Make-yourself-simulator vs dollhouse simulator

"Magnezone;c-17451364" wrote:

"Beardedgeek;c-17451346" wrote:
I only played Sunset Valley until the City pack came out, and then I played that. The reason? Because you were locked into a world, the City one was the ONLY map I could fit everything I wanted into the world and still have actual households. Because of the fact that you had an "open" world which didn't let you leave that world.

I never liked Riverview compared to Sunset valley; I would have loved to play in Twinbrooke but the map was so small you had to sacrifice 90% of things you got in expansion packs if you wanted to play there and so on.

Besides, the "feel" has nothing to do with actual settings; Oasis Springs is modeled after a (when it was built) very modern 60's suburb to Las Vegas. But it doesn't mean it is taking place in the 60's. Neither does the fact that Twinbrook is New Orleans mean it "takes place in the past" unless you believe that IRL New Orleans is in the past?

Oh my god. You actually really are trying to argue this. They are absolutely intended to be set in the era they're based on. I don't know what to tell you.

You think this family is intended to be a "modern day New Orleans" family? This is the Castor family from Twinbrook.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/sims/images/5/53/Castor_family.png/revision/latest?cb=20121001042754

Ignoring that, lets put Twinbrook to the side for now, how can you argue this when DRAGON VALLEY is clearly supposed to be high fantasy medieval? Even ALL OF THE SIMS there are dressed in fantasy clothing! Dragon Valley is not set in modern day. There is absolutely no point in trying to tell you this if you're going to ignore the very basic realities of the game - thematically, these locations are based on the past, and whether or not you played in them is completely irrelevant. Sure, you can place modern things if you like, but we're not arguing that. They shouldn't be fundamental to the game to do basic things, there should be alternatives for people who want to play this way.

For example! In The Sims 3 you could go to a rabbit hole and apply to a job in person. You could register as self employed at the Town Hall. You could basically opt out of using the phone entirely, except for things like throwing parties. The only thing you really needed a PC for was writing skill.

There is even an Off The Grid lot trait in The Sims 4 game, for people who don't want houses with running electricity, yet you still need a PC to do so much, so what's the point in it?

As I said, I never played Twinbrooke, really; the few times I tried I got so annoyed I couldn't fit everything I wanted in that I started over on another map, as usual. I guess I missed that; they were ugly so I never talked to them. (Who me shallow?)

I stand corrected, you have a point. Especially about Dragon Valley. I never played that; I had stopped playing Sims 3 before that came out (I got less and less interested in it and I quit after the Supernatural pack came out (I still regret buying that; I bough it, spent a weekend making fairies, then quit Sims 3 and never started it again).
Anyway, point is, you are right; I am wrong.

However, having different towns set in different eras does not work if you can travel between them freely. And that is the one benefit Sims 4 has over all the other games: You are not locked in the world you start in. And if I have to chose between the two? Heck yes I take Sims 4's approach EVERY. TIME. Being locked in one world felt so very very limiting in Sims 3 after the charade of the "Open world" is clear to you (Yay you can go everywhere but you can never leave).

So, what is needed here if you want to play a new era is simply a spinoff. Like Castaway or Medieval. That's the only way this will function. And that I am all for, btw. I would probably buy a new "Sims 4" Medieval.