Considering Purchasing

[CarlosLordofTacos]

I'm considering buying Medieval, but is it worth it? For anyone answering, have you're experiences been satisfactory, disappointing or beyond expectations? What features are good about the game and which ones are unfavourable?

EDIT: I'm locking this thread, I don't need any more replies. I have plenty of opinions to go by now. Thank you.

[rockcc12]

I would not get it. I got it and only played it for 2 days then I went back to the Sims3. Their were a couple things that I didn't like about it such as the responsibilities, I hated the quests, how you could not control the hero's spouse, and how the babies were never toddlers and didn't age past children.

[CarlosLordofTacos]

What was it about the quests that you hated? Aren't they pretty much the whole 'point' of the game? Were they boring, repetitive, lacking in challenge or of the infamous shopping list variety?

[MarianT]

I got The Sims Medieval before getting The Sims 3. I really enjoyed it for about a month, but then got TS3. By that time I had done all but 4 or 5 of 70 quests. I'll probably get an expansion if one comes out.

The scenery is incredible, and the people and clothing much prettier than what you get in TS3. I enjoyed the minstrel and the two churches, also the physician and the wizard. The wizard's spells are pretty cool. Some people enjoy playing the monarch and sending lots of people to the Pit.

Basically, it depends on what you like. If designing houses or playing families is what you like most, then you'll be irritated. If you enjoy Ambitions and World Adventures, then you'll probably enjoy the Sims Medieval.

[CarlosLordofTacos]

Coincidently, those are my favourite expansion packs. But I do spend a lot of time building and I know about the lack of freedom to do that in the Sims medieval. Although I think I can deal with that. What I really want to know about is what are the quests like?

[Figwit]

Sims Medieval is an entirely different game from Sims 3 so do not get it thinking it will be more of the same.  It is a quest game and requires a degree of discipline to complete the quests and ambitions.  Sims 3 is laid back - you do things in your own time and play it the way you like.  Sims Medieval requires a much bigger commitment than that. It is much more linear.  While there is some leeway to stop and smell the flowers, you still have the quest timer ticking away and eventually you have to get back onto the path and complete the quest the way the game expects you to. You cannot build at all and while you can have children, there is no exploring the genetics because your children don't grow up and you leave them behind when you start a new ambition.  If you go into it knowing it is not Sims 3 you might appreciate the challenge of something different; something which tests you in different ways and amazes you with the beauty of the graphics, attention to detail and rib-tickling humour.  I loved it and will buy an expansion pack in a heartbeat if and when one becomes available.  It will not replace Sims 3 for me though.  It is just a little diversion that took me away for a while - something I may pick up again when I need a break from Sims 3.

[MarianT]

The quests are fun. I found them fairly easy -- you just follow the steps as given. The trick is juggling quests with responsibilities, which is why a walk-through doesn't help much, although you can find them. Sometimes you talk to people -- and you usually have to get friendly enough to do that; knights fight duels; physicians and wizards make potions; bards put on plays. What disappoints many people is that when you finish one kingdom and start a new one, you get the same quests, but that's usually just at the beginning. Also there's a cheat which will give you every quest to pick from. Once you get to the point where you can complete every quest at platinum, you'll probably want to go back to Sims 3, but it will take a while to get there.

I agree with Figwit -- there is more humor, and the graphics are lovely.

[Schipperke]

Sims Medieval definitely doesn't have the scope of Sims 3 - there just aren't as many things to do with your characters.  But as Figwit said, the game is beautiful.  Something I really like about SM is the fatal flaw trait.  I think it gives the characters more depth and realism, and certainly adds to the challenge of the game.  When I first got SM I played obsessively for the first few weeks but I've pretty much gone back to TS3 because there's so much more I can do with it.  But I'm glad I got SM and would probably get any expansion packs that are released.

[CarlosLordofTacos]

Hmm, well as nice as it sounds, I really don't want to spend money on something that I'll get tired of in such a short amount of time, i.e. a couple of weeks.

[RunAmokSims]

I love The Sims and I'll play for hours on end but my least favorite EP has been World Adventures. I like the stuff and and new building capabilities that came with it but once I did each tomb quest that was it. That part of the game turned into "same old stuff" for me. Now I very rarely send my Sims on vacation.

I mention this because that's what TSM reminds me of. I love the look of the game, the decor and the Sims but I found the game to be very boring and I'm sorry I bought it. Right after it came out I played for two weeks and have not opened it since. If you like the quest aspect and have the money to spend  buy it. Just remember it's very different from the game play of the Sims.

As far as the quests I found them to be almost too easy and many of the things were repetitive.

[TheChronicR]

That's right. Even if Sims Medieval has amazing graphics, characters, world etc., The Sims 3 is still the winner for me. What put me off was the "no building" thing, as well as the camera. You can't get to your Sim as close as in TS3. Quests get boring after a while, too. For example, many ambitions repeat the same quests over and over again. In other words, there is mostly no replayability. You played it once, completed all ambitions, you're done with it. Assuming it is mainly a quest-based game, we can't ask for more anyways. But for me at least, what TSM gives is not enough. I have not played it for two months now, and to save hard drive space, I have uninstalled it completely. I don't need something to take up space in my computer if I am not going to use it anymore.

But it's my opinion of course. You're the one to decide, Carlos.

[vlsullivan]

Actually, I love The Sims Medieval. Of course, I got it for half price ($24.99) from a special offer EA sent me. I don't think I would have paid $50 for it. I find the quests, ambitions, etc. fun and different. Yes, I love the free and easy way of playing Sims 2 and 3, but TSM caught and has my attention for the moment. Maybe I'll get bored, but I've gotten bored with Sims before and come back later and loved it again.

I'm glad to see the news about the Pirates and Nobles expansion, because it means TSM will continue, at least for a while. Try Ebay. You'll find lots of copies for sale at less than list price.

Hey, have fun. That's why we play games in the first place.

Victoria

[chococat9]

I kept putting off buying The Sims Medieval, because I thought it would be mildly entertaining but not worth the purchase right now. I ended up getting it as a birthday gift on July 9th and haven't been able to put it down since. It exceeded my expectations and I love it. I like the quests, the stories they tell. I love the Medieval time period and all the items and clothing in the game. 
 
I play a lot of World of Warcraft and for me it was like joining WoW and The Sims 3. They've both got gathering skills, quests, professions to level and achievements.
 
Playing this game reminds me more of playing The Sims 1 with the degree of difficulty and time management and charm level.  The first Sims game was always my favorite and felt the others lacked it's charm and addictiveness, but this one has it.
 
The only two things I don't like is not being able to freely switch between Heroes. You have to be on a quest for that specific Hero to play them and can't switch until you complete the quest and choose another. <- Unless I'm completely wrong and someone can tell me. I also don't like having to start a kingdom from the beginning with each ambition. That's the one thing that actually makes me just want to put the game down and walk away. It feels pointless to level all the Heroes and create epic weapons just to do it all over again in the next ambition.