the TS4 graphics and game play sysetms
But they can't put everything in at once due to limited resources. They obviously can do more than sims 4 which is very bare bones, but not everything so choices do have to be made.
I think sims 5 on release should feel like it's a base game + a big expansion. And that expansion should be stuff that would greatly benefit from interacting with all future expansions. Like university, to properly interact with all future careers added through expansions and maybe have expansions add a magic school or other alternatives.
Cars can go with that too since it's not that big a feature and a very common thing of life, bicycles and motorcycles can be included in it as well.
Seasons is an option too, but it would be unrealistic to expect them to add both seasons and university in the base game. They'd only do that if they actually got a legit competitor pushing them to put more effort in to not lose their playerbase to the competition.
What the sims series might need most above all, may be serious competition.
I personally feel that if EA wanted to produce an excellent, genuine sequel to the Sims franchise and take the game to the next level, they would need to bring back the best of the past games, but then move forwards significantly as well with features that ought to be possible considering the processing power most computers have these days.
Old features I would like to see return (including from Sims 4):
- Open World: yes, it was buggy. Yes, it lagged. Yes, it was deserted most of the time. If they do this right this time, this would be essential for me. I despise the loading screens of the Sims 4 and it means I hardly ever send my sims anywhere.
- Create a style OR a colour wheel: I know they say it caused lag/problems, but this was an excellent feature that is sorely missed.
- Create a world: I never played it as it wasn't available for Mac players, but it looked brilliant.
- All age states at the beginning of the game
- Teens to be proper teens, not strangely out of proportion narrow young adults.
- A wants/whims system that impacts the game
- Emotions: but a much more intelligent emotions system. The one we have right now doesn't seem fit for purpose.
- Active careers from the beginning
- Food/clothes shopping - where you can take them in to the shops rather than Sims 3's rabbit holes.
- Multi-purpose lots
- Calendar from Sims 4: it's brilliant.
- Clubs from Sims 4: another brilliant, useful feature.
- Cars
- Ocean swimming (and river swimming)
- The gallery
Features that have traditionally been expansions, but should be part of the base game because after paying for them four times (in most cases), I have no desire to do so for a fifth (especially seeing as expansion packs this time around have NOT felt like value for money - I feel pretty fleeced actually):
- Weather/seasons
- Pets
- University
New features I would like to see introduced:
- Gradual ageing. No more dramatic changes. I know this is a big ask considering what we have in game currently, but this is what I'm talking about; I feel the next game should have a few enormous changes like Sims 2 (true 3D, different ages) and Sims 3 (Create-a-style and Open world) offered (yet Sims 4 failed to deliver). There would be rough age ranges - newborn, baby, toddler, child, preteen, teen, young adult, adult, middle-aged, golden years, elderly - and your sim would be known as such, but within that range they would grow a little each day. This would also allow for babies to be more interesting than they ever have been. Babies would start to do more each day, start to move, crawl, roll, sit up etc. They would start off breast/bottle feeding, but you would move on to weaning them (either when you get a notification or the baby sim starts demanding solid food). Kids, preteens and teens would be much more fluid and their wants/interests/available interactions would change slightly as they grew. You could also then, in combination with the calendar, still have birthdays for your sims, but they don't suddenly pop from one age state to the next. I think introducing this would be so enormously more immersive.
- An actual world, not just 'open world' in the sims 3 sense, but a whole world with different regions: Instead of the current system where you choose one of the worlds to play in, instead, you would be faced with a Sims planet/world as the opening screen. It's a fictional world obviously, but with distant areas - coastal, desert, jungle, mountains, polar, islands etc. (even if they didn't have each area open at the beginning to allow to expansion packs). It's mainly just a viewpoint thing, to show how everything is connected, as there would be areas that are highlighted that you can visit - showing details about each settlement and which sims live there. In the beginning there wouldn't be many available, but as the game went on, you could open up new areas. This could also allow for 'Worlds' to be sold separately, to open up new areas - if weather were in the game from the beginning, this would work better. When you clicked on one of the settlements, it would probably need a loading screen, but it would be cool if it were a dynamic one that showed you a video of you zooming into that part of the world while it loaded and flowed seamlessly into the 'open world' (in the Sims 3 sense) view of that part of Sims world. Travelling to different areas would then require different modes of transport. If you were in a Windenburg style part of the world and wanted to travel to the tropics, you would need to take a plane etc. This would obviously be a rabbit/hole/off screen thing, but the loading screen could show a video of a plane travelling across the world etc. Different areas of the world could have distinct geographical features as well as unique building styles, as well as different collectables/plants/wildlife.
- Highly customisable personalities that actually impact gameplay: I remember how basic the sliders from The Sims seem now, but actually, in some ways, they had the right idea. Further up the thread people have discussed sliders for traits and I think that would be a great idea. Instead of static traits, you would have a set of sliders with two opposing characteristics - i.e. Neat VS Slob, Energetic VS Lazy, Uptight VS laid-back, Loves Kids vs Hates Kids, etc. You could also have an additional Quirks system that allows you to choose a few of the more quirks, but most of these would be acquired in game through your sim's repeated actions. This system would impact gameplay more than it has before and would interact with an upgraded emotions system. A sim more towards the slob end would never start tidying or cleaning up and would never be emotionally impacted by messy surroundings. When you made them clean up, they would do so reluctantly (the animation would be different) and it would affect their mood. Their wants/whims would change to suit the situation - they might get a 'Stop Cleaning!' want. Or let's say there is a sim that loves kids - when they're around kids, they would autonomously play with/care for kids when they are nearby, whereas a sim who hates kids, would have their mood affected where they feel uncomfortable or angry. Their behaviour would reflect this with them casting the nearby offending kids glares/furtive glances and moving away from the children. These more customised Sim personalities could also fit in with jobs. Job adverts now come with Sim Specifications that lists some traits that a sim should have for the role. Sims could now interview for jobs and they would be less likely to get the job if they had the wrong personality for it. Or if they did actually get it though they're not suited for it because you got them in a really good mood before the interview and you completed a list of tasks that would give you the most success of getting the job (let's say a Teacher who hated children), then it would be much harder to progress in that career and your performance would naturally decline.
- Gameplay affecting sims in the form of quirks and memories: Sims start customised, but become their own unique personality through gameplay. Your sim could form memories and fears that impact how they behave and how they feel for the rest of their lives (unless they take steps to address them in the case of fears). Let's say a sim burns down their kitchen - instead of a temporary fire buff affecting them for a sim day or two, they would have the permanent memory of how they once burnt down their kitchen. This wouldn't impact the game as directly in the rudimentary emotions system we have now, but it means that forever more, they feel nervous while cooking (or maybe it starts with cooking, then moves on to nervous while making that specific meal as time goes on). They may develop a fear of that particular meal and when they see it (someone else has made it or they're out at a restaurant and see it there) they get triggered and have an emotional response or they show a desire to leave (a want/whim flashes up expressing a desire to leave) or just autonomously leave the room. This could work with happy memories too. Let's say your sim gets engaged in a particular location (a waterfall view). Your sim would get a positive memory from that. They may frequently want to return to the same spot and they get happy from being there. Or they could take a picture and frame it - looking at the picture could cheer them up when they're sad etc. Along with this they could develop quirks - which are like one-off traits - from repeated behaviours you make them do. If you constantly make your sim develop their skills they may get a 'genius' quirk or if you always have them tidying up they may develop a 'neat freak' quirk. These quirks would affect their emotions in the same way and would change autonomous behaviour.
- Careers: As I mentioned briefly in a previous point, you would need to prepare for interviews now instead of just getting the job straight away. Similarly to the Audition aspect of Get Famous, you could improve your chances with having certain skills, or completed certain tasks. If university were embedded from the beginning, having a degree may be a prerequisite for the more specific jobs (i.e. doctor, lawyer, teacher). If university weren't included from the beginning, you may need to finish high school with a certain grade. Careers would also not automatically promote your sim anymore and you would need to instruct your sim to go for a promotion or a pay rise when their performance was high enough - there would also be more ways of progressing within the same career - so you don't have a fixed route. This would give more control to the player.
- CAS: even more customisation. As others have mentioned in this and other threads - items of clothing should be separate. You should be able to choose underwear, trousers/leggings/tights, socks, shoes, skirts, dresses, tops, jumpers/cardigans, coats/jackets, scarves, hats etc. all as separate categories for you to layer how you wish. I really thought we'd get this with Sims 4 and was surprised we didn't, as the way we created the sims themselves had improved so dramatically. Along with this the ability to save your own styled looks and share these with other simmers. Also, customisation with hair and facial hair would be expected (considering what you can do in so many other games now) - within a hairstyle you could change the length of hair, texture (wavy, straight, curly, frizzy), fringe presence/length, have highlight and low lights once more. Perhaps with make up, similar to current pet paint palette, you could customise your own sim's make up in game. As for the sims themselves, I would like them to be a tad more realistic (though not uncanny valley territory) and less cartoony. I'd also like a return of body hair. I find the sims men just look like kawaii cartoons half the time, they never seem terribly manly. As others have suggested, within CAS, it would be great to be able to pre-make your sim how you like. Level of education, wealth, skills, maybe some key memories, relationships to existing sims in world already etc. Simmers could still start with blank slates if they like (and I would start with a blank slate sim as my main sim), but the ability to make sims that have stories already would be so useful for when I am populating worlds with my main sim's would be friends, families, potential partners etc. Finally in CAS, I would like to see variable heights. I know it's not been done before, but we are talking about a sequel, it should achieve things that weren't possible before!
- Buy/build - Having glimpsed at some of the features in that new life simulation game that I forget the name of, I'd like to see even more intuitive, customisable build mode features. Circular walls, split level homes through different foundation heights, resizable windows and doors, flexible stairs (like we have now in Sims 4 at last), spiral stairs and lifts/elevators etc. As well as resizable objects (dragging to resize a bookcase/desk/table to make it work for your space. I'd also like to see an option to automatically populate your garden with plants/trees/decorations. I love landscaping my Sims homes, but I'm not always in the mood. Would be nice to click a button an a few trees and plants would appear artfully arranged in the open spaces.
Right, I have spent way too long on this. I have more ideas, but this post is ridiculously long! I don't for one second think we will get any of these features, but all it would take is for one or two of them (or things like them) to be present in Sims 5 for me to consider buying it. I really do need it to feel like an actual leap forward before I decide to buy it.
Yes I agree. I think that we should have pets and weather in a base game to wait for those EPs again. There has been a pets related EP since TS1 so will we need a total of up to five of them?
Ironically there would be still a lot to add.
Robots/high tech
Supernatural
Celebraties/Fame system
Other animals
Movie theaters
Bands
Vacation worlds
With other cultures around the world
Having pets and seasons in the base game.Would not take away from anything they can add.
And having pets in base game would allow them to actually give us more content for pets in future dlc.
I only had pets in that one because back then me and my sister shared a computer for it and we bought the expansion packs in turns and she wanted pets.
But people have different tastes. That's why it's also good to keep the supernaturals to expansions so people can leave those out if they wish.
Maybe it could be more focused in later packs and thus constantly improved upon rather than simply being in a pack and then being forgotten about later
I was riding the bus the other day and come to think of something.
How about some new building tools?
The biggest thing I would want in The Sims 5 in regards to building is this. (feel free to answer me with your things in this regard)
More freedom when it comes to walls, ROUND WALLS for example and even more so, kind of the same way you draw a simcity road...
(how come no one has mentioned this??) The walls placements is soooo outdated!
it feels like every single person in this thread (exluding a few) are those people who get "fooled" by EA.
For example, "we want toddlers, we want that etc) all the freaking basic things that will obviously be in the game or it will be a "worst game in history" event.
So please people, use your imagination and live out a little!
Here are a few more things.
Bills that come each week/"month" should have seperate for elextricity and rent.
It should not be possible to buy land straight from the start, you should either have to rent an apt, or rent a tiny house.
Obviously the map toll should make it possible so we can build neighboorhoods just like IRL, where houses are really close together.
Kind of like this ( https://static2.bigstockphoto.com/2/1/1/large2/112960007.jpg ) someone else can certainly find a better suiting picture.
Anyway, that's me ranting about possible a HUGE game coming in the future, cause let's face it people. They will FOR SURE, bring it all they have.
Wow no. TS4 was the one who alienated players lmao.
TS1, TS2 and TS3 BG's did not have giant rocket ships, giant observatories, giant cupcake machines, giant microscopes, giant playground ships, giant dollhouses, giant teddy bears, woohoo fist bumps, constant selfying, crazy careers, bros and crazy costumes in their BG.
They were, ahem, GROUNDED life simulators. Many of the silly NPC's and other small things were added later as part of EP's like Livin' Large or the store. Obviously there has always been some silliness in the BG but it didn't overwhelm the players with ridiculous things, neither were they focal points in a BG to the point where it doesn't feel like a lifesim anymore.
-Graphics/options/overall game instead of gameplay: I feel like we should keep the sims 4 graphics, but tone it down a little so all of the houses aren't so, um, hideous. I personally am fine with the sims, but i can't stand the houses and furniture. Also, I need a frickin color wheel, bad. Maybe a couple patterns. As for open/closed world, i would prefer an open neighborhood. So your sims could walk to the park, garden, neighbors house, etc. If the world is open, make the cars go faster. in ts3, you left at 12 for the library and arrived at 3. wth, EA. For options, I love that you can decide how long the seasons are, the sims live for, what supernaturals there are, etc in ts3. Please put that in. And less rabbit holes, please please please
-Base game: Ok. EA. What happened? Why would you even consider not putting toddlers in the base game? Was someone sleeping on the job? I honestly dont get it! Also, the poooooools. whyyyyy. I also think there should be some small form of seasons. Like. Ah, yes, i shall now pay 40 bucks for wEaThEr. or, at least put seasons and pets in the first expansion packs. Oh, and, I WANT TO RUN/OWN A BUSINESS.
-Build mode: Let's face it. The houses were out of perspective in 1, flat in 2, bbm was crazy in 3, and the looks are just. Bleck in 4. In 5, figure out something that looks like a better version of 3 but is more organized, but with the ability to make your own folders/organization for the items like in 3 as well. I personally have set items for each...stereotype (i guess) of home. Like, suburban, richie dude, kids, etc.
-Possible expansions: note: My opinion. doesnt have to be yours. Supernatural, university, travel, a game pack of job stuff (adds extra jobs, specialized items/buildings), island, something futruistic like Into the future (that was so fun), etc. Also, try and maybe put them out in order of how much they are wanted.
Thank you so much for listening to my whining about the sims. sorry i have high demands, but, hey, im literally giving you thousands of dollars. I should be satisfied.
Truth.
I think TS5 should deliver one or two revolutionary leaps forward right at base game. Do you remember how exciting TS2's life stages were? Do you remember how impressive TS3's open worlds were? TS5 should launch with something new and impressive that really expands the franchise. I'm not talking tweaks or improvements; I'm talking new features.
Some possible groundbreaking new features might include, but certainly are not limited to, the following:
Culture
In past expansions, hints of culture have been slowly and painstakingly baked into pre-built worlds by way of name choices, clothing, architectural styles, etc. Of course, with story progression, each location slowly begins to lose that unique flavor as names and clothes are randomized. Whether we decide to call the base geographic location a neighborhood, town, or world, that base geographic location should have a culture. Certain names, clothing styles, hairstyles, transportation types, etc., should be weighted so as to appear more often. Automatically spawned children and sims should be programmed to recycle/recombine names from their ancestors and/or from other sims in the location. Each location should have unique foods, maybe one or two unique careers, a unique few mood buffs, a unique lot type or two, some unique holidays or traditions, and maybe this base geographic location could have neighborhood/town/world-level traits, just like the lot traits we have now. Future packs could expand on this base game concept by offering more cultures to explore, but the rudimentary system should be in place with the base game. It's much harder to implement a culture system later, retrofitting existing locations from the base game and other packs, than it is to include it from go.
Of course, culture would require quite a robust base game. At least basic climate controls (is it a snowy world? a desert one?) would be required. Perhaps we could get new climate/weather types as appropriate for new locations. Have an Island Themed pack? Why not add hurricanes as a weather type? Rainforest location? Happy monsoon season! Wintry north? Brrr. Break out the snowboots, hot chocolate, and snowstorms. Perhaps, just as it is tradition for most new packs to provide a related supernatural life state, most new packs could provide region-related animals. Think camels for the desert, or dolphins for the seaside, wild horses or antelope for grasslands, alligators for swamps, or adorable reindeer or dogsled dogs for snowy worlds, or maybe pigeons for urban concrete jungles. Build the ability for pets from base, but then add a wider diversity of animals in as needed for each expansion. Players would need to be able to toggle on or off quite a lot of options, but a culture system would also lend itself well to an eventual Create-a-World pack, allowing players to craft their own cultures and create their own locations.
Consequences
We've already seen hints, in the conservationist career and the Strangerville mission, that EA/Maxis can incorporate wide-reaching consequences into the game in response to player actions. TS3's Into the Future pack also showed us how actions undertaken in the present might influence the future. Introducing this ability in some expansions and not others, however, leads to a strangely lop-sided world in which some sims' actions matter more than others. Why does the conservationist wield more power than the political top dog? Careers, quests (like Strangerville), etc. should matter. TS5 should incorporate a cascade effect of consequences so that criminals commit crimes and, say, property values decrease. Politicians and business leaders make decisions and strikes and demonstrations follow. Scientists create new technologies - with environmental side effects. Actions, in short, have consequences.
This concept can play out on the small stage, as well. We can see some version of this in the current Reputation metric. Fights, temper tantrums, leaving the toilet seat up, etc. - a sim's actions can influence the opinions of other sims in ways that are deeper and longer lasting than a temporary mood buff.
Expanding on this idea, then, could be packs like Crime and Punishment - supporting a new network of connected actions, each with consequences, as well as new careers as lawyers, criminals, and police. One can easily imagine government themed packs, military packs (secret agents? average enlisted soldiers? intelligence branch?), science themed packs, or even supernatural themed packs that, with a system of consequences already in place, would greatly expand on that base game capability.
I was going to call this mutability, but I think Consequences has a bit of a nicer ring to it. Story progression would matter a lot. Imagine a world in which tombs remained explored or plundered, environments remained wrecked by evil giant plant spores, and criminals actually went punished... or not... depending upon your sim's actions.
Eras
One of the perennial popular play styles, one that is highly dependent upon DLC, is a through-the-eras type of gameplay in which simmers start in the stone ages, or maybe in the medieval era, or maybe in the 1950s... and then, generation by generation, advance the the town (or, at least, the family home) until they get to the current era. This idea would rely upon the previous two ideas in order to work. In TS3's Into the Future, we saw how fun it can be to alter the timeline. Why not build in some sort of passage-of-time system from the get-go? Think of the potential for themed clothes packs, EA! This idea would require some way to mark the passage of time, perhaps something similar to the calendar from Seasons, and a way to cycle fashions in and out of style so that townie sims and npcs spawn looking right. Stuff packs could be sold for multiple eras, and players could toggle various options on and off. In an era of luddites? No fancy looms allowed! Err, or cell phones. Did your sims make good, responsible decisions in previous generations? Well, lucky you, the environment is healthy! Were your grandparents less than responsible? Well... enjoy the green gunk around your volcano. We can already do this, but we should do it from the beginning, in a purposeful way.
Combined with Culture and Consequences, this idea lends itself to innumerable packs, mostly stuff packs. Medieval stuff, Jazz Age stuff, Future Stuff, etc. Why limit it to stuff, though? Maybe the Medieval pack comes with new/different careers (blacksmith? courtier? plague doctor) technology (blacksmith's forge, sword), and skills (fencing, jousting), new diseases, new animals (plague rats? wolves? work horse?), a new supernatural type (werewolves?). Imagine an opulent 18th century pack complete with pirates, parrots, lots of wigs, and a watermelon decapitation machine. Ancient Rome? Bask in the delights of ancient technologies like... showers, soap dispensers, pneumatic doors, heated floors and baths (of course, those were largely public baths), and... honestly, it took us until the 1800s to get most of this stuff! Pre-history? No problem! Island Living showed us how to go off-grid!
I apologize for the length of this post. It is by no means exhaustive. My point is that I'd like to see a different approach to content. Instead of the same old packs we're used to, I'd like for most of that to be available as a base game and then expanded upon in later packs. I'd also like to see a rotation of packs we're used to and new ideas. For example: Seasons (expands on weather, holidays, and plants), Ancient Worlds (maybe gives us Egypt, Rome, and Atlantis to explore), Pets (expands on base game cats and dogs, maybe lets us be vets or ranchers), Crime and Punishment (expands on the consequences system to give us awesome criminals, police, lawyers, and consequences that we see in game), Zombie Attack (a Strangerville-like mission pack with consequences for the whole world) and so on.
To accomplish all of this, the base game should have a few things to start:
Other things I'd like to see:
I know this has been long, so thanks for listening to my ideas!
There's nothing wrong with any of that in a BG. Yes, I want smaller telescopes, dollhouses, etc, but what's wrong with someone wanting an observatory if they're creating a mad scientist sim? Or wanting an extra large dollhouse because they're creating Sims who are super rich and snooty and think bigger = better?
TS2's base game contained alien abductions and male pregnancy. TS1 had the tragic clown. TS2 had the social bunny, the therapist, Sims dancing around with a flour sack baby or a mop.
IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE A 100% REALISTIC LIFE SIMULATOR. The weirdness and wackiness of it is a cherished, integral part of the game. If they take it out, they're spitting in the faces of the consumers who have been with the game for 20+ years and want to play to get away from the horrors of real life, like me.
> (Quote)
>
> Truth.
>
> I think TS5 should deliver one or two revolutionary leaps forward right at base game. Do you remember how exciting TS2's life stages were? Do you remember how impressive TS3's open worlds were? TS5 should launch with something new and impressive that really expands the franchise. I'm not talking tweaks or improvements; I'm talking new features.
>
> Some possible groundbreaking new features might include, but certainly are not limited to, the following:
>
> Culture
> In past expansions, hints of culture have been slowly and painstakingly baked into pre-built worlds by way of name choices, clothing, architectural styles, etc. Of course, with story progression, each location slowly begins to lose that unique flavor as names and clothes are randomized. Whether we decide to call the base geographic location a neighborhood, town, or world, that base geographic location should have a culture. Certain names, clothing styles, hairstyles, transportation types, etc., should be weighted so as to appear more often. Automatically spawned children and sims should be programmed to recycle/recombine names from their ancestors and/or from other sims in the location. Each location should have unique foods, maybe one or two unique careers, a unique few mood buffs, a unique lot type or two, some unique holidays or traditions, and maybe this base geographic location could have neighborhood/town/world-level traits, just like the lot traits we have now. Future packs could expand on this base game concept by offering more cultures to explore, but the rudimentary system should be in place with the base game. It's much harder to implement a culture system later, retrofitting existing locations from the base game and other packs, than it is to include it from go.
>
> Of course, culture would require quite a robust base game. At least basic climate controls (is it a snowy world? a desert one?) would be required. Perhaps we could get new climate/weather types as appropriate for new locations. Have an Island Themed pack? Why not add hurricanes as a weather type? Rainforest location? Happy monsoon season! Wintry north? Brrr. Break out the snowboots, hot chocolate, and snowstorms. Perhaps, just as it is tradition for most new packs to provide a related supernatural life state, most new packs could provide region-related animals. Think camels for the desert, or dolphins for the seaside, wild horses or antelope for grasslands, alligators for swamps, or adorable reindeer or dogsled dogs for snowy worlds, or maybe pigeons for urban concrete jungles. Build the ability for pets from base, but then add a wider diversity of animals in as needed for each expansion. Players would need to be able to toggle on or off quite a lot of options, but a culture system would also lend itself well to an eventual Create-a-World pack, allowing players to craft their own cultures and create their own locations.
>
>
> Consequences
> We've already seen hints, in the conservationist career and the Strangerville mission, that EA/Maxis can incorporate wide-reaching consequences into the game in response to player actions. TS3's Into the Future pack also showed us how actions undertaken in the present might influence the future. Introducing this ability in some expansions and not others, however, leads to a strangely lop-sided world in which some sims' actions matter more than others. Why does the conservationist wield more power than the political top dog? Careers, quests (like Strangerville), etc. should matter. TS5 should incorporate a cascade effect of consequences so that criminals commit crimes and, say, property values decrease. Politicians and business leaders make decisions and strikes and demonstrations follow. Scientists create new technologies - with environmental side effects. Actions, in short, have consequences.
>
> This concept can play out on the small stage, as well. We can see some version of this in the current Reputation metric. Fights, temper tantrums, leaving the toilet seat up, etc. - a sim's actions can influence the opinions of other sims in ways that are deeper and longer lasting than a temporary mood buff.
>
> Expanding on this idea, then, could be packs like Crime and Punishment - supporting a new network of connected actions, each with consequences, as well as new careers as lawyers, criminals, and police. One can easily imagine government themed packs, military packs (secret agents? average enlisted soldiers? intelligence branch?), science themed packs, or even supernatural themed packs that, with a system of consequences already in place, would greatly expand on that base game capability.
>
> I was going to call this mutability, but I think Consequences has a bit of a nicer ring to it. Story progression would matter a lot. Imagine a world in which tombs remained explored or plundered, environments remained wrecked by evil giant plant spores, and criminals actually went punished... or not... depending upon your sim's actions.
>
>
> Eras
> One of the perennial popular play styles, one that is highly dependent upon DLC, is a through-the-eras type of gameplay in which simmers start in the stone ages, or maybe in the medieval era, or maybe in the 1950s... and then, generation by generation, advance the the town (or, at least, the family home) until they get to the current era. This idea would rely upon the previous two ideas in order to work. In TS3's Into the Future, we saw how fun it can be to alter the timeline. Why not build in some sort of passage-of-time system from the get-go? Think of the potential for themed clothes packs, EA! This idea would require some way to mark the passage of time, perhaps something similar to the calendar from Seasons, and a way to cycle fashions in and out of style so that townie sims and npcs spawn looking right. Stuff packs could be sold for multiple eras, and players could toggle various options on and off. In an era of luddites? No fancy looms allowed! Err, or cell phones. Did your sims make good, responsible decisions in previous generations? Well, lucky you, the environment is healthy! Were your grandparents less than responsible? Well... enjoy the green gunk around your volcano. We can already do this, but we should do it from the beginning, in a purposeful way.
>
> Combined with Culture and Consequences, this idea lends itself to innumerable packs, mostly stuff packs. Medieval stuff, Jazz Age stuff, Future Stuff, etc. Why limit it to stuff, though? Maybe the Medieval pack comes with new/different careers (blacksmith? courtier? plague doctor) technology (blacksmith's forge, sword), and skills (fencing, jousting), new diseases, new animals (plague rats? wolves? work horse?), a new supernatural type (werewolves?). Imagine an opulent 18th century pack complete with pirates, parrots, lots of wigs, and a watermelon decapitation machine. Ancient Rome? Bask in the delights of ancient technologies like... showers, soap dispensers, pneumatic doors, heated floors and baths (of course, those were largely public baths), and... honestly, it took us until the 1800s to get most of this stuff! Pre-history? No problem! Island Living showed us how to go off-grid!
>
>
> I apologize for the length of this post. It is by no means exhaustive. My point is that I'd like to see a different approach to content. Instead of the same old packs we're used to, I'd like for most of that to be available as a base game and then expanded upon in later packs. I'd also like to see a rotation of packs we're used to and new ideas. For example: Seasons (expands on weather, holidays, and plants), Ancient Worlds (maybe gives us Egypt, Rome, and Atlantis to explore), Pets (expands on base game cats and dogs, maybe lets us be vets or ranchers), Crime and Punishment (expands on the consequences system to give us awesome criminals, police, lawyers, and consequences that we see in game), Zombie Attack (a Strangerville-like mission pack with consequences for the whole world) and so on.
>
> To accomplish all of this, the base game should have a few things to start:* Rudimentary weather/seasons & calendar
> * Animals (just cats and dogs, and maybe one or two variants of wild animals to start, but enough to make adding on easier later)
> * Active careers with far-reaching consequences (no teachers, doctors, etc. to start, unless they want to include university in the base game)
> * A robust, smooth U.I. with plenty of player-controlled toggles, including ways to group and sort objects.
> * A good system by which to control passage of time and lifespans. It still takes sims 30 mins to pee. Included therein is a solid aging system. I'd prefer gradual aging to sudden, and I definitely think Middle Age needs to be added between Adult and Elder.
> * Although Create-a-World can be released later, the base game should be developed with modding/editing in mind.
>
>
> Other things I'd like to see:* A more open world, with the ability to toggle back and forth between multiple sims in multiple locations.
> * Create-a-Style
> * Trait sliders. Lots of other people in this thread have commented on what a good idea those would be. I agree!
> * Apartments and/or roommates. I'd love to be able to rent a place from the get-go, and I'd also love to be able to move sims into my house (even spouses or kids) and NOT control them, but have to deal with their A.I.-generated craziness.
>
>
> I know this has been long, so thanks for listening to my ideas! :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You formulated what i have in my head but could not get out into words.
You're breathtaking!!
I think I see what you mean.
If weather came in the base game, then summer stuff could be a separate pack that adds sunburn, water fights, heatstroke, tanning, and pool parties, winter stuff could be a separate pack that adds snowmen, skiing, skating, frozen fingers, chills, and winterfest stuff.
I don't see any reason why weather and seasons/related activities such as building a snowman, getting a sunburn/tan, cannot be part of the base game.
We are talking about EA; A multi billion dollar company, not a small indie company. They have the resources. Maybe it's time for the Community to stop supporting their milking scheme and demand a decent product. Weather and it's related activities are part of basic life imo, so they should come with the base game.
Gives them room to be creative for once instead of remaking every pack for every iteration (but worse in the case of Sims 4).