5 years ago
The Future of The Sims - More Unexplored Concepts please!
So as we know, the Sims 5 is probably somewhere on the horizon, and with it, I have some pretty high expectations. I would like them to conglomerate all of the content that have become generational fixtures of the series into the base game. This means, I don't want there to be a Sims 5 Pets, Seasons, City Life, University, Laundry Day, Get to Work, etc pack. Pets, weather, apartments, live jobs, higher education, laundry mechanics, even witches and vampires, should ALL be in the base game along with several other things. It's been long enough in the series now that it's known what core elements of the game players want and need in order for it to start feeling solid, and enough is enough. That stuff needs to stop showing up as packs and be in the base game already so that the game can explore new and different concepts without having people saying "Well, we still need dogs," or "We still need rain and winter," or "I really want witches to return," and so forth. There's so much stuff out there regarding life and the game that hasn't even been touched by a core Sims title, and all of that untapped potential is just ripe for the picking.
For instance - the Sims has never touched on religion in a core title. They did in Medieval, with the option to play the draconian Jacobians or the meditative Peterans and their different interpretations about what the Watcher (aka you, the player) intends. The Sims 4 introduced the "Clubs" mechanics which could super easily be evolved into a religion/cult mechanic with a bit more expansion. I absolutely don't want real religions in the game, mind you - but it wouldn't be bad to have premade versions of them like they did with Jacobians (Catholics) and Peterans (Prostants). It would be so simple to create the dos and don'ts of your faith via a Clubs style system, as well as a gathering place and time each week, as well as who's in charge, if any. It has potential to be a really fun system, especially if there are things like establishing a god or gods, door-knocking, evangelism, nature rituals, atheism, etc. It's something that's not been done with the Sims before, and even someone like myself who is an atheist can have a lot of fun with it, because who doesn't like a good cult story? Even still, this kind of pack would be a perfect opportunity to introduce funeral services to the game as well, which as been a real life aspect that has been woefully missing from the game since the start. This is just one thing I came up with on a whim - and one thing which would have had to be backburnered until things like dogs, weather, and apartments were added to the game because there isn't ever any bandwidth for new concepts so long as those old concepts keep being missing from the core game.
I'm sure there are many other much needed concepts out there too, and no matter how good those ideas may be, I feel like the game series will continue to cripple itself creatively so long it's stuck in this wash-and-repeat cycle of always needing certain packs added unless those elements are present in the base game. So please, I'm hoping that someone at Maxis reads this and takes it to heart. Break out of the habits of the past for the future of the game!
For instance - the Sims has never touched on religion in a core title. They did in Medieval, with the option to play the draconian Jacobians or the meditative Peterans and their different interpretations about what the Watcher (aka you, the player) intends. The Sims 4 introduced the "Clubs" mechanics which could super easily be evolved into a religion/cult mechanic with a bit more expansion. I absolutely don't want real religions in the game, mind you - but it wouldn't be bad to have premade versions of them like they did with Jacobians (Catholics) and Peterans (Prostants). It would be so simple to create the dos and don'ts of your faith via a Clubs style system, as well as a gathering place and time each week, as well as who's in charge, if any. It has potential to be a really fun system, especially if there are things like establishing a god or gods, door-knocking, evangelism, nature rituals, atheism, etc. It's something that's not been done with the Sims before, and even someone like myself who is an atheist can have a lot of fun with it, because who doesn't like a good cult story? Even still, this kind of pack would be a perfect opportunity to introduce funeral services to the game as well, which as been a real life aspect that has been woefully missing from the game since the start. This is just one thing I came up with on a whim - and one thing which would have had to be backburnered until things like dogs, weather, and apartments were added to the game because there isn't ever any bandwidth for new concepts so long as those old concepts keep being missing from the core game.
I'm sure there are many other much needed concepts out there too, and no matter how good those ideas may be, I feel like the game series will continue to cripple itself creatively so long it's stuck in this wash-and-repeat cycle of always needing certain packs added unless those elements are present in the base game. So please, I'm hoping that someone at Maxis reads this and takes it to heart. Break out of the habits of the past for the future of the game!