Carl's Guide: A History of the Sims 4

For me I think Sims 4 has reached it peak as far as features goes, items or content can always be added but as far as enhancing the features goes which enhances the game more than content, I can't see it. If they do it will be minor and not anything to get peps over. It has been over six years and Sims 4 has yet to show me it has an lot of gas left in it. Out of all the Sims games, where I am ready to see it end so soon is Sims 4 and that is my feeling alone. Times has changed for the Sims series and Sims 5 may not be any different if anything.

I agree with most things said in that video, there are a couple things I would actively disagree with but besides that this video is excellent and the conversation needs to continue.

In my personal view, Sims 4 has come a long way, I very much enjoy the game for what it offers, I acknowledge where the game needs improvement but it's hard for me to be cynical towards a game I very much enjoy. I don't think the Sims 4 is anywhere near as bad as many players make it out to be, the game definitely took a different direction than the previous games, but I'll be honest it's a direction that works very well for my personal playstyle. Regardless, deepening the core game would only make my gameplay better, so anything to deepen the game I welcome with open arms.

Definitely a castaway here~ Haha.

Yeah, he made a bunch of very good points. I think they've improved, but I don't think they're going in a "good" direction. They are going...somewhere. They've been partnering with celebrities, made a reality show, they've been getting Game Changers to help out with builds...Kits exist.

But the biggest issue is the lack of improvement to the actual *base game gameplay*. There are so many builders out there because Build Mode has been catered to for years over the other two playstyles. CAS, as good as it is, still needs some work. Live Mode has been neglected since Toddlers, honestly.

If you take DLC out of the equation, TS4's Base Game is still poor. It doesn't matter how well made an expansion/game/stuff/kit is made, the base game struggles in many areas. Challenge is one as he mentioned, but that's not all. The actual lack of personality in the sims, what makes them different and unique from each other, is a huge problem ~to me, at least~. The Sims all end up becoming the same because they react to things the same way regardless of traits because of the broken emotions system. They tried to give personalities through Lifestyles (a poor and failed decision, I think). What the base game needs is ways to make your game feel different and not repetitive. The Sims 4 doesn't need cars, open world, farms, playable schools, or even improved babies to be a good game, but it has to do what it does well. And it...really doesn't.

I have over 2K hours in the game. Yeah, I have nearly all packs and I have gripes about pretty much every single one of them. I don't buy them at full price, lol. I don't think it's as simple as "don't like, don't buy" or "why keep buying packs if you're not happy with the game". I'm not happy with TS4 in the least, but the way I make it work is by pumping my game full of mods and not playing it for months at a time.

Kevin VanOrd's quote that says ""The Sims 4's biggest problem is that The Sims 3 exists" is soo true. i'd dare to say even ts2's existence.
the management of ts4 has been terrible, be it the prices, the marketing, the priorities, etc. the game had so much potential.

As someone who primarily enjoys the gameplay aspect of the Sims, I agree with Carl. I like certain things about the Sims 4, but I miss the challenge, personality, and lore that was present in Sims 1 and 2 (I skipped Sims 3). I came to the Sims 4 late in its release, and despite the updates that have been made since launch, and the now 40 available DLCs, I find the gameplay of Sims 4 to be lacking when compared to the prior iterations. Most of my current Sims feel largely the same, no matter what traits I give them, and when new gameplay is added, it is not particularly unique or engaging. As a result, I tend to become bored with the Sims 4 rather quickly, and I frequently take long breaks between play sessions. My personal frustration with the Sims 4 started to grow with Island Living, which has a beautiful world and nice BB, but to me, extremely lackluster gameplay. It is one of the few packs that I have purchased for the Sims 4 that I regret buying even at 50% off. Since then, my disappointment with the Sims 4 has gradually continued to grow, with a only few bright spots in between.

To me, with the Sims 4, it seems like the developers take one step forward and two steps back. Most recently, they went from the creation of Paranormal Stuff, which appears to be the best stuff pack to date, to making kits, which are essentially stuff packs broken up into three overpriced components. I think that one of main problems of the Sims 4 is the parsing of content, and the continuous addition of "stuff" without equal attention being paid to gameplay and bug fixes. If the numerous bugs and the gameplay aspect of Sims 4, were given as much attention as BB, and to a certain extent CAS (CAS is still lacking for life stages other than adult/young adult female), the Sims 4 could easily become my favorite version of the Sims franchise. But, this late in the Sims 4's release, it looks like that is not meant to be. Based on how the Sims 4 has progressed, and the rumors that I have read about Sims 5, I doubt that I will carry on with the series once the Sims 4 is finished, and that makes me very sad, since I have loved the Sims for over 20 years. So, I suppose I am a member of the Castaway club.

The Sims as a franchise has the best fans in that we keep telling them what they could do better, and so far they haven't bothered listening. In the long run they'll lose customers once we get more competitors in the genre. They don't see a reason to change their ways, which is pretty sad.
I do like Sims 4 once in a while, and I do play and enjoy the game, but once there's a better option I won't look back and I'll forget the game even existed probably.

Looking back at the state of the game during launch it was so obvious the team wanted to take advantage of DLC. They released a full base game with almost nothing in it. The worlds are tiny and there were no lots to play on.
Of course now with the Sims 4 you can travel from world to world in the same save but this requires you have enough worlds and how do you do that? You have to buy DLC. You want more lots than the tiny amount that the base game has? You have to buy DLC.
Whenever they say "We made the worlds so small so that we can add more with DLC" I get disgusted by how greedy it is to assume that all players want to buy extra DLC after purchasing a game that is supposed to be full.

EA, when you release a game, you have to release a full one, especially when people pay 60$ for it. No matter how many years pass I will still not forget the greediness this base game was by relying on its DLC to make it any good.

Yes I have to agree with Carl. The Sims 4 is a bad game that only relies on its DLC, hence the "content drought" people are talking about when this game has the most DLC out of all 4. People get bored unless there is something new to play, it's what EA is counting on "Give them less for the same amount of money and watch them come back for more".
I am very dissapointed in the Sims community because of that. Really a base game should be a full game and not something that relies on extra paid content to not be boring. If you look at the base game itself, it is so empty, it's just a rip-off.
They make so much money from this game and they could make so many great things with it but as Carl said: "The Sims 4 is a very big game that is created like it has a shoestring budget'

It's sad to see your favorite franchise turn into this money-greedy buggy mess, when it used to stand for passion for games and believing in you own ideas.

Hello very good Video. I would also recommend watching this. Its very long but also very well made



So...What Happened to The Sims 4? | Part Two: The Downfall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSyeb5RnWXg&ab_channel=Asmara




What are your thoughts? Agree or disagree?

I agree with some of his points, because the marketing was/is very misleading and manipulativ.. These surveys are annoying, because they only fuel hope and are there to keep players engaged. I dont even know what to expect (nothing is better) from this game, when it comes to live mode. I am very careful with wishing for stuff. I had to set my expectations so low, its baffeling. Definitly agree that there are always trade offs with these packs... Big World = less gameplay. I am also not grateful for these lifeservice. I am never gonna applaud them for adding skin tones. Or see firefighters as free content to be grateful for. Its ridicouless how they hyped up naming cow plants. Sould have been in the bug fixing section. Or how they hyped up white shelfs... please!



Do you consider yourself a 'castaway', why or why not?

Not really because even though some things are shallow i can make it a a fun game.
The girl in the Video sums it up... at around 44:15Minutes
I am type two:
(I like the imaginative freedom. I enjoy the looks. I am okay with downloading some mods. (always have in every iteration). And dont mind spending coins for the DLCs (half off, of course). i like to experience every aspect the game has to offer.

i try to just accept the game for what it is these days. I think its pointless to give feedback about core aspects (personalities, emotions, autonomy) of the game this late, when they always make it clear these days, that YOU make the sims.



Do you think the game is improving and going in the right direction (or is already great)?

Yes it is improving. I think they acknowledge more, adress some of its feedback faster, give us roadmaps instead of silence treatments, people can look forward to something (patch, bunk beds), gamechangers have a bigger impact than just beeing advertisements (like building houses). Some Fan Favorites (NpCs) are added. I also think some DLCs adress some of its feedback (random Phone calls, autonomus behaviour with Eco Lifestlye Trait) Yes its locked behind a paywell thats bull*** but oh well.

No i dont really like the Direction

This trailer will never sit well with me. Cringe. Released in 2019. No more Words about ''Smarter Sims, Deep Emotions''

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKVaEM0VfXU&ab_channel=TheSims

I think its sad, that this game is about the players and not so much about the sims themselfs, basically confirming that its also the community that keeps the game a float. I dont like how they made this game a tool for a safe space to express yourself. Everything is a trigger. Maybe thats why we dont have burglars. I dont like how they try to make this game a second life kind of thing you know? Or how they try to be Diverse(TM) or politicial. I liked it better when it was an alternative Universe with some refrences.

Mt.Komorebi Disscussions and cultural controversy.

"PreCiious;c-17837006" wrote:



I dont like how they try to make this game a second life kind of thing you know?

I'm pretty sure that when TS4 was in development, it was supposed to be a second life competitor. That's why the focus is on the player rather than the sim. You were supposed to only use these sims as avatars and not play a family or how we have played in the past.