In the life simulation subgenre, The Sims has been king since the early 2000s. Nonetheless, the upcoming independent game Paralives is poised to become The Sims’ first serious competitor. High standards have been set for The Sims 5 after its predecessor’s lackluster launch and history of bizarre downloadable content packs.
Many player-requested additions were left out of The Sims 4, which instead prioritized visual upgrades over expanding the game’s core mechanics. Paralives has made use of these gaps by introducing long-desired features requested by Simmers. Although The Sims 5 is likely Maxis’ final opportunity to maintain its lead in the life simulation industry before its first direct competitor reaches stores, the game still has plenty of room for improvement.
- Open world
The Sims 3 radically reworked the franchise by making the local community an open playground. The game’s elimination of loading screens encouraged users to move about more and interact with their neighbors’ Sims.
The Sims 4’s neighborhood map is now 2D, and Maxis restored loading screens between zones. The abrupt shift back to the era of loading screens was a disappointment to the game’s audience. In order to provide players with the same seamless gameplay they enjoyed so much in The Sims 3, The Sims 5 must have an open environment.
- Getting old
The Sims’ life cycle is a fantastic addition. Infants develop into children, children into adults, and adults into the elderly. With each new episode, each life stage has grown more in-depth and vital to the overall developing experience. Children who have a positive upbringing grow up to be well-rounded people, while those who struggle at home have the choice to leave once they reach puberty. Since The Sims 2, players have asked for the ability for their Sims to age gradually, rather than suddenly age another year on their birthday.
- Autonomous sims
The Sims 4’s major issue is that the Sims seldom act autonomously. Unlike in The Sims 2 and 3, when competing Sims would automatically fight or display their irritation if they saw each other, in The Sims 4 the user must initiate every event. The Sims 4 has a wide variety of emotions and personality qualities, yet the Sims still never take the initiative. When the player is responsible for everything, the game rapidly becomes repetitive. The Sims 5 should include more nuanced artificial intelligence to make the setting seem more alive. The environment should be able to interact with and challenge the player, rather than the other way around.
- Memory
Memory was first featured in The Sims 2, and it allows players to save the significant moments of their Sims’ lives. Players may use symbols to quickly recall past events like marriage, divorce, death, success, and adultery. The memory system’s greatest strength is that it allows players to shape the AI of their Sims based on their feelings for other players.
The community is richer by the memories of its residents. Each of the pre-made families has a rich backstory that the player may uncover through delving into their recollections. The familial relationships in the game may be expanded upon thanks to the information provided by the player’s memories. Adding the memory system to The Sims 5 would be a great improvement over The Sims 4, which has a large number of families but very little knowledge about them, and would thus allow the user to more fully immerse themselves in the game.
