The Sims 3 or The Sims 4?

[Montot]

After seeing the first page in the forums my guess is that The Sims 3 wins hands down. I thought that there would be lots of content for the latest game but I was wrong. So, which one should I get?

[Wicked Loveth]

Well it takes time to mod the games. There are some good mods out for TS4 -- I think. I don't have it so I don't know too well but from what I've seen at a glance there's some quality cc out for it.

 

As one poster said in a previous thread it took years for the woohoo mods to come out for TS3, which I still have. My opinion is really quite biased though lol. As a filmmaker, I'm sticking with TS3 because there are so many more possibilities. TS4 isn't an open world like TS3 thus there are some obvious limitations.

 

I guess a question you should ask yourself is what do you want out of your gameplay experience? If you're looking for woohoo mods then I think TS4 is still a long way off from solid ones but the community seems to be trying to get them out quickly.

[AimoHauki]

If you currently have Sims 3 with plenty of expansions I would say there is no rush to go for Sims 4. If you don't have Sims 3 at all it is probably a better move to go with Sims 4. If you have Sims 3 with an expansion or 2 it's a tougher decision to make I suppose.

 

I personally have both and I just bought a couple more expansions to Sims 3 during the christmas sale on Origin. I am aiming to grab Sims 4 expansions at 50% discounts over time but currently there really is no rush to get them as the game is not *that* great yet and the expansion prices for the current state are obviously too high.

[JoeLewis]

My own personal preference is Sims 3.....although Sims 4 is a good game in it's own right with plenty of new features and let's face it faster than the it's predecessor. It's taken several steps back at the same time. No open world, less customization, no toddler, etc...the list goes on and varies depending on who you talk to. I'm sticking with the Sims 3 for the simple fact that it has more to offer. While at the same time waiting on what will happen in the future.

[RyMcconell]

sims 3, but the sims 4 has it's strengths. I like the parties and work jobs better.

[XunAmarox]

I've played both. Sims 3 wins without even a glimmer of competition. Sims 4 just sucks. Just take a look at this article: http://www.gamebreaker.tv/featured/89-features-missing-from-the-sims-4-that-will-piss-you-off/

 

And that, is just the tip of the iceberg right there. You'll find way more content for Sims 3 as well. It's had a much longer time for the modding community to do their magic.

[Wicked Loveth]

I've played both. Sims 3 wins without even a glimmer of competition. Sims 4 just sucks. Just take a look at this article: http://www.gamebreaker.tv/featured/89-features-missing-from-the-sims-4-that-will-piss-you-off/

 

And that, is just the tip of the iceberg right there. You'll find way more content for Sims 3 as well. It's had a much longer time for the modding community to do their magic.

 

But didn't they 86 this stuff so they could put it in their silly idea of an expansion pack so we could all spend more money on it?

 

They're really better off pulling it and starting over with TS5

[auema]

I've played both. Sims 3 wins without even a glimmer of competition. Sims 4 just sucks. Just take a look at this article: http://www.gamebreaker.tv/featured/89-features-missing-from-the-sims-4-that-will-piss-you-off/

 

And that, is just the tip of the iceberg right there. You'll find way more content for Sims 3 as well. It's had a much longer time for the modding community to do their magic.

 

It's worth pointing out how old that article is -- a sizable number of those 89 missing features have either come back in free patches (pools, repairmen, basements, family trees, a 64-bit executable, being able to meet people at work/school, etc.), or are leftover gripes people had about features from the Sims 2 that never even made it into the Sims 3. And a few are just plain crazy (seriously, who liked buying EA store content with SimPoints? that was awful).

 

There's still a lot missing from The Sims 4, but on balance it's probably about the same number of things as The Sims 3 was missing at the same point in its lifespan. I tend towards the "it'll be worth it when the price drops significantly and the modding scene catches up with it" view. It's a different game than Sims 3, but not actually a bad one. It's got a nice visual aesthetic, it's waaaaay more stable, and the new features they did add to it are genuinely good. Losing create-a-style is a huge blow (especially since they did a frankly awful job of providing a decent array of color swatches for most things), but ditching the open world ends up feeling more like a shift in focus than a downgrade in actual play. It'll fill out properly in a year or two, I suspect.

 

But really, we've seen this cycle play out once before. The Sims 3 was hailed as disastrously bad and a huge step backwards when it came out, too, and lots of people were yelling about how they'd stick with Sims 2 forever, and now here we are. Eventually we'll hit the watershed moment with The Sims 4...probably just in time for Sims 5 to come out and start the "no X or Y in the base game? those thieving bastards!" rant-train all over again.

[Wicked Loveth]

 

I've played both. Sims 3 wins without even a glimmer of competition. Sims 4 just sucks. Just take a look at this article: http://www.gamebreaker.tv/featured/89-features-missing-from-the-sims-4-that-will-piss-you-off/

 

And that, is just the tip of the iceberg right there. You'll find way more content for Sims 3 as well. It's had a much longer time for the modding community to do their magic.

 

It's worth pointing out how old that article is -- a sizable number of those 89 missing features have either come back in free patches (pools, repairmen, basements, family trees, a 64-bit executable, being able to meet people at work/school, etc.), or are leftover gripes people had about features from the Sims 2 that never even made it into the Sims 3. And a few are just plain crazy (seriously, who liked buying EA store content with SimPoints? that was awful).

 

There's still a lot missing from The Sims 4, but on balance it's probably about the same number of things as The Sims 3 was missing at the same point in its lifespan. I tend towards the "it'll be worth it when the price drops significantly and the modding scene catches up with it" view. It's a different game than Sims 3, but not actually a bad one. It's got a nice visual aesthetic, it's waaaaay more stable, and the new features they did add to it are genuinely good. Losing create-a-style is a huge blow (especially since they did a frankly awful job of providing a decent array of color swatches for most things), but ditching the open world ends up feeling more like a shift in focus than a downgrade in actual play. It'll fill out properly in a year or two, I suspect.

 

But really, we've seen this cycle play out once before. The Sims 3 was hailed as disastrously bad and a huge step backwards when it came out, too, and lots of people were yelling about how they'd stick with Sims 2 forever, and now here we are. Eventually we'll hit the watershed moment with The Sims 4...probably just in time for Sims 5 to come out and start the "no X or Y in the base game? those thieving bastards!" rant-train all over again.

 

 

lol what? TS4 is a huge step backwards. Loading screens between lots?

 

The only noise I heard about TS3 when it first came out (and I was one of them bemoaning about it) was the pudding faces but once skins came out that made the faces look more sculpted, I shut my mouth and threw my money at it. Not to mention, have you ever tried searching for cc specifically for TS3 and gotten results for TS4 and TS2? Well, I have and honestly I can't tell the different between TS2 and TS4. The screen shots look almost exactly the same. I don't want to go back to loading screens between freaking lots.

 

If they had approached building the game differently they wouldn't have run into the problems they did and wound up patching it (damn right should have been free) to add that content in later. Who the hell wants to play The Sims online? That sounds like a logistical nightmare and frustratingly limited in mods.

[Hypno]

Sims 3 - open world and kinky world mod

 

Sims 4 - updated graphics but loading screens to cross the road ;(

[Kendo 2]

Tried Sims3 after playing 4.  I have to be honest; Sims3 has a ton of mods and an established community.  From what I can see of Sims (I'm a noob and 4 is my first) it will be another year before stuff like KinkyWorld gets made for Sims4.  Despite the lack of mods, I like Sims4 better, maybe because it is what I cut my teeth on.

 

*getting ready to upload my first Sims4 mod in about an hour* 

[auema]

 

lol what? TS4 is a huge step backwards. Loading screens between lots?

 

De gustibus non est disputandum, basically.

 

I rolled my eyes at the lack of an open world at first, too, but in actual play it genuinely didn't bug me that much. It definitely shifted the focus of the game, but not in a bad way. (And it really made the lots you visit work properly right out of the box, rather than needing a couple of mods and an insane amount of system overhead just to get a halfway-reasonable number of people to be there. In many ways, it'll probably be better suited to the kinds of things people here do with the game than Sims 3 is...once the feature count creeps up to an acceptable level and the modding community gets some traction with it.)

 

Given that Sims 3 only hit the "definitely buy this instead of Sims 2" level a year or so after its release, Sims 4 isn't exactly breaking new ground by not measuring up to its predecessor yet. I've got my own list of shit that I think needs to go into the game before it's even close to being a game I'd suggest buying at anything other than a steep discount, but the basic skeleton of it is sound enough. By the end of its lifespan, I wouldn't be surprised if it was at the very least as good as Sims 3, and I think it'll almost certainly age better.

[Wicked Loveth]

 

 

lol what? TS4 is a huge step backwards. Loading screens between lots?

 

De gustibus non est disputandum, basically.

 

I rolled my eyes at the lack of an open world at first, too, but in actual play it genuinely didn't bug me that much. It definitely shifted the focus of the game, but not in a bad way. (And it really made the lots you visit work properly right out of the box, rather than needing a couple of mods and an insane amount of system overhead just to get a halfway-reasonable number of people to be there. In many ways, it'll probably be better suited to the kinds of things people here do with the game than Sims 3 is...once the feature count creeps up to an acceptable level and the modding community gets some traction with it.)

 

Given that Sims 3 only hit the "definitely buy this instead of Sims 2" level a year or so after its release, Sims 4 isn't exactly breaking new ground by not measuring up to its predecessor yet. I've got my own list of shit that I think needs to go into the game before it's even close to being a game I'd suggest buying at anything other than a steep discount, but the basic skeleton of it is sound enough. By the end of its lifespan, I wouldn't be surprised if it was at the very least as good as Sims 3, and I think it'll almost certainly age better.

 

 

Honestly, I rarely play TS3 for fun. It's a virtual dollhouse and I get bored kinda quickly. AW/KW changed that but still... I mostly play it now for filmmaking purposes. I've seen some good TS4 machinima but I like to do landscape sweeps. I mean, I'm adaptable but I find the idea of a backdrop instead of the breathtaking (depending on the map) interactive world too limited.

 

Like some people say, I'll probably dabble in it when the price is reasonable. Just to see what the hubbub is.

[RyMcconell]

Tried Sims3 after playing 4.  I have to be honest; Sims3 has a ton of mods and an established community.  From what I can see of Sims (I'm a noob and 4 is my first) it will be another year before stuff like KinkyWorld gets made for Sims4.  Despite the lack of mods, I like Sims4 better, maybe because it is what I cut my teeth on.

 

*getting ready to upload my first Sims4 mod in about an hour* 

Exactly, sims 4 isn't as bad as ppl say it is, it just needs time

[DCslaysmarvel]

open world is cool and all but it causes a lot of lag sometimes for me. I love playing the sims 4, wish it had some good animators

[Kendo 2]

open world is cool and all but it causes a lot of lag sometimes for me. I love playing the sims 4, wish it had some good animators

Well, there are already a scant few animations and there are lots of poses.  From what I have read on various forums this process is happening faster than it did for Sims3.  I've just started investigating the modding for Sims4 and it doesn't seem that complicated when compared to doing things for Bethesda games (what I am known for).  Axiom; the more mods there are, the more interest there will be.

[PikAs2]

For me,it gives only Sims3.

I love the Open World.I tested out the Sims4,but this is not,with I want to play.

Ok,the Graphic is better,but you can smoke the Rest in the Tonne

mfg

[Sanmaeree]

Sims 3

better mod support

More content 

Open World 

Adult mods

More CC and still active makers

No loading screens everytime you go next door

More freedom

 

Sims 4

better thought out expansions

faster game 

CAS(if only they add it to sims 3     )

Graphics(well durr)

Better support from EA

 

 

Sims 3 is the better game, if you wanna mod hands down sims 3

If you dont have a good pc(well you can run the game great with base and two other expansions on a old pc) then sims 4 

[Guest]

I prefer Sims 3. The only thing that annoyed me in S4 is loading screens when entering/exiting ambient. That's the only reason why I do not play that game.

[Kendo 2]

I'm modding Sims4 now so get over your hate. 

[Wicked Loveth]

Kendo, 

 

It's not just about Mods. There's plenty more to "hate" about the TS4 that has nothing to do with mods. Even if you managed to come up with the perfect animated woohoo mod that could put KW and her animators to shame I still wouldn't recommend TS4 or buy it.

 

So Mod away. 

[Kendo 2]

So Mod away. 

Oh, I am. 

FO4 sucks balls like a New Jersey Lotto machine but people are still dry humping that lame ass dream and still saying 'mods will fix it'.  Nothing wrong with Sims4 but I'm a noob so I don't know any better.  I do know this; it is a snap to mod, for me at least. 

[Wicked Loveth]

That's evident.

 

Have you played TS3?

[Kendo 2]

Downloaded it from Origin, made my cute red headed trash punk Sim, exited CAS and the game CTD.  Instant refund; I had it installed less than an hour and maybe clocked 20 minutes on it.

[Wicked Loveth]

Why not try to figure out what went wrong? x3

 

But... you got your refund and it seems you're happy. If you've actually never played TS3 (or TS2?)  why are you so vocal about the preference for TS3 over TS4? I mean... you have no experience to compare the two besides one crash.