Realistic graphics tend to age very badly, while the cartoony style is kinda ageless. This is the reason why The Sims 4 (but also other games with similar cartoony graphics like WoW for example) still look fresh even after years of the initial release, IMHO.
Although I like more realism, I do believe that you have made a very good point and agree with you.
I chose cartoony as I look at the type of game Sims series represents, it is an parody of real life and I can't get that feeling with realistic characters and it feels out of place
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While I do prefer cartoony over realistic, I will agree that a little more detail wouldn't be a bad thing.
Until/unless dynamic clothing and hair become viable at a video game scale (as opposed to stills or CG movies), hair and clothing simply will not flow correctly, and keeping to a more cartoony base will only help that be less jarring, but better details can still be helpful and improve the overall look of the game.
After getting used to it by now, I quite like the style of S4. But honestly I prefer more realistic.
That's why I'm not so much into Paralives (yet).
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Toward the more realistic side without hitting the uncanny valley. I think with the right CC and skin overlays, that look can be achieved in TS4 nicely. I still prefer maxis match textures though for hair and clothing. Anything more cartoony than what it is now would be too much though.
Cartoony makes it a lot easier to laugh along side my sims at whatever silliness is going on.
Realism is always going to jar with the game. To do it well you'd need to replace EVERYTHING. The bodies, the clothes, the buildings, the maps, the animations, even how some moodlets are 'too much' and others are 'not enough' all would need to be redone.
With each step into realism, each item not yet addressed stands out even more. And the tone of the game is one of the biggest hurdles there.
It all fits together in a consistent package when left cartoony. With over 8000 files of mods/CC, I'm regularly deleting CC that turned out to look designed for realism once I got it in game and as such didn't match well with what I already had. Doing that is a LOT easier than replacing everything. Because 8000 files is nowhere near even a 1/100th of the CC I'd need to achieve realism.
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I voted realistic, but really I'm inbetween. I don't want ultra-realistic sims, never have. But I prefer non-clay hair, real eyelashes, body hair that doesn't look like it was drawn on with a marker. The world have real grass textures and not the smeary stuff that TS4 shipped with. I want my trees to look real and not like fake plastic. I also would prefer the objects to have more detail, actually meshed detailing rather than faking it with painting the details on.
I'm so over the doll house vibe of TS4, I have never, ever embraced it. I actually liked how things were done in TS3. The sims were still cartoony and didn't look "real" but the environment and objects were much more realistic.
I prefer the art style of TS2, which I think was in-between realistic and cartoony. Objects had detail, but it wasn't overly done and the sims looked smooth, but also had realistic mannerisms and you could definitely use bodyshop to make some realistic looking sims.
In TS3, the world was hyper realistic and the sims themselves weren't. They looked so out of place in the world so I got cc that made them also look hyper realistic, too. Then they looked so much better, but since the expressions also weren't realistic, they still looked so out of place while playing the game. I definitely do not want this back.
But after playing TS4 and the cartoony graphics, I can definitely say that I prefer this style because it is timeless. I wouldn't be able to tell you when the game came out if I didn't know. The only thing I don't like about their design decisions is how big some of the furniture is and how overly exaggerative their faces contort. Like...just a tiny bit of normal would be great. But I prefer my characters to look a little bit more cartoony to match those exaggerative expressions.
Realistic graphics tend to age very badly, while the cartoony style is kinda ageless. This is the reason why The Sims 4 (but also other games with similar cartoony graphics like WoW for example) still look fresh even after years of the initial release, IMHO.
I agree. A cartoony style also fits rather well with the overall quirkiness of The Sims.
The style of Sims 4 is growing on me. I agree with the posters who mentioned that a cartoony style ages well. I bought Sims 4 only last week, and it doesn't feel like a game that came out almost seven years ago.
I wonder if a game with more realistic-looking graphics might end up being too demanding for my 2017-vintage laptop to play well.
I wouldn't like a more cartoony style, though...no people with outsized heads, etc. My Time at Portia fills that niche for me.
I like the feel and look of Sims 4 but honestly, I'm waiting for the day when I can't decide whether that character is an artist's creation of an actual person or if it is the actual person!!! Yeah, realism all the way for me!
I like the cartoony style a lot but I think it needs a little more detail and "3d" visuals. Shorter skirts could use some shadowing on the inside so when a Sim sits down it doesn't look unfinished or like it's made of solid plastic. I'd also like more optional facial details and shapes.
I really like how the Sims look in Sims4. Cartoony, yet not so much, realistic but not to the point you'd swear you're looking at a photograph. I think there is a fine line here. We already get very attached to our little pixelated buddies, so if they looked too real, it could confuse a weak mind.
I like the cartoony style a lot but I think it needs a little more detail and "3d" visuals. Shorter skirts could use some shadowing on the inside so when a Sim sits down it doesn't look unfinished or like it's made of solid plastic. I'd also like more optional facial details and shapes.
I agree about the skirts and would say the same about some of the shorts. Either add some shadows or use shapekeys to cause them to drape when appropriate. It's not that difficult to do either.
I really like how the Sims look in Sims4. Cartoony, yet not so much, realistic but not to the point you'd swear you're looking at a photograph. I think there is a fine line here. We already get very attached to our little pixelated buddies, so if they looked too real, it could confuse a weak mind.
Wait, my mind ain't we... oooooh pretty colors! Yum!
I feel that Sims 4 is a nice balance of cartoony and realistic.
Sims 2 had a pretty good balance as well.
Sims 3 was a little too realistic, and didn't really seem to fit in the Sims series. However, the color wheel, and the ability to create designs is something I really like.
I like a bit of realism, but not so much that it falls into uncanny valley. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has a nice cartoony style, but also has a touch of realism as well.
Kingdom Hearts has a cartoony style as well, but it is realistic enough as well. Plus, it deals with Disney characters, so it fits that is a bit catoony.
So, I kind of like both styles, but a nice mixture of both.
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Although I like more realism, I do believe that you have made a very good point and agree with you.
I don't want my sims to look too human like that would just make me uncomfortable
o_o
+ realism ages so quick anyway
but also on other hand i dont want them to pull some super cartoony cutesy stuff either cause thats just bleh to me
= where we are is good balance i think
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Too cartoony is too corny, but being too realistic can be very weird and uncanny valley.
The game should be a mix of serious and comic.
Until/unless dynamic clothing and hair become viable at a video game scale (as opposed to stills or CG movies), hair and clothing simply will not flow correctly, and keeping to a more cartoony base will only help that be less jarring, but better details can still be helpful and improve the overall look of the game.
That's why I'm not so much into Paralives (yet).
On my blog (German) you'll find two completed vampire stories 🦇 and an ongoing ghost story 👻.
I'm also posting about my I'm surrounded by idi🤪ts! - challenge, in which I've now reached gen 9.
Thanks for stopping by! 👋
Realism is always going to jar with the game. To do it well you'd need to replace EVERYTHING. The bodies, the clothes, the buildings, the maps, the animations, even how some moodlets are 'too much' and others are 'not enough' all would need to be redone.
With each step into realism, each item not yet addressed stands out even more. And the tone of the game is one of the biggest hurdles there.
It all fits together in a consistent package when left cartoony. With over 8000 files of mods/CC, I'm regularly deleting CC that turned out to look designed for realism once I got it in game and as such didn't match well with what I already had. Doing that is a LOT easier than replacing everything. Because 8000 files is nowhere near even a 1/100th of the CC I'd need to achieve realism.
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I'm so over the doll house vibe of TS4, I have never, ever embraced it. I actually liked how things were done in TS3. The sims were still cartoony and didn't look "real" but the environment and objects were much more realistic.
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In TS3, the world was hyper realistic and the sims themselves weren't. They looked so out of place in the world so I got cc that made them also look hyper realistic, too. Then they looked so much better, but since the expressions also weren't realistic, they still looked so out of place while playing the game. I definitely do not want this back.
But after playing TS4 and the cartoony graphics, I can definitely say that I prefer this style because it is timeless. I wouldn't be able to tell you when the game came out if I didn't know. The only thing I don't like about their design decisions is how big some of the furniture is and how overly exaggerative their faces contort. Like...just a tiny bit of normal would be great. But I prefer my characters to look a little bit more cartoony to match those exaggerative expressions.
I agree. A cartoony style also fits rather well with the overall quirkiness of The Sims.
I wonder if a game with more realistic-looking graphics might end up being too demanding for my 2017-vintage laptop to play well.
I wouldn't like a more cartoony style, though...no people with outsized heads, etc. My Time at Portia fills that niche for me.
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I agree about the skirts and would say the same about some of the shorts. Either add some shadows or use shapekeys to cause them to drape when appropriate. It's not that difficult to do either.
Wait, my mind ain't we... oooooh pretty colors! Yum!
ditto Too real makes it creepy. Too cartoony and it wouldn't feel like the Sims. IMO
Changed mine to realistic as OP edited what they meant by realistic vs cartoony. So in that case I would lean more towards the real.
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Sims 2 had a pretty good balance as well.
Sims 3 was a little too realistic, and didn't really seem to fit in the Sims series. However, the color wheel, and the ability to create designs is something I really like.
I like a bit of realism, but not so much that it falls into uncanny valley. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has a nice cartoony style, but also has a touch of realism as well.
Kingdom Hearts has a cartoony style as well, but it is realistic enough as well. Plus, it deals with Disney characters, so it fits that is a bit catoony.
So, I kind of like both styles, but a nice mixture of both.