I WILL NOT PURCHASE SIMS 5 IF…

There is the key. Will offline single player gameplay be affected by online compatibility with mobile devices? The best of both worlds would be no, offline won't suffer, neither will online multiplayer cross platform. Can they deliver? Will online multi take precedence over offline single? Or will it be equal? The next few years will tell.

"DaniRose2143;c-18195200" wrote:
There is the key. Will offline single player gameplay be affected by online compatibility with mobile devices? The best of both worlds would be no, offline won't suffer, neither will online multiplayer cross platform. Can they deliver? Will online multi take precedence over offline single? Or will it be equal? The next few years will tell.

I don't trust them to do it without offline suffering for online, I have played other single player games that EA turned into multiplayer and it ruined the single player campaign for me. This time may turn out different, but I have been burned before, so I will not purchase anything until it has been out for a while and I can really get a good feel for how the single player aspect plays. Also it will have to be able to be modded, like we can now, or it is a definite no for me period.

I will not purchase Sims 5 if:

1) The game is not open-world. I'm not settling for open-neighbourhoods (that's a cop-out).
2) If there isn't a way of locking people out of my game. I don't want multiplayer, I don't want someone roaming around in MY house, in MY world...in my game...trying to ruin my sim's spousal relationship. I don't play this game to socialize, I play it to get lost in my own little world.
3) If the game looks anything and plays anything like Sims 4. I'll stick with Sims 3 if that's the case and say goodbye to Sims when I can't play the game any more.

@Nikkei_Simmer In regards to your 2nd point: I am super certain that you will not have to worry about random people appearing in your play session if you don't want it. The team is aware that a lot of players are not even looking for that type of multiplayer experience and I'd assume that they want to tick as many possible boxes for all players to enjoy the game in the way they want to.

“Assumption is the precursor to disappointment” @Dkaffe, I’ve been on the planet long enough to know that if one expects that the game producers intend to foster “competition”, they’re not going to care if a few toes are trod on in the hopes of bringing in more revenue.

If the base game is a shallow shell, if the bugs are too intense, and/or if multiplayer and cross-platform access ruins its functionality/graphics/depth.

If it doesn't have something to offer me that's more interesting than what I have in 4.

If rotational play is impossible.

"telemwill;c-18195970" wrote:
If rotational play is impossible.

YES! In Sims 3 it's impossible because it's built around legacy-only gameplay with one core family per save file. Sims 4 has the My Families but it's not enough.

In theory, rotational play basically says "freeze the other households in my rotation list while I'm not playing them. I want zero progression* of my families while I'm not playing. I want to jump right back in where I left off when I get to playing them again."

We can also take it a step further.

To make this work, every save file Starts with a universal calendar (Week 1, Day 1 / Season: Fall). Playing ONE of your played households will progress that timeline FOR THAT HOUSEHOLD AND HOUSEHOLD ONLY into the future. Let's say you end on Week 2, Day 8, Season: Winter). If you want to play your next household, they are technically in the past still on Week 1, Day 1 / Season: Fall and you get to play the same week but from THEIR perspective.
https://assets.ltkcontent.com/images/185992/Chef-s-Kiss_60f9c90abd.jpg
We ALSO need an age up townies and NPCs button that basically will push THEIR timeline to match the Week #, Day #, Season X of the household furthest into the future. This will progress them, age them up, kill them off if they are ready to die of old age, etc. etc.!

https://c.tenor.com/7o12Y-fC2UMAAAAC/simon-cowell-congratulations.gif

*technical note: like in Sims 1 and 2, certain developments are "pushed" to other playable household when you aren't playing them. For example, if I'm playing Household A and I become friends with someone in Household B, when I go to play Household B, that friendship is "pushed" to that household and is recognized. Giving gifts also works in that way. But everything else is frozen in time while you are gone from playing that household.

There is an option in sims 4 for unplayed households to age up, without lifespan affecting played households. I would not buy if all the sims have to age up or not. I want more life stages including a newborn, baby, toddler, small child, old child, teenager, young adult, adult, old adult (50-65), and elder. If there aren't at least a couple of extra life stages from sims 4 then I will be disappointed. I agree with @DeeSimsGirl and am not paying for extra life stages. I want sims to be more diverse. I hope the sims 5 will have disabilities, mental illness, and even some temporary health issues like colds, broken bones, and burnout. I know it would be difficult to include all those, but I won't buy unless at least one of those is included.

I also will not buy unless there is at least one occult @greydonn. I really like sims 4 vampires because of how their powers affect interactions with other sims. I have never tried occults from other sims games, but I am interested in better faeries and aliens. I really enjoyed how in Werewolves, there were secret lots that only occult sims could access. I will not buy Sims 5 if there are no hidden lots.

I am willing to try multiplayer as long as there are little to no microtransactions and multiplayer is separate from the single-player experience. On the topic of packs/kits, the model of sims 4 with more than 60 packs!!!!! is completely UNACCEPTABLE. The DLC needs to be quite large and targeted. For example, an occult pack should include three or more occult types and the world and build mode items. Whereas a decorator pack could include hundreds of build mode items and new types of items like washing machines. I understand that this would come with a higher price per pack. Simmers have floated the idea that Sims 5 might be a subscription service rather than a purchase-and-keep endeavor. I will not buy if there is a subscription. I also will not buy if there is not a demo version that I get to play for 2 days or so. This is because of how buggy Sims has become.

I want the world to be fully editable. I will NOT buy if I can only edit my house and not the streets or parks and sidewalks. I really hope that I can pick out the sidewalk colors and what trees are in my community yards. Even if I can't directly place landscaping into my sidewalks, I would appreciate being able to say that I want oaks instead of spruces and that would auto-generate.