With all the attention around seasons and it’s features, one of them involves said weather and world changes happening naturally, automatically, progression of the sort. The same can be said for the general feature in base game involving sims aging naturally, as time passes, people grow older, get jobs, some form relationships (its rare but some can form relationships with random and or neighboring sims) and get as close to story progression as one sim can before it bows out. The software is there and with seasons being so immersive, does that mean story progression is bound to follow soon after as what is seasons if only one household enjoys the environmental changes with each passing month!? I’m not going to say “how hard it is to add two extra steps to the sims? Just enable them to get married and have kids!” Because game design and the like is very difficult and it’s ridiculous to say it’s not. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t ask the question “what about story progression?” Where is it? Why do we have half of it? Why can we age, get jobs, have relationships but not go all the way and get married and start a family? Why do we only receive half of a feature we should’ve had from the beginning? With seasons I’m hopeful this means they’ll look at the big behind the scenes feature and get everyone together to say “we need story progressions because how can simmers games be immersive if they can’t go down the street and see neighbouring homes playing in the sun or running in the snow? Why have we made seasons with all these holidays if only the players household can interact with it when it should be all the sims interacting” EA are finally listening to us so why not use seasons as a microphone to hype up story progression? Whether it’s now, next week, next month, next year, we could get story progression and have our games be a little more realistic. Just imagine your household grows up and expands, your sims daughters left home and met this cute guy and your son from another marriage has already popped the question to their partner and they’re having triplets! We could have that, and I’m hoping seasons brings us the ability to have that. Tell me what you think seasons will bring apart of new weather. What you do think it’ll open us up to for the future?

Well I hope you get the option but I also seriously hope it can be turned off. Nothing annoyed me more in ts3 than when the game tampered with my households(usually by moving them out or killing a sim off). One of my Sims daughters getting married and having kids with out my say so would be grounds for abandoning a save for me. :| I still support having the option for those who want it though. As long as it is exactly that, an option.

I hope not if they add forced story progression on my Sims that's when I quit playing and toggles seem to hard for them to do.

Story progression is my favourite feature in The Sims history. Because TS4 doesn't have real story progression the game feels empty and shallow to me.And before someone says it: Yes there are mods for that, we all know it.

"BeJaWa;c-16507195" wrote:Well I hope you get the option but I also seriously hope it can be turned off. Nothing annoyed me more in ts3 than when the game tampered with my households(usually by moving them out or killing a sim off). One of my Sims daughters getting married and having kids with out my say so would be grounds for abandoning a save for me. :| I still support having the option for those who want it though. As long as it is exactly that, an option.It would be an option. I’m not saying “WE NEED STORY PROGRESSION WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT” I just mean, have it as an option. Fully respect those who don’t want it because back in sims 3, as much as I loved the ability to leave a house for so long and come back to a whole new generation created by the games match making, it was also a bit of a pain if it meant I couldn’t marry a specific sim off to one of mine without there being some friction. Introduce it as an option which can be turned off or filtered in some way, like a sim can do so much without your say so but they can’t go passed said point. Just give simmers who want it, that ability.

"ItsJanier;c-16507234" wrote:Story progression is my favourite feature in The Sims history. Because TS4 doesn't have real story progression the game feels empty and shallow to me.And before someone says it: Yes there are mods for that, we all know it. Mods aren’t the be all and end all for everybody. That’s the issue for vanilla simmers who can’t use them, don’t want to and so on. Don’t get me wrong, the mod creators go harder than the actual creators of sims which is amazing but it doesn’t solve the problem. Not everyone can rely on mods, or just don’t wanna have to which is understandable. Story progression needs to be added via an update, whether it’s now or later, but eventually EA need to accept it’s a vital part of sims

Does Seasons mark the beginning of story progression?

peeangg
7 years ago
"Hermitgirl;c-16508118" wrote:
"peeangg;c-16507965" wrote:
I don't really see a problem with forced story progression. Relationships are pretty easy to build up and break down in every sims game. Plus there's the manage worlds option which lets you do it yourself if you don't want the game doing it for you and there's a cheat relationships option if you shift click a sim. I don't see much of a downside to it either. I know there's people who micromanage every part of their sims life and story, but I think they're a small, vocal minority as most people probably play this as a video game more than a story telling device. IMO lack of story progression is not a feature, it's a flaw, it's going backwards. They should've improved upon story progression rather than get rid of it completely like they did with a lot of other things.

I just want them to add story progression. I'd like it if they added it in even if forced. The people who don't want it can just erase the relationships they don't like with cheats and add the ones they'd like and if they have aging off they'd have enough time. Sims have always done things we don't want them to do and it's always only been a minor inconvenience. I just see it as an extension of autonomy/free will, which is also a vital part of gameplay to me.

Toggles would be ideal. I'm optimistic and I could see them pulling it off even if everyone thinks they'd fail at implementing them. MCCC has really good options for it, I wish there was something like it in vanilla, but testingcheats does let you do a lot of things.

I'm okay with an option only to add it. Forced story progression would ruin my game.. non story progress with me making major choices for my sims is a vital part of gameplay to me. If it's a minor inconvenience as you say.. then it's a minor inconvenience for you to live your sims lives. It's posts like that this that make me reply and take a stand against it. You get a mod.. you cheat things in, since it's so very easy to do.

I'm sorry, but I don't really understand what you're saying here? It is not a minor inconvenience to let my sims live their lives, that's why I want story progression and what do you mean by taking a stand against it? Is story progression really that bothersome? Honestly, I think it would add a lot more, rather than take away from the game, but maybe our playstyles are just too differing. Plus undoing story progression would be easy with cheats. I don't like having to turn to mods to add things that I think should've been in the game already because it was a big part of the past game and even though I'm on pc, I can't turn to mods on console.

Like I said, toggles would be the best compromise, but I wouldn't mind it to be forced. Story progression isn't game-breaking, at least not to me. In fact, I'd argue that without it, the game feels empty even though I've made a bunch of my own townies, they don't really do anything other than go to venues sometimes. I feel like I shouldn't have to make all big decisions for every single one of them especially when they could've done it before themselves in 3.
peeangg
7 years ago
"IceyJ;c-16509328" wrote:
"peeangg;c-16507965" wrote:
I don't really see a problem with forced story progression. Relationships are pretty easy to build up and break down in every sims game. Plus there's the manage worlds option which lets you do it yourself if you don't want the game doing it for you and there's a cheat relationships option if you shift click a sim. I don't see much of a downside to it either. I know there's people who micromanage every part of their sims life and story, but I think they're a small, vocal minority as most people probably play this as a video game more than a story telling device. IMO lack of story progression is not a feature, it's a flaw, it's going backwards. They should've improved upon story progression rather than get rid of it completely like they did with a lot of other things.

I just want them to add story progression. I'd like it if they added it in even if forced. The people who don't want it can just erase the relationships they don't like with cheats and add the ones they'd like and if they have aging off they'd have enough time. Sims have always done things we don't want them to do and it's always only been a minor inconvenience. I just see it as an extension of autonomy/free will, which is also a vital part of gameplay to me.

Toggles would be ideal. I'm optimistic and I could see them pulling it off even if everyone thinks they'd fail at implementing them. MCCC has really good options for it, I wish there was something like it in vanilla, but testingcheats does let you do a lot of things.

Who wants to spend all of their game time constantly fixing and adjusting the effects of story progression? No way. If we get story progression, it must come with multiple options to choose how it affects played and non-played families. It shouldn't be forced on anyone who doesn't want it.

Well I'm kinda on the other end of the spectrum and I'm stuck manually doing story progression. I still don't see it being forced as a big deal. Not 100% sure, but I think that most players only stick to 1 to a few households rather than planning out elaborate storylines for all sims in their game. If I'm right about this, then I think most players would benefit from it and it would make towns feel livelier.

I don't like having to plan out the lives of 200 sims and would rather have them make their own decisions. Also 3's story progression wasn't as chaotic as people are making it seem. In fact, sims barely moved or had children so it was pretty easy to undo and if we had it in 3, then I don't see why it was missing in 4.

But whatever. My point is, the lack of story progression is not a feature or a good thing. This game should've came with the story progression as an option like it was in 3. However, I don't see it as the end of the world if it was forced. Now that I see many of you disagree I now know that there really does need to be toggles lol, but for me personally, I just want story progression, toggles or not. I can see how it'd annoy people, but overall even if it was forced I think the majority would be happy to see its return.
TheLittleThings
7 years ago
"peeangg;c-16515605" wrote:
"IceyJ;c-16509328" wrote:
"peeangg;c-16507965" wrote:
I don't really see a problem with forced story progression. Relationships are pretty easy to build up and break down in every sims game. Plus there's the manage worlds option which lets you do it yourself if you don't want the game doing it for you and there's a cheat relationships option if you shift click a sim. I don't see much of a downside to it either. I know there's people who micromanage every part of their sims life and story, but I think they're a small, vocal minority as most people probably play this as a video game more than a story telling device. IMO lack of story progression is not a feature, it's a flaw, it's going backwards. They should've improved upon story progression rather than get rid of it completely like they did with a lot of other things.

I just want them to add story progression. I'd like it if they added it in even if forced. The people who don't want it can just erase the relationships they don't like with cheats and add the ones they'd like and if they have aging off they'd have enough time. Sims have always done things we don't want them to do and it's always only been a minor inconvenience. I just see it as an extension of autonomy/free will, which is also a vital part of gameplay to me.

Toggles would be ideal. I'm optimistic and I could see them pulling it off even if everyone thinks they'd fail at implementing them. MCCC has really good options for it, I wish there was something like it in vanilla, but testingcheats does let you do a lot of things.

Who wants to spend all of their game time constantly fixing and adjusting the effects of story progression? No way. If we get story progression, it must come with multiple options to choose how it affects played and non-played families. It shouldn't be forced on anyone who doesn't want it.

Well I'm kinda on the other end of the spectrum and I'm stuck manually doing story progression. I still don't see it being forced as a big deal. Not 100% sure, but I think that most players only stick to 1 to a few households rather than planning out elaborate storylines for all sims in their game. If I'm right about this, then I think most players would benefit from it and it would make towns feel livelier.

I don't like having to plan out the lives of 200 sims and would rather have them make their own decisions. Also 3's story progression wasn't as chaotic as people are making it seem. In fact, sims barely moved or had children so it was pretty easy to undo and if we had it in 3, then I don't see why it was missing in 4.

But whatever. My point is, the lack of story progression is not a feature or a good thing. This game should've came with the story progression as an option like it was in 3. However, I don't see it as the end of the world if it was forced. Now that I see many of you disagree I now know that there really does need to be toggles lol, but for me personally, I just want story progression, toggles or not. I can see how it'd annoy people, but overall even if it was forced I think the majority would be happy to see its return.

You're making the assumption that the majority play the same way you do but I've seen a lot of people talk about how many families they play within one save. I in no way feel that they are the minority. It would be annoying and ruin immersion for them if they kept needing to move sims back, cheat relationships away and delete children. The Sims 2 was designed to be played rotationally, other lots remained frozen in time when you played a different household as you didn't have the option of creating different save games. It lacked progression to the point where different houses would be experiencing different seasons at the same time, because it only progressed when you were playing them. You might not like that style of play but that was a feature of TS2, it was intentionally designed that way and there are many people that got used to playing The Sims like that. A lot of those people skipped TS3 because it didn't fit in with that playstyle, story progression was something they didn't like, to the point where they didn't play that version at all. It would be cruel to change TS4 so that it only fits a playstyle that isn't theirs. Story progression as an option, awesome, but forced is not OK.
Cinebar
7 years ago
I would say no. You already have some story progression and not because of Seasons. Like babies named and growing up without the player if they rotated away from that household. No notice, either.

Townies aging..story progression. Townies changing jobs...story progression. Townies 'moving away' Even friends...culled/deleted...story progression. Your own households aging without you..story progression. Sims getting involved romantically with other Sims without you..story progression.

Sims (yours) making friends and having affairs without you...story progression. Sims meeting Sims you never met...story progression. Townies gaining skills you had nothing to do with...story progression. Time Continuim from one house or world to the other..Story Progression. ETA: Your own Sims gaining skills you didn't want when you return to them...story progression.

You already have a lot of pieces of story progression in game that bothers rotational players more often than not.

Ones that really bug some, Vampires biting others outside your control..that is part of a story progression. Aliens abducting others beyond your control that was story progression. Advancing the story outside your control may bring more things that annoy some.

ETA: And no it wasn't just no big deal to undo TS3 story progression. I didn't appreciate a single Sim of mine in a one bedroom suddenly involved with a townie who had moved herself in, and three more moving in, too, when I wasn't playing him.

ETA: TS3 didn't come with an option to turn off SP until a patch much later. You lived with it. (I have to wonder if people want open spaces/worlds and SP why they aren't playing TS3 where it has everything like that). I have to scratch my head on this one.
MidnightAura86
New Spectator
7 years ago
I agree with @Cinebar. There is already forms of story prepgression in game. I would not want SP in the sims 4. If the player rules, let them rule. Since toggles aren’t the sims 4 friends if it were implemented I don’t think they would include the ability to turn it off.
LayeLeeSims
7 years ago
They couldn't even pre-patch seasons without breaking the game. I don't trust them to try implementing full story progression, particularly since they had it in The Sims 3 and mods still did it better. They'll sell it like we won't have to micromanage anymore if we don't want to but it'll probably mix everything up so much that you'll micromanage more than before if you don't want a town full of deadbeat parents and everybody on their 5th or 6th spouse.
I'll probably wind up switching their story progression off and using MCCC like I did with TS3 and Nraas
s_stutler
7 years ago
I'm really confused about this thread. I thought we already had "Story Progression" ?? I mark my households that I play with as Played.. and nothing happens to them (other than they age- when I check that box in the gameplay options) But the townies, move in, move out, have kids, get divorced.. anyone I don't play with, continues their lives without me.. like they should.

Am I wrong? This is how my game runs.. It sounds like a lot of you are suggesting things we already have in game? Or maybe I'm wrong?
0_lola_lola_1
7 years ago
But what i mean with story progression, is that I hate having to go to my sims household friends to find that they are nearly in old age and none of them have even started a romantic relationship, nor married, nor had a baby and i have to edit them all over so that some of them have children or even a relationship. What I hate even more is having to stay with them for a bit to skill their babies abilities or to educate their child or adolescent in any way, because they do nothing.
I mean there cant be any type of story progression when you put in the world an adult sim with their child in the world and when you enter the household when the child is old the relationship they have is always neutral, never a bad one nor a good one, just neutral.
It makes me sooo sad !
x_Always_Heart_
7 years ago
As long as I can toggle what households can be subject to it or not, I’m all for it. I don’t want unplanned children being born outta no where for family members outside my household.

I hope story progression offers more than one scenario tho, other than that picture perfect families.
ChampandGirlie
New Spectator
7 years ago
Forced story progression would pretty much make me quit the game because it is completely counter to my playstyle. I would not go in and delete random marriages and children, I would quit playing. It's not something I want in the game. If it were a toggle option, I would never choose it.

I play rotationally with a bunch of households. I basically "play the town". I have a whole way in which I manage story progression in my game and it's part of the fun for me. In TS3, I had to play with one household and one world so I was constantly getting bored and abandoning saves. I like the way that TS4 lets me play now.

Do I want to see more hobbies and activities in the game? Yeah. Do I want to see townies enjoying themselves around town? Yeah. I do some match-making of unplayed sims on my own, but mostly, I have a growing group of playable households that form the main part of the town for me. I want to play those out and see what happens. As for other unplayed households? I manage those myself. I've been known to randomly marry off some townies and to create their kids. Sometimes I go back in later and make those households playable.

Anyway, I agree with whoever said there's no need to add "forced story progression" because you can do all of that in Manage Households and in the settings. Just marry some unplayed households to each other, create whatever children you want them to have with genetics (or go totally random and have them adopt) then move them into an unplayed house in the town. Turn aging on for unplayed households and they will age alongside your sims.