[dropcaps style=’2′]The talk in casual gaming right now is all about the upcoming release from the sequel powerhouse that is EA Games. The Sims are back in a fourth incarnation which has heralded the topics we usually hear when it comes to Sim re-releases; what is different? Will the expansion packs be the same? Why can’t they just fix The Sims 3? Will I get to X, Y and Z? Can I control them more at work and school?[/dropcaps]
One question was also on the list; what will the graphics be like? After the release of a few in-game shots the question changed to: What is up with those graphics?
[image src=’http://fnx.network/fnxnetwork/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SimsCompare.jpg’ width=’300′ title=’Comparison of The Sims 3 and The Sims 4′ align=’left’]The current image making its rounds with gamers is this comparison image of The Sims 3 (top) and The Sims 4 (bottom). It points out how the new release has a lack of texture, very different interpretations of shadows and a hell of a lot of bloom. The aim of the image is to point out how realism is lost, how it seems almost lazy on EA’s part since they couldn’t even make the rims on cars 3D let alone add some transparency to the windows.
Oh, and they don’t have ears.
But to be fair to this change, and yes there is no doubt the graphics are different, it really comes down to why you play the game.
There are those who play it strictly for gameplay, they enjoy having the max amount of Sims and see the results of controlled emotions and social interactions at home and while on jobs – it can get complicated and the illusion is lost once your computer begins to lag while rendering high detailed graphics. The issue with The Sims 3 was that each expansion demanded more processing power from the CPU and GPU (or just the APU, we haven’t forgot about you AMD). So with that in mind it is clear that gameplay users are just looking for something that won’t have a load time with enough room to watch the Lord of the Ring trilogy.
[image src=’http://fnx.network/fnxnetwork/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/slide-create-sim-2_1.png’ width=’200′ title=’The Sims are back! Source: EA Games’ align=’right’]However, for many players of The Sims series, gameplay really isn’t the primary aspect and graphics play an important role in their experience. This is the demographic who spend most of their time planning and building impressive houses, massive gardens and a utopian style of town planning. They care not for building Sims and their lives but the habitat in which they reside.
[image src=’http://fnx.network/fnxnetwork/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/TS4_build_v10.gif’ width=’300′ title=’Building in the Sims 4′ align=’left’]The ‘design’ players want graphics good enough to produce aesthetically pleasing pictures of their creations – there are endless amounts of Sim blogs out there detailing this very real demographic. While they aren’t the majority of users they still make up a great deal of numbers. The Sims is intended to be (and always tried to be since the original game) a little ecology of life and despite the increased sophisticated mechanics for emotions, relationships, and personalities are, they just don’t reach a number of players who just want to build and create.
I was raised during the days of simple pixel art played from a NES Cartridge. I can recount a near infinite summer of playing nothing but Metroid. Without a doubt those were the most low-tech games I played as a kid (besides maybe Pong) and they had a sort of artistry to them. That artistry is sometimes lost in heavily effect-laden creations of tech-monstrosity so despite the critiques of The Sims 4 I am at least optimistic it could be a quality product rather than an item in the column of EA’s cons.
[image src=’http://fnx.network/fnxnetwork/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/TS4.010.BUILD_.STREET3.jpg’ width=’300′ title=’The graphics seem just fine.’ align=’left’]For me, when it comes to the graphics I have no real issue with them, maybe they give a slightly too blurry feeling, but perhaps that is just in the promotional media. Still, a softer feel can be superior for your experience. When you have very sharp, highly detailed textures and objects you have to be detailed in the pros and flaws. In The Sims 3, for example, everyone and everything is just too perfect and symmetrical. Roads aren’t all perfectly straight with a few bends, not all pathway slabs have perfect leveling, garden paths do not look that neat and grass never has a consistent texture – ever.
In The Sims 4, they aren’t a Utopian dream of a suburb – they’re not perfect or highly detailed, but they look more realistic because of the simplicity and softer shadows.
Our Sims do need ears though, EA should listen to their fans.
Pun definitely intended.
(All images from EA Games and Maxis)