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Maxis is, yet again, removing basic features from new Sims 4
- Thread starter EatinOlives
- Start date
ZeroXcuses
Banned
Well, I don't mean *every* feature because some features from previous games are either bad or rendered obsolete because of new features. But seasons, pets, and an option to focus on college (University expansion)? Those seemed pretty essential to "simulating life" and shouldn't have been removed IMO.
Sims 4 offered "no loading" as you traveled around town. Also, houses no longer "freeze" so the kids your kids were friends with in elementary school are not still kids while your children become adults. Now were those features worth buying a full-priced version of the game that was basically vanilla Sims 2? No.
Yo the family tree SOLD my wife on Sims 2. She's really big on family. SMH.
I sort of agree with your general outlook on the series, but this point ain't even possible for them.
They removed fundamental structural changes that made Sims 3 (as the skeleton of a game that it was) the best foundation in the series.
Namely, an open world area without loadings and a seamless world.
This means that they can go and sell however many pools and scarves as they want to, but the fundamental structure of the game will always start from an inferior premise.
That's the absurd thing with this game, so far they have showed NOTHING that is an improvement from past games, outside of building tools being a bit more convenient and intuitive to use.
Emotions were always there, personalities were already there, aspirations were already there, even the goddamn graphics look about the same; The Sims 4 is essentially only a step back from Sims 3, if it wasn't for those goddamn tools to build a house more conveniently, which is no ground to sell a sequel on, of course.
Thanks for this; my mistake. I figured it just wasn't there for the demo since you couldn't move sims into a house. Now that I know it's there, I am okay with it being that way. But I had no clue that it would just appear there when it wasn't there before so never thought to look at it.If you have more than one sim created, an additional button appears next to the slider where you choose sim's voice tone. You set relationships there. And yes, it's possible to set gay couples (I tried it on my first couple).
As I said, the UI is kind of chaotic and it's easy to miss functionality, especially if the button in question appears only in certain situations.
And it's shitty that the word "gay" is banned. I hope it's a mistake or a result of using some kind of automatic dictionary and not a conscious decision on someone's part.
I sort of understand in a sense why 'gay' is banned because it could be misused. But then you should be able to report uploaded sims/households/rooms/ect. if one is using foul or derogatory language. To just outright ban all uses of the word 'gay' is definitely taking it a bit too far.
I felt this way when they transitioned from Sims 1 to Sims 2. I was like; 'Uh, why is there so much less to do; where's everything from the expansions from Sims 1?'
And yes it does suck they dial back. But usually tons of work go into the expansions. I just imagine there is no way to bring Sims 4 up to all the expansions and stuff packs from Sims 3 in the development time they have. So I don't necessarily mind it as much anymore. Plus it keeps the game relative and fresh for years with an expansion or stuff pack coming out every 6months-year.
So I don't mind expansions were cut again; I'm more concerned with basic game play elements being removed. That's what hits harder for me. Because usually I could count on the base game alone to be worth the price of admission. But because of all the missing features, I'm not as confident, and I'm not seeing a wow factor that makes me want to abandon Sims 3 & all the expansions I have for that, for Sims 4.
This is exactly my problem. When I compare TS4 and TS3, I don't see any reason whatsoever to upgrade right now. It doesn't bring anything new enough to justify another £40 release and downgrades everything else. Sure, the CAS is better, but Create a Style's been ripped out so that balances out. As for the actual life sim elements, the entire point of the game? No real upgrades. This is why I don't understand people who want to buy it also. It's not an upgrade. You're not buying anything new. If you're already bored of TS3 you're not going to find anything to remedy that in 4!
Edit: I was tempted to say that, maybe, if you just like building houses you could find a reason to buy TS4, since a lot of people are saying the new tools are pretty sweet. But then I remembered no Create a Style on objects, and no moveobjects cheat. Inferior building in 4 as well.
cripterion
Member
Minaj is pretty well done.
I'd like to see someone make a mean Jack Nicholson mug lol.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Base game Sims 2 has more to offer than Sims 1, and base game Sims 3 has more to offer than Sims 2. This seems to be backpedalling for Sims 4.
Base Sims 1 has more to offer than Sims 4.
Base Sims 2 has more to offer than Sims 4.
Base Sims 3 has more to offer than Sims 4.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Rumor now has it that firefighters aren't in Sims 4. But fires are. Well that could get interesting.
But there's a new feature for fires. A "Get away from the fire!" command. That seems useful until you remember... no firefighters means your Sim has to put out the fire on its own.
But there's a new feature for fires. A "Get away from the fire!" command. That seems useful until you remember... no firefighters means your Sim has to put out the fire on its own.
Bullshit. Firefighters were in the "dying from laughter" video, weren't they?
Edit:Nope I dreamed that up. So basically, we can probably assume that visitors are killed off at all. No burglars, no repo man, no maid, no repairman, no firefighters...no services at all basically. (would that be the second feature cut from The Sims 1 after pools, or were there others?)
Just bought The Sims 4 as a birthday present for my sister. Feels like a huge waste of money but it seems that she will enjoy it since she already has spent more than 10 hours on the CAS demo. Talked to her about all the gameplay omissions and she didn't care much, which seems to be the case for all casual gamers like her who are into the Sims
Wish that Origin had a family share feature so that I'd get to play it as well.
Wish that Origin had a family share feature so that I'd get to play it as well.
*fire breaks out at your place*
After two minutes of panic
*pop-up window appears*
You can buy the firefighters DLC for just $2.99!
*click buy*
Error! Cannot establish connection with server
Congrats, you have just lost your home
Dragonfly224
Member
I keep coming back to this thread and leaving shaking my head harder than last time.
Wow just wow.
Maids and pizza delivery are confirmed as in the game. And... that's about it for service NPCs.
On the bright side, dead Sims don't rise as ghosts in Sims 4, so when someone does die in a fire, you don't have to listen to them whine about it for the rest of their afterlife.
Oh, wait... That's another one for the list. Not in the game: "Ghosts"
If theres no Repo Man what happens if you dont pay the bills? I liked vistors whether good or bad it added immersion. Someone could come by and steal your shit.
At this stage what is the point of Sims 4 when the most basic features that were in every other Sims game to date are removed?
If you don't pay your bills, your utilities get shut down. No running water, no electric items work. I actually like that one. Seems more realistic than a Repo Man with a zappy gun.
Wha? I was sort of kidding when I made this post sarcastically asking if firefighters are still in the game. Are there really no firefighters? I become increasingly confused about this game.
I do like the get away from fire command though. I get tired of my sims standing right on top of a fire screaming their heads off when they should be getting out of the house. But I guess the whole thing is pointless if they have to go put out the fire themselves. Geez, will insurance still cover my losses if I just let the fire burn itself out or did they remove that feature too?
I don't have a 100% confirmation on the firefighters, but it does seem like it. The Services phone list only listed Maid and Pizza. Maybe the people playing the preview build haven't found them, like they could only be summoned during a fire, but for now, they look MIA.
Just found this preview which mentions it as well. Couldn't call firefighters even during a fire.
Reading that preview, seems they have improved a lot about the game. But then omissions like this pop up that have me scratching my head. Like, there has always been a firefighter which will respond to fires. There may not have been a fire house or a fire fighting career, but always a firefighter. So I really am not understanding the thought process of what to cut in the base game.
Infuriating because I want to like this game, but then more info like this and what the heck?
Polioliolio
Member
This is all very upsetting.
Why are they even making this?
Who am I kidding, they're going to make a killing, like they always do. The "Expansion" route made them rich and the people who are into Sims probably includes the people who will spend a shit ton of money on iphone game space money.
Why are they even making this?
Who am I kidding, they're going to make a killing, like they always do. The "Expansion" route made them rich and the people who are into Sims probably includes the people who will spend a shit ton of money on iphone game space money.
I have no idea. I mean for a lot of the missing content, I could kind of, sort of, see a reason to cut it. If pools and hot tubs aren't in, no need for swimwear. If the burglar is out and the only thing a police officer does is catch burglars, then that's a logical cut, too.
But there IS fire in the game. So why cut the firefighter?
I'm hoping there will be a massive Day 1 patch that adds in some of the stranger missing features, it'd do Maxis a lot of goodwill to not hide all of these behind a paywall, but I just don't know.
I wanted Sims 4 to be good. still do, really. I'm just not seeing that happening unless something big shows up. And it's a shame, too, because I'm really digging the new Create-a-Sim tool, but knowing that hitting that checkmark in the lower right will lead into half a game come September 4th is... disappointing.
Don't worry. In five years, you'll have a third of it back for fifteen times the price.
Not the point. The scale is fixed at this miniature size. The fundamental design is incredibly scaled back, the rest is more or less flavour, and sure, they'll add that back via add-ons, but it'll still be an inferior experience to The Sims 3.
Unlikely for a game this close to release. Have to assume all that will ever be in there is in there by now.
Then maybe you missed my point? I was trying to say how irrelevant future add-ons will be
Then maybe you missed my point? I was trying to say how irrelevant future add-ons will be
Well, my point was that we'll have none of the meaningful stuff back.
TheUnsunghero26
Member
After replaying a bit of The Sims 2 and 3, I think I might be OK with the approach they're taking with neighborhoods in the Sims 4.
Also, apparently the game has gone gold. I remember The Sims 3 leaking a few weeks ahead of its release, I wonder if the same will happen with this one?
Also, apparently the game has gone gold. I remember The Sims 3 leaking a few weeks ahead of its release, I wonder if the same will happen with this one?
Yeah this is basically what i was arguing before.
The very foundations of the game seem flawed, no matter what they'll try to lay on top of it, to use an apt metaphor.
TheAbsolution
Member
It sounds like a SimCity type of problem. The foundation is flawed and bare bones so any future expansions wony be able to fix that foundation.
Dalibor_San
Member
I worry that even when they release multiple expansions,the game just wont be as extensive or feature rich like SIMS3/SIMS2 due to the laying foundation of the base game being so limited.
I mean It is already scaled back from Sims3 with the removal of open-world, I think no 64-BIT support will limit the engine and the foundation of the game severely especially when new Expansions start being made.
This is exactly how Sim-City was turning out, we got bits of info before release, what with always-online, smaller City's(Town more like it) etc..
Then we had some worrying(rightfully so) and some chalking it up to being beta and them including bigger city's in the full game or shortly after.(did not come to fruition,whether due to incompetence or engine I don't know)
I am quite sad at how this game is turning out, I remember the joy of getting Sim City 1 for my Birthday and it blew my mind, Sims 2 was a great improvement when I bought it and Sims 3 with it's open-world like structure was so good.
EDIT: Beaten by TheAbsolution,He gets right to the point unlike my long-winded post
Yeah, the limited scale of the basic game worries me a bit, too. I mean, I do like that all worlds will be connected, I was hoping they'd do something like that so future expansions can just add a world with their new stuff rather than having to find room to add yet another new five lot types.
But this is a little too much. And it's not like it's even gone back to Sims 2 style where you had the ability to place lots on flat surfaces on a Sim City 4 terrain file. It's way back to Sims 1 style with predefined, limited lots, and perhaps most damning, if you factor in The Sims Unleashed, then The Sims 1 does better at having room to grow.
I really wish this game was looking good. Here a little over two weeks before launch, I wanted to be giddy with anticipation, not shaking my head in disappointment at it.
On the bright side, at least the game can only surprise positively at this point. My expectations are rock bottom. Though I will be pretty impressed if it manages to be worse than that. Zero expectations, yet disappointed. That takes skill.
But this is a little too much. And it's not like it's even gone back to Sims 2 style where you had the ability to place lots on flat surfaces on a Sim City 4 terrain file. It's way back to Sims 1 style with predefined, limited lots, and perhaps most damning, if you factor in The Sims Unleashed, then The Sims 1 does better at having room to grow.
I really wish this game was looking good. Here a little over two weeks before launch, I wanted to be giddy with anticipation, not shaking my head in disappointment at it.
On the bright side, at least the game can only surprise positively at this point. My expectations are rock bottom. Though I will be pretty impressed if it manages to be worse than that. Zero expectations, yet disappointed. That takes skill.
Aquamarine
Member
In comparison, reviews for The Sims 3 came out on June 1st when the game launched June 2nd.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/the-sims-3-review
http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-sims-3-review/1900-6210540/
Shining Sunshine
Banned
A meteor should kill everyone! =P
The Sims is what made my family finally end up getting a computer and, ultimately, what led me in to PC gaming. Seeing the ship sink like this is heartbreaking.
Between SimCity and this, I'm really confused as to what Maxis' goal is as a studio. It's one thing to rush a game out and soak it in microtransaction sauce, but these games are fundamentally flawed at the conceptual level. I have no idea why they thought this would be a good idea from the outset. Especially after SimCity.
Really disappointing to, but I doubt I get this.
Really disappointing to, but I doubt I get this.
They didn't think it would be a good idea, but they didn't have a choice. It was designed first and foremost as an online game, which was scrapped after the SimCity disaster.
They had to retool and redesign the whole game from scratch using an engine that wasn't designed for the purposes of the game they were making, all in basically a year and a half because EA won't move the game's release.
So they're rushing just to get the game in a playable state and will be releasing what's basically a glorified beta as final release.
I feel bad for the developers, I really do (the individuals, that is). Can't be very proud of their work when you're stuck between a rock and a hard place.
That makes perfect sense, thanks. Agreed that EA is to blame here, but that's no surprise.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
oh boy
Necromanti
Member
Looking at Maxis' trajectory only fills me with a sense of loss.
aspiegamer
Member
I seriously doubt that's up to them anymore and would be honestly surprised if there was any sort of long-term business model from EA.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
In comparison, reviews for The Sims 3 came out on June 1st when the game launched June 2nd.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/the-sims-3-review
http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-sims-3-review/1900-6210540/
Hahaha oh god...
Does anyone remember if the SimCity reviews came out ahead of time, or after release?
edit: seems that there were a bunch of March 4th reviews, so one day early.