The Sims 4 boasts enhanced features compared to its predecessors, yet one aspect feels more restrictive: neighborhoods. While the series has naturally evolved over 25 years, not every change has been universally embraced. The Sims 4’s neighborhood system differs significantly from previous iterations, sacrificing customization for performance. This design choice, while understandable, impacts the overall immersion and sense of a vibrant, living world.
Depending on your expansion packs, neighborhood options range from a handful to an overwhelming number. Regardless, the core design remains consistent: a specific vibe (like the macabre atmosphere of a Life and Death neighborhood) and a collection of community and residential lots. This consistency, however, comes at the expense of a key feature present in earlier Sims games.
Limited Customization in The Sims 4 Neighborhoods
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Unlike earlier titles, The Sims 4 limits both substantial neighborhood customization and the number of lots within a neighborhood. This design choice, while performance-driven, creates a sense of confinement. The resulting in-game world feels less dynamic, potentially diminishing player immersion.
The rationale behind this limitation is straightforward: ensuring smooth performance regardless of the number of installed packs. The sheer volume of content available in The Sims 4 necessitates optimization. Players familiar with The Sims 2 or 3 will likely appreciate The Sims 4’s improved loading times and overall performance, despite its larger content library.
Addressing the Issues of Past Sims Games
For those unfamiliar with earlier entries, The Sims 2 suffered from notorious loading screen issues, exacerbated by expansions and often resulting in frustrating waits. While not game-breaking, these delays, especially in lot-dense neighborhoods, impacted gameplay.
The Sims 3, while more modern, faced different challenges. Excessive expansion packs could trigger warnings about performance issues. While it retained The Sims 2’s lot placement system, its open-world design, allowing seamless neighborhood exploration without loading screens, likely contributed to performance struggles.
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The Sims 4’s Restrictive Design
Considering the issues faced by The Sims 2 and 3, The Sims 4’s design choices aimed to avoid those performance pitfalls. However, the current neighborhood system feels overly restrictive. A less confining approach could enhance the sense of a living world and offer greater customization options.
A potential solution might lie in a middle ground between The Sims 3’s open world and The Sims 4’s current system. Introducing loading screens between areas could alleviate performance strain while retaining a more open feel. Dividing neighborhoods into sections could provide a balance between open-world exploration and The Sims 2’s travel-based loading screens.
Furthermore, The Sims 4 restricts the placement of new lots, even empty ones intended for building. Implementing a limit on lot placement and proximity, rather than a complete restriction, could maintain performance while allowing for some creative neighborhood design.
It’s unlikely this design will change, especially with The Sims 5 on the horizon. The current system does offer benefits, such as smoother gameplay and the freedom to explore smaller, less congested areas. This mitigates the feeling of restriction to some extent. Nevertheless, the inclusion of at least one neighborhood with unrestricted lot placement, reminiscent of The Sims 2, would be a welcome addition.
