The Sims Medieval - First Impressions

[Pam]

Ok, so now you've got the castle you liked and you went into CAS via her treasure chest, (dresser), or whatever the character of choice is using and you've given him/her five really stunning outfits that you changed around be recoloring and using different fabrics.  Even some of the patterned fabrics can be recolored so you have a pretty good range of choices.

I haven't figured this out yet.  I used the chest to plan an outfit, but there was only the one that I could choose.  Sure, I squealed in joy when I first put it on her, but I wouldn't mind seeing something different.

[samoht04]

Is the Sims Medieval Worth buying? I just want to double check before I actually do order it.

[Jancy]

As far as the camera mode in the castle is concerned, I particularly do not care for it at all.  I feel like I am viewing a stage and setting up a stage play.  I do not like the fact that you can only see from the front and not 360.

[Slingsby]

Is the Sims Medieval Worth buying? I just want to double check before I actually do order it.

Read about it here!!  It's OK, from my old adult viewpoint.  Others may see it differently, which is where it gets difficult to recommend or not.

BTW, our Knight has made level 7 and has traded in his fatal flaw for "Hardly Hungry" ... which will make game-play easier  

[Missa]

@ Pam, there is a plus sign in the upper left corner of the clothing screen when you change their clothes so you can have more than one outfit at a time.

 I wish they allowed you to choose all the outfits, like the bedtime clothes and armour.

[Jonna]

Just realized I hadn't posted my first impressions yet...

I had low expectations going into the game, but they were met and even a little bit exceeded!  I know that sounds harsh, but I was really worried that this would be World Adventures 2.0, and it kind of is.  My problem with World Adventures was that I didn't have to read any text to know what to do, just push the button and my sim runs to where he needs to go.  Medieval is somewhat similar.  There seems to be less text, thankfully, but I am trying to take my time and read everything (after all, this is a $50 game).  I don't know how much replay value this game has, though.  I'm on my second Ambition, and I'm getting tired of doing all the same quests over again.  Yeah, I can try them with different characters, but if the later Ambitions don't have quests, or many quests, that are unique, then what's the point of playing through all the Ambitions?

All that being said, I'm still playing!  I noticed near the end of my first Kingdom, Ultra Speed was nearly as slow as regular speed, and I think it might have been from all the people in the kingdom.  Next time I'll have to try throwing them into the pit to see if that'll speed my game up.  

So hopefully my final impression will be a better one that this!  I did have a baby finally and it's very convenient to not have to go to the Village myself, but I wonder if kids born with the Haggler trait will get lower prices or if you have to be an adult to actually "haggle."  I like playing the doctor and the blacksmith, maybe because their tasks are more player-involved (with the surgery and the smithing).

[Joria]

@ Pam, there is a plus sign in the upper left corner of the clothing screen when you change their clothes so you can have more than one outfit at a time.

 I wish they allowed you to choose all the outfits, like the bedtime clothes and armour.

You can buy different armor at the Shoppe.  Weapons too.  Not much to them though, and really, one tin can looks a lot like another.  They do seem to make a difference in defense and attack.

[samoht04]

Read about it here!!  It's OK, from my old adult viewpoint.  Others may see it differently, which is where it gets difficult to recommend or not.

BTW, our Knight has made level & and has traded in his fatal flaw for "Hardly Hungry" ... which will make game-play easier 

I have read all the posts as they have come in to this Thread. I posted that before I realised my Graphics card was a 256MB one and I was thinking I may need a new one and that will be the extra but now I know I'm okay I already have the order in and it should be waiting at my front door later on in the week. 

[Darkhadia]

I started the game actually thinking I wouldn't like it but how wrong I was!

I think issues-wise i'm the same as everyone else, camera is a bit of a pain, although i'm getting used to that now.

I would say that I recommend getting a new hero after the tutorial, just because the different actions with different hero sims (for me) makes it a lot more interesting! I think even my Monarch may be my least favourite character!

Things I love, random funny moments like how the medieval sims go to the bathroom  For me I like the social actions maybe more than the Sims 3, but that might just be because it's a lot of new things to do. The game can take some figuring out sometimes but I also think that adds to some of the fun

[Carl]

I am getting used to the camera as well. I can zip about at will but it's frustrating for inside shots. I'm growing fond of Eye of the Watcher mode. It's just quite different from TS3's map mode.

For anyone who didn't pay attention to the manual at first, right-click is your friend. It'll let you zoom inside a building to queue up actions on the objects inside, and in eye of the watcher can allow you to zoom the view anywhere in the world. The first was a big issue for me at the beginning. I was entering a building just to see the objects inside to sleep/eat/etc. which costs a little time.

If your PC is slow, you might want to pause while it's loading the inside of a building. I saw issues with the clock still running while the room was loading.

[Katluvr]

Okay, I am completely reversing my first impression of the game...I LOVE IT and it is definitely a favorite!  No, it's not perfect, and hopefully EA has a plan for improving the weaknesses and expanding on gameplay.  But I'm finding it is more fun as my kingdom grows and I have more heroes to play.  Also, I'm not so focused anymore on basic game mechanics - I've got them pretty well under control - and can focus on some of the nuances of the game. 

I find myself picking my next quest not just on aspects of my kingdom that I want to improve but on which hero can meet the needs of my other heroes (e.g., my knight needs a better sword and armor...maybe I should play my blacksmith ASAP so he can craft it and transfer it to my knight free of charge; hmmm...the larders are getting kind of empty, probably should play my knight so I can send him hunting a lot and share the meat among my other heroes).

I think there is a lot more here than I originally gave the game credit for.  If you're on the fence about buying it I would definitely recommend giving it a chance.  Expect that it will start out slow and you might not be really impressed at first, but your patience will definitely be rewarded if you stick with it.  It wasn't until I was 6-7 quests in before I was really hooked - your results may vary.

[Metropolis Man]

I find myself picking my next quest not just on aspects of my kingdom that I want to improve but on which hero can meet the needs of my other heroes (e.g., my knight needs a better sword and armor...maybe I should play my blacksmith ASAP so he can craft it and transfer it to my knight free of charge; hmmm...the larders are getting kind of empty, probably should play my knight so I can send him hunting a lot and share the meat among my other heroes).

Very, very smart thinking. That's exactly the kind of mindset you need to take this game to a high level.

[samoht04]

Thanks Katluvr, considering I havn't even got the game yet (Until Thursday I hope! Preferably tomorrow but you know, postal service.)  I think I will try to take that into consideration just to get into the habit of it. 

Lol I really need to stay way from this Board all the topics that I really want to click but don't because I want to discover some stuff on my own first! Arhg should have pre-ordered! 

[TheChronicR]

Just got the game. Installed and ready for play, but unfortunately no time - lessons, you know. So was it worth all the trouble I got into? I think yes...

[TheChronicR]

The game didn't meet my expectations. What I expected was a game much like TS3, or at least the graphics. I played it for nearly an hour, but that was enough to disappoint me. First thing I didn't like was the 'new' CAS, and the graphics (it looked like Sims 1, not even Sims 2, in my opinion, Sims 3's graphics are a million times better). The camera was the thing I couldn't get used to, even if I tried not to pay attention to it. Second, I didn't like the quest aspect. Even if World Adventures was based on quests too, they were much more interesting, in all means. I do not want the game to tell me what to do and where to go. Sure, a hint is okay, but telling the whole thing gets uninteresting and repetitive in a short time. Maybe it's just me or my computer (graphics), but I did not enjoy this game at all. Even if everyone says it's great and so, my opinion won't change. Being an owner of all the games and expansion packs of the Sims series, this is the game of the series I liked the least. I am not a RPG fan and I don't have the right to blame the game for being non-RPG, but being a devoted fan of the Sims series, my opinion of this game in that aspect is highly negative. Maybe I'll play it from time to time, I don't know. I know just one thing, this is my opinion, and I don't like this game.