I play The Sims since 2009, I started with sims 3 but when I discovered cc, I also discovered that was a Sims 2 game with weather and pets, so and for some years later I played Sims 2. I never liked the graphics of the game but I very much like the sims and the game felt warm. I always remember the feeling of satisfaction after a happy day, when the couple I played cuddled as they slept. Yes, nice times. But eventually the graphics of the Sims 3 call to me again, and for a while I had the two games in my pc. After the Island Paradise the sims 3 game was a disaster, I use tons of cc, and it was unplayable. So I went back to Sims 2 for a while, but I couldn’t live without the open world. So I study and study, like I was studying for University, and at the end, and of course with most of Nraas mods, yes for I while I could play the game. Then the Sims 4 came and as a naïve person that I am, I had high hopes. And yes at the beginning I could play the game, but after few expansions, and for me after the Jungle Adventure, the game is also unplayable, the Sims stuck all the time.
I have a very low specs laptop also for the vacations, where I play sims 1, with every mod I manage to found. Sims 1 make me laugh even in this day, but sims 4 is a very empty and cold game. Also from Sims 3 the E.A intentions were obvious, they wanted the simmers to make mods that they were not interactive, just hairs, clothes and objects. No wonder why, I have bought all the store worlds only for the premium content, except for island paradise of course. And yes this goes for sims 4 too.
Also I wonder, some dark nights, that my conspiracy theories self takes control… There are many people that play until this day sims 2, even sims 1 for god’s sake. What a company that sells large numbers of games can do, to bring the gamers to the next game? Because If the last game was without bugs and the modders could make interactive mods, a very large number of people, will wait for the next game to have 3 or 4 expansions before start to buy. But if the old game is unplayable…. Yes some dark nights….
I also wonder, after see the paralives, try to gather money to make a similar game… Is it impossible for the Sims community to do something like this? All this incredible modders, that all this years make better objects, hairs, clothes, objects, lighting, and worlds, than EA, is it impossible to cooperate and start a fundraising?
Me I can’t create anything. I like very much to change and decorate everything but I am incapable of creation. But If something like that started I will supported it, as much as I could. So I am asking again, Is something like that really impossible?

Not impossible. But good luck. It kinda don't work like that.. Yeah, you could start a crowdfunding campaign, but for what? To make a new sims game? Can't use "The Sims" or "Maxis" or "EA". That's all trademarked. Can't use anything within the games themselves - that's all patented. You'd more or less have to do what Paralives is doing anyway, so why compete with them? Support them. They kinda have some of the same thoughts about The Sims that you do!

I was thinking about this, I mean what is patented? And for what they are gone to object? If somebody made a game with sims that have needs, memories, shops and kids? If something like this could happen, then new games that are rpg they would have problems because games before them also have a hero that gain levels and solve quests. Or for example the farming games, are all the same. You get a farm you grow your crops, you buy animals and have relationships with the people of the nearby village. So if we don’t make a game in which we would call the digital little people sims I don’t see why would have problems. Now the needs, wants, is like rpg health, stamina, mana. So I don’t think EA has the right to monopolize all this.. . Well let’s hope that Paralives will make the miracle. As for me, I went back to sims 2 and I discovered many interesting new cc.

I play 3. I do not speculate about 5. I am not on the Paralives bandwagon. EA will do whatever it wants to do and Paralives will do its thing. Odds are those are the 2 key players for this market IMO. And it will stay that way.

General game concepts aren't trademarkable (or we wouldn't have a million shooters). The specific coding is, though. And everything I've ever seen indicates that a life simulator is a complex type of game to program.

Theorically, why wouldn't jt be possible? The Sims itself is a proof of it that life simulators are pissible. Though whether a certain indie studio name can do it - it's not a straight forward answer. There are numerious factors, such as share work, time, effort, the chosen engine/programming language/foundation that supports said type of game to be created, how tasks are distributed upon devs, their collaboration/teamwork skill, marketing, etc etc and many more go into play.


Btw, knowing how to make hair and mods for TS# doesn't cut it. You have to know/learn how to, well... CREATE A GAME. Think of it like being a car mechanic doesn't guarantee you'll be able to INVENT a new brand AND start said COOPERATION that INVEST and RUNS said business market.

I know it's simply a writing mistake - but it kinda surmises how I do feel about The Sims right now.

Yeap that’s the idea. Hire some programmers for the basics and then the community does the rest. I don’t know if it is possible but maybe it could be a game for creators and modders. I mean with extra tools for modding and warnings about conflicts from different cc.

It is possible to create a new game if you have BIG $$$$$$$$$$ and it includes to pay people who know how to do it. And for PC is a gamble now as so much is moving to apps and phones. Not many, if anyone else, can or will try that. It takes skills and resources most do not have.

This is why virtually no one else has tried to create a game anywhere comparable. They do not have the resources EA has.

Not necessary true and I think you know that. Anyone can start and I would wager nowadays anyone with a budget of a high/college student and a small team (or heck maybe alone) nowadays could recreate a game say like TS1. Of a scope of later games, yeah unlikely and would take a lot of time and investment because of the complecity those games have for a single creator. Of course, commercialize stuff aside as making the game gain populiarity requires either luck or be bought by a coorperation or whatever. But yeah, you do need to have decsnt amount of cash through another means of earning (like fundraising) in order to continue paying your employees and what not while you're making the game. The cash doesn't start flowing until you finish the game and put it on the market to be sold.


Bwahahah. I'm now trying to hold my surpress laughter over the silly typo

Right, for anything on the scale the original poster is talking about. Sims has been around for what, 20 years now? And there have been no significant comparable games made that I know of. Others just cannot do it as too expensive and too complex for most.

Yes - making a base game just for modders seems to be a good idea. Indeed we modded the hell out of all 4 of The Sims games, attempting to make them the way we wanted that EA/Maxis wouldn't or couldn't do. (Probably the emphasis should be put on wouldn't. Hey, we did it - Why couldn't they?)

The thing is, nobody plays their game exactly the same as everyone else. Everyone wants different things and different situations in their games. Everything from families all over the place to nothing but sex, sex sex all over the place. Can you imagine the type of mods and the number of mods that would be created for such a base game? I'd say much, much more than has been created for The Sims 4 to date. The base would have to be superbly -- I say superbly -- programmed with many of stops to keep less experienced modders from breaking the base. (Virus programmers would probably try to gum up the works too if the game is too open.)

But see, The Sims 4 could have been a more perfect game -- more perfect for everyone if the programmers and execs of EA had given a damn about it before, during, and after its production. It could've even been a better game if the programmers and execs had've just listened to the sims community and done more of the things requested by them. There would be no need to be talking about another game like The Sims. Paralives would not be desired as much. A desire for a much better, more fabulous Sim game in the (hopefully) upcoming Sims 5 would not be as great. This post would not even have been necessary.

The bottom line: EA/Maxis let us -- I'm taking about those of us who love The Sims, and love past Sims games like 2 and 3 -- down. And they simply don't give a sh*t that they have. That's why we're in the streets waving signs at them.

Can't you see them in their lofty tower looking down at us and laughing?

"Yeah - go ahead and come up with a few million dollars and try to create a better sims game," they're saying. "We can wait for the competition."

"Hey, while you're still talking about it, we're still waiting - he-he."

Sad but true