Changes from Sims 3 to 4: Fun, Interesting, Weird and/or Disappointing?

[_Annika_]

Oooh I LIKE stats - add that to my like list!

[KhaineGB]

Okay, I'm getting used to it now.

Whenever I play, I keep telling myself "It's not Sims 3, it's a new game..." and just treat it as such. That's helping.

I still think the neighbourhoods are far too small though! Sims 2 had more residential lots than Sims 4. >_<

[Namaya]

Okay, I'm getting used to it now.

Whenever I play, I keep telling myself "It's not Sims 3, it's a new game..." and just treat it as such. That's helping.

I still think the neighbourhoods are far too small though! Sims 2 had more residential lots than Sims 4. >_<

Thats true, but do keep in mind that in Sims 2, going to another world gave you a loading screen that took ages! Sims 4 is able to expand the world in an unlimited way just by adding new worlds. You could see it as one big world, it's just divided over different tabs. Imagine that after a year or so, your world might consist out of 10 'tabs' that you can visit immediately. That's a lot more residental lots than in the Sims 2.

For me it still makes me sad that I can't walk around the whole town anymore though. Especially since they are so small, you would think that the developers had technology advanced enough to allow that and still make the game run smoothly without bugs or lagg. Also the fact that you get another loading screen when you visit your close neighbour's house and aren't able to control your other sim who is at home next door annoys me and makes me turn off the game and start up sims 3.

[jillz]

So, I've been playing the same family all week and while I like the new expanded child stage, I am not fond of the teen stage at all. Firstly, they look like adults and it's hard to tell who is a teen on a public lot. Secondly, because I couldn't tell who is a teen my teenagers befriended some adults when they went to the Juice Bar. This resulted in adults coming over and knocking on the door or calling my teenagers to hang out with them. It's just a little creepy.

I ended up adding in 2 households full of teenagers (plus 1 adult in each household to make it playable) to my "Not In The World" townies so I would recognize the teens if they came on the lots.

[wkoziol]

When I got mine loaded up and got into the design screen I liked how you can manipulate the body parts and stuff but what I was really surprised at was no ability to pick and choose your own color patterns.  You are forced to select the pallets they have for the objs.  No color wheel, RGB sliders or whatever.  If I'm missing something within the setup I know <looking forward to it> that someone out there will tell me how.  Anyways, when I finally got into the game it felt like for a few moments that I was back playing Sims 2 and I was like...oookay?!?.......But as a true game I played on.  One of the first traits I gave my sims was being a music lover cause I was really curious to see how they did it and I have to admit I've really liked the music they've always done in all the other sims games.  I had my toon picked up the violin and when she hit the half ways mark it really felt like she was still playing at level one and didn't learn a thing.  I was really disappointed there.  I have yet to try it with the other instruments but I have a same feeling it MIGHT be the same but I hope I'm wrong.  So I was thinking so ok they were probably forced to cut some things back to meet the deadline time, understandable.  I still pressed on in playing the game.  I also gave my sim the fitness trait so I went to the gym and I was like oh wow its not an open world like Sims 3.  I said to myself ok its for quicker loading times and will most likely be better for upcoming expansions.  No biggie.  Once I started talking to a sim in the gym, I had another one come up, and then another and another and before I knew it i was carrying on four sometimes five conversations at once and by the time I noticed what my sim was doing I was like.....DANG!!!!!  I REALLY REALLY LIKE THIS!!!!!......then I decided to check my charisma skill and I couldn't believe it I was already to level 6.  I'm like....whoa!!!!!! and feeling rather proud with myself for carrying on multiple conversations at once.  Well curiosity got me going on how they did woo-hooing and since my main toons trait was being flirty I thought I might as well put it to work.  Ok, mind you my sim isn't evil but the player was having an evil streak in his body.  Who walks in but Bella Goth.  I had two successful so I took her home with me.  Dunno if it's me but I noticed that they seem to get mad each other very briefly which I thought was really odd but I really love how the woo-hooing music sounds so Barry White-ish.  Thought that was a really nice touch.  As for those who are wondering whats going on with my toon and Bella Goth.....well.....I got her to leave her family, had her move in with my toon, and even though she had a +4 <blue tab> for divorce icon buff or debuff <still learning on how that part actually works.> she proposed to me.  We are now married and I left it there for now while I checked out how the building features of the game.

The building features I like due to how fast you can actually craft a home when comparing to doing it in Sims 3.  I like how you have "catalog" browsing by rooms, the abilities to choose the entire rooms or just certain items.  At first it was a little awkward in getting around but I really love how they have it setup.  I think its a bit more smoother in design than Sims 3 even though it seems you had to work the cursor a lot more in Sims 4 building mode than Sims 3.  Mbbe its me.  I've noticed how they incorporate some fine tuning with placing objects into the rooms by holding the alt which to me they shoulda had that without using cheats in Sims 3.  I also how they have some predefined room shapes available to you and everything but something is telling me that with the Sims 4 you are just lot more limited than Sims 3.  I think this time they went with the non-builders tastes instead with the tastes to those who love building as much or maybe more than actually playing the game.

In conclusion so far I'm liking Sims 4 a lot but I will also still be playing Sims 3 a lot since there's a massive amounts of stuff I have yet to come across when I did my binge expansion pack buyings.  Each game has their own strengths and weaknesses.  Also technically you can't really compare the two just yet since Sims 4 has only been out little over a week.  If you remember what Sims 3 was like when it was first released it wasn't all that rich with content and stuff either.  I like what I see so far with Sims 4 with the ability to multitask.  And I'm sure with each expansion that comes out for it it will add fixes and game features enhancements as well.  I know I'm adding my two bits about the breastfeeding issue with the game you have to understand how the game rating system works.  It's nothing like the movie rating system.  When I heard how you could breastfeed now I went to Youtube.  My gf peeped over my shoulder cause she was also curious and said, "Oh wow!  They did add that to the game!  How cool and its about time too!"  She also said they shouldn't pixilated it but at least its a start cause she also knows how the game rating system works as well as graphic design.  Its all the prudes in real life society forcing a louder opinion on stuff like that and as far as I know Sims 4 is the only game out there that actually has any form of breastfeeding.  Also, if they get enough complaints they may fix it to have it either show a breast briefly <perhaps the most easiest way of doing it> and if you want the pixels have a setting in the gaming options.  So all in all I am liking the Sims 4 a lot but I am greatful they added the Sims 3 cam movements into the game.  My poor right hand didn't know what the heck it was doing most of the time.

[Joria]

I keep trying to really love Sims4 and I keep failing.  Right now I'm both infuriated, (constant crashes no matter what I do or don't do), and bored.  Yes, bored.  Actually playing wasn't really my style, although I did make it to gen 4, (a huge thing for me!), in my Thyme legacy.  During that particular game I was able to buy and totally remodel 3 vacation homes, one in China, France and Egypt respectively.  As I looked back on that I realize there is no way I can do that with Sims4 because the build tools, camera angles, lack of fashion/style and the color wheel would make it impossible. 

 Looking back I also got to see how adorable the interactions with nooboos and even children were.  Ok, burrito babies didn't have much personality, but frankly, I find the alien looking thing in the bassinet less than adorable and it annoys me that it comes in an ugly yellow or greenish onesy that always looks slightly dingy.

 I miss nooboos!!!  I miss watching their adorable faces as they try so hard to take those first unsteady steps, or look up at mom or dad adoringly when it's time to be picked up.  I even miss the temper tantrums when they can't do something.  Children in Sims4 are ok.  Their play actions at the playground are great, but limiting.  Other than that they are a bore.

I miss Sims with real faces you can make and mold however that don't all look like cartoons.  I"ve seen some of the celebrity ones created and they are ok, but don't look half as realistic as the ones created for our Sims3 CAS challenges.  I didn't mind the sliders at all.  I could tweak my Sims faces as much as I wanted.  Ok, I DO like being able to tweak bodies a bit more with the new system but that's about it.

So about being bored.  Once I've discovered how to do different things it's all basically rinse and repeat.  Run around the neighborhood/collect/dig.  Go fishing, did that in 3 as well and found it more fun.  (Better fish in Sims4 though). 

The clothes we are offered are admittedly, much better than the ones in base TS3. MUCH better, even with the ability to change patterns and colors in TS3.  The mix and match style is pretty endless but ONLY within their color and pattern choices and THAT I do not like at all.
Yes, my Sims have cute outfits, all except for the child which is forced to wear the same stupid dress to school every day like it was a uniform.  And, it wasn't hard to put together those outfits, but it took the creativity out of it.  Buying off the rack rather than having a designer do something unique.

I do not miss pets.  I do not miss university.  I do not miss supernaturals, (much).  I do miss better night clubs, somewhat.  I definitely miss going next door and visiting without having to travel, which annoys me.  I miss being able to cue a trip to the grocery store, library, bookstore and more without my Sims having to take all the time to travel.  I miss being able to skill them out quickly and smoothly by parking them in the library and knowing they will just sit there and read till done.  I miss being able to send them to places to take classes to get them started.  I do not miss going all over creation to find rocks, gems, seeds, etc. 

So, I'm going to give it a fair shot.  Here we are with BASE game Sims4 and comparing it Sims3 in its entirety.  So how about uninstalling all but BASE game Sims3 and then comparing?  Which one would really be more fun that way?  Maybe I'll give that a shot.

[ManiSims]

I've noticed some people saying that even base game Sims 3 was much better than base game Sims 4, but personally I disagree. I had never played Sims 3 with expansions and it got quite boring and dull. Already I can see that the base game of Sims 4 has much more depth and content, and I'm really enjoying it so far. Of course, there are certain things I miss about the Sims 3 like open world and CASt but overall, I'm satisfied with TS4.

[Nutella]

I really missed skill challenges, without them my sim just feels unintelligent.  It was so much more fun when you can do all the different skill challenges and achieve different bonuses.  Skills in sims4 feels very one dimension, should just type in skills cheat and never have to worry about it.

[_Annika_]

I think of it as they integrated the skill challenges into the aspiration system and career system instead. Many of the achievements seem like mini skill challenges.

I like having more involved careers and aspirations, and I really like being able to switch between them all. It's quite the challenge (cough cough Metro) to try to fulfil as many of the aspiration milestones as possible - all the while avoiding the negative emotions. Those stats could make a nice challenge multiplier...

The instanced areas is better than I expected it to be - there is still some degree of exploration in each area, which I like. It's not like a single block in Sims 2, and the distant terrain and buildings make it seem like it is open beyond the area that you are in. It is still annoying that you have to incur a loading screen to visit your next-door-neighbour, but other than that the instanced areas really work well.

My only issue - which I'm sure will be patched at some point - are the numerous CTD's (Crash to Desktop), and Sims 3 had plenty of those to begin with, too.

[Shirin]

Like Joria, I'm trying to love S4, and am also failing at it. I'm playing 3 different households right now (4 sisters; 2 roommates; a married couple). I'm finding the game to be very tedious, but I don't know if it's because I haven't played enough to really explore, or because I'm more involved in my 4x4 Dynasty right now. I will admit that the amount of time I've played S4 isn't worth the amount I paid for the game.

When I was talking with my niece, who loves S4, I told her that my huge problem seems to be that the needs decay superfast. My married couple just had twin daughters, whom I aged up because they are such ugly babies. And it seems like their daily routine consists of: Pee, shower, pee, eat, pee, go to school/work, come home, pee, eat dinner, pee, go to bed. I don't have time to work on their skills or their aspirations because of constantly low pee or sleep meters. The other day, the mother got up and started painting before work. I checked her right before it was time to leave for work, and her pee meter was (surprisingly!) still very high, like 3/4 filled. She walks out the door, goes into work-vanish mode, and her pee meter is suddenly red.

I also am having problems with build mode, I remodeled Crick Cabana for the roommates, and now most of the house has something that looks like a little flair jutting from the bottom of the house, but flattened (no foundations). I cannot delete these at all, and if I put the house on a foundation, the bathroom that doesn't have one doesn't develop one. (I can't post a picture right now, 'cause I'm at work.)

How do you tell the difference between a teen and an adult? I only figured out the romantic target was a teen when I realized I could tell he has only 2 traits. Whoops! Cradle robbing!

My niece's big problem is that the slim Sim females we both created turn into whales when they eat dinner. She sent me a screen shot of one of them being wooed, and my only response was, "is the sister pregnant or just fat?" She was just fat. Despite diets and exercise.

Um, what I do like? I guess that other Sims will show up in the world. And, um, emotional auras (though I don't like the emotion system either, strangely).

As I told my niece, "I think I just need to sit down for a few hours where I won't be distracted, and force myself to play and become more familiar with it." I'm just not certain I can actually do it - does anyone have any tips that might help?

[Hechicera]

I read the thread before posting, and decided to answer Shirin above before posting my one snippet. Try:

Just one household, preferable two Sims, siblings, roomies or maybe single parent with teen to start. Do not try more than one household or focusing on more than one sim. I recommend two non-married and likely to get on different schedules. Playing multiple families is a part I don't think is handled well in 4 right now at all. One sim may be too boring for you compared to more than one household full.

Are you letting them finish peeing? I know its strange but pee is low priority and if I auto queue things after pee, they stop peeing to go do that with meters barely refilled.

Yep with teens, you can tell the way you noticed as soon as you speak to them. If there is more than one person in the conversation, use arrows to get them in the top center box, and mouse over portrait will show you # of traits (even when they are all "?" unknown yet).

Play as zoomed in as you can handle.

Mouse over everything, and click on many things to see how they interact and how the options change with emotions.

Let the Sims multitask, don't do that yourself as much. Redirect them softly until you start to get the hang of priorities (must STOP peeing to make dinner! with pee < hunger, but you clicked it). If you stack a big list the interaction of priorities and what they'll multitask takes practice (pee and read - fine!, pee + read + dinner =  pee, then pee while reading, then stop both of those unfinished and make dinner). You must more softly micromanage I feel in 4 than 3.

So my snippet:
In the intersection of new blended animations, new multitasking, weird and funny: Have a child who is eating be told to go practice typing. They will multitask this by leaving the plate on the table, keeping the fork, typing at the computer while taking breaks from typing to eat the keyboard with their fork!

[Lisa46]

I agree with you about the sliders, Joria. The click and drag is so complex in terms of what pulls what, and it's driving me crazy! I love the new body sliding though, it's great.

What I've heard a lot is "think back to base game sims 3." I played base game my first year. I enjoyed it more than sims 4 base game. The emotions are really annoying to me! My play style just can't handle them.

I'm not going to bash EA, but the sims 4 is not my style. I'll stick with sims 3.

[_Annika_]

For those of you struggling to like Sims 4 (but really want to) I'd suggest setting yourself a challenge. I myself have been working with just the one sim, with the goal of achieving all of the milestones for all of the aspirations. Certain milestones will complete when you switch if you have already done the requirements, others won't.

I'm also playing (and reloading most recent save a LOT) with the goal of not having any negative emotions on my sim. That means not letting any needs get past yellow, and not letting any work, social or skill related negative emotions effect her either. Oh what? She got bored from reading Vol 3 of gardening because she is level 9? I guess we reload and level gardening the rest of the way by actually gardening. Pinched a finger repairing? You guessed it. Reload. Try and think like Metro would, and see what you can come up with (obviously that would mean no reloads, but you get the gist).

For needs, the LTRs are a lifesaver. I start with the never weary reward, and then work my way back up the list, starting with needs based rewards first. The only one I find doesn't seem to work at the moment is the hardly hungry one. I'm still yet to test the fun and social ones more extensively.  EDIT social and fun ones work well. I don't have to spend hours socialising my sim every day.

[Playalot]

I agree with the idea of focusing one just one household with no more than 2 sims. After my first 'furious play everything at once attack on my new game' phase I settled down with the goal to really get to know as much as possible. One thing that worked for me was playing with my favourite sim and trying to get to the top of as many jobs and aspirations as possible. I started with painting first of all and once he was a level 10 painter I then got him the painters job. First, I basically kept him prisoner inside of his house and only had one friend so that I could really storm through the painting skill levels, after that I then started going out and about and chatting and making friends so that his charisma could level up.  Once he'd maxed that I started on the chef/mixology/culinary etc etc.

The things is that once I began to slow the game down and watch what was happening with his interactions, conversations, emotions and reactions to situations I really began to enjoy TS4.
There is actually a lot going on just below the surface and it feels like the more you dig into the game the more complex and enjoyable it becomes.

I haven't even used any of the LTRs yet apart from the one that helps you to learn skills quicker, savant something? I can't remember the name. I've really enjoyed the challenge of managing needs. Which once you start putting upgrades on items particularly toilets, showers and ovens, managing needs become easier. And getting as good a bed as possible really quickly in the game really helps too.

My favourite multi-tasking thing is to have my sim eat and watch TV after work that way he goes to bed happy and full, even if his energy is in the red as that way I don't have to worry about his happiness for the next days work.

[Shirin]

Thank you guys, and especially Hechiera. I'll give that a try with my roommate household (it's my simself and my niece's simself, but because we're so close in age, we have to be unrelated roommates). I am letting them finish the toilet interaction, before I instruct them on anything else, but it's just frustrating that they spend about 35% of their day in the toilet. Or breaking it! No one has consistent toilet-blocking poops!

I'm also terrible at tending to their wishes, so I don't get many aspiration points, but that, I think, comes with experience.

Maybe this weekend I'll give it a shot. With a brand new roommate household where my niece's simself isn't hitting on teenage boys.