You underestimate some CC creators!

I AM a CC creator. I'm sure someone is thinking "maybe you just suck" and I won't even argue lol, but because I can create for Sims 2, it means that I know how rudimentary the programs are when it comes to trying to make a high level modded object that would be on the level of Maxis stuff. We still don't have programs to make Maxis level animations or actually make brand new effects at all. We haven't even fully decoded every file format in the game, so it's not an even playing field. Which was by design - there's audio of a Maxis dev explaining that they intentionally made the file formats difficult to crack because they didn't want their EPs to be competing with the free work of modders.

I'm super grateful to the modders and the people who have created modding programs. They keep this game interesting, but I'm also realistic about the difficulties that creators face, because I face them too, and I know how frustrating it is when you can't get your creation to be perfect because a game studio decided to make creators jump through hoops. And because I am a creator, I understand more than most people what a herculean effort it can be to turn out a decent modded object with all the parts being made from scratch.

Yeah I kind of thought the point of the thread was to talk about what should have been, not what we have to rely on CC creators for. CC creators are incredible and I'm in awe of what they can produce, but this is more about what maxis or ea could have done. Like I said in my own comment, I wish things weren't as hard coded so we could have more variety of vacation types then just the three.

The really big sticking point for all the games (and actually any game) is the source code.
Game companies are almost insanely sensitive about releasing any source code because it is their IT, and they do have the right to keep it secret-but sometimes I wish that in the case of the older games they just relinquish it for the CC creators and modders.

We've been very lucky that there are such determined types as Chris Hatch and similar to override and improve on the game code, but it still is deeply irritating that we haven't gotten beyond those limits to improve the game because EA refuses to release any kind of code that one could use to change their game.

Of course they reserve all the rights to it and you can't blame them but one can dream, can't we?

It's not like they're using it. They won't even sell Sims 2 anymore.

And look at all the bugs that modders fixed that the people with the supposedly superior tools messed up.

And yeah, I know that this is about what you wish had been included in the game, but the game still wouldn't be half of what it is without modders.

Okay, IDK if I wasn't clear here, but Maxis didn't code things in SimPE, where a lot of the values are still unknown. They didn't make animations in Milkshape, which doesn't even support IK. Modders aren't under attack, we're all grateful. Just because Maxis made some mistakes in coding doesn't mean they didn't also give us this amazing game that we've collectively been playing for the past 20 years and that the modders have enhanced.

IK?

I'm not trying to say that the game without mods sucks. I just disagreed that modders couldn't deliver the same quality.

Forgot one thing that I would have liked in BV. The ability to sail on a boat or go scuba diving, like in Sims 3.

Inverse kinematics, which produces a more smooth animation. We have different standards if you feel like there are any from scratch objects that include new amimations/effects etc. like Maxis included with the game and EPs.

I didn't know we were only talking about animations. Most mods don't include new animations.

This all started because someone came in here and saw people wanting new activities and was like "there are mods for that" so yeah, animations were a pretty big part of what I was talking about, because if Maxis is making new activities for Sims, they're going to include at minimum, some new animations, possibly a new mesh, depending on what the activity is, or some new effects to go along with it.

I thought you were just talking about mods in general. XD

Yeah, there are only a few mods with new animations. Unfortunately, animations are one of the hardest things to create.

Haha, so this whole thing was just a communication error. Yeah, it's honestly impossible to get a great animation with Milkshape. I envy the Sims 3 creators, because they can use Blender, which is so much better. There's a sims 3 modder here at MTS, TheSweetSimmer, who makes some incredible animations for that game.

I know there's a debate going about "There's a mod for that!" but there are a few mods to have sims only do the vacation gestures in the vacations hoods. I have the BoilingOil one that stops sims from doing tai chi outside the vacation hood too after it took over all my community lots.

I guess it can be repetitive, but so can sending your sims to school and work and taking care of their needs every day. I don't send all my sims on vacation with the goal of maxing out their vacation memories, so I don't feel beholden to any specific routine. Some sims just sunbathe on the beach and go swimming for 3 days or bond with their family and friends playing mahjong and Don't Wake the Llama.

It would've been nice if each area had three or four local gestures on rotation. For example - A Sim goes to Twikki Island and learns hang loose, they bring it home and it spreads around the neighborhood until everyone gets sick of it and they all stop doing it. The next time someone visits the island, there's a new gesture that's popular and the pattern continues until a couple generations have passed and someone revives the hang loose fad.