Things I love:
MULTITASKING - Finally! I think this is probably the best improvement from the previous versions of the Sims...
BUILD/BUY - I love not having to switch back and forth and the wide variety of pre-built rooms... I really like the room/deck building capabilities, although sometimes when building, rooms don't register as rooms. The fence/wall application is phenom... Love it!
WORLD FLOW - I love that my sims can easily visit and interact with sims from the other worlds. I think this has real potential. (For example had we had this capacity in Sims3 we could have easily had Bridgeport be our "downtown" hub of action while our more suburban sims could have lived in Twinbrook or Sunset Valley but all still been able to interact with each other. I would not have needed to rearrange the lots in my Sunset Valley to include newly available lots, thus cutting down on potential sim families in one neighborhood. ) It will also make subsequent pack or custom specialty lots only have to be placed once, ultimately freeing up more space residential areas.
FOUNDATIONS - I LOVE how this has been changed. I love being able to raise or lower it with the slider. This is fantastic.
STAIRCASES - I really love that the staircases have been shortened a bit... and I like that I can just drag the arrows to alter how wide I want my stairs to be.
Things That Need Work:
POOLS - I think this one came as the biggest surprise since even the original Sims had pools.
FAMILY TREE - I HATE not being able to see my family tree! One of the things I loved about having multi-generational sim families was getting to name newer generations after those ones that had long since departed (Prudence Goth, for example). As my sims families grow and eventually branch out, I'd like to be able to see who their relations are at a glance.... This is especially important when one of my more amorous sims gets frisky with one or more sims outside of this household and I have no way of knowing if he has other progeny running around the neighborhood.
MARRIAGE - It is so frustrating that not only do my sims not have the option of moving in together after getting married (both elopement and a planned wedding) but that I don't have the option of changing their names or the names of subsequent children that might have been born while I was off playing other families. (For example: I had no idea that Savannah Smith was the brother of Gabriel Baxter because she had been born while I was playing another family... Her mother's maiden name was Smith, and because there is no way to alter a sim's name once they've been created... it didn't matter that their parents were married, Gabe and Savannah now have entirely different surnames). If you do get around to improving this... I would much prefer an text box option for any sims that could have their names changed via marriage (offspring)... It was kind of an issue in Sims3 that if Jane Doe divorces her first husband John and leaves her two kids Sue & Sam with him... that when she runs off and marries someone else, suddenly Sue and Sam will take her new last name despite even living in completely different households at the time. A text box option might solve this issue.
NEEDS DECAY/NEEDS FULFILLMENT TIME: Either the needs decay needs to slow down, or the time it takes to fulfill those needs (showers, eating, cooking, sleeping) should be altered. I was very disappointed in how long it takes for someone's energy to rebuild while sleeping. One thing I've always had an issue with when it comes to the sims is that there is a significant lack of variety in styles when it comes to the higher quality/need boosting items. Just once I'd like to get a modern bed with a 10/10 comfort/energy rating on it. I hate that my sims are perpetually doomed to live in the Victorian age just for the sake of getting a good night's sleep.
BILLS - My entry level sim can't even afford the bills on the starter homes! I hate having to use "motherlode" or "kaching"... but I'm glad I have it because my sims wouldn't be able to afford the kitchen sink without it.
CAS/SIM MODIFICATION/TESTING CHEATS - Sometimes we make mistakes and realize it too late... Being able to cheat our way back to the CAS to modify these mistakes should be a no brainer... That there are so many limitations on CAS modifications even within the testing cheats parameters seems to defeat the purpose.
EA Staff (Retired)
