Alpha or Maxis Match?

MM, there was a sim style game that tried going hyper realistic years ago and it just didn't have the same charm. I really, really like the artistic style they took with 4. It feels more natural having these cartoony (but still very detailed and beautiful) characters with the kinds of interactions that the sims have.

I'll admit that I do like very realistic looking graphics, but it has to fit the game. Uncharted 4, the new Tomb Raiders... they have gorgeously realistic models and it works because of the setting and how the characters act. It wouldn't sit well for me in a sims game where we have hundreds of quirky interactions and impossible scenarios.

MM here too. Because of the aesthetic reasons already listed and because it causes less lag in the game.

I use a bit of both. If well done, they both work in my game. It also allows me to have more distinctive looking sims.

I like both.

I think alpha CC is gorgeous, but I’m an MM person myself. I appreciate both types and their talented CC creators equally, but in my opinion, MM matches the game’s aesthetic seamlessly. I’ve always felt that alpha stands out a little too much and clashes against the cartoon-y, ultra-cheery look TS4 has. Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something about seeing a sim with alpha CC walking around next to a townie with no CC or strictly MM that really perturbs me. :lol:

I like that MM gives me the ability to add a little extra ‘oomph’ to my sims here and there without completely taking them over the top, and I’m a big fan of simple recolors, added pattern swatches, and “Frankenmeshes”, as they’re called. My CC folder is almost entirely MM frankenmeshes and recolors, with a few stray pieces here and there being MM-ified versions of alpha.

Obviously, it’s all subjective and I say use whatever you prefer! :smile:

Maxis match cc usually has a softer look that I prefer.

Alpha doesn't seem like it fits so well with the over all art style of the game. Looked like it somewhat belonged in the Sims 3, but 4? It stands out too much unless you rework just about your playable households and the townies so it just blends in. Too much work for me. There's a lot of pretty alpha hair I've seen that look real nice and some can fit into the game nicely (actually have like two in game I can't seem to part with), but everything else? I just can't do it.

Most alpha clothing feels pasted on, like the clothes are wearing the sims sometimes. Though I know a lot of people like a more realistic look to their game for personal preferences.

Use to use alpha long time ago like a LOT, but switched over to MM just for the Sims 4.

I used to dislike alpha, but I think it just gets a bad wrap because there's so many.. questionable pieces of alpha content out there ;)

When I took the effort to look for alpha cc that was high quality, I was quite impressed with what I was able to make with it. That said I kept it all in its own separate folder and only used it in an alpha-alternative copy of my maxis-match save. I generally don't like how the two look together.

For gameplay I prefer the maxis-match save, though. I only like to look at alpha in cas

I'm not really against either, I used to use Alpha a long time ago, though now a days I use mostly Maxis Match. I think what helps me use MM yet keep a realistic/pixar-realistic feel is Re-shade (tbh I dunno how I played without it) <3. It's a nice little trade off since I can have a pixar-like realistic feel that makes the hairs "feel" like alpha, but their all really just MM :lol: It also comes in handy so that if I do like a certain alpha hair, it blends right into my game without much effort on my part :mrgreen: .

I prefer alpha. Maxis is ok, but I need more detail in my games.
My game is actually a bit of a mix as I need more detailed world textures and objects so my sims don't feel so out of place.