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Original Poster
#1 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 1:35 PM
Default "Matt is hungry...click here to feed him"
I read a preview of Sims 3 in PC Gamer, like all the other previews I've read it stresses that they want to move away from what they call the hamster cage sims where you are constantly juggling feeding, peeing and bathing your sims. Personally I've not really seen that in Sims 2 that was more the case in Sims 1 but anyway, this is quoted from their preview courtesy of Mr Humble-

First problem: it is morning and time for work. In the old Sims games, this early morning work run would be a nightmare of task juggling: a terrifying assault course of late alarm clocks, standing breakfasts, hurried defecation and swift showers, all while a workmate hovers outside in a car, beeping his horn, impatiently waiting for you to get ready. In The Sims 3, a bubble appears in the bottom left. "Matt is hungry. Click here to feed him." One click, and his needs for the morning are taken care of.


Are they serious? In what way does that improve anything and move away from what they term hamster cage sims?
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#2 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 2:05 PM
omg! if that is the case i'm not buying S3. thats not realistic at all.
Field Researcher
#3 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 2:55 PM
This is not reality. It's a video game. They're freeing up time for your sims to do other things ... instead of you having to go through the whole list of things we typically do to get a sim ready for work. Now, they'll be able to do something else - something related to their moodlets or whatever.
#4 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 2:58 PM
How is this any different than using a mod or cheating their motives full? It's not like you have to click the bubble, but it's there for people who don't want to spend time on those need satisfying activities.
Forum Resident
#5 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 3:08 PM
i don't think it's like cheating...i mean, the way i got it, they will go to the fridge, fix themselvs something to eat, but there will be no more 'task juggling' 'do this'; 'go there'; 'drink this'. it's easier because when one sim is eating you can go and tell the other sim to eat or pee or whatever the other sim needs to do while in ts2 u had to tell the first sim to eat, then, to pee, then to dress, then this and all that while the other sim just stands there doing nothing or screaming "feed me".

and also...all that time we lose, running through the house looking for kitchen or bathroom so we can tell them what to do, we will use for those moodlets and making their dreams come true.
Field Researcher
#6 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 3:11 PM
Quote: Originally posted by laughingtoleave
i don't think it's like cheating...i mean, the way i got it, they will go to the fridge, fix themselvs something to eat, but there will be no more 'task juggling' 'do this'; 'go there'; 'drink this'. it's easier because when one sim is eating you can go and tell the other sim to eat or pee or whatever the other sim needs to do while in ts2 u had to tell the first sim to eat, then, to pee, then to dress, then this and all that while the other sim just stands there doing nothing or screaming "feed me".

and also...all that time we lose, running through the house looking for kitchen or bathroom so we can tell them what to do, we will use for those moodlets and making their dreams come true.

Exactly! I want my sim to get as much out of Sunset Valley as possible. I don't want that sim focusing on taking care of his/her needs.
Instructor
#7 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 3:20 PM
that quote made me a bit reluctant first time i read it. i will buy it and give it a go, but i dont want! to loose the "nightmare task juggle". i like that nightmare. its fun. a competition in itself and i dont cheer at a bubble going take care of needs. dont want it.
Original Poster
#8 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 3:39 PM
I'm sure that you can still click on the fridge for example and get them to do everything you can in The Sims 2 but still, to me it seems MORE demanding and distracting to constantly have pop ups telling you what they want. Perhaps it only appears if they urgently need something in place of the animation that shows them really needing a pee or food.

All the previews go on and on about removing the basic aspects of the game like fulfilling the needs mainly because they want to appeal to 'hardcore' gamers ie the people who didn't buy Sims 1, didn't buy Sims 2 and you can pretty much bet won't want Sims 3 either. I think they were just stung by comments that Sims 1 was just a toilet, food, washing juggling act so they're going to make damn sure nobody can say that about Sims 3. I hope they haven't changed it too much though because it works pretty well and wandering around endlessly doesn't really make for much of a game.
Alchemist
#9 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 5:06 PM
This is one of the things that makes me very wary of Sims 3. I played a couple of Plantsims in the current game, who have only 3 needs. They're silly easy to fulfill, and guess what happened? After 3 sim days I cured my sim, because it was so boring. I -like- the micromanaging of it, juggling their needs as well as the social interaction and skill building etc. It makes it a little challenging, even after all these years. As for "a terrifying assault course of late alarm clocks, standing breakfasts, hurried defecation and swift showers" - obviously spoken by someone who hasn't played the game enough. There is no terrifying assault if you manage it properly, and have your sim fulfill most of these needes *before* going to bed.

If wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets
Alchemist
#10 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 5:18 PM
One of the creator camp reports said that you can still play "the old way" (task-juggling) if you want to. It's just that now we have the option to get bathroom and hunger needs out of the way swiftly if we'd rather do something else.
#11 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 5:19 PM
i dont bother with alarm clocks i just make sure there fell fed the night before, if not the simgod will pluck them from there slumber for a quick 2am feeding/homework/skilling and shower before letting them back to sleep, I like hamstersims, i love controling or denying their every need. and i love watching them cook its cute!
Top Secret Researcher
#12 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 5:22 PM
Urgh how crap does that sound? I will deffiantly play it [if i get it] the original way.

Previously known as 'simcharley1990'
Field Researcher
#13 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 5:26 PM
Quote: Originally posted by coltraz
One of the creator camp reports said that you can still play "the old way" (task-juggling) if you want to. It's just that now we have the option to get bathroom and hunger needs out of the way swiftly if we'd rather do something else.


Yeah, I would think they probably make it an item you can turn off/on like the same with game tips. If you want game tips to pop up and tell you how to play until you get use to it, you can have them on. Then when you've figured it all out (or just gotten sick of the tips constantly popping up) you can turn off the game tips and play as you desire. That's how I think it would probably be.
Lab Assistant
#14 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 5:59 PM
Well recently they said sims were more able to take care of themselves. Like if you followed one to a community lot, the other would not die. So I don't know if it is really like that anymore, and if it is, the person still goes to the fridge, takes out the food, possibly cooks it, and eats it. So really it is just like having a shortcut on your desktop, instead of having to find a fridge, etc, they just do it themselves. This would be a great addition if one of your sims is really far away from the other, and you don't want to scroll all the way back to their house. Just click the popup and he will do it himself.
Instructor
#15 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 6:32 PM
I am not much for micromanaging when I want them to do something. If I go into a home I have a goal and they spend half of thier day trying to keep alive before I can even get them to work on what I had planned. I like the idea of thier needs as a back ground more then the forefront of thier existance. I know its a video game, but how many times in real life do we ignore our hunger because we are reading a book or playing a game? We often put aside "life needs" to get something accomplished, so it makes sense to have simulated humans have the same option. I for one look forward to experimenting with this new form of sims.
Alchemist
#16 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 6:43 PM
I think micro managing is really part of the charm of The Sims to be honest. It adds a bit of a gameplay element. If they do not, in fact, give players the option to task juggle then it will be a real let down for me...
#17 Old 29th Jan 2009 at 11:09 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Ghanima Atreides
As for "a terrifying assault course of late alarm clocks, standing breakfasts, hurried defecation and swift showers" - obviously spoken by someone who hasn't played the game enough. There is no terrifying assault if you manage it properly, and have your sim fulfill most of these needes *before* going to bed.


Um... that quote was from the Humble guy who works on The Sims... so, I think he knows what he's talking about.

However I do agree that micro-managing was one of my favourite parts of TS2. But then again, if you took OUT the micro-managing, what would TS2 BE? The reason they can give you the option of not doing it in TS3 is because there's so much more to do and see that you don't need to spend the hours of your day fixing your needs. And if we play it and it sucks, we can always go back to ts2.
Original Poster
#18 Old 30th Jan 2009 at 12:12 AM
No that quote is the opinion of the PC Gamer journalist in an interview with Rod Humble.
#19 Old 3rd Feb 2009 at 5:39 AM
It's optional you don't have to press that button to satisfy all their needs you can still do it the other way.
Scholar
#20 Old 3rd Feb 2009 at 3:14 PM
I wonder if I'm the only one who is actually excited about this change. I'm hopeful that the change will result in more focus on Sim storylines and neighbor interactions (which I always found lacking in the other sims games) rather than motive juggling.

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Test Subject
#21 Old 3rd Feb 2009 at 6:13 PM
i think that is sooo cool......i really can't wait to buy it. instead wasting half the day feeding bathing and catering to them, u can spend the day outdoors, fixing relationship, and just having fun!
Lab Assistant
#22 Old 4th Feb 2009 at 9:37 PM
I always find it a problem to get all their morning needs taken care of before their bus or carpool arrives. Even if they wake up that hour before they arrive, then they still have no time to shower, pee, and eat. Even if I give them instant breakfast, they still sit there and sip it for twenty Sim minutes when I can down my instant breakfast shakes in about one. What I want is something that will make them more productive in the morning. Give them a "In a hurry" moodlet or something.

But I would like to be able to control what they do... but there are rumors of difficulty settings, which I'm sure address "Click sim to feed them" or "Go make sim cook on the stove and serve the meal" or "Go make the sim cut up the ingredients, cook on the stove, and serve the meal" or "Go make the sim harvest the ingredients, cut up the ingredients, cook on the stove, and serve the meal." This would cut to the chase that the Motive Adjuster was originally for. I use it all the time when I want to do something else with my sims.

Without cheats, my Sims were anti-social because they constantly wanted to go pee, go eat, shower, or earn skill points. They had no friends by the time they were done getting everything balanced.
#23 Old 6th Feb 2009 at 6:44 AM
Do you think it will replace maxmotives?
#24 Old 6th Feb 2009 at 7:04 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Ghanima Atreides
This is one of the things that makes me very wary of Sims 3. I played a couple of Plantsims in the current game, who have only 3 needs. They're silly easy to fulfill, and guess what happened? After 3 sim days I cured my sim, because it was so boring. I -like- the micromanaging of it, juggling their needs as well as the social interaction and skill building etc. It makes it a little challenging, even after all these years. As for "a terrifying assault course of late alarm clocks, standing breakfasts, hurried defecation and swift showers" - obviously spoken by someone who hasn't played the game enough. There is no terrifying assault if you manage it properly, and have your sim fulfill most of these needes *before* going to bed.

I think the point they are trying to make is that there is plenty to do without just managing tasks all day. Yes, you can still do these things, but there's a whole house full of other fun things and an entire world with many people to interact with.. So the players who didn't like the micromanaging in 1 and 2 now have another option, while the option to focus on tasks is still there. I agree with you, the balancing act that is a Sims mood is fun (and actually downright easy at this point). At the same time, I am glad to see us get out of the house, since that in itself was limiting. I am optimistic about TS3 being a good balance.

Quote: Originally posted by sharkloverplayer
Do you think it will replace maxmotives?

I would be perfectly fine if maxmotives was gone, but no, I'm sure they'll have something of the sort.
Theorist
#25 Old 14th Feb 2009 at 8:10 AM
Once I actually learned how to play my Sims games (both original and 2) mornings were NEVER like that in their houses! They used the toilet and showered before bed. In TS2 they don't need to eat breakfast, because if I send them off to work with a low hunger meter, it fills up just before they come home from work, which means they don't need dinner either. The only times they eat at home is on their days off.

Maybe Mr. Humboldt should spend some time learning how to play TS2 before making statements like that because it sounds to me like he really doesn't even know how to play the game.

My sims do a whole lot more than eating, peeing and taking showers. Those things are really very small things in their days.
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