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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 4th Aug 2013 at 9:41 PM
Default Seamless Sims Universe With No "Loading Screens" = Possible
The Sims 3 brought us seamless worlds, but The Sims 4 could potentially bring a fully seamless sims universe.

I know this may sound impossible but hear me out.


For Rock Band 3, Harmonix wanted to make the player feel more of a connection to their characters.
One way they accomplished this feat was by including the player's characters in the loading screens.
The player would watch their characters travel to the venue, allowing the player to watch and connect with their characters both on stage and off.

For The Sims 4, Maxis is trying to focus on the sims, taking much the same direction as Harmonix did back in 2010.


There is the potential to create a "seamless" sims universe.
So called "Loading Screens" could follow your sims as they travel between sub-hoods.
It may not be a true "seamless" universe, but it would provide the illusion of it.

The way I see it working, your sims will board a vehicle and head to the end of the map.
At the end of the map, they will travel through randomly generated scenery.
While your sims are in transit, the destination map would be loaded in the background.
The player would maintain control of their sims in the vehicle of travel.
When the destination map is loaded, the random terrain leads into the new map, where your sims exit the vehicle.



Would a seamless sims universe work?

Thoughts? Questions? Ideas?
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Test Subject
#2 Old 4th Aug 2013 at 10:09 PM
I would prefer to let them focus more on actual gameplay.
Lab Assistant
#3 Old 4th Aug 2013 at 11:10 PM
well.. what would they be travelling to? this could be a part of a potential traveling EP but a HUGE universe in the base game.. i doubt it.
Inventor
#4 Old 4th Aug 2013 at 11:23 PM
Better not. I prefer the empty loading screen because this feature will make your game spend more time loading.
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#5 Old 4th Aug 2013 at 11:31 PM
They'd have to be awfully inventive to come up with enough sim-travelling footage to fill the inevitable 45 minute loading times some players will get.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Test Subject
#6 Old 4th Aug 2013 at 11:53 PM
i hate sub hoods like the rest of you hate rabbitholes.

its that hampster on a wheel feeling i hope they move away from.

it amuses me that people think ea maxis developers are actually paying attention to these forums and give a fraction of a turd about our complaints

majority of those of which wont consider getting it regardless
Lab Assistant
#7 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 6:05 AM
Yes, but of course, what's a Sims game without the comedic loading screens?
Lab Assistant
#8 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 6:25 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
They'd have to be awfully inventive to come up with enough sim-travelling footage to fill the inevitable 45 minute loading times some players will get.

45? Jesus, and I thought I had it bad with 20...

Anyway, they did something sort of like this in The Sims Bustin' Out. Wasn't that great.
Test Subject
#9 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 9:18 AM
I never really found the RB example very engaging and would have preferred some humour, honestly. I can't even imagine how resource-intensive an advanced Sims version would have to be.
Scholar
#10 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 9:23 AM
I hope to see a seamless world too. No more sub neighbourhoods with loading screens like someone else mentioned. For example, if some ep introduces university, it should become part of the world. It doesn't have to be the same city per se, might just as well be some city further down the area, making the world a little larger. But then with the travelling without loading screens.
Most important for me is performance and getting rid of routing issues though. I don't like sluggish games with a chronic hiccup disease.
world renowned whogivesafuckologist
retired moderator
#11 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 9:45 AM
Some kind of mini-games on loading screens would be cool though. Something fun and cute and maybe puzzley or whatever - like Bejeweled or Candy Crush Saga or something like that. Perhaps with bonus items you could win if you do especially well, which you could give to your sims in-game.

my simblr (sometimes nsfw)

“Dude, suckin’ at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.”
Panquecas, panquecas e mais panquecas.
Forum Resident
#12 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 9:55 AM
I remember there was some sort of mini game when installing Sims 2.
Alchemist
#13 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 4:35 PM
Personally, I'd rather not have a seamless world/universe in a Sims game.

It sounds good in theory, but we all know when it comes to features like this, EA gets too caught up in how amazingawesomesupercalifragilisticexpialidocious it is and loses focus. EA has lost sight of what sets a Sims game apart from RPGs, MMOs and virtual worlds.

Not everything has to be grand and "epic" and larger than life.

What happened with the Sims 3 open world is something I'd rather not happen again. They opened the world, allowing sims to run wild and as a direct consequence, reduced the number of activities available.

I'd rather have a sandbox full of toys than an empty desert.
Scholar
#14 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 5:21 PM
I'd like to hope they won't go backwards and re-introduce 'lot by lot living' like TS2, but rather take what they might have learned (tall order, there) from TS3's open neighbourhood and implement it better...

...Titanium white...
Lab Assistant
#15 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 5:40 PM
I personally prefer lot by lot living, when I played TS3 its not like I was going anywhere, my sims asses were at home like 24/7. I think it would be better to have pockets or little districts with restrictive open world gameplay, but those districts are based around certain activities, social gathering, recreation, and work, I mean "Sunset valley had a freakin Hospital right across the street from a Art Gallery; what a lovely painting, look to the left...what a strong terminally ill patient". If TS4 sells well enough Id rather EA take another 3-5 years to improve the openworld of TS3 and optimize it to be better on the next franchise release"they could also to an account to adding weather to the base game"
And all the maladies of the world burst forth from Pandora's cooch
#16 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 6:03 PM
Quote: Originally posted by bihem
I mean "Sunset valley had a freakin Hospital right across the street from a Art Gallery; what a lovely painting, look to the left...what a strong terminally ill patient".
So? In my Real Life town, there are three hospitals, 1 big one and two smaller ones. The smaller ones are next to an auto garage, and an Mexican restaurant. The bigger one is right across the street from a Farmer's Market, which is also where they hold a huge yearly fair, complete with rides, music, and ferris wheels.

From a game-play perspective, I can see where you may want certain areas that have a "theme" of sorts. After all, it would make things easier if, for example, the elixir shop, the vault, and the other supernatural stuff were all next to each other, (and you can certainly do that, if you wish) but sometimes buildings crop up in the strangest places. I don't see it as bad design.

As for the loading screens, look, I hate loading screens with a passion. But that said, I also know that sometimes they are needed. If they help the actual game run more smoothly, I can live with them.
Field Researcher
#17 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 6:35 PM
Quote: Originally posted by bihem
Sunset valley had a freakin Hospital right across the street from a Art Gallery; what a lovely painting, look to the left...what a strong terminally ill patient


Nothing wrong with an art gallery. It'd be more depressing to have, say, a Late Night or Showtime venue across the street from your hospital. "Look at all the people having fun while you're recovering from bypass surgery."
Site Helper
#18 Old 6th Aug 2013 at 7:03 PM
I'd be more concerned about the patients than the people looking at the patients (although we had a fight recently where residents in a particular area didn't want an old folks home in their neighborhood because they considered it bad luck to be around people who were old and dying).

Hospitals are usually quiet zones. Art galleries tend to be quiet, but bars aren't.
Lab Assistant
#19 Old 7th Aug 2013 at 2:29 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ButchSims
So? In my Real Life town, there are three hospitals, 1 big one and two smaller ones. The smaller ones are next to an auto garage, and an Mexican restaurant. The bigger one is right across the street from a Farmer's Market, which is also where they hold a huge yearly fair, complete with rides, music, and ferris wheels.



Well Im my city there are 6 major hospitals, and quite afew private practices within a 5 miles radius of each other, they're are 14 different art galleries within that 5 miles radius, are they next to restaurants of course, next to auto garages some within the area yes, farmers market yeah... Hospital nope..., not one not even within a block, Ive been to all of them. Now of course somewhere within the world there is, but any person with some logic wouldn't place these things together; all the traffic hospitals bring in, helicopters, ambulances etc. do the math.
Lab Assistant
#20 Old 7th Aug 2013 at 2:24 PM
Quote: Originally posted by bihem
I mean "Sunset valley had a freakin Hospital right across the street from a Art Gallery; what a lovely painting, look to the left...what a strong terminally ill patient".


Why not? When you see paintings like those http://www.artsumo.com/blog/post/4
sold for millions and featured in art gallery, I'm sure you will have a heart attack and would appreciate a hospital right across the street

Back to topic: I love open neighborhood. That's the only reason I can't go back to Sims 2 even though I believe Sims 2 offers more game play. Sims 2 neighborhood takes 15+ min to load on my machine (the same machine I'm using for Sims 3 with minimal loading time), so my sims were almost locked in their own home. But the terrible routing problems and seemly empty community lots in Sims 3 are really annoying. I hope those can be fixed/improved in Sims 4.
Alchemist
#21 Old 7th Aug 2013 at 3:25 PM
Quote: Originally posted by taoyingying
seemly empty community lots in Sims 3 are really annoying. I hope those can be fixed/improved in Sims 4.


That's the one major issue I'm praying they fix. I love the open world, but it would be nicer with some more people walking around
Lab Assistant
#22 Old 7th Aug 2013 at 9:02 PM
Quote: Originally posted by kennyinbmore
That's the one major issue I'm praying they fix. I love the open world, but it would be nicer with some more people walking around


That's why I'm sticking to Sunset Valley now. I'm tired of SV but other worlds just seem so underpopulated. The worst is Sunlit Tide. It's like a dead town. Such a shame because it could have been my favorite.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#23 Old 8th Aug 2013 at 2:20 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
They'd have to be awfully inventive to come up with enough sim-travelling footage to fill the inevitable 45 minute loading times some players will get.

I was thinking more along the lines of actually controling sims in vehicles, you could have your sims socialize, read skill books, write books, etc. while in a car/van/truck.
But the travel wouldn't necessarily happen in a stock road vehicle.

Maybe we would get more build-able vehicles similar to the house boat, RVs, private jets for loaded sims. Something to make load screens more engaging and a natural part of live mode.


Quote: Originally posted by Mr. Newbie
Yes, but of course, what's a Sims game without the comedic loading screens?


There will always be the good ol' start up load screen, and likely one for starting a new game or loading a saved one, both sure to provide the occasional chuckle.
Test Subject
#24 Old 18th Oct 2020 at 12:54 AM
I know this is 7 years too late but I would say the sims 3 and 4 have the same load time and If this does get seen then yes I know the game wasn't out at the time.
Lab Assistant
#25 Old 18th Oct 2020 at 7:28 AM
Off topic, but it's funny reading all these comments after many years, everyone prefered loading screens instead of an open world, and now almost everyone is mad that the Sims 4 was made that way and most players are going back to the Sims 3
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