Recently I read somewhere that it is officially acknowledged that sims 4 exists in a parallel universe. However I didnt find any more information on this subject and to be honest, I didnt even know that there is such as thing as a The Sims timeline! Anyway, I didnt find any official source that state such a thing. Therefore, can you post an official link (from EA, for example) that states that the Sims 4 takes place in an alternate universe?

Here you go: https://twitter.com/SimGuruSarah/status/476083989368012801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fforums.thesims.com%2Fen_US%2Fdiscussion%2F760341%2Fwhere-is-the-sims-4-in-the-sims-universe :)

To my understanding, the pre-made families in past games had somewhat pre-determined stories to be told. Basically, them saying The Sims 4 is not in alignment to any the past iterations. Whatever lore, or events, that occurred to a certain pre-made family in the past game doesn't apply to that family, in the sims 4. The Sims 4 is for you to decide where you want the story to pick up from, or even if that's the story you want to tell at all. Tell a new story if you want.

"Johnsomething;c-17137882" wrote:Ah Okay thanks for your answers. @Madstarlet Do we also know the in-game years the game take place? For example, I read that sims 3 take place around 1950's but there is modern technology in-game like computers and laptops...? @MasonGamer That's disappointing because I have been playing one family lineage since the sims 3 and I wanted to continue the story of this family in sims 4 but now lore-wise that's not possible cuz the family in sims 3 belong to the original universe so they are not supposed to be in the alternate universe of sims 4.It's totally possible! You can still bring over that family if you so desire, and should you choose to pick up the story where you left off. heck you could even Start from the very beginning of their family history, and rewrite history. What is, and is not possible, it all depends on the player how they want to go play it out. The Sims 4 is more like an Omniverse, It exists in all times, a sim's past, present, and future, it could even exist simultaneously.

Don’t read too much into that. That’s an off the cuff remark they made only after they royally botched the entire series timeline with this game and didn’t want to own up to it. Like seriously they just got lazy. Incredibly lazy. They took some households that were popular, recreated their likeness in Sims 4, and tossed them in. That’s it. It would have taken maybe 20 minutes to research the backstories Maxis created themselves for these characters, but that was too much work so an “alternate universe” is what they went with that allowed them to shatter the established timeline for absolutely no reason. I guess there was a reason, mismanagement, but they don’t like to call it that. They call it, doing things differently.

Besides the Goths, the Landgraabs, and the Calientes almost all premades in TS4 are original Sims anyway. In TS3 pretty much every single world (including store worlds) had returning Sims from previous games. Meanwhile in TS4, worlds like Windenburg, San Myshuno, StrangerVille, Sulani, Brindleton Bay, etc. all feature all-new Sims. There is no point of having TS4 in the same timeline as the older games.

Sims 4 as an alternate universe | EA Forums

13 Replies

madstarlet
Rising Traveler
6 years ago
Here you go: https://twitter.com/SimGuruSarah/status/476083989368012801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fforums.thesims.com%2Fen_US%2Fdiscussion%2F760341%2Fwhere-is-the-sims-4-in-the-sims-universe :)
MasonGamerBoi
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
To my understanding, the pre-made families in past games had somewhat pre-determined stories to be told.

Basically, them saying The Sims 4 is not in alignment to any the past iterations. Whatever lore, or events, that occurred to a certain pre-made family in the past game doesn't apply to that family, in the sims 4. The Sims 4 is for you to decide where you want the story to pick up from, or even if that's the story you want to tell at all. Tell a new story if you want.
JohnSomething
6 years ago
Ah Okay thanks for your answers. @Madstarlet Do we also know the in-game years the game take place? For example, I read that sims 3 take place around 1950's but there is modern technology in-game like computers and laptops...?

@MasonGamer That's disappointing because I have been playing one family lineage since the sims 3 and I wanted to continue the story of this family in sims 4 but now lore-wise that's not possible cuz the family in sims 3 belong to the original universe so they are not supposed to be in the alternate universe of sims 4.
MasonGamerBoi
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
"Johnsomething;c-17137882" wrote:
Ah Okay thanks for your answers. @Madstarlet Do we also know the in-game years the game take place? For example, I read that sims 3 take place around 1950's but there is modern technology in-game like computers and laptops...?

@MasonGamer That's disappointing because I have been playing one family lineage since the sims 3 and I wanted to continue the story of this family in sims 4 but now lore-wise that's not possible cuz the family in sims 3 belong to the original universe so they are not supposed to be in the alternate universe of sims 4.

It's totally possible! You can still bring over that family if you so desire, and should you choose to pick up the story where you left off. heck you could even Start from the very beginning of their family history, and rewrite history. What is, and is not possible, it all depends on the player how they want to go play it out. The Sims 4 is more like an Omniverse, It exists in all times, a sim's past, present, and future, it could even exist simultaneously.
drake_mccarty
6 years ago
Don’t read too much into that. That’s an off the cuff remark they made only after they royally botched the entire series timeline with this game and didn’t want to own up to it.

Like seriously they just got lazy. Incredibly lazy. They took some households that were popular, recreated their likeness in Sims 4, and tossed them in. That’s it. It would have taken maybe 20 minutes to research the backstories Maxis created themselves for these characters, but that was too much work so an “alternate universe” is what they went with that allowed them to shatter the established timeline for absolutely no reason. I guess there was a reason, mismanagement, but they don’t like to call it that. They call it, doing things differently.
elelunicy
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
Besides the Goths, the Landgraabs, and the Calientes almost all premades in TS4 are original Sims anyway. In TS3 pretty much every single world (including store worlds) had returning Sims from previous games. Meanwhile in TS4, worlds like Windenburg, San Myshuno, StrangerVille, Sulani, Brindleton Bay, etc. all feature all-new Sims. There is no point of having TS4 in the same timeline as the older games.
Zenionith
6 years ago
"elelunicy;c-17138376" wrote:
Besides the Goths, the Landgraabs, and the Calientes almost all premades in TS4 are original Sims anyway. In TS3 pretty much every single world (including store worlds) had returning Sims from previous games. Meanwhile in TS4, worlds like Windenburg, San Myshuno, StrangerVille, Sulani, Brindleton Bay, etc. all feature all-new Sims. There is no point of having TS4 in the same timeline as the older games.

Then how do you explain to fans that Bella Goth is the same age as Nancy Landgraab, who was a child in Sims 3? Or that Holly Alto changed from a white woman to a black woman? Or that N-ighat Caliente was replaced with Katrina Caliente in Sims 4?
neylajc
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
"FreezerBunnyCowplant;c-17138453" wrote:
"elelunicy;c-17138376" wrote:
Besides the Goths, the Landgraabs, and the Calientes almost all premades in TS4 are original Sims anyway. In TS3 pretty much every single world (including store worlds) had returning Sims from previous games. Meanwhile in TS4, worlds like Windenburg, San Myshuno, StrangerVille, Sulani, Brindleton Bay, etc. all feature all-new Sims. There is no point of having TS4 in the same timeline as the older games.

Then how do you explain to fans that Bella Goth is the same age as Nancy Landgraab, who was a child in Sims 3? Or that Holly Alto changed from a white woman to a black woman? Or that N-ighat Caliente was replaced with Katrina Caliente in Sims 4?

There's nothing to explain to fans, as nothing is stopping you from editing or re-creating the characters to fit whatever timeline you want. TS3 was a prequel to TS2, TS4 is just it's own thing.
zanyshane
6 years ago
I don't really mind the alternative universe timeline. I wish they did invest more time into the back stories of sims because part of the appeal in previous games was playing these story-rich pre-made families. You always knew *you* were in charge of their future from that point on (like playing The Goth family in TS2 and deciding whether Cassandra stays with Don or goes another route such as Darren Dreamer).

Also, I feel like their stories help to clarify why a neighborhood/world is the way it is. Those stories give a place like "Pleasantview" a rich past.
Zenionith
6 years ago
"mika;c-17138778" wrote:
"FreezerBunnyCowplant;c-17138453" wrote:
"elelunicy;c-17138376" wrote:
Besides the Goths, the Landgraabs, and the Calientes almost all premades in TS4 are original Sims anyway. In TS3 pretty much every single world (including store worlds) had returning Sims from previous games. Meanwhile in TS4, worlds like Windenburg, San Myshuno, StrangerVille, Sulani, Brindleton Bay, etc. all feature all-new Sims. There is no point of having TS4 in the same timeline as the older games.

Then how do you explain to fans that Bella Goth is the same age as Nancy Landgraab, who was a child in Sims 3? Or that Holly Alto changed from a white woman to a black woman? Or that N-ighat Caliente was replaced with Katrina Caliente in Sims 4?

There's nothing to explain to fans, as nothing is stopping you from editing or re-creating the characters to fit whatever timeline you want. TS3 was a prequel to TS2, TS4 is just it's own thing.

I don‘t wanna have to edit the Sims every time I start a new save

The fact that Sims 1, Sims 2 and Sims 3 all have a timeline that matches up, while Sims 4 doesn‘t just shows how it‘s a rushed game. They needed to quickly turn that multiplayer mess called Olympus into money, without paying attention to details.