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Scholar
Original Poster
#1 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 8:37 AM
Default It's now been 4 years since Sims 4 had been released.
It's now the 4th anniversary since this game been released. Do you think have EA and Maxis have any plans for this game and do you think anything had improved in the last 4 years? I'm pretty satisfied with Sims 2 and 3 myself and although I may have lost interest in this game a long time ago i'm still curious about what sort of direction they're going to take with this game. I had watched LGR's video 2 years of meh a couple years ago and that had left me wondering even 2 years later have anything really changed about this game despite the so called improvements that they had made to a game that had left fans deeply disappointed 4 years ago that still does today?
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Scholar
#2 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 9:36 AM
I would like to say that the EP release of Seasons has helped a lot in improving Sims 4, but I'm not sure I can.
As much as I love Seasons as EPs, and cannot really imagine playing a Sims game without it, I can't say if the... execution of Seasons in this game was as good as, if not better, than the Seasons in Sims 3 or even Sims 2. I've mentioned in a different thread that I miss the option to not only determine the length of seasons beyond three multiplications of 7, maybe having a season that lasts for 10 days and another for 3 days, but also the option to 'turn off' certain seasons. In Sims 3, I loved building up a world and decide if it's going to have the typical four seasons weather, or maybe even have it be a tropical Island with only Summer or a hilly location that is mostly Winter.

I understand that might not be that workable, given that you have all neighborhoods around in Sims 4 and travelling there is super simple, but I recall Sims 2 giving you the option of altering the weather for each sub-area yourself. The University neighborhood had a default seasonal wheel of mostly Autumn, the tropical Bon Voyage destination had only Summer, no matter what my main played location's wheel was. And if I wanted to, I could alter the seasons. So, I don't quite see why something similar to this couldn't be done here - I don't want to say, "You managed it there, why not here?" because I'm sure they use entirely different engines and such, but it does make me wonder...

The return of holidays is nice, though I'm sad that Summer doesn't really have a dedicated holiday, even if it's just Leisure Day and you are off work from Sims 3. In fact, I don't think you get any of the holidays off work, if you have a job/school in Sims 4. The random holidays are hit and miss... but mostly misses. I mentioned before I saw no point in Neighborhood Brawl, but that might just be because it's not part of my particular playstyle. But even other events like a TV Series Premiere feels so... shallow. Just plunk your Sims down in front of the TV. Holiday Event 'objection' fulfilled. I do like that you can make your own holidays/events if you want to... but that you require mods, if you want to do things that involve activities that come from EPs/GPs/SPs. Which is something I noticed with Sims 4, in general: they don't really add stuff to new things that involves previous packs. Despite having Spa Day, I would require LittleSam's Spa Day activities mod to be able to pick stuff from Spa Day to do as a 'goal' for a custom holiday/event.

I like the idea of wearing lighter clothes for really hot weather. What I don't like is how they don't change back into regular clothes, if you have them enter an air-conditioned home. Once again, this seems something minor, and something that would require a mod to occur. And the Whims get clogged up with the same stuff: get a Beebox, Bond with Bees/Collect Honey, Play in a Leafpile/Build a Snowpal, Buy a Thermostat/Umbrella Stand... I don't want to have every one of my Sims own a damn bee box. Yes, I can ignore the Whim and remove it, but it keeps coming back.

As LGR said, it's been 2 Years of Meh, and I thought Seasons would change that, but... I feel like it didn't. This Seasons EP is made... meh. I have some customization in terms of weather and seasons, but it's not as deep as Sims 3. I have holidays, but they are pretty shallow events to tell them to do this and that, I achieved the day's goal, now get back to doing things I actually require you to do. I hate having to say it, but... it's still shallow! It's still not deep. It still feels kind of unfinished. I'm still tempted to uninstall Sims 4 and just reinstall Sims 3 with a few EPs (or even just Seasons alongside Basegame) that I know will give me more joy than wading in the shallow depths that is still Sims 4. I may have clicked the middle or deepest option for the pool in Build Mode, but it's just an illusion. The water's still shallow.
One horse disagreer of the Apocalypse
#4 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 10:33 AM
I still look at ts2 for my standard of gameplay (not graphics), however I was prepared to accept the tradeoffs for the massive processing overhead created by ts3 open world. I still fail to see why TS4 with its huge optimisation and performance improvements could not reintroduce some of the gameplay complexity.

"You can do refraction by raymarching through the depth buffer" (c. Reddeyfish 2017)
Forum Resident
#5 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 12:44 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Squidconqueror
It's now the 4th anniversary since this game been released. Do you think have EA and Maxis have any plans for this game and do you think anything had improved in the last 4 years? I'm pretty satisfied with Sims 2 and 3 myself and although I may have lost interest in this game a long time ago i'm still curious about what sort of direction they're going to take with this game. I had watched LGR's video 2 years of meh a couple years ago and that had left me wondering even 2 years later have anything really changed about this game despite the so called improvements that they had made to a game that had left fans deeply disappointed 4 years ago that still does today?
They always talk about how much they have up their sleeves and that they want to listen to us and talk more, but just look at the current situation - Taking away quarterly teaser and at the same time saying "We want to improve our communication!" (which they've said a year or two ago as well) and then nothing. Since the release of Seasons in June there really has been no more information. During the last ~ two weeks I haven't even heard anything from the Gurus. No one should expect them to say "Hey, we started working on witches, so we'll release them in Summer 2019!" but in previous Sims games they usually let us know what would come soon.

So no, in my opinion nothing has changed. Just a bunch of empty promises and the constant talk about an improved communication which just simply doesn't happen. I don't even feel like they're trying. The last update with the gallery overhaul was a disaster because no one ever asked for such an overhaul and in the end it's just broken now - Doesn't load properly and people don't get downloads. Their priorities are all over the place. And now I feel like they're trying to suddenly get into the Let's Play hype by putting some Gurus on Twitch and letting them play their own game once a month instead of putting these resources into the actual game.

I have the same feelings about it I had a few years ago - Looks really nice and has a handful of good ideas, but most of the stuff is either just pointless clutter, doesn't work or is an annoying feature. It just still feels like a cheaper, watered-down version of previous games; more like a mobile or console version than the complex PC versions we know.
Scholar
Original Poster
#6 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 3:09 PM
Quote: Originally posted by hiabara
They always talk about how much they have up their sleeves and that they want to listen to us and talk more, but just look at the current situation - Taking away quarterly teaser and at the same time saying "We want to improve our communication!" (which they've said a year or two ago as well) and then nothing. Since the release of Seasons in June there really has been no more information. During the last ~ two weeks I haven't even heard anything from the Gurus. No one should expect them to say "Hey, we started working on witches, so we'll release them in Summer 2019!" but in previous Sims games they usually let us know what would come soon.

So no, in my opinion nothing has changed. Just a bunch of empty promises and the constant talk about an improved communication which just simply doesn't happen. I don't even feel like they're trying. The last update with the gallery overhaul was a disaster because no one ever asked for such an overhaul and in the end it's just broken now - Doesn't load properly and people don't get downloads. Their priorities are all over the place. And now I feel like they're trying to suddenly get into the Let's Play hype by putting some Gurus on Twitch and letting them play their own game once a month instead of putting these resources into the actual game.

I have the same feelings about it I had a few years ago - Looks really nice and has a handful of good ideas, but most of the stuff is either just pointless clutter, doesn't work or is an annoying feature. It just still feels like a cheaper, watered-down version of previous games; more like a mobile or console version than the complex PC versions we know.

Yeah if you compare all the stuff that we had gotten in Sims 2 and 3 in their 4 year lifespan it's a really sad comparison. I have had really high hopes for Sims 4 especially with it being a sequel to Sims 3 but instead it had left us with 4 years of heartbreak.
Quote: Originally posted by Gargoyle Cat
I'm sitting here poking around on Twitter looking for some kind of celebratory tweet, post...something, anything with a mention of the 4 year anniversary of TS4. It is a long weekend here in the US, but one would have thought they would have at least mentioned that TS4 had a upcoming birthday before they left on Friday, nope! Even the most outspoken Yibs seem to have nothing to say.

The silence speaks volumes.

They're probably are too ashamed to say mention anything about it being the 4th anniversary and they don't want to admit it. Instead they'll likely just pretend that nothing is wrong and continue to ignore the pleading fans.
Mad Poster
#7 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 3:39 PM Last edited by jje1000 : 2nd Sep 2018 at 4:06 PM.
I think their new marketing strategy is worse than the quarterly updates, as it seems to leave fans completely in the dark about future content.

This is especially bad for a game like the Sims 4, which can't rely on deep, robust systems (like TS2) or total player creativity (like TS3) to tide over interest for extended periods of time, meaning that fans lose interest much more quickly.

For all its very apparent flaws, the Sims 3 store was good for retaining low intensities of interest by essentially supplying a drip-feed of content. Players could at least look forward to the next month knowing that there would be something new, no matter how garbage it was. This meant that the Sims 3 was always in people's minds, which is what any franchise should want to do- a fan who loses interest is one that can be more easily picked up by other franchises.

Of course, the Sims 2 model is the best one as previews of the next expansion pack would be included in the jewel case of the previous expansion pack- you'd hype yourself up reading the booklet again and again.
Scholar
Original Poster
#8 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 3:49 PM
Quote: Originally posted by jje1000
I think their new marketing strategy is worse than the quarterly updates, as it seems to leave fans completely in the dark about future content.

This is especially bad for a game like the Sims 4, which can't rely on deep, robust systems (like TS2) or total player creativity (like TS3) to tide over interest for extended periods of time, meaning that fans lose obsessiveness much more quickly.

For all its very apparent flaws, the Sims 3 store was good for retaining interest by essentially supplying a drip-feed of content. Players could at least look forward to the next month knowing that there would be something new, no matter how garbage it was.

Yeah that's the other thing wrong with Sims 4. There's barely anything to look forward because they would rather keep silent and not say anything about what their next plan may be and the vague hints that they do leave barely does anything except leaving fans more frustrated.
Scholar
#9 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 4:16 PM
As far we know it's we know, the game lifetime has been extended if you like it or not, but I I'll say it needs it, as it did have a horrid start, released in a half-finished mess, some have now played TS4 for 4 years, but they haven't played the toddlers for 4 years yet.
Field Researcher
#10 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 5:06 PM
Biggest problem I have are the bugs. I would like for them to spend some time fixing them then releasing a little bit of new content all the time. Seasons brought so many new bugs on top of the ones already in the game.
Field Researcher
#11 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 5:45 PM
Quote: Originally posted by CatMuto
I'm still tempted to uninstall Sims 4 and just reinstall Sims 3 with a few EPs (or even just Seasons alongside Basegame) that I know will give me more joy than wading in the shallow depths that is still Sims 4. I may have clicked the middle or deepest option for the pool in Build Mode, but it's just an illusion. The water's still shallow.


That's what I did...I Uninstalled 4 (3 years ago) and reinstalled TS3. and you can install all the EPs. Cause I did and more. That whole thing they created to say you can't play all of the EP's at once is bullshit. I think they were just trying to get people to buy TS4 instead.The only thing that would hinder you from using all EP's would be if your computer has lower specs and can't handle all. I have all the EP's (except Katy perry Crap) All the Worlds (except Lunar lakes) and a butt load of stuff from the sims store. My game plays just fine. Yes, I do have Nraas Mods. I have Master controller, debugEnabler, Overwatch, Error Trap, Story Progression and from MTS I have No Build Sparkles and Add any lot size. super easy to install all and just enhances the game even more.
Forum Resident
#12 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 7:04 PM Last edited by Averex : 3rd Sep 2018 at 3:01 AM.
Same old boring shit. Not really surprised that the devs have pretty much been silent since Seasons dropped. I stand by what I said with there being no good reason for this much lack of communication. I just moved into college and that's been eating up most of my time so I've been pretty inactive these last few weeks. I keep popping my head over here when I get the chance hoping that there will be some sort of news, but nope. Zilch. Why should I expect more though lol. I'm so fucking bored of The Sims 4. I've been spending whatever time I spend playing a Sims game playing The Sims 2 lately. It's pretty much the only game in the series as of now that can keep my interest and make me want to keep coming back to continue my family's story/lineage.

Well there's my 2 cents. Time to go back to caffeine and textbook cramming

The simmer formerly known as Averex
My Claim to Fame
Mad Poster
#13 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 7:10 PM
TS4 is a sponge that they squish money out of it. Nobody can convince me to give a benefit of a doubt what they have done to the franchise. Honestly, I could agree to every post above me now (would be funny If somebody posted a reply, which has a conflicting beliefs to mine, meanwhile as I'm writing this post and it would make me look stupid). Empty promises that feel like one of those Trump's tweets. All talk, nothing done! Nobody gives a happy birthday to long-time friend that became annoying? Ha, lol. Seems how much anyone cares about this franchise entry. Giving any teeny tiny of hope would just make me even a bigger fool. I don't want to return on this vicious cycle anymore. The Franchise is screwed lol. There's nothing to look forward.

P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Scholar
Original Poster
#14 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 7:10 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Averex
Same old boring shit. Not really surprised that the devs have pretty much been silent since Seasons dropped. I stand by what I said with there being no good reason for this much lack of communication. I just moved into college and that's been eating up most of my time so I've been pretty inactive these last few weeks. I keep popping my head over here when I get the chance hoping that there will be some sort of news, but nope. Zilch. Why should I expect less though lol. I'm so fucking bored of The Sims 4. I've been spending whatever time I spend playing a Sims game playing The Sims 2 lately. It's pretty much the only game in the series as of now that can keep my interest and make me want to keep coming back to continue my family's story/lineage.

Well there's my 2 cents. Time to go back to caffeine and textbook cramming

Well I guess I didn't really miss out on that much didn't I? Good luck with your college endeavors .
Scholar
Original Poster
#15 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 7:18 PM Last edited by Squidconqueror : 2nd Sep 2018 at 7:47 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by SneakyWingPhoenix
TS4 is a sponge that they squish money out of it. Nobody can convince me to give a benefit of a doubt what they have done to the franchise. Honestly, I could agree to every post above me now (would be funny If somebody posted a reply, which has a conflicting beliefs to mine, meanwhile as I'm writing this post and it would make me look stupid). Empty promises that feel like one of those Trump's tweets. All talk, nothing done! Nobody gives a happy birthday to long-time friend that became annoying? Ha, lol. Seems how much anyone cares about this franchise entry. Giving any teeny tiny of hope would just make me even a bigger fool. I don't want to return on this vicious cycle anymore. The Franchise is screwed lol. There's nothing to look forward.

It's such an embarrassment that the game is still that boring and empty despite being 4 years old at this point which is a shame because I had saw people create some of the best cc and mods for it but that would also mean going back and playing it again in order to enjoy them which is just not worth it in my opinion but what more could you expect from a game that was originally going to be an online game.
Field Researcher
#16 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 8:12 PM
Oh I agree wholeheartedly that TS4 is just the biggest Embarrassment in the entire franchise. Not to mention how that entire team over there at EA conducts themselves. The way they ban and scrutinize the fan base for not enjoying this version of the game. How they just bold face lie about the entire communication thing. This tactic of dead air silence for weeks or months that they do is just to get their most devoted "yes" fans riled up and speculate on what is coming next...then when it reaches its peak of ridiculousness...they announce some dumbass pack no one asked for.
Mad Poster
#17 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 8:18 PM
Maxis managed to do in 3 years what EA couldn’t do in 4. Here were are... 4 years later... begging for basic features.

Outside of seasons, the game is still relatively the same. You uninsall seasons and parenthood (two of however many packs) and you’re playing the same game you got back in 2014 with some extra content. Nothing shakes up the core experience at all.

For example:
City Living is inspired by multiple cultures, yet Sims have nothing to learn from different cultures beyond their food. No greetings, no stories, no special traits, no customs, nothing.

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Instructor
#18 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 8:24 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Squidconqueror
It's such an embarrassment that the game is still that boring and empty despite being 4 years old at this point which is a shame because I had saw people create some of the best cc and mods for it but that would also mean going back and playing it again in order to enjoy them which is just not worth it in my opinion but what more could you expect from a game that was originally going to be an online game.


It's because it's a number of limitations going on simultaneously:

1) Limited Engine? It's not something we can 100% confirm, but it is heavily implied by simple things like purely flat terrain, no swimmable oceans, and odd dev comments here and there saying the tech is limiting or the like. (before their PR guy comes in to say that's not what was meant) Follow the rumors and the engine isn't built for this type of game at all. Sometimes this results in a lack of features, other time it results in constant bugs. Yes Sims 3 was buggy, but it was predictably buggy. If my Sims 3 lags, I can look and see the town crowded with people and understand why that's slowing the game down. Sims 4 on the other hand, I couldn't tell you where on earth half the game bugs come from because it just seems like something's fundamentally broken. Speed 3 STILL DOESN'T WORK without corrupting the hell out of your save file.

2) The Emotions/Moodlets system should've been abandoned after year one. It just sucks. It basically reduces Sims gameplay to one of 14 modes, the problem being that some of those are negative and devoid of detail (uncomfortable, tense, dazed) and others are just downright uncommon. (bored, which is ironic since this is probably the most common emotion the player feels) The result is the game basically has 10 personality modes that get extremely repetitive. The entire Emotions system does nothing more than function as a fantastic textbook example of the sunken cost fallacy.

3) Personality traits are meaningless - In Sims 3 if I have a Loser Sim, they consistently underperform in competitions, take hits to their promotion rates, and they have an immunity to pre-mature death. In Sims 4 if I make a gloomy sim, the best I get is that they feel sad all the time, but their version of being sad is the same as everyone else's. About the only personality traits in Sims 4 with meaningful, non-moodlet based effects (or moodlet based in a way that does something) are Squeamish, Non-Commital, Slob and Unflirty. These work because Squeamish's Uncomfortable moodlets can make a sim physically incapable of participating in activities like fishing or collecting, Non-Commital can block promotions (in the most obnoxious way possible), Slob shuts off any moodlets involving surroundings, and Unflirty likewise makes Sims almost incapable of romance. Every other personality in the game is strictly mood based in a way that's unlikely to affect gameplay.

4) Whims suck. Like quite frankly if I wanted to, I could STILL push my Loser Sim in Sims 3 to be a success story and a winner. I couldn't negate all of his persona, but I could negate a lot of it just by commanding him to do things counterintuitive to his personality. Thing is, I don't think many of us did this and we often used wishes in Sims 2 and Sims 3 as an extension of or guide for what our Sims want and what their personality is like. But Sims 4...? That feature is just dead in the water. Emotions have actively taken over a third of the system, promotions for new content take over another 3rd, and the final remaining 3rd is almost completely devoid of long-term goals, instead showing bias towards the short term like "chat with that sim you once met at a bar who is currently within a 4 mile radius of your house."

5) Expansions halved. At this point Sims 3 was at 11 expansions. This game is at 5. There's no content because they've made zero effort to give it content. Same goes for things like life states: Sims 3 again had around 11, whereas Sims 4 has 2. TWO!!! By God we have a billion chairs though, because a huge percentage of the community eagerly throws their money at every stuff pack that releases, then later scratches their heads and wonders why EA/Maxis isn't bothering with the content-heavy/gameplay-intensive packs.
Forum Resident
#19 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 8:35 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Gargoyle Cat
I'm sitting here poking around on Twitter looking for some kind of celebratory tweet, post...something, anything with a mention of the 4 year anniversary of TS4. It is a long weekend here in the US, but one would have thought they would have at least mentioned that TS4 had a upcoming birthday before they left on Friday, nope! Even the most outspoken Yibs seem to have nothing to say.

The silence speaks volumes.
How dare you say we don't get anything. Here, you can win one of two different Game Packs!
But I seriously wonder if they'll mention something on Monday. Considering how social media is all around us I would have thought someone had a post or tweet prepared for today, but apparently not. Maybe we'll get three great recolored shirts with the EA logo for free
Mad Poster
#20 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 8:57 PM
Quote: Originally posted by DeservedCriticism
Same goes for things like life states: Sims 3 again had around 11, whereas Sims 4 has 2. TWO!!!

Three*, actually: ghost, alien and vampire. One of which is too awesome to pick up. You can't play the game without having a family of vampires with toddlers. Aging off.

P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Scholar
Original Poster
#21 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 10:23 PM Last edited by Squidconqueror : 3rd Sep 2018 at 12:15 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by thevogel
Oh I agree wholeheartedly that TS4 is just the biggest Embarrassment in the entire franchise. Not to mention how that entire team over there at EA conducts themselves. The way they ban and scrutinize the fan base for not enjoying this version of the game. How they just bold face lie about the entire communication thing. This tactic of dead air silence for weeks or months that they do is just to get their most devoted "yes" fans riled up and speculate on what is coming next...then when it reaches its peak of ridiculousness...they announce some dumbass pack no one asked for.

What do they even think that banning and ignoring fans who were just giving constructive criticism would do for them except for angering Sims fans and turning them away from the game more and more? It seems like they don't even care and respect their fans anymore you know the ones that shell out tons of cash in order to get their half finished expansion,game packs and stuff packs?
Field Researcher
#22 Old 2nd Sep 2018 at 11:23 PM
Four years in and the game is still a disappointment. But there’s milk in the cow and fans that are thirsty. It’s embarrassing just how shallow this game is. There’s no excuse for it after four years.
Scholar
Original Poster
#23 Old 3rd Sep 2018 at 12:25 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Goldbear
Four years in and the game is still a disappointment. But there’s milk in the cow and fans that are thirsty. It’s embarrassing just how shallow this game is. There’s no excuse for it after four years.

The sad thing is that they haven't even brought back the most basic features from Sims 1-3 such as burglars,firefighters,cars or even basic transportation like taxis and school buses which were around since the first game which should be a necessity in a life simulation game. Instead they just teleport through their phones it seems or just walk. There are many more that i'm missing but that should give you a good idea about how much is still missing from this game especially after 4 years. It had indeed been 4 years of disappointment and heartbreak.
Mad Poster
#24 Old 3rd Sep 2018 at 1:02 AM
From what we know this was originally designed to be an online game that could be played on a baked potato. They chose the wrong IMO game engine and are now stuck with it and paying the price. Add all the other things/problems/factors/omissions and the game is too boring/lacking for many of us to play. I got seasons half off, played maybe an hour, and have not opened the game since.

But we do not represent the majority of the sims community who may have some frustrations but clearly are still buying for this game and playing it, and must be liking it. The people who post in Sims forums are just a tiny spec in the Sims universe. About 5% of the players, if that, I read once.
Scholar
Original Poster
#25 Old 3rd Sep 2018 at 3:34 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Gargoyle Cat
Sheesh! Could they possibly be any cheaper?

You're generous. I was thinking more bear suits.

Or more horribly modeled and textured ball pits.
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