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JesLet40's avatar
JesLet40
Seasoned Ace
12 months ago

Suggestions for improving historical gameplay

We're not a major group of players who play historical gameplay, and I just recently started myself, but we are still fairly many, who play in a vast array of ways. So how could the experience of the game be improved? I am not a programmer, and I don't know if everything I suggest here is even possible, but some is, and some would even make EA money, so I'm hoping someone picks up a few of these things at least.


  • CAS and BB Kits to fit different time periods. This is the easy one, and EA has opened the door with the medieval build-kit. What we also need is a buy-kit (or stuff pack) with functional off the grid objects, things like toys, sinks, toilets, tubs and stoves that work while still looking medieval. And of course a CAS-kit to go along with it. Other suggestions would be art deco bb kit + the roaring twenties cas kit, art nouveau BB + Edwardian CAS, vintage swimsuit kit, CAS-kits for each of the decades in the 20th century along with bb-kits for some (we have plenty of mid-century modern furniture after all).
  • The ability to turn off and on CAS-items for random. This would be an improvement for everyone, that with a shift-click be able to turn off and on clothes, accessories or hairstyles for random generation on NPCs. It would definitely help historical gameplay, but also just random gameplay where I could disable the CAS I hate from showing up on random NPC sims. (To be fair I'd love more options than this, like hiding and unhiding CAS, disabling it for certain age groups or genders or certain worlds.)
  • Introduction of landline phones and newspapers. We are plenty of people who miss these, even among players who never play historical gameplay.
  • The ability to turn off the mobile phones and laptops. This would work in combination with the above. A simple toggle on and off for the phones and laptops for everyone in game, including NPCs. This would also help with the technophobe lifestyle so that my sim isn't constantly tense about all the present technology because he or she has a phone they never use in a house with no other technology.
  • The ability to turn off and on drive bys by cars. This would help with immersion.
  • The ability to turn off certain functions on computers, say for instance videogames, in live mode on any computer by shift clicking it. Including computers on community lots. This would also help for other players by freeing up computers in libraries or university commons so you can actually use them for studying rather than them constantly being occupied by some random NPC playing video games.


I'm sure there are many more ways to make historical gameplay better and more immersive, but these are some of the things that I've noticed and thought of when playing historical myself. What do you wish for?
  • @EnkiSchmidt Thank you for the suggestion. I do use MCCC a lot to copy period outfits onto NPCs, but it does break immersion somewhat. I started out playing with the ideal of not using mods, and settling for what is in game, but that proved simply too limiting, so I now have a bunch of CC I use. It would be great if that wasn't needed, especially as you point out, for console players.
  • @Simmingal Yes please! All my housewives keep being randomly picked to be mailmen, bartenders or vendors.
  • All this sounds very nice but am less than hopeful. What medieval build kit? Have not seen anything of that sort.
  • The medieval build kit was voted on by simmers and has been announced for next year.
  • "JAL;c-18344177" wrote:
    @nattygirl13 I have to admit, that while it's annoying to have cars go by or some shots be impossible due to background objects, those annoy me less than game features. I'm good at pretending they're not there. However, you are right that it would be fantastic to be able to edit these things, and an off the grid world thing would be fantastic, although I'd settle for being able to limit sims from using the cottage living "typewriters" to play video games on in the library or university commons.



    I was excited when I saw the typewriter, but then I realized they still functioned exactly like computers. I mean, the trolley and steamboat aren't that bad, because they can be accurate for some eras, however, it'd been better if EA made a world with a steam engine or horse and carriage drive bys.
  • SEREFRAS's avatar
    SEREFRAS
    Seasoned Veteran
    I've a few different timeline game saves. They are:
    1. Ancient Times-Dark Ages <3
    2. Middle Age-Medieval Times <3
    3. Georgian-Victorian <3
    4. 20th Century :p
    5. Futuristic 2525 & Beyond B)

    Basically, my historical game saves are my most favorite to play.
  • "83bienchen;c-18344047" wrote:
    "JAL;c-18336940" wrote:
    I think it has gotten worse after the "fix". I even tried installing a mod but to no avail, they're constantly picking them up. During conversations, during arguments, when upset because someone died... it's been insane lately.


    Which mod did you install, @JAL ? Mine is working without issues (except if there are new phone interactions in For Rent, cause I don't own that).
    noautonomousphone
    https://www.seebee.de/sims4me/index.php?list=4

    I think we didn't really need a medieval castle kit. What we would have needed are medieval Versions for functional objects like sinks, stoves, bathtubs, ...


    Thank you for the link to the mod! Will install at first opportunity. Lately sims have been spending more time looking at phone than anything else.