What’s Still Missing From The Sims 4 (Besides Horses) - July 2024

What's Still Missing From The Sims 4 (Besides Horses)

Highlights

The Sims 4: Horse Ranch
finally brings playable horses to the game after much anticipation and also introduces mini-goats and mini-sheep.
The upcoming Sims 5 project, Project Rene, leaves players wondering if The Sims 4 will meet their expectations before investing in the new release.
The Sims 4: Lovestruck expansion introduces new relationship dynamics, romantic features, and customization options to enhance gameplay.

As a long-time Sims player and someone who has personally experienced disability in my real life, I can’t help but feel disappointed by the lack of representation and inclusion of disabled Sims in The Sims 4. I’ve spent countless hours building dream homes and creating intricate simulated lives for my virtual characters, but it’s disheartening to see that disabled Sims have been overlooked.

Ever since horses made their triumphant entrance in “The Sims 3” back in 2011, gamers have been eagerly anticipating their inclusion in the gameplay of “The Sims 4.” However, after a prolonged absence in the “The Sims 4: Country Living” Expansion Pack, horse lovers began to doubt if they would ever ride digital horses in “The Sims 4.” That is until an unexpected announcement in the summer of 2023! Thrilling news for “Simmers,” as not only did “The Sims 4: Horse Ranch” finally bring horses into the game, but it also introduced mini goats and mini sheep to the “The Sims” Franchise for the very first time.

As speculation grows about EA’s upcoming entry in the “The Sims” series, known as “The Sims 5” or “Project Rene,” some fans are concerned about the potential for excessive expansion pack purchases. With “The Sims 4” having seen several late-in-the-game content releases, players are wondering which features dedicated Simmers believe should have been included from the start before committing to the next edition of this popular simulation game.

10 Animals That Aren’t NPCs

Playable Animal Sims That Don’t Take Up Family Slots

What's Still Missing From The Sims 4 (Besides Horses)

In The Sims 4, pets and horses are considered family members but aren’t playable characters. They take up space within the household limit of eight Sims. Contrastingly, in earlier versions like The Sims 2, pets were autonomous entities, allowing players to monitor their needs, family history, memories, and career progressions. Players could also view upcoming actions, even though they couldn’t be modified.

In a more conversational and clearer way:

9 Heartbreak, Bitter Exes, And Meet The Parents

Lovestruck Misses Out On Awkward “Meet The Family” Dinners For Parental Approval

As a gamer excited for The Sims 4: Lovestruck DLC, I can’t wait to explore the long-awaited updates coming our way in 2024. For years, players have clamored for more complex romantic relationships, and now we’re getting them! Polyamory, Turn-Ons, and foreplay are just a few of the new features that will enrich Sims’ love lives.

In The Sims 4 gameplay, there’s a lack of depth when it comes to dealing with ex-relationships. Instead of just petty acts like stealing newspapers or tipping over bins, why not have more complex reactions? Exes could make Sims feel anxious or upset when they cross paths, long for past relationships, or harbor desires to reconcile or cut ties permanently. Achieving these goals could result in rewards.

8 Careers, Bands, And NPC Events

Invites To NPC Weddings, Build Your Own Band, And Active Firefighter Careers

In the game “The Sims 4: Get To Work,” the career aspect was significantly enhanced, enabling players to join their Sims at work and accomplish objectives while forming friendships with colleagues. Several professions demand more immersive workdays, such as psychologists, waitresses, personal chefs, firefighters, animal trainers, groomers, and shelter owners, among others. While Sims can earn money individually as musicians or singers by learning instruments and composing songs, there is currently no feature that allows them to form a band and create harmonized performances, which could include designing the band’s image, album art, songs, and even fostering a fanbase that attends concerts.

An intriguing way to enhance gameplay in the Sims would be for non-player characters (NPCs) to host their own events, such as weddings, funerals, birthday parties, and baby showers. Players could be invited or even crash these events if uninvited, adding an extra layer of excitement and drama. Additionally, allowing players to accompany their child Sims while going door-to-door trick or treating or Christmas caroling would significantly increase the frequency of such interactions with NPCs. Currently, it’s quite rare for a player to encounter an NPC trick or treater at their home during these holidays.

7 Adjustable Furniture and New Vehicles

Color Wheels And All Modes Of Transportation Wanted

In The Sims 4’s latest edition, circular pools have been added to Build Mode. However, there is still room for improvement. Previous versions of The Sims, including The Sims 3, featured customizable cars and various modes of transportation like planes, motorcycles, boats, and broomsticks for witches. Players have yearned for these functional vehicles for a long time. Moreover, Build Mode in The Sims 4 necessitates the use of Mods, Custom Content, and keyboard shortcuts to accomplish specific tasks. For instance, clutter pieces can be quite limiting and can only be placed on certain surfaces in specific ways (even shelves may not allow for the full display of clutter items).

EA anticipates that Project Rene may resolve certain restrictions in Build Mode for The Sims 4. For instance, users could modify and position furniture at will, as well as create custom furniture using color palettes and designs. If this functionality were available in The Sims 4, players could share their exclusive furniture creations with the global community. However, it’s unlikely that The Sims 4 will receive such updates due to Project Rene, leaving some architecturally-inclined players disappointed.

6 Livable Community Lots And Designable Worlds

Non-Rabbit-Hole Boarding Schools, Hotel, And Underwater Real Estate

In The Sims 4 currently, community lots cannot be lived on and have a limit of eight Sims, making it impossible to build institutions such as orphanages, jails, or retirement homes. A missed opportunity from The Sims 4: High School Years was the absence of playable schools, including boarding schools and kindergarten groups. The recently released Lovestruck expansion pack hints at a love hotel, ‘Beso Rápido’, where dating Sims stay to WooHoo, but it is just another rabbit-hole. Players yearn for the option to run and oversee functioning hotels in vacation destinations, similar to how The Sims 4: For Rent expansion pack enabled users to become landlords.

In simpler terms, fans of “The Sims 4” appreciate its customization options, improved world-hopping, and robust online community. However, they yearn for more extensive features like designing worlds with user-placed lots and landmarks, as seen in “The Sims 2,” and the open-roaming experience from “The Sims 3.” Additionally, they’d love to see increased terrain flexibility to create supernatural realms for mermaids, vampires, aliens, and more. Why not develop a new underwater world for mermaids with homes based on anemones and seashells, inhabitants such as sharks, jellyfish, and turtles, and unique skills and traits exclusively for mermaids? (Similar to the werewolves and vampires.)

5 Create-A-Sim Improvements

Customizable NPC Family Trees And Height Sliders

Experienced Sims creators are well-aware that crafting a single Sim in Create-A-Sim can consume numerous real-life hours. Despite the strong motivation to refine their Sims’ fashion, personality, and looks, some enhancements to this system could expedite this time-consuming process. One recent advancement from EA is the ability to retain the same makeup, accessories, and hairstyles across all outfit types, eliminating the need to meticulously apply each lipstick shade, nail polish color, or earring style for every garment their Sim wears. However, a missing feature in “The Sims 4: Wedding Stories” expansion pack is that married Sims cannot select a specific ring for their engagement or wedding that they wear with every outfit. Players have expressed disappointment over the limited hair colors, tattoos, makeup, and jewelry options, often requiring the purchase of every extension pack to obtain a few new choices or relying on fan-created Custom Content to fill in the gaps. Height adjustments are also not available, potentially due to animation complexities to ensure Sims can navigate through all doorways; players frequently seek custom mods to modify a Sim’s height and create short or tall Sims.

If designing a single Sim was an intricate process, consider the challenge of crafting an entire Sim dynasty. Players who delight in constructing extensive families complete with grandparents, aunts, uncles, children, and grandchildren often encounter the problem of either editing relationships in Create-A-Sim (with only seven other Sims allowed at once) or investing significant time into gameplay by having children or joining existing families to establish intricate family trees. To alleviate this challenge, Create-A-Sim could offer the ability to modify family relationships with pre-existing Sims already in the game, not just those within a new household. For instance, allowing users to select that a new Sim’s parents are Don Lothario and Bella Goth through a simple click in Create-A-Sim, as opposed to laboriously creating this familial dynamic within the game itself.

4 CPS And Childcare Careers

Repercussions For Absent Parents, Active Social Worker Careers, And Kindergartens

As a dedicated gamer, I can’t help but be thrilled by the enhancements brought to baby showers, families, and infant care in The Sims 4: Growing Together expansion. However, I believe there is still room for improvement when it comes to the intricacies of pregnant Sims, their hormones, and pregnancy symptoms.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed that in The Sims 4, there isn’t a proper Child Protective Services (CPS) system like in The Sims 2. This means that if a child is starving or in danger, they will be taken away, but there’s no career path for players to become social workers and assess the welfare of families. EA could consider adding a Social Worker Career where we can visit homes, evaluate child safety, and remove children from neglectful or abusive households.

3 Justice For Elder Sims

Retirement Homes, Inheritance, Funerals, And Grandparent Aspirations

Although elders have taken small strides towards recognition in “The Sims 4” with the addition of packs like “Growing Together” and “Nifty Knitting,” they continue to be a largely overlooked life stage in the game. This is mostly due to the fact that they are typically portrayed as just older adults with gray hair, rather than unique individuals with specific needs and desires.

Family packs that foster a strong bond among relatives can be beneficial, yet young Sims might still view their grandparents as strangers despite age differences. To deepen the connection between elders and their grandchildren, consider introducing distinctive grandparent aspirations, characteristics, interactions, and shared activities. Regrettably, aging brings declining health for elder Sims, which they don’t currently experience. Although it could add a somber tone to gameplay, retirement parties, wills, life insurance, and funerals can commemorate the lives of elderly Sims while allowing their loved ones to both celebrate their accomplishments and mourn their passing respectfully.

2 Advanced Crime Systems

Violent Criminals, Mortal Peril, And Lethal Occult Sims

In The Sims 4, petty crimes are an occasional occurrence – consider the dismay of those who’ve experienced a townie casally pilfering their 15 Simoleon Egg Roll. However, major crimes remain absent, leaving players safe from becoming crime victims or perpetrators during gameplay. While Sims can experiment with lighter forms of criminal behavior through traits like Kleptomaniac or careers in crime, most infractions take place at hidden locations with no impact on the Sim’s daily life. The lack of consequence for criminal actions is intriguing given the inclusion of small jails and the detective career path in The Sims 4: Get To Work expansion. Imagine the thrill of reporting crimes (real or fabricated) to the police and witnessing the arrests of offenders, from accusing Eliza Pancakes of stalking to bringing neighbors to account for damaging a dollhouse for the fifth time.

In The Sims universe portrayed by EA, investigators mainly deal with minor infractions like vandalism or squabbles amongst Sims. The games are free from major criminal activities. It’s reasonable for EA to maintain a low violence rating to attract a larger audience. However, it’s worth noting that Sim players are known for their creative ways of causing harm to their virtual characters. Regrettably, Sims cannot directly take another Sim’s life. Furthermore, the presence of non-lethal attacks such as vampire bites, werewolf rampages, and witch spells seems underdeveloped compared to a full-fledged crime system in The Sims 4.

1 Disability Representation

Accessible Furniture, Wheelchairs, And The Inclusion Of Disabled Sims

In simpler terms, The Sims 4 and earlier versions of The Sims franchise have rarely featured disability representation. While The Sims 4 has made some attempts with accessories like hearing aids, these additions don’t significantly change the gameplay experience. A Sim can wear hearing aids and listen to music from their radio without issue. The creators have an opportunity to expand options for genetic conditions, injuries, childhood experiences, or aging processes that would result in noticeable changes during gameplay.

In other words, incorporating disability into “The Sims 4” gameplay isn’t just a matter of adding some new features. Instead, it requires a fundamental rethinking and redesign of how the game is constructed. This includes not only creating new items like wheelchairs and therapy animals, but also ensuring that disabled Sims have equal access to basic functions, such as cooking or taking a shower. To avoid perpetuating discrimination against disabled players, any representation of disability in the game must be thoughtful and nuanced, reflecting the complex realities and experiences of people with disabilities in the real world.

2024-07-26 02:54