This is where I disagree with you. lol. I actually love the look of the cartoony sims. I enjoy the art style of it and think it fits the game.
I respectfully disagree. That may be your feeling, that is true. Consider however...
But TheSims has been moving in a greater and greater sense of realism starting from 1, moving to 2 and finally to 3 all in realism of sims,
the objects and to the world around them; a deeper and richer sense of realism.
Then, shuddering to a complete halt is Sims4.
It is plastic and has a LoonyTunes feel about it; rushed and hurried.
It is NOT a progression in the line of the other games. If anything is a major regression!
If it was a standalone sims game called 'Sims Newplay' or something, then people would not be complaining.
But it called it 4. The FOURTH in the series.
I think each game has its own look that sets them apart from the one before it. I never thought The Sims 3 sims looked realistic but always thought they looked puffy and strange but I always downloaded lots of custom content to make them look better. The Sims 4, even with how cartoony it looks, has the most good looking sims to date, in my opinion. I am glad Sims 4 didn't go for realistic human-like graphics when it came to the sims themselves. I would be more forgiving if the world around them looked realistic but I guess you'd have to have both to make them fit together. Once again, in my opinion, with minor grievances here and there, Sims 4 is visually stunning in my eyes.
Again I point out that it has been a 15 year progression. One cannot simply look at Sims3 alone; that is the mistake many are making.
It is not S4 vs S3. It is how The Sims has evolved: from a limited cartoony 1 to a more realistic 2 to a more real world 3 to......LooonyTunes meets MyLittlePony Sims4.
It has shuddered to a grinding halt. It 'should' have continued in a realist pattern...it didn't.
That is why I said IF they had just called this Sims:morplay than no big deal, think of Sims medieval, everyone knew it was an offshoot.
Compare the rocks in Sims4, the trees, now look at Sims3...a game 5 years old has better looking and detailed backgrounds than this game. You may find it 'stunning', but it is in fact NOT an improvement.
Sims4 has gone backwards, is essentially a mobile game in appearance and play. That is NOT a logical progression in my opinion.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Can I just say that there is one thing I really do like about Sims 4 over all the others and that is , the power being turned off when the bills aren't paid instead of the repo man coming to take my sims shower. Why did they always take the shower? LOL
I'm still baffled that ncp's like fireman are gone and they are no bunkbeds.
I don't understand the lack of the NPC's either and one would hope that with all the people who have requested bunk beds over the years that they maybe would have put some in a base game, but I guess that's just my silly thinking.
There are pages and pages of things that have been requested lol.
Yeah there's a list, but something as simple as a bunk bed shouldn't be left out. It's a piece of furniture for plum sakes.
The lots are so small now, I would think a bunk bed would be featured in the base.
I'm still baffled that ncp's like fireman are gone and they are no bunkbeds.
I don't understand the lack of the NPC's either and one would hope that with all the people who have requested bunk beds over the years that they maybe would have put some in a base game, but I guess that's just my silly thinking.
There are pages and pages of things that have been requested lol.
Yeah there's a list, but something as simple as a bunk bed shouldn't be left out. It's a piece of furniture for plum sakes.
The lots are so small now, I would think a bunk bed would be featured in the base.
Well, from a business perspective, it would mean them making more money if they released it separately in an EP or GP instead of including it free in the base. Don't mistake this with me condoning that behavior, but that is how I would do it too if I were a multi million dollar company trying to make money.
I'm still baffled that ncp's like fireman are gone and they are no bunkbeds.
I don't understand the lack of the NPC's either and one would hope that with all the people who have requested bunk beds over the years that they maybe would have put some in a base game, but I guess that's just my silly thinking.
There are pages and pages of things that have been requested lol.
Yeah there's a list, but something as simple as a bunk bed shouldn't be left out. It's a piece of furniture for plum sakes.
The lots are so small now, I would think a bunk bed would be featured in the base.
If dishwashers were an unreasonable request then I'm pretty sure bunkbeds are completely out of the question.
Can I just say that there is one thing I really do like about Sims 4 over all the others and that is , the power being turned off when the bills aren't paid instead of the repo man coming to take my sims shower. Why did they always take the shower? LOL
This is the best part of this game for me so far. They better keep this feature in TS5. It's always funny. That's the type of impact I'm looking for in my sims games. Action = hilarious result that is somewhat based in reality.
I'm still baffled that ncp's like fireman are gone and they are no bunkbeds.
I don't understand the lack of the NPC's either and one would hope that with all the people who have requested bunk beds over the years that they maybe would have put some in a base game, but I guess that's just my silly thinking.
There are pages and pages of things that have been requested lol.
Yeah there's a list, but something as simple as a bunk bed shouldn't be left out. It's a piece of furniture for plum sakes.
The lots are so small now, I would think a bunk bed would be featured in the base.
If dishwashers were an unreasonable request then I'm pretty sure bunkbeds are completely out of the question.
hahaha
I guess actual game consoles for gamers is out of the question too.
I think you're right lol, I'm really not. With ts3, man, I got that base game and had this feeling of awe... the game did feel more complete than 4, but I remember thinking "imagine what they could do with this!" And thinking about seasons, university, all that got added in ts2 and how excited I was to see how it would be worked into 3. And oh, the player-made creations - granted, it had its flaws, but most of the EPs were astonishing to me, because of how far they took the ideas, and how they all meshed together. Sure, not every EP added as much as I thought it could have, but others were absolutely amazing, and on balance, I'm still amazed with all of the potential that was *realized* in ts3.
I just plainly do not get that feeling with ts4. Every time I try to think about expansions, I get slapped in the face with the limitations, with what almost certainly won't be in them, and of all the things that were so vastly superior in ts2 and/or ts3. Basically, whenever I try to tell myself "but in the future we could have," I have to add, "but first they have to add/fix" - "we could have toddlers, but what's the use if the family play isn't fleshed out." That one works both ways, actually. I just do not see anything about ts4 that outweighs anything from ts2 or ts3... even potentially. I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong.
Tbh, I really don't know what potential this game has any more. This is the first game I've ever played where the devs have been actively removing features that were already in the base game at launch. I do not particularly care for this direction.
Also they're not giving us any information about direction at all. It's five months in and we don't even know what the first EP will be... they've fixed some obscure bugs, with others still rampant... left some unable to play for months... dumbed down features, while totally missing the mark - we were complaining because we wanted fewer restrictions, as in, we wanted to choose between the linear gameplay and more open, sandboxy feel, where did we ask them to rehash the requirements? It still feels just as linear and the people who liked it as it was are now frustrated! What was gained? And then they add the grunge... which seems a bit over the top, like the rest of the game, but couldn't they have sent that time giving us more color options or giving us another dance? Or adding dishwashers??? I really have no idea where they're going with this. So far it seems totally disjointed. But for sure they are either not understanding or not listening to their players.
I think they hear us and they are hoping to make us hear them.
What I hear them saying is :
1. this is their game, they made it
2. it will work the way they want it to work
3. we are just the players/customers
4. we have to learn to do it their way
5. End of story.
And after playing for a while and seeing how fast those emotions change, I think it is designed to be played with a joystick - not a mouse and keyboard. Because the emotions roll by so fast you need to have your finger on the trigger to shoot them fast enough to get anywhere with them. Either that or get a touch screen monitor and try to work out how to play it as if it were a mobile device.
I'm personally not going to attempt either approach. It is not my sort of game.
I think they hear us and they are hoping to make us hear them.
What I hear them saying is :
1. this is their game, they made it
2. it will work the way they want it to work
3. we are just the players/customers
4. we have to learn to do it their way
5. End of story.
But I thought they said they were "players first" kind of company
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
They just hear the people complaining about the lack of certain features without trying for themselves to formulate their own subjective opinion based on experience.
This. THIS!!! Finally someone understands what I've been saying!
Not agreeing is not the same as not understanding.
Look, there is a segment of the gaming population and developers who believe that there are people who are deliberately trying to destroy EA by giving them terrible reviews and trolling the websites, therefore ignoring whatever negative feedback they're getting.
I can guarantee you this -- if it were a game that people were enjoying, the praises would be just as loud as the complaints. While negative publicity of course hurts sales, there is enough out there if someone cares to research, including LPs, for people to look at.
To me, what is the most damaging are the professional reviews. These sites usually over-state games because advertising revenue is what supports them. While I take positive reviews from gaming sites with a grain of salt for this reason, neutral/negative reviews I take more seriously, because an AAA game has to have serious issues for, say, IGN to give it a 75.
Anyway, with the number of bugs and issues that this game has, while I think a free trial should have been offered from the start, I think it's a good thing they're offering it now. But I'm not sure it's panning out the way they hoped it would.
I just can't help but feel that a lot of the people who criticise the game aren't doing so from malice, or to drive people away. They criticise it because they desperately want change, and to have the things that mean a lot to them restored, and more than anything to be able to love the game again.
I don't see why anyone would be here, virtually crying out to be heard, if they just want the franchise to die. I think we're all here because we absolutely love the game, and want to see it returned to its sandbox glory, back when everyone enjoyed it, and there was no directed play, because it was so open that it fitted into everyone's playstyle.
Maybe I'm just romanticising the whole thing, I don't know.
Sorry for OT.
This! I don't want the game to die. I want it to be fixed and made far more inclusive. I certainly don't want the franchise to die. However, as the game is right now, it's unplayable for me. And I love Sims
There is a difference between wanting the game to die and the series to die. Many may want the game to go the way of Sims Medieval, but do want the series to improve and actually become what it SHOULD have been.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
If I'm being completely honest, no you're not really missing anything but I think it might depend on the way you like to play your game. For instance; I love the family aspect of the game and I like playing with the sims themselves but I was never much of a builder, a legacy player or even someone who really stuck with one family for a particularly long time.
This might have something to do with why I'm able to play the game for hours on end but other people aren't. I like starting with a single sim from scratch and building them up but it's quite rare that I'll then go back to that same sim or even that same save once I've quit the game - chances are I'm much more likely to create another new sim and play them instead (this is also probably the reason I don't encounter the same problems other people have with bugs and long loading screens).
I personally haven't noticed the emotions flitting around (they do this when you have Insane sims though), but it IS possible to control what emotion your sim feels at any time. I try not to do this because I feel it spoils the spontaneous element and overall "realism" but it is there in the game.
I do hope they make the world larger in future though, I can see myself becoming very frustrated with it if they don't.
I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm trying to "sell" the game to you - this isn't the case at all. I actually think this game is geared towards only a small number of play styles and mine just happens to fit into it.
This is exactly right, and I'm both very glad some people do enjoy it, and very worried - being a die hard Sims fan was always kind of a niche anyway compared to other types of games (lots played it but being hardcore into it is more unusual I believe,) and they seem to have drastically narrowed that niche... I tried really hard to play ts4 because at first I thought I could adapt my play style to the new game but I just didn't enjoy it, plain and simple. It was a very jarring experience, to fail to like a Sims game. I hope that if they choose not to expand it, there are enough people funding it to at least get it through a few decent exthe pansions
It is obvious EA has decided to direct this new way of playing towards a smaller portion of their previous customer base. The rest of us can either change and learn to love doing something that makes us feel frustrated, bored and stressed out of our brains, or find something else to do.
I have lots of other things to do.
This is a decision made by EA. It is clear to me they don't want to continue making games for all of their previous customers.
I can live with that and am happy to move on to doing something else with my time.
Sims players are a far more diverse group than many people realize. The example I love to use most was the time I saw a bunch of guys making Sims of their favorite female video game characters. It was so cute, but it was also obvious that these guys who were a mix of RPG players and FPS players also spent a lot of time in Sims.
In fact, when I first made the decision to try out the Sims, I asked about it on a gaming forum expecting to get a few replies, but not many. To my surprise, almost everyone on there had an opinion, and some were die-hard Sims 2 and others were die-hard Sims 3. I had a few explain to me the differences. These were mainly men, mainly "hardcore" gamers, and all had been playing Sims since Sims 1. The one that made me laugh the most was this guy who I knew spent pretty much all of his free time blowing things up (in games) calling Sims 3 an abomination and waxing on about the superiority of Sims 2.
I just can't help but feel that a lot of the people who criticise the game aren't doing so from malice, or to drive people away. They criticise it because they desperately want change, and to have the things that mean a lot to them restored, and more than anything to be able to love the game again.
I don't see why anyone would be here, virtually crying out to be heard, if they just want the franchise to die. I think we're all here because we absolutely love the game, and want to see it returned to its sandbox glory, back when everyone enjoyed it, and there was no directed play, because it was so open that it fitted into everyone's playstyle.
Maybe I'm just romanticising the whole thing, I don't know.
Sorry for OT.
That's not romanticized at all--it's the unvarnished truth.
What's there to expand on this franchise that we haven't already done before? Well, I don't think I could ever make a list, it's a sandbox life simulator, there's thousands upon thousands of innovative additions one could add to the series, there's so much that we haven't done. The possibilities of this franchise are endless and it pains me to see it go this direction where it appears that all progression has been halted and it's slowly sinking. The entire direction they are taking the franchise is ridiculous, and I'm not just talking about The Sims 4. My lovely Sims 3 was the first to show signs that proper progression was becoming a far away dream. A simple example of my point;
We were given an awesome apartment system in The Sims 2 AL, and although they weren't high rises, they functioned as proper apartments and were really fun to live in. In The Sims 3 LN, we were given high rises, which were basically a shell, a lobby, your apartment and the rest were empty rooms with doors all of it flagged to call upon service sims to go into hibernation inside, so you didn't really have neighbors. On The Sims 3 UL, we got supposedly better apartments. Not really, it was just a lot where the game would call roommates to fill the maximum alloted sims (8) and the system of privacy, door locking and whatnot was flawed. I'm starting to see that pattern become more and more apparent, and I fear that they are unable to fully progress and innovate the series which will eventually kill it.
Moreover, they can't grasp the concept of balance. In The Sims 3, the generalization was that they gave us great customization tools and beautiful limitless worlds, but fell short in the sims themselves regarding animations and interactions. Now we've got The Sims 4, trying way too hard to grasp the charm and comedy of The Sims 2 but failing desperately by going over-board on the cheap acting, focusing way too much on the Sims and falling extremely short on environments and customization.
Let's see what else...oh yes, bears are years of work. We are all doomed. LOL
If I'm being completely honest, no you're not really missing anything but I think it might depend on the way you like to play your game. For instance; I love the family aspect of the game and I like playing with the sims themselves but I was never much of a builder, a legacy player or even someone who really stuck with one family for a particularly long time.
This might have something to do with why I'm able to play the game for hours on end but other people aren't. I like starting with a single sim from scratch and building them up but it's quite rare that I'll then go back to that same sim or even that same save once I've quit the game - chances are I'm much more likely to create another new sim and play them instead (this is also probably the reason I don't encounter the same problems other people have with bugs and long loading screens).
I personally haven't noticed the emotions flitting around (they do this when you have Insane sims though), but it IS possible to control what emotion your sim feels at any time. I try not to do this because I feel it spoils the spontaneous element and overall "realism" but it is there in the game.
I do hope they make the world larger in future though, I can see myself becoming very frustrated with it if they don't.
I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm trying to "sell" the game to you - this isn't the case at all. I actually think this game is geared towards only a small number of play styles and mine just happens to fit into it.
This is exactly right, and I'm both very glad some people do enjoy it, and very worried - being a die hard Sims fan was always kind of a niche anyway compared to other types of games (lots played it but being hardcore into it is more unusual I believe,) and they seem to have drastically narrowed that niche... I tried really hard to play ts4 because at first I thought I could adapt my play style to the new game but I just didn't enjoy it, plain and simple. It was a very jarring experience, to fail to like a Sims game. I hope that if they choose not to expand it, there are enough people funding it to at least get it through a few decent exthe pansions
It is obvious EA has decided to direct this new way of playing towards a smaller portion of their previous customer base. The rest of us can either change and learn to love doing something that makes us feel frustrated, bored and stressed out of our brains, or find something else to do.
I have lots of other things to do.
This is a decision made by EA. It is clear to me they don't want to continue making games for all of their previous customers.
I can live with that and am happy to move on to doing something else with my time.
Sure I can move onto something else with my time and money. Money talks...and mines walking.
It's quite drop from the top, so how ya feeling down there?
Pink: This thread makes me sad. I am also one of the bored ones and I have really loved the Sims starting with Sims 1. I spend the majority of my free time playing TS3. So I bought TS4 with high expectations. I knew there would be loading screens, but I guess I thought it would be a loading screen to go downtown not to go to your neighbors house or to the library next to the gym. So this in addition to the unexpected forced goal-oriented game play, lack of a real family structure - object baby cribs that 10-year-olds magically pop out of then magically become 18-year-olds, no cuddling on the bed (the "goodie-goodie" let's woohoo dance is old now ), no color wheel (not unexpected because I was one of the first with the CAS demo and gave feedback), no friends at work, no story progression, the same Sims are everywhere, the cartoony nature of the game with the ridiculous amount of mood enhancing collectibles.
Personally, I don't like the plastic look of the sims - but that is because I like to immerse myself in a story and it is hard for me if it feels like a cartoon. So, to be fair, that is because of my play style. If you like the cartoony look and you like goal oriented game play and are on a path to collect every fish, statue, gem etc then this is your game. If not, then it probably isn't going to work for you. That is what it feels like to me anyway. I like fishing and collecting but when it fits my story. So I have no real interest in figuring out every combination of plant hybrid you can make. I do like some of the silliness for sure - making fun of real life. But please, not forced linear game play....I don't like having to 'unlock' so much stuff - again, it feel like it forces game play too much. It is like - if I do it all - then Yay - I win! And now I anxiously wait for the next EP or SP so I can collect all the new stuff. Exactly like Sims FreePlay. They add new 'quests' but there is no real gameplay beyond the interactions required to complete the quests.
To be fair - I do really like some things in TS4 - the multi-tasking, the children are cute and I like a lot of their interactions, CAS is much easier and the clothing can be for any activity (except for no CASt), the search feature on the build buy menus makes finding things much easier. (*) Much improved in these areas. So, for me, like some other posters have already said, combine TS2 families and genetics, TS3 open world and CASt, TS4 multi-tasking, CAS, Build/Buy search feature and you have improved the game even with the Disney Princess feel - CC can fix that.
I even bought the new Campground, started a new game and never even visited it. I was hoping that would spark some interest, but I got stuck in the same old grind. Go to work, skill up, complete my tasks, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. I will not be buying anymore TS4 stuff until they fix the family tree, add back toddlers (not object toddlers tied to a playpen), hopefully fix teenagers and most of all give us open neighborhoods. I don't mind a loading screen to go downtown or to another neighborhood, but when I am there, I want to go to the gym after I visit the library sans a loading screen.
Sorry for the long post. I wanted to add my voice to the pleas for expanded/relaxed game play. I love this game, just not the TS4 version of it. But to Pinks point - she isn't missing anything - it's not there.
There is a difference between wanting the game to die and the series to die. Many may want the game to go the way of Sims Medieval, but do want the series to improve and actually become what it SHOULD have been.
I agree. I don't want the sims series to die. I just want the game to improve and be better. I can't understand how EA thought they could con the people that has played the sims since the sims 1 into believing that the sims 4 was a good game. Surely they could see from the very beginning all the flaws. They just didn't care. They thought, it says the sims so it will sell no matter what. You know the old saying if it smells like a rose it must be a rose. Well the sims 4 may have the sims stamped on it but it is not the sims. Not they way I play the sims and know the sims.
I put my simself in a house. Got bored. I put two sims I remade from TS3 in a house. Still bored. I gave one a career. Bored. I let them chat and mingle at the community lots. Bored!
My question is do the sims have anything else to do other than sit in the house, go to the 5 or so community lots, and disappear into invisible rabbit holes for a career? I was lead to believe that they were more to careers with the promo pics, but I guess they were staged?
Even the emotions are all over the place and a lot like moodlets to me. I actually think the emotions are kind of confusing.
And no I'm not trying to be funny or rude. I'm being deadly serious, because I really see nothing new or different. How is TS4 an improvement or any different from what we have right now?
P.S. No I haven't tried babies yet. That's next on the list. I don't think it'll make much of a difference tho since they're objects.
Have you thrown a social event? You can do that with the phone. There are a variety of options. Have you tried to get your sim to fall in love and start a family? The children stage is very cute and entertaining. There are also 14 different skill objects such as the piano, woodworking bench, and the computer has a TON of stuff to do as there is both a video gaming and programming skill. I find that this game is not lacking any activities. I barely have scratched the surface of stuff and I have already put hundreds of hours into the game.
This. The handiness skill also has a BUNCH of options. I haven't even discovered them all yet. There are plenty of plants to collect, you can even make some by grafting them into other plants. You can now catch a variety of bugs too.
Have you collected everything from space yet? How about the things not from space (rocks, minerals, statues, etc)? Have you had a sim woohoo in the rocket? Had a culinary sim cook every meal + gourmet meals too? And learn all the cupcake recipes? You could have a mixologist learn all the drinks. Read to children? Had your sim upgrade to and watch the fireplace channel? Learn all the campfire songs (if you have OR)? Have you found the voodoo doll and bound it to a sim yet?
Your children can learn the typing skill on the computer, and if you max it, it helps their writing skill later on (I believe). Have a child start writing books and earning royalties before they are adults!
There are PLENTY of things to do in this game, we just gave you a whole list. I too haven't scratched the surface yet.
I don't know, but once you've done that, have you then beaten TS4?
The feeling I get by posts like this is that people go into the Sims with the wrong mindset. There's certainly that completionist edge to the game, but is it the game? I wonder...
I think typing actually adds to the motor skill, not the writing skill. However, if you have mental maxed out, if you get into that video game machine (can't think of what it's called) you'll be building both motor skill (if it's not maxed) and video game skill.
I did manage to complete all collections -- you get a plaque. There are only so many space adventures to do. As far as handiness, what options are there other than worktable and fixing/upgrading objects? Or are you considering each object to fix/upgrade and each thing to make on the workbench a separate activity?
Comments
Again I point out that it has been a 15 year progression. One cannot simply look at Sims3 alone; that is the mistake many are making.
It is not S4 vs S3. It is how The Sims has evolved: from a limited cartoony 1 to a more realistic 2 to a more real world 3 to......LooonyTunes meets MyLittlePony Sims4.
It has shuddered to a grinding halt. It 'should' have continued in a realist pattern...it didn't.
That is why I said IF they had just called this Sims:morplay than no big deal, think of Sims medieval, everyone knew it was an offshoot.
Compare the rocks in Sims4, the trees, now look at Sims3...a game 5 years old has better looking and detailed backgrounds than this game. You may find it 'stunning', but it is in fact NOT an improvement.
Sims4 has gone backwards, is essentially a mobile game in appearance and play. That is NOT a logical progression in my opinion.
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Marcus Aurelius
The lots are so small now, I would think a bunk bed would be featured in the base.
*My Tumblr* Simmetry Design- JOIN NOW*
Well, from a business perspective, it would mean them making more money if they released it separately in an EP or GP instead of including it free in the base. Don't mistake this with me condoning that behavior, but that is how I would do it too if I were a multi million dollar company trying to make money.
If dishwashers were an unreasonable request then I'm pretty sure bunkbeds are completely out of the question.
This is the best part of this game for me so far. They better keep this feature in TS5. It's always funny. That's the type of impact I'm looking for in my sims games. Action = hilarious result that is somewhat based in reality.
Dishwashers? Why would you need dishwashers? Here, have an oversized cupcake maker!
Door bells? Why would you need door bells? Here, have an oversized telescope!
Lockable doors? Why would you need lockable doors? Here, have an oversized rocket!
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Marcus Aurelius
You mean you don't like the strangely cartoony over sized objects?
I guess actual game consoles for gamers is out of the question too.
Toddlers? Why would you need toddlers? Here, have a teen that looks like an adult!
Babies with legs? Here, have a baby that's a object that's trapped in a bassinet. We made sure to add legs this time!
*My Tumblr* Simmetry Design- JOIN NOW*
I think they hear us and they are hoping to make us hear them.
What I hear them saying is :
1. this is their game, they made it
2. it will work the way they want it to work
3. we are just the players/customers
4. we have to learn to do it their way
5. End of story.
And after playing for a while and seeing how fast those emotions change, I think it is designed to be played with a joystick - not a mouse and keyboard. Because the emotions roll by so fast you need to have your finger on the trigger to shoot them fast enough to get anywhere with them. Either that or get a touch screen monitor and try to work out how to play it as if it were a mobile device.
I'm personally not going to attempt either approach. It is not my sort of game.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW44b3uCMtCSaq4gwC8EZg
But I thought they said they were "players first" kind of company
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Marcus Aurelius
Not agreeing is not the same as not understanding.
Look, there is a segment of the gaming population and developers who believe that there are people who are deliberately trying to destroy EA by giving them terrible reviews and trolling the websites, therefore ignoring whatever negative feedback they're getting.
I can guarantee you this -- if it were a game that people were enjoying, the praises would be just as loud as the complaints. While negative publicity of course hurts sales, there is enough out there if someone cares to research, including LPs, for people to look at.
To me, what is the most damaging are the professional reviews. These sites usually over-state games because advertising revenue is what supports them. While I take positive reviews from gaming sites with a grain of salt for this reason, neutral/negative reviews I take more seriously, because an AAA game has to have serious issues for, say, IGN to give it a 75.
Anyway, with the number of bugs and issues that this game has, while I think a free trial should have been offered from the start, I think it's a good thing they're offering it now. But I'm not sure it's panning out the way they hoped it would.
Oh wait...
This! I don't want the game to die. I want it to be fixed and made far more inclusive. I certainly don't want the franchise to die. However, as the game is right now, it's unplayable for me. And I love Sims
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Marcus Aurelius
It is obvious EA has decided to direct this new way of playing towards a smaller portion of their previous customer base. The rest of us can either change and learn to love doing something that makes us feel frustrated, bored and stressed out of our brains, or find something else to do.
I have lots of other things to do.
This is a decision made by EA. It is clear to me they don't want to continue making games for all of their previous customers.
I can live with that and am happy to move on to doing something else with my time.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW44b3uCMtCSaq4gwC8EZg
Word. If I'm going to have to work to like a game, I'd just as soon go to work and at least get some coin in my pocket for my efforts.
In fact, when I first made the decision to try out the Sims, I asked about it on a gaming forum expecting to get a few replies, but not many. To my surprise, almost everyone on there had an opinion, and some were die-hard Sims 2 and others were die-hard Sims 3. I had a few explain to me the differences. These were mainly men, mainly "hardcore" gamers, and all had been playing Sims since Sims 1. The one that made me laugh the most was this guy who I knew spent pretty much all of his free time blowing things up (in games) calling Sims 3 an abomination and waxing on about the superiority of Sims 2.
That's not romanticized at all--it's the unvarnished truth.
We were given an awesome apartment system in The Sims 2 AL, and although they weren't high rises, they functioned as proper apartments and were really fun to live in. In The Sims 3 LN, we were given high rises, which were basically a shell, a lobby, your apartment and the rest were empty rooms with doors all of it flagged to call upon service sims to go into hibernation inside, so you didn't really have neighbors. On The Sims 3 UL, we got supposedly better apartments. Not really, it was just a lot where the game would call roommates to fill the maximum alloted sims (8) and the system of privacy, door locking and whatnot was flawed. I'm starting to see that pattern become more and more apparent, and I fear that they are unable to fully progress and innovate the series which will eventually kill it.
Moreover, they can't grasp the concept of balance. In The Sims 3, the generalization was that they gave us great customization tools and beautiful limitless worlds, but fell short in the sims themselves regarding animations and interactions. Now we've got The Sims 4, trying way too hard to grasp the charm and comedy of The Sims 2 but failing desperately by going over-board on the cheap acting, focusing way too much on the Sims and falling extremely short on environments and customization.
Let's see what else...oh yes, bears are years of work. We are all doomed. LOL
Sure I can move onto something else with my time and money. Money talks...and mines walking.
Personally, I don't like the plastic look of the sims - but that is because I like to immerse myself in a story and it is hard for me if it feels like a cartoon. So, to be fair, that is because of my play style. If you like the cartoony look and you like goal oriented game play and are on a path to collect every fish, statue, gem etc then this is your game. If not, then it probably isn't going to work for you. That is what it feels like to me anyway. I like fishing and collecting but when it fits my story. So I have no real interest in figuring out every combination of plant hybrid you can make. I do like some of the silliness for sure - making fun of real life. But please, not forced linear game play....I don't like having to 'unlock' so much stuff - again, it feel like it forces game play too much. It is like - if I do it all - then Yay - I win! And now I anxiously wait for the next EP or SP so I can collect all the new stuff. Exactly like Sims FreePlay. They add new 'quests' but there is no real gameplay beyond the interactions required to complete the quests.
To be fair - I do really like some things in TS4 - the multi-tasking, the children are cute and I like a lot of their interactions, CAS is much easier and the clothing can be for any activity (except for no CASt), the search feature on the build buy menus makes finding things much easier. (*) Much improved in these areas. So, for me, like some other posters have already said, combine TS2 families and genetics, TS3 open world and CASt, TS4 multi-tasking, CAS, Build/Buy search feature and you have improved the game even with the Disney Princess feel - CC can fix that.
I even bought the new Campground, started a new game and never even visited it. I was hoping that would spark some interest, but I got stuck in the same old grind. Go to work, skill up, complete my tasks, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat. I will not be buying anymore TS4 stuff until they fix the family tree, add back toddlers (not object toddlers tied to a playpen), hopefully fix teenagers and most of all give us open neighborhoods. I don't mind a loading screen to go downtown or to another neighborhood, but when I am there, I want to go to the gym after I visit the library sans a loading screen.
Sorry for the long post.
I agree. I don't want the sims series to die. I just want the game to improve and be better. I can't understand how EA thought they could con the people that has played the sims since the sims 1 into believing that the sims 4 was a good game. Surely they could see from the very beginning all the flaws. They just didn't care. They thought, it says the sims so it will sell no matter what. You know the old saying if it smells like a rose it must be a rose. Well the sims 4 may have the sims stamped on it but it is not the sims. Not they way I play the sims and know the sims.
I don't know, but once you've done that, have you then beaten TS4?
The feeling I get by posts like this is that people go into the Sims with the wrong mindset. There's certainly that completionist edge to the game, but is it the game? I wonder...
I did manage to complete all collections -- you get a plaque. There are only so many space adventures to do. As far as handiness, what options are there other than worktable and fixing/upgrading objects? Or are you considering each object to fix/upgrade and each thing to make on the workbench a separate activity?