Sims Four Live Mode is Lacking

"ClarionOfJoy;c-16634520" wrote:

"LiELF;c-16634257" wrote:


It's not the graphics though, it's the art. The rug specifically is an example of a more photorealistic texture vs stylized art. Some people prefer a "realistic" look and try to judge the graphics based on realism so if that's your preference, then you are probably always going to gravitate towards photorealism no matter how new or old the actual graphics are. The Sims 4 is a completely different art style all its own. Objects, background, CAS, etc are all created in the same style to blend together. This is why it tends to look awkward when photorealistic CC textures are put into the game. It's like sticking a real picture of a person into a cartoon. You can tell when it doesn't match.

I think Sims 4 graphics are what they are because of the limitations of the engine it's built on. Everything about that game is limited. So things are colorful and don't have much of a range from darks to lights so it comes out cartoonish and bright no matter what art style is applied to it. Whereas with Sims 2 and 3, even if the art style was different would still have contrasts and just look better.

"LiELF;c-16634257" wrote:


But I too, hated the textures in Sims 3. They didn't even always match each other, especially when seeing the Sims themselves against some of those ultra realistic, unmatching backgrounds. The Sims 3 art style was certainly not its strongest quality, lol. It's obvious the focus went elsewhere. The Sims 2 was a bit more uniform and somewhat in-between, but now, of course, as a whole, looks outdated.

I'm not sure what you mean by unmatching backgrounds? In Sims 3 you can change the color, patterns and texture of just about everything, so not sure what you're talking about. What you prefer in art style is subjective so just saying the art style of Sims 3 is not its strongest quality isn't fact. I think it's art style is great considering how large and complex the worlds can get and the computer has to render all these things. I'm glad that the focus in Sims 3 however is on game play though, which is far more important. Something that Sims 4 still severely lacks 4 years in.

I also like Sims 2 graphics and art style with it's lovely textures (although I honestly prefer Sims 3 graphics and art style) and how it is rendered. It may only look outdated because of it's art style but lets say that they changed it to look more like Sims 4 art style. Given that it has better textures, I think it would look better than Sims 4 itself.

"LiELF;c-16634257" wrote:


I've personally come to favor the Sims 4's art style and I think the overall aesthetic is where it really shines. I feel like less CC is actually needed in Sims 4, and CAS is a huge upgrade.

I'm glad that you like those things, but honestly for me, they're not enough to want me to buy this game. I don't want to pay $40 - $60 for game (plus other packs) just to look at it.

"LiELF;c-16634257" wrote:


I wish I could say the same for the live gameplay. It seems that, from the game's inception, there have been a fair share of strange programming decisions, or lack thereof, that have resulted in the general gameplay just not making sense. The missing individuality of each Sim, lack of any presence of fear, the repetitive impulses, object obsessions, generic whims, and default state of happiness are just some of the things that make playing for any length of time very frustrating. The game actually feels like it was created by people who never play it themselves and just don't "get it". And that's a little depressing.

You know what's upsetting about all this? Some of those developers came from Sims 3! I don't place much blame on them, the developers, but on the big wigs up on top in EA. They are the ones "who never play it themselves and just don't "get it". They just want the money generated from it and I think they are the ones killing this game. The reason why there aren't more features in Sims 4 that it should is because they cut down so much on resources. Less animators to give the sims more depth, less programmers to add game play, less creators to make the meshes and objects.

It's hard to describe, but what I mean by mismatched backrounds is, for example, whenever I look at a screenshot of Sims at the beach, the sand textures look really weird behind the Sims, as if the grains are the wrong size in comparison to the ocean and especially in comparison to the Sims themselves. And the Sims always look like they're kind of pasted onto this background that they don't belong in. I also think that the variety of textures in the game are part of what throws things off. I've seen many a screenshot where they really just don't look consistent and I personally wasn't into the CaST feature.

I'm not sure why you felt the need to tell me that my opinion isn't fact? Of course it isn't. Neither is yours. That's what most of these threads are about: opinion, perspective, and personal experience. I don't think that a comparison statement of opinion that disfavors Sims 3 should make you feel defensive enough to try to invalidate my perspective, though. Criticizing any of the games for the sake of pointing out personal preferences and showing what's favorable in a constructive way and how it pertains to what we want now or in the future is how feedback works. Our experiences and perspectives are just different, that's all.

It really would be interesting to see an updated Sims 2. Or better yet, a complete Sims 2 remake. But if they were going to go for that, I'd still like to have the map-jumping ability, CAS, build features and Vampires (and toddlers I guess too) from Sims 4. Add the gallery and art style too, plus the pack themes from Sims 3 and that would probably be very nearly my perfect Sims game.