The Comparison Thread
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Forum Discussion
TS4's traits are really, really weak compared to TS2's personality point system and TS3's trait system thanks in large part to the way that ambient emotional influences are handled. In TS2, we had Environment and Comfort as needs that could go down or up depending on the decor or the furniture they happened to be sitting or laying on. In TS3, Environment and Comfort were shifted into the moodlet system, but they didn't take over the sim's whole universe.
In TS4, environmental moodlets are completely out of control...especially the Happy ones. The ambient Happy moodlets are too strong, too numerous, and they NEVER wear off! They override negative emotion moodlets way too easily, buff other positive/productive moodlets like Focused and Playful, and they didn't even have the decency to give us a booster emotion for the negative emotions!
I've been complaining about this for years, but this is only because the traits system is so heavily dependent on the emotions system. The emotions system IS our sims' personalities in terms of gameplay, really. All Happy sims act the same and want the same things, all Sad sims do the same things and want the same things, all Flirty sims do the same things and want the same things, same with Focused, Uncomfortable, Energized, Embarrassed, and so-on. I mean, they didn't even program in different whims for sims in different moods based on their personality traits. Like, why is an Evil sim just as inclined to want to hug and compliment people when they're happy as a Good sim? An Evil sim should want to torment other sims when they're happy, not get all snuggly and nice with everyone!!
In the other games, a sim's personality shines through more in TS2 and TS3, while TS4's emotion system is a pale and sickly substitute for actual personality for our sims beyond our own head-canon. I mean, when you have to use a cheat from a mod to have your sim express anything beyond sickeningly bland positivity that would make Barney the Dinosaur go, "Oh. O.K., this level of good feels is just plain unrealistic, you guys!", then you know something went horribly wrong with this game's development...
In TS4, environmental moodlets are completely out of control...especially the Happy ones. The ambient Happy moodlets are too strong, too numerous, and they NEVER wear off! They override negative emotion moodlets way too easily, buff other positive/productive moodlets like Focused and Playful, and they didn't even have the decency to give us a booster emotion for the negative emotions!
I've been complaining about this for years, but this is only because the traits system is so heavily dependent on the emotions system. The emotions system IS our sims' personalities in terms of gameplay, really. All Happy sims act the same and want the same things, all Sad sims do the same things and want the same things, all Flirty sims do the same things and want the same things, same with Focused, Uncomfortable, Energized, Embarrassed, and so-on. I mean, they didn't even program in different whims for sims in different moods based on their personality traits. Like, why is an Evil sim just as inclined to want to hug and compliment people when they're happy as a Good sim? An Evil sim should want to torment other sims when they're happy, not get all snuggly and nice with everyone!!
In the other games, a sim's personality shines through more in TS2 and TS3, while TS4's emotion system is a pale and sickly substitute for actual personality for our sims beyond our own head-canon. I mean, when you have to use a cheat from a mod to have your sim express anything beyond sickeningly bland positivity that would make Barney the Dinosaur go, "Oh. O.K., this level of good feels is just plain unrealistic, you guys!", then you know something went horribly wrong with this game's development...
