What is Gameplay to you?

"83bienchen;c-17763209" wrote:
What you describe is not (the only) gameplay to me, but it is indeed where the Sims 4 is lacking. Let's call it core gameplay. Due to the lack of uniqueness, all Sims are feeling the game. When TS 4 was released, I created my favourite couple from TS 2 and was ready to play with them - I couldn't. I wasn't able to nail it back then, but I'm fairly sure bynow that it was because they did not show any distinct personality when I played with them.

This is as true for communication between different Sims as it is for reacting to a Sims experience.

Things that were a viral part of why Sims formerly felt so unique are:

- interests
- attraction system
- favourites (color/food/etc)
- memories
- dislikes
- fears
- meaningful whims
- unique animations tied to all of the above - I really doesn't make a difference to have aton of different interactions if enthuse about favourite author uses the exact same anymation as enthuse about the new app your Sim just created.
and - for me first and foremost:
- the whim system being used to affect a Sims overall feeling. I hardly ever bought something from the aspiration points in the Sims to, but the fact that a Sim was feeling better when he had fulfilled his whims and not fulfilled any fears - and of course the opposite - and this status being open to changes anytime was what made the gam for me. That also one reason why I never was happy with TS 3.

That's it for me.
I am really disappointed in Whims. Sentiments would have been a perfect opportunity to bring back whims in a better way.
Sims now feel these sentiments, now what do they want to do about it? A whim should show what they want to do about it.

Instead I have to role-play it:
Sim A made Sim B happy. Sim B now want to repay that with a gift. Or send them a happy text which will in-turn spawn an invite to go out.

I recently put in some chemistry and attraction mods. This what the game should have been like from the beginning.
I wrote about some interesting incidents that I experienced after installing my mods.
Copying them over:

"CK213;c-17758942" wrote:
I am experimenting with mods.
I put in an Whims Overhaul mod, Personality Please, Chemistry, No Environmental Moodlets, and Wonderful Whims (Attraction Mod).
It's like the game had a lobotomy and suddenly has all the brain damage repaired.

Sims are pulling socials I've never seen them autonomously perform before.
One of the dormies has been a noticeable source of drama with another dormie.
It's been fun trying to keep the peace, but it's not happening so much to be annoying.

Personality actually feels like it matters and I am well aware of bad matches.
Whim game play is better, but I still wish there were more personality driven whims.
I am getting more lot type and object driven whims, but at least I am getting some relationship/social whims.

And it feels like the good old days where stuff that you weren't expecting would happen.
These two were outside. I invited everyone from the dorm to hangout at the student commons, but had not earned enough club slots to add these two. So they just sat outside talking.


And then Zayden pulled a prank.
It's not really in his traits, so the game must have made him the dorm prankster.

Spoiler

Breceida had had enough of it.


Other than canned events and weird holidays, I have never seen two sims brawl because one could not stand the other until I put in my mods.


I sent Cassandra Goth out to try to patch things up.
She's actually been trying to hook Zayden up with a couple of the dormies.




Not happening.

Another incident happened while Zane was doing his homework.
This stranger walked in the dorm, with silly townie clothes and I made her over to how she looks now.
The Wonderful Whims mod said Zane found her extremely attractive.


But once he introduced himself, the Chemistry mod basically said, RUN AWAY!
The Chemistry mod looks at Traits and Skills that you set and determines how well sims should get along.
I found it interesting and started playing with the Persuasion game play from the mod.

Spoiler

Krystal is a Greedy sim, so Zane was faking being Greedy to score higher relationship points with her.
And then Zayden walks by and she lights up.


So I had Zane ask Krystal did she want to meet Zayden.
And she was like: "Heck yeah, I want to meet Zayden."


It was getting late and I was going to have Zane tell her goodbye, but I changed my mind.
Let her stay here and sees what she does.


What she did was get all flirty with Zane.


Hey, where did Zayden go?

I did put in a mod called Have more personality please.
I swear EA must have created NPC socials to be as boring as possible, because since installing this mod, sims are pulling socials that I have never seen them pull before. Maybe they only pull a few base-game socials.

Probably some of them should be blacklisted, but you do have some funny situations and instead of boring routines.
While my sims were in their college prep dorm (not University), someone must have dared Olivia to go Streaking. She rose to the challenge.

I mean it was funny, but whoever the sim was that dared her to do it, that kind of stuff should be in their nature to do so.






All these game features should combine in interesting and surprising ways.
That's what I consider emergent game play.