Dont think I heard anything yet about how sims will gain sims in sims 4, but I do hope they will improve it further. Sims 3 was a step in the right direction at least with a much wider range of skills.

I do want them to keep most of that system since it allows more skills to be added through expansions as well, but I really want them to integrate them further into the full game and put it to use through more expansions. I mean, whats stopping them from having an additonal skill enabled in two expansions instead of one? Vampires where added in two expansions as well after all.

Now, onto the skills.

-Musical skills.
Unless a sim is a virtuoso, a genius, artistic or otherwise gifted in ways that may affect their ability to play music, they shouldnt be able to teach themselves musical skills from scratch. How do they know how to do it?
Would be nice if regular sims require a class in the skill first before they are able to refine the skill further. Maybe some sims could be tone deaf or such and unable to learn how to play a musical instrument at all. (for comic effect, whenever they play an instrument they'd really be mangling it much to the annoyance of other sims exept other tone deaf sims who might actually love it.)

-Writing.
Why can this only be done on a computer? its just silly. I'd like to see a simple paper notebook added for sims to write on. Books, practice writing, whatever they wish. In addition to that, an old fasioned type writer could also be added for variety.

-Charisma.
I didnt like how it was bound by number of friends in sims 3. Didnt make much sense. I did like however that they can improve it by talking in sims 3, they should keep that. Just need to remove those silly limitations.

-Handinessl.
Great skill, they should keep it. But I'd like to see them add some nicer stuff to do with it. Upgrading items just doesnt seem that meaningfull to me. There should be many ways to upgrade cars and other vehicles with this skill though, and maybe allow them to buy a rusty old junk heap like in sims 2 free time and be able to fix it up. The mechanical skill should also allow sims to craft various things from a workbench. No inventions or anything too crazy, just hobby stuff. Like building a radiographic car, plane or boat.
The skill could also be used to build tree houses, allowing kids to develop it early on and it could be something to do together with friends or adult sims.

-Painting.
The easel is nice, and I like the variety of paintings sims can make in sims 3.
But its something to expand on still, like allowing sims to make a large mural painting, and giving sims strong preferences towards art styles. Some might still try all styles, but others may use strictly modern art, classical art, etc.
Also, paintings could come in more than three sizes and a number of different frames should be available.

-Inventing.
This may have been the most disappointing skill in sims 3.
They didnt expand on it in expansions, and there really werent many interesting things to invent. Most didnt even have any uses. When pets are added, that same expansion should also enable sims to make robot versions of all animals using the inventing skill.
I'd also like to see them make all kinds of special practical objects such as a breakfast maker, special bed that clothes them when they get up, some sort of techno device that removes dirt from a sim as an alternative to a shower, rocket bike, etc.

-Fishing.
Was a nice skill, but should in no way be a requirement for any job unless its fisherman. Its rediculous that it was somehow required for scientists. Should be possible for sims to go on fishing trips with a row boat at lakes.

i didn't like the skill system in sims 3. also the "hidden skill" thing needs to stop, either it's a skill or it's not, i don't want anything to be "hidden". i also thought there ended being WAY too many skills that ultimately could've fitten under one. for example the science skill in university - it made no sense. and all the weird supernatural skills. i just feel like sims 3 had a skill-overload and none of the skills actually provided anything accept another goal to complete.

however, i did like that they seperated painting and playing music, although i wish ALL the instruments had an effect in the music career

also can i just add that it's perfectly normal to teach yourself how to play an instrument. i learned how to play piano and guitar simply by buying a book about it and playing from it. plus, lots of musicians just learn by playing around with the instruments - jimi hendrix or the beatles couldn't read sheet music to save their lives!
so in that case i don't find that they need to take lessons

I liked how they implemented additional skills in OFB, with Medals acting as achievements for individual crafts.. I wasn't so much of a fan of Sims 3 implementing of Skill after skill (similar to the traits to be honest.)

Talking about skills for sims 4, I think it would be nice that, when you create a sim, some skills could be chosen, concerning his personality and his age.
It is not very realistic to start a legacy with an adult sim without any skill.
For example, its silly an old sim you just create not knowing do anything...

Agreed, its a bit annoying to have to start every sim from scratch. Would be nice if based on age you could assign a number of skill points.

You can already do that in 3. It's called MasterController from Twallan. You can set your starter sim to have whatever level in whatever skill, base game, addons, or hidden, to whatever skill number you choose. That way, your newly made sim doesn't die on day 1 making waffles for the first time. Granted, less drama, but you can predictably get to day 2.

I know about that Twallan´s mod. Some times I use it but I would prefer to find it in sims 4 as a tool on creating a sim
I think its basic and mods wouldn´t be needed for that.

This whole thing, skills, gameplay of any kind, is a tad worrisome. It's nice to see the fabulous CAS, buuut, not even a squeak at Gamescom about anything unrelated to constructing sims or their homes? Hmmm. Not liking that too much.

About 10 skills will be combined into 3 categories for now. Fairly at the end of the spoiled part.

http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...531#post4226531

Thanks for the link, numbers girl.

You're welcome applefeather2! Now I'm wondering if there is an applefeather1....

Well, there was. It's like the original Sims... It didn't have a "one" on it then, either. I was plain ol' applefeather on the Sims original site. When I registered Sims 2, they told me "that username is taken"... no s**t, Sherlock. Hence the 2.

I agree with this. Maybe there could be a limit on how many skills and how high a level, so it doesn't feel cheaty. Or perhaps it could be limited to more household/social type skills (cooking and charisma, fine. Job skills, like logic or athletic, maybe not) I have a household where I had a single sim, as an adult. he had to learn all skills from scratch, even though, presumably, he had some kind of life before hand. Then he had a kid, who is now a teen, just went to prom, and who has already mastered both logic and inventing skills. (Granted, they just had a heavy winter with lots of snow days, so he had some extra time to work on those.) He currently makes more money churning out inventions than his father does with his job. He'll have a great head start, but his dad still has quite a few things to learn, when in theory, he should have more skills.

I agree that it should be limited how many skill points you can invest at character creation. At the most basic level it could be linked to their age with elders getting the most points and thus allowing them to actually have their life experience to add to a new household, making them instantly more interesting to have around.

And on top of that, a sims traits could increase this number overall or just for specific skills. A virtuoso sim being able to get three extra points to spend on music skills for example, and a genius getting like 10 extra points.

Frankly, I hated it when there were no specific hidden skills in The Sims 2, for example, when playing darts or bowling. The result of playing the games are loosely based on Body skill. It makes Body skill incredibly useful for almost everything: just run on the treadmill and you'll master the way of bowling perfection. In The Sims 3 however, you don't immediately learn to know bowling just because you're ripped.

And the idea to hide the hidden skills is so that your skill tabs aren't cluttered with useless, minor skills that you learn from doing minor activities. Say, you're a Journalist and you want to check your Writing skills, only to find the Dart, Bowling, Firewalking, Diving, Rubble Clearing, Skating, Bubble Blowing, Hopscotch, Golfing, and Karaoke skills clutter the list. Although, I do find that there were too many hidden skills in The Sims 3... Like Firewalking. That's one example that doesn't need a skill.


In The Sims 3, there were also 10 skills originally... With the absence of Guitar, I speculate either we're not getting the Music career in TS4, the Music career requires Violin skill, or the Music skills are crammed into one.

Could also be that theres two instruments from scratch: a violin and a guitar for example, requiring violin for symphonic branch and guitar for rockstar branch. Wouldnt be that bad, if they add new instruments into that career as well when they come along. I want a piano though.