The Sims 4 Feedback Thread - come share yours

Found a couple of things I'm really starting to get annoyed about:
1. Sleepovers: Why can't you ask a friend to sleep over? Seems stupid that they left that out. If you can have a love interest stay over, why not a friend?
2. As for love interests: Why is there only "Wahoo" and "Try For Baby"? What happened to "Risky Wahoo"? I always like that as an option because life is like that :) Again, why leave that out, it makes no sense. If you're going to program "Wahoo" anyway, giving it one more option isn't going to take a whole lot of extra time and resources to do it.

As an addition to the game, I'd like to have a little more control over visitors. As it is now, it's very hard to keep things running because they just go off and do anything they want...and they come dressed in anything they want. I have friends show up in their underwear! (Now in RL I wouldn't mind if lady friends showed up that way on occasion, LOL). I'm only talking about when the friends show up at the home, not in other venues, I know that would be difficult. How about if they come to your Sims home and, for the time they're there you could control them more like family. IDK if that's a good idea or not, just throwing it out there.
I'm also starting to dislike the way babies are more like furniture than people. They get left alone (I liked calling the babysitter in The Sims 3) and if you ask a Sim to come hang out, they leaves their babies at home. Why?

Oh, and there's one other thing but IDK how this would work. You can't save a Sim with updated skills. In The Sims 3 you could save them to the "Households" but I don't see a way you can do that in The Sims 4. You can save the whole house but not the Sim independent of the house..I don't think you can anyway.

There are far too many posts for me to read through so I'll just jump in with my thoughts on the game.
I will pre-face this by saying that I have been playing since Sims 1. I made custom content for Sims 1 and Sims 2. I tried to make cc for Sims 3 but haven't quite finished anything yet.

I also do not yet own Sims 4 and I don't know if I'm going to buy this, but I did get to play it on a friend's computer when I was hanging out at his house. He and some other friends were playing their Nintendo DS games and he let me take a crack at it. He actually called me and told me he had Sims 4 for me to play and invited me over.

Prior to this I tried out the CAS demo and was not impressed.

My overall feeling about the game is serious disappointment. It is also frustrating to the point that I quit trying to mess with it after a few minutes and had to do something else before trying again. I will say that it loads a little faster than Sims 3 for me and it actually exits properly without me needing to End Task (something that Sims 3 will not do). But that is about all I can say about it that is positive. There were so many missed opportunities with this game.

I'll start out with the CAS interface. Maybe its because I'm not a big user of tablets or touchscreen devices, but I found it wasn't easy to navigate and will probably take quite a bit of practice. Some of the categories were confusing-- like trying to find the subcategories. I wish that there was an alternate interface or something.

While the dragging things with a mouse on the actual Sim is interesting, I actually don't really like it. My mouse hangs up, I can accidentally change things by trying to click something and missing or just having issues with the mouse. It is also difficult to duplicate results that previously worked on other builds. There is no way to save a preset for nose, lips, or other things that we make. It would be nice to be able to save a preset if we find that we like it. I personally would have preferred numeric sliders that tell us what the setting is and I wish there were more settings for eye shape, nose shape, eyelashes, etc. I'm actually very disappointed that if you choose a certain eye shape you get stuck with the lashes that are on it and there doesn't seem to be any way to change the lashes and if you pick an eye shape that has smaller lashes then it seems impossible to get the eye shape right. I can't seem to figure out how to change the shape-- all it does is move things up or down or make things larger or smaller. Maybe I'm just missing something, but its frustrating for me. The eyebrow options leave much to be desired. I was really hoping for more options in getting the different shapes and thicknesses, but instead we are stuck with presets with very few options in making changes.

The hair, IMO, looks awful and too cartoonish. It looks like a solid lump. I was also hoping there would be more styles. Say I wanted a Sim with a center-part in her hair and I wanted to have an updo and other styles with the center-part and same hair length- but there are not corresponding updos and other styles with the same part. I've seen other EA games with hair length sliders where you can pick a general style and adjust the length.

I also have an issue with the proportions, postures, and skin textures. Just because my Sim is a certain girth doesn't mean they should have their ribs sticking out. Its difficult to get the right muscle tone and still have the right size. I also have issues with getting the legs to be the right size-- I can't get them to be muscular enough on a slim Sim (because I have friends who are very slim in the chest/waist but have thicker calves). My adult male sims seem to slouch and I don't know why. I can't fix it without making their chests stick out too much.

I will say that I like the option of having walking styles. I hope that more will be added-- maybe some hybrids that have slightly different posture with certain leg/arm movement styles.

The voice options were also disappointing. The "sweet" voice does not sound sweet at all. I think its impossible to find a voice that is not annoying.. Granted, I know it would require a lot of work and take up more space in the game to have more voices, but I wish that they had found some way to emulate different voices and had more options for accents, speaking style, etc. I know other games have had things like that for years. But this one is not too much of a big deal for me.

I found myself really missing the color wheel from Sims 3. It felt like several steps backward when I saw that we only had such limited options for clothing and eye colors. I get that it was tough to get the UVmaps right for each individual outfit if they were going to work with different patterns, but I wish that the color wheel had at least been an option and that we could pick individual colors on different parts of the outfits/clothing instead of being limited to the pre-sets. The amount of CC it will take to get a decent variety is going to be astronomical. Since there is a CC tool available that lets people add colors, I wish something like that had been incorporated into the game to allow more customization. I also wish that we could adjust the opacity of makeup. I wish that EA had gone with some of the features from the Create-A-Pet section and allowed people to add different skin texture options similar to fur-- so if we wanted the abs to have a certain texture, we could put them in and if we wanted to have certain nose button looks or certain highlights and shading for the nose shape, eyelids, etc.. and have those things be genetic instead of cosmetic, it would have been really cool. The ability to add custom birthmarks, moles, freckles, etc would have been cool too.

I had a little trouble with trying to save different variations of my Sims when I made changes and wanted to have similar ones but not identical. It kept wanting to save over the previous Sim even after I changed the name and I wasn't happy with the UI.

I will say that at least it loads much faster than Sims 3-- but maybe that is because it is so stripped down. I admit that I was really taken aback when I saw the lack of content and options.

I do like that we can filter things and that there is a search function. That does make things nicer. I'm hoping that there will be more types of accessories added-- I did find it a bit cumbersome to have to click on the head to get to accessories like necklaces and earrings and then back to the body to get accessories for wrists, fingers, etc. I wish there had been matching bracelets for each wrist. The only reason I was able to find the various ones was from watching a video of someone playing with the CAS demo. The icon for the ring subset looks like a belt. Speaking of which, belts would have been a cool thing-- as well as face masks, mismatched socks, arm bands, anklets, etc. But those are minor things that I hope can be added later.

Once out of the CAS and entering the neighborhood, I admit that I was full-on appalled by the look of the neighborhood. Since this post is already so long, I will continue in a second post...

Moving along...
The neighborhood view reminded me of something from a very lame Facebook game. The gray color was just depressing and it kind of made me sad. Now, I know that people complained how the open world in Sims 3 caused lag, but I found that the Sims 3 neighborhood was colorful and vibrant. Sims 4 neighborhoods are dull and bleh. There are so few options for places to start and there was no way to customize a neighborhood.

I noticed that the game auto-saved, which I wasn't exactly happy about but maybe its something I would like if the game crashed. I didn't like how hard it was to try to switch to a different Sim or to get back to the Create-A-Sim menu if I wanted to make more families or something. But I know a lot of the issues about which I'm complaining are related to my lack of familiarity with the interface. Keep in mind that I've been playing video games on computers since I had an Apple II E with monochrome screen and the games had to be run in DOS. So maybe some of it is my lack of familiarity with some of the newfangled stuff that kids these days are playing (and those kids better stay off my lawn). :smiley:

Anyway, I liked that build and buy mode were together and I was starting to figure out how to find certain categories, but I was still a bit confused. It took me a tick to realize that once I made a shape that I had to manually add the walls by telling it to build them. One oddity-- and I don't know if it was the settings on my friend's computer or what.. the walls came out different colors and when I applied a certain wallpaper, I couldn't get them all to be a uniform color. Nothing I tried seem to fix this issue.

I got frustrated with the build mode once I couldn't get beyond that color issue and I had to leave so I didn't get to play with build mode as much. I plan to go in to town later and will see if my friend will let me take another crack at it-- if he hasn't uninstalled the game. He was very disappointed with it as well.

If I get to play it and have any new thoughts I'll share them. I have to say that I am glad that I didn't buy this game yet because I would want a refund. I will have to wait and see what features are added and if it is possible to make it interesting and have more desirable features before I consider the purchase.

I'm hoping it is not too late to implement some of the changes that I would like to see. If not, then I guess I'll have to hold out for Sims 5 and hope that they decide to give us something that isn't 10 steps backwards.

Yes, I know that this is an overwhelmingly negative review when I haven't even gotten in to gameplay yet and I know some people will dismiss me because I don't have the game on my own PC yet (I really would like to think I'll get it eventually, but that hinges on any updates to it-- and probably a massive price drop), but I do hope that EA will listen and consider these things. I'm still hopeful for some improvements in the future.

For now, I'm going to stick to Sims 3 and continue to try to make some CC.

I love the concept of the game, I love the multitasking. However I miss the half walls, the ability to leave the floor around the staircase empty to provide that awesome look. I miss not being able to customize my Sims hair color as we could in The Sims 3. All in all I like the game. I just miss some of the features of Sims 3 that we had become accustomed to.

Likes =

The cas system, has helped me out alot when coming face to face with bugs like the bff challanges and also when i wanted to change the clothes on my wife but couldnt due to her being a pre made char, the ability to cas full edit let me do this, but i feel as an option once you have them in your family that the ability to change clothes, hair and make up etc is a must.

The game is fun to play and with full automation i can if i wish to at times simply let the game play itself on a second screen and i still enjoy the qwirky stuff they do as they run through there daily lives.

Dislikes =

Building mode, the fact that all walls have tobe the same height, and it doesnt matter if they are on the same level or different levels. The lack of half walls as an example tobe used between kitchen and dining room.

Multiple buildings, i built an outside toilet for the kids when they were playing on the jungle jim and monkey bars and yet this building had to have the same height of walls and same level of foundations. This results in a toilet that is like a guard tower.

8 sim cap, please increase this to either 16 or 20 so that people can have multi generations living together, the building plots allow for houses that can sustain easily this number of sims with room to spare so please allow multi generational homes to exist. The bar is quiet eaisly big enough todo this and the power of the automation system and hours grown up and teens spend at work means i simply do not understand why this is such a limiting factor in the sims.

In-laws, why is this missing, husbands and wives of children show as friends and neighbours at best, it should be quite easy to add son, daughter, sister and brother in law. And children should see them as aunt and uncle if the person is married to an aunt or uncle.

Neighbourhood, we dont have neighbourhoods. We have an area we can jog or streak around but if we want to visit a neighbour we have to load to the exact same spot we are already at.

Very limited scope on clothing, dont get me wrong, the clothing we have is very very good, but the choice of clothing is very limited.

I have been playing the Sims games since they first came out. I was skeptical of Sims 2 when it was introduced, then I was hooked after playing it for a week or so. Same with Sims 3. I must admit that so far, I don't care for Sims 4.
I really miss my toddlers. I play families and the toddler stage was one I really enjoyed playing. I also liked the fact that teens were a bit shorter so you could really tell them apart from the adults. I can see why you have them the same height as it cuts down on the number of clothes needed, but it really throws things off.

And like many others, I miss CASt. I liked making my Sims' clothing and homes/furnishings unique. Not having this option really cuts down on the fun this game could offer. I also wish there was more empty lots to do my own building. The current worlds are so small. I also feel that my Sims are being molded due to all the whims and things they need to do just to gather points to buy more traits.

I do love the way I can now make my Sims unique in the way their bodies look, though I am having a big problem with my female Sims looking like the Incredible Hulk after running around and digging up rocks and treasures. I have had to use the cheat more times than I can count just to get my one female slender again.

I also like the new building techniques, but again there is no CASt so it limits what I can and can't do. If the current colors even matched, that would be a terrific help.

My mother-n-law she got the sims 4 game on her computer she wanted me to try it but i told her that i'm sticking to the sims 3 they got alot of work to do to the sims 4 before i even think of puting it on my computer there is too many thing missing from the base game for me to play it

4 little words

I Hate Loading Screens!

Q1 why are the nieghbour hoods so darn small ?
Q2 what is it the camera movements being so awkward in build mode ?

and theres Not enough empty lots for builders like my self .

Is there any way to make an adult child sim move out? I have tried everything I can think of, do I have to kill them? I have played the Sims since day 1 also, for many years, I thought that the sims on Sims 3 have enough emotion and caring. There is only enough time to work, eat, shower, pee, and then try to get the tiny points for aspirations so you can buy something - almost takes a whole lifetime and there is hardly time to explore or fish or dig or find frogs - it is more like a game that you HAVE to complete stuff, instead of the other Sims games where it is more of an open ended game. Plus you have to toggle too many things to see what is wrong with your sim, get their homework or something else out of their inventory, see what is needed for (again) the tiny aspiration points and goals, then again for their work or school requirement, then again for their friends, then again for how long they have left to live plus their traits, then again to see what they have gained for categories like charisma, piano, etc - it is really all just too much toggling, and I know that after a week and a half of playing this on my laptop I will have to go to dr for carpal tunnel syndrome. Back to the Sims 3 for me, til things get better - but - they had plenty of time to work on this, just what the hey were the developers doing during these years of getting this game ready? Does make one wonder why it is so horrible since we had to wait so long for it.

I am a Simmer from day one. About the Sims 4:
The game looks beautiful and I love the way details show up.
CAS works really well and is pretty satisfying. Still wish I could change Sim height, even if just a little.
The build/buy interface is much easier to use, much less frustrating, especially with roofs.
I love that the baby stage is very straight forward and not too long. I love the way the kid jumps out of the cradle. Never really liked the toddler stage very much and I usually just rushed past it.
The child stage seems to have more influence on the development of the Sim.
Advancing in skills seems easier and I like the goals for career advancement and for life aspirations. It can give my Sim direction, or not.
The food is great, the cakes are neat, and I like knowing how long before my food goes bad.
The placement of the interface icons are different--took some getting used to but like it just fine.
Some things are just different and surprising and fun, like the microscope and the telescope, and the way they gain weight! Kind of shifts your ideas about things in the world.
I don't miss pools as much as I thought I would, but I guess I miss them just for the nostalgia of them--they were there since the beginning when that water plopped into the pool in the opening of the game!
I kind of miss being able to customize everything.
I am looking forward to seasons again.
My biggest problem is with the neighborhood, which feels like a throw back to Sims 2. I don't like the loading to get from one part of the neighborhood to the other, and I miss being able to move about a big, beautiful and distinct world like in Sims 3. I expect this will all develop somehow, and I'll be looking to see how it goes and seeing how I like it. Or not.
I also liked that each saved game was distinct and easy to find with the little pictures of the households in Sims 3.
Hanging in there and having lots of fun doing so.