Keeping in tone with the merits regarding grandpa's cookies and quacky aunt's shopping expeditions, and indeed most recent patch and EP - "Never look a gift horse in the mouth."

Though that old adage would only hold true if EA Maxis were actually gifting us all Horses EP. Which they most certainly are not. (Probably for the best, as it would be closer to some Trojan Horse, "Beware Greeks baring gifts" thing if they did.)

Though certainly don't look this EP in the mouth too much. Not much there.

Alright then.

My favourite thing about The Sims 4 is when I hit the big red X button in the top right corner of the screen.

Or a step-mom you feel awkward and quiet around and nothing to say to her because of bad vibes or mojo.





Or at least equivalent to what I experienced


But they did give tho base game for free.




Or would that be also comparable analogy to that of a relative being Mom, telling her kid We Have the next gen Sims Game At home and/vs The Next Gen Sims Game at Home meme after her child asks to bring it home ? I mean, this how we felt about TS4 day one.



Honestly, its inevitably gonna end up negative because of game popular reception of the popular dominating consus opinion that TS4 is disappointing game to the magority of the fanbase. Like we have main threads discussion about upcoming pack releases and their content, and everybody is welcome to express any opinion they have (including positive and give credit where its due). Yet, nobody wants to contributed because people lack bare bone to not take the critized and pointed shortcomings of a game personally.

Although in some sense, I can agree ppl could be considerate to not digress in this thread when it exclusive asked to post positive stuff. But people have their own will and you can't control everything.

I've been asking for going on 9 years why people go feral over this game. To be crystal clear, I'm not calling anybody here feral. I honestly don't see what the big deal is though and nobody seems to be able to explain it. So until that day comes, I write all of the nonsense off as hyperbole.

Once upon a time people went out of their way to come at me about TS3. Those people have moved on to bother another website, but even when they were here, I still didn't get the point. Yapping at me about how TS3 sucks, TS3 sims look like puddings, the game doesn't run ( that's a big fat lie) and so on. If people don't like my puddin's, they don't have to. They're not going to creep out of my computer and force themselves into the computer of somebody that doesn't like them.

It isn't deep, it's a video game.

OMG you are all such a bunch of boomers! I bet you all think Hip-Hop sucks too. 😝

Don't mistake 'Boomers' for 'Taste'.

Seriously though, anyone who remotely follows my posts should know I usually pepper these things with humour. Because honestly, everyone is just so angry and lacking complete chill all the time that it's actually intimidating. It's an 'us vs them' mentality all the way and it's pretty draining. The boomer vs zoomer thing case in point, even though, yes, I am aware you say it in jest. Heck, I even had to step back from posting for a few months because of being leapt on by keyboard justice warriors on here. Being brutally honest to most likely my own detriment here, but I guess we'll see.

People have a right to complain about the game, but doesn't mean you can't enjoy it yourself. I enjoy The Sims 4 but I'm usually booted out of that enjoyment by my Sim picking up their baby then placing them back down in the cat's litter tray. It's aggravating because I was enjoying my time spent on the game. All thirty seconds of it before the next bug, but still.

Sure I have my opinions and I'll throw in my input, but I don't attack others for having a different opinion. And if you do attack others, that doesn't make you more right. That just makes you more of a cowplant.

I have posted this over and over that the people who do not like things tend to post complaints, and the ones that are content/like things are not as apt to post comments on the web. And that applies to about everything. This site is very negative about 4 generally, but the Sims community overall clearly is pleased enough to have kept this game going all these years.

As I said in my very first post, this is the wrong place to post a positive thread about 4.

I like the Sims 4. In fact, I have liked all the Sims games so far. True, there are irritating things about it, but I’ve found that with every game I’ve ever played. I simply haven’t the time to spend on various forums raving about how awful a game is, even if I do think it’s awful, as I operate under the assumption that if I don’t like something, whatever it is, game, movie, TV show, sure as fate, there are people who love it.

Of course, people are entitled to complain if they want but I, personally, usually don’t have the time or the inclination to bother.

Yes, I was joking (pretty much everything I say is silly), I myself am older (Gen X) and not a fan of Sims 4, so I was poking fun of myself too! But I do think we all need to not moan so much about how shit EA are, it's at daft proportions on the Sims 4 section of this site. Someone was trying to make a nice, positive thread and I support that.

Playing TS4 is my current hobby and if I wasn't playing it, I wouldn't even be reading about it (specially here).

I certainly wouldn't be wasting my time posting hate about it and looking for even more things to hate about it and the company that has the nerve to be making money off it. <snorts>

Reading TS4 posts here can be rather entertaining as I have no problem picturing some of the most hate filled members foaming at the mouth and banging their hands on their desks/keyboards as they spew their hated of a game & the company that makes it.

Those posters have also made it clear (more then once) that they think they are smarter then anyone who enjoys the game and that is probably why most members don't post here about TS4.

I agree, poor fraroc has probably left the site after this thread.

I had put the Sims 4 down for a couple of years (city living was the last pack I bought). But with all the hype surrounding Paralives and Life By You, I started to get the Life Sim itch again so I loaded up Sims 4 again, and bought a bunch of packs I hadn't tried before (seasons, cats and dogs, growing together, and a few of the game packs and stuff packs).

I also kind of forced myself to let go of my original Sims. Basically, the few adult sims I've had since Sims 4 launch that I have grown way too attached to, to the point I wouldn't let them have children and let them age up to elders and die off.. even though generational play is my favorite way to play the Sims in the past.

And so, staying within the topic of this thread.. I believe that to be one of the merits of The Sims 4. The fact that I was able to get attached to my Sims is kind of telling that the Sims in this game can actually be quite like-able, and they're definitely not robotic, either.

But I've let them go now, now they're either elders or have died, and I'm building a crypt for their Urns.. and life is going to keep going with their kids and grandkids. And I'm actually enjoying The Sims 4 more now because of this. I think things stagnated way too much because I was attached to my original sims, and this made the game dull. And that's why I stopped playing years ago.

The Toddlers and children in The Sims 4 are definitely another merit. Especially the children, they are the best in the series. They are so expressive and full of energy, like children should be. I would like Toddlers more, but they are SO freaking buggy still. And it's annoying how adult sims won't decide to autonomously give them food until the last second when they are about to get taken away by a social worker. This is neglect and abuse, I just wish they cared more about their toddlers well-being without me having to direct them constantly.

The build and buy mode is really quite good also, I believe it's another merit. In fact, Maxis have improved it massively since the base game. Just go to any base game house in Willow Creek or Oasis springs and compare them with the houses in the newer packs. All the wallpapers and floors and furniture in those houses are really low detail and have a distinctly blocky look. It's almost a totally different aesthetic compared to the wallpapers, floors, and buy mode items we're decorating our homes with now. It's a night and day difference.

There might be more things I can think of. But to summarize; I'm having a lot of fun in the Sims 4 now as a generational player. This might change in the near future if I get burned out or whatever, but that's going to depend also on what kind of packs Maxis will bring out. But I think I'm hooked again for the first time in years, and it's thanks to finally getting a few new packs, as well as letting go of my original Sims which had me in a sort of stale gameplay pattern. Now I have their kids and grandkids to play with and it's refreshing to have these new faces and personalities.

Maybe Paralives or Life By You will capture me for good and I'll say goodbye to the Sims. That is yet to be seen, though. But for now I am enjoying The Sims 4 again and that makes me pretty happy.

I agree that the builds have improved. I tend to redo things and looking at the lots in the new EP from a post on the web, I was dang, I like those and they will not need much!

I am a legcy player. Over 30 generations in 3 and I did to 6 in 4 before moved on to something else in the game.

What is most important for all of us is to play what makes us happy. That is the whole point. If you do not like something, spend your time doing something you enjoy. It makes you happy........ so carry on!

It's good because I can even build a somewhat nice house. The modders make cool stuff for the game and I enjoy alpha cc. It runs well and loads fast on an old laptop. I do like the writing career because I can name my books all sort of stupid things and the writing career is fleshed out a bit more than in Sims 3. I think that's it. Maybe I'd like it more with the 20 million EPs and Kits and so on. I'm not able to do that so...

Oh come on, I'm just teasing

Despite the trajectory this game has put the franchise on, I've spent more time playing TS4 than TS3 last year. That was unheard of for me back in 2014-2018. I stuck with TS3 exclusively until I got the TS2 up and running in 2019.

During the last three years of getting back into the fourth entry of the series, I admit it has merit. First, CAS blows the previous games out of the water. Create a style and body shop were excellent features don't get me wrong, but TS4 CAS right now is wonderful with all its customizability. Every game has a section you spend the most time in, and CAS in TS4 is the one I can spend an entire play session in.

Second, I enjoy seeing my sims stomp around angrily and wallow in sadness. Gameplay might not be on par with TS2, but the Sims are charming in their emotional expressions. Them slamming fridge doors will always get a chuckle out of me. Like geez, someone has an attitude

Third, the build/buy mode is on a new level. Changing the scale of objects is one of the best features the devs ever dropped in this mode. Not only that but with the debug catalog, the ways you can customize a build are unfathomable. I'm barely scratching the surface of this mode. I might need to dedicate a year to just building to truly appreciate how amazing build/buy is in this game.

Another thing I like about 4 is how we can do the staircases. And the addition of the curved walls.

Or how its entertaining that some can't differiantate hate from feedback that's wanting the game to do better (like telling your husband how can he improve, you can still vent to your friends how he isnt listening isn't hate) and think they are better than those people just because its comical for yall how we frustated mostly about just Maxis heads are full of themselves as they wouldn't be here if it werent for veterans TS4 wouldn't exist if it werent for TS3 players, TS3 wouldn't exist for TS2 and so forth. Least we expect some sort of respect back from game developers.

To be fair, every game needs 'hate', regardles how you as a fan want to downplay it. Without it, developers would no have insight or miss out of what wrongs, mistakes, and holes the game may have if it weren't regardless of much amount feedback is spewed. You would be probably playing a much buggier game without the fumes and bangings from other keyboards with that kind of mindset. Hell, we may still would not hd pools and toddlers up to now if not for complaints after Maxis we don't need those features after release and propose enjoy playing without wasting our breath banging keyboards You're welcome

You're right but 'hate' is a term I think we need to move away from. There's a huge difference between hate and constructive criticism, if I may flex my writing experience for a mo.

There's also a difference between saying thank you for getting a spoon to go with your dessert, compared to when it should have arrived with one in the first place. (Hello, Sims 4.)

Remember...

A hater is vague.
A critic is specific.
A bully is personal.

Most people on The Sims 4 boards are specific with what Maxis and EA are doing wrong. But they won't change their ways. So it's constructive criticism that's going ignored as far as I'm concerned. When people start actually throwing insults at each other over this game, or spout vitriol without really giving solutions to fix it, then I try to bail out of there like the room's on fire.

The Sims community seem to light up over anything these days and honestly, it makes me want to jump over to LBY or Paralives all the more. Grass might be greener. I'm old enough to remember the Sims 2 crew and how warm it was with everyone helping each other. Not sure if it's me getting older and more jaded, or if the new blood pouring into the franchise have poor standards with no prior gameplay experience to compare it with.

Also, if you're young enough to think you'll never turn into the kind of person like myself to be so bitter and angry at everything, then SURPRISE! I used to think that back pre-millennium and yet here I am! Give it time, love. (Pats hand)

LGR AKA Clint talked about the whole thing about how people feel about TS4 depending on where they came into the franchise in his Two Years of Meh video. I still think that holds true today. TS1, TS2 and certainly TS3 are by no means perfect, but the attitudes around those games were completely different. IMO, the "Us vs Them" started to creep in towards the end of TS3, but it has been nothing but "Us vs Them" on all fronts for TS4. It is all over the community and it rolls down from Maxis. When was the last time they took two seconds to thank people for their support for buying TS4? Forget about those that have been around since day one, how about saying thanks to the new players? It is has been a long, hot minute.

I'm sure there were plenty of people roaming about the community in days past calling people Boomers, telling them they have a OCD ranting problem, people don't do anything but rage, foam at the mouth, flip tables, ect... but these things are done today in mass, on daily basis now. Don't you dare be critical of EA the multi-billion dollar company and state your opinions, but f-off, Boomer. Yeah, no. Does EA have a bunch of new shareholders hanging out on here because it certainly feels like it.

I don't know how to fix this game nor do I know how to fix all the steaming piles of crap. I guess what I'm supposed to do is just be a cheerleader for everything. Maxis fucks up? Hurray! I should be grateful they fucked up. EA lays off a bunch of people in the name of market share? Whoop! Whoop! At least EA is still here. Anybody else need a barf bag?

When Bruce Lee talked about being like water, I don't think this is what he meant.

Bruce Lee: Be like water (Inspirational)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APx2yFA0-B4

I own all packs (for special reasons...) so perhaps I see things from a different light but I love TS4. It's not perfect and it's stupid and annoying at times, but I love it. The sims themselves feel more alive than in TS3: there are more, better and smoother animations, more social interactions, they can sit down and talk like natural without having to stand up to flirt, the game runs fast even though I have lots of stuff installed. It's just fun.

TS3 I love, but it's the trouble child. The game has such insane potential and yet I find that 50% of the time I spend on it is to fix it or place lots or just do things that aren't really playing the game but rather setting it up. I have a high-end gaming PC with lots of mods and stuff to make the game run faster and smoother and yet it doesn't really. It glitches, it lags, it's wonky and clumsy. That isn't the only issue though, I feel like the sims are a bit lifeless? It's like they all don't really connect with each other unless I really force them to. The animations are low in number and so are the social interactions.

TS2 is just perfect.

Just because someone enjoys a game and "is a fan" (which is often used as an insult here) doesn't mean they are blind to the bugs. Developers are not coming to this site to read the comments. They clearly don't like reading anything that is negative.

Not that it is really anyone's business here but I am not young. I started playing sims with the release of TS2, when my daughter was a tween. I own all of TS2 & TS3 and so far, everything for TS4. I spend time occasionally on the official bug report forum because that might help to get some of the bugs fixed (posting here won't). They'll never fix them all (specially since they create more every time they release a new pack) but they never did with TS2 or TS3 either.

I refused to even look at TS4 until after it had toddlers. In 2019, my daughter convinced me to give it a try since it was on sale for $10 and I discovered that while not perfect (what is?), I liked playing it. I still enjoy playing it (my way). It has a number of features that I love. When I stop enjoying playing with my sims (in whichever version), I will find another game to fill the hours or whatever (I won't be here that is for sure).



The thing is, some of you are just 'venting/screaming' at a wall here. You are not doing anything to improve the game (that some of you don't even play) by posting here. It comes across as if your hobby is hating EA & ts4 and looking down on others, not playing sims (of whichever version you like). But hey, whatever floats your boat.

Maybe it won't improve the game (though assuming that 100% nothing is gonna change is a bit naive, as we had developer come in her and partake), but it would be at least a reference for those who do create another simulation (paralives, life4you) to see the Doos and Don'ts of what Simmers want to see in their game. If all this chit chattery comes across for you as other's pathetic hobby and that you like to boldly assume we don't have lifes outside ModTheSims, then that's on you and your own personal problem (and theirs who wish to just hate the game). Nobody is feeling absurdity for you enjoying the game and participating in the comments, so why find it strange and care how others spend their time on the forum? I personally would not be playing TS2 and complain here if TS4 didn't suck so much and fail to live up its potential with every pack release If it tickles somebody's bone then thank the company for not living up to the other side of group's fanservice, when really that stuff could have been remedied. If toddlers can be added, so do apartments, elevators, proper bussiness and etc The "it iz what iz, just stop playing and shut up" mentality is flawed if you think accountability shouldn't fall on a business entity that care LESS on ppl who like this game even.

Rod Humble knows more of what the deal is in terms of what to do and what not to do. I don't know the back story of why he left EA, but he knows a lot more about them than we do. Anywho...

As I've already said, people don't have to like TS3 or another sims game for that matter. I like hangin' with my puddings, even the insane ones. TS3 will never look like my edited images, but I enjoy the process. It is quiet, chill and annoying at times, although it is far less annoying than it has been as I finally found a website that offers things that actually do what is promised. No shade thrown at people that play TS4 and enjoy the same things or whatever is they do in TS4. Take pics, make pixel dollies, build, tell stories... whatever.

I don't know when it became a thing that any comments directed at Maxis or EA somehow means that said messages applies to everybody under the sun, but I really wish that would crawl back into the hole it came from. I suppose there could be people walking with the name Maxis or EA, but not likely.

I think that is true for a fair number of people here whom I can name, and I am in that group. I do not know that I call myself a "fan", per se, but I own the game, some of it, and I have played the game. I am about 1100 hours per when I patched yesterday. I am sure I have tens of thousands at least for 3.

There things I like and think were done well, and there are things that are problems. I totally agreed with Clint that it is MEH. I like it in small doses.

I have listed a few things in this thread that I like. But there are things that bug me also. I played Wednesday Addams yesterday and she was in the bubble tea shop. And of course when I wanted her to chat with some others had no idea which others in there were teens. And she does not look like one at all. But her being able to design a look to maybe try to push on trend was a fun little project to do.