#ts3 dollhouse challenge

[frostedshore]

I'm a sims 3 girlie and I'm gonna make a long post abt my experience as a NEW sims 2 player. I know nobody cares about this but this is my blog I can do whatever I want!!! And I wanna write appreciation for sims 2.

Ok so first of all, playing ts2 from ts3 is HARD. I underestimated sims 2. Before playing it, I already have prejudice that it will have less content than sims 3 & that the experience of playing sims 2 will be boring bc there is less lifetime goals, no traits, and less gameplay. And I was right. The first time I played sims 2, I found myself getting bored playing with Strangetown. My first gameplay was playing 1 rotation with all of sims 2 strangetown households & I thought to myself "damn i really have to force myself playing with so many households so everybody age up." I closed my game & think so myself "yep. I'm never gonna play sims 2 again." Don't get me wrong, the story of Strangetown is AWESOME. But the lack of gameplay makes me feel like i'm stuck with doing the same mundane tasks again and again for a week with every household (ex: making sure my sims got promoted, taking care of needs, socializing). I admit that going on dates are more fun in sims 2 but it isn't enough to hook me.

Tbh I can't play sims 4 bc it feels like dollhouse simulator. And sims 2 feels a little bit like dollhouse simulator too at first. The reason why I love the sims 3 so much is because of the sims 3 skill challenges. I love that if you play the guitar in 10 parties you will get a bigger tip every time you perform for tips in public. Or if you do an interaction for a certain amount you will get special perks. This is the same reason why I love playing stardew valley and feel so much joy when my character fall asleep & level up their farming/foraging/fishing & unlock new craftables/abilities/gameplay.

But then I tried giving sims 2 a second chance, and this time I play with open for business & this EP CHANGED MY LIFE. OFB is the best sims EP ever. The gameplay is SMOOTH & I've never felt so much joy from playing ANY sims games. It's so awesome bc we can make any business we want! And I eventually fall in love with sims 2 rotational gameplay when I do a BACC challenge & made my own hood with 4 founding families where each family have a role & businesses. Farmers in my hood own a grocery store & my restaurant owner buy his ingredients from them. I also make my 'mechanic' sim service sims, meaning that when I'm playing with another family & their plumbing broke, my mechanic sim (who also run a business where he restore junk cars) will come & fix their plumbing for them. Everyone's life is intertwined and they all need each other. My mayor sim also collect money from the households, and once the mayor have enough money to build a new park, the townies will have more places to visit. So I'm always motivated to make each rotation counts & tried to make as much money as possible.

After playing TS2, i'm not sure how I can go back to playing sims 3. Climbing the corporate ladder with sims 3 job now feels meaningless and sims 3 outings SUCKS. But I am still frustrated with the lack of gameplay sims 2 have compared to sims 3. I just want sims 2 to have all of sims 3 gameplay & it'll be my ultimate dream game😭 (yes now i prefer sims 2 graphics + rotational/aging system + loading screens + the freedom to decorate the hood + etc.) I just need sims 2 to have more skills, opportunities, skill challenges, interactions, and traits & I won't even look at any sims games that are being developed like paralives/inzoi😭 I really do think sims 2 found the formula for the perfect life simulator, but it's flawed. Anyways if you're a sims 3 girlie who only ever played sims 3, do give sims 2 a chance :D You won't regret it!

[ayusims3]

I really like this one a lot. Just a modern living room perfect for relaxing. The dream.

[cyberqueen-13]

TS4 to TS2

I've gone back to The Sims 2. 

I bought the sims 2 collection on Ebay one month before TS3 released. So, needless to say, I didn't get to see all that TS2 had to offer before moving on to the next generation. Now that I have grown impatient with TS4, and TS3 won't run without issues when I install all the packs, I have returned to TS2. I see so much of the things EA said was new in TS4 but it's already in TS2!  I have played TS2 nonstop for the past 4 days, where normally I would be playing TS4 but having to use my imagination too much to fill-in the holes in the game. 

What I mean is TS2 is challenging with real consequences. 

TS2 has a million animations so you really watch what your sims are doing because it's always a surprise. Sims actually live their lives when you visit community lots and you see them interacting with each other. The thought bubbles alone tell their story without even having to approach the other sims across the room. I don't have to imagine what sims are talking about I can see it on the screen. 

Sims have REAL emotions 

...and hold strong feelings about other sims they have met, whether that's a good emotion or a bad one. YES a bad grudgeful emotion in a LIFE SIMULATION.  I could go on for days so I will stop here.

I just feel that EA has decided that "papa knows best," 

...and have totally stripped the game to a shell to the point that it is not a "simulation" game anymore nor an action game (STAR WARS)**let's not even go there** . 

The Sims 4 is merely a pretty dollhouse. 

I could get just as much gameplay out of a home builder software pack from Best Buy to show the best way to layout my furniture and if all I wanted was to make pretty sims to take pictures of  I could play "Second Life" with a free account and spend less on dlc.  

Sorry for the word diarrhea on the page (is that how you say it, lol). 

 But in conclusion,

 I have found that going "back" to... 

A game that was more advanced than any of the later generations

... (imo) is the only way to save my sanity at this point. And because...

The game doesn't need patches anymore, 

the cc and mods work flawlessly (most). I have even given my game a fresh new look to the UI and loading screen and...

 I feel like it's a new game!

 Drop in a few pieces of necessary default eyes and skin and I'm happier than ever!  

 TS2 says to TS4:  "Been there done that. I'm way ahead of ya!"  

If you read all of this, thanks. I hope I’ve helped even just one simmer out there that may have lost the love of playing The Sims as a real simulation game. It's nice to not feel alone in the conversation!

[ayusims3]

[ayusims3]

I’m starting my take on the dollhouse challenge <3