Ah, The Sims 4. What a colossal mess that game was and continues to be, am I right? Don’t get me wrong. I mean, I do enjoy the game and play it quite frequently (in fact, I will most likely play for a few hours after sending this article in to my editor) but I would not hesitate to voice my complaints if given the chance.
First off, let’s talk DLCs. Following the EA tradition, these DLCs are incredibly expensive considering that they barely contain any content whatsoever. I mean, who wants to buy a pack that only allows them to do virtual chores? Though, I do have to admit that they did an amazing job with Seasons. The closed world is annoying, as is the fact that we had to wait several years for toddlers to waddle their way into the game and there are barely any jobs to choose from. And don’t even get me started on that weird decision to sculpt everyone’s hair out of Play-Doh. But I digress.
The Sims series has been around February 4th 2000 and, honestly, it was bound to have a bad run eventually. But that is all in the past, because the fifth installment in the series is on the horizon. What features does this new game hold? Will it fix the problems of its predecessor or will it fall into the same traps and wind up being a major disappointment? In the spirit of keeping things optimistic, I have compiled a list of 30 awesome features that might wind up in the Sims 5.
30 The Five Year Cycle May Continue
If standard release schedules and the rumours that can be found online are to be believed, then we should be expecting the fifth installment in the Sims series in 2019. But hang on. How can the fifth game be coming out when the fourth game is clearly unfinished? It has been nearly four years and standard expansions like University and a World Adventures that contains more than one pitiful world are still nowhere to be seen? Some people believe that the release of the fifth game may have been postponed until 2020 in order for them to release the rest of the expected Sims 4 packs. But most believe that they are packing things up after this unsuccessful run and are doing everything to make sure that the fifth game is a welcomed addition to the series.
29 No More DLCs
Alright, this one’s a bit of a stretch. DLCs are just the way that things are done in the gaming world nowadays. But many fans believe that EA went too far this time around. I mean come on. The Sims 3: University pack came with school, laundry, bowling, and dozens of other features while the fourth installment has released both laundry and bowling as separate DLCs with minimal content.
The constant empty packs have drove the fandom mad and many have left the series entirely; vowing to never return unless EA gets it together and stops the madness. Some fans believe that the DLCs might be a bit meatier in future games due to the harsh criticism the fourth installment’s packs have received.
28 The End Of Age Cycles
EA promises a smoother, more realistic, and immersive gameplay each and every time a new installment is released. And one of the more clunky aspects of the game has always been the strict ages that the Sims pass through.
Some fans have suggested online that a more realistic aging experience might be coming our way.
Sims who have a normal age cycle of 7 days per stage may subtly change from toddler to child/child to teen/or adult to elder during that period, similar to the way that a Sim who is expecting a child’s stomach will slowly grow over the course of three to four days rather than jutting out in stages like in previous games.
27 Improved Transportation
Walking everywhere is just a bad time. I know that the world is closed and I won’t be able to follow my Sims to their destination, but the demand for mods and expansions which include unique modes of transportation have lead fans to believe that Sims might not have to solely rely on their feet.
Some fans believe that things like bikes, roller skates, scooters, unicycles, and even buses might make their way into the fifth game in the series.
If that is true, I would be all for it. I love the idea of my Sims traveling around their virtual world in new and unique ways.
26 Let There Be An Open World
Look, I know that the open world is one of the reasons that the third installment in the Sims series is a bit of a buggy mess. However, there is just something fun about following Sims around the world, never having to have to wait through lengthy loading screens, and being able to access every part of the world instantly.
When it was announced that the open world concept was a thing of the past, the fandom was furious.
And though, I don’t think they are ever coming back due to EA’s focus on a smoother gameplay experience (which has caused them to cut out a lot of features), there is a small and determined part of the fandom who believes that open worlds will make a comeback in the next addition to the series.
25 First Person Perspective
The improvement of technology, the emergence of virtual reality, and the popularity of first person games make many people believe that the fifth installment of The Sims may include an option to briefly play the game from a first person perspective. First person games are incredibly popular right now and, honestly, I am not here for it. Don’t get me wrong, it can be a fun feature or perspective if the story calls for it but I do not believe that The Sims is the place for such things. I do not want to see the world through my Sim’s eyes. I want to be the Watcher.
24 A New Landscape
Choosing between desert, three different suburbs, and city has provided me with a thrilling game experience (insert sarcasm here). We are four games into this series and, honestly, it’s kind of silly that we have yet to receive unique neighbourhoods. Sure, Forgotten Hollow is a fun goth adventure, but there are only three or four available lot spaces and those lengthy loading screens that pop up when switching between worlds are exhausting.
If the online forums are to be trusted, then EA might consider bringing back the option to fully customize worlds while also giving us enough lots to make complete neighbourhoods. Let us customize the name and environment. Give us jungles, fantasy worlds, and European style communities. Let us make it our own.
23 The End Of Clay Hair
Though I love the more “cartoonish” style of the fourth Sims game, I absolutely despise the clay hair texture. It’s just so unrealistic and clunky that I riddle my computer with risky mods and custom content in order to stop myself from ever having to use those awful clay hairstyles in my game. And I am not alone.
In fact, most Simmers do prefer the alpha/realistic hair textures of the previous installment.
The emphasis that the gaming industry has placed on realism has made players believe that a more realistic texture will be returning to future games.
22 Someone Call 911
The most infuriating aspect of the fourth installment in the Sims series is the fact that you can so easily burn your house down, end the lives of each and every member of your family, and lose everything because no firemen will ever come to your rescue. Whose idea was it to leave me at the mercy of my own terrible cooking skills? The forums of the internet are filled with the rants of ramblings of people who don’t understand why this simple feature has been removed as well as those who believe that it will be coming back in future installments.
21 After School Special
In my opinion, the release of Sims 4: Seasons has completely saved the game for me. I used to bounce back and forth between the third and fourth games as the fourth felt incomplete but the third was just inferior graphically and filled with bugs and lagging issues. But Seasons has made me a member of Team Sims 4.
I also love that it has brought back scouting to the lives of our children.
Though Sims 2 Freeplay had the most after school activities for children to partake in, other games in the series have thrown their hat in as well. Though it is a little late in the game for more activities to be added to the fourth game, many believe that scouts is hinting towards a plethora of after school activities that await us in future games.
20 Alternative Education
Though it was incredibly hard to get your little Sim children accepted to Private School (without heavy cheating or massive luck), I do have to admit that I miss there being other options for education. Sims 3 even introduced boarding schools to the series. But, in The Sims 4, there is only one option: public school. Simmers have moaned about losing public school for nearly a decade and, by this point, EA has to of heard us. Many players believe that the fifth installment will contain several features that increase both the immersion and customizability of the game; including new schooling options like boarding school, private school, or even homeschooling.
19 Improved Time Accuracy
I don’t know about you, but it does not take me eight hours to eat a single meal. Also, I don’t usually stand there for twenty minutes staring at a task that needs to get done before I do it. Okay, maybe I do but the point still remains that time has never been the most accurate aspect of Sim life. But after Musician and YouTuber Emma Blackery did a series of Sims videos (with the help of EA) and exposed some of the flaws within the game (including time accuracy) many online fans got the feeling that EA might be trying to get answers on how to improve the game through Emma. She even posted a tweet asking fans what features they would want added to future Sims games.
18 Forty-Year-Olds Will No Longer Look So Young
Look at your teenage Sim. Now look at your middle aged Sim. Notice anything? Is it the fact that, aside from a few wrinkles, they look exactly the same? Precisely. Nothing ruins an immersive game experience faster than the fact that every sim from age 13 to 49 looks completely identical.
I don’t know about you, but I am only twenty three and I look nothing like my thirteen year old self.
Players have been begging for a bigger difference between age stages since the second installment in the series and since EA has made it their job to answer our prayers this time around (to make up for the fourth games lackluster release) maybe this long awaited feature will be included in the fifth game.
17 The Long-Awaited Height Slider
I understand that creating differing heights will be a rendering nightmare. Every item and animation that accompanies the use of that item will have to be accessible from a series of heights rather than the three established age related heights.
But Simmers have been begging for increased customization and have created buggy versions of these long awaited changes themselves.
EA has made a point of righting their wrongs this time around and making fanservice into a full time job. That dedication has got many fans of the series believing that detailed additions (like the height slider) could be on their way.
16 Customizable And Complete Worlds
I have to be honest, I am disappointed with the world building function of the fourth Sims game. The second Sims game was fantastic for its use of complete customization and I loved how each neighbourhood in the third Sims game contained every single thing that a Sim could ever want or need. The worlds in the fourth Sims game just feel… empty. Sure, you can travel between them but it’s not the same.
Luckily I am not the only one who has been bothered by this change.
Based on the universal outrage this change has received as well as EA’s attempts to make it right, many fans of the series believe that either an end to the closed world experience or a return of the larger and more expansive neighbourhoods is on the horizon.
15 A More Diverse World
It can be incredibly fun to visit these foreign locales during my virtual vacations; but what if I want to live there. We got a taste of life in a more diverse environment in the third Sims game with the introduction of Monte Vista but that world, as well as every single one of the standard three worlds you can visit on your travels, have been stripped from the fourth installment. The worlds that exist in The Sims 4 feel very North American, but the introduction of unique festivals which highlight different cultures has made fans of the series feel like more diverse home environments could be coming our way in a future installment.
14 Look, Pa! I’m A Real Boy!
The cartoony textures and graphics that make up the fourth Sims game was met with mixed reactions. Personally, I love it. I think the realistic look of previous games fell into a bit of an uncanny valley trap and using more cartoony graphics allows the game to look more “realistic” as well as allowing the game itself to run smoother.
But with the abundance of mods created to create a more realistic world and the impressive advancement video games have made in recent years, many Simmers are predicting a massive graphic upgrade in an upcoming installment. Please pray for my computer graphics card.
13 Car Junkies Unite
Look, I get it. Lack of open world leads to the lack of a need for cars. But I have to admit that I miss cars. I miss having my older children drive the younger ones to school. I miss not having to walk sixteen blocks in order to teleport after going out for dinner.
Even if open worlds never return, the communities love for cars cannot continue to fall on deaf ears.
Can it? According to the online rumour mill, the abundance of car mods, toy cars, literal cars driving down the street, and car equipment/apparel in the fourth Sims game is hinting at either an upcoming or future version of the game which includes cars.
12 I’ve Got The Magic In Me
Yes, we have aliens and vampires but where is the magic? We want witches! We want witches! And not those Sims 3 witches. No, we want those intricate Sims 2 witches. The ones who’s magic is controlled by their personality and morality. Those witches. Hints to witches have been found inside the Laundry Day expansion as many items have been found to be described in incredibly witchy ways. Does this mean something witchy this way comes? Or, as some online Simmers have suggested, will we have to wait until Sims 5 to get our witch on?
11 The Return Of The Colour Wheel
It seems as though like EA has been listening to our complaints and has been trying to make things right. Hey, there is a first time for everything. When they left out toddlers from the base game, they ended up adding in the best version of toddlers the series has ever seen for free. We complained about stripped down expansions and the Seasons pack featured so many changes that one could play the game for an entire week and not see or use every new item or interaction.
Our biggest complaint to date has been the removal of the colour wheel.
If EA has stopped working on Sims 4 to make the Sims 5 of our dreams, then I (as well as the people of the internet) guarantee that the colour wheel (or some version of it) will make its way back into the game.
