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PugLove888's avatar
PugLove888
Hero (Retired)
3 years ago

Re: Will it be open world

@e048bf8gov8v , you have stated this beautifully! 🙌  I did not like the open world of TS3 either!  It was an empty world  because usually all the neighbor Sims would be inside their houses tending to their needs , or at work/school.  You wouldn't often see them walking around or at a community lot (park, nightclub, gym, museum, etc.). and when you did, they were often on their way home to replenish their needs, so you couldn't interact with them!  And if your Sim was the only Sim in the household and had late work hours, their only option for socialization was to meet other Sims, which was very difficult because nobody was out and about at midnight!  I found this painful to play with single Sims for this reason!  The only thing Ilike the open world for was to collect bugs, rocks, and look for unicorns! 🦄

And like you stated, you are still waiting for your Sim to arrive at the destination, whether there is a loading screen or not!  And after about a year and a half into the game, my game got so laggy, it would actually stop for several minutes, then start playing again, only to stop for several more minutes, over and over again, which would take waaaaay longer than a simple loading screen! And that is if the game didn't crash, which it often did!😖  My computer was supposed to be a mid level computer at the time, so it wasn't like I was trying to run the game on a potato. 

So, I actually prefer The Sims 4 semi open world (even if I can't go next door without a loading screen) because it doesn't take long to travel, and when I get to a destination, there are always other Sims to interact with!🥳
  Even though I am mostly a family player, this has made playing Single Sims much more enjoyable than in the Sims 3.  🙌 Quick loading screens are always better than halted gameplay while you wait for the game to catch up and continue, or a game crashing and taking 20 minutes to reload! 

And like you stated, if you purchase a variety of objects for your Sims to use at home, then it is much quicker both for you and for your Sims to just pop over to the chess table, for a bit, then go to the bathroom, then paint a painting, then work out, etc. than it would be to do all that on a community lot! 

The rotational play in the Sims 2 was so wonderful because we never had to miss a moment of our Sim's lives! 

The Sims 2 was by far the most fun version of the game, in part for the reasons you stated!🥳  It was the most addictive game I have ever played!  🥰

9 Replies

  • jurnfam's avatar
    jurnfam
    3 years ago

    even if it isn't open world, we need bigger worlds with a lot of lots, or stuff kinda like moonwood mill where there is lots, but there is a lot of open world stuff as well. 

  • userafw's avatar
    userafw
    Seasoned Ace
    3 years ago

    @PugLove888I too often had empty lots. I think the game automatically chose the number of Sims per community lot based on the performance it perceived from the computer/device it was run on.
    That is one factor that will add complication to development: To develop for a wide audience, they will be trying to design for a LOT of different devices with different specs. Device detection and device capacity detection are a big part of basic game functionality. Basic device detection is pretty simple: it is narrowed down by operating system. Then there are the flavors within each operating system.

    PC/Windows: We are probably looking at support for Windows 10, 11, and 12, by the time it comes out. Consoles: They tend to be fixed in their operating system for the most part, as far as I know. Traditionally, you stuck your game cartridge in the console, and it just worked. Now, we add all the mobile devices to the mix. Tablets: Amazon Fire, Ipad, Ipad mini, Microsoft Surface, Chromebook (yep, far as I am concerned, that is just a large tablet). Phones: Android, iPhones. That is a LOT of operating systems to try to accommodate. The Sims (2000) only had PC and Mac to deal with. The Sims 2 only had PC, Mac, and consoles to deal with. The Sims Freeplay and Sims 3 Mobile was EA getting their feet wet testing the feasibility of Sims 3 on mobile. The Sims Social was a failed experiment in creating a Sims game based solely on social interaction and microtransactions.
    Now that they have found a model that works better for microtransactions, ie Freeplay and Sims Mobile, they will probably start there for Sims 4 mobile version. I suspect the integrated mobile version will resemble the console version. Consoles don't support custom content since they don't have internal writable storage (with the exception of memory cards), and phones have very little internal storage available.

  • PugLove888's avatar
    PugLove888
    Hero (Retired)
    3 years ago

    @userafw , yes, I can see how the game would have limited the amount of NPC;s on a given lot based on your computer's performance.  However, the worst was if you had a Sim that worked a late shift and wanted to socialize at night... there were even less people on public lots at night because the open world game had them all asleep, or else they were already in the process of going home and you couldn't interact with them. That wasn't as bad of a problem in the daytime, so the issue wasn't just computer performance (though that certainly played a big role), but just the design of the world.  If most Sims are asleep at night, then a Sim that works late doesn't have many Sims to socialize with because most will be asleep, or at the very least they will be home getting ready for bed, while this is realistic, it is still very frustrating for those Sims who have jobs that run into the late hours of the night! 😓

  • VeronicatheCD's avatar
    VeronicatheCD
    3 years ago

    I love how people are talking like what was flawed in 2008 is automatically unworkable 15 years later.  I've seen seamless open world in action - it can exist.  It objectively does exist.  The question is whether EA would put in the resources to make it work or not.

  • kaze_____90's avatar
    kaze_____90
    3 years ago

    The fact, Maxis studio "no longer exist", i remember i read an article about a large (and when i say large i mean at least 80%) cut of people on the studio, and i talk about 4-5 years ago, i don't know if EA assume people to work again in Maxis, or the works, are made by the people who doesn't cut off by the "Maxis purge" but for made an open world, you don't need only economic resource, you desperatly need human resources, and well, we all know how EA look this series, today The Sims is just a big sparkling cow, used to milk much money possible from our players, so, hope for the best, but be preared for the worst, because yeah, for EA the way is, less effort, much profit, and they do it for all they're game, it's suck? Yes, but or we hope for a serious competitor, or the way doesn't change.

  • VeronicatheCD's avatar
    VeronicatheCD
    3 years ago
    @kaze_____90 wrote:

    The fact, Maxis studio "no longer exist", i remember i read an article about a large (and when i say large i mean at least 80%) cut of people on the studio, and i talk about 4-5 years ago, i don't know if EA assume people to work again in Maxis, or the works, are made by the people who doesn't cut off by the "Maxis purge" but for made an open world, you don't need only economic resource, you desperatly need human resources, and well, we all know how EA look this series, today The Sims is just a big sparkling cow, used to milk much money possible from our players, so, hope for the best, but be preared for the worst, because yeah, for EA the way is, less effort, much profit, and they do it for all they're game, it's suck? Yes, but or we hope for a serious competitor, or the way doesn't change.

    I don't know if we technically have a serious competitor.  Paralives is small, is trying to be more childlike than EA, and EA seems to have just replicated a lot of what they did.  Then there's Paradox's Life By You, but EA isn't a serious competitor to them.  They have designed their entire game around being open world, gave all their tools for making the game to every player so that modding is easy - literally Rod Humble is out there encouraging people to make their own saleable expansion packs if they want - and after they finish up their early access all updates will only be new code so no mods or CC will ever be broken by game updates.  All those things that EA made people pay for again between TS3 and TS4 - at least half of it is in LBY's base game.  TS5 won't hold a candle to them and they wouldn't think of matching the modding capabilities because that would ruin their business model of endless mediocre to bad expansions, game packs, and stuff packs.  Take then that these last 6 months are about improving the graphics, giving the game they've built 2023 graphics now - all TS5 has going for it is brand recognition and that brand is kinda toxic.

    The game is full of small lots that blend seemlessly into the overall pattern.  You have like a 10x15 beach bathroom just sitting by the shore  where the beach doesn't need to be a lot - you can just go there and use it whenever.    Their AI is also fully functional, with every single character doing what you have to do - they go to work, you can see them work because there are no rabbit holes, they go home, take care of all those same needs you have to, fall in love, get married, have babies all on their own.  Compare that to TS4 where for the longest time sims would just freeze and you had to cheat to reset them which was only "fixed" by making them instead randomly go to an area in the house.  If you don't micromanage each sim in your household they end up will all their needs drained, lying on the floor passed out in their own filth with full autonomy on.  EA cannot compete with that and they have proven it time and again over the past decade.

    So, with EA knocking out Paralives and Paradox knocking out EA we are potentially looking at another monopoly unless Paralives takes so long to enter the market and appeal to kids that EA has already abandoned TS5.

  • kaze_____90's avatar
    kaze_____90
    3 years ago
    @VeronicatheCD
    It's difficult to predict the future, but not impossible, Paralives yes, it look a childish game compared by The Sims, made with less resources (all kind), but have some "stuff" people really like, i don't think can beat The Sims now, but, i really think Paralives, can create a solid fan base, and thank to that base, maybe, an hypothetical Paralives 2, can be out with an improved graphic (indeed like a much realistic graphic and not a cell shading once), and with general improvements at 360 degress, that depend how much the developers listen the community's feedbacks.
    Life by you, this can be a serious threat for The Sims, Paradox will be able to knock off EA (with the infamous help of EA itself), in the city building genre, Sim City is history, Cities Skiline become the new king of the genre, and Life by you, has all credential to replicate the same success, but this doesn't mean is easy, and that depends both from Paradox and the community, from Paradox because, it's important they really belive in this project, at the first trailer of LBY, i see a game still in a raw state, and it's ok, they have time to improve the game, but they are obbligated to made compromise, they can't improve to much the graphic section (and honestly in the trailer i see a little bit much compenetrations from the avatars), because with a real time open world the game, have high risk to become a "premium game" indeed a game only people with high spec machine can handle, and that cut off a lot of people, so maybe we don't have the best graphic of the world, but probably we can see a deep gameplay, but like i said, Paradox need to belive in this project, probably at the beginning they see the most difficult part, i can image a lot of player complaints about a lot of porblem a game like this can have and they need to be focused and don't abandon the project (yes i know the sims 3 is open world but compared to LBY is like to compare pure fine chocolate with mud), another thing, is, if Paradox take this too much seriously or not, i mean, in The Sims, you can play with humans, vampires, marmaids... it can be the same on LBY? Maybe can be look a dumb question, but, not beign to much serious is one of the strengths of The Sims, and there are a lot o things to discuss, but we pratically have no informations about the game so, we can talk when we know much, and like i said before the other part which can determine the success of LBY, is the community, honestly i don't remeber the fact modder can be create theyre own saleable "pack" is a thing really said or is it a paraphrase, but if is the first case, the hope is the community don't be greedy, one of the fortune of this kind of games, is the mod community behind, and in The Sims, 90% of mods is totally free, have "any" single mod behind paywall, well, it can be a tombstone for the game, having a mod behind paywall for a limited time (like some creator made on patreon, giving an early access to paying people), and relased free after i don't know a couple of week, it's ok, in that way, modders, make money for people who want to play with a mod immidiatly, and the players who wasn't spent money for a mod, can play free after some days, it's a win win condition, and i forgive it, another things Paradox need to be careful, is the number of dlc, they are famous to relase a lot of dlc, but, in a game with an infinite number of possibility, they must to be careful to relase dlcs that enrich the game, but at the same time these dlcs must not be too many.
    The Sims, well at this moment we talk about the king of the life simulation game, with a huge fan base, with a long story, and with a lot of defects, the IA, i think is the same from first chapter of the series, the game allow you to "live" only a small part of your sims, unless you don't buy dlcs can "expand a little" the expirience of a life simulation, EA is too much greedy, and the perfect example is in The Sims 3 we have all the supernatural creature in only one dlc, in Sims 4 we have how much, 4-5 dlcs for add all the supernatural creature in the game? Another problem of the game is they totally mess the mod after more less every couple of updates, and, with a large modding community like this, is a pain in the... well you know were, but the brand is strong, but not invincible, and if EA don't made a serious upgrade in evey aspect of the game, well Project Rene, have high chance to be the last game of the series, but we don't know pratically nothing about the game, maybe when they finally reveal the game (and not the tiny presentation only for saying to the world: hello this can be the new game of The Sims saga), we can say if they worthy or not, but at this moment the only thing i can say is: The Sims 5 or Project Rene or wathever will be the name, start with a great advantage, but Life by You, become a serious competitor, and if The Sims 5 doesn't come out before the end of the year, a lot of the advantage will be lost
    in favor of LBY, and in that case there's a solid chance the Paradox game, take off the crown to the EA game, and Paralives doesn't compete with those two games, but for me, will be able to create is own solid fan base.
  • VeronicatheCD's avatar
    VeronicatheCD
    3 years ago
    @kaze_____90 A few things to go over:

    1) It does take a good computer to run it - Humble stressed that players had to take the requirements seriously. However, people have been reporting that gaming PCs they built or bought three years ago exceed the amount. If someone's PC isn't strong enough, there's a good chance they'll upgrade because you're getting something that can be used all around versus a game that's going to have $1500 in expansions over it's life, probably $1250 more than LBY. When people start seeing what's in early access it will get them looking for that PC if they cannot run it already.

    The graphics though, are supposed to improve considerably before release. TS5 might be better graphics, but I don't imagine by much especially since they try to run on far outdated machines.

    2) It is a serious sim it seems, and that is exactly what EA has been missing. It isn't a good thing that they don't take it seriously - they are marketing for kids. You are looking at adult humor and it has the modability to add occults during early access - you'll likely see plenty of occults and fantasy features. If Paradox puts them out - which you can in a serious game, you just don't make the occults kid friendly - you can also expect that they're going to geek out and the occult will be a free update on par with the TS5 expansion pack while all sorts of depth to the occult will be contained in the DLC. So, Sims 4 Vampires was the vampire occult with a bunch of CCs and a subpar world for them that looks like eternal dusk but still fries them. The Paradox one would give the vampire for free and create a whole VtM subworld with lore and vampire specific events. The difference between the two is that vampires won't walk 20 feet away, use hypnosis, then walk back and bite someone in the open - they'll have ways to lure victims away and seem real. If they make spellcasters, they aren't going to be Harry Potter spellcasters that make you feel uncomfortable.

    And EA has gone sharply to spread things thin - and who was in charge when they had those detailed packs? Rod Humble, whose vision LBY was.

    3) I doubt you're going to see mods generally go behind paywalls. Some are behind paywalls now with TS4 and probably some will be for LBY because it is separate from the developer. But, as I mentioned before, game updates will not harm any mods after Early Access is over because they will not change any existing code for updates (other than patching any discovered bugs I assume), but rather will be using new code so as to not interfere. Your CC tables will not suddenly become invisible and your CC hairs won't suddenly be all pixelated. No turning off all mods until they get updated.

  • manamath2001's avatar
    manamath2001
    3 years ago

    Personally, I hope it is an open world. Anything less, and I fear I won't enjoy it. I liked Sims 2 and adored Sims 3. I bought Sims 4 but couldn't tolerate it because it went back to that Sims 2 gameplay. 

    As for ParaLives and Life by You, I think they are both serious contenders for the Sims throne. ParaLives may look "drawn" or "cartoony" in art style, but the game seems extremely solid and well thought out. Some of the features planned will bring energy back to the genre, and I look forward to it coming out. I don't know as much about Life by You as ParaLives, but I am equally excited by the prospect of this game and hope it is sandbox as well. 

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