Sims 411 - Forum Feedback, May 6th

I've noticed that some people in this thread defend Hates Children/dazed effect. Sorry people, this is not ok. I'm one of those who want more edgy, dark humorous gameplay like past games and seriously, this is not it. There are some things that just shouldn't be in this game - non-consensual act, which Hates Children/dazed effect really is, shouldn't be in game. This is not satire or edgy humour. This is serious thing. By this logic, we could consider some mods that are againts law, as edgy humour.

It was really good response from the team, that they understand how much is this issue serious and I do hope it won't be repeated in future.

Why does The Sims 4 feel as more of a building simulator than life simulator?

Will you sometimes show, either on social media, or special livestreams, some love for other past games? Like The Sims 2, The Sims 3, or even spinoff games? Why excatly aren't both, The Sims and The Sims 2 on Origin? The reason feels odd, we would like to hear more about it.

Why wasn't The Sims 4 Journey to Batoo made as a spinoff game that would have bigger focus on Star Wars Universe? And it would be better for those who aren't interested in Star Wars

Here’s some feedback that is important to me. Thanks for listening!

1. Gameplay feels empty because there are no consequences and every action has the same reaction (or barely noticeable differences). Sims should have long lasting emotions (breakup = sad for days with no other emotion, pregnant family sim should be happy for days, etc). Different traits should provide exclusive interactions (not just different names for interactions) and results.

2. Romantic relationships are meaningless. TS2 chemistry system worked brilliantly - sims were attracted to certain people and not others, and on scales (one person might be incredible to them, others ok and some stuck in friendzone). The relationships were also not always mutual, romantic or otherwise. Sims should have to work at relationships, and sims with good chemistry will have a fast developed love or friendship, while others might not be capable of becoming romantic, and some can develop into a lifelong grudge.

3. There is no way to track gameplay. Sims 2 had the photo album so we could take snaps and write captions, and I used that to recap my gameplay so when I came back to a family, or played for generations, they felt like they had history. Sims 4 feels extremely hollow and pointless when actions have minor outcomes and I can’t track events.

Please please please make sure the next Sims game is actually something long time players, who have suported this game from Day 1 with their money, actually will enjoy.
There is nothing more sad than seeing a franchise chasing trends like "Fortnite", "Roblox" etc. just to make more money even though the Sims franchise just doesn't suit the online multiplayer model. Please stop looking at trends and other games. The biggest reason why the original The Sims game was so successful is because Will Wright didn't look right and left at other games to make something that is trending. He made something original, fun that he believed in. It doesn't make sense for the Sims to follow trends. The Sims is a trend-setting game. Not a trend, money chasing game.

And for the love of god, we know how much money the Sims 4 has made so far, we know your budget and your ability. So please stop trying to sell half-empty packs and act all surpised when people are dissapointed. The problem is not the themes, it's the lackluster execution, the not testing of packs before they come out and the incredibly high price tag that comes with them.
This would be half as bad if the base game was actually a good standalone game. But it's so empty that you are basically forcing people to buy DLC. Please next time make a game that doesn't rely so much on DLC, make the 50-60$ people pay for the base game worth it. It's a lot of money for a game and should be reflected in the quality.

There are indie games out there making unimaginable things happen in the simulation genre with a much smaller budget. If one of these games becomes successful it might be over for the Sims series.

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Thank you all very much for posting here. :)