What does sims 2 have that is lacking in sims 4

@CAPTAIN_NXR7 I hope you found a way to get rid of the issues and improve the gaphics resolution? I play in 1920x1080 resolution and the game looks great that way but I had to tweak it a little bit. Also getting the smooth edges maxed out was tricky to do and getting rid of the black squares under the sims.
After doing that I find the Sims 2 looks pretty bearable.

"@SimmerGeorge;c-17570783" wrote:
@CAPTAIN_NXR7 I hope you found a way to get rid of the issues and improve the gaphics resolution? I play in 1920x1080 resolution and the game looks great that way but I had to tweak it a little bit. Also getting the smooth edges maxed out was tricky to do and getting rid of the black squares under the sims.
After doing that I find the Sims 2 looks pretty bearable.

Yeah it was no problem. I altered some of the instances in the Graphics Rules.sgr and the game looks good!

To be honest, I've always maintained that each iteration of The Sims has its own special thing. The Sims was an excellent, and sometimes very challenging, life simulator where you were hard pressed to just have your sim(s) live. I loved it dearly. The Sims 2 felt like an expansion of life. Opening up all the different pathways that a sim's life could take and giving true meaning to "life simulator" for me. I loved how relationships worked and how everything fit seamlessly together to create a great gaming experience. The Sims 3 was all about adventure and exploration. If I wanted to explore and go on an adventure with my sims, for discovery's sake, The Sims 3 was my jam... I used to say The Sims 4 was all about feelings, and the sim themselves, but I'm struggling these days, even with all the cool content, to compare The Sims 4 with The Sims 2.

I'm going to use the word "Mature" but I don't mean it in a... an adult hub sort of way. I mean it in a, humor and metaphor sort of way.

The Sims 2 had a more mature nature. It felt less like being treated as if I were 12 and more like I'm being addressed, as an adult player. There were little easter eggs and bits of innuendo that would have been lost on me as a 12 year old child that I've grown to really miss. The humor, both dark and light, is what I miss the most about The Sims 2 that is sadly, lacking from the Sims 4 game on the whole. I loved that you could actually die during pregnancy if your player wasn't paying enough attention. I think there was just the right amount of attention paid to life states and systems and none of it felt bogged down or over-wrought in the way that some of the new life states do for the Sims 4. I actually find myself avoiding some of my most beloved life states because they are just too focused on ...whatever it is EA decided they should be. Sims 2 was more open ended and left it to the player to design the fate of them. I miss that. I miss making a witch and allowing my story to unfold my way instead of being forced into Harry Potter via The Magicians .TM

I miss being an alien and having the freedom to live my life without sims shying away from me and being jerks, all the while accepting the evil jerk next door...

It (The Sims 2) Was just over-all, a better game in my opinion and I'd L.O.V.E a graphically updated version of it some day. Digital remastery or whatever you might call it.

You could created your own worlds in the Sims 2 and the Sims 3. That's definitely something that's lacking in the Sims 4. In the Sims 4, you basically have to make do with what you got. You can visit any world that you want, but you can't add any new ones outside of the official worlds without mods, and even those mods that I've heard about that add a new world, replace one of the existing worlds.

Personally, I absolutely HATE the emotional system on TS4! It drives me absolutely nuts. IMHO, this is waaaay overdone. The family goes on a great vacation b/c he/she needed it, comes home refreshed, goes to work ONE day, comes home and says "I need a vacation." UGH!!!! That and the monsters under kid's beds. When they see monsters, NOBODY in the house can sleep at all until they are taken care of and that is almost impossible w/o any mods.

I MUCH prefer TS2 and TS3. I love the open world of TS3 and the traits and I love the complexity of TS2. At least in #3, the "monsters" were only specific to that child and his/her bed, NOT the entire household. Currently, I'm doing a Build a City challenge in #2 where you start out w/a blank or empty world and build up a city. The founding sim must do something to get more food (I won't reveal what since Captain NXR7 doesn't want to know) or he/she will go hungry when the fridge gets empty (no grocery store yet). So far, I'm up to 2 families. As soon as their kids grow up, I'll have more.

Personality. Sims 2 had the most personality out of all the Sims games. By personality I mostly mean actions and animations of Sims. They could do so much more than in Sims 3 and 4, and had a lot more animations that really made the Sims look a bit more alive in a sense. There's also the fact that conversations actually meant something. You can literally see exactly what they're talking about, and what they're talking about always reflects their likes and dislikes from their profiles. However, I definitely do prefer the trait system, but it really feels like the trait system did erase some major personality.

Another thing is rotational play. Rotational play is only viable in Sims 2. If you try to rotate families in 3, you'll come back to see they all have new jobs, new marriages, or left town completely while you were away. The only way to stop this is to mod your game to double hockey sticks, which requires a LOT of techy knowledge to truly understand even how to make that work well. And in Sims 4, it's basically the same. Sims will flirt and make enemies while you're away, and just generally ruin everything you set up for them. In Sims 2, this thankfully didn't happen unless you made it happen by interacting with them. Yes, it's realistic for them to live their lives, and I personally prefer it this way since I like playing one family only, however occasionally I do want to rotate but it's disappointing that I can't in any other Sims game.

Intimacy between sims. S4 couples act more like friends than lovers. 3 bolts sims will autonomously leap into the arms of their partners whenever they want, do incessant romantic gestures and are generally inseparable, the way they cuddle on beds and couches (my favorite is when one Sims wakes up and cuddles with the sleeping Sims, now that's the kind of detail S4 needs more of).

S2 sims react to their surroundings, I can tell whether they like/dislike, are sad, happy or angry at something by watching their reactions rather than colorful moodlets and music. Sims who cook a lot will rub their belly from time to time while thinking about food.

The cut scenes of important life events. both the goods and the bads.

Businesses.

Sims 4 is closer to an RPG game than S2, I like figuring out what to do to make sims Sims happy (or not) in S2. Sims 2 is about the Sims themselves, the family and the relationships between them which is not as much the focus in S4, unfortunately.

The personality actually matters in this one and if I order them to do something that goes against their established personality, they'll let me know.

The sims 4 is lacking in personality and uniqueness (especially from the sims 2). Also the sims feels very samey the way the ai work.

Here are the problems With the sims 4

• traits don’t change sims much.
  
• sims change emotion all the time and it doesn’t change how they behave apart from visual and facial animation
  
• Idle chat forces sims to just talk even when angry, tense, etc.
  
• Sims are unaware of Most of their surrounding
  
• Sims don’t react to others
  
• No hardship or challenge. Sims almost always happy and get over negative emotions fast
  
• No surprises. Fires rarely happen and sims can put themselves out.
  
• Holding friendships and romance too easy.
  
• No chemistry.
  

Here is why sims 2 is much more fun

• small details. Teens get zits, sims open drawers, sims put toilet seat up and down, etc.
  
• Many surprises. 1% death by satellite when sky gazing, random burning of food when low cooking, sims get electrocuted when low mechanical skill, especially when standing on water, etc.
  
• Always new details to find. Sims for example get angry when one person flushes the toilet why they are taking a shower.
  
• Sims don’t all act the same and are more unique. High playfulness unlocks new interactions like juggle and play in bathtub, but thy lose the ability to meditate, Sims with low playfulness read more and don’t like tickles and other play interactions unless you have higher relationship.
  
• Sims more likely to reject social interactions if you try to early before building up friendship.
  
• Sims react to others around them. If someone is doing a desperation action from having low aspiration, others will do the hour crazy gesture. Sims also worry when someone passes out due to tiredness.
  
• Sims have memories and talk about them or remember them in thought bubbles.
  
• variation in animations for interactions depending on outgoingness and shyness. Also make out has varying animations.
  
• Aspirations rewards are all fun interactive objects.
  
• Animations are great. Sims will move chess pieces like an actual game and will play poker correctly as well. Pool is also fun to watch.
  

Here are mods that can help some of the flaws in the sims 4.

• meaningful stories by roburky (makes sims not change emotions all the time, stops sims from being happy all the time, and varies strength of certain moodlets. Also makes uncomfortable boost other negative emotions like happy boosts positive emotions.)
  
• Have more personality please by polarbearsims (sims don’t do idle chat anymore and will vary social interactions more based on emotions. Angry sims now more likely to perform mean socials automatically for example.
  
• Slice of life by kawaii stacie (many feature you can customize such as new sickness, new moodlets like losing teeth for kids, headaches and more. new pop up texts, and. Much more.
  
• Passionate romance by sacrificial (adds new romance interactions missing in the game)
  
• MC command center by deaderpool (allows you to customize lots of things like stopping sim culling, changing bill amount or friendship and romance gain, having certain sims automatically marry and have kids (not the ones you play unless you change the settings)
  

Finally things you can do to help without mods

• use clubs to make bans that plays at certain venues
  
• Use clubs to make drama such as bullies, thieves, pranksters, etc
  
• Use clubs to give certain venues more life in background like having a painting group visit museums or art centers and paint, or having group of friends who drink and ply games at pubs.
  
• 
  
  

TS4 has none of the following. I sent a Sim niece to college. Two of her uncles ran into each other on a community lot when I returned for awhile to play the households in the main hood. I watched them talking and one told the other she had made the dean's list. They were discussing their niece in a way that TS4 will never do. I was not playing either of them at the time. I also had not played them during her time at college earning that honor.

I had a different Sim later on a community lot, I watched two townies talking about one of my other Sims. One had the hearts speech bubble about one of my other Sims. I guess he was telling the other townie he liked her or was romantically interested in her. She was not on the lot. Shortly there after she showed up on the lot as if to find out who was crushing on her. lol But I had already told my Sim to go home and was in the process of leaving so I don't know what would become of all that as my Sim was leaving the lot. But the townies talk to my own Sims and other Sims about other Sims they are interested in romantically.

Two other Sims I play were on another lot while I played yet again a different Sim. I saw them talking about the one guy's promotion. So, they also talk about things to townies or other Sims that has happened to them.

Something else TS4 will never have, one of my Sims is a family Sim so of course he sometimes wants to get married etc. But his thought bubbles are a deeper look at what he is really thinking rather than what is in the want boxes. The three things that were in his wish list/want boxes had nothing to do with what he was thinking about. Yes, those are things he would like to do or get etc. however, what was really on his mind was getting engaged. His thought bubble was about getting engaged (it's like an extra slot in a thought bubble sometimes). Though his wants were to go to work, slow dance with someone, and something else, I can't remember the third one, he was really wanting to get engaged (soon, lol). He kept having that thought as he went through the house and or when I made him do things all day. lol

A few are family Sims and they have the want or thought bubbles to call the other family members (shows the face) and or is listed in the want panel. One mother is always wanting to call her son who is in college. Thought bubbles in TS2 are the very best. TS4 can never live up to any of that. She has that thought every few days. These are usually different than what is in the want panels.

My Sims talk about townies and others when they gossip. They aren't even on the lot sometimes when something happens with a townie, but if they gossip later or somewhere else, they know about it and tell someone else. lol It's very amusing. I'm shocked sometimes how they knew it. lol I'm not talking about burning a meal. The other day they were talking about one guy on the lot (he's so weird. He is dressed in that paint for sports fans' outfit, paint on the chest and a custom hairstyle/balding) when he walked over to them as if to say, Are you talking about me? lol They didn't even know him. lol It's no wonder.

A lot of people turned off thought and speech bubbles years ago, but they shouldn't they can find out a lot of funny and interesting stuff our Sims in TS2 know or think about.

Something else I like in TS2 that TS4 doesn't do correctly is tell me who my Sim is chatting with on the pc. I don't know if TS4 corrected this but it didn't have a list of which Sim to talk to when chatting online. TS2 does. Then in a few minutes you can get a message do you want to invite them over. It's a fun way to get to know a Sim you may have wanted your Sim to meet but couldn't find them on a community lot. Oh, and I also love the introduce feature which TS4 did eventually add, but it's how I introduced all my teen's boyfriends to her parents in TS2. lol

Invite entire household is one of the best also. Just in case you wanted the Sim to meet the adult daughter of your Sim friend but had a hard time getting them together. Just invite the whole household (if not at work) and it's an easy way to get to introduce someone you have plans for later. The other day I invited three different entire households. It's a good way to party and have dinner parties and or whatever, without the restrictions on how many visiting Sims are allowed on home lots at parties etc. Just do that with several households, it's a lot of fun just to invite them all if you want to get Sims to know and meet each other. Or party without restrictions. It's also good for entire families to gather if your Sim is losing their relationships with those they don't see much. And (something TS4 doesn't have) to take a family photo for the wall or desk. (Uni camera).

Myne doors, these are the best (might have already mentioned all this pages back) but I use them in elderly retirement homes and for teen rooms (which might have a stereo in it) and other things. Great for the boss's office door though you can lock out everyone in TS2 (you couldn't in TS4 for many months and months) and just let your Sim enter any door, why not have the boss's face on it? lol Great for Sims you have living in the same household who keep using your Sim bed or stereo or pc.

I love not all my TS2 Sims want to talk about art, cooking or whatever. lol They refuse, they put their hands out like I don't want to hear it. lol Or cross their arms during a conversation as if to say, sure, right, yeah, I don't believe it...lol

TS4 is all willy nilly. There is so much depth in TS2 and even in TS3 to a great degree, I don't have any idea why anyone can believe TS4 has more 'lively' Sims. I have to laugh at that, I really do. Lively in do you mean jumpy? Yes, that is true, but not more lively as in depth.

My Sims know how to care for themselves, like when they really need a shower. I don't need push buttons (TS4) to make them think, man, I need a shower. lol If I'm busy with another Sim, bless their little hearts they will go take a shower. Now, it might not be as fast as I would do it, (about half emtpy bar) but they do go take a shower. No buttons to 'autosolve' is needed. How childish is that to have to push buttons to make Sims think they might need a shower in TS4. lol

Sims know when other Sims are really hungry. On community lots even townies will fix hotdogs or a group salad or something if someone on the lot is really hungry. I usually don't make my Sim do the cooking at the grill anymore, because I know if someone is really hungry someone will do it. TS4 Sims do this just because that is what they are programmed to do...ever notice how many hot dog plates there are in a common area in that game? Sometimes dozens.

TS2 doesn't do it unless someone is hungry on the lot, that includes other townies. If my Sim waits long enough she/he won't have to cook at a grill. lol

Wait for food, we had to beg for a few years for TS4 to add set the table. But TS2 Sims were going to the table to wait to be served if someone was cooking a meal. And they had been settign the table for years. Yes, TS4 set the table is pretty but it doesn't mean much if those same Sims get up and take their plate upstairs to sit on the bed. Call to meal means come to the table and eat not take it upstairs. Though if there is no where else to sit they may remain standing in TS2 or may go to a near by most comfortable seat in a different room.

Gosh TS2 is fenomenal.

Sims have interests that they can talk about and they are more inclined to like other sims with the same interests (like music and art), they have their own personality and quirks, wants and fears, memories, they can gossip about other sims in town and they'll learn aspecs of their life that way more easily, sims in TS2 can jump over objects, babies aren't tied to the damn cribs, you can actually see your sims enter and get out of cars/buses/helicopters etc, they can have garages and you'll see them park, there's clothing stores and grocery shops that sims need to use in the BG that actually work, kids can go to a private school, sims can play games with each other like rock paper scissors, you can have multi purpose lots like hotels with restaurants or grocery and clothing stores... like I could be here all day tbh.