What I Like - :)
So far, I would say the game is a challenge in it's own way. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate it a 7. The emotions are a very interesting aspect, something I have always wished the Sims would incorporate. I love their expressions; it will make for great storytelling. There are so many of them, however, it can be overwhelming trying to access certain emotions and make others go away.
The items have certainly improved, as well as the clothing and hairstyles. It finally feels like the Sims are with the times and I don't have to rely so heavily on custom content anymore. Good job there!
The menus are easy to use once you get used to them. Building a house is much simpler, and I don't mind not being able to customize every single thing in the house because enough things came coordinated so it's unnecessary.
I like being able to move back and forth between the neighborhoods, and have the people from both neighborhoods be available on the public lots. That is a definite improvement in the worlds.
What I Don't Like - :(
The problem is I want to play it the way I played the Sims before it; get a job, get a mate, have a family, become successful, grow my family line, and die after a happy life. This game is not letting me do that, and it's very frustrating.
Needs deplete too quickly. I spend so much time trying to keep my Sims needs up that I can't get a grasp on giving them a real life. Before I knew it, my Sims were about to age into full adults and I hadn't even had a baby yet. That was disappointing.
My favorite part of the Sims has always been building a family and watching a family tree grow. Unfortunately, the Sims 4 isn't providing that satisfaction for me because it's missing a few of the key elements brought by the earlier versions: toddlers, story progression, and a family tree.
Parenting isn't as much fun. Perhaps I'm spoiled by Generations, which was by far one of the best expansion packs out there. But without toddlers, and with so many other things going on, there isn't enough time in a day to focus on having a family and building relationships with others when you have to try and build skills for work and school AND now keep their mood satisfied. Although the baby has some interesting interactions, there's nothing very exciting about it, so having a family has kind of become a challenge that I'm unenthused by.
There are too many requirements needed for the lifetime aspirations, work, and school, and time moves way too quickly to get it all done. I feel like I have to put my Sims on the long lifetime track to slow time down and get something accomplished, and then when I feel like I'm finally getting it, their needs plummet and I'm back to fighting with that.
If I'm going to write a story using the Sims (which is what I use the game for mostly) I can't have my teens and adults be the same height. It's just not realistic and it makes my household feel awkward when I see all of these super tall people walking around. How can I scold someone who is eye level with the parent?
No move objects cheat available. I like to put things in the corners of a room on an angle, and I can't do that now without that cheat. That makes my decorating less fun.
Why do I have to add the testingcheat true cheat EVERY TIME I enter a new lot? That's frustrating.
Why does my game force me to sign into Origin each time I try to load it? It said I would have to do that during the installation and then not again, yet each time I load, that's what it does. Also, maybe it's just my computer, but I find I have to click the play button 4 or 5 times before the game actually loads (I hit the button over 15 minutes ago and still no game has loaded, which is what made me find this forum).
My Sims pick up the dishes to clean them and then put them down repeatedly. It takes me a few tries to get them to wash the dishes. I get to the point I just have a dirty house because trying to get them to clean is impossible sometimes. Is that a glitch with them, or something with their moods? It causes frustration.
I like going on dates and having things to do, but I HATE that I can't just go to a restaurant and order a meal. My sim got really fat, and I wanted him on a diet, yet when they went out all he could order was chips from the bar. No. I want him to have a good meal. Please add some kind of restaurant to the date function.
Please expand the neighborhoods to include some other buildings, like the hospital, jail, and more empty lots.
Suggestions? - o:)
Bring the toddlers back and make having a family fun again.
The open world needs to return. The loading screens not only make the game boring in between, but it takes away from creative scenes that can be available for storytelling.
Please go back to the previous games and review the things that were really successful, as well as the things people REALLY want from these games. That's what's going to keep them successful.
Overall thoughts - :\
The Sims 4 should have built on the Sims 3, taking the game to a new level. It hasn't done that. It feels like it took a backwards slide to try a new route, which unfortunately is challenging and not as much fun to play with.
There's a lot going on now and it's overwhelming. Perhaps with more time played it will get easier, but what I'm finding is that I'd rather go back to playing the Sims 3 until there is more available to do in the Sims 4.
I also do not feel EA/Maxis should add toddlers back into the game through an expansion back that must be purchased, considering it was a base game item before. It would behoove you and please many of your fans and followers if you added it through a patch instead, the way other content was added to the Sims 3.
EA Staff (Retired)
