The Sims 4 Discussion - Share your Opinion on TS4 and Gameplay Features

[Carl]

This topic is for sharing opinions and excitement about gameplay features in The Sims 4, set to release on September 2, 2014. See the stickied topic or read my guide to Sims 4 Gameplay Features to get caught up on what is known about the game. The Official Information Thread (sticky) will always be more up-to-date than the version on the Guide, which needs editing from time to time. As new information comes to us, the Official Information thread will be updated to share it with everyone.

Read This Before Posting: Please be aware of Forum Rules and try to keep discussion civil. There have been rants and outrage over certain features on The Official Sims 4 Forum that we do not want to encounter here. Things got so bad there that they have had to close down topics numerous times there. We expect more maturity here, and rants/negativity that contribute nothing to discussion will be deleted without notice. This is not the place to rant about EA or their practices. It is for fans to share what they like/dislike about the upcoming game. We all know Expansion Packs will add more features as time goes on - this is nothing new to the Sims Franchise. If you don't like something, it's OK to post, just don't go overboard and flame about it.

Given the game releases in less than two months,  you will not make a difference and change the course of development by venting your anger over something missing or some change you don't like by posting them to our Forum. You will just drag down the tone of the thread and find the post missing later. If you feel EA needs to know something, just go tell them on their boards - they won't see it here.

Evolution into Sims 4 Forum: For now, we'll have the lone thread to let members have a place to talk about TS4. As more information is revealed and the game comes closer to its release date, we may create sub-topics to discuss those individual gameplay features (Emotions, Skills, Careers, etc.). When the game is released, this board will be locked with General Discussion, Technical Help, and other boards created for topics to have a proper place.  On September 2, this section will be our new Forum and the site will automatically redirect to carls-sims-4-guide.com. You will not need to change bookmarks and the Sims 3 Forum will continue to operate on the new domain. Our focus will shift to The Sims 4, but we will still support TS3.

[LittleMissSims]

I am disappointed that the aren't toddlers, pools or Create-A-Style, however I feel like Build/Buy mode and Create-A-Sim will be much more fun and easy to work with, which excites me. The Gurus have also made it quite clear that there is an option for toddlers and pools to be added later, so the loss of these doesn't concern me so much. The game is looking very exciting overall.

[Lisa46]

I don't mind the loss of pools. I can't believe they got rid of toddlers.

[Carl]

I totally agree with you, LittleMissSims. We really can't expect everything to make it to the base game and should look forward to what is coming that will make the game better overall. We had the same problem moving from 2/3. It's not like they're really recreating the same game, but modernizing it and capitalizing on the evolving power of the PC to provide richer gameplay. Every one of them is quite different in pacing and goals, as well. I look forward to the base game and everything that will be added to it over the next few years. It seems like a really nice platform, and I'm sure it's going to have enough features to be quite fun to play as it is. In fact, I kind of look forward to not having all the lag that has occurred when you have 11 Expansions and several stuff packs installed all at once. I have a good PC, and it takes everything it has to play TS3 as it stands now. Neighborhoods will probably fix that issue and make adding additional Expansions not such a big deal.

Some people complain about the Expansion cycle, but they don't have to buy them and to be honest about gaming, some games I have paid $60 for and played all of 40 hours. The Sims offers at minimum hundreds, but possibly thousands of hours of gameplay. I know of people who are playing free-to-play games who drop hundreds of dollars just to be the best. At least Sims isn't competitive. It's modular and lets us add features to it as we see fit. I just want little things to be fixed faster - like the gym bug not being fixed for a few years. That was inexcusable, but I myself thought my Sims were gaining faster from the moodlet..

As for Toddlers, it's not really clear how that plays out, so it doesn't worry me. But then, some of us are not playing for raising a family and all. That's something I love about the game, that there are so many different playstyles. Childhood was a deeper as far as gameplay went in TS3, so perhaps that stage will be drawn out some.

I myself do question the loss of pools - it's really weird, as it's just some animations and probably not that taxing on them to make it a part of gameplay.  Still, it was a long time before a Sim could swim in anything else but a pool (ocean) and they're sure to bring it back in an improved form.

[MarianT]

I'll admit that I felt depressed for a day or two about toddlers -- but then I realized that I usually age up my toddlers as soon as they've learned how to walk, talk, and use the potty. My own guess us that the new engine makes it more difficult to program animations for different heights -- which is why teens are the same height as YAs, etc.

I am curious to see how the new emotions will work -- I think they will make story-telling more interesting, but challenges more difficult.

Most of all, I'm looking forward to a new group of Sims -- I want to find out their traits, their skills, their jobs, and what they enjoy. What hooked me on Sims at the beginning was when my first Sim looked at the picture I'd hung in her living room to increase the environment level, and her thought bubble had an X through the picture. "Little people who had 'minds' of their own," I thought and was charmed.

[Twinmum]

I am really excited for Sims 4. As a builder, the new building features are what I am oloking forward to the most (for now) I love how you can add and change the height of foundations after you build, and I have so many questions about how different things will or will not work in the buildings, I can't wait to get my copy and dive right in! As for thingss not being included in the base game, I have faith that they will either be brought into the game at a later stage or there will be some sort of work around. For example, they say Create-A-Style will not be returning at all and this is a bit of a blow for those of us who like to co-ordinate fashions as well as interiors. I'm hoping there will be something like it available at some point, if not, I'm sure we will cope.
Now I just have to wait till Sept 4, which is the release date here in Australia. Of course with the time difference, it will only be a day after most people get it.

[bulaboo]

I was also disappointed about the removal of the toddler stage. To me that was my favourite stage. I very nearly cancelled my pre order, but then when I sat down and thought about it I  decided  I have to give it a chance and hope that they do add them later on. The building and Cas looks really good. Also I like the idea of more going on in an area. I am not to sure about the loading screens. I am hoping they wont be to long. All in all I am excited but a little apprehensive.

I just wanted to say as well. Thank you Carl for having a safe place to discuss the Sims 4. I for one appreciate it very much

[Deklitch]

I am looking forward to The Sims 4 coming out.

I think it will be exciting to see what EA and Maxis comes up with for the next stage in the Sims franchise.

I am sure that there will be aspects of the game that we'll like, and things that we don't like in it.

I am willing to wait to see what it is like before forming any decisions on what I like and don't like with it.

Thanks to the team for developing this site and moderating it to ensure it is a safe place for all our members.

[Shewolf13]

I'm super excited for the Sims 4!  I started with Sims 2 and seeing it return a bit to some of the roots from 2 is really exciting.  I have gotten used to things in the 3, of course.  The fact that there won't be toddlers right away is a bit disappointing, but I'm confident they've come up with something else, possibly tweaking the baby stage where it is a hybrid maybe?  The pools things is also disappointing, but again, as others have said, it will probably be in an expansion.

The emotions and the new gameplay look like the game will be very exciting.  Will there be things that need tweaking?  Probably.  But that's with all games.  For myself, I'm really looking forward to the Sims 4.  And the new build mode?  I squeed when I saw the trailer for it XD I'm not the best builder.  When I finally get something I like, it took hours of frustration and beating my head against a wall.  This already seems pretty intuitive and much easier.  Though there isn't a Create-a-Style anymore, I would think they may have done a work around with that so I won't worry about that part of it until later.  All in all, can't wait until September 2 (US release date, as far as I know).

[Gwendy]

For example, they say Create-A-Style will not be returning at all and this is a bit of a blow for those of us who like to co-ordinate fashions as well as interiors. I'm hoping there will be something like it available at some point, if not, I'm sure we will cope.

Yeah, the complete lack of Create-A-Style really stings me for the exact reasons you said, as well as it really added to the personality/story of your sim. I'm kind of hoping that a really talented modder would be able to "fix" that, but considering that just about everything in the game would need to be modded as well really seems to put the final nail in the coffin for it.

At the same time, considering how they're having clothes be bought by your sims like in Sims 2 (or at least that's what I heard last, anyway), it makes sense that they couldn't be recoloured, since they're "off the rack" as it were, adding a more realistic element to the game.

[KhaineGB]

I have to say, the amount of "missing features" and changes have actually turned me away from buying Sims 4 on release. I also don't particularly like the cartoony style, but I'm sure skin makers will fix that.

For the moment, I'm probably going to carry on with Sims 3 and wait to see what happens with Sims 4. Besides, any game... no matter who makes it... is usually full of bugs at launch. I think I'll let them get those out of the way first!

[notjustabook]

I have to say, the amount of "missing features" and changes have actually turned me away from buying Sims 4 on release. I also don't particularly like the cartoony style, but I'm sure skin makers will fix that.

For the moment, I'm probably going to carry on with Sims 3 and wait to see what happens with Sims 4. Besides, any game... no matter who makes it... is usually full of bugs at launch. I think I'll let them get those out of the way first!

Basically agree with this. I only started playing the Sims 3 a lot about a year or so ago - all the worst mistakes had been fixed, and all the good mods were out to fix the ones that weren't. I'm going to give TS4 a couple of years before I latch on to it. It'll be cheaper by then, too.

CASt missing really bugs me. I adore getting things to match and look nice, to get unusual colour combinations, and it's pretty much one of my favourite things about TS3. I read somewhere that CASt is missing because clothes affect moods in the game? I don't know if that's true but that would make sense, I guess.

[LittleMissSims]

I read somewhere that CASt is missing because clothes affect moods in the game?

I've heard that clothes and colours do not affect moods, probably because it would be incredibly difficult. I think it was more of a cost issue that saw the omission of CASt.

[notjustabook]

I've heard that clothes and colours do not affect moods, probably because it would be incredibly difficult. I think it was more of a cost issue that saw the omission of CASt.

Ah, okay then. Thanks for clearing that up.
*Still sulking because no CASt, regardless of reasons*

[pallyndrome]

I too will not be buying it straight away mainly because of no CASt. I don't know how to play without it now and it's depressing. I also am not a fan of the cartoony style either. But hopefully as more is released there will be work arounds and in the mean time I've still got lots to do with sims 3.


... I hope that was not too negative. I find it hard to judge...