Sims 4 Today vs. 2014-2017

My main issue with the game since then it's that they keep putting basic and fundamental things from the franchise behind a paywall with no reason. I feel like they did the base game dirty comparing to older games in the franchise and we basically need to buy packs to feel like we're playing The Sims. Some of my complaints are:

- Simology: Lifestyles, reputation, milestones, etc. should've been BG cause they're basic and works with concepts we already have in it and don't specifically need pack features to work. The only ones that makes sense being exclusive are Fame and Character Values because they're the main focuses of their packs.

- Create a Sim: The quality of items don't even get close to what we have for packs (look at Demo's hairs) and we need a more flexible occult's creation. Also i really miss more customization and think we deserved at least one set of body freckles and moles. I still hoping for prosthetic limbs, body painting mode and poses for sims (like cats and dogs).

- Gameplay: The lack of interaction with some clutter objects and collectible pets and the way we can't have careers like babysitting, culinary and entertainer, even new ones like librarian or museum guide and analyst, as semi-active still bugs me. Also pay content features like singing and dancing skills, temperatures, tanning, eco footprint, NAPs, puberty(shaving and acne), pillow fights, slumber party and social compatibility shouldn't be behind a paywall.

It is whole different game than in 2014 for sure

but obviously there is still few core problems for me
like the randomized townies, lack of toggles etc

and yes as for content obviously some fun I miss from the older games
even though i have gotten many things that were on the wishlist for longest time

I am starting to want less though seeing how its starting to eat at the performance with all these packs

getting more picky about things that might not be at the top of the list for me but take a lot of space
(like new worlds for instance or thousand and one croptops i may never use)

Always gonna be an ongoing thing with X having X and this game not having X like X.

I don't even think about comparing over small things. The more you do the more likely you aren't going to enjoy it. Like S2 to the first game, like S3 to S2, and like S4 to S3. Each game has something enjoy from it that the other doesn't have.

Best to just treat it like it's own thing cause every iteration has been pretty different from the other.

S4 to when it first came out to now though? It's like night and day. I enjoyed what the game brought and it's features and looks, but it wasn't ready for people definitely and what was introduced wasn't enough to keep you interested. Definitely a better base game than what was it was when it first came.

Toddlers, NPC's, Pools, More traits, World Map, More Aspirations,Prononoun and Sexuality preferences (whether you love it or hate it, Better lighting, More skintones, Opacity Sliders for Makeup, Basements/Deeper basements, Ladders and More customization for stairs, More indepth Sims Profiles, More Careers, Family Trees (lol yeah wasn't there in the base game there), Monster under the bed for kids, Fear emotion, Sentiments, Cooking Together, Update of color swatches to various basegame items and doors, Neighborhood Stories, and Scenarios.

Hm, well the game definitely improved since it's launch in 2014 till a couple years after, but IMO I will never feel like this game is complete. I think that is due to the lack of depth that the gameplay has. I also do not like emotions. They feel more annoying to me than make the sims feel "smarter" or more alive. I preferred Moodlets and then traits really giving my sims personality. Even the system from TS2 is better to me than what TS4 has.

I definitely think B/B mode is the strongest out of the franchise, but I don't think that should be what is most strong in a life simulation game so those are my thoughts.

"Goldmoldar;c-18247776" wrote:
I do compare all versions especially when the newest version has evolved from the previous version which incorporates old and new features which Sims 4 has not done. So, my gripes will continue to exist because Sims 4 was not built ground up and only exist because of a cancelled project in which they used those same assets from that project. In doing so may have placed some limitations on how EA/Maxis can use them, and this is what I got today a limitation on "I rule" and how creative I can be. Also, Ea/Maxis took away apps and features that was once available to its customers free of charge and in this version now charge its customers or put it behind a paywall and too date can't make a neighborhood, add lots or go beyond the primary colors. Another gripe is not allowing my systems to scale up and use my specs accordingly. EA/Maxis feels there should be one level of bells and whistles regardless of what the system has so my system cannot scale to what I am using. So those will always be my gripe and now the wait is on for seeing how they do Sims 5.

My exact feelings haha.

I am much happier about Sims 4 now compared to the nothing, nothing back in 2014. However, there still needs to be the long term base fixed for the poor ground garden plants. As well as, permanent Plantsims, a proper sleepable Heartshape Bed, Drums, Spiral Stairs, Time Machine, Time Travel, Medieval World gameplay, Egypt World, Futuristic World, Fairies, Genies,
30 Color Swatches for CAS/Objects, Horses/Unicorns, Dragons & maybe Cars. ;)

Still no Neighborhood Editors, No colors beyond the primary colors, Same old and same old nothing new. :/

Much improved over first release, still so very far from where it could and should be. Too many things still don't work right, if at all, too many things missing that we had before, too many opportunities missed. TS4 could have been a 'blow the doors off', 'knock it out of the park' kind of game but the potential was lost and it's probably too late. A pity as it is incredibly beautiful and some things were brilliantly done.

"logion;c-18245027" wrote:

What I didn't like was . . . there were loading screens every time I needed to travel and no cars either so I often felt stuck on my home lot and that's still kinda an issue today.

I used to play Sims 2, where we had cars that you could own and drive, but you still had to go through a loading screen to get anywhere. The fact is, without open world, cars are a very minor fluff feature. They do absolutely nothing to make the world feel more open. We kind of had a taste of this with Island Living and water transportation. If you own a water vehicle and are using it to travel somewhere in your neighborhood, it's a waste of time. By the time you climb into your vehicle, travel to the destination and climb out again, it actually takes longer than just jogging there. In Sims 2, you would watch the person climb into the car and drive a short distance before the loading screen would come up. I personally think that going strait to the loading screen without having to wait for a car animation to complete is more efficient.

When it comes to navigating the worlds, one thing I really do miss from Sims 2 is the address book. It was nice to pick out where you wanted to go and the loading screen would take you there, instead of having to go to world view. I like world view if you want to scope out possibilities. I just wish I had the address book option for times when I already know exactly where I want to go. I'm not sure why they never revived that concept in the Sims 4 at some point over the past eight years.

"ChadSims2;c-18247699" wrote:
I still have a lot of the same complaints I did back then. Some things have been fixed mainly toddlers infants and teens were finally made to feel more teen as well as elders finally have some gameplay of their own but many things remain the same.

- Worlds are still small overly stylized and uneditable so the player can't make them their own or truly build what they want because the team that created the world decided what was best for us instead of the player
- Retail is still a total joke
- Most expansions hardly expand anything beyond the new world they come with. Eco Living trash effects one world, apartments locked to City Living unless they decide to make them somewhere else not player choice, strays in only one world as well as High School and so on
- Sims still have little to no awareness of Sims and the world around them
- No real consequences Sims are always happy and best friends made a married couple fight and divorce seconds later they were chatting it up best buddies. Did I not just make them hate each other...
- We still have no cars
- Children have no game play not tied to an object or they can do in groups larger than 2 like ride bikes together play tag or macro polo.

I feel the same way you do...I feel like EA just isn't listening to us. Why should we play a game that just keeps getting worse as time goes on? Why should we have to put up with more years of Sims 4 when the devs keep giving us worlds with rabbit holes and set dressing?

I'm so glad Life By you is coming soon...once I'm able to get a brand-new computer,I'll be downloading Life By you,and I'll be leaving Sims 4.