@cinebar excellent post.
HOW MANY HERE PLAYING THE TS4 WANT TO PLAY A SIMULATOR?
YES in caps and bolded too.
Sims were never about life simulation but I have to say that TS2 comes more near to that than the rest games.
I like several things about TS4 but there are things that really annoy me about it. The ones you mentioned are among the things I think the developers screwed up with.
I think EA has made the animation budget for this game lower than all the previous ones. Let me mention some examples:
1- How sims pick up the plates from the table. The plates jump in sims hand. Compare this to TS2 way
2- Similar to your example is when you want to exchange something between the fridge and a sim's inventory. You would expect the sim go to the fridge, open it and take out or put something there, but no, nothing like that happens. It happens instantly without seeing it.
3- Ordering stuff from the computer like the medicine. immediately in your inventory. The sim does not even access the PC!
4- Refrigerators are made auto restockable to avoid the animations that were present in TS2 when you go to make a call, then the delivery man comes, then you put the stuff in the fridge. All that gone.
5- Transportation was removed from the game so they avoid the animation too. In TS3 they watered down the transportation where the sim disappears in the car but in this game it was removed completely.
6- Sleeping animation has been watered down too. in past games couples used to sleep then cuddle while they sleep. but in this game they sleep as strangers.
If you want something close to Life Simulator then TS2 is the ideal choice. TS4 is more like playing with a doll house. Its pretty but you know it can never be close to real.
I just hope one day a game company would do a great life simulator game.
