The Sims 3 Little Details

"Deshong04;c-17784550" wrote:
You know, upon further analysis, I now recall why in TS2 I could never really got into generations despite it was one of the main reasons of wanting the game. I absolutely despised the static nature of Sims. Only the active household would age which means everyone else around them would remain the same. And to micromanage them all was really annoying and just undesirable for me. It was completely unrealistic and I didn't like it at all. Completely lost the immersion of the life simulator part.

Because I could not play the way I wanted, instead I rarely ever played with generations at all and kept aging off and played similar to The Sims (2000) style. TS2 method of generations is like half a step forward and then sideways. I was excited but then that excitement wore off when I kept internally complaining and just quit trying to play with generations altogether.

When TS3 came out...this...this is what I wanted for so long after being teased about generations with TS2. TS3 came along with the reputation and gameplay mechanics to back it up as a REAL LIFE SIMULATOR of it's kind. The whole neighborhood is simulated in real time all the time which is exactly what I wished for back in TS2 early days. I can still switch households if I want and that's amazing because I love as many options as possible to play the way that I want. I enjoy catching up with the other Sims to see how they are doing, though I do tend to have my favorite households. Just wish story progression was so much more than it was in terms of allowing players to choose what it can and cannot do based on individual Sims and households, etc. And of course the A.I. completely impressed me since day 1 and still impresses me 11 years and counting.

But yeah, there are many details in TS3 compared to TS2. Personally, TS3 is my favorite and I honestly doubt there will ever be anything that even comes close to TS3 in comparison. No one seems to care about the life simulator genre that is on par but better than TS3. Oh well.

I feel the same way. The Sims 3 does feel like a real life simulator, while The Sims 2 will only age up Sims who are active in a particular household. Inactive Sims will not age up, period. However, I have the Ultimate Collection, which includes FreeTime EP, and it introduces NPC aging, and that can allow known NPCs to age up and grow up with the child Sim. So, if a child befriends a Townie child, then the 2 children can grow up together and eventually marry and have kids together. What The Sims 2 does really well is really expand on the storytelling capabilities and the lore. You have Family Bios, Sim Bios, Family Albums and the overarching Neighborhood Album, and if you register the game to the Exchange, you could share the Family Albums like picture stories. That's what I miss most from The Sims 2. Your Sims all feel alive and connected to each other through the stories, as if they are living in an open world. Even if you watch The Sims 2 EA-published music videos, you can definitely see how The Sims Team has created the illusion of an "open world" in The Sims 2.

Many objects from The Sims 2 have been recycled and reused in The Sims 3, which I feel is the true masterpiece of franchise.

People who do not like The Sims 3 and are in favor of The Sims 2 may say that (1) The Sims 3 Sims look ugly, and (2) they can't do rotational gameplay like they could in The Sims 2.

Personally, I think The Sims 3 has a different focus. So, instead of micromanaging the Sims as you would in The Sims 2, The Sims 3 has Story Progression and Neighborhood Aging, so you don't have to. You can just allow everything come to life and watch the simulation unfold right before your eyes! Sims can pretty much take care of themselves at this point; they are wholly sufficient beings. So, it's fun to see how they progress autonomously in their own simulated lives.

As for the "ugly Sims" part, I actually like The Sims 3 Sims' appearances. They look pretty nice.