Back when The Sims 4 came out, one of the Guru’s gave us some insight as to why they can’t have more than one lot active in The Sims 4, with one of the reasons being Multitasking. According to the Guru’s, Multitasking was too taxing on people’s processors to be active on more than one lot.Apparently Sims are constantly aware of all the variables in which creates a sort of virtual mapping and too many variables can cause the game to slow down as the processor is constantly calculating all the options available, with multiple interactions at once. Interestingly, The Sims Mobile was launched as a watered down Sims 4, and one of the features missing is multitasking HOWEVER the game has a semi-open world where multiple venues are available at once, and your Sim can travel between them without an issue (eg. A Sim can visit a Resturant and then visit the Hospital). So it seems it really is a case of one or the other with current hardware, but what are your thoughts on it?

For me, the older Sims games feel so outdated without multitasking that it’s almost laughable. It’s weird to think Sims couldn’t listen to music while cooking, or watch TV and chat while working out at the Gym. And loading screens aren’t an issue for me (except Sims 2 which seems to always take the same time no matter what). I can load a save in TS3 in about 10 - 20 seconds and each loading screen in TS4 is about 5 seconds, thanks to my SSD and Core i7. And honestly, 5 seconds doesn’t bother me at all.

NOPEBy definition, it's not even really multitasking. Sims 3 (heck, even Sims 2 AND even Sims 1) showcased superior multitasking in some specialized cases. I mean if my Sims sit down to eat breakfast together, a Sim family in Sims 3 can successfully eat their breakfast and gain socialization without slowing themselves down at all. If a family does the same in Sims 4, it turns into a nightmare where you have to cycle around the table canceling everyone's social desire before they all end up late for work, and it's a never-ending battle cause the little jerks will constantly re-queue new social interactions even after they've been canceled.Multi-tasking to me means multiple actions being done simultaneously for a boost to efficiency, such as doing the laundry while watching the news and chatting on the phone for an increase in social and fun while the laundry itself gets completed at about the same rate it usually would. In Sims 4, it means the game periodically cycles between action A and action B. When action A is being completed, action B is completely put on pause and vice versa. It's not multitasking, it's a dumb little automated toggle they honestly would've been capable of implementing in any of the past Sims game. The problem this has is that Sims in Sims 4 obsessively socialize at all times, even when they don't need it, so the multitasking system usually just means the player's desired action for the Sim will be slowed down by their obsession with social tasks. If not for the multitasking system, we wouldn't need to babysit our sims half as much as we do because they wouldn't constantly hunt chat partners."Multi"tasking and the emotion system are probably the two biggest bombs of Sims 4. Both of them were promised to be revolutionary and both are absolutely terrible. If there was an option to turn off multitasking in the game options, I think it would be very tempting to do so. It would more or less function as a mini-free will toggle that solely effects their obsession with socializing.

I can totally see why this isint possible at the moment, however i would like to visit my neighbor without having to go through a loading screen. Thats just my opinion

The thing that bugs me most, which isn't addressed in this poll, is how long my Sims will just stand doing absolutely nothing. I'm not talking about another Sim is on the way to interact with them. They have things in their queue, yet they just stand there as if I have all day long to wait for them to move!As for the loading screens, I really don't mind them, but I started with Sims2. Sims3, for all of the niceties of the open world had its own set of problems. I usually use Razor to shut off the background processes whenever I play that game. Plus, I have at least 20 NRaas mods to improve things.So, I'm ambivalent.

One of the major justifications for loading screens in the Sims 4 has nothing to do with multitasking, it has to do with the client base they are going after. The Sims 4 comes at the time after the open world concept was good for the Sims 3, but it had so munch problems with it as the target market of simulation games have never had much luck at generating enough high end game players to make it worth the higher details and attention with the MMORG and the first person single player or team shooting games they have not really had a chance. So to make up the difference they offer the most lacks system requirement they can go to make sure that most computers will be able to play the game. The major problem with TS3 is it really annoyed the lower end of the target market that don't have the best computers. Its not about whether they can do it as you can do anything with computer games now. So they had to make sure the Sims 4 would be able to be compatible with both PC and later on Mac a year later, and if they wanted more money they wanted to make sure they could eventually branch it off to console, mobile and that way you could play The Sims anywhere. So what I am saying its not about if they can or should do it, Its about making sure their target audience can play the game on any store bought computer which not many simmers know about how computers run and what computers would give you more bang for your money by making sure the game can run fresh off the shelf of a computer store they have a higher chance of making a lot more money and attracting new gamers.Also, a side note. Most processors can run 2 or 3 games at once especially the dual and quad core processor the limitation is not the processors themselves but the ram and the input controls. In theory you could run The Sims 4, Car Mechanic 2018, Farming Simulator 17, but you only got one graphics card one keyboard and mouse and limited ram memory, which part has to be used by the OS.

Was Multitasking worth the loading screens?

SimmerNickYT
7 years ago
To me it's not worth it. I feel like multitasking is slowing down the interactions of my Sims. In TS3 all interactions seemed so much faster. In TS4 bad computer performance seems to be acting up in the shape of the duration of an interaction, instead of lag and framedrops. And I feel it is because of multitasking. To me, it makes the game kind of unplayable and makes me ragequite every time.
TheGoodOldGamer
7 years ago
I've heard several lovely stories of Sims 3 taking upwards of 10 minutes to load. No thanks. I'd take a handful of seconds in Sims 4 over that any day.

I remember back in Sims 1 days even, it taking forever to load in. Reticulating Spines will be burned in my brain for the rest of my days, lol. And I loved that game.

Also, saying Sims 1 has better multi-tasking is laughably ridiculous. Sims couldn't even use the toilet without your every say-so. They'd cross their legs and whine and pee their pants, even if the toilet was in the same room. :|
Saneksemoo
7 years ago
"Chazzzy;c-16288181" wrote:
I like them multitasking. I dislike loading screens. What option should I choose?

Indifferent I guess. Though you still could choose only one, as the OP said: Graham stated that either addition has to be sacrificed for the other to work in a game. That's the pole's question in a sense: Yes, no or idk.
astridentanja
7 years ago
"alanmichael1;c-16288139" wrote:
I have been playing TS3 for a couple of days now and miss neither multitasking nor emotions very much. In many situations TS3 Sims act in a more consistant and logical way. On the other hand "no loading screens" is a fake in TS3 because many lots with complex textures need a minute to become fully visible.

No they don’t..? Not denying it may be like that for you of course, but that given doesn’t make it a fake in general (agree with the first part but that won’t surprise you ;)).
Sigzy_29
New Spectator
7 years ago
I think they should have gone with selective multitasking like we had in previous games instead of the open system we have now.

Multitasking isn't only the reason as to why we have loading screens. It's also the reason sims stop randomly, the reason we don't have swings, lounge chairs, etc. because it's too expensive to animate with this system.

I honestly don't mind multitasking being taken away the way it is now.
astridentanja
7 years ago
"TheGoodOldGamer;c-16288349" wrote:
I've heard several lovely stories of Sims 3 taking upwards of 10 minutes to load. No thanks. I'd take a handful of seconds in Sims 4 over that any day.

I remember back in Sims 1 days even, it taking forever to load in. Reticulating Spines will be burned in my brain for the rest of my days, lol. And I loved that game.

Also, saying Sims 1 has better multi-tasking is laughably ridiculous. Sims couldn't even use the toilet without your every say-so. They'd cross their legs and whine and pee their pants, even if the toilet was in the same room. :|

11 Minutes on my previous computer (4 now), but that’s not the subject here is it? A loading screen to start the game. The topic is loading screens while taking your sims somewhere. As I understand it they’ve stated that’s a necessity because of multitasking. Loading screens have more consequences than having to wait. It also means you can’t control your sim on the other side of that loading screen, which for me is a bigger issue than having to wait X seconds.
MidnightAura86
New Spectator
7 years ago
"TheGoodOldGamer;c-16288349" wrote:
I've heard several lovely stories of Sims 3 taking upwards of 10 minutes to load. No thanks. I'd take a handful of seconds in Sims 4 over that any day.

I remember back in Sims 1 days even, it taking forever to load in. Reticulating Spines will be burned in my brain for the rest of my days, lol. And I loved that game.

Also, saying Sims 1 has better multi-tasking is laughably ridiculous. Sims couldn't even use the toilet without your every say-so. They'd cross their legs and whine and pee their pants, even if the toilet was in the same room. :|

What does the sims 1 have to do with this? Again my experience then with the sims 1 wasn't that long a wait. My experience now on my gaming rig is super fast obviously.

Sims 1 sims always chose from their most pressing needs. Unless you actively stopped them they would always go to the toilet on their own.

My sims 4 sim however woke up the other day with his bladder in the red, I was attending to his toddler so I left him to it. Instead of going to the bathroom he went and got leftovers from last night even though his hunger bar was only half way down and still in the green.

I just thought to myself, what the heck are you doing? What was this sims process? "Oh I need to pee, WAIT! Last nights curry is in the fridge I best go and grab some!"

If you meant the sims 2 for multi tasking then I do think it is better. It's more natural, more fluid and more realistic. Sims talk round a table autonomously, they talk whilst watching tv, they cuddle whilst watching tv, they can lie on a bed side by side and talk. Whilst they are playing chess they talk. I could go on. There's no need for it to become a drama and no need to fight the game to get four sims to sit down and stay seated and have a meal and talk at the same time.
alanmichael1
Seasoned Hotshot
7 years ago
"JoAnne65;c-16288370" wrote:
"alanmichael1;c-16288139" wrote:
I have been playing TS3 for a couple of days now and miss neither multitasking nor emotions very much. In many situations TS3 Sims act in a more consistant and logical way. On the other hand "no loading screens" is a fake in TS3 because many lots with complex textures need a minute to become fully visible.

No they don’t..? Not denying it may be like that for you of course, but that given doesn’t make it a fake in general (agree with the first part but that won’t surprise you ;)).

I have just returned to Aurora Skies and I am loving it!! But all houses in the city center need a long time to load. The worst lot is the warehouse from Ambitions. And my PC is a gaming computer from 2014, when TS3 was finished. If textures in your game load immediately, please give me your specs!

That said, the greatness of TS3 is always overwhelming. I wish TS5 was a non-lagging photorealistic TS3.
Saneksemoo
7 years ago
"TheGoodOldGamer;c-16288349" wrote:
I've heard several lovely stories of Sims 3 taking upwards of 10 minutes to load. No thanks. I'd take a handful of seconds in Sims 4 over that any day.

I remember back in Sims 1 days even, it taking forever to load in. Reticulating Spines will be burned in my brain for the rest of my days, lol. And I loved that game.

Also, saying Sims 1 has better multi-tasking is laughably ridiculous. Sims couldn't even use the toilet without your every say-so. They'd cross their legs and whine and pee their pants, even if the toilet was in the same room. :|

How it was laughably ridiculous? I haven't played that game, so I'm genuinely asking. Thought If that toilet situation was an argument, how is that have to do with multitasking and not to say per autonomy?

"MidnightAura;c-16288395" wrote:
"TheGoodOldGamer;c-16288349" wrote:
I've heard several lovely stories of Sims 3 taking upwards of 10 minutes to load. No thanks. I'd take a handful of seconds in Sims 4 over that any day.

I remember back in Sims 1 days even, it taking forever to load in. Reticulating Spines will be burned in my brain for the rest of my days, lol. And I loved that game.

Also, saying Sims 1 has better multi-tasking is laughably ridiculous. Sims couldn't even use the toilet without your every say-so. They'd cross their legs and whine and pee their pants, even if the toilet was in the same room. :|

What does the sims 1 have to do with this? Again my experience then with the sims 1 wasn't that long a wait. My experience now on my gaming rig is super fast obviously.

Sims 1 sims always chose from their most pressing needs. Unless you actively stopped them they would always go to the toilet on their own.

My sims 4 sim however woke up the other day with his bladder in the red, I was attending to his toddler so I left him to it. Instead of going to the bathroom he went and got leftovers from last night even though his hunger bar was only half way down and still in the green.

I just thought to myself, what the heck are you doing? What was this sims process? "Oh I need to pee, WAIT! Last nights curry is in the fridge I best go and grab some!"

If you meant the sims 2 for multi tasking then I do think it is better. It's more natural, more fluid and more realistic. Sims talk round a table autonomously, they talk whilst watching tv, they cuddle whilst watching tv, they can lie on a bed side by side and talk. Whilst they are playing chess they talk. I could go on. There's no need for it to become a drama and no need to fight the game to get four sims to sit down and stay seated and have a meal and talk at the same time.

I can also recall a discovered multitasking interaction, but I'm not sure If it has any benefit: I clicked on my sim to "primp" while he was sitting down and he did just that: while sat he primped. Though I'm kinda disappointed how the cellphones (wished the same with telephones, but I do understand with that object) lacks one, so they can't chat or use it without meanwhile standing up.
Sofmc9
7 years ago
"If you meant the sims 2 for multi tasking then I do think it is better. It's more natural, more fluid and more realistic. Sims talk round a table autonomously, they talk whilst watching tv, they cuddle whilst watching tv"

In TS2, sims can't cuddle while watching tv. I recorded a video that clearly shows they will cuddle only after turning off the tv. :3
https://youtu.be/SW0KxAO11yQ