Buy Mode set is half-baked in general

Lets be honest, The Sims 4 has the best build mode but I see a huge weakness which is repeate with every pack and base game updates. I want to highlight some weaknesses and show some things which need to be developed or corrected.

1. Swatches
Weird, not matching textures and swatches are extremally common in the sims 4. What is worse, sometimes furnitures from one pack do not match to each other. For example Cool Kitchen cabinets and counters:

https://static0.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Sims-4-cool-kitchen-units.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&h=389

2. Some packs have similar items
I do not know why, but some items are the same in packs. For example:

This type of windows (Base Game, Spa Day, Eco Lifestyle ect.):
https://simscommunity.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/07-14-15_6-22-PM-4-300x169.pnghttps://simscommunity.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/07-14-15_6-23-PM-300x169.png

This type of decoration (City Living, Get Famous, Eco Lifestyle):
https://simscommunity.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/100.png

3. Recycled textures between packs.
Some objects are totally copy-pasted between base game-packs or pack-pack. For example used counters in City Living. They are just copied counters from base game with some changes in base swatches:
https://simscommunity.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/23.png

Realm of Magic has the same issue:
https://preview.redd.it/s9t0hnuzu9m31.png?auto=webp&s=bd6b889473a4692f3d400158b2b7d73a575aa9f6

4. Lack of "mirror" version of some items.
Every type of unusual couch or armchair has this problem:

City Living:
https://simscommunity.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/20.png

Moschino:
https://simscommunity.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/08-10-19_10-50-11-AM.jpg

Snowy Escape:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ekXbmp839LM/X7sPI6gEtII/AAAAAAAABHM/fgX_LIssyLoTINcJ6eIWjY0yV7UI8fnzwCLcBGAsYHQ/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/Snow%2BEscape%2BLiving%2BRoom%2BDisplay.jpg

5. A lot of buy content in the packs are totally random:

I can not find any logic in My First Pet Stuff for example. What can I built?
https://simsonline.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sims-4-My-First-Pet-Stuff-Pack-build-items.jpg

I can not also fine any logic in Vintage Glamour for example. Ok. Two beds wow! New desk. Nice! But where is any chair for this desk or matching furnitures to finish the bedroom or living room in this pack? I am not sure for which room this pack is, because I feel like this collection is too small to build a bedroom or living room. I guess that the bedroom is the closest but what about another rooms?

https://s6.ifotos.pl/img/TS4VGS28I_qqwnxae.png

Why Dine Out has no furnitures for kitchen (open kitchen for example), but Vampires has whole set of cabinets and counters?

Why Snowy Escape has not closed version of new counters?

6. Island counters ALWAYS have wrong texture. Why?

7. Windows and doors from the same collection have different sizes. Unfortunately new patch does not help because doors are smaller and it is hard to put them higher.

drakharis
4 years ago
"bella_goth;c-17742852" wrote:
one of ts4 problems is the constant recycling and recolor of everything on the game. interactions, animations, furniture, etc. makes me concerned on how small is devs budget or how small is the sims team for how many corners they cut every single time. though, the swatches is something i don't understand. if they recycle half the game why not textures as well? does the textures get corrupted or something?

What happens is a time crunch with EA not giving the developers enough time to create something new. Instead, they have to resort to recolours which is easier and quicker to do the job. If EA gave developers more time to create our DLC to both the backend (coding and making the tech side with minimal glitches bugs and problems) and the front end (what we see with CAS items and Build/Buy items.) we would have a much better game.

Also just as there are stock models through companies like Poser and Daz Studios there is stock animation that these companies sell as well. It makes.

It's all about saving time and money and EA not caring about the product they put out.
ticluao
4 years ago
"The Sims 4 has the best build mode"

Yeah, no lol. You really need to play more videogames. I am all the time stopped on building many many things i want just because the build mode of the sims 4 has so many restrictions. Specially non sense restrictions. I cant argue that it has many good things , but i dont consider it top notch not even closer, and many things need to be done to make it one of the best building systems.

Now if you talk about just the sims franchise, and not generally speaking, yeah i would agree.
crocobaura
Seasoned Ace
4 years ago
"Gordy;c-17743491" wrote:
"babajayne;c-17743402" wrote:
I agree, it would ideal to have consistency in color options throughout swatches.

I miss Collections. Was it TS2 or TS3 that we had these? Basically it was a group of items that matched in style. So if I was furnishing a home I could pick a style and it was easier to see what went together. I think we could make our own collection folders, too.

Sims 2 had it. IIRC you could even make your own collection folders, too.

We can sort of have collection folders now but with rooms. :lol: It's quite annoying having to place the whole room down just to select a few items you need.
sara128ef
4 years ago
Maxis has to realize this is a problem... right? Its so frustrating finding things that match, I basically use the same counter, or same furniture in general actually, because only some of it matches.

I mean the games been out 5 years and we're finally getting more skin colors and an opacity slider, maybe in another 5 we'll get matching swatches.
Sthenastia
New Spectator
4 years ago
I hope that we will receive similar change for furnitures as we got for make-up. It can help us a lot to match textures!
fjb792
4 years ago
Deleted
Sthenastia
New Spectator
4 years ago
I worry that they will never add any new variations of current items honestly. I do not know who choose swatches to The Sims 4, but the most of existing variants are unusable. Brown-pink base game counters and just three cololors of standard couch are always in my head.

Believe me, but more variants of textures and colors will really make this game better. Currently builders as me are MOO cheat slaves.
SheriSim
Seasoned Hotshot
4 years ago
Buy mode is half baked because we don’t have a color wheel, and probably because one team works on one pack and another team works on another. They should have a designer/color coordinator that visits each pack.

There needs to be way more swatches on counters, toilets, bathtubs, showers, sinks , shelves, fridges, stoves, microwaves, and other appliances, and especially curtains/drapes, windows and doors.... and they should be able to match from room to room, kitchen things should match kitchen things, bathroom things should match bathroom things, counters should match both ( in color) and in a large variety of colors throughout all of the packs. If you add a new swatch color to a stove and fridge in one pack, then you should make those same swatch colors for all kitchen items and counters and appliances in old packs, and the base game. Are stoves and fridges upgradeable with the handiness skill? If not, they and appliances should be. It would just be easier to have a color wheel for colors.

As for the counters in city living, I’m glad they gave us some scuffed up counters to match old ones, but why not add that for all kitchen counters? It’s only a color, how hard could it be? If you buy the pack, it should update those colors in other packs you have and the base game. and we should be able to upgrade counters rather than purchase new ones if we want. ( option: refinish and paint counter, $20, and a certain handiness skill level ). If you don’t have that skill level then purchase new. Yeah, a color wheel would be easier as colors go.

I like the new making magic counters..., they were sufficiently fancier than the other ones for me,

I liked the My first pet stuff pack. The furniture matched furniture in cats and dogs, There you go matching stuff, and all people can do is complain. .... sure a color wheel would be nice there too.

I thought Glamour stuff was done pretty well too. Couldn’t you use one of those vanity chairs for the desk? The square one maybe? I do think they could have added a matching chair for the older vanity though, or even a matching, backless chair for both.

We should have tons of curtain/drape colors, or then again, a color wheel.

But we do need a greater amount of swatches ( or a color wheel ) for sure.
Sthenastia
New Spectator
4 years ago
I found the information that single swatch in TS4 takes around 250kb, it means that 2,5gb update can handle around 10000 unique swatches!
CaprianaB
Seasoned Newcomer
4 years ago
Agree with all. Yesterday I caved and downloaded cc for the first time.