Sims 4 Expansions, are they worth the money anymore?

[AttackofCatalx]

It seems increasingly more obvious how little effort is going into the new Sims 4 and the accompanying Expansions. The Sims 3 Expansions gave you a lot of stuff, loads of different interactions with people, objects, careers etc. Now it seems like you pay almost the amount of the base game every time you purchase an Expansion and you're left wishing there was more to it. 

The Sims 4 base game is basically already a stripped down, cartoony version of Sims 3. You can't travel the map in vehicles, your Careers are pretty plain and after hours of gameplay you're bored of sitting and watching your sims develop their skills. Even though the base game is boring, the expansions don't amplify that base game much at all. It might seem like they do because the base game is so bland that any addition becomes exciting to begin with. But with a closer look at these Sims 4 Expansions, a good knowledge of the expanse of stuff that we got with Sims 3, the Expansions aren't giving us what we are paying for anymore. 

The final straw for me is the newest University Expansion for Sims 4. I used to religiously play Sims 3 University because you literally moved away to become a full time student. You got to attend lectures, do projects based on your chosen course and enjoy a pretty exciting campus, with bowling alleys and food places on campus. 

In Sims 4 University, you get close to nothing for the near £40 you spend on it, and don't expect a refund from EA. No sir, you fell into the trap, deal with the lack of money and gameplay on your own. 

I could only stand playing this new expansion for a couple of hours. I applied for university that I got rejected for because of course a new Young Adult sim doesn't have high enough skills on their first day of existence to match up to the weirdly realistic standards of the Sims 4 universities, of which you are given the option of two for seemingly no reason? So you apply for a scholarship, get in, move into your new dorm. Oh boy! The bit everyone loves, creating your own space, a place your young sim can express themselves and decorate to match their cool university aesthetic ... oh wait.... no sorry you're not allowed to enter build mode in dorms. Despite being provided with a poor single bed, a desk and a shared room with another sim, NO KITCHEN and a poorly designed bathroom, you cant enter build mode to edit that building unless you enter cheats which we all know can make your computers or games freak out and crash. What can you add in the dorm? Well if you go to the little stall outside of your dorm building, you can buy some university stuff, which includes:

-A small fridge which you can only have quick meals from because there's no kitchen.

-A microwave, where you gonna put it? Dunno there's no kitchen.

-Some bland posters, university flags and boring rugs. 

-Cacti and plant pots to put on your desk. 

-Books for your course. 

-Guitar and an easel. 

You place these items in Live Mode, so make sure you're facing the right way when you place them because there's again, no way of going into build mode without cheats that didn't work when i tried. 

So what DO you get with Sims 4 University? Well they brought bicycles back. There isn't much point to them because you still need to travel to lots via load screen, but you can cycle around campus for a bit if you feel like it. You can go to class but it's the same as careers, you just wait for the sim to come back as you stare at the outer walls of a building. You're given insane amounts of homework for your modules that you cant even complete 1/2 of in a day. Theres a couple of student bars, on the older campus the bar is a really big punch in the face from Origin and EA to players who have been in it for the long run. You're provided with a beer pong table, a bar and some of the most unimaginative building layouts in the history of The Sims. The libraries are just normal libraries with computers dedicated to research work as well as regular computers. 

For an expansion that boasted "decorating dorms to suit your sims personalities" and preparing your sims for a better life or better job, they sure have given us the bare minimum of an Expansion for £40. Real Universities are more exciting than this expansion pack and I loathe my university. 

The Expansions used to be game changing, they used to alter the worlds your sims lived in forever. Pets gave us multiple kinds of pets, not just cats and dogs and then small animals for an extra £10. Seasons gave you town park events where you didn't have to buy a "spooky stuff" expansion just to carve pumpkins and get more costumes. 

At this point I won't be surprised if they tried to release a "My First Dorm" Stuff Pack just to rake in more money.

I would say the best Expansions so far have been the Get To Work, City Living and at a push Get Together Expansions. 

I would also urge players who have somehow avoided the trickery of Expansions to put that money into Game Packs. Game Packs have given me the more interesting additions to the game imo. Camping is fun, parenthood is what i actually expect from an expansion, it changes the way you interact with your sims kids and affects them based on your actions. Strangerville is fun once and then you basically never use it again, don't recommend.  

I can see some stuff packs being good but my point still stands that there doesn't need to be a "My First Pets" Stuff Pack when you have an entire Expansion based on pets that in the Sims 3 were one combined thing. Same goes for Spooky Stuff and Seasons and Kids Room Stuff and Toddler Stuff. They could be combined into an expansion. 

It just bums me out that such a well loved game has stooped so low to try scam young and loyal players into overpaying for next to no content or for content split into separate packs that together cost near to hundreds of pounds. AND THEN THEY HAVE THE CHEEK TO REFUSE REFUNDS.

Whats your guy's opinions on it? Are expansions worse? Are they worth almost the same amount of money as the base game?

[PugLove888]

@AttackofCatalx, 

I don't feel that TS4 is "a stripped down cartoony version of TS3" ..  TS4 is a different art style, but most people hated the look of the Sims in TS3!  They called them plastic, doll-like, and doughy.  I felt the females fared better in TS3, but all the males never looked how I wanted them to.  I don't have that problem in TS4! 

And TS4 is necessarily "stripped down" because  TS3 was so bloated the game didn't work!   Any good qualities that TS3 had were quickly overshadowed by the game at best being incredibly jumpy and slow, and at worst grinding to a complete halt!!!   I felt that TS3 was a much worse deal than TS4... TS4 I can actually play!!!   And its better to have one or two 30 second loading screens (TS4)  than to spend 20 - 40 minutes waiting for your game to start working again, only to have it advance a few frames before another waiting period! (TS3) ! 

So, yes I do think the TS4 expansions are worth it.   I didn't think the TS3 expansions were worth the price, since the game didn't work. Really a shame since TS3 had some great ideas. 

I enjoy Discover University for TS4 much better than University Life for TS3, but not as much as University for TS2!   But, I'm not near finished exploring what Discover University has to offer,

In TS3 most of your classes were rabbit holes just like TS4 (and TS2, for that matter).  There was a lecture you could attend with your Sim in TS3, but those were pretty boring.

As for you Sim being rejected for University, I started with a new Young Adult Sim and didn't get rejected !  I didn't make it into any Distinguished courses, of course, since my Sim had no skills, but I still got in. And that is why there are 2 Universities: to give your Sims a chance at getting a distinguished degree.  Also, this gives a chance to experience 2 different types of campuses and 2 different types of college experiences science and tech versus arts and literature!  Also, by having 2 schools you have the opportunity to have school rivalries, which , at least in the United States is part of the fun of going to college!  

You don't have to live in the dorms if you don't want to, but in real life some dorms are restrictive in what you are allowed to bring into them.  Many don't allow you to burn candles or incense, for example.  Some don't allow you to put nails in the walls.  In the U.S. most dorms do not have a kitchen , so this is a direct reflection of everyone's experience in a dorm that I know. You are criticizing not the DU expansion, but the United States dorm experience!    I had one friend that had a bathroom exactly like the ones at the dorms in UBrite, with the exception that all the dorms residents were female!  So the dorm bathrooms might be poorly designed, but they are realistically designed! (I also had another friend at a different school that had semi-private dorms , so that her and her roommate had a connecting bathroom with 2 suitemates.) But having one poor bed and a desk shared with a roommate is fairly standard.  If you want luxury accommodations then you can live in non-student housing or recreate the dorms to your specifications! 

Cheats do not make your game freak out and crash.  There are tons of builders who use cheats all the time with no problems.   Perhaps you are confusing cheats with Mods and Custom Content?   Mods and CC can make your game do weird things, if they are outdated, but EA didn't tell us to use Mods and CC  for Discover University.  @SheriGR  is a builder who uses cheats a lot to make her creations.  I also use several different cheats on a regular basis with no problems. Some cheats might make it difficult or impossible to complete some collections , but that won't make your game or computer freak out and crash.  
You mentioned that the cheat didn't work when you tried it.  Perhaps you mistyped it?   Just bring up the cheat box by pressing "Ctrl"+ "Shift" + "C" and then typing in the box bb.enablefreebuild and press "Enter".   (don't forget the period between "bb" and "enable..."  I sometimes forget that. )

The microwave is to be placed on the mini fridge!   You don't need a kitchen to place it!  I had no problems placing the items bought in the kiosk in my dorm, since the controls to rotate the camera in Live Mode are the same as those would be in Build/Buy Mode.  Bland posters and boring rugs?  I found some very exciting posters and rugs in the collection.  There seems to be a variety of bold designs mixed in with more subtle ones. 

This poster is certainly not bland: 

There are some tricks to completing your coursework in the allotted time.  If you go to the library located between the 2 universities, it has the Study Location lot trait that increases the rate at which you complete your homework, write term papers, and study!   Also, you can form study groups to also speed the rate of  homework and learning.  Finally, the more you learn the Research and Debate skill, the better you will be at all of your coursework!   If you are having trouble at first completing everything in time, then just take one or 2 classes a term, until you increase your Research and Debate skill. 

I don't know what you mean by :

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"Theres a couple of student bars, on the older campus the bar is a really big punch in the face from Origin and EA to players who have been in it for the long run. You're provided with a beer pong table, a bar and some of the most unimaginative building layouts in the history of The Sims."

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There is only one bar and it isn't on either campus but in the area between them.  So, I think you mean the Student Commons. But the poorly laid-out student commons that has the Ping-Pong/juice pong table isn't in the older campus , but on the modern one.  And while the layout is horrible and ugly, this isn't all that this location has, as upstairs it has 2 robotics stations that you can use for free!   And you don't even have to use a cheat to redesign the student commons as Build/Buy Mode can be accessed there for free!  

The Library isn't just a normal library with research machines, it also has the Study Location lot trait to boost your learning and homework speed!   

But you can still redesign any building... Check out on YouTube Lilsimsie, as she is known for making the games buildings both more functional and prettier!  If you don't like to build, then you can even download her buildings and even her Save if you want to replace whole towns! 

Of course real universities are more exciting -- you actually get to do the learning in a real university!  TS2's University EP was the most fun of the 3 versions we have had in the Sims, but it still can't hold a candle to the wonderful experience I had attending college in real life! 

I found that Seasons was a game changing pack!  And it didn't have the costumes and pumpkin carving because Spooky Stuff came out years before Seasons did! To include that in Seasons would have been redundant and would have meant that something else would have not made the cut.   And since Spooky Stuff had been out for so long before Seasons was released, many people already had it!   Besides, Seasons didn't give you town park events because that was already too similar to the festivals in City Living!  To make up for that Seasons gave us holidays and even the ability to craft our own holidays! 

True, Strangerville doesn't have a lot of replayabiltiy, but it does give us a new town with beautiful scenery, and for builders it gives a lot of new Build/Buy items.  Personally, I use the CAS items from Strangerville a lot! For me this is worth it since I love to create new Sims!   And I totally agree that Parenthood is a fantastic GP!  (Though for people that don't like to play families, they would disagree with us!). 

I do not think they are ripping players off.  We all have access to YouTube and other places where we can see the content of each pack , both in Build/Buy & CAS items, as well as gameplay. I have bought every single EP for the original The Sims, as well as all the EPs and SPs for TS2 & TS3, and now all the EPs, GPs and SPs for TS4.  I have not regretted any pack I have bought since I have found something to like about each of them, (even the Kate Perry Sweet Treats SP from TS3 which is my least favorite pack in all of the Sims!)   I know I will find something worthwhile in each pack, so I don't have to watch reviews to decide whether a certain pack is for me or not.  But since not everyone will like every pack, at least we have the ability to screen the packs before we buy them,  If a player is more skeptical, then they just will need to do some research before purchasing. 
And I think the real rip off was that horrible TS3 Store that nickeled and dimed us to death, all for a game that didn't work for most computers! 

I think Expansions are a good price, even if they are close to the base game (and they often go on sale anyway!).  This is because I would never just want to play with the base game in any version of the Sims!  Would you just read the first book of the Harry Potter series?  You could , as its a nice story, but you would be preventing yourself the full experience.   

[AttackofCatalx]

Thanks for your reply, interesting to see another opinion on the matter. 

As for saying it’s cartoony I don’t mean that in a bad way, just kind of an observation. It is simplified a lot though in terms of what you can do. I get simplifying the game cuz TS3 crashes loads for lots of people (mine didn’t crash much until my computer got older though as it crashed for most games by that point) but I feel like they’ve taken things out that otherwise could have been kept like travelling without load screens etc. It’s not the worst thing in the world but I felt like vehicles where an immersive detail that I quite liked. 

In terms of dorms I don’t really agree with you in TS3 university you were able to edit the dorms and they had pretty cool layouts for shared accommodation. Maybe it is a common set up in the US but in the UK we have options for shared kitchens and bathrooms in some of the cheapest student halls around. I just thought it was an annoying thing to take away from the game when it was already there in TS3 and was a really nice feature to have. I don’t think you should really have to cheat in a game to do something you can do in any other part of the game though it seems a bit pointless. I want to live in dorms as it is a part of uni and living off campus just feels like I’m missing out on a part of the game I was really looking forward to. 

With the uni rivalry’s I guess I just don’t get the enjoyment of it cuz it’s not a part of university culture in the UK. I get the idea of having an old and modern uni but if they’re cutting so much content out of the game anyway I don’t get why that’s an option they chose to add if everything else is cut down and simplified, feel like it would be nice to just have one big campus like in Sims 3 that had a lot of stuff in it than two campuses that have less on them. 

My game does bug a lot when I activate cheats and use them a lot. I don’t have any CC or mods cuz in TS3 I had loads and it was eventually the death of the game because all the characters out of my household would have weird and mental skins and clothes on 😂 That’s why I rely so much on the expansions being worth the money.  

I wouldn’t want to play the base of sims on its own I agree with you there, but that’s why I think the expansions are a bit annoying. They don’t seem to give you a whole lot that TS3 did but i suppose that’s down to the crashing of TS3 due to the content they kept adding like you said. 

I think with TS3 the fact they did have SO much content meant that expansions felt like you’d found stuff you never had before after playing it once over with a couple sims. So maybe that’s soiled my view on the cut down content in Sims 4.

I can see your argument for Sims4 though, i do enjoy the game a lot but I definitely preferred Sims 3 more personally and TS2 will always be a classic. As for prices it’s always been expensive but again I feel like if you simplify and cut down on a game the prices shouldn’t go up. 

Thanks again for your reply, I really like chatting about Sims with other people 😊

[SheriGR]

 @PugLove888 You were so kind to spend the time to write out all of the information about the points of frustration that AttackofCatalx is having. So much helpful info!! 

@AttackofCatalx  To expand on what PugLove888 was referring to, I do build a lot and use a the "bb.moveobjects on" (and using the "[" and  "]" brackets to enlarge or shrink certain objects), "bb.showhiddenobjects" and "bb.showliveeditobjects" cheats when I build. Just for clarification, the MOO "bb.moveobjects on" cheat (and using the "[" and  "]" brackets to enlarge or shrink certain objects) can be used irresponsibly. You may be thinking of this type of instance. If someone uses MOO or enlarge objects in a manner that isn't fully tested for proper placement, or if they do not properly and thoroughly play-test every interactive object and area of the build, it may seem like the build is buggy because there may then be items or areas in the build that are not usable for the sims, blocked even though it doesn't look like they are, or that delete when placed. When you read the descriptions on a room or lot in the gallery many builders will add the information that they have 'play tested' the build (if they have), and that can help you avoid this. Doing all of the proper testing of the lot if you use the MOO cheat is a huge hassle and can add a considerable number of hours of tedious, not fun time to the building and prepping process... which is why some people don't 'bother' with it. I expect sometimes this may be because they don't realize the consequences or that they only want to do what's fun in their building process, since it's a game.

Discover University does have a number of things that are super-helpful to know ahead of time... otherwise you learn them the hard way. I have heard folks recommend editing the dorms before you move in and evicting the sim who lives there. PugLove888 gave you many great tips that I'm sure will help a lot. There's also some great information here (plus links to other info, and some videos): https://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/expansionpacks/discoveruniversity/

Personally, I've just finished putting two of my sims through university with distinguished degrees and 'A/A-' averages - so I did press them to be very on top of everything. They were in a house in Newcrest where I also had two additional part-time students who worked full time, two roomies, 8 sims and a butler. The pause button was my best friend, and it was a lot of work for them and me, but I am mentioning this to say it's possible. I was able to add a lot of amenities to the home, and one of them got married while in school, but it was some of the hardest work I have had to do in a household to maintain it properly to get them through school well. Plus these sims did not do much to enjoy of their surroundings. If they had, their grades may have been a trade-off - which is realistic.

I also found the university rivalry overdone. It is causing tension and relationship decay in the household/marriage that is more than it should be, imho.

It was nice, though, to be able to manipulate surroundings to what would be useful to them. For instance, I added the 'study Spot' trait to my lot to help them study. I also added focus moodlet items on the lot to help them focus while studying. I wanted to test the university play for scenarios that were true to my experience as a full-time commuter when I was younger, and as an adult who returned to school. I think there was a lot of realism that I'm happy with. There are some bugs DU will be working out, but my test worked nicely and I was happy with the result.

I love Sims 4 and own all packs. Though I have favorites that I think are more 'worth having/worth the money', I have no regrets about purchasing them all. The game is not perfect, it has its quirks and bugs that come and go, but I love the game and recommend it highly!

Btw... PugLove888 & I are also huge fans of Sims 2, and both played it many, many, many hours. Sims 3 broke my sims love (dare I say addiction?)... until I got re-snagged into Sims 4. 

---

SheriGR  – I don’t work for EA

[AttackofCatalx]

Thanks for your reply! 

I really haven’t used cheats a whole lot in Sims 4 as to begin with my game really just didn’t like them. Maybe it’s my computer that’s at fault but either way I’ve just avoided them to save myself the hassle I encountered in Sims 3 haha.

Glad to hear about your game though, sounds pretty interesting! I do enjoy Sims 4 a lot but it’s just a lot different to my expectations and I don’t think I’ve really found the expansion that does it for me yet. I enjoy the ones I have (I have all of them except a few stuff packs). I am looking forward to what they do with the stuff pack options for the survey they put out recently as I’m a keen artist and they had a lot of options of things like that! 

I really didn’t enjoy Sims 4 University though so I got it refunded eventually as I don’t have that kinda money to throw away on something I’m not enjoying which I’m sure everyone can understand. 

Thanks for your reply! 

[PugLove888]

@AttackofCatalx, thanks for clarifying!  I thought you meant cartoony in a bad way.  I think that TS4 has the best looking Sims.  

Some people had an ok time with TS3, but they usually had expensive computers and had to use certain Mods to make it work better.  My computer was middle of the road, but by the games' end it was almost unplayable, which was a shame because I really enjoyed Into the Future! 

You wrote:

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"I get simplifying the game cuz TS3 crashes loads for lots of people (mine didn’t crash much until my computer got older though as it crashed for most games by that point) but I feel like they’ve taken things out that otherwise could have been kept like travelling without load screens etc. "

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The problem is is that these things couldn't have been left in the game--- those loading screens keep the game manageable; take those out and we run into the same problems as TS3 had!  TS3's main problem was the open world. All the Sims in that world would have to be loaded in the game, and then they would all move around constantly.  To make matters worse, when you went to a venue like a bar, park, or bowling alley nobody would be at that location, and usually they wouldn't even begin to head that way.  Venues were like ghost towns!  Then I would have to pause the game to search for other Sims to interact with, and that would take quite a while to find some.  Then by the time my Sim traveled to that location, those Sims might not still be there!  With TS4, every time I travel somewhere either there are people already there, or else they arrive shortly after!   Pherhpas there will be a way by the time TS5 comes out (if it is coming out), that will implement an open world better than TS3 -- if that is the case, then I would be OK with that.    But to be honest, I breathed a sigh of relief when I found out TS4 wouldn't have an open world! 

I didn't find the TS3 dorms that memorable except for the Murphy beds!   The best dorm experience was with TS2, even though the dorms were extremely ugly, the gameplay in them was fun!  But that is pretty much the same for all of TS2!  @SheriGR  is right when she states that we were addicted to TS2.  And like her, TS3 broke my Sims addiction (still loved the game, but I doubt I will ever be as completely immersed in a game as I was with TS2!  ).  

Yes, I've never seen a dorm with a kitchen in the U.S.!  I didn't even know the UK had kitchens in the dorms until I saw a Plumbella on YouTube explaining this and that she was shocked that the US didn't have kitchens in the dorms!   But like I said before, this is for fire hazard reasons.  I used to work in a shop that sold candles and other decorative items and we would always get students that lived in dorms come to my store and ask what alternatives to candles and incense could they use to make their dorms smell nice.  Pot Pourri was an option as long as you set it out dry in a bowl (as opposed to cooking it in water over a candle in  a pot pourri pot.  But the most popular option was a lightbulb ring that used the heat of a lightbulb to warm aromatic oils.  

But I can see if how if you weren't' aware of these US restrictions in dorms how that would be confusing to you! 

I do find it odd that some of the houses in DU are considered "student housing" and don't have kitchens! They aren't dorms , so I don't understand that at all! 

I lived off campus for college and commuted to class everyday, But I did have friends who lived in the dorms.  And yes, school rivalries are a big thing in the US, mostly due to the sports teams, and mostly due to American football. I think it is supposed to be like the houses in Harry Potter where you are expected to have a friendly rivalry.  I have relatives who went to rival schools and they will "trash talk" the others .  This is what @SheriGR thinks is overdone in the game.  I agree in part: I don't think the rivalry is overdone , but I do think the autonomous trash talk is overdone, as is the detrimental effects that this has on relationships and reputation in the game.   So, if EA were to tweak that , it would be closer to reality and much more enjoyable to players!   I have one relative by marriage whose whole side of the family went to one school who is known for their fierce school pride and devotion -- she always gives my brother who went to a rival school a hard time, but in a good natured way.  My brother doesn't get offended and thinks it is kind of funny!   

I prefer that DU has 2 schools!  I didn't like that University Life for TS3 only had one school, especially after TS2' University had three schools!!!   I don't know how it is in other parts of the world, but part of the University experience in the US is deciding what school you want to go to and then trying to get accepted. I think DU does a good job at this aspect!  I also think that having more than one campus keeps it from getting stale, and allows for a little more replay value.  

Well, at least you got a refund on DU! 

It really worries me if you are having problems using cheats in your game!  I'm not the most tech savvy, but it sounds as if your computer is having a hard time handling the game.  (In which case, you don't want an open world !!!)   You can try clearing your cache files and repairing your game through Origin.  It might help. 

I know what you mean by TS3 Mods and CC causing problems!  It is why I stopped using them and have never used them in TS4!  I remember there was a CC doll that I had that caused my Sims to get spider arms and legs!  Also, I had some item or Mod that caused the dreaded "Spike Baby"!   So, I rely on expansions for my game items and gameplay as well now! 

Yes, it is probably best that the expansions aren't bloated like some were in TS3.  TS3's Island Paradise was known to be pretty much unplayable, even if it was fun and full of stuff.  What good is spending money on an unplayable game no matter how many good items it has?  Better to play a streamlined game and actually be able to play it! 

Also, some of TS4's content is hidden.  For example, there are hidden bar drink recipes, and hidden traits you can get by either having a child with Father Winter, or with one of the Island Elementals .  Offspring with either of these will result in your child having a hidden trait!  So by having certain hidden aspects, the game is actually a bit more complex than one initially thinks.

And as much as I love TS4, my favorite is TS2!!! It's gameplay was phenomenal and deep!  

I'm also looking forward to the Community chosen Stuff Pack!  I chose Arts & Crafts as my favorite category (followed by the Science category) and Knitting was my favorite activity.   This is because I knit and crochet in real life, and I think it will be nice to have an activity that Elders will be able to do , as there isn't a lot that they can do in the game. That is one thing that TS3 got right was its Generations EP!   I just hope the knitting skill will be able to be done by children as well!  Most people learn knitting as children and it is a great activity for them! Children in the game also need more activites that they can do!  (I also really wanted glass creation in the game, as I love glass in real life! ). 

And @SheriGR  gave you a link to Carl's Sims 4 Guide which in case you haven't checked out yet, you will find very helpful! 

I agree! It is always nice to talk to others about the Sims! 

[luvsumsims]

This post is good n late but anyway....I agree more than any. I feel everyone have different reasons for playing/using the game. Gameplay is far lacking from TS3. If you're primarily a builder, storyteller, modder or something other than a hard core gamplayer your opinion will be different.

I believe EA is depending on builders and modders to take up the slack. If all modders and builders came together they would create a game that would definitely put The Sims franchise out of business.

That's my two cents.

[PugLove888]

@luvsumsims , that is true that your enjoyment of the game can depend on how you play it!  The Sims 2 had the best gameplay in my opinion, but it's CAS options for clothing were sparse!!!.  TS3 had the best CAS customization, and TS4 has the best CAS body manipulation.  I am not much of a builder, but I really prefer how TS4 handles building, with some exceptions.  But I also liked how TS3 handled building, just not as much as I like TS4. 

But even with gameplay, depending on how you play in Live Mode, TS4 can give very different experiences.  I primarily play with each family in its own save game file.  Others will play rotationally.  People who play rotationally have had problems with some packs like Discover University , while those who play with multiple save game files tend to enjoy it a lot more, for example. 

[Kineezyx]

1. I’ve seen many people say this, and I agree. Although Sims 4 graphics are better than Sims 3, Sims 3 in every-way is better than 4. I feel as though the developers should actually listen to what the people are saying and give us that, instead of giving us things we do not ask for. It’s basically like they make stuff and slap it in our faces like here take this, it’s not much but take it. If they actually worked on the things their players are asking for, that would bring in more money for them , and that’s what they want right? Instead their giving many people reasons to not want to spend money on the expansion packs or anything anymore and quite a good amount of people have mentioned that they no longer want to play. I feel like they should take that more seriously 🤨. But with the help of modders the game has been enjoyable, maybe they should consider teaming up with some of the modders to make a better gameplay for us, better expansion packs if they really cared for what their players want. Also I really miss the open world, the constant load screens are a mess.

[EriSims974]

I agree with all the above. I mean Sims 4 is good in CAS and build mode, I actually never built that much ever since I owe the Sims even though I'm not really good at this but well I enjoy creating stuff from time to time. 

But let's be real, the gameplay is pretty much boring compared to Sims 2 and 3 and I mean Sims 4 is supposed to be ahead of them and somehow Sims 2 which was like 15 years ago, had better gameplay and Sims who actually showed real emotions when it comes to being in love, being jealous or grieving?? Like Sims 4 if another happy moodlet gets in the way they forget about their grief and they're not even sad anymore, yo your mom or dad just died and this only how you feel? 

In order to make the game interesting, you have to download tons and tons of mods so it actually adds story progression and many more interesting things, and in the previous games, I didn't download mods or barely, I was more downloading CC but the games were fine as they were (also I was young and didn't know mods really existed lol but still, looking back if I'm to play with them again, I don't need any mods). 

Sims 3 apparently was laggy to a lot of people because of the open world, we had a brand new computer at home and the game always ran fine, it was buggy here and there but never had any issues with lagging on the map and anyway I had that one mod for story progression and when you were resetting the world, it was fine. Also never bought so many expansion packs and all just to have more items, a bit more gameplay, with The Sims 3 I mostly had every expansion pack because they were actually good,  but maybe just two stuff ones and that was it. Here I have more than I had planned because you just need more items, more gameplay. Also, as many others say, the fact we have to pay for almost every single thing that was usually added in an expansion pack back in the days is kind of annoying. Like Sims 2 had bowling, downtown, restaurants, spas, and nightclubs, all at the same place and in the same pack (nightlife) Sims 4 you have one for Spa (love this one though the furniture on it are absolutely stunning), one for restaurants (and truth to be told the gameplay on it isn't as good as I thought it would be, they never finish their plates and always stand up when they're assigned their seats), one for bowling (don't have this one yet but gotta wonder if it's worth the money), I mean when they released City Living, they could have added all three of them together or at least the restaurants and bowling maybe, they added just a couple of blank apartments that you have to renovate yourself and you can't even change the way they're built. Sims 3 had the option to change the way the building looked if I'm not mistaken, you could even create your own (I did download some). 
And like it has been said, my biggest disappointment is University. Looks like they made that pack so the community was leaving them alone but it's far from being the way it was in previous games and I had so much fun playing with it in the Sims 3, it was really completed, students were interacting much more between each other, like they were invited to any single parties in the world even to the ones they didn't know, this could last all night long, sometimes cops were even interrupting, and your Sim had to wake up and go to his classes in the morning, all tired, with lack of sleep and they could even sleep in their lectures😂(that you could attend to with them) they could have a good GPA and have fun all along with it, everything could be balanced and if you wanted your Sim to go back to their World for a couple of days because you wanted to give them some vacations, you could. In the Sims 4, if you don't sign up for another term, you can't for the next couple of days, why? Not even talking about the crazy amount of work they have to do, assignments, presentations, homework, like I've been a college student and we got a crazy amount of work toward the end of each semester but we could have a social life and social activities. There you can do none if your Sim is a full-time student (which I always do, 4 classes each term) sometimes they work part-time but most of the time I just can't do it, they don't have time for themselves. So basically they don't have much time to make new friends. I can't throw parties because they're too busy having to get the perfect GPA (and if I want them to study at the library or so and you're playing with a household with two sims at college at the same time, let's say the other is in class if you travel to another lot, somehow the other leaves his class and you get a bad notification, why they're doing this? So, I have to wait for both of them to be done with their classes so they can actually study at the library together (this if they have time for it, I have to think about feeding them in between). They gave us bikes but it's pretty much useless since the world isn't open so I gave up on using them, especially since it takes more time to go to the classes with them than without(hi Foxbury) (living on campus and taking forever to go to class is absolutely not realistic). Also when they're done, they're on their own. In the Sims 3, you could invite your relatives, friends to your graduation and they were very excited about it, they were taking pictures with their classmates and friends and we could throw a graduation party (I was doing it not sure it was really a thing) but this was great. Besides I tended to keep the University World in summer so my students could have pool parties, how amazing was that? Britchester's weather is so random it's not even funny, and when it's summer it's cloudy half of the time and kind of chill. Since you can't touch the weather in any of the world, well stick with it. 
That's said, I enjoy Island Living, this is like the best World they ever created, the landscapes are amazing, the water is crystal clear and if you add differents lots from the gallery, you can actually have real fun. I also enjoy Tiny Living, the objects are so cute and very modern and I love building tiny houses because that's something I would love to live in one day, I don't need big space and with the game, you can make something absolutely cozy in a small place, so I enjoy this (I don't enjoy murphy beds killing your Sims though because wth? So I added a mod to prevent this but other than this that pack is really cool).
Now not going to mention babies who are debug objects and do nothing but lie in their cribs. And the number of years it took them to add toddlers, something that was in the base game in Sims 2 and 3. Also, teens, why do they look so much like adults? They should have their own clothes and be a little bit smaller because most of the time I can't tell the difference if I see a random NPC walking the neighbourhood. 
I wasn't impressed when they decided to release a Star Wars pack 🙃. But until now it would take a lot of work to get what the two previous games had and the way it is, not sure the gameplay part is ever going to beat this. Thank God for the amazing modders doing a better job and making me enjoy the gameplay. Too bad I play on Mac now though, because I can't install the Sims 3 back and anyway my laptop is full now but one day I'll get myself a gaming laptop and I'll install both of them and I'll switch with both games from time to time. 

But that's my opinion, not everybody will agree but yeah it depends on how you play and what you do with the game. But when you played the two previous games for years and you compare with the lack the Sims 4 has to offer, you feel the disappointment. I'm not expecting anything from the new expansion pack coming up (anyway I usually wait for the games to be on big sales to buy them so I'm not wasting that much money). 

Xoxo