I don't have medieval but I think more people would buy this game:

1)aging and mutli-generation families
as part of the ageing idea for a monarch part of the getting new terrority is by arranging marriage between a kid of his/her own and another's terroirty's monarch.

2)let us actually build houses and castles.

you cna have multi-generational families up to and including great grandparents, cousins, inlaws, aunts uncles, baby mommas. . .

The Sims 3 has a multitude of mods that allow your game to look Medieval. EA took a chance on this game. I don't fault them one bit. Except that now it seems to be a dead subject.

If the Sims Medieval was just the Sims 3 with a Medieval setting, what would be the point?

As is EA took a chance on different gamplay options, which I, and I believe at least some other players, think make the game enjoyable.

I can't hardly play the Sims 3 anymore because I've done everything. And as a modder, believe me, I've done everything.

I think the best description of this game actually came from a "Makers Mark" whiskey comericial.

"It is what it isn't".

Grim's right. EA went out on a limb with this one and it really is an enjoyable little game. It could have been so much more, but...
EA is pretty much done with this game. They have lost interest in patching it, fixing it, expanding it, or adding to it. Their interest now seems to be dumping whatever disks they have left and selling the dig downloads for whatever they can squeak out of it. So if anything good happens with Medieval now, it will be because our modders did it for us, not EA. Sorry.

That is the vital point right there.
If they did that, this would have been a worthwhile purchase. All the creative openness of Sims, but with a completely different flavour.
That does not mean you need to ditch the creative element of the game, which astoundingly, they did, with not a trace of shame while talking about it.

You had the engine there already. TS3 had already been out a couple of years, and it was a somewhat flexible tool, as well as a deep, never-ending game.
All you had to do was re-use the engine, but make it different enough for the time period. Universal acclaim would surely of followed, judging by peoples efforts in the past to force their regular Sims games to become Medieval, like I do.
That would have actually been the far easier option for the developers.

Eh.. I like Sims Medieval for what it is. It is/was enjoyable.
Would have I minded it as a expansion for the main The Sims 3 game? Probably not, though I prefer the character gen for Medieval.

But this let them branch out a lot more.

One thing, sadly, is the fact it seems there is a vocal group from the regular Sims that hate magic in their game. I know of no other feature that gets such a backlash from a possible minority (I don't know the numbers). With out that it'd just be Old World Adventure with sword fighting.

Sure, it could have been more, but I'm glad we got it at all, and that we also have some cool modders in the community to make it better.

Honestly, from what I've seen modding this game, Sims Medieval is/was a testing ground for Sims 4. Several major changes were made to the engine, and many things were left in even though they were never used in Medieval. I'm pretty sure when Sims 4 comes out it'll use Medievals new higher poly meshes, the new bone rigs, and at least the new binary xml format.

As for TS3 medieval, many people have done different renditions of Medieval settings. I'm sure with how long Pets has been out that someone has replaced all the cars with horses. This, in my opinion, is a job for modders. EA can't really make a Medieval expansion because it would clash with every Modern aspect already in the game.

And, finally, I'm pretty sure EA from the start intended this to be a "Stories" game. Have you played any of the Sims 2 stories? Like "Castaway"? (I actually enjoyed these games, and that's probably why I enjoy Medieval. I'd actually love to see a Sims 3 Castaway.) Most Sims players saw the stories games as a half of a game but they hit a certain audience. "Castaway" was based off of a lighter version of Sims 2. I think maybe EA should have put "Stories" in the title, and then people wouldn't have been so upset it wasn't Sims 3 Medieval.

I also want to add that as a community, we're stronger than any Sims Stories game so far. Finding mods for stories games can be hard. This game has actually inspired quite a bit out of the modding community. Not as much as TS3, but I believe more than any spinoff game to date.

Does this mean that TS4 sims are likely to look like TSM sims?

I always wondered how they got the TS3 sims to look so wrong. That pretty much killed TS3 for me. TSM sims are so natural looking and it's so easy to make them look decent, I love playing around in CAS in TSM, CAS in TS3 is little more than depressing.

Most people seem to mention the lack of build mode in TSM, which seems to be the pet peeve when comparing the 2 games, I'd like to say that although I like build mode in TS3, it's not something I've really missed in TSM, I think a choice of shells would have been a good idea, but Shimrods excellent textures give a bit of variety which keeps me happy enough.
The general look of Sims I do miss in TS3 a lot, so between the 2 games there's no comparison for me, since this is what I appreciate the most in terms of 'creative openess' (and I've been an ardent fan of the sim series since TS1s first EP), and if you take the time to play around with the whole game till you find all the ins and outs it's still flexible enough to be enjoyable..(and with our modders, even more so)....only with 'normal' looking pixelated people. There are little bits and pieces I'd change or add to this game, but nothing major that would a require an overhaul of the game itself.
I'm really sad that it seems EA will no longer be adding to the game.

I think the people who bought this game expecting it to be the same as TS3 are the ones who're disappointed, and perhaps didn't give it the chance it deserved as a game in it's own right and the ones who bought it expecting it to be a fully fledged sim rpg are disappointed, and the ones who listened to the pre-release videos and didn't expect it to be either are the ones who're happier with it, so I think Grim's right and it should probably have had Stories in the title, although if they had done that, we may never have got it's only expansion.

Yes, I did have Castaway and did find it somewhat enjoyable, for a short time.
I didn't delve into it enough to say how deep the game actually was.
Key difference between Castaway and TSM is that, with a game based on a desert island, you expect that the game will be stripped down alot because of the very nature of a castaway islander's life.
You have basically nothing, you are starting from scratch, and the game represented that quite well.
With TSM on the other hand, there is no reason to strip it down so bad.
Basic things like building your own house, and creating your own town inhabitants, are no more suited to a modern era game than an olden one. There was no reason to cut such a big slice of the actual experience out of the game.

Due to the flexibility of TS3 engine, with mods you can create a castaway or medieval situation better than the actual stories game manage to.

The moment Shimrod released the No Cars mod for TS3, it became a better medieval sims game than TSM will ever be. All we need is a large, proper hood to start building in, which will arrive in the near future.

It's a real shame that this is the case, but that's how the current situation is.

A good example would be Elder Scrolls and Fallout. It's actually the same damn game, but they are completely different experiences, also due to time period. If a new feature is popular in Fallout, it will probably be in the next Elder Scrolls, lore permitting.

Castaway was fatally limited by the inability to create new lots.

I wish that EA had back-ported those wonderful beach lots to TS2, though.

......and better looking sims :P

Ah, and you just reminded me, there is one other thing: TS3 Medieval sims like to use mobile phones. And no amount of traits, mods or punishment will stop them.

You can disable the sound and the visual effect of the phone ringing, but currently they will still bloody use it, the little toerags.


The thing is, once the developers decided that this game should step away from a DIY/dolls house type of game, and instead lean more towards quests, characters, storyline in a medieval theme, then this puts the game into new territory, and instead of it's main rival being TS3, it now has to go up against other similar quest-based games such as the gargantuan Oblivion or Skyrim, and as a result it looks even weaker when stacked up against such competition.

Yeah I know what you mean, but think yourself lucky, this poor TSM guy just has to pretend he's got one :D


but seriously, I'm a little surprised they can't be blocked from accessing the phone. Maybe if the phone was retextured to look like something that fits in with the time period...although talking to that something might look a bit weird lol unless they can be silenced while on the phone.

I still see it as the Sims with quests, I play Skyrim too (unfortunately Oblivion gave me motion sickness) I wouldn't put TSM in the same category, (in much the same way that I wouldn't put the quest element of the World Adventures EP in that category either), and TSM is still more Sims than rpg.

Humans during Medieval times rarely ever built a new house, or even moved into one. Even the King wouldn't be likely to build a new palace (some did, but not many). However they'd probably redecorated the one that was handed down.

I mention Castaway Stories because it also could have been a Sims 2 expansion. Instead EA stripped some things, and added some unique gameplay. Same as Medieval. I haven't played TS2 since TS3 came out, but I've actually played Castaway within the last year, and still enjoyed wasting a little time on it.

I don't think of Medieval as an RPG, and even if I did I wouldn't compare it to Skyrim. Kind of like you can't compare Final Fantasy to Skyrim. People who love Skyrim may hate FF and vice versa. They're both RPGs, but they both take a different approach to the genre.

I've played a lot of Skyrim. Lately, I've been playing way too much Old Republic. Medieval is more of my goof off game. When I don't want to think or play too hard.

Truely, I don't think we're going to agree, and that's the biggest reason why Medieval shouldn't be like TS3. So we can both have the game we want.

I just like TSM for what it is. I haven't even installed P & N yet, so I'm trying not to be too sad that they've dropped it.

I actually like the limited nature of TSM. I played a 10 gen legacy, and I go sick of babies, babies, babies. Basically, I just like it the way it is, and I never liked TS3 much (which is why I don't have it.)
I still have TS2, and there are so many default replacements for medieval stuff in that game that yes, you can more or less have a "medieval" neighborhood.

I'd be happy to think that the TSM sims might have something to do with TS4! Also, wouldn't it be neat to be able to customize for historical periods right from the get-go? Unlikely, but great.

"fix" is not the word if TSM is compared to TS3, "change" would be the appropriate one... but why change the game when it was meant to be different than TS3? shouldn't that be TS4 then?

had TS2 with all EP and SP, but never got Castaway... had TS3 with only World Adventures EP and nothing else, then TSM with P&N EP (never installed P&N yet), haven't played TS3 since then... why? i got tired, what i was missing was those quests that TSM had, something that had given me another reason to play rather than the same old thing since TS2... and yeah, maybe it was just me who got tired...

i don't care if EA had dropped TSM, i would still play TSM the way it is...

TSM, however, could have been better if it was really meant to succeed TS3... not with an Ambition-tree kind of start screen, but with a build-your-kingdom-and-rage-war-medieval-style thing or show-the-uniqueness-of-your-kingdom... ha! it's not.. hehe

I, truely, believe that TSM was intended to be a Stories game. EA went further because a plethora of Sims players suggested a Medieval theme. As it stands, TS3 is incapable, code wise, of allowing this experiance.

So come TSM. But a lot of people wanted TS3 in Medieval. EA really will never do this. The majority of players prefer to play "computer barbie" in modern times.

Really, this is a Stories game.

It's meant to fit a particular niche. I don't believe EA took seriously the niche this game was intended to fill.

TS4 will succeed TS3, no question. However, many parts of the TSM engine are already in the works for TS4 as far as I can tell.

I love how the game is, basic housing, basic needs etc The only problem I'm having at the moment is my 'hood' bugs every time I mass murder the first generation After going back to sims 3 I can now understand why some people enjoy not having control over spouses and children, and not having to worry about rebuilding.

I truely wish I could play TS3 without controlling the whole household. It would make it so much more interesting.

Oh,no! EA didn't give up on Medieval, did it? I LOVE the game! It's different, and it's fun. A real break from the routine of Sims 3, which can become quite boring after a while because it's virtually the same game, over and over, just with different characters. I haven't, in fact, played TS3 since last September, when all the bugs and glitches just got to be too frustrating. I switched to Medieval, and have enjoyed the change. Basically, I only have one Medieval glitch...my Sims will decide that something is blocking their path, and refuse to go any further. Someone told me that this bug is only in the digital download, and that what I'm using. I'm thinking of buying game on disk to see if it changes anything. I didn't have the bug before I added the Pirates expansion.

Anyway, I agree. EA took a chance with this, but messed up with the aging thing. Players want to see their kids grow up and go on to have families of their own. Otherwise, what's the point of having them? I rarely bother with kids because; 1. they don't grow & 2. there really isn't much room for extra beds in the houses.

EA also messed up with the ability to build onto the lots and the neighborhoods. If they added those two features, aging and building, I thing this game would go over in a big way! I think it boiled down to problems with time and cost. Programming all of these features would have definitely have been time consuming. And, the longer your people work on a project, and put in over time, the more you have to pay them. EA also has to keep moving ahead with the expansions and stuff packs for Sims 3, or the gamers will start getting antsy and start griping. AND they have to keep cranking out the console games. This part is what peeves me. EA have started devoting most of their time to the console people and are giving the PC gamers the odds and ends. We get stuff like Unicorns, and "Showtime" which should have been included in "Late Night", and the console people get the good stuff. The reason for it is simple: Profit! Console games cost a whole heck of a lot more than PC games. The average PC game runs about $29.99. Console games start out selling for roughly $65.00. EA is simply going where the money is. They ARE a business, after all, and a person goes into business to make money. I can also well imagine the amount of pressure these people work under. They have to keep up with their competitors or they'll quickly go belly up. They also have to out-thing their competitors, and turn out the better games or no one is going to buy their stuff. So, yeah, EA took a big chance with Medieval. I really do believe that in the beginning, Medieval was going to be Sims 3 in Medieval times. They WERE marketing that way at first. It's no wonder, so many people got the wrong idea about it. I think the project got to be too expensive, and too time consuming, so they cut corners. And, it went from being like a Sims 3 expansion, to what we have now. Personally, I didn't want a Sims 3 expansion. I wanted something different, and I got what I wanted. There ARE one or two things that bug me...The perpetual childhood of the children, not being able to build on the lots or the towns, having to practically shackle the heroes spouses to the wall, to keep them at home long enough to make a baby in the first place, and the way every Sim in the neighborhood hangs around in your characters' homes. How in the heck are you supposed to get them to Woo Hoo, when there are a dozen other people in the bedroom? I made the mistake of putting one of those music boxes in the bedroom, and ended up with every Sim in town going up there and playing the things so they could dance! Finally, I think we should get more time to complete the quests. If you have two heroes, it's going to be hard enough to complete their daily responsibilities in time. I don't think your hero should get sent to the pit for not getting the quest done, either. I could see them being put in the Stocks, or having to perform something akin to "Community Service", where they'd have to help people around the neighborhood for a certain length of time. But, there's no reason to kill them off! All things considered, though, I LOVE Medieval and intend to let EA know that. Perhaps if enough of us tell them how much we enjoy it, they'll keep it going.

If, you don't have Medieval, you're seriously missing out on a lot of fun. I thought I would hate it, also, but fell in love with it the first time I played it. It is lacking in a few spots, but all in all, it's an excellent game. It's great for a change from the Sims 3 routine. If I were you (and if I could afford it), I buy a copy and give it a whirl. You might be pleasantly surprised!

There are a lot of Simmers who hate Magic? Why? I mean, that's one of the best thing about Medieval. The Wizard is one of my favorite characters. These anti-magic people have got to be religious nuts, or Bible Thumpers, or whatever you choose to call them. I call them stupid, because they can't separate a game from reality. Jeeze! And these cuckoos are what is keeping EA from doing anything more with Medieval? I know that with Sims 3 there are a lot of Simmers who gripe about the Vampires. I'll bet that most of them are Bible Thumpers, as well. These people seriously need to get a grip, before they end up in the loony farm! I raised my two daughters on Rock and Roll and video games. I thought them that nothing they see in the movies or on TV is real. It's just actors in make up performing from a pre-written script. Video games are made up of pixels on a video screen, and music is just for fun. You're not supposed to take it for reality! I've been watching horror movies since the 1950s (yeah, I'm THAT old!), I also read horror novels, I listen to music by Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, and a lot of others, and I've played some pretty gory video games, but I don't go around killing people, or behaving like people in video games. For crying out loud, isn't there anyone who knows how to raise children anymore? My husband works in a restaurant, and the customers who come in are too busy texting away on their stupid cellphones, or tapping away on their laptops to watch their kids. The kids run all over the place...the dining area, the kids' room, the hallways, they've even gotten into the back, in the kitchen area where my husband works! They've had kids fall, and bash their head on the wall, or furniture, they get burned playing with the coffee machine, they crashing into the employees as they come back and forth, and play in the elevator! When I took my girls out to eat, they SAT IN THE CHAIRS AT THE TABLE! They weren't allowed to get up and run around the dining room! What's wrong with these parents anyway? People this stupid shouldn't be permitted to have kids! These same morons are the same kind who complain about magic in a game, or a couple of vampires. They all need to grow up!

Wow! I loved "Castaway Stories"! It's like my all time favorite Sims game. I even play it on my PSP! The Sims Stories series were designed for the old type of laptops, that just couldn't handle the graphics demand of Sims 2. But, all three of them were terrific games! With each, we were given a story to play through, and then we had free play. Sure, they were scaled down versions of Sims 2, with limited options for clothing and other things, but they were FUN! I still play them...on my laptop, and on my desktop PC. They're a nice change of pace. I seriously with EA would do a new version of Castaway Stories. The tropical island setting is delightful. As for Sims 4, I really can't understand why everyone is so anxious for the thing. I mean, Sims 3 is a mess, a serious mess, which EA seems in no hurry to correct. Every time a new expansion or stuff pack comes out, we get a patch, and with each patch and expansion we get new bugs and glitches to go with the old ones! If this is how Sims 3 is going, do imagine Sims 4 will be any better? Really? I can foresee it being much, much worse! And I know I'll have to buy yet ANOTHER new computer to play the darn thing! THIS one cost me $2,000 dollars! You Sims 4 people need to take a step back and THINK. Wouldn't you rather have EA fix what's wrong with Sims 3 BEFORE they start thinking about Sims 4? Yeah, I know TS4 is already in development, but I'm not happy about it, and I'm NOT looking forward to it. Not until they fix what's wrong with the game we already have. When Sims 4 does get released, I'd like for it to be something fresh and different, not a remake of Sims 3, which is turning out to be a remake of Sims 2, but with all of the good stuff removed. There were a LOT of hings in Sims 2 that I miss. The alien abductions, the way my Sims used to burp and fart, and then giggle about it, sending my Sims to College, having them run their own businesses...IMO They took too much of the humor out of the game! I really loved that little video that used to play before my Sims would Woo Hoo in the hot tub! I liked the Wishing Well thing, and the Ressurectonomicon, because if you were a cheapskate and didn't pay the Reaper enough, you got a Zombie, instead of the Sim you really wanted! The Slobs always gave me a laugh or two, and I loved everything about Strangetown! The new open world in Sims 3 is fantastic, and sometimes I like to play with Story Progression turned on, just to see how things turn out, but Sims 3 comes up lacking in many, many places. I used to like to go shopping with me Sims, and I loved going on vacation, when vacations were just that, vacations, we didn't have to pretend to be Indiana Jones, or Jill Valentine from Resident Evil. I have NEVER finished one of those adventures. I always get stuck (yeah, I'm THAT dumb!). Maybe I should send a suggestion to EA, and perhaps start a thread on the forums, as well, asking them to give us a Sims 3 version of Castaway Stories? Now, THAT would be worth buying!