This is like my third post I am so inspired with ideas at the moment. Now listen to this, some of you might think its a step backwords but I actually think it is a good idea. I think we should be able to turn the neighbourhood off if we wanted and turn it into a sims 2 lot only system (optional of course)

This idea would
*focus on one lot that your sim is on
* Your systems focus and power will not be used up controlling sims your not even playing with giving that particular lot full focus and attention making the lot run smoothly.
* Because other sims in the neighbourhood aren't going to do doing anything anyway this will mean more townies and neighbours will be able to visit community lots AKA a bar thus fixing the problem a lot of us have (even on gaming computers btw) with empty bars, nightclubs etc etc.
*performance would be a hella lot better for your game play as your computer wont be concerned about getting neighbour from across the world from point A to point B anyway and would give you that extra performance instead perhaps it would fix a few routing errors - put it that way.

*This would be easy to turn on and turn off. you will still have your open neighbourhood, but you do have that choice of better game play when your focus is on a single lot anyway so why not shut it down when you do not need it?

There would be no loading screens or any of that stuff... it would load the same as if you just zoomed up to a community lot and waiting for objects to load up properly.

I personally think it is something to think about

It seems to me that this is less turning off the open world and more turning off the actions of other sim households, making it mimic TS2? If that's so, then I really like this. It'd be a good, simple way to give the Sims 2-style players what they want without having to sacrifice the open world.

I agree with this.

I, personally, liked that style better and having an option would be great for those who like it either way. I don't really care too much about the townies and wouldn't mind something that worked akin to Twallan's SP that just told me who got married, had kids, etc. Then, if I went into town, I would see them there with their new families.

I like all the attention to detail being centered on my house and family - or whatever lot I'm on - like it was in the Sims 2. Everything was so sharp and in focus. The Sims 3 is pretty, but mostly everyone notices how your sim looks so much better in CAS than in the world because in CAS the game is only focusing on your sim and not everything and everyone else around you.

Maybe they will find a way to make it all blend perfectly. I hope.

Anyway, great idea!

I prefer open world, but to have an option to switch would be great.

I was thinking about this just the other day, and I agree that it would be a good system to implement. It would spare some lag, at least.

This is exactly what I'm talking bout. x

Personly I am not really a fan of the "one household" approach of sims3. I quite hate it even.

I just want to play all kinds of households and continue playing where I left off. Not them suddenly having jobs that dont match them at all and being everywhere when reloading their household. I am fine with them showing up at places and such as in sims2, making friends there and such but I want them to be where I left them when switching to their house.

By default, no household should be selected and it should be easy to switch with no loss of wishes or such. Was rediculous anyways since wants and fears in sims2 where simply saved along with all other data.

This already happens. When concentrate on one lot, other sims do move from lot to lot but they do the bare minimum to save resources.


This depends a lot about how big world/how many places for sims to visit/how many sims you have in the world that are free at that time.
If you play a big world with a handfull of sims there is no way to keep the bar you are visiting occupied.

If you have enough sims you will notice that all bars, even those not hotspots, have at least one sim visiting so if your sim does want to visit a none hotspot bar they don't have to be alone. Hot spots on the other hand have more.

I don't think it would work well if you try to make the lots work like in TS2. Because in TS2 no lot existed until you visit it. That's why you have that annoying few sim minute gab when your sim is alone on the lot before other sims arrive. In TS3 all lots exist already, there is no way for the game to know which one you want to visit. If it populates the lot only after you visit it, you'd have a swarm of people exiting their houses and coming to the lot. Then if you decided to change bars, you'd have this swarm of people following you around.

The empty bar problem in TS3 comes because
1. people play worlds that are too big and have too many places the sims can visit
2. these worlds don't have enough population to keep the place have the active-living feel

The same population that is too small on a big world to fill every lot will work wonders if you played smaller worlds.



I honestly don't think your idea would work, at least not if you want to keep the open hood. One of the joyce of the open hood is what other sims do while you are not playing them. Like when I was playing one household and noticed that one of my kids from another household, was visiting her friend, and they were playing tag in the backyard. You'll never get that type of community feel if you shut down the rest of the world.

For me the problem you are talking about is lagginess, not exactly focusing on one lot. To have less lagginess in TS4 a few things have to happen
1. EA will have to code the game better
2. players have to understand they can't play worlds that are too big for their computers.

You could turn story progression off. That way nobody will get new jobs, a million cats, have babies etc. Unfortunately, you can't save wishes and opportunities when you switch between households, but for the opportunities you could make a note of who had what and use NRaas Master Controller to give them the opportunities when you came back to that house. The wishes tend to be re-wished for.
I don't think they'll still be making that dinner you left them making when you switches households, but IMO that doesn't matter too much, because it's very unlikely you'll leave them in the middle of something exciting.

I like the open world, and I like sitting moving the camera around the community lots when all the adults are at work and the kids at school. Gives me something to do. I hated sitting there for 8 sim-hours waiting for something to do! They could have at least made the game time-jump while nobody was home!

I'm not sure how the open world toggle would work. I suppose they could put a toggle in for being able to see townies and cars, but I don't think I could play without an open world now I've had it. It just adds so much life to the game!

And I always play worlds too big for my poor laptop. He survives surprisingly well, I just make sure I save every 8 sim hours or so. I don't know if the laptop could do it without mods, though.

Only if its optional. I love the open world. I dont like how your forced to have a dang loading screen between lots.