I’ve been seeing this since TS4 was released. A EFFTON of TS3 simmers jumped shipped almost immediately, particularly the content creators. Some stick around, and play/create for both games (very rarely do I find simmers who play 2, 3 AND 4 – dyed in the wool simming right there lol). But for the most part, the simming community’s steeped in TS4 – that’s where the new game packs are, and simmers go where the CC/DLC is.
A bunch of TS3′s creators bounced early on, and the ones that are left do not get the visibility they used to, as the content Finds blogs have been leaving, too. People aren’t reblogging anymore – back in the day I used to have like 10 different finds blogs I could go to – but ALL of them are inactive now, with no one bothering to take up the mantle and start new blogs, rather than just relying on ONE blogger to shoulder all the updates, and freaking out when they don’t reblog as much for TS3 as they do for TS4. Start your own Finds blog! The community thrives when there are multiple people contributing to its growth and helping to get the word out there that there ARE simmers who are still active, and there IS content still being made for the game – maybe not at Tumblr, or within the popular tags that are most often used, or at English-speaking sites, but they’re out there.
Problem of Content Creators
And it’s not just Tumblr – the TS3 side of MTS and TSR and Simscave and everywhere else I regularly visit are basically DEAD. I saw it at TSR first – the FAs migrated over en masse on like day one, and most of them stopped bothering to create for TS3 anymore at all, which really sucks. And MTS is just…where did the modders go? TS3′s Mod the Sims is looking more and more like Exchange these days, with all those lots being uploaded, rather than Sims mods. O_O
Problem of TS2 vs TS3 vs TS4
TS4 attracted so many people who already had their reservations/frustrations with TS3 requiring better PCs or being harder to create/mod for, etc (especially the simmers who stayed with TS2, then migrated over to 4). They stick with TS4 because they fell for EA’s crap about TS4 being this and that, and are still holding out on hope that the next pack will introduce such & such – but it’s been 84 5 years, and there’s barely any expansions (they’re behind, compared to 2 & 3), way too many effing SPs, NIL on the side of in-game customization for no good reason (isn’t TS4 upgrading to x64 or x86 bit now?), and people say they’re bored with the gameplay! From what I’m hearing, the best part of TS4 is the crazy amount of CC being made for it. But CC can e retro-converted, as long as people bother to learn how. That’s just pretty skin on a bare-bones skeleton of a game.
Problem of TS4′s Limitations (Visibility Pt2)
And THAT’S what makes me mad, and that’s why I personally decided to stick with TS3 – why migrate over to a game that sucks? Sure, it’s more popular, and the community’s more active, but what the heck am I playing FOR, at that point, if the game itself is boring the spit out of me, but the notes/DLs I get on my posts are higher? WHO am I playing for? Myself, and my own enjoyment, as I create a world of my own, to express my own imagination and creativity within the video game medium? Or for more people’s attention, and a larger community?
As a simmer who loves the limitless SANDBOX of simming, TS4 pales in comparison to TS3, IMO. EA’s milking the EFF out of TS4, but nowhere do I see it approaching the level of TS2 in the way of innovation and growth. TS2 had more of an open world than 4 does, and that’s just mind boggling! Where is TS4 going? Stop with the SPs already! The GPs are the most exciting parts, but they’re still so limited, and that’s where they need to focus their energy – on making full fledged expansions out of the GPs, rather than just making a series of half-finished packs! With the exception of the Vampires, Jungle & Strangerville GPs, and the Seasons EP, I am utterly disinterested in TS4, and 4 titles (out of what? almost 30?) is not worth sacrificing the fun I have in TS3 for the sake of finding a larger community, when the one we already have – though small (and shrinking) – is still here.
TS2 has maintained its community for YEARS, and I see no reason why TS3 can’t do the same. It’s about dedication to the game you love, and relying on our own muster and efforts to keep it active, rather than just jumping ship to the next bright shiny. All is not gold that glitters. Yeah, the grass might be greener on the other side, but that side’s water bill is effing higher, lemme tell you!
To me, TS4 is in many ways indicative of EA’s entire attitude towards single-player games and open world experiences: a complete and utter disregard for them, basically. They’re hooked on having games chained to the internet 24/7, with Simporting and micro-transactions and Origin, and the idea that the Sims is all about dating and apps and partying and being a famous online influencer, and all this stupidness. Simmers end up feeling the same way, and you get people bashing on Supernatural, Into the Future, The Sims Medieval, and Strangerville, when EA DOES bother to try something creative and new for once, rather than regurgitating the same celebrities and parties themes they’ve been doing for 20 years.
I just get very frustrated with EA, and this whole mess, and I fear for the future of simming in general. Will we even get TS5? I hope so, but if it continues in the same vein as TS4, then I guess I’ll just wait for TS6. :\
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