Happy 18 years of The Sims!
by EA_MaiOriginal Post
Quote from the blog @Belisha_Beacon I thought it had something to do with this >> "The Sims franchise turns 18 years old this month, which means it’s old enough to drive, vote, and join the military. That is a very long time for a game about getting a job, passing out in a café from sleep deprivation, catching things on fire, and getting dumped. You know, life".
I did join Origin Access a short while back, and was able to give Sims 3 a whirl.. cool; but graphics compared to Sims 4.. lol, I couldn't handle Sims 3 for long
Happy Simming, in Whichever Sims you like the best. 
@Belisha_Beacon, it isn't so much as 18 being a significant year as it is that is has been a long time that many of us have been playing The Sims, be it TS1, TS2, TS3, and/or TS4. Many people started playing the game when they were kids, or remember their older siblings or parents play the game, so it brings back fond memories. Also, those of us who were adults when TS1 came out have a shock at how quickly time has passed 
since it might feel like they have only been playing The Sims for 6 years, while in reality it has been 18!
Furthermore, the Sims 4 is something to hype since all of the Sims games are something to hype! 
The flaws you see in TS4 in some cases were implemented to address the flaws that were in TS3:
Your examples:
1.) Load Screens -- TS4 has load screens to reduce the drag that TS3 caused computers to have by having everyone at once in your game. Most people's games would freeze for long periods of time. Also, load screens are better than an open world because in TS3 when you were trying to fulfil a wish or task and it was 2:00 in the morning in your game and no body was at a venue to interact with because they were all at home in bed. 
By having loading screens, I can now go to any venue at anytime and I can usually find several Sims to interact with. 
No use in having an open world if everybody is at home when your Sim is ready to interact! 
2.) CAP -- you stated there was no CAP in TS4, but there is. CAP stands for Create a Pet! I think you meant CASt, which stands for Create a STyle. True, TS4 does not have CASt . 
And yes, it was my absolute favorite thing about TS3 
. However, I had soooooo many patterns and colors saved that it caused my game to grind to a halt every time I opened CAS to alter an outfit, or Build or Buy Modes! 
We are talking major downtime. I never read so many books as I did while waiting for CAS, Build or Buy Modes to load! Many of those books were super thick and not light reading! I love to read, but I spent more time reading than I did playing my Sims! 
3.) CAW -- I don't know why there isn't CAW. There might be a good reason, but I'm not aware of it. So as far as I know you are right about that one!
4.) Open Neighborhoods -- See everything I said about example #1 above! Plus, by the time TS3 had most of its Expansions and Stuff packs, my game was almost unplayable due to extensive lag. No game should lag for over 15 min.!
But, TS4 is in some ways an improvement to TS3:
1.) TS4 has better Vampires that are much more detailed in gameplay. 
2.) TS4 has multitasking which enables Sims to tackle several needs or tasks at the same time. We now can eat, watch TV, and hold a group conversation all at the same time! This fulfills hunger, social, and fun with all at once, and if your Sims are watching the Cooking Channel they can also gain Cooking Skill at the same time! You couldn't' do all that with TS3.
3.) Ts4 has much cuter toddlers! (Many people thought the TS3 toddlers were scary looking!)
4.) With the Parenting Game Pack, family life is much more fun to play and much more natural. No longer are our "families" just a collection of different aged Sims who live together! They actually feel like a real family!
5.) No extensive lags or game grinding to a complete halt due to an open world and unlimited CASt choices. I was addicted to CASt and loved it 
, but in the end it harmed my gameplay. If they can find a way to have CASt again with out it stopping my game for long periods of time, then I will think I have died and gone to Sim Heaven!
But in reality, all of the versions of the Sims are awesome! It really doesn't matter which one is you favorite. I think my favorite might be TS2 because if its story telling aspects! And I agree with @unseenlarks that every birthday is special! You criticized TS4, but if you had watched even some of the livestream you would find that it was more about TS1 and how far we have come! And without TS1 there would be no TS3 for you to enjoy! 
Happy Simming with whichever Sims version you prefer!
