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Captain Louie
retired moderator
Original Poster
#1 Old 30th Sep 2014 at 8:55 PM
Default As a Builder; is TS4 Worth the Buy?
Heya everyone,

I am Qbuilderz and I have been out of the loop for...a while. I know TS4 has a few limitations on it compared to TS3, but I can't really find any lists online.

So, my question is simple; from a build and buy mode stand point only, is TS4 a good purchase? I enjoy making and sharing lots, and it is really the only thing I do, so...this is a make or break deal for me

Now streaming on at Twitch.tv/SeveralNerds or UglyHoesConnect.com - whichever is easier for you to type in your browser.
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 30th Sep 2014 at 9:11 PM
I'm gonna try and put my negative feelings toward the game aside and honestly tell you: No. I would not recommend TS4 for anybody who mostly builds. Maybe I'm wrong though. James from The Sim Supply seems to like the game despite what I'd consider a crippled build mode. Check out a few house building videos on youtube and see if this is the game for you.
Sesquipedalian Pisciform
retired moderator
#3 Old 30th Sep 2014 at 9:12 PM
Q, it depends on how much control you want over the wall paints. Me, I like to decide where the quoining goes :D

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Pettifogging Legalist!
retired moderator
#4 Old 30th Sep 2014 at 9:15 PM
Oh hai there! =)

Do you mind if I move this to Build Mode right away? Cause that's where it belongs.

Re. building, it does take some getting used to because the basic mechanics of build mode are different (what with room based building and roofs as objects and all that), but so far I totally don't regret having bought it. My main problem right now is that the game *is fun* (very much unlike TS3) =P so I don't really find the time to build anything.

Also, right now it is much less flexible style-wise than TS3 (no CAST) but for the styles that are cut out for you (like victorian-ish / anything with lots of ornamental porches, mid century / mediterranean) there are lots of options, even without CC, and really well-executed details like pilasters and corbels and so on. Those work flawlessly. You're going to have a hard time building, say, an abandoned factory in the vanilla game though.

What will make you unhappy: no cfe.
What will make you maybe a little less unhappy: "there is no technical reason cfe can't be supported; we know it's important" -- from EA, so maybe this will be back at some point (Thread with link somewhere in this forum). There is a forum at EA specifically for modding now (that includes build mode and worlds), and while the "support guy" there is only sporadically active, they're very competent and helpful. Obviously one of the devs there.

What I really dislike is the fugliness of almost all the in-game trees =( I just hate that style. But that is not something that CC cannot solve, object recolouring/meshing hasn't been figured out yet but that is really only a matter of time.

Take a look around in this forum I'd say and then make your decision .. in a nutshell buildmode is limited but if you're willing to work within those limits (and put up with how the game often thinks it's smarter than you, see lee re. quoining), there are a lot of new tools and options that all *work really well*. Completely unlike that endless bugfest in TS3 (stacked stairs! ARGH!). And for outside the limits, see the above re. modding support.


E (because everybody else was faster of course): yes, the SimSupply youtube videos are a good idea! They show a very realistic overview of options.

Stuff for TS2 · TS3 · TS4 | Please do not PM me with technical questions – we have Create forums for that.

In the kingdom of the blind, do as the Romans do.
Field Researcher
#5 Old 30th Sep 2014 at 9:48 PM
I agree with most of Plastic Box's points.

Personally, I first was overjoyed with some of the new functionalities : 3 wall heights, the roof flexibilities in height, convexity and concavity (not sure if that's English :b) and the ability to shorten some of the edges and to add different sizes of trimming, the control over foundation height and shape, stairs that adapt to those, round corner for balconies, being able to move the whole building in one go, the friezes and wall decorations, automatic coining for some types of wall paper.
In that department, I think we get a lot for a base game.

But there are frustrations as well as you spend more time experimenting : only 4 floors, no round or octagonal roof to go with the octagonal rooms we can make (no round walls and diagonal roofs are still as frustrating as in the former iterations), you can only shorten two edges out of four on the roofs, friezes and wall deco that don't work on the first floor, coining that works in a limited way, no basements, no terrain tools (but they say that cfe could make a come back) and no move-objects cheat (but we already have a mod for that)… And of course, no CAST (the styling still is somewhat limited).
I guess I left some things out in both the good and the not so good. I hope there will be some improvement on those in future expansions or coming from modders (like the move-objects cheat we already have).

I already have realised a few sims4 versions of my sims3 houses, but some of those are impossible to make due to the simple restriction to 4 floors, for example…
It's a mix. I was really impressed with the good things they put in because it looks like they really thought about what was previously missing, but they also did take away or didn't improve on some things.

It's difficult to recommend the game for me, because I think it is overpriced.
But if you're game, I'm sure you'll get as impressed and depressed as we are, in your own way.

Edit : I'll second watching The Sims's Supply videos, but be warned, I wasn't going to buy Sims 4 until I saw those, so…… -___-
dodgy builder
#6 Old 30th Sep 2014 at 9:59 PM
As already mentioned there is quite a lot of building styles to choose from, but inside patterns and casting is a limitation for me. It turns out to be ok when I can go bach to TS3 between the TS4 houses. The new game is easier to build in, making a house fully furnished takes like 2 days or something since I like to let them rest for a day. A rushed project will never be good.

There is lots of stuff for modern builds as well, with this washed out look of the game, strong colors as a modern build can take very nicely, works better sometimes. The traditional houses I've seen so far is all very similar in style. It also looks like cast may have given some people more curage to build with hex colors and such, in 4 it tends to turns out a bit blurry and boring.
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#7 Old 30th Sep 2014 at 10:34 PM Last edited by mustluvcatz : 30th Sep 2014 at 10:50 PM.
Well..


See that roof? Being able to do that in a base game makes me very happy. That's 9 different roof pieces and I sure couldn't do that if I tried with just TS2 base game. (Can you in TS3? I have it but never really bothered trying to build anything.) I love that roof.
There are things that bother me - there aren't enough walls/floors/textures; the windows and doors don't feel like complete/matching sets; some of the trees are just UGLY; the trims can't be used on every floor. But there's enough that I do like that I can wait until cc can be made. It takes a bit to get used to how things work - my first house was a disaster- but even with the limitations the build mode has I think you'd like it.

@lil bag2 - Did you finally get the game? (If you've had it all along, just color me confused, lol.)
Pettifogging Legalist!
retired moderator
#8 Old 30th Sep 2014 at 10:39 PM
Quote: Originally posted by hazuitokage
friezes and wall deco that don't work on the first floor


They actually do work "on the first floor" -- took me a while to figure out how: you need to make an empty room-without-walls on your nonexistant second floor, and apply the frieze to THAT. (I mean the bottom kind of frieze .. don't know what it's called off the top of my head).

See attached, is that what you mean? (That is unfinished .. the bay window thingy doesn't have its frieze yet, but the rest does) This also works without there actually being a second floor.
Screenshots

Stuff for TS2 · TS3 · TS4 | Please do not PM me with technical questions – we have Create forums for that.

In the kingdom of the blind, do as the Romans do.
Pettifogging Legalist!
retired moderator
#9 Old 30th Sep 2014 at 10:54 PM
Quote: Originally posted by mustluvcatz
9 different roof pieces and I sure couldn't do that if I tried with just TS2 base game. (Can you in TS3?


Yes you can -- if you're willing to put up with all flavours of routing and object-placing and ceiling-too-low and can't-place-stairs-here issues of having roofs cut into your house =P

Stuff for TS2 · TS3 · TS4 | Please do not PM me with technical questions – we have Create forums for that.

In the kingdom of the blind, do as the Romans do.
Mad Poster
#10 Old 1st Oct 2014 at 2:01 AM
Quote: Originally posted by mustluvcatz
@lil bag2 - Did you finally get the game? (If you've had it all along, just color me confused, lol.)


I did not. I've gotten to play it several times though thanks to a friend who has it. I'm gonna go ahead and ask for it for Christmas if the prices don't drop to at least $40. Like I've said before, it's not a "bad" game. It's just not worth my money.
Former Hamster
retired moderator
#11 Old 1st Oct 2014 at 2:21 AM
Ah, ok! *uncolors herself confused* Christmas was my plan but a friend surprised (this was almost 3 weeks ago and I'm still feeling the surprise.. what an awesome gift!) me and I got sent a code. I'd like to have a physical copy though so if the price drops enough I may still try to get on Santa's good side.

Okies, Q. Done hijacking your thread! :D
Instructor
#12 Old 1st Oct 2014 at 5:10 AM
I never built in 3 so all my opinions are versus 2. You can see my list of what I want that we didn't get in Post 79 of this thread.

However I am loving what we did get. I think the 4 base game plants already surpass base 2 plus all the eps. Mainly lacking ivy and the trees are not bothering me at all. Once I got the hang of how the rooms worked, wow, adjustments are so much easier. I'm experimenting and moving stuff around all the time. People seem to be having trouble with floors and stuff but if you designate a room area, highlight and then click again it's super fast to remove walls and floors.

There are two kinds of trim, one is applied around the base of a room, so I can't figure out how to get it on the upper part of the third floor.

The roofing is to die for, the last house I posted for 2, 323-1, I tried and tried and couldn't come anywhere close to what I wanted. I will soon be rebuilding it for 4 and you will see the difference. I never in my life used an octagonal room or roof in Sims 2 in 5 years.

Curves! Never had them before. One of my dream projects is to do a simmified version of the Getty museum. The main characteristic of that building is the tension between a curved and a straight line. Once we become able to produce some CC build items, I may get to do that building in Sims 4.

Mix and match stair railings!

When you get real close to the textures, everything looks like it's made out of recycled plastic composite. Wood, metal...everything. You know just how it would feel if you picked it up, slick and lightweight and kind of hollow. It kind of reminds me of my Marx Ultra-Contemporary Dollhouse I used to have so I just decided to roll with it.

Why do people always complain about the price. I paid 42.79 at CDKeys That's about 50 cents an hour between me and my daughter and we're far from bored yet. If you go to a movie and pay $20 for a ticket , drink and snack, that's 10 dollars an hour for your entertainment. A concert 4 times as much, etc.

Buy it! Buy it and blame me in all the forums if you don't like itLOL
dodgy builder
#13 Old 1st Oct 2014 at 9:20 AM
Quote: Originally posted by bubbajoe62
Why do people always complain about the price. I paid 42.79 at CDKeys That's about 50 cents an hour between me and my daughter and we're far from bored yet. If you go to a movie and pay $20 for a ticket , drink and snack, that's 10 dollars an hour for your entertainment. A concert 4 times as much, etc.


I so agree on that, I could make like 5 different storylines in the time I have to watch one from a movie producer lol ... not to mention they are often way more entertaining to me It's like 5 drinks in one evening where I come from, and that's included taxes and fees. The game gives me several month of fun almost continously, when did you last have an evening in town you remember for month? almost all day? OK, perhaps I'm obsessed, but I'm not a player
Instructor
#14 Old 1st Oct 2014 at 12:02 PM
Of course his average will go up if he doesn't play but he should be good for at least three days of figuring out the UI and building one house. Ssshhh... I just really want a QBUILDERZ house for my Sims4.
Is Claeric
#15 Old 1st Oct 2014 at 2:28 PM
There are certain things you can't do in Sims 4 that you could do in Sims 3 but that doesn't mean much. It doesn't mean you can't be creative or make incredible houses. It just means you can't make the exact same houses as you can in Sims 3. Which means little, because if you were to go back to Sims 3 and try to make your Sims 4 houses, good luck. 90% of their features would be unmatchable in Sims 3.
Field Researcher
#16 Old 1st Oct 2014 at 6:56 PM
Quote: Originally posted by plasticbox
They actually do work "on the first floor" -- took me a while to figure out how: you need to make an empty room-without-walls on your nonexistant second floor, and apply the frieze to THAT. (I mean the bottom kind of frieze .. don't know what it's called off the top of my head).

See attached, is that what you mean? (That is unfinished .. the bay window thingy doesn't have its frieze yet, but the rest does) This also works without there actually being a second floor.


Yes, that is what I mean (I think). Thank you for the explanation Plasticbox.

Quote:
Why do people always complain about the price.


I paid 59,99€ for the regular game on Origin.
I did pay that sum, so I feel entitled to judge what I got for the price and I judge it to be a bit light, that's all.
dodgy builder
#17 Old 2nd Oct 2014 at 8:31 AM
Quote: Originally posted by hazuitokage
I paid 59,99€ for the regular game on Origin.
I did pay that sum, so I feel entitled to judge what I got for the price and I judge it to be a bit light, that's all.


Sure you can. The lack of a way to recolor the objects and walls in the game makes it hard to create something unique. I read pools will be back in a free expansion later on.
Scholar
#18 Old 2nd Oct 2014 at 11:31 AM
I'm almost exclusively a builder; I don't think I've actually played The Sims 3 since just after Ambitions came out. So, with years of experience with build mode, in every style from Adobe to Mid-Mod to Queen Anne, I can honestly tell you that The Sims 4 is very, very okay for building - just okay. It was geared toward building more traditional style homes, but there are nifty features, like the new roofing system, the spandrels, the cornices and friezes and the curved decks and verandahs, but I became pretty jaded after I tried to build an Adobe-style house in the desert town - with no half walls and no CFE, it could not be done properly.

I moved on and tried to recreate the Sinatra house in Palm Springs as I had done for TS3 - besides the pool this time, of course. I couldn't, again, due to a lack of CFE and half walls. That clerestory protrusion is just impossible. So I tried a more modest Mid-Mod build aaand...you can only extend the eaves in one direction, and you can't remove walls automatically placed by the roof tool, so that was again, a no-go. And I don't know why people are claiming there are diverse styles in-game, there really aren't. You have Mission, Modern and Victorian, and that's it. All the objects are very much themed to the new towns, and being that New Orleans is a pretty unique place, this removes a lot of the versatility of previous iterations of Build/Buy. And I haven't even mentioned CASt yet.

tl;dr: if you're alright with building basic homes with no special features, you'll have a lot of fun. If, however, you want to build something daring...stick with TS3.

And, for people saying you can't do things in TS3 that you can in TS4...yes, yes you can, it just isn't as easy. If you want to create different wall heights, you need to use CFE. If you want to add friezes, you use the fence tool on a CFE'd floor. If you want to change the height of a window, you need to create a new piece of CC. Build mode in TS3 is harder, but infinitely more powerful. In order to streamline and simplify TS4's build mode EAxis sacrificed a hell of a lot. To me, it's not a worthwhile trade, but to more basic builders, it's great. I think that can be said for everything about TS4 - it's a dumbed-down TS2 with pretty graphics, focused more on the casual player that will sneak an hour here or there than on the more hardcore simmer.

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Test Subject
#19 Old 2nd Oct 2014 at 10:29 PM
I miss the flexibility we had in the sims 3 (thanks to the CFE cheat) but then again, I enjoy the challenge of making something nice anyway. And hopefully EA is going to expand the building options so that it wil become a lot more fun to experienced builders to go wild and make awesome things.

Quote: Originally posted by Qahne
And I don't know why people are claiming there are diverse styles in-game, there really aren't. You have Mission, Modern and Victorian, and that's it. All the objects are very much themed to the new towns, and being that New Orleans is a pretty unique place, this removes a lot of the versatility of previous iterations of Build/Buy. And I haven't even mentioned CASt yet.


With some creativity you can make other styles work. I'm working on some kind of wood/stone cabin and it seems to be working out just fine. I agree with you that there aren't many options if it comes to the objects (and colors, omg we need CAS!) But rumors are those features are yet to come...
Lab Assistant
#20 Old 3rd Oct 2014 at 1:16 AM
Default Best Bang 4 Your Buck
Quote: Originally posted by QBUILDERZ
Heya everyone,

I am Qbuilderz and I have been out of the loop for...a while. I know TS4 has a few limitations on it compared to TS3, but I can't really find any lists online.

So, my question is simple; from a build and buy mode stand point only, is TS4 a good purchase? I enjoy making and sharing lots, and it is really the only thing I do, so...this is a make or break deal for me


Greetings:

Like you, I enjoy building lots and sharing. I have been playing the Sims since The Sims 2. I would have to say that this edition of the game has the best build buy mode so far. The building process is simpler, faster, less glitchy and easier to test. I hope this helps.
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