Can Someone Explain Something for Me

I'm coming to the safe zone to ask this question.

Has anyone seen this thread? Can someone explain to me what the issue is? It's not new information and I'm stumped about why it makes people upset or makes them feel like it's so much like a tablet game. What's the difference between being able to see the other neighborhoods from the one your in rather than seeing "decor" that makes the world look larger? I get that people want a larger world but I don't get what the diff is between seeing a forest next to one neighborhood rather than the second residential neighborhood.

I'm also a little stumped about the issues people have with the "RPG" elements. I was in a thread about the hidden venues and people were telling me that they hate the RPG aspects in TS4 (even though it seems like there's almost always been something like this in the games--isn't getting a promotion at work usually based on fulfilling "quests?"). Then they said they liked how it was done in TS2 (which I don't remember hidden items in) but when they described how the hidden items/lots were handled in TS2, it sounded pretty like what's being done in TS4. Some people were, of course, upset that if you don't play the "quest" or RPG element, you don't get access to game content but, it was the same in TS2. Plus, unless you're a completionist, I'm not sure why it matters that much.

I'm seriously confused over some of these complaints. Can anyone give me some insight into this? And I don't just mean the "haters gonna hate" sort of input--I really don't understand where they're coming from.

Sims is suppose to me more a life-simulator and sandbox game.

I can't seem to get to the thread so I can't answer to that, but I've noticed a lot of complaints that don't seem to make sense to me. Toddlers, that I understand and though it's not something huge for me I get why it is for others. Pools, not so much as I know they will be added and if not, it was just a distraction for my sims anyway. I even got called a sheep because I wasn't upset over no dishwashers or recycle bins. Recycle bins?! I could almost understand if it was trash bins, but recycle bins? It hurts my head LOL.

As for the RPG aspect I agree with you. There have always been aspects of that in the game. The sims have always offered different things for different players. You have your builders, your creators, your family players, and your little bit of everything. I think there are some who just want what they want and are upset. I understand that and respect it as long as it's voiced in a respectful way.

On the first, I think it nags at some people that there's something they can see that they can't interact with. (Rabbit holes are a bit like that in Sims 3 are like that for me -- it nags me that I can't see inside the cinema or the bookstore.)

On the other, it seems to nag them that they can't have *all* the interactable things without earning a few them during gameplay -- or at least without earning them in ways that they have decided are not "Sims-like". I'm not sure why they seem to think that reaching a certain skill or life-satisfaction or aspiration level is an okay way to unlock an interactable object or place but exploring a particular spot or throwing a party isn't. To me, those are all much the same kind of thing. I've generally found that I can happily live in previous versions of the game without the objects that I don't feel like taking the right steps for; I'm sure it'll be the same this time, and it's not like they're a mandatory part of the game or you can't play farther. But I can understand the frustration on the part of people who want access to the full map but don't want to play in a goal/reward way.

But that doesn't really explain why they would be upset about the way the map/neighborhoods work. And it doesn't explain why TS2 is the best sims game in the existence of the universe and yet it includes pretty much the same types of elements as TS4.

What about TS4 means you can't play the game as a sandbox life simulator? Because it certainly isn't the RPG elements, since those are optional. And it isn't that with the set size neighborhood we have, you can't see other neighborhoods because that's purely aesthetic and has nothing to do with the way the game actually plays.

Yeah, the TS3 forums are hot mess, not just because of the toxicity. They are, however, making them read only come Friday and migrating everyone to whatever their new forums will be.

I do understand some of the complaints. And I want to understand the others but I really can't wrap my head around what the issues are.

I can sort of see that. I was disappointed when I played TS3 and ran into the rabbit holes. It just seems weird that there would be an issue with seeing decor rather than seeing a different neighborhood. I mean, what's the difference? Plus, if they did leave out all the decor and just lego together 5 neighborhoods, the world would really look miniscule so why not place something like decor to flesh things out.

Can you imagine if they didn't bother with it, the kind of complaints people would be making? Why didn't they make things look bigger--it surely wouldn't have been too much work to add some backdrops that make the world look like a real city instead of just 5 neighborhoods.

I do understand the frustration of not being able to access something without having to fulfill the quest but even the TS2 hidden items weren't accessible without fulfilling certain requirements. For one of them you have to be a witch to access the hidden room. For someone who only plays "realistically" that keeps them from ever being able to access the full map unless they change their normal gameplay (which is the issue so many of them brought up on the forums about the hidden lots).

In a way I think some are complaining because they just want to cause a stir. I've even had to report a few of the trolls over there and I really hate to have to do that. Others, I think, can't get the game for whatever reason and so they are making themselves angry so it's not such a let down. Like I said, being completely upset over not having recycle bins is just a silly complaint to me, but it seems to be a huge issue for others.

I only get on those forums when I'm getting my simpoints (there are still a couple of things I want for my TS3) and it is hard to stomach what is going on there. I hope that when they set up the TS4 forums that it will be the same as TS3 in that you have to buy the game to get access. It will help to weed out a lot of the negative LOL.

I know there are few people who are there simply to cause trouble. And the recycling bin thing was a bit silly--besides, I don't even remember having them in TS3 base game. But I do understand that one because it's like the straw that broke the camel's back kind of thing. There's so much they're disappointed about, adding that on top just takes it over the edge. I still think it's silly but I can understand it.

I go there because it is busy so there's usually a lot of information flow going on. Unfortunately, it also tends to be neck-deep in people bashing the information but, for the most part, I can let it slide off my back. There are a few people who are unhappy about the game that are generally pretty respectful of others so I don't mind discussing and debating things with them.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure they're going to separate out the forums. The impression I got was that everyone was being migrated over with our profiles and the only thing we'll have to update is our avatars. Everything else will be the same. Hopefully, migrating us over doesn't mean they'll automatically let everyone have access to the TS4 forum because that would really be a mess.

Oh? the RPG elements are "optional" nope they aren't. For instance for the sims 3 WA if you wanted a home in one of the 3 areas-you were FORCED to do the Quests. And for careers for sims 4 you will NEED to throw parties for promotions. Sounds like RPG to me and not optional. a sandbox game is where one can create our own stories and not be told to 'go' here or 'go there' like Sims 3 Ambitions PI career.

The large world argument is kind of irritating. The large open worlds were merely just a map with scattered homes. With the exception of Bridgeport, the worlds in TS3 were so big and to me, felt empty.

We're not talking about TS3, though, but again, they are optional. If you want to have a home in a vacation world, you either opt to do the quests or get a mod to get rid of the quests. There's nothing that makes anyone do anything more than play the game as a simulation. YOU decide if you want to go down that road. Careers since at least TS2 have required people reach certain goals to get a promotion. If you don't like that in TS4, you can make your own job--become a gardener and sell your produce, become a handyman/woodworker and sell your handmade furniture, etc. If you want to do follow a particular career path, you HAVE to fulfill the requirements to get a promotion. There's absolutely nothing new about that.

In terms of RPG. I guess the sims have always been a rpg in a subtle way. You make your sims a certain way, like they have a role. You make your sim a wife, a mother, a bachelor, a gardener, etc. The whole having to do things like throwing a party for a promotion, for example, makes the game more realistic, imo.