The Sims 4 CAS Demo

FINALLY got my hands on this (along with everyone else).  <mutter mutter>  Okay, whining over.  And the verdict is....I dunno.

I really miss the sliders because it's not always easy to move stuff around.  And honestly I don't see myself molding each part of the face.  I'd like to see all the accessories under one tab.  I don't understand why some t-shirts come in five colors and some only in one.  And yes, I understand it's a demo so the choices aren't going to be there.  I hope that when the game ships there are a more rounded choices of clothing.

 And for the love of all things llama and/or Freezer Bunny why is it so hard to get colors that match???  Yes, I'm missing CASt.  I would go to put a top and bottom together and the colors would just be a shade or two off enough to clash.  Maybe in Sims 5?

Now for the stuff I liked.  Yes, there are things I liked.  For one, hats on any head and boots in pants.  I like how things are separated by type.  I haven't really used any of the filters but as the choices grow I can see how that will be a good feature.  

The choice of hair are pretty good, at least of the ladies.  I like the longer styles in The Sims 4 but I do miss the detail with highlights and such.  The faces look pretty good and I think I'm getting the hang of making Sims that don't all look the same.  But that will probably still take some work.

I liked looking at some of the Sims in the gallery which is a nice feature.  Just as a side note I could do without the celebrities especially all the copies of the Frozen chicks.  And Kim Kardashian.  Gag.  Another strange this was not letting me upload sims based on their names.  So Duke Dinger and Nigel Ledbetter will only live in my game.  Well, at least Nigel will.  I kept him cuz he turned out cute.

Now the most important thing....PICTURES!!!

Serendipity Sunflower-The first version of her didn't come out good enough for me.  I went back and used the Sims 3 version to spruce her up.  I'm much happier with this version.  New and Improved!

And another one of Serendipity.

One of the most important things I had to decide was who to create first.  Serendipity was actually second.  I had to go old school and make the first sim I ever made...Belle Blu

Belle Blu 1.0

Belle Blu 2.0

Belle Blu 3.0

And finally.............

Belle Blu 4.0!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think the latest is my favorite version.

Yes, big improvement in 14 years.

I liked playing around with it (Origin says I played 9 hours yesterday :O)  I made 16 households that I saved.  There may have been a few more that didn't make it.  Including an ugly sim.  I will try to collect more pictures because...because.

The bottom line is that I'm still on the fence about The Sims 4.  I know I won't be getting it when it comes out because it's just not in the budget but getting to play with the CAS demo a little I'm feeling better about it.  I'm still a Simmer 4 Life so again it's not a matter of if I buy it, it's a matter of when.

Go 4th and Sim!

SimCity Free Demo

Last night I took advantage of the free four hour demo of SimCity.   And first off just want to say the reviews weren't wrong.  The maps are way too small, making city layout awkward.  But the actual buildings are HUGE.  Maybe if the scale of things were a bit smaller it wouldn't be as bad.

Since I only had four hours to play I didn't get to play around with the settings.  And heck, didn't even find the settings until I had about a half-hour left to play.  But the graphics were just...not good.  Now this could be my computer.  It's not exactly on the newer side not exactly highest of specs but it really reminded me of The Streets of SimCity or even my beloved SimCopter.  Yeah, getting a totally 90's groove there.  I tried pushing stuff to the highest settings but nothing really changed.

Overall, it wasn't a bad game.  It was still SimCity enough but I'm not rushing out to buy it.  I think the single player mode was the best they could've added to it.  I can't imagine playing a region waiting for other people to help you out.  It seems like I was pushed into adding more stuff before I could fully realize what I even wanted to do.  This was probably because I was on a time limit of playing though.  I'm sure once I had the game I could play around with a region and make it into something I wanted.

And because they are sims, they will complain.  But as you can see, the city wasn't doing all that well.  Apparently, you can take pictures and movies but I never figured it out until I hit the C key and got this gem.

 I don't have any commentary on all the new Sims 4 news since I didn't really look at the new info.  But from the little I've seen, still feeling all meh about it.  Good thing I can't afford a new game right now anyway.

Go 4th and Sim!  Simmer 4 life!

And don't think I don't see some sort of irony that I use the 4's up there despite my feelings for this new version.

Insert Missing Demo Here

I'm just going to come right out and say it...I'm pissed that I don't have the Sims 4 CAS Demo.  Maybe I'm acting like a spoiled brat who feels they deserve it and yeah, I don't care.

I can understand getting the demo in the hands of Youtubers and websites for review but it just seems like more normal players have it and some people who haven't even really played The Sims 3.  What's the point of releasing to the general public when most people are going to have it before then?  I know I'm being pissy about it but it's hard to see all this new stuff from other players like me and I can take part in it.  I'm pretty much avoiding any Sims 4 news except in the most glancing way.

I think this will probably be the last I say of this in public (such as my "public" is) I'll just stew over in my corner here.

Of course I should say that I reserve the right to change my opinion if circumstances change.


Go 4th and Sim!  Simmer4life!

That's Amore from The Sims 3 Store!

Today another milestone is reached in The Sims 3 history.

The last set from The Sims 3 Store.  :(

Hey Simmers!

We’re really excited to start talking about our August release! Prepare to be swept away by the love, romance, and quaint charm inspired by Venice. Woo the love of your Sim’s life by creating an enchanting Gondola ride with five different canal pieces surrounded by beautiful Venetian décor.  We can’t wait to see the unique stories you create and share with each other!

While this is the final new content release from The Sims 3 Store, we do want to thank you for being such great fans and supporting The Sims 3 Store through some amazing times. We’ve put together a free sportswear set as a special “thank you” gift, and you can download it here!

As a friendly reminder, SimPoints are non-transferable and can only be redeemed within The Sims 3 Store. The Sims 3 Store is staying open so you can continue to access all of the great content we’ve made over the years.

We hope you will enjoy the final Store content and that you are getting as excited about The Sims 4 as we are! The team is hard at work putting all the finishing touches on game before it releases this September.

Have Fun!

The Sims 3 Store 

This kinda has me bummed but I guess it's expected.  One point of note here.  Sim Points are only able to be used in the Sims 3 Store.  Probably because of the new premium set up they have planned.  Not sure how I feel about that probably get more into it when more details are released.  

As of now we're only just over a month to go before release.  Yay, I guess.  Got other stuff to worry about  before I get The Sims 4.  And I'm still enjoying The Sims 3.  And a little bit of The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection.  If I could just play it without my sim's head exploding I'd enjoy it more.  There's a fix for the graphics issues but I don't think I care enough to do it.  

Farewell, Sims 3 Store!  You've added many fun things to my game.  Now just get your act together and free up the Savvy Seller's set without having to buy that stupid world!  Thanks much!

Go 4th and Sim!

The Sims 4: Gameplay Walkthrough Official Trailer

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!  HERE IT IS!! WHAT EVERY SIMMER HAS BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

This...



And more importantly, MY opinion of it.  Yeah.

Well, it was in game footage.

Not exactly live game play and mostly a setup.

Okay, the world is looking nice.

But most of all I love the build mode/gallery options.  I can get flaky with my playing and sometimes just want to change up the house my sims live in.  Well, if I get that urge playing the Sims 4...BOOM!  New house.  Won't even have to wait until they walk off the lot  >:(  to give them a brand new house.

Lots of loading screens.  But if I'm not mistaken one of the words going across the bottom was "Shaving llamas"  WTF??

Overall, still not knocking my proverbial socks off.  It is a very VIBRANT looking game and yes, I mean that in all caps.  Did Katy Perry have a hand in the design?  Where are the giant bananas?

Will I be getting it?  Of course!  Simmer for life!  It's just a matter of when.  I like where I am with Sims 3 and don't really see a need to move on right now.

And maybe I'm just a little grumpy that I still don't have access to the CAS Demo.  Okay, a lot grumpy.

Go 4th and Sim!

Random Sims Musings 7-8-14 Pondering Edition

Now that most of the outrage has died down from NO POOLS?  NO TODDLERS? NO MONEY EA! announcement, let's put things in perspective....yeah, not getting much on that front.

Okay how about this...The Sims Franchise is 14 years old.  There's been 3 computer games.  I'm gonna say probably 10 console games.  A few online versions.  And The Sims Medieval, The Sims Stories games and The Urbz (those only get their own line because they're kind of spin-offs)   There's a lot of veteran players, plenty who have been playing since Day 1 <raises hand> and have tried multiple other versions <raises hand again>.

That is a lot of material to draw from.  I can certainly see the influence of some of the other games that have crept into The Sims 4.  Which is good because with all that history why not pull from it?  And I'm sure it's incredibly difficult to sit down and figure out how to make the next game new and the same.  Have enough of old and new stuff to draw back long time players.  I'm not even going to try to include how to get new players in on this because I have no idea and it hurts my head to figure that out.

Now speaking as a veteran Simmer I think there are certain expectations that I have going into a new version.  Perhaps even things that are taken from granted that would be in the base game.  Stuff that I wouldn't even think twice about how it should or shouldn't be in the game.  Toddlers and pools are on that list.

I feel bad that the Sim Gurus had such hatred thrown their way.  I'm sure they put their all into putting The Sims 4 together.  But a lot of what has been shared so far seems like a step back.  I'm not really caring about the new walk styles but the emotions are intriguing me.  I can see from a gameplay stand where they're going with it.

I'm still having mixed feelings about this whole new game.  Still taking a wait and see stance on it.  For right now I'm still having fun with The Sims 3 and even dabbling again with The Sims 2 (turns out I don't hate it as much as I thought).  There's more stuff that's coming including the CAS demo and an actual game play video.  Maybe that will do stuff to calm the masses.

Go 4th and Sim!

Random Sims Musings 6-25-14: Cue the OUTRAGE!!!!!

NO POOLS!!!!

NO TODDLERS!!!!!

WTF ARE THEY THINKING???

EA/MAXIS HATES EVERY SIMS PLAYER EVER!!!!

I'M NOT BUYING THIS GAME!!!!!!

I'M GOING TO SIT HERE AND CRY LIKE A 12 YEAR OLD GIRL WHEN HER FAVORITE BOY BAND BREAKS HER HEART!!  THAT'LL SHOW THEM!!!

Which is what some of the comments probably will be with this latest blog floating around the Simisphere.

Why Sim Guru Ryan is evil!!

I have such mixed feelings about Sims 4 as it is but no pools and no toddlers aren't really deal breakers for me.  The loss of CASt is a big one for me because I really did like all the different options so at least not everything looked the same.

No pools is kind of disappointing.  It's a nice addition to any house.  No toddlers?  Couldn't give two flying llamas about that.  I don't play legacy games, rotational style or with aging on.  Mostly just play single sims out doing their thing.  I have played families before and it's okay.  I usually just have a specific idea in mind and they just sit there unplayed when I move on to something else.

Now here's the most exciting thing I've read or heard so far and makes me all OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We also have beautiful Neighborhoods! Did you know that for the first time ever in The Sims, your Sims will be able to not only travel between Neighborhoods, but also between entire Worlds without having to start a new game!? This is something that I always wanted in The Sims 3, and I’m so excited to finally have it in The Sims 4. Neighborhoods and Worlds will be separated by a short load screen, but for the first time you’ll be able to live in one world and work (or play) in another! All of your Sim’s personality, accomplishments, and relationships stay with them as they travel around the best play-space we’ve ever created in a The Sims game.

Just wanted to make sure the important part was pointed out there.  This means I can have ONE GAME-ONE SIM-ONE WORLD.  Yeah, that's pretty freaking awesome!!  Now I know how I play and depending on how the whole save thing works (Sims 2 vs Sims 3) I'll still have games all over the place to try out different things.

So in conclusion I'm not feeling the hate that I'm sure many others are.  Yeah, got nothing else beyond that.

Let us all come together at this time and just embrace a new Sims world!  And fight the true evil in the world...CLOWNS!!!

Go 4th and Sim!