There are probably a few thousand things that could be better in TS4, that already were better in TS2 and 3. I don't understand the thinking process of the developers to chop down their awesome product (minus bugs) instead making it better.
In TS4 I'm very disappointed to go back into TS1 style with fixed lots and loading screens to everything except the surrounding outdoors of the very small 5 lot neighborhood. Also the lack of lot spaces, lack of adding, changing, resizing lots and modifying the neighborhood terrain. TS4 was supposed to focus more into the original idea of making a complex house building game and less to the simulation of sims. Well they surely did cut back with simulations but they sure didn't improve the building features to a level that would even remotely justify the changes made. I believe that majority of TS fans want a very realistic simulation game that fulfill the need for creating and building, but also for being a sim "god" controlling the lives of their creations. That in mind, TS4 is a huge step backwards.
It's not all bad and negative, though. I like the emotions, different walk styles (although not enough options), to be able to adjust level and foundation heights, free movement of the windows vertically and horizontally (as long as it doesn't occupy the same grid square with another window/door), weather changes, fountain jets/sprays/domes to name some.
For me TS3 worked just fine with the entire open world with thousands of CC, all EPs & SPs except Island Paradise and even after recoloring and texturing pretty much everything to fit my style preferences. In TS4 I find it very difficult to leave the house lot because, if I leave any sim behind, they're frozen in time doing nothing, while the traveling sim(s) experienced the world normally. In result, the active sim(s) are exhausted when coming back but the sims back home are as if nothing had happened. It gave a really important feel of reality in TS3 when you could control all of your household's sims no matter where each of them were, except vacation and university maps.
What I would definitely want in TS4 are:
Building:
- All windows and doors available in all sizes and identical colors. I've always hated the fact, in all TS series, that I can't design a house entirely with the doors and windows I like, because they aren't available in all sizes (and now colors as well).
- More roof designs and textures + colors and items: onion domes, mansard roof like in TS2 (although I'm not sure is it available already via some pack I don't have yet), a variety of cupolas, thin and decorative Gothic spikes etc.
- Rosette, painted-glass and ceiling windows that actually lets daylight through.
- STAIRS: more variety and style! Someone else had a marvelous collection of different staircase pictures in their comment in some other thread. But yea, basically grand entry staircases, curved, platformed, spiral stairs and ladders. (I suppose some new finer stairs came with the get famous pack).
- Adjustable platforms to make different kinds of leveled buildings (split-level) which needs to be compatible with different stairs.
- Waterfalls to make beautiful, luxurious gardens. (I don't know which pack gives the possibility to make bonds and water on your lot other than swimming pools and fountains, but I've seen lots of such builds in the Gallery.)
- Different bridges (flat, curved, stone, wood, metal, different styles from simple to opulent, from ancient to modern) with the possibility of modifying length, height, wideness, angle of the curve and handrail to cross a stream/creek or a ditch.
- Plants and items related to gardens! There's never enough trees, flowers, shrubs, topiary, stones, vases, planting pots, hanging baskets, wall baskets, window boxes. And I miss the greenhouse from TS2! Also needs tons of more indoor house plants and flowers. And it would be extra marvelous, if all the pots and vases and actual house plants would be separate items that can be put together as we want. (If I could make meshes and textures, I'd do tons of flowers etc. but I don't know how as I'm not computer savvy like that).
Items/furnishing:
- Basically more of everything...
- More decorations: sculptures/statues (miss the TS3 statues), vases (also realistic semi-transparent glass objects), small knick-knacks (table picture frames, everyday items, tableware, table cloths (also in lace), candle sticks with candles that light up (not as the too large scented candles in base game), more books (shut, open, stacked etc.), magazines, newspapers, written letters (both in envelope and partially out as well as just a letter without envelope)), pieces of clothes that can be placed to add realism (like hats, shoes, gloves, scarves etc.) Literally has thousands of possibilities and I could spend the whole day writing more...
- Beds with possibility to upgrade energy and comfort as I've always used the same beds in all TS series by which gives the best energy. Otherwise sims never have enough energy to survive a normal day. Especially hard with school aged kids - after school and homework they're out of energy, too tired to play and have any fun. Yes, irl schools are tiresome too, but kids still play and have fun each day unless they're sick.
Sims (animation)
- A few more different walk styles couldn't hurt... I mainly use feminine walk and basic walk because the others haven't suited my sims yet. The snooty walk looks too much of a gay fashionista/drag queen or a stick up their bottom for a snobbish walk. I could imagine TS1&2 Mrs. Crumblebottom using that walk when she began raging about public affection (kissing/flirting in town). The different styles have been made so caricature that they mainly look silly such as the bouncy, goofy and creepy walks.
- Everyday stuff like doing laundry, hanging them on a clothesline or putting in a dryer, ironing on an ironing board.
- Quicker meal preparation unless it's a gourmet food or otherwise very time consuming meal/bakery. It's ridiculous that sims spend about 2 hours average preparing a meal even if it's just like few sandwiches.
- Quicker personal hygiene routines: only rich and famous can afford an hour long showers, and few hours long baths. I don't also know anyone who spends an hour washing their teeth. All these little things are timed way off in the game, which leaves players with the problem of not having enough time within the day to actually make the sim do different stuff or visit places.
- Slower energy decay: they become tired too fast and easy. Better yet, make the energy decay slower according to the sims' fitness. Low fitness level - fast energy decay, average fitness - slow decay and high fitness - very slow decay.
- More movement animations and social actions like TS3 had without repetitive animations on different actions. Also I'd love more dancing moves - specially couple and group dancing. Also possibility to sit or lay down on ground/floor by command from toddlers to adults (for an elder it would be too uncomfortable) like they could "hang out" in TS3 and use handhelds, laptops etc sitting on the ground/floor.
Sims (items)
- More clothes and shoes overall and also more variation in colors.
- More hairstyles for both genders and all ages.
- Smaller details like fingernails with a whole rainbow of color options and without removing other jewelry like rings and bracelets, scars, pimples, moles, eczema, vitiligo (patchy loss of skin pigmentation: roughly like a black and white cow as a crude example.)
- More hats, head-/hairbands, tiaras, crowns, hair-clips/-combs, flower wreaths etc.
- More realistic make-up options as base game options are Barbie plastic and "hussy" looking. Excuse the term, if it's inappropriate word for the forum but didn't come up with a better and equally descriptive word.
Well, there was just some improvements but I'm too "exhausted" to write more after 4 hours sitting here typing and thinking and looking dictionary for words. Sorry for the length.
