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- Lack of failure is killing my interest in TS4
#1
7th Jun 2018 at 10:39 PM
Last edited by Element : 7th Jun 2018 at 10:51 PM.
Posts: 767
Thanks: 177 in 2 Posts
Lack of failure is killing my interest in TS4
Over the past few months, I've purchased a handful of TS4 packs to try an reignite my interest in the series. Yet, even with EPs I think would be interesting, my interest dies off within a few days of a download. I ended up asking myself why I've spent countless hours playing TS2, spent hundreds of hours playing TS3, and even find myself picking up TS1 once in a while, but I hadn't even logged 30 hours into TS4.And sure, there's no open world, and the content is largely recycled, but I didn't need an open world to come back to TS2, and recycled content was abound in TS3.
I realized the thing that has me turning it off with disappointment is the complete lack of failure states. There is no way to have your Sims experience failure without pretty intense mismanagement. Every time a new game pack or expansion comes along, it gives me a bunch of content to experience, but it brings very little content that demands I learn how it works.
TS1 had pretty basic failure states, but the difficulty in managing multiple boneheaded Sims still provides some challenge for me even nearly 20 years later. TS2 is the high point in terms of replayablity for me, and I think a lot of it stems from the Wants and Fears system and its evolution as the series went on. Especially by FreeTime, aspirations had become many spinning plates that piled on at a perfect pace. It was the most genuine approach to Maslow's hierarchy the series has seen, IMO.
Sure, your Sims could have their needs at max from toddler to elder, but could you keep them at platinum aspiration every step of the way? Could you get a headstart on their skills? Did you achieve what you needed to reach your lifetime goals? Oh, by the way, how's that family tree looking?
While they did end up patching in the family tree in TS4, I feel like the fact that it wasn't there from the start was indicative of the direction they wanted to take the game. While I feel dialing back needs and mostly replacing them with moodlets was a good design move, they have also neutered aspirations in a way that makes them completely pointless. I never struggled to fulfill a whim, and there's no repercussions if I don't.
None of the rewards are necessary to getting your Sim farther in life, they're just shortcuts to doing things faster. When you hit perma-platinum as an Elder in TS2, you've helped your Sim achieve self-actualization, and while this gets easier to do over time, the reward still feels like a genuine accomplishment. In TS4, the all your hard work earns your Sim the ability to never sleep. It makes a plainly easy game even easier. No mechanic was brought in to bring challenge in the place of needs and aspirations, and I feel like the TS4 becomes an interactive museum of content because of this.
What do you think?
Has TS4 brought you any challenge in a way previous games didn't?
What could we do to bring more challenge to the series in the future?
What mechanics could we bring to TS4 to make it more challenging?
"Given enough time, hydrogen starts to wonder where it came from, and where it is going." - Edward R. Harrison
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#2
7th Jun 2018 at 11:41 PM
I think juggling the emotions was supposed to be the challenge/game for this iteration but they dialed it back/made it less relevant because emotions turned out to be more chaotic/nonsensical than they intended.
For the next iteration (hope springs eternal) I'd like to see having to pay attention to needs & wants return but I'd also like there to be a financial aspect & growing/improving/developing your neighborhood type of thing. The BaCC & apocalypse sort of challenges work great with the Sims so I'd loved to see what the devs could do with that sort of gameplay if they made a point of it.
For the next iteration (hope springs eternal) I'd like to see having to pay attention to needs & wants return but I'd also like there to be a financial aspect & growing/improving/developing your neighborhood type of thing. The BaCC & apocalypse sort of challenges work great with the Sims so I'd loved to see what the devs could do with that sort of gameplay if they made a point of it.
#3
7th Jun 2018 at 11:43 PM
Posts: 144
I think fulfilling aspirations can be kind of difficult to do, like TS2, but more tedious than any predecessor. That said it does suck that there isn't much of a rewarding feeling. I love the thought of having the ability to do multiple aspirations, but you should still feel rewarded, not just simple aspiration points either. Moodlets allow the game designers to be lazy, and they make for an unbalanced game, which has been a complaint since TS3. My sim went to a rabbit hole spa, do I see them enjoy their massage? No, just a moodlet telling me they did. I do agree that moodlets are a step in the right direction, but they shouldn't make the game lazy, and they shouldn't be so imbalanced.
The only thing that is more challenging that I can think of is raising toddlers, it's harder than ever in TS4. I pretty much have to turn aging to long or off to get them to 5 in all 5 sets and have the parents neglect the hell out of their jobs. It's fun but kind of exhausting and it definitely sucks that they don't attribute to any real skills, just a small trait or two that are helpful. But having children max their skills don't attribute to ANY skills once their a teen, no idea what the hell they were thinking.
I'd love to see the return of Wants and Fears, an attraction/chemistry system at this point is a must, better consequences. I think some TS1 real challenge would be great, like don't show up to work twice, you're fired, if you go in a terrible mood you're demoted like in TS2. I have complained it to death but I had a sim in the Political career in TS4, I would work from home and never do the tasks, I wouldn't make any money but my score was always "excellent." I wanted to get fired so badly. Consequence has to be brought to the game. We need burglars. We need firefights. We need illness that can kill. We need reputation brought back better than ever. I would also love the ability to punish other sims for things my sim would automatically be punished for lol, if you're calling me at 3 in the morning to ask me to have dinner with you, I want to be able to tell you off! I can't even call a sims before 6:59am.
The only thing that is more challenging that I can think of is raising toddlers, it's harder than ever in TS4. I pretty much have to turn aging to long or off to get them to 5 in all 5 sets and have the parents neglect the hell out of their jobs. It's fun but kind of exhausting and it definitely sucks that they don't attribute to any real skills, just a small trait or two that are helpful. But having children max their skills don't attribute to ANY skills once their a teen, no idea what the hell they were thinking.
I'd love to see the return of Wants and Fears, an attraction/chemistry system at this point is a must, better consequences. I think some TS1 real challenge would be great, like don't show up to work twice, you're fired, if you go in a terrible mood you're demoted like in TS2. I have complained it to death but I had a sim in the Political career in TS4, I would work from home and never do the tasks, I wouldn't make any money but my score was always "excellent." I wanted to get fired so badly. Consequence has to be brought to the game. We need burglars. We need firefights. We need illness that can kill. We need reputation brought back better than ever. I would also love the ability to punish other sims for things my sim would automatically be punished for lol, if you're calling me at 3 in the morning to ask me to have dinner with you, I want to be able to tell you off! I can't even call a sims before 6:59am.
#4
8th Jun 2018 at 12:14 AM
Last edited by Element : 8th Jun 2018 at 12:48 AM.
Posts: 767
Thanks: 177 in 2 Posts
Quote: Originally posted by Honeywell
For the next iteration (hope springs eternal) I'd like to see having to pay attention to needs & wants return but I'd also like there to be a financial aspect & growing/improving/developing your neighborhood type of thing. The BaCC & apocalypse sort of challenges work great with the Sims so I'd loved to see what the devs could do with that sort of gameplay if they made a point of it. |
The idea of a town or neighborhood you can transform over generations would be a fantastic step forward. Into The Future played with this, but it was a thin attempt, and the use of a specific "Futuretown" made it feel disconnected.
Imagine if careers tied into it:
Working your way up to Mayor meant making actual decisions about the direction of your city, but you have to keep the right friends and keep the town happy, or else you lose your job. Screw up hard enough and you become the town joke, Ice Town style.
The peak business path has you buying real estate, choosing the kinds of houses and businesses that get established. Do you cut costs every way you can, leading to crummy homes with problems, for your own enrichment? Do you mandate forward-thinking technology on properties you own at the cost of your bottom line? If you're too generous, you won't be able to expand your business as quickly. You could build these lots (or decide on premades) with budgets you set, which means you'll work hard to be inventive. If your Sims lifetime aspiration is to own, say, 20 properties before they retire, you're forced to balance fulfilling your Sim's dream with not ruining your neighborhood through shady deals and cutthroat practices.
Science careers lead to new inventions and discoveries. Enrich the neighborhood with a new discovery, or horde your inventions for the highest bidder. With more money comes more opportunity to work on bigger projects and even grander discoveries. No longer is building a Servo a skill you get at a bench, it's a career path that is riddled with potential missteps. But once you've made it, you're rewarded with a new life state that can be open-sourced for the community to build, or sold to those willing to pay massive amounts.
"Given enough time, hydrogen starts to wonder where it came from, and where it is going." - Edward R. Harrison
#5
8th Jun 2018 at 12:17 AM
I have to say since I picked up Sims 4 super cheap on one of those Origin sales, I've hardly played. I'm more interested in Sims 3 now but before it was Sims 2. However, I see that after not playing for awhile, there are better mods and more CC. I know that hardly makes up for the issues a lot of people have with Sims 4. The other day one of my nephews came over my house and he started to play for the first time since January and it interested me in trying again. I've been playing a bit since then. Maybe you can read more about the game (forum posts/look at pictures) to get more fired up about it. I've been taking it slow and realizing there are many things I haven't explored yet, even though I only have the base game. I do find the game "limited" with just the base but I don't want to hand over another penny for these EPS (overpriced!) or fun packs or stuff packs. I guess in the end you can just take it for what it is or find a new game to love. If people want to love it, good for them, though I simply don't get it. (read the comments on the upcoming Seasons on Youtube for example).
#6
8th Jun 2018 at 12:45 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Element
The idea of a town or neighborhood you can transform over generations would be a fantastic step forward. Into The Future played with this, but it was a thin attempt, and the use of a specific "Futuretown" made it feel disconnected. Imagine if careers tied into it: Working your way up to Mayor meant making actual decisions about the direction of your city, but you have to keep the right friends and keep the town happy, or else you lose your job. Screw up hard enough and you become the town joke, Ice Town style. The peak business path has you buying real estate, choosing the kinds of houses and businesses get established. Do you cut costs every way you can, leading to crummy homes with problems, for your own enrichment? Do you mandate forward-thinking technology on properties you own at the cost of your bottom line? If you're too generous, you won't be able to expand your business as quickly. You could build these lots (or decide on premades) with budgets you set, which means you'll work hard to be inventive. If your Sims lifetime aspiration is to own, say, 20 properties before they retire, you're forced to balance fulfilling your Sim's dream with not ruining your neighborhood through shady deals and cutthroat practices. Science careers lead to new inventions and discoveries. Enrich the neighborhood with a new discovery, or horde your inventions for the highest bidder. With more money comes more opportunity to work on bigger projects and even grander discoveries. No longer is building a Servo a skill you get at a bench, it's a career path that is riddled with potential missteps. But once you've made it, you're rewarded with a new life state that can be open-sourced for the community to build, or sold to those willing to pay massive amounts. |
Hmm... I'm not sure I really like the fixed either or scenarios for the Sims. They could certainly do a lot with it and it might be fun so I'm open to the possibility.
I was thinking more along the lines of unlockables. Like have someone at the top of a career to unlock a jewelry store for you town where you could buy unique jewlery for your Sims and maybe bring collectables to be crafted into something. Or have your households pay property taxes to outright buy things for your town -- like maybe a park that has something new you unlock like paddle boats. Or a post office, town hall, church, library that all have some sort of unique reward. Nice rewards that you'd actually want that add depth and detail to your towns as well as introduce new gameplay.
#7
8th Jun 2018 at 1:00 AM
Posts: 767
Thanks: 177 in 2 Posts
Quote: Originally posted by Honeywell
Hmm... I'm not sure I really like the fixed either or scenarios for the Sims. They could certainly do a lot with it and it might be fun so I'm open to the possibility. |
You're right. It would be difficult to make it not seem like SimRPG and keep it in the style of a sandbox. That said, wants and fears tend to be pretty binary, but they find depth through the game around them. I think it would take a lot of skill to make an open career not a series of binary decisions but more like an open-ended journey where no answer is necessarily the "right" one.
Quote:
I was thinking more along the lines of unlockables. Like have someone at the top of a career to unlock a jewelry store for you town where you could buy unique jewlery for your Sims and maybe bring collectables to be crafted into something. Or have your households pay property taxes to outright buy things for your town -- like maybe a park that has something new you unlock like paddle boats. Or a post office, town hall, church, library that all have some sort of unique reward. Nice rewards that you'd actually want that add depth and detail to your towns as well as introduce new gameplay. |
I love this idea, but I think a lot of care would need to be taken to not have unlocks be the result of skill grinding. When I saw that careers would have specific unlockable objects, I found it interesting, but I was disappointed that you usually just had to progress in your career to unlock them. I felt like it was a real loss of potential to expand on their appearance in earlier games.
"Given enough time, hydrogen starts to wonder where it came from, and where it is going." - Edward R. Harrison
#8
8th Jun 2018 at 3:59 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Honeywell
I think juggling the emotions was supposed to be the challenge/game for this iteration but they dialed it back/made it less relevant because emotions turned out to be more chaotic/nonsensical than they intended. For the next iteration (hope springs eternal) I'd like to see having to pay attention to needs & wants return but I'd also like there to be a financial aspect & growing/improving/developing your neighborhood type of thing. The BaCC & apocalypse sort of challenges work great with the Sims so I'd loved to see what the devs could do with that sort of gameplay if they made a point of it. |
Quote: Originally posted by Honeywell
I was thinking more along the lines of unlockables. Like have someone at the top of a career to unlock a jewelry store for you town where you could buy unique jewlery for your Sims and maybe bring collectables to be crafted into something. Or have your households pay property taxes to outright buy things for your town -- like maybe a park that has something new you unlock like paddle boats. Or a post office, town hall, church, library that all have some sort of unique reward. Nice rewards that you'd actually want that add depth and detail to your towns as well as introduce new gameplay. |
Agreed. But what I would like regarding TS5 hoods is more precise customization.
TS2 has the most flexiable and customizable gameplay. With the right CC, you could simulate a lunar colony, a city, tropical island, or a zombie wasteland with whatever businesses you want. TS3 seemed to have the most customization of worlds with the Create a World and CAST tool. TS4 seems to have the most customization of Sims with its voices, gender identities, body shapes, and unrestricted wardrobe. TS4 also benefited from buy/build mode search, more realistic window lighting, little hood details like bugs and birds, and more robust design under the hood or whatever in the sense that switching windows or resizing the game window (for me at least) isn't a huge ordeal that makes everything come to a screeching halt.
I'd like to see all that return...but we have traits for our Sims and for lots....we need traits for our hoods. Designate this hood as being populous or remote. Is this area lush where plants flourish or is the area infertile? Is this a place where there are many deviants or is this a place where even the suggestion of questionable behavior is obscene and scandalous? Does this place have power and utilities, or do you need to get water from rivers, lakes, and sea? Is this an urban city with skyscrapers or farmland?
With each pack or gameplay milestone, new traits could be added or unlocked....
With a Vampire/Zombie/Whatever Supernatural Entity pack, you now have a Vampire/Zombie/Whatever Supernatural Entity trait to allow/disallow such creatures from your hood.
With a Seasons Expansion Pack, you can have more fine control over the climate and seasons. Create a desert. Create a tropical beach or jungle with as little or as much rain as you like. Create a winter wonderland.
With a University Pack, you can have a campus that is a party school or a strict Ivy League where only a few get in and even fewer graduate. (Combine with Supernatural Pack to create Hogwarts.)
With each pack, you could introduce modifiers that will change the behavior of the hoods, the sims, available objects/interactions, and so much more. The Sims will get new activity and gameplay features of course, but their entire hood could also be enhanced. But because it's an applied trait, it doesn't necessarily have to wreck existing hoods.
Just like with aging and hood progression, hood traits should be configurable to be static or dynamic. Otherwise, certain interactions or failures could mean the the loss/addition of traits.
Killing/Curing all Vampires/Zombies removes the Vampires/Zombies Plague trait until another creature is manually created (by the player) and goes on a rampage. Too many wild juice ( ) parties that have to be broken up by the police may lead to the campus getting the party school trait, which could affect how much of a career boost graduates get.
But ultimately, The Sims franchise should be about playing how you want to play. Give me the hood customization I've described with the gameplay freedom of TS2, the world customization of TS3, and the Sim customization of TS4 and I would be beside myself with excitement.
I don't mind if you call me "MSD" or something for short.
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Perhaps someday I'll have leisure time back...
#9
8th Jun 2018 at 4:15 AM
Oh I like the idea of hood traits and modifiers a lot, MSD! That would be amazing. And I agree with customization too of course - even something like needing certain objects on community lots to designate the lot type in the Sims 4 is baffling to me. Why would they do that?! That would drive me crazy if I were playing 4.
Field Researcher
#10
8th Jun 2018 at 8:03 AM
Posts: 397
I think he difference is they don't want us to make sims miserable.
Let me explain: back in the days of the sims 1, it was very much a sandbox game with no real goal. Players were encouraged to do things like kill one of Newbies Off and marry the remaining spouse for money. The dev tips in the prima guide also talked about the swimming pool trick as a way of losing additional sims you didn't need.
When the sims 2 came out, there was still a lot of sandbox play and there was plenty of consequences. It was easy to die and there were many ways to do it. "Make your sims happy or make them miserable" the choice was ours and if you did decide to make your sims miserable they were affected by it, the wants and fears system is such a great tool. But it was our game and our choice and the game allowed freedom for a multitude of play styles.
With the sims 4 however, I don't feel it's about anything other than living a perfect, utopia life. Sims themselves don't care about their surroundings and are just too damn happy all the time. I love the Apocalypse challenge and I've played he sims 2,3 and 4 versions and the sims 4 version was boring. They didn't care, they didn't react and it was the easiest challenge because there's no risk of losing them as killing sims in 4 is very hard to do.
Lack of consequence and failure is one of the games biggest problems I think. It was Will Wright that said that players would rather explore failure states and the sims 4 does not cater for that at all.
Let me explain: back in the days of the sims 1, it was very much a sandbox game with no real goal. Players were encouraged to do things like kill one of Newbies Off and marry the remaining spouse for money. The dev tips in the prima guide also talked about the swimming pool trick as a way of losing additional sims you didn't need.
When the sims 2 came out, there was still a lot of sandbox play and there was plenty of consequences. It was easy to die and there were many ways to do it. "Make your sims happy or make them miserable" the choice was ours and if you did decide to make your sims miserable they were affected by it, the wants and fears system is such a great tool. But it was our game and our choice and the game allowed freedom for a multitude of play styles.
With the sims 4 however, I don't feel it's about anything other than living a perfect, utopia life. Sims themselves don't care about their surroundings and are just too damn happy all the time. I love the Apocalypse challenge and I've played he sims 2,3 and 4 versions and the sims 4 version was boring. They didn't care, they didn't react and it was the easiest challenge because there's no risk of losing them as killing sims in 4 is very hard to do.
Lack of consequence and failure is one of the games biggest problems I think. It was Will Wright that said that players would rather explore failure states and the sims 4 does not cater for that at all.
#11
8th Jun 2018 at 9:13 AM
Posts: 451
Progression and story mode would be great!
Quote: Originally posted by Element
The idea of a town or neighborhood you can transform over generations would be a fantastic step forward. Into The Future played with this, but it was a thin attempt, and the use of a specific "Futuretown" made it feel disconnected. Imagine if careers tied into it: Working your way up to Mayor meant making actual decisions about the direction of your city, ... The peak business path has you buying real estate, choosing the kinds of houses and businesses that get established... Science careers lead to new inventions and discoveries... |
I feel that if the Sims were to get back on track and start doing well again it is going to need to go in this direction. Along with this they need to invest heavily in dynamic gameplay that features a good "story director" running in the background handling things like friendships, events, weddings, and other everyday things.
For proof I'd point to Sims 3's sales and the current popularity of the MC Command Mod which functions as a story mode maker.
#12
8th Jun 2018 at 9:20 AM
Last edited by ravenfeather : 8th Jun 2018 at 9:31 AM.
Posts: 15
I fullheartedly agree with OP's observation - in fact I was talking about this with a friend just yesterday.
Let me give a little bit of perspective here for my simming background:
I started with 1, fell in love with 2, refused to even try 3 and then gave 4 a go because I wanted a new Sims game. With the lack of any Sims-3 experience the game at first felt very exciting, with the semi-open world, emotions and all that. Yes, it had been seriously lacking in some areas, but at first it seemed nice.
Today all that really keeps my interest in the game and this keeps it "playable" for me are mods. Not CC, mods, which I never used before. Because the game, while it has some really nice things to offer, enough so that I really miss those aspects when I play 3 now (I love the style of 4... not the insanely oversized objects and the clunkyness of low-poly objects, but the art style per se and the mood(s) it creates, the clubs system is a great idea in my opinion, vampires rock in this iteration, toddlers are the most adorable to me now that we finally got them, SPAs and Restaurants are fun places to visit and create, though I still have to manage a restaurant).
What 4 achieved was making me really, really appreciate both game mods and challenges, because I desperately need both to keep my games interesting. And even then it is all too bland and too EASY. Too hard to fail, too hard to die, no meaninful consequences for your choices .... too shallow. Can we please have chemistry back; for example? The fact that your sim can befriend basically anyone with the same effort means "all Sims feel same-y" and relationships pretty meaningless, the lack of real danger makes the game so effortless that, while it is easier to care FOR your Sims, it is getting so much harder to care ABOUT them...
It is also funny that I refused to give 3 a try until 4 got too boring to play (and my 2 refused to load). Now I am currently exploring 3 and was surprised how HARD it feels to make progress there - you really actually gotta WORK to reach your goals and you know what? This makes it SO MUCH BETTER! I think it is not only that 3 seems to offer "more of everything" - in fact, while the single packs often feel too limited, I think in total we do have content in abundance by now for 4 - but that it is fun to explore it all and rewarding to reap the fruits of our labours and to get IMMERSED in our game...
Let me give a little bit of perspective here for my simming background:
I started with 1, fell in love with 2, refused to even try 3 and then gave 4 a go because I wanted a new Sims game. With the lack of any Sims-3 experience the game at first felt very exciting, with the semi-open world, emotions and all that. Yes, it had been seriously lacking in some areas, but at first it seemed nice.
Today all that really keeps my interest in the game and this keeps it "playable" for me are mods. Not CC, mods, which I never used before. Because the game, while it has some really nice things to offer, enough so that I really miss those aspects when I play 3 now (I love the style of 4... not the insanely oversized objects and the clunkyness of low-poly objects, but the art style per se and the mood(s) it creates, the clubs system is a great idea in my opinion, vampires rock in this iteration, toddlers are the most adorable to me now that we finally got them, SPAs and Restaurants are fun places to visit and create, though I still have to manage a restaurant).
What 4 achieved was making me really, really appreciate both game mods and challenges, because I desperately need both to keep my games interesting. And even then it is all too bland and too EASY. Too hard to fail, too hard to die, no meaninful consequences for your choices .... too shallow. Can we please have chemistry back; for example? The fact that your sim can befriend basically anyone with the same effort means "all Sims feel same-y" and relationships pretty meaningless, the lack of real danger makes the game so effortless that, while it is easier to care FOR your Sims, it is getting so much harder to care ABOUT them...
It is also funny that I refused to give 3 a try until 4 got too boring to play (and my 2 refused to load). Now I am currently exploring 3 and was surprised how HARD it feels to make progress there - you really actually gotta WORK to reach your goals and you know what? This makes it SO MUCH BETTER! I think it is not only that 3 seems to offer "more of everything" - in fact, while the single packs often feel too limited, I think in total we do have content in abundance by now for 4 - but that it is fun to explore it all and rewarding to reap the fruits of our labours and to get IMMERSED in our game...
#13
8th Jun 2018 at 11:33 AM
Posts: 2,839
I think The Sims 3 lacks in the chance of failure as well. Having your job performance bar hit bottom just gets you a demotion (opposed to being fired in The Sims 2). Kids barely have any consequences if they don't do homework. If you don't pay for your bills is the only chance of failure I guess
Instructor
#15
8th Jun 2018 at 1:34 PM
Posts: 623
I've noticed it too. I just keep thinking back to last year when the reason why burglars weren't included was revealed.
Field Researcher
#16
8th Jun 2018 at 1:52 PM
Posts: 397
Quote: Originally posted by Motorcitydude
I've noticed it too. I just keep thinking back to last year when the reason why burglars weren't included was revealed. |
Grant said that wasn't true, burglars just weren't a priority.
#17
8th Jun 2018 at 3:47 PM
Posts: 209
Quote: Originally posted by katxattack
I think fulfilling aspirations can be kind of difficult to do, like TS2, but more tedious than any predecessor. That said it does suck that there isn't much of a rewarding feeling. I love the thought of having the ability to do multiple aspirations, but you should still feel rewarded, not just simple aspiration points either. Moodlets allow the game designers to be lazy, and they make for an unbalanced game, which has been a complaint since TS3. My sim went to a rabbit hole spa, do I see them enjoy their massage? No, just a moodlet telling me they did. I do agree that moodlets are a step in the right direction, but they shouldn't make the game lazy, and they shouldn't be so imbalanced. The only thing that is more challenging that I can think of is raising toddlers, it's harder than ever in TS4. I pretty much have to turn aging to long or off to get them to 5 in all 5 sets and have the parents neglect the hell out of their jobs. It's fun but kind of exhausting and it definitely sucks that they don't attribute to any real skills, just a small trait or two that are helpful. But having children max their skills don't attribute to ANY skills once their a teen, no idea what the hell they were thinking. I'd love to see the return of Wants and Fears, an attraction/chemistry system at this point is a must, better consequences. I think some TS1 real challenge would be great, like don't show up to work twice, you're fired, if you go in a terrible mood you're demoted like in TS2. I have complained it to death but I had a sim in the Political career in TS4, I would work from home and never do the tasks, I wouldn't make any money but my score was always "excellent." I wanted to get fired so badly. Consequence has to be brought to the game. We need burglars. We need firefights. We need illness that can kill. We need reputation brought back better than ever. I would also love the ability to punish other sims for things my sim would automatically be punished for lol, if you're calling me at 3 in the morning to ask me to have dinner with you, I want to be able to tell you off! I can't even call a sims before 6:59am. |
I think you’re confusing rabbitholes and moodlets there. When sims are in a rabbithole you indeed can’t see how they feel. Most moodlets however are translated to the faces (or behaviour) of a sim. Quite often I first can tell something’s the matter when looking at my sim. Thén I check the moodlets to see if I can find what happened.
Top Secret Researcher
#18
8th Jun 2018 at 4:12 PM
Posts: 1,889
Thanks: 686 in 10 Posts
I have a hate-love relationship with moodlets. Some charm of having to guess, or just plainly make up what sim thinks and feels about the situation based on animations and thought/speech bubbles was fun in sims 2. Sims 3 took that away.
#19
8th Jun 2018 at 5:46 PM
Last edited by SneakyWingPhoenix : 8th Jun 2018 at 6:03 PM.
Posts: 5,224
*Shameless promotion* Hey, why not you guys join my discord server to share your fanaticized ideas and dreams for a life simulator of your dreams? (https://discord.gg/cGYAYC)
Regardings, I do genuinely LOVE them and the reason why I wish that they were in TS2. Their short-time memories (like "Crap, traumatized by the food I wasted burning up this morning" and lets, or better way to say it HELPS you tell a story. I wanna see a new life simulator that combined TS2 memory system and TS3 moodlet system together. They are very solid mechanics, so not much improved needs there. Regarding rabbit holes, I would at least want the interior to be visible and that including exterior to be customizable. For all I care, in the base game the sim could go off and turn invisible, but with an expansion pack those careers could be turn interactivable and (optionally, when the sim in question working is selected) micromanage-able. Also, I would the town managing in the next game to be the focus (though not to the point that micro gameplay is discarded), but things like-- ok, I think pretty off-topic while rambling. Sorry.... Than again, I'm not the one and first to derail this thread ...
Yeah from this point forward we're beating a dead horse.... but that's good. Regardless how the rants get repetitive, I do think the game does deserve such bad reputation for its short comics and lack for the respect and care for the most veteran fans that feel same-minded. Such address concerns shouldn't be ignored or like attempt to be forced-painted with a happy smile that conceals the real depressing face behind the painted mask. It's feedback non the less, and regardless If the Sims studio likes it or not, developers have to hear this (whether they listen or not is another topic.
P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Regardings, I do genuinely LOVE them and the reason why I wish that they were in TS2. Their short-time memories (like "Crap, traumatized by the food I wasted burning up this morning" and lets, or better way to say it HELPS you tell a story. I wanna see a new life simulator that combined TS2 memory system and TS3 moodlet system together. They are very solid mechanics, so not much improved needs there. Regarding rabbit holes, I would at least want the interior to be visible and that including exterior to be customizable. For all I care, in the base game the sim could go off and turn invisible, but with an expansion pack those careers could be turn interactivable and (optionally, when the sim in question working is selected) micromanage-able. Also, I would the town managing in the next game to be the focus (though not to the point that micro gameplay is discarded), but things like-- ok, I think pretty off-topic while rambling. Sorry.... Than again, I'm not the one and first to derail this thread ...
Yeah from this point forward we're beating a dead horse.... but that's good. Regardless how the rants get repetitive, I do think the game does deserve such bad reputation for its short comics and lack for the respect and care for the most veteran fans that feel same-minded. Such address concerns shouldn't be ignored or like attempt to be forced-painted with a happy smile that conceals the real depressing face behind the painted mask. It's feedback non the less, and regardless If the Sims studio likes it or not, developers have to hear this (whether they listen or not is another topic.
P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
#20
8th Jun 2018 at 6:05 PM
Posts: 5,224
Quote: Originally posted by mixa97sr
I have a hate-love relationship with moodlets. Some charm of having to guess, or just plainly make up what sim thinks and feels about the situation based on animations and thought/speech bubbles was fun in sims 2. Sims 3 took that away. |
Though you kinda aren't force to look at it, but yeah I can see the panel being distracted. However, it does help for those who lack imagination and helps simmers know what the sim is feeling based on the randomize outcome (which hardly makes the event's predictable) the selected sim experienced. (That same spot of the panel in TS2 is replaced by Want&Fears and the bright side of it is that can't be closed down, hidden or whatever. I do think that should have been included for the moodlet panel as well, since there is one for the other one (that includes simology tab, motives, job info, relationship tap etc.
P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Instructor
#21
8th Jun 2018 at 6:13 PM
Last edited by Motorcitydude : 8th Jun 2018 at 7:30 PM.
Posts: 623
Quote: Originally posted by Goldbear
Grant said that wasn't true, burglars just weren't a priority. |
Seems a lot of things aren't a priority with these devs.
Quote: Originally posted by mixa97sr
I have a hate-love relationship with moodlets. Some charm of having to guess, or just plainly make up what sim thinks and feels about the situation based on animations and thought/speech bubbles was fun in sims 2. Sims 3 took that away. |
Just seems like laziness on the part of the devs. Rather than just putting in the work to actually simulate it, they just put a moodlet that tells you instead of showing you. My sim is X? Show me that they are X rather than telling me in boring text! What is this, 1990?
#22
8th Jun 2018 at 6:39 PM
Posts: 5,224
Furry costumes is the top item on their priority list.
P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Top Secret Researcher
#23
8th Jun 2018 at 6:58 PM
Posts: 1,889
Thanks: 686 in 10 Posts
I swear. One day I'll make a list of usesless, stupid stuff that EA has included in this game.
Instructor
#24
8th Jun 2018 at 7:01 PM
Last edited by Motorcitydude : 8th Jun 2018 at 7:27 PM.
Posts: 623
Quote: Originally posted by mixa97sr
I swear. One day I'll make a list of usesless, stupid stuff that EA has included in this game. |
Animal hats, hot dog suits, giant cupcake machines, backyard rocket ships, goofy-ass walkstyles nobody would be caught dead using...
Clearly things that are more important than burglars. Seems their priorities are in order!
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