My question is related to the gameplay in Sims 4. The basic gameplay is starting out with very little (like a 10k house, no skills and a low paying job) and over time accumulating more and more. That loop is very compelling and when it comes to both buying things and building skills it works very well.
However, this isn't the case with relationships. Relationships feel flat because it is too easy to just do a bunch of friendly interactions and fill that relationship bar. There aren't meaningful systems to make friendships and romances have that same feeling of progression. Yes, you can do things like level up charisma to have more impactful interactions but you really don't have to. I could just do two or three regular interactions to achieve the same effect.
I think a lot of the common problems discussed by players (Sims all feel the same, emotion system, etc) can be traced back to this core issue. Interpersonal gameplay is lacking the same sense of depth and progression that makes other parts of the game (build-buy, developing skills, developing a career) so addictive.
I think some progress has been made and I want to compliment the team on the sentiment system, which I feel is a step in the right direction. However, I still think there is a lot of room for improvement. I would love to see big revisions to how relationships are developed in the future of the Sims.
EA Staff (Retired)