Three Sims 3 Features That I Want to See in The Sims 4, and Three Things I Think TS4 Did Better
Until recently, the only game I had played in The Sims franchise was The Sims 4, excluding the mobile titles. However, a month ago, I took the plunge and installed The Sims 3, and after giving myself some time to play around with and get to know the game, I’ve formed some opinions about its features and what I think they would (and wouldn’t) bring to The Sims 4.
1. Cars
I must admit, I have fallen in love with cars in TS3, and I would love to see them brought to TS4. Despite what some other players say, I think that it would be possible to have cars in the game despite it not having an open world. We have bikes, after all, which function just fine getting our Sims from lot to lot and around open neighbourhood areas. I think that cars could serve a similar purpose, though I do think that the roads and maps in TS4 would require some restructuring for optimal functionality.
2. Less Object-Like Babies
“Better babies” is something that you’ve probably seen on a lot of lists like this one, but hear me out; I don’t necessarily want amazing babies in The Sims 4, but I would like to see them become detachable from their bassinets. Babies in The Sims 3 aren’t exactly God-tier, which is something that I think a lot of players fail to acknowledge due to looking back at the game through rose-tinted glasses in general. Babies in TS3 base game are still very much like objects, with only basic care actions available, much like in TS4, but just being able to carry them around the world and select them to view their needs makes a world of difference which I think would greatly improve TS4 models, even if we never get a fully fledged overhaul.
3. The Scrapbook- Partially
The Scrapbook is a feature in TS3 which allows players to look back at their Sims’ memories. The game automatically captures important moments in Sims’ lives and records them in a memory book- and it does the same for not-so-important memories, too, which is where I think TS4 could improve on the feature. I would prefer only key memories be recorded automatically, with an option to capture and label custom ones if the player so wishes. That way, you could look back at the birth of Callum’s first child easily, but wouldn’t have to waste pages detailing his first time entering a bookstore unless you wanted to. Just my idea of how this could work in TS4.
Things I Don’t Want From TS3
I’m a man who values balance, and so I thought it would only be fair if I also included three things from TS3 that I’m either happy aren’t in TS4 or that I think are done better in the most recent title in the franchise.
1. Zodiac Signs
I’ve seen a lot of players mourning this feature in The Sims 4, but after playing around in The Sims 3, I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Zodiac signs really don’t seem to affect gameplay or add anything much to the game at all. They’re just... there. I wouldn’t be mad if they were added to TS4, but you certainly won’t find me writing to the devs demanding they be added. They just seem to be a space filler CAS feature with some very minor in-game effects.
2. The Relationship System
I just find the relationship system in TS3 complex and difficult to understand. There are no clear indicators of relationship progress, nor distinction between platonic and romantic relationship levels. This is partially down to the general UI of the game, which, as someone who is a little visually impaired, is a whole other issue, but in general I think that The Sims 4 system works better for the most part.
3. Favourites
The favourites in TS3 just didn’t cut it for me. Like the zodiac signs, they just don’t affect the gameplay enough for me to care about them. The recent Likes and Dislikes in TS4 at least give Sims positive and negative moodlets respectively, which impacts the game a lot more than you might expect. I believe that the TS3 Favourites have very little on TS4 Likes and Dislikes, even less in the plausibly likely scenario where the devs in charge of TS4 add food and clothing choice as Like and Dislike options in the future.
What did you think about this list? Do you agree? Disagree? Have a valid argument against the features I want brought to The Sims 4, or one for the features I want kept out? Let me know!
