Features that needs depth and ways to improve
As much I like this game, there are still rooms for improvement, especially with the features that they had in the base game. If the features in the base game doesn't have depth, it will be ignored or even turn into a good feature no matter how pack they add. This list will consist of in what part of the game lack depth, and ways for the developers to improve it. It will include from Base Game to all Packs, but what I put down now is just what I remember. If you have an idea/thoughts don't hesitate to post. :)
Base Game
1. Aspirations - This feature is the most important part of a sim journey throughout their lives, and seeing this so repetitive makes this feature boring. It is sad seeing that the most important want of a sim is so boring and repetitive.
Ways to improve
Remove the linear goals and Integrate/Connect this feature with the whims and possibly the traits system.
Ex. If my sim is a foodie and have the master chef aspiration, he should get whims that he wanted to get a career, create a dinner party,
Cook their boyfriend/girlfriend favorite food. Master cooking skill, learn gourment cooking, Teach other sims to cook.
Then if you have dine out, Whims should include take date to restaurant, propose at the restaurant, run a 5 star restaurant.
By fulfilling this whims, the more a sim will accomplish his aspirations and more variety we will have.
2. Traits - One of the biggest problems of The Sims 4. Most traits don't work because of the emotion system, but even with the proper emotion/situation, the traits still don't do much. I am talking about the base game traits. The only trait that is done well is the Jealous trait and the unflirty trait. The rest is well... kinda... just there. Back in 2015 they are improving the reactions of sims based on their traits. The First part was the Jealousy update and the second part was the Pre-Get Together patch where sims will react on fire based on their traits(like a gloomy sim will cry during a fire) and an improved death reaction based on a sim relationship. Now the problem is that patch was the last patch that create big changes on how sim act based on their traits. I thought they will continue it, but it was left in the dust.
Ways to improve
Have the traits be the reason of a sim emotional state.
Improve integration with the emotion system.
Ex. If a sim is an Hot-Headed Loner, the sim should be angry instead of being tense. If a sim is a Gloomy Loner, the sim should be sad.
If the sim is an Hot- Headed Neat Freak, the sim should be angry with all the mess, not uncomfortable.
If the sim is Evil, he should have the ability to lough at people who are in a negative emotion.
If the sim is Good, the sim should have more interest in helping others, have more unique interaction that can help others, instead of
just having the ability to donate without the charisma skill.
If the sim is an Self Assured Music Lover, he shouldn't be embarrassed while playing instruments at low level, but still confident.
Have them to include animations/reactions that are unique to them, or can be easily identified by the player when we interact with other sims.
Ex. of needs to be tuned
What is the difference of Outgoing and a Good Sim?
Why does clumsy sims only fails at the treadmill? If they fail, they should change the gameplay, such as easily chance of fire and
electrocution, food plates are more to drop when working at the restaurant, etc.
Why does the Loves Outdoor trait only make sims happy outdoors?
3. Emotions System - One of the features that needs a big revamp. The emotions system is one of the reasons why traits don't work on its full potential, It is an idea that is very great but still needs improvement. The Problem is there are more positive/happy moodlets than the negative ones, or most of the negative ones doesn't relate to the traits.
Ways to improve
Increase the emotion buff of emotional traits by +2.
Ex. The feeling angry buff should be +2 instead of +1.
Remove the environmental moodlets or base them on traits.
Ex. If an Hot-Headed sim gets an environmental buff that sim should be angry or.......Remove the environmental buffs all together, as
it was unnecessary and interfere gameplay.
Moodlets emotions should depend on traits, not on the base one.
Ex. An evil sim should be happy when someone dies, unless it was his/her friend.
When a genius sim discovered something, that sim should become focused, or when that sim finished reading a book, that sim should
not be just happy but also focused.
In My opinion to balance the emotion system, once a sim is in an specific moodlet, it will decreaase the values of positive moodlet. Not all
negative moodlets should do this but only on some events.
Ex. If a sim had lost his spouse because of death after the wedding, all positive moodlets should decease its value. Why? after the wedding,
probably the sim is in a very emotional state, so if that sim got 2 sad moodlets, no matter how tragic happen, that sim will stay happy
since he/she only have +6/+4 sad moodlets and +8 to +10 happy moodlets.
4. Memories System - The System that needs a revamp. The memories and events of a sim should be remembered by the sim itself and have it affect his.her future life. If a sim is gloomy, and most of his memory are sim death, rejections, and fights, that sim should preferred to be alone, nut unlike a loner sim, other sims can comfort them even if it is stranger, and the sad sim should have the ability to tell what happen in his past life.
5. Whims - The most important thing in a sim is what he/she want the player to do for them to be happy. If this whims are repetitive then it is boring.
Ways to improve
Make the whims integrate on aspiration and trait system even more.
Whims should also depend on their life status.
Whims should also have relation to the future.
Ex. They should have a whims to have their child grew up well, especially with parenthood.
They should have long term goals not just short term.
6. Ghost - I am very serious about this. They are not scary anymore. They felt sims with different colors.
Ways to improve
Sims should not see them by default, instead it is up to the player or on their actions if they will become visible to sims.
Sims shouldn't have just talk to a ghost so easily. They should be scared at the beginning, like panicking because they saw one.
Ghost should have the ability to pass through walls.
Ghost should have more unique abilities, powers depending on their death type.
Ghost should also have mean interaction that can scare sims.
7. Life Stages - Everything in except the toddler life stage needs a revamp, especially teens, babies, and elders.
The Emotions - Traits - Aspirations - Whims - Memories - Traits - Likes and Dislikes(if we get them) - Career - Life Status should work together to create more unique sims. If they work together, with each had depth into it, then sims 4 sims will be a step up to previous games.
Get To Work
1. Shopping Experience - While all careers have depth and effort into it, even managing a business, being a customer is a nightmare and uninspiring. You should feel like a customer and their should be an animation of paying to the employee or even to get objects, not just magical hands.
Ways to Improve
Have an employee interact with your sim.
Ex. If its your first time to go shopping an employee should talk to your sim and give the player tips on what we can do.
Employees should show off the items for sale to the player.
More interactive display.
ex. Have an clothing booth for our sims to try on clothes. A clothing rack with hangers and lot of clothes for boutique shop.
Get Together
City Living
1. Apartments - One of the features that lacked depth. It is not just in building, but also in gameplay. I can understand that they didn't let us build apartments from scratch because its their decision and not the focus of the pack, but when the gameplay lacked depth, it is a different story.
Ways to Improve
Make the Landlord to act more as an owner, rather than a free repair service.
ex. Have the owner roam around the apartment. Chatting with your neighbors, and sometimes visit you.
Have them do activities that only they can do. Such as maybe have them throw a party, an apartment party where all the sims living in
that building are invited.
When the power is being shut off, the landlord shouldn't just appear in the Notifications, but have them appear as a sim, where they will
go your sims apartment room and shout/yell/complain at them because they are not paying the bills.
Have the Elevator be Functional.
2. Festivals - a feature that suppose to be fun for a long term but gets boring after 2-3 repeats.
Ways to Improve
Progression
ex. When a sim was in GeekCon, they should have new types of video games that are on offer and only present at an specific day.
When a sim was on any festivals, the layout must be different, and there should be different prize that will only be available let say on
First Time a festivals occur, but on the next time that same festivals happen, it should be different again.
Flea Market should sell different things not the same objects that are just recolored.
The Prize that a player/Sim that may get should not just be money, but also an actual gameplay object that can be used by the player. The
Prizes should have a variety and not the same each time the same festival happen.
Base Game
1. Aspirations - This feature is the most important part of a sim journey throughout their lives, and seeing this so repetitive makes this feature boring. It is sad seeing that the most important want of a sim is so boring and repetitive.
Ways to improve
Remove the linear goals and Integrate/Connect this feature with the whims and possibly the traits system.
Ex. If my sim is a foodie and have the master chef aspiration, he should get whims that he wanted to get a career, create a dinner party,
Cook their boyfriend/girlfriend favorite food. Master cooking skill, learn gourment cooking, Teach other sims to cook.
Then if you have dine out, Whims should include take date to restaurant, propose at the restaurant, run a 5 star restaurant.
By fulfilling this whims, the more a sim will accomplish his aspirations and more variety we will have.
2. Traits - One of the biggest problems of The Sims 4. Most traits don't work because of the emotion system, but even with the proper emotion/situation, the traits still don't do much. I am talking about the base game traits. The only trait that is done well is the Jealous trait and the unflirty trait. The rest is well... kinda... just there. Back in 2015 they are improving the reactions of sims based on their traits. The First part was the Jealousy update and the second part was the Pre-Get Together patch where sims will react on fire based on their traits(like a gloomy sim will cry during a fire) and an improved death reaction based on a sim relationship. Now the problem is that patch was the last patch that create big changes on how sim act based on their traits. I thought they will continue it, but it was left in the dust.
Ways to improve
Have the traits be the reason of a sim emotional state.
Improve integration with the emotion system.
Ex. If a sim is an Hot-Headed Loner, the sim should be angry instead of being tense. If a sim is a Gloomy Loner, the sim should be sad.
If the sim is an Hot- Headed Neat Freak, the sim should be angry with all the mess, not uncomfortable.
If the sim is Evil, he should have the ability to lough at people who are in a negative emotion.
If the sim is Good, the sim should have more interest in helping others, have more unique interaction that can help others, instead of
just having the ability to donate without the charisma skill.
If the sim is an Self Assured Music Lover, he shouldn't be embarrassed while playing instruments at low level, but still confident.
Have them to include animations/reactions that are unique to them, or can be easily identified by the player when we interact with other sims.
Ex. of needs to be tuned
What is the difference of Outgoing and a Good Sim?
Why does clumsy sims only fails at the treadmill? If they fail, they should change the gameplay, such as easily chance of fire and
electrocution, food plates are more to drop when working at the restaurant, etc.
Why does the Loves Outdoor trait only make sims happy outdoors?
3. Emotions System - One of the features that needs a big revamp. The emotions system is one of the reasons why traits don't work on its full potential, It is an idea that is very great but still needs improvement. The Problem is there are more positive/happy moodlets than the negative ones, or most of the negative ones doesn't relate to the traits.
Ways to improve
Increase the emotion buff of emotional traits by +2.
Ex. The feeling angry buff should be +2 instead of +1.
Remove the environmental moodlets or base them on traits.
Ex. If an Hot-Headed sim gets an environmental buff that sim should be angry or.......Remove the environmental buffs all together, as
it was unnecessary and interfere gameplay.
Moodlets emotions should depend on traits, not on the base one.
Ex. An evil sim should be happy when someone dies, unless it was his/her friend.
When a genius sim discovered something, that sim should become focused, or when that sim finished reading a book, that sim should
not be just happy but also focused.
In My opinion to balance the emotion system, once a sim is in an specific moodlet, it will decreaase the values of positive moodlet. Not all
negative moodlets should do this but only on some events.
Ex. If a sim had lost his spouse because of death after the wedding, all positive moodlets should decease its value. Why? after the wedding,
probably the sim is in a very emotional state, so if that sim got 2 sad moodlets, no matter how tragic happen, that sim will stay happy
since he/she only have +6/+4 sad moodlets and +8 to +10 happy moodlets.
4. Memories System - The System that needs a revamp. The memories and events of a sim should be remembered by the sim itself and have it affect his.her future life. If a sim is gloomy, and most of his memory are sim death, rejections, and fights, that sim should preferred to be alone, nut unlike a loner sim, other sims can comfort them even if it is stranger, and the sad sim should have the ability to tell what happen in his past life.
5. Whims - The most important thing in a sim is what he/she want the player to do for them to be happy. If this whims are repetitive then it is boring.
Ways to improve
Make the whims integrate on aspiration and trait system even more.
Whims should also depend on their life status.
Whims should also have relation to the future.
Ex. They should have a whims to have their child grew up well, especially with parenthood.
They should have long term goals not just short term.
6. Ghost - I am very serious about this. They are not scary anymore. They felt sims with different colors.
Ways to improve
Sims should not see them by default, instead it is up to the player or on their actions if they will become visible to sims.
Sims shouldn't have just talk to a ghost so easily. They should be scared at the beginning, like panicking because they saw one.
Ghost should have the ability to pass through walls.
Ghost should have more unique abilities, powers depending on their death type.
Ghost should also have mean interaction that can scare sims.
7. Life Stages - Everything in except the toddler life stage needs a revamp, especially teens, babies, and elders.
The Emotions - Traits - Aspirations - Whims - Memories - Traits - Likes and Dislikes(if we get them) - Career - Life Status should work together to create more unique sims. If they work together, with each had depth into it, then sims 4 sims will be a step up to previous games.
Get To Work
1. Shopping Experience - While all careers have depth and effort into it, even managing a business, being a customer is a nightmare and uninspiring. You should feel like a customer and their should be an animation of paying to the employee or even to get objects, not just magical hands.
Ways to Improve
Have an employee interact with your sim.
Ex. If its your first time to go shopping an employee should talk to your sim and give the player tips on what we can do.
Employees should show off the items for sale to the player.
More interactive display.
ex. Have an clothing booth for our sims to try on clothes. A clothing rack with hangers and lot of clothes for boutique shop.
Get Together
City Living
1. Apartments - One of the features that lacked depth. It is not just in building, but also in gameplay. I can understand that they didn't let us build apartments from scratch because its their decision and not the focus of the pack, but when the gameplay lacked depth, it is a different story.
Ways to Improve
Make the Landlord to act more as an owner, rather than a free repair service.
ex. Have the owner roam around the apartment. Chatting with your neighbors, and sometimes visit you.
Have them do activities that only they can do. Such as maybe have them throw a party, an apartment party where all the sims living in
that building are invited.
When the power is being shut off, the landlord shouldn't just appear in the Notifications, but have them appear as a sim, where they will
go your sims apartment room and shout/yell/complain at them because they are not paying the bills.
Have the Elevator be Functional.
2. Festivals - a feature that suppose to be fun for a long term but gets boring after 2-3 repeats.
Ways to Improve
Progression
ex. When a sim was in GeekCon, they should have new types of video games that are on offer and only present at an specific day.
When a sim was on any festivals, the layout must be different, and there should be different prize that will only be available let say on
First Time a festivals occur, but on the next time that same festivals happen, it should be different again.
Flea Market should sell different things not the same objects that are just recolored.
The Prize that a player/Sim that may get should not just be money, but also an actual gameplay object that can be used by the player. The
Prizes should have a variety and not the same each time the same festival happen.
