I'm happy with the update. There are lots of Likes/ Dislikes to choose from, and you can choose up to 20 of them. And it does seem like they tried to have them make some difference to the sims' personality and actions.
But, I agree with you. Unless they fix the Emotion System, none of these new features matter.
Positive & Happy Emotions are too strong, and overtake everything. A well decorated house destroys any negative feelings a sim might have. An Inspired buff from a painting can overpower Sadness from a Breakup/ Divorce. Emotions are too easy to manipulate by environmental factors, like decor and certain activities. Angry emotions are too easily fixed by using Happy decor or from easy social interactions. Sims are too easy to control and shallow. Give them a luxurious house to live in, and they'll never be sad, angry or tense again. Overall, the Emotion System is shallow and badly programmed.
It's the same thing with Sentiments. I like Sentiments, they are a nice idea. But, again, the Emotion System gets in the way. Your sim might have a festering grudge from a fight, but as soon as you put an expensive painting in the room, they forget about it.
They can keep adding all the features they want to the game, but until they fix the Emotions System, the sims will still be as shallow as ever.
