4 years ago

Unpopular and controversial opinion: The Sims 4 should not be a build/architecture/dress-up game!

I've noticed that in recent years we as a community started to give enphansis to primarily secondary features of what makes The Sims being The Sims.
What I mean by that is that we started to divide the so called "different playstyles" and EA is making profit of that. A divided community has been a success and a way to keep The Sims 4 alive.

BUILDING IS NOT THE ENTIRE GAME! I know I'm being controversial here for saying this but keep in mind that this is my personal opinion based of what I see.
I keep seeing an increase of the use of build/buy and cas features (game tools, not gameplay) being used to justify the value of The Sims 4. It's almost like the only way (beside graphics and performance, which by the way are two debatable arguments...) for people to justify the ammount of money that is invested in the current title of the main The Sims series.

We call building a playstyle now but building was since the beginning a secondary feature, same to cas.
The biggest game changers are mainly builders, their impact comes to build/buy and actually gameplay features (THE LIVE MODE) has been constantly hurt! It's so hard to keep invested on this game unless you use it as an architecture tool or a dress up game.

A lot of simmers say the core of the game is poor and boring and it's true. The fundamental base level of this game drastically changed from it's predecessors. The Sims 4 doesn't follow the successful Will Wright's formula anymore!

The original idea of dollhouse/architecture game was totally scrapped before the game changed into The Sims (a term already used in SimCity and other Maxis games to refer simulated people). And that's what The Sims is about! A people/life simulator!

I don't think The Sims 4 will ever be at the same level as the other three main games in the series but I can only hope for a better future game. At this moment I think The Sims is becoming another thing that wasn't meant to be and we as community need to recognize that!

The Sims 4 is the only one that doesn't mention Will Wright in the credits and quite frankly it makes a lot of sense!

Bluebell23456
4 years ago
While I understand what you are getting at, I do not agree with you. It is all technically gameplay and I would complain if CAS or BB was lacking (and I do) as much as live mode. I was previously a more live mode centered player, but it does not hold my interest like in the other titles and now I hop around between modes fairly often. This being said, I have always used BB and CAS, it is just only with 4 that it is all in roughly equal thirds.

4's CAS and BB is great, and none of that justifies the lacking live mode, but if your point is we should stand unified to tackle these discrepancies (a noble goal) then I think it will be lost to your divisive words.
logionX
Seasoned Hotshot
4 years ago
I like to think that the sims is a mix of a life simulator and a dollhouse and that this generation have focused a little too much on the dollhouse aspect. I think CAS and build mode is gameplay, but so is also live mode as well.

I understand and respect that people have different opinions on what they want this game to be though, not at least the developers themselves. I just hope that we can find a good balance where one side doesn't overtake what the sims is.
troshalom
4 years ago
@Renato10 I stopped reading when you said building is not game play. to each his/her own. But I came to the sims as a builder from SimCity. I rather enjoy building in the sims. It is a sandbox game, play it how you want to.
Babykittyjade
Rising Observer
4 years ago
Kinda disagree here. Though I respect your opinion! I just feel I am not a builder at all. I'm a live mode story teller. YET I enjoy all modes equally. My livemode sims need buildings of all kind to tell my stories in! The gallery builds and the beautiful creations people make have added SO SO much to my stories. Were they not playing the game when they created these things? Since they were not doing any actual gameplay? Lol
And also I spend a lot of time in b/b renovating these builds. Am I not playing also? Was my whole life a lie? O.o
Same with CAS. No other way to perfect my sims except to spend hours in CAS. The more options and ease of use the better! Would love more cas upgrades like a search bar.
Am I not playing the game when I spend hours in it because it's not gameplay?

But definitely I agree live mode could use so much more! Why not!???
EvilBnuuy
New Rookie
4 years ago
The Sims is whatever the individual player wants it to be. If the Sims isn’t a build/architecture/dress-up game to you, then that’s great. Some Simmers like building and character creation, others like me use it for storytelling and other creative matters, and others like yourself prefer the actual ‘living-out’ of Sims’ lives and telling their ‘story’ through the gameplay, challenges etc. Not really sure where I stand on that; depends what mood I’m in. If you’re not happy with the state of the game then I can only hope you get what you want from the game in future updates.
renato007rigin
4 years ago
"troshalom;c-17919984" wrote:
@Renato10 I stopped reading when you said building is not game play. to each his/her own. But I came to the sims as a builder from SimCity. I rather enjoy building in the sims. It is a sandbox game, play it how you want to.

That's actually interesting because I was also a SimCity fan before The Sims (my first game was SC3000) and I loved it. In my opinion SimCity is a very strategic game and building is literally the soul of the game. When The Sims came out I was also fascinated with all the creative tools and I always liked build and buy, however I saw The Sims as a people/life simulator and I never felt like one mode was superior to another. For me what makes build mode and create a sim fun is the ability to give life to my creations or things created by other players. I think all of that was well balanced until The Sims 4 appeared. I may expressed my opinion in a strong wrong way (English is not my first language) but what I mean is that TS4 seems to put so much emphasis and effort on build and cas and live mode is extremely boring because how simplistic, easy and repetitive it becomes. Major part of YouTube is building. Gameplay has been a repetition of challenges. The gallery is definitely better than the exchange but is also kinda of a social network that keeps people more invested in building and creating sims to gain followers. The Sims 4 looks like just a building simulator and that's my complaint. Maybe I should edit the title for TS4 instead of just The Sims and also change "not gameplay" to the only feature of the game.
Scobren
4 years ago
Sims has three modes: CAS, build, and gameplay. I agree Sims 4 should have all three equally and heavily concentrates on YA fashion for female Sims mainly. I don't think it does enough for all three mode especially with gameplay and even has a ton of areas building lacks as well still. I do think the game has far too many rules and constrictions to make it a sandbox game. I don't think it represents Simmers well enough yet. Sims 4 well is a very much beta/work in progress type of game and think if it weren't for the live service, Simmers would have given up on it completely by now. I am more worried about the Sims 5 however with that direction of MMO.

I do think gameplay is ignored the most especially when bug reports are brushed aside as non-existed by Simmers well that don't even play live mode to begin with. As a playtester, I play all three to look for bugs to report.
keekee53
Seasoned Newcomer
4 years ago
Wellllllll I sort of agree with you OP. I feel like there has been a shift in focus when it comes to this game. I am basically modding gameplay in my game way more than I am modding clothing, hair or furniture. I have been saying this for a long time and frankly when you have a bunch of game changers who are basically all builders, this is what you get.

I mean the basics are not even there like dancing face to face, pool parties or BBQ parties, cars, even getting sims to stay seated in a restaurant has become a challenge. I have never seen soooo much up and down while eating in a sims game.
Horrorgirl6
Seasoned Veteran
4 years ago
To be fair we were lacking things like terrain tools.
ImagineBuildPla
4 years ago
I’m a builder. And I appreciate the fact that they tried to make the game more playable for me with Dream Home Decorator. However, that has its own set of issues, but I like the idea. I would play more if they integrated more building into the stories. Like adding building houses and being paid for it like a job. A lot of builders would probably play more if they did. However, as you’ve pointed out builders make up a large portion of the people who play, so the Sims is just trying to accommodate them as well. I don’t think it’s fair to say a large portion of the community doesn’t need features, but you do. We all pay the same money for the game, we all want to play it. Even if we play differently. Builders probably end up buying packs that story players wouldn’t even. So, there’s actually the potential for them to make more money off of builders. Because, some storylines are not going to appeal to storyline players, while it will still appeal to builders if the items included are good. Most builders I know own more packs than storyline type players. So, they deserve as much effort from the Sim devs. And to be fair, build items have not always been a focus and have often been lackluster. It’s just recently (relatively speaking) that building has started to get really good additions after the feedback from builders and a rival game being developed. I think it’s long overdue. I do think the gameplay needs help for sure, but you can’t discount builders for that, though.