Hi there, new to the forum. Very nice site and the guides are most useful. I've been playing sims 2 and all its expansion packs, I skipped sims 3 totally couldn't seem to get into it. I gave Sims 4 a try and, I'm not going to lie, I am still a bit on the fence about it.
What I like
I like the gameplay settings and the ability to have short, normal or long lifespans. This is very good. I am used to the Sims 2 style of gameplay where you play an active household, and only they age and progress. So to have sims 4 do this as well is wonderful. Means I can go from house to house and play as I like. Big fan of that feature.
I also like the create a sim features very easy to use and can be quick given you can just click and pull.
I am getting used to the build and buy modes, getting there. But I can say I am ok with them.
I also like how there are multiple options and you can unlock things in buy mode. Often with the handy skill, you can upgrade your stuff which makes buying a better one somewhat moot. If your sim is that way inclined.
I like the animations even though some of them need work. My sim sometimes sits down before he then stands up again and then clears the table for instance.
I like the reaction from some sims towards aliens, seems a bit more realistic than previous games "oh look, and alien. That's nice."
I also like that the GUI isn't cluttered with stuff like it was in Sims 2. You had a rather large control panel in front of you. So the less is more approach is better here.
things I don't like
The neighbourhood. That is the real big one for me, or, not that big as the case is. The neighbourhoods are tiny. I was expecting a Sims 2 type neighbourhood scale which were massive and fully customisable with lots and zones etc etc... The options in Sims 4 are severaly limited due to the size.
Some gameplay irks. It is very difficult to advance quickly in a career. I've dipped my toe in the water with one sim, on his own, no family, hardly any social distractions, he's on long lifespan setting, and he's already half way through his young adult stage, and I am still only on level 5 of the science career. Granted, I did have two or three bad days in work, but I really thought I'd be further along. Unless career progression is naturally slower on long lifespan? I don't know.
Relationships as I've read round here decay very quickly. Too quick given how tough they can be to advance, as you have a lot to do. I have no idea how I would manage to have a playboy sim, the one sim I play as my learning curve barely has enough time for his one girlfriend. He won't cheat on her,even though he so is the type, he just doesn't have the time!
Also eating/cooking in general, my word, this is my biggest irk. How long it takes sims to eat things. I mean does it really take somebody over an hour to eat a microwave meal in full? Seriously most people 20 to 30 minutes, tops. Sims just need to eat things quicker.
learning skills, that could do with being sped up a bit. I appreciate the correct emotional state helps but Sims 2 sims learnt things faster.
Money. Making money, in game without cheating, is tough. Simply getting up and going to a job like you did in Sims 2 doesn't cut it. You have to find ways to supplement income. Especially as career progression is so slow waiting for level 10 you will earn pittance on the way. I have put my sim to programming so he can hack for extra money I also get him as often as I can to hack his job performance. As that fits his personality best. Due to him being evil.
I'm sure there are other things that irk me in game. But on the whole I really really enjoy the game. And will stick with this one for sure as its a lot of fun. I just hope they improve the neighbourhood. In fact, what'd be really good is if they just straight ported the layout and functionality of sims 2 into this game.
