The Sims Medieval - First Impressions

[Alaskasim]

I have been tracking my purchase of the game and it looks like I will be getting it today or tomorrow when the USPS drops it off. However, I have been viewing LPs on youtube and reading a bit about the game. I am rather interested to get my hands on it and give it a run. The main thing I have seen is a lot of confusion when the game is first started. It introduces an unexpected play style and most people are lost right out of the gate. Once the basics are worked out (eating, sleeping, etc...) the main focus has been running the quests and not much else. However, I have seen (observed) a larger number of things that can be done during the questing.

TheChronicR, check your video settings in the game, it might have adjusted for best performance and that would limit the level of detail you get. (I am sure you know that already.) I can agree that I see a number of disappointing parts to the game, one being the camera angle (front view only). I would encourage you to take another run with it but rather then focusing mainly on the quests focus more on the environment and what you can do with it.

From what I have seen I would rate The Sims 3 with expansions a better product but I think without the expansions it would rate about the same. Medieval has its basics in place but with some expansions it would be a better game.

[Metropolis Man]

Well, there's good news and bad news with Medieval. I've already given my first impressions, so I'm passing along the initial impressions of daughter #2, Emily. The Good News? She loves it and wants to play it all the time. The bad news? It only works on one of our computers and she loves it and wants to play it all the time.

[Gheez]

Well, there's good news and bad news with Medieval. I've already given my first impressions, so I'm passing along the initial impressions of daughter #2, Emily. The Good News? She loves it and wants to play it all the time. The bad news? It only works on one of our computers and she loves it and wants to play it all the time.

  It's a sympathetic  , though Metro.  I'm guessing that you're going to be hot-seating it with Emily from now on.  That's kind of nice, though - I'm assuming that you'll sit beside each other, watching each other play, a bit like you and Carl did - father daughter bonding time.

My copy finally arrived today.  Had problems with an I/O error on the disk, rather stupidly I kept pressing retry.  An hour later, I though to take the disk out, clean it, restart the laptop and it installed.  The game is running, albeit with low graphics, on my laptop.

My first impression was that I really liked the additional sliders in the facial options for CAS, though I wasn't too sure about the eyes as my monarch seemed to look like Nicholas Cage, no matter what I did.  Camera control-wise, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be from reading what everyone else has written.  My major niggle is not being able to get low enough or zoom in enough.  I don't really mind having the script to follow for the quest, it makes it more relaxing and less frustrating to play (I remember being stuck on a bit in Full Throttle for ages.)

Playing is like entering a time warp. I can't believe how quickly two hours passed. 

[Pam]

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.

Wow.  Are we playing the same game?  You played it for nearly an hour?  Not even a whole hour?  Of course, the first hour is going to be confusing.  But, really?  You didn't give it any more time than that?  It took me nearly that long just to create my queen and test the controls.  I don't understand why you would expect it to be just like Sims 3 in any aspect.  EA has been saying since they announced it that it's a completely different game.  Nobody ever said that the quests would be like the adventures in World Adventures.  It was all speculation.  I'm surprised that you don't like the graphics.  I think they are gorgeous and well done.  The camera is set up differently because this is a different type of game.  It's not meant for story writing with screenshots or for making movies, like Sims 3 is.  I really think you haven't given it anything close to a fair test.  And that's quite a negative review from you based on less than an hour of pay.  Not very fair, really.  I hope you give it another chance and find something enjoyable in it, especially after spending the money to purchase it.

[TheChronicR]

The thing is that it was late night and I couldn't play it instead of sleeping. And now I have school. I think you're right, Pam. Maybe I should play it more to get into it? Or maybe changing the graphic settings may help? Don't know, should find out.

[Schipperke]

ChronicR, I do think if you spend more time with this game you'll find there's really a lot to it.  Completing the quests is the most basic level, but there's also the Aspects to be aware of and the overall Ambition of your game.  With 10 or so different Ambitions, there are many different ways of tackling the game.  I was very proud when I finished the New Beginnings Ambition at the Platinum level, but I'm failing miserably at the Imperial Domination Ambition I'm currently playing.  And then there are a bunch of Achievements you can aim for as well.

Overall, this game is much more goal-oriented than Sims 3.  But there are a lot of different goals to shoot for.  I've never played any game other than Sims 1, 2, and 3, so this is quite a new type of experience for me.  Very different than Sims 3, but I like both games.  And I agree with Pam, I think the graphics are beautiful and very well done.  I've read comments from other players here that the game worked better for them if they turned down their graphics settings, but I haven't had to do that.  Still, if you're having trouble, that's probably worth trying.  I hope you'll give yourself another chance with the game, and hopefully you'll come to understand why others of us like it so much.

[Carl]

The graphics are definitely on par with The Sims 3, so yours may indeed be turned down. After all, it uses the same engine. I find it looks appealing even on my big monitor, but I'm not a major fan of the topography.

[TheChronicR]

Ok, I'm feeling like a complete idiot. After I changed the main graphic settings, the game became my favorite after Sims 3. The case was that all of the settings were set to the lowest levels. My fascination expanded even more when I took my time and played it for 2 hours. Quests became interesting one after another. Turns out that it was an undiscovered treasure for me. The settings spoilt my first impression, but now I'm gonna join the crowd and say that it's a wonderful game! Ignore my earlier post.

[Pam]

Good for you, Chronic!  I'm glad you decided to give it another chance. 

[TheChronicR]

Liked it so much now can't do anything than play! 3 hours straight.

[Katluvr]

I'm glad you gave it another chance, too.  My initial reaction was also one of disappointment, but the more I played the more I really like this game and would have regretted it if I gave up based on my first reaction.  With other games, like TS3, it was love at first sight for me.  I was hoping for the same thing with TSM.  I'm happy to say that my romance with the game is blossoming after a slow start. 

[TheChronicR]

I'm glad you gave it another chance, too.  My initial reaction was also one of disappointment, but the more I played the more I really like this game and would have regretted it if I gave up based on my first reaction.  With other games, like TS3, it was love at first sight for me.  I was hoping for the same thing with TSM.  I'm happy to say that my romance with the game is blossoming after a slow start. 

^ Exactly what they said. After playing for 5 hours (non-stop) and reaching level 3 with my monarch (don't know what it's called, the Sim that you start with for the first time). The guide has been very helpful (not Prima, Carl's of course), especially figuring out what was what. My Sim even had a baby! I even managed to get her engaged, see:



Sorry to go off topic, but is everyone's grass looking like this or is it just mine? Thank you.



P.S. What I've been reading made me think that you can't snap that perfect screenshot you can with TS3. To be honest, the camera is not perfect, but I managed to take some brilliant shots, in my opinion. I even have a story in my head right now. Just need an inspiration and a bit more of playtime.

[Gheez]

This really seems to be a game where first impressions don't really count,  .

I have to be honest here and say that my first impression, overall, was favourable but until an hour ago my second impression was distinctly unfavourable.  The novelty of the new game and it actually arriving had worn off and I was beginning to feel distinctly disconnected from my characters because I couldn't get close enough to them or low enough. I couldn't watch their facial expressions or see their reactions properly.  I have to say that I was becoming disenchanted.

An hour ago, I discovered a button in the options menu that changed the restrictions on the camera and it's made an enormous difference. Okay, I don't have the best graphics in the world (running on a laptop with an integrated chipset) and the sims are a bit fuzzy and the camera is still not completely perfect or like TS3 but I'm feeling more involved, closer to my sims and I'm starting to enjoy it again.  So much so that I even the mega black crash and blue screen of death, that I experienced just now, has not put me off.

The EA Forum warns that crashes may occur when reflections (for the mirror) are turned on and that they may also occur when placing a building that will take your 'Security' level over 7.  My advice is to save your game before attempting to place such a building, just in case you are affected.  The good news is that EA are currently working on a patch that should hopefully resolve these issues.

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@Katluvr

My ground looks like yours but I've seen other games (on Youtube) that have good looking ground - guess those are the ones with the better graphics.  Oh and congratulations on the baby.

[TheChronicR]

@Katluvr

My ground looks like yours but I've seen other games (on Youtube) that have good looking ground - guess those are the ones with the better graphics.  Oh and congratulations on the baby.

I suppose this was directed to me instead of Katluvr, since I was the one who asked the question about the ground. If so, then I'm thinking if it's only our grounds looking like that. Are your graphic settings also set to the lowest possible option? Mine are, because once I changed everything to medium/high the game started lagging and constantly freezing. I'd rather don't be able to see every tiny detail than wait several minutes for the game to run normally.

Yes, indeed, TSM was not a game that impressed me in the first five minutes of playtime. Sims 3 managed to automatically plug me and never ever let go, but in case of TSM I had to plug myself manually. The subject I came to very much dislike was that townies were different for everyone, even two save files. But I guess I can get over it. Overall, a very nice game, but once you start playing you can't get out for hours, so make sure to play it only when you're not in a hurry.

[Slingsby]

As the days go by [I guess we've been playing for 3 hours a day for a week or so] we're getting used to it.

-ve ... you are basically led by the nose to do things.  "Yellow icon comes up, do that".  The only player involvement is ensuring sleep/food is OK, and doing those pesky side-tasks.  Yawnnnn.

+ve ... It's quite attractive.  Some of it is vaguely funny.  A LOT to learn as we move through the various situations.

After 10 years of TS1/2/3 it is obviously a bit of a mental jump, especially as 2 'Elders' who have never used an RPG.  We're trying to play like a complete newbie, so not looking at Forums or guides; just the EA Lessons.  It's still fun, but no more than 6/10 so far.  Still, we're looking forward to tomorrow's session!