Hi guys! Many of you know me as Degera, a lot builder and member of the staff, in charge of Social Media as well as lot submissions. I've been playing the Sims since 2001, and submitting my creations to TSR since 2002. So when a new Sims game comes out, I'm usually the first one in line. But I was reluctant this time. I wanted to keep an open mind, but I was hearing so many negatives about the game that it was affecting my ability to remain unbiased. That whole 'No Toddlers/No Pools' debate was only part of it. There was also to be no CASt, which as a lot builder is something I felt was integral. Plus they were bringing back loading screens between lots, which was something I did not miss from the first two Sims games.

But I put all of that aside, I pre-ordered and held my breath, with a hopeful 'wait and see' attitude. I wanted to make my own opinion. I downloaded the files last week on Origin so when midnight on September 2 hit, I was ready. I fired up the game and dove in. And... I don't hate it. I know that's not a ringing endorsement, but it's honestly better than what I expected.

The first time you start the game, you will be taken to Create-A-Sim where you will go through a tutorial section on making your very first Sims 4 sim. And if you're not careful, you can get stuck in CAS - it's like a spider's web. You find yourself pushing and pulling to get that nose exactly the way you want it and when that doesn't work, you sort through the available pre-made noses to find something, anything... The next time you look up, two hours have passed, and you still haven't picked out your Sim's hair!

There is a fair amount of clothing options, and of course any gaps will be taken care of by our CC creators. What I like most about this new CAS, however, is the Styled Looks option. For each clothing section (everyday, formal, sleepwear, etc) there is a set of pre-made outfits that include shoes, accessories and makeup. That's right, you can change your entire outfit, plus shoes, all accessories and your makeup with the push of one button! Making your sim look good has never been easier.

 

Got your Sim sorted? Then let's move him/her in and get started. The tutorial you followed in CAS will stay with you, walking you through all aspects of the game as you go along. This is handy if you have never played The Sims before, but for me, I was completely annoyed by it within minutes. And you can't shut it off. You have to let it run the full course at least once for it not to appear again. If I could get in touch with any of the developers, this would be one of the first things I bring up - please give us an option to turn off the tutorial and never have to see it again!

Now your Sim is moved in and ready to explore the world. Press the M button at any time to see the map view. Wait... is that the map? Yes. It really is that small. The map of each world is divided into neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has approximately five lots inside it (some less), and either they will all be venues, or they will all be residential, with one section in the middle set aside for a huge park. But don't be too discouraged, because you can swap between the two base game worlds at any time, for any reason, which effectively doubles the number of venues and homes. It's still only a fraction of what we had in The Sims 3, but I'm reminding myself that this is just the base game and there will be more to come.  

But Degera, you're asking, how's the gameplay? Overall it's incredibly smooth. I have not experienced any severe bugs or glitches. Yes, there are loading screens everywhere. You can walk around in your neighborhood without loading, but if you go into another world, neighborhood, or even into another venue, you will have load time. The time varies depending on whether or not you've been to that location before - first time loads are longer.  

A couple of minor bugs that I have noticed include:
1. After playing the same family for a few days, I could no longer see the names of other Sims when I hovered my mouse over them.
2. Sims will walk through the front door of my lots and stand on the inside to knock to be invited inside - which, when invited, they end up going outside.
3. Curtains and paintings will not always drop when the walls go down, but putting the walls back up and removing them again takes care of it.
4. Some of the cheats that were listed as shipping with the base game don't seem to work - for example, the hide headline effects toggle won't get rid of the plumbob as it should.

Other issues, not bugs:
1. Not having CASt makes it nearly impossible to match any furnishings. I complained about this earlier on our Twitter feed. Everything that is supposed to be black, for instance, is a different shade. In this image of my new dining room, I thought the table was black until I got the lights in place and I realized it's just a very dark brown.
2. Having the Tutorial (or Tips) always appear and not being able to get rid of it is massively annoying.
3. Having to be on the lot itself, or in the process of moving in a new family, in order to bulldoze the lot is frustrating.
4. If you want to move a lot, or turn it, after you've built it, be prepared to re-do all of your landscaping.
5. Those of you that use Edge Scrolling will be frustrated because it won't scroll if your mouse pointer is over a menu or a part of the UI (especially on the bottom of the screen). It does work, you just have to make sure your pointer is directly above the white bar at the bottom.
6. Notifications can't be recalled once they close, so if you miss what it's saying for some reason then you've missed it completely.
7. Maid service is spotty. This might be a bug, or the maid might be lazy, it's too soon to tell.
8. If you're playing a single sim and they leave the lot to go to work, you have absolutely nothing to do until they get home again.
9. You can't send a sim to a venue for a night out while you stay at home with another sim. You will go to the venue and the sim left at home will be unplayable/in limbo until you return.

If you've already discovered a workaround for some of these issues, if you found some that I missed or if you haven't experienced these problems at all, feel free to let me know in the comments.

When it's all said and done, those of you looking for a quirky, fun game to play will find it here. Our artists will bring the CC that we need soon enough, so go ahead and play to form your own opinion!