"Bettyboop55;c-16639226" wrote:
"JoAnne65;c-16639170" wrote:
The fact you prefer one iteration doesn’t mean the others have less quality. It means they apparently paid more attention to one aspect you happen to value most. In Sims 2 that’s personalities I think. But for me open world and CASt are so important to really feel submerged, that the versions without that fail to really pull me in the way Sims 3 does. On top of that the somewhat more neutral sims in 3 are perfect for me, because I don’t really like it when the game dictates too much what’s going on in my head while playing. The sims in 3 give me room to play with that and at the same time they are expressive enough to not make them feel robotic and stiff (for me, I can fully understand why they do to others because of the pauses in between animations). Which probably is the reason why it’s sims in 4 that comes across robotic to me, because of their autonomous behaviours that feel programmed and strange to me (because it’s auras that cause them, not other sims or other logical reasons)(or just because they can, like hugging anyone on two legs).
Looking through this thread I would say open worlds and CASt are the main reasons most of us are choosing to stay with TS3 rather than move on. I would add CAW and the terrain tools but that is personal preference.
I think with each new version that is released the existing player base becomes more discerning. Many of us thought TS2 simply couldn't be topped but TS3 did precisely that. Not for all of us though and as you, yourself, have said a lot of what we play now is down to personal preference. The good thing for all of us is we still have the choice to do that.
As for the sims, having experienced 3 generations I agree the ones in TS3 give you the most flexibility. Perhaps it is the fact they are the most customisable (without mods and cc) as well as having a good selection of traits. The traits system isn't perfect in my opinion and would benefit from an overhaul should there ever be an upgrade. I do, however, remember my TS2 sims with great affection and regard the remaking of premades for TS3 and 4 a terrible thing to do. These poor sims will never be as good as the TS2 originals. I bet there is some TS1 players out there saying the same of the Goth family in TS2 !!
And I stand by that. Sims 2 for instance was perfect for rotational players and there was a lot of detail in the interactions. I prefer to play one household myself (legacy style), so the rotational aspect is not relevant for me, where it’s essential for others. I understand the complaint retail in Sims 3 is not as good as in Sims 2, but I happen to not care about retail in my game. The TS3 tombs however I absolutely love and when I played Sims 2 (after playing Sims 3 for years) the ruins my sims could visit were as disappointing to me as RH shops must have been for people who loved that (and the same goes for the TS4 temple; nothing beats WA tombs). That’s why I state this is not a matter of quality. For the devs things like this are a matter of choices that apparently have to be made and one simmer will welcome what another simmer will regret.
