Lazamiga

Mar 19 2017, 06:12 AM

The Sims series is unique in a lot of games I've played--which is anyway, because most of the games I was able to manage on my previous 2000/XP computers that I used well into the 2010s were browser RPGs like Artix Entertainment's range and online virtual pet games like Neopets--and it's a great refresher from all the combat-heavy games that I used to play and got sick of, in that it's got no concept of winning, but rather a large world of exploration, the right degree of control, and a platform for creativity. I especially love customising the lots and also individual sims. What I especially love is being able to create my dream family, or a group of my friends in the same household (I got myself and a few of my closest NS friends in my household in the game I'm playing at the moment) and also for them to interact with each other, too. It's like experiencing an alternate reality, or imagining how things would be if y'all lived together.

Also, I recall you talking about buying games cheap, and I do that too, often waiting years for prices to go down, just to get a game I want, or to wait until I have a better machine than the shit ones I used to have in order to be able to play it. And it's really lovely of your friend too As someone who hasn't seen snow IRL (because of my location it doesn't dip too far below 60F) it was fun to play in snow in my household.

Wintermoot

Mar 20 2017, 03:55 AM

That's what I like about the sim genre...for the most part, they're relaxing, even thoughtful go at your own pace games where you determine what you want to do. I loved SimCity (though at the moment I think Cities: Skylines is a better modern game), and I also had games like SimFarm, SimAnt, and SimTower. I think it's ironically that they had such a hard time finding a publisher to put out the original SimCity that they had to found their own studio, precisely because there's no win condition...in fact, they weren't even originally called games, but 'electronic toys'.

We've come a long way since then.

The last game I bought full-price was Warcraft III back in 2003, I think...I've just never had the budget to justify paying $50-$70 for one game, so I usually got what was on sale at Wal-Mart, and then at some point I discovered Steam with their many sales and I was set from there. Plus the occassional gift from a friend...you're right, it was really lovely, and I'm lucky to have friends that occasionally do that, especially since I can't often return the favour. ;-;

Lazamiga

Mar 20 2017, 07:41 AM

You and I have so much in common! ^-^ This is one of the times where I wish Sims 3 had a multiplayer option... And I don't think I've bought any games full-price, ever, except for Sims 3: Supernatural, when it first came out, mainly because I wanted the limited edition "Plants VS Zombies" stuff. I nowadays get Sims 3 stuff off Origin since it came with the CDs I bought. And I know the feeling of often not being able to return the favour, one of my friends got me Skyrim late last year and I had a lot of fun with that, and like nearly half a year on, I still feel bad I can't return the favour

Wintermoot

Mar 21 2017, 04:35 AM

So it seems, at least when it comes to love for sims and our gaming situations!

About a decade ago they came out with The Sims Online, a MMO that was supposed to expand the fun to multiplayer, but the idea of taking a single-player game and turning it into a MMO wasn't designed well and it closed up. I'm surprised that there haven't been any other big attempts though...I imagine that if they got the game economy right players could have a lot of fun building homes and businesses and creating new things for others to buy. Second Life is kinda like that, but when I gave it a try a few years ago it didn't seem very user-friendly and you had to pay real money to get land to build anything on.

Last year one of my friends bought Civ VI for me right after it came out...on one hand I'm grateful because otherwise I still wouldn't be able to afford it, but on the other hand I feel greedy for not being able to return the favour. For years I actually hated accepting gifts from people, but eventually I relaxed a bit and accepted that they understood my situation and didn't expect me to give things back in turn.