I have lost confidence with The Sims 4

I've lost confidence with The Sims 4 after seeing this ad before I could start the game.

I am back playing Sims 2 again. Also, I'm trying to see on getting back on Sims 3 but with all content. I just have three reasons why I lost confidence with Sims 4.

1. Because seeing an ad on my game makes me ask why I even bother.

I've pre-ordered the last two expansion packs. Then I see a pre-order to the Life and Death expansion pack -- on my game screen. So I wonder, what worth do my last two purchases brought me? In my case, I installed the packs, launched the game, and then see such ad. I haven't even played the new game yet! 

I absolutely see a saturated shop of never ending folly. The game feels worthless now, because I can't find the appreciation for the ones I have. There was a time when players bought all of the content. AND that they were still eager to buy the next pack. These days, it feels like please stop.

I'm inundated with content for sale and they still pester you in-game. There's a splash screen for pre-order this, and subsequent tiles for order that on the main menu. I don't know what I have anymore and I'm not sure what I'm missing. Plus there's this nagging (engine) light on a shopping cart when you're playing. Which takes you to the store. So much so that a mod is available to disable that cart from appearing. 

Please, just let me play the game.

As if EA / Maxis doesn't have enough platforms to announce their upcoming pack. You have ads on Origin, ads on Facebook, and ads all over the Internet. It's an endless chase to "complete your game". Which is purely theoretical at this point. Would it hurt if you stay away from advertising on a locally installed game? The main menu is littered with expansion packs, stuff packs, game packs, kits, and so on. And even I have a gripe on these confusing categories. 

Let me load my game without thinking about the next pack! Let me appreciate what I just bought without worrying about what's missing. Let me research my next "purchase"! Let me see what's different. That way, I would be totally invested on planning what to purchase next. I honestly wonder how anyone can be excited about a new expack when you're constantly reminded. Yet no one wants to see ads on their local game.

I get it, you are transitioning Sims 4 as an online game. You need to make money because you decided to make the base game free. Though a priced base game was a good indicator if The Sims 4 was still selling. And that's why I've lost confidence in it because the Sims 4 that I knew back in 2014 will be a new game soon.

 

2. Because The Sims 4 engine is a mess.

Patching will affect custom content.

The Sims 4 doesn't feel like a game anymore but a cash grab.

I mentioned I've been playing Sims 2 and it feels refreshing. Though the build mode in Sims 2 feels outdated, the overall gameplay is still solid. But on Sims 4, I find many problems that I'm uncertain how its engine will hold up in the future. Some of the issues I found: 

- random FPS dips even when I'm playing above a recommended spec. But when I hit escape, the framerate goes back to about 60-100fps.

- the pathing on Sims 4 is amusing. They're taking the longer route toward the object instead of the shorter route.

- a visiting Sim just got hit by a lightning while waiting on the door during a storm. And then they just left like nothing happened.

- also, there is so much lightning hitting the ground during storms.

- this one was the biggest turn off: three plates on the table. I ordered one Sim to clean up the plates. He got up and cleaned up his own plate. I paused and laughed at myself. I tasked the second idle sim to clean up. She took a single plate and went to the sink. I had to order her again to clean up the last plate. Why can't all plates stacked for the dishwasher?

- Sims sometimes cut their animation and teleport to another place when interacting with objects.

But hey, at least no crash to desktop errors for me.

3. Because it's time to give another game a chance.

I feel bad for the developers managing the laundry list. I wonder how they can keep up with the bugs on multiple platforms interacting with the numerous packs in the game? So was it a harmful move to offer the base game as free? But it's as if this move would be the trigger to make the game unfamiliar. It was announced that there's no Sims 5. And the current Sims 4 will continue.

I honestly wonder what will happen to "Sims 4" once support ceases. For now, I know that Sims 4 runs locally, which frustrates me despite seeing ads on your game. So if I'm no longer having fun with it, why not play another game? I'm decided that I'm ready for the next life sim game. And I hear inZOI looks nice.