Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Field Researcher
#376 Old 11th Aug 2016 at 9:16 PM Last edited by grindingteeth : 12th Aug 2016 at 12:04 AM.
I can no longer look at the Sims 3 as I used to, the graphics are too outdated for me to enjoy now, especially when it comes to the sims themselves (I am a hyper-visual person).The Sims 4 really does look pretty good. All the left out elements that really inhibit (or all out quash) family play irk me, but I kind of let it go (I actually just turned off aging all together in hopes toddlers are on the way)

I despised the lack of CAST, CAW and open worlds (loading sceens for everything??), absolutely abhorred it to the point I didn't want to play Sims 4 ever.

But I did, and with a few mods and some CC I have come to enjoy the game. I really like the sims themselves. They are dynamic enough, more emotional than 3, at least - But the longer I play the more frustrated I become with the actual game play (which was supposed to be its prized feature).

The limited colour palettes suck and the lack of life stages bore me at times, sure, but the real problem is it's too damn small. Claustrophobic (as someone on a thread just recently posted). You can't fully enjoy all the aspects of the game simply because there's no where to put certain elements. We received 4 lots (excluding the hospital and police station) for the Get to Work expansion. Why didn't we get a true world? FOUR chances to explore the different possibilities of owning a business. And, despite the game being so desperately small with an average of what, 15? lots per world, we don't have multi-purpose lots! Nor do we have apartment features! The sims 4 desperately needs the ability to create multiple family lots as in the Sims 2 Apartment Life expansion. I've resorted to creating faux apartments just so I can have a variety of people live in my world and not just on the unplayed list.

They also didn't grace us with a world for Dine Out like Outdoor Retreat's Granite Falls- so now we have clubs, cafes, spas, restaurants, gyms, museums, libraries, lounges, pools, bars, parks, retail and generic (did I miss one? I feel like I did); we have 12 different lot types (generic isn't really necessary). We can't even have one of each venue in a world because there would be 3 spots for families after all is said and done. I've always played multiple families (not just one at a time) and it is virtually impossible to do this and have them move forward in time and with their lives with such little space. What's the point? I like to make thriving towns, building or finding each house so every town/world has a feel; create each family and person. Windenburg was a blessing in terms of space but it still isn't enough at this point, two years into the game.

It's such a shock to the system after the scope and freedom of sims 3.
My playing style is not welcome in the Sims 4, and it makes me angry.

Long winded rant over.
Advertisement
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#377 Old 11th Aug 2016 at 11:15 PM
I'm still hoping they'll give us a facility to add new worlds in Sims 4- even if they are just empty worlds based on a template (a clone of the Newcrest world maybe). I like the way we can move sims freely between neighbourhoods and worlds in Sims 4 (solves the problem of new EPs making a world obsolete, as with Sims 3), but the way the worlds are constructed and presented makes it unlikely that we'll see a world builder. That's the one thing that really stops me from playing Sims 4 for long- I can't make my own worlds, or expand the existing worlds at all. Even with Sims 1 we had the ability to copy files to make extra neighbourhoods.

Sims 2 was really the best for world creation, I can choose a terrain and start a new neighbourhood at will, and have as many neighbourhoods as I like. And I can add as many lots to those neighbourhoods as I can physically fit in, and add subhoods if I have certain EPs. Decorating your neighbourhood is easy too in Sims 2.

Sims 3 is a little more complex, and to make a custom world takes a lot of time. But pretty much every aspect of the lots, world and environment are customisable! :lovestruc I just always get caught up with Sims 3 with CaSt- it takes me sooooo long just to choose what colour the front door should be! And, what is with their heads? I just installed Sims 3 after a long time of not playing, and the first thing I thought was, why are the sims heads so massive? I had to go find some head and neck sliders! I think I've been spoiled by Sims 4 CAS, which I really find intuitive. But I do long for the Sims 2 genetics!

I'm still having fun with all four versions though, they take up quite a lot of my gaming time.
Scholar
#378 Old 14th Aug 2016 at 8:09 AM
There are things I miss and want in Sims 4 but I love it so much its by far my favorite. I guess I'm a little shallow to say that I love how gorgeous my sims are and that it gives me more creative control to create beautiful sims. There are definitely some features I miss from Sims 3 but guh, by far I prefer 4.
Scholar
#379 Old 15th Aug 2016 at 7:52 AM
I was first a little disappointed what it didn't have but I've learn't to live with it, it probably because I no longer play the earlier sims games anymore, TS2 is beginning to show it's age now, mind you, it did age well, and TS3 is far too slow for my computer for I can enjoy, so it's left me no choice but play TS4, and for me it's ended up as a good choice, but this is with all SPs, GPs, to Dine-Out, oddly, thur the years, I've only experienced one crash to the desktop, and probably because I was playing nearly 15-hours straight, I presume there could be a memory leak somewhere. No big deal, just in case, I just remember to exit and restart the game every 2-3 hours, quick load times, I would hardly remember I did it.
Test Subject
#380 Old 3rd Oct 2016 at 8:41 PM Last edited by kdevereaux : 4th Oct 2016 at 4:20 AM.
So after 16+ years of playing the Sims, I find myself at a crossroads: I've played all the iterations of the game since the beginning and while I personally have preferred Sims 2, I like them all and appreciate all their merits. Last year my hard drive crashed unexpectedly and I lost everything. Not just sims stuff but over a decade of pictures, writings... everything. As you can imagine, it's been disheartening to try and regain all of that. But even more so with the sims. As much as I love Sims 2, I haven't had it in me to go back out and recollect everything I use to play it to my taste. And with the times changing, it's a good place to reevaluate which game I really want to invest in going forward. So I thought I'd post my loves/hates for each game and maybe I can get some advice as to which one I should focus on this time. Please realize that just because I prefer one game over another, doesn't mean I think any of them suck or are bad games. Just that they haven't personally appealed to my preferred playing style. Also, I've put each under a spoiler so anyone who would prefer to skip this, doesn't have a huge post to scroll past

Sims 2


Sims 3


Sims 4

So yeah, that's my two cents and appeal for advice. Again I reiterate, I'm not saying that any of the games are bad. I think they're all great in their own way. And they're all flawed as well which makes choosing one to spend money/time on kinda tough. Especially when I know soooo much about one game and have tolerated its limitations for years; know very little about another and may have judged it harshly too soon; and know a reasonable amount about another but have little interest in learning any more about it. So looking forward to any tips you can give.

Should I stick with Sims 2 since it's bought and paid for and I know how to live with its limitations?
Or should I move on to either Sims 3 or 4 and go all in with the expansions and stuff packs? :lovestruc
Top Secret Researcher
#381 Old 1st Nov 2016 at 9:33 PM
Can you build this in Sims 4 (or heck, even Sims 3):



Didn't think so...
Test Subject
#382 Old 6th Nov 2016 at 4:16 PM
I think I've worked out what Sims 4 is missing that I actually enjoyed in Sims 2. Wants and Fears. Other then really brief negative moods, which are easily ignored or fixed, the Sims in Sims 4 don't seem to care about anything. The other night I was playing John Mole in Sims 2 and sent him to the bar with his friend Daniel Pleasant. Daniel dragged poor John onto the karaoke stage and John had a mild panic attack. Turns out singing karaoke was one of his major fears. He ended the outing there and spent the next couple of days recovering. Stuff like that just doesn't happen in Sims 4, or even that much in Sims 3.

If EA adds a wants/fears system in Sims 4, even as a toggle option, I may manage to enoy the game. As it is now, the Sims are just bland dolls. :/
Test Subject
#383 Old 11th Nov 2016 at 12:01 PM
Quote: Originally posted by mixa97sr
Can you build this in Sims 4 (or heck, even Sims 3):



Didn't think so...


Man, you just made me long for my sims 2 How I wish I didn't have to start from scratch with it
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#384 Old 11th Nov 2016 at 1:26 PM
@kdevereaux my vote goes to Sims 2, but that's the only game I now play. Played sims 1 and loved it, moved onto sims 2 and still love and play it. I like windows 7 and it runs well for me on that, but people are playing it on windows 10. If you are scared at every loading screen of a crash you have something going on. I also own most EP's for sims 3 but everything you said about the sims is why I don't play it. I don't play sims to play the scenery, I play it to play pixel people. Sims 4. never bought. I decided it was train wreck shortly before it came out. No toddlers-no cash. I bought Skyrim instead, best $80 I have spent.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Theorist
#385 Old 25th Nov 2016 at 4:30 PM
I broke down and bought Sims 4 today since there was this FANTASTIC sale on.

It took about 2 hours to digital download and I "played" (made a Sim and tried to figure out the controls to build a house).

I just got the base game and it's like "okay time to get used to ANOTHER bunch of tools and how to do this or that." I will have to read a lot on this section to get some game play help.

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." Will Rogers
Mad Poster
#386 Old 27th Nov 2016 at 9:29 PM Last edited by gazania : 31st Jan 2017 at 6:18 PM.
I did the same thing as HCAC. To be honest, I did not think the game was worth $40 to $60 and had no interest it in at $20, but it seemed to me that $10 for the basic version was reasonable. It's an early stocking stuffer from my husband. If it turns out I thoroughly dislike this series, spending $10 won't feel too awful.

I'm visiting this forum to see if any essential mods are necessary (yes, I'll search first), if any default replacements are recommended by any here, etc. Then onto the Downloads section to check out the same thing.

EDIT and spoiler. Lots of text beneath. Beware. New notes added with my last edit (italics), since I finally got to play Sims 3 and 4 for a while.


Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Lab Assistant
#387 Old 21st Feb 2017 at 1:14 AM
I love the DNA and genetics in TS2. I love the fact that you can get quirky looking sims born from two decent looking sims. I miss that every time when I play TS3 and TS4.
I also love the fact that you can build to your hearts desire. Worlds, supermarkets, bookstores... You don't get that luxury in TS3 and TS4. (CAW is a pain in the butt)
I have a huge respect for those who can play rotations. I just don't have the attention span. Thank God for NRAAS story progression for TS3.

The scenery in TS3 is so pretty. However, the sims look like trash compared to TS2 and TS4. It makes my computer overheat, too (or so I think). I like create a style, though.

TS4 bored me after 2-3 days of playing. I love building houses in it, I love creating sims in it. I adore the toddlers. I just don't plan to buy any EPs/GPs/SPs because they're so much money.
Alchemist
#388 Old 5th Mar 2017 at 2:37 AM
of "The Sims" started with Sims1. though first played some version of Sim City.
do miss Sims1; I plan to get its complete collection when I have enough money.
currently play Sims2.

from what I heard of Sims3, main thing I dislike is that other households age with the played household.
Sims4; so far have not disliked anything of what I heard of it.
Lab Assistant
#389 Old 20th Mar 2017 at 6:54 PM
I never played Sims 1 unless it was on the Gamecube. I spent hours into those, lol.
Sims 2 was my first actual PC sims experience. I loved making stories and creating elaborate houses, but being confined to one lot unless I spent 5 minutes (which is how long it took) loading a community lot. I still enjoyed it, nonetheless. CAS wasn't the best, but I liked the CC and it was my first real obsession that I could say I poured hours into.
Sims 3 is probably my all time favorite. I loved the open world, the gem/fish/bug collecting and gardening aspect of the game. My only gripe was how it lagged horribly, even when I cleaned out most of my CC. I could never really get through more than 2 generations of a family, sadly. But, when it worked fine, it was incredible. I used to do town legacies with the help of nraas. I had one where I mostly played with the Goth family and got as far as Cassandra's kids before I got bored. I even revived Lolita Goth and married her off to Ryan Haywood, whom I made for the Sims at the time, lol. I've played it for over 3000 hours.
Sims 4 I've only played since the middle of February but I'm honestly enjoying it more. There is minimal lag and I have 3x the amount of CC than I did in Sims 4. CAS is a dream and I spend more time customizing Sims than I do actually playing with them. Build mode is really cool as well as Buy mode, so that's a plus. I also love the CC community with Sims 4. My only thing with Sims 4 is Maxis match hair, in my honest opinion, looks fucking awful. I customize every Sim in the world to make them look decent. I just can't stand any Maxis match stuff, I like realism in my game more than anything.

you and me together, we were gemini feed
Lab Assistant
#390 Old 28th Mar 2017 at 10:57 AM
Honestly I only play TS4 for the Wicked Whims (animated woohoo) mod.
Instructor
#391 Old 30th Mar 2017 at 7:29 PM
Quote: Originally posted by SophieModan
Honestly I only play TS4 for the Wicked Whims (animated woohoo) mod.

Same here.
Scholar
#392 Old 2nd Apr 2017 at 9:59 AM


Heya Bucko. There's cotton candy, rides, and all sorts of surprises down here... and balloons too! All colours.

"Do you have The Sims 4?"

No I would never have the Sims 4 down here in fact you're not allowed down here anymore

I'm writing a TV series, yeah. It's a cross between True Detective and Pretty Little Liars.
Lab Assistant
#393 Old 10th Apr 2017 at 2:52 AM
Sims 4...
-I love the interactions, build mode, multi-tasking...
-The CC is cute!
-TODDLERS ARE FREAKING ADORABLE
-I hate how squishy the towns are. I wish the towns were more like Sims 2. I hate the fact that creators can't create new towns.
-Creating Sims is just s o m u c h e f f o r t
-I get bored within 5 minutes

Sims 3
-Problematic fave
-I can spend hours playing
-Slow. Laggy. Annoying.
-So. Pretty.
-Story Progression is great if you're lazy like me
-Unless you're a toddler or YA, you're ugly

Sims 2
-I love the cartoony look of the Sims
-I love the fact there's so many hobbies!
-I hate rotational play.
-You can build towns!
-You can make the world whatever you want it to be!
-Random adoption!
-Crazy genetics!
-The small details are great
Test Subject
#394 Old 22nd Jul 2017 at 12:36 AM
I have only played sims 4, but I've seen sims 3 and 2 gameplay and they look a lot better than sims 4 tbh, but I don't feel like dumping my money into them lol
Lab Assistant
#395 Old 29th Jul 2017 at 4:21 AM
Quote: Originally posted by I like sims 4
I have only played sims 4, but I've seen sims 3 and 2 gameplay and they look a lot better than sims 4 tbh, but I don't feel like dumping my money into them lol

If you buy the basegame of TS2 you can get the complete collection for free on Origin if you contact EA. It's insanely cheap for all the content and hours of fun you're going to get from it
Lab Assistant
#396 Old 29th Jul 2017 at 4:50 AM Last edited by ZeroG667 : 29th Jul 2017 at 8:50 PM.
Okay, here goes my rant...
I consider TS2 and TS3 to be way, waaaay better than The Sims 4. Why? There are a LOT of reasons:

-I think the Sims in TS2 have the most personality out of all of the Sims games, even TS4. In 4 they just look dumb with all the stupid, repetitive and silly animations they make.
The "personality" of the Sims in TS4 just breaks when you see them do the same animation over and over again for everything(Like asking questions, talking, etc.) They feel like robots after you do 3 or more interactions. TS2 and TS1 had unique animations for almost everything.

-Now, attention to detail: TS4 lacks this(Sims disappearing instead of actually getting inside elevators, no cars, no detail at all). The Sims 2 had a lot of this, like Sims getting inside cars, chairs reacting to Sims' weight and the surface they were placed on changed the noises they did, etc.

-Graphics: TS4's graphics are extremely dated, it looks like a 2005 game. You can have a cartoony art style AND good graphics at the same time, just look at Pixar. The textures are insanely low res and models ridiculously low poly. In my opinion, the graphics in TS3 worked, just needed more polishing and better face models.

-Content: The basegame of TS4 is not enjoyable and lacks content, even more than the previous iterations. The expansion packs are lazy and recycled from previous games, unlike TS3 and TS2 which had unique and big packs. Get To Work is just Ambitions but with less jobs, Fitness stuff? Really?, Vampires is an extremely watered down version of Supernatural(Only contains vampires), etc.

-Family play: In TS2 you actually feel like you are playing a family, and it's very good at it. In TS4 it's just dull... Feels like a bunch of random people living in the same house.

-Genetics: TS2 had very in depth and well made genetics, not like TS3 and TS4.

Linear-ness: TS4 feels very linear, you have to unlock everything and have a lot of goals. While it's cool to have something to do, it's dumb that everybody wants to achieve the same thing. Want to be a writer? You have to complete a pre-defined set of the same goals as every other writer...

-Open World(TS3).

-Create-A-Style(TS3).

-Creating your own worlds in TS2 and TS3.

-The Relationship system in TS3 and TS4 got dumbed down. I liked the lifetime and daily relationship meters on TS2 and TS1.

-Wants and Fears in TS2.

-(This is a matter of personal taste) I think TS3 has the best sountrack out of all The Sims games, and a lot of the songs, specially the town view ones, are very nostalgic. While the soundtrack in TS4 fits the game, it's boring and kind of uninspired.

-TS4 has no potential to get better than TS3 or TS2 ever simply because it's core/engine is already too limited(No open world, no cars, etc.).
I like that it runs better than the previous games, but it's still buggy and my oldest savegame started lagging after a while.

TS4 feels like a quick, lazy, half assed cash grab, even more than the TS3 basegame.
The Sims 2 never gets old, i still play it after all these years, along with TS3. The unchallenging always partying simulator that TS4 is doesn't appeal to me. I like having a family and watch them develop and grow up and i can't do that with TS4.
There are some other reasons why i think TS4 is the worst in the series but, i don't want to make this reply too long.

The Sims 2 > The Sims 3 > The Sims 4 > The Sims 1
Test Subject
#397 Old 14th Nov 2017 at 11:47 PM Last edited by BluePandaGuy8 : 15th Nov 2017 at 12:02 AM.
Well, I installed TS3, however, I could not see custom content displayed. I would not play Sims 3 without Custom Contents. Sims 3 would probably be the best game with custom content.

I used to play Sims 1 with cc, but no expansion, no long beards. The best was rejuvenation item to refill all needs.

TS4 became my best friend. I had to uninstall which is not playable. I have to deal with crashes and errors when with Custom Contents. It was very fun with custom traits which would give immortality. But after I downloaded C&D, custom traits were blocked until I had to see the future patch. Immortality Aspiration reward the custom content is what I want it for TS4.

I am wishing for TS2 to be as good as it is.
Field Researcher
#398 Old 25th Nov 2017 at 3:56 PM
I've been digging my heels in and playing TS2 for 13 years. It will forever be my favorite and I will play it until my computer no longer runs it!
I recently played the 48 hour free trial of TS4 and got sucked in and purchased during the black Friday sale. I love the level of customization. What I really wish for is a version that is an amalgamation of 2 & 4... Any stubborn TS2 players have suggestions for mods that can make that possible in some part?
Instructor
#399 Old 18th Dec 2017 at 11:01 AM
I still love Sims 2 the best. It has its limits, being such an old game... But some mods do make it feel more new. There's a few things I wish was in it from 3 and 4, but those aren't enough for me to play them more over 2.

For instance, there isn't any form of body sliders. You only have 2 bodyshapes (and painted muscles for fit sims). I know people have made custom shapes but they clutter up the catalogs, not enough clothes were made for them and I don't think I like most of them either. I don't think body sliders would be possible for 2, it's not how the core of the game was made, but it's a small loss over all of the freedom and control I have with this game.

I prefer to play with many families, make my own lots and so on. Plus the game is very smooth, unlike 3. It's so strange how that game runs well for some and not for others, it's like it has a mind of its own. I admit 4 plays smoothly on my laptop, but I don't like the gameplay as much as 2. I like how the sims look, the search catalog function and the new tools, but they messed up how some of it works... CAS lacking sliders to have more precision and with build I didn't like how some of the build mode has changed, it doesn't feel very intuitive to me, it's a bit troublesome to use. I find previous games had it right with hold and drag instead of all of those arrows, but that's just what I prefer. I'm sure there's some that prefer the arrows.
Instructor
#400 Old 27th Dec 2017 at 5:59 PM
Quote: Originally posted by 101ita
I still love Sims 2 the best. It has its limits, being such an old game... But some mods do make it feel more new. There's a few things I wish was in it from 3 and 4, but those aren't enough for me to play them more over 2. For instance, there isn't any form of body sliders. You only have 2 bodyshapes (and painted muscles for fit sims). I know people have made custom shapes but they clutter up the catalogs, not enough clothes were made for them and I don't think I like most of them either. I don't think body sliders would be possible for 2, it's not how the core of the game was made, but it's a small loss over all of the freedom and control I have with this game. I prefer to play with many families, make my own lots and so on. Plus the game is very smooth, unlike 3. It's so strange how that game runs well for some and not for others, it's like it has a mind of its own. I admit 4 plays smoothly on my laptop, but I don't like the gameplay as much as 2. I like how the sims look, the search catalog function and the new tools, but they messed up how some of it works... CAS lacking sliders to have more precision and with build I didn't like how some of the build mode has changed, it doesn't feel very intuitive to me, it's a bit troublesome to use. I find previous games had it right with hold and drag instead of all of those arrows, but that's just what I prefer. I'm sure there's some that prefer the arrows.


Amen, just about sums it up.
Page 16 of 20
Back to top