Dear Sims 4 gurus, dev team, and marketing team
First, I just want to thank you guys for the 5 years you have dedicated to the Sims 4 franchise. Some of you have even worked on the Sims 2, my favorite 😊, and the Sims 3, also a goody. The strives you guys have made in the life simulation game is amazing and must be appreciated. Still to date, there is no other game that can touch or replace the sims. And that is thanks to your hard work. Both from the current team and those who have worked on the sims in the past. As a player, I can say I truly love the sims, in fact its want helped me figure out what I want to do with and strive for in my life, to become a game developer. And I truly must say thank you. A million Thank Yous. Whenever in stressed from college, life, or work, I know I can turn to the sims and forget for a bit. No other game has done that for me, and mind you I have been playing the sims since I was 7 (I'm 22 now). The Sims even helped me cope with the reality of losing my mother and grandfathers within months of each other. I can't tell you how often I would make a mother sim and end up crying when she would, autonomously, hug or play with her children.
That's why I'm so invested in the sims, why I try to support the game when I can, from buying all the Sims 2 content (well mostly my dad since I was still a kid and couldn't work) to buying items from the Sims 3 store to just recently buying Island Living once I had saved twice the amount. But, despite all the praise and my loyalty to the franchise, I must say I'm worried for the future of the game. I dread the day when the series is brought to an end, meaning newer generations might not get to experience the game the way millions of us players, old and new, have. Which is why I beg you to read this message before it is buried in the forums.
The Sims 4 is severely lacking in many of the core components that made the previous versions stand up and out from each other. The base game feels very unfinished, which is understandable with a time crunch and deadlines to meet. However, that doesnt mean, 5 years in, that you still can't go back and improve on it. Yes, patching the game does help, but do more than that. When and wherever possible, go back and relook at the base game, see what is missing, lacking, or was left unfinished. As people who clearly have a passion and love for the game, see this as a challenge to do better. If its within budget go for it! If its possible to do, go for it! Show us why you guys spent years learning how to build and work the Sims, not just what the higher ups tell you to do. Same goes with EPs, GPs, and SPs. Each new pack made for the Sims 4 is made with only the base, seasons, and sometimes pets involved. But that has shown to hurt previous packs or makes integration among pack difficult. Prime examples: The conservationist and political careers are only made to work with base and their respective packs involved. This is understandable, not everyone has every DLC so new DLC has to be compatible with the base and what they do have. But for players who do have most if not all DLC, cross pack gameplay should be considered. Like making the conversationalist career playable in Brindleton Bay if you have pets or starting a protest in Del Sol Valley to gain supporters. These are things that can be done with patches, again if its possible then try to do it, if not you can say "we tried but it didnt work THIS TIME. Doesnt mean it wont work later". Also, patching and fixing bugs from older DLC should not be abandoned once newer packs come out. Leaving bugs to be fixed by mods is messy business practices. Prime Example is GTW and Dine Out: both are still broken years after their initial release with barely any patches that fix major and core problems. Seeing things as challenging should push you guys to try and overcome them. Atleast that's what I try to do when pursuing what I want to see or make happen. Only once all possible options within my abilities are used up is when I throw in the towel, but I still come back later to try a new way. That's how it should be when working on the sims or any game. The sims has no competition right now, but that doesn't mean there isn't someone out there who is watching and learning with the drive to make something better. It can be seen in the recent surge of Indie titles remaking popular games: Citiskylines for Simcity, Planet Coaster or Coaster Tycoon, and multiple Zoo Tycoon replacements. Its only a matter of time before the Sims has it's own competition. So why not make things interesting and push the boundaries of the game?
I'm sorry for the long post, I just wanted to say me piece. At the end of the day, I love the sims and enjoy being counted as a simmer. That why i care so much about the future of the game and want the best for it and its creators and its players.
That's why I'm so invested in the sims, why I try to support the game when I can, from buying all the Sims 2 content (well mostly my dad since I was still a kid and couldn't work) to buying items from the Sims 3 store to just recently buying Island Living once I had saved twice the amount. But, despite all the praise and my loyalty to the franchise, I must say I'm worried for the future of the game. I dread the day when the series is brought to an end, meaning newer generations might not get to experience the game the way millions of us players, old and new, have. Which is why I beg you to read this message before it is buried in the forums.
The Sims 4 is severely lacking in many of the core components that made the previous versions stand up and out from each other. The base game feels very unfinished, which is understandable with a time crunch and deadlines to meet. However, that doesnt mean, 5 years in, that you still can't go back and improve on it. Yes, patching the game does help, but do more than that. When and wherever possible, go back and relook at the base game, see what is missing, lacking, or was left unfinished. As people who clearly have a passion and love for the game, see this as a challenge to do better. If its within budget go for it! If its possible to do, go for it! Show us why you guys spent years learning how to build and work the Sims, not just what the higher ups tell you to do. Same goes with EPs, GPs, and SPs. Each new pack made for the Sims 4 is made with only the base, seasons, and sometimes pets involved. But that has shown to hurt previous packs or makes integration among pack difficult. Prime examples: The conservationist and political careers are only made to work with base and their respective packs involved. This is understandable, not everyone has every DLC so new DLC has to be compatible with the base and what they do have. But for players who do have most if not all DLC, cross pack gameplay should be considered. Like making the conversationalist career playable in Brindleton Bay if you have pets or starting a protest in Del Sol Valley to gain supporters. These are things that can be done with patches, again if its possible then try to do it, if not you can say "we tried but it didnt work THIS TIME. Doesnt mean it wont work later". Also, patching and fixing bugs from older DLC should not be abandoned once newer packs come out. Leaving bugs to be fixed by mods is messy business practices. Prime Example is GTW and Dine Out: both are still broken years after their initial release with barely any patches that fix major and core problems. Seeing things as challenging should push you guys to try and overcome them. Atleast that's what I try to do when pursuing what I want to see or make happen. Only once all possible options within my abilities are used up is when I throw in the towel, but I still come back later to try a new way. That's how it should be when working on the sims or any game. The sims has no competition right now, but that doesn't mean there isn't someone out there who is watching and learning with the drive to make something better. It can be seen in the recent surge of Indie titles remaking popular games: Citiskylines for Simcity, Planet Coaster or Coaster Tycoon, and multiple Zoo Tycoon replacements. Its only a matter of time before the Sims has it's own competition. So why not make things interesting and push the boundaries of the game?
I'm sorry for the long post, I just wanted to say me piece. At the end of the day, I love the sims and enjoy being counted as a simmer. That why i care so much about the future of the game and want the best for it and its creators and its players.
