I know that The Sims was designed just to be a house-building and family managing game, but I was thinking about if instead of being restricted to a house, there would be an entire city. Kind of MMORPG where you can get jobs, go inside stores, and the gang element of Grand Theft Auto 3. But I wouldn''t it to be too much like GTA3 because then people could just start revolutions and wipe random people out with shotguns....and that would be retarted. I also would change the graphics of the Sims, they''re starting to annoy me. I would want it to be more Grand Theft Auto 3-like graphics. You could work as anything from a hot dog vendor to salesman in an office.

There are already a few expansions that concentrate on more stuff, different clothes, and even different locations. You can go downtown to restaurants and bars and common areas to be entertained and interact with people. I don''t have them yet, but that is what I get from the back of the boxes.

Remember that the game is already fairly complex. Adding a new level of detail often makes the complexity go up exponentially.

Dave Mark
Intrinsic Algorithm Development
"Reducing the world to mathematical equations!"

So what exactly are you saying? You point out a lot of things that disappoint/irritate you, but suggest no solutions, no plans, no initiatives. This isn''t a "whine board" (though most people seem to think it is). Do you have a concept - an idea, a method, something concrete? No? Then head over to GameSpy and commune with the other fanboys.

Yes, I''m irritable today.

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Thanks to Kylotan for the idea!

*smirk*

Dave Mark
Intrinsic Algorithm Development
"Reducing the world to mathematical equations!"

The Sims Online is already being developed and it lets you get jobs own buisnesses and such and its massive multiplayer you should go check it out.

Oluseyi: I''m not whining...I am pointing out the flaws in the Sims even though I think it is a good game. Maybe you are a fanboy protecting the Sims, I don''t know. And you say I should suggest some plans...Ya, I''m gonna go and make an updated version of The Sims, break the copyrights, etc.

No, Oluseyi pointed out that just saying ''Sim''s graphics are starting to annoy me'' and ''should be more like GTA 3'' and ''should be more like MMORPG'', you could come up with some concrete ideas that could be added to the game.

Sim Online seems to already do part of what you want (making it more MMORPG and moving beyond the boundaries of the single house).

I''d say the graphics won''t be changed, because they are such an integral part of the game. I''d almost say it''s one of their big features, as it gives the game a real unique look. Just the other day I saw it used in a 5-minute Drew Carey Show bit, where the characters and part of the set of the show were done in a ''The Sims'' style.

If you ever do want to play a The Sims where the graphics are ala GTA 3 and where the gang element of GTA 3 is found, you''ll have to either wait a long time for some other company to design it, or wait an even longer time and do it yourself.

quote: Original post by BioSquirrel
Maybe you are a fanboy protecting the Sims, I don't know.

Ooh, attitude!

I've never played The Sims. Frankly, I don't care much for the game. My question to you is what use is it to identify flaws without suggesting (or inviting, or at least advocating the development of) solutions? The Game Design forum doesn't exist just so we can deconstruct other games; it exists so we can advocate solutions to common game design problems - particularly those that plague many current games. The End Goblin Genocide thread (for the mean time lost to posterity) served to focus designers on this board on methods of character advancement/development other than mindless killing. A Good ThingTM.

What contribution do you have to make?

The thing about the graphics is that the simplicty and view restriction a) allow the game to run on older hardware, widening the potential userbase; and b) simplify the amount and nature of geometrical data to be processed, allowing more processing power and time to be spent on the AI and interactions.

[Edit: Removed some inappropriate statements.]

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Thanks to Kylotan for the idea!

Edited by - Oluseyi on March 5, 2002 3:36:00 PM

I didn''t say that it should have been MMORPG. I said it would be a cool game...

It seems like when you say something a moderator doesn''t like, they''ll ride you until you just give up. Thanks to whoever pointed out The Sims Online.

I was not deconstructing the game. I was saying that the next step should be to make the game online and I mentioned some things that would make an MMORPG Sims game worthwhile.

And to take things even further, my idea of a multi-user city didn''t start out as an expansion of the Sims. I had the idea of a modern MMORPG in a city with jobs, buildings, etc. and I noticed that it would seem a lot like the Sims...so I called it a version of the Sims, only because I knew that if I didn''t, people would say "OMG you are copying off of the Sims!"