you forgot to mention how much little time EA gives for your development time. If I won a raffle to become the owner of Maxis, the first thing I would do is to bail out from EA.

If it were up to me, I would add a "Turn Off" option for phones, that would stop incoming phones and Sims from interacting with them in any way. If all phones are turned off, townies will not touch them as well. Phones imo should be by default in everyone's pocket.

So you're saying keep it as it is? Because I said the phone option should be more of "you buy the phone instead of having one by default."

..
.Huh?

Regarding open neighborhoods - I love the freedom in TS2 and the fact that you can play any family you want from the get-go, and that you can save lots independantly from each other, and place them basically wherever you want as long as there's space for them. However, I wouldn't mind something like TS4's small neighborhood loads with a loading screen, so you're free to roam about within a limited area (maybe with a two lot radius on both sides) - but at the same time having the option of TS2's free building and TS3's open feel.

Maybe it could be something like how viewing distance works in TS2. You could set a "roamable" distance and that part of the neighborhood would load around the active lot, and you could visit lots within that distance. At the same time, there would be a viewing distance that could exceed the "roamable" distance, so you'd still have the open feel. There would be loading screens if you wanted to play a different lot, or one further away from the active area. This would give you a reasonably open feel but possibly play better with lower-end systems. Personally I don't mind loading screens too much as long as they're reasonable and not absolutely everywhere. And I'd add back working cars, bikes, and other ways of transport. Maybe a bus in addition to taxis?

I'd also like the option of story progression that you can turn on and off. I'd prefer it to be off personally, but I know a lot of people would like to have it.

I'd also do away with the useless rabbit hole lots (I'd prefer lots like shops to be loadable lots you can actually visit and do things in, like in TS2). I'd also like to have some working jobs something like the TS3/TS4 jobs, but with the opportunity to skip the workday by rabbithole. This could of course be an EP (but a much more fleshed-out one than the ones we got in TS3/4), with the opportunity for visiting schools, hospitals, police stations, after-school activities, etc. with the chance of interaction with these non-rabbitholes as both working sims and as visiting sims. That would've been awesosme! And preferably a little less predictable workdays than the "do X, collect y, talk to Z, repeat")

For lifestages I'd keep those we have now, though I'd prefer YA as a University-type stage (not neccessarily as a Uni-type EP, though - they could take Uni classes or get jobs or whatever from home, and would be able to have kids. University could be a sub-hood). Adults could have wrinkles and Salt&pepper hair as an option in CAS, but I don't think middle-age needs to be a separate stage. I would do a lot more with the baby and toddler stage, though. Babies need proper clothes and more things to do, so people don't get bored playing them. For toddlers I'd include a distinction between crawling and walking, perhaps starting out in a crawling TS2/3 stage where they start learning the basics, and end up as more independent TS4-like toddlers walking around. I'd probably also add in tweens, because I've always hated that sims go from looking 8 years old to 16 (it's a difficult age difference for storytelling...)

I'd like CASt in some form, but I don't mind swatches too much either. Maybe a mix. And clothes shouldn't have a plastic-y feel like in TS3/4. A bit more texture as overlays would be nice.

The base game would come a lot of tools, including a world editor, and a lot of toggles, so that we could change things to suit ourselves.

It's very non-intuitive. If you refer portable phones, you'll have to go across the town to attain the essential item. In TS2, you couldn't call over townies because by default they don't have them.

Well, it would make sense to have a dealership. Or return to the vending machine concept. The vending machine would be located in a related store. But otherwise, Sims in TS5 wouldn't start with a phone and neither would Townies unless a toggle "Start with Phone" could be activated or deactivated.

On the subject of toggles, we probably shouldn't go overboard on how many per option page and how many in general.

But having a world builder as part of the game would be nice. I might consider finding a World for TS3 that's pancake flat like Kansas or attempt to build my own before I put my ideas like terrain and climate in TS5's CAW options. The world builder would be more drag and drop, user-friendly tools that even novice Simmers can build a world, so an easy enough, quick to grasp learning curve would be nice. I tried TS3's CAW and found the program frustrating. It should be simple as "If you can build a house, you can build a world."

I would probably leave seasons in the basegame. It would be something worth buying for a basegame.

I would like a world builder as simple to use as Sims 2's neighborhoods.

Performance and stability > niche features.

I feel like traits and personality need to be enhanced.

There should be a set of traits that are customised on a sliding scale for every Sim, similar to The Sims 1 and The Sims 2, where you could adjust how neat/sociable/active/nice a Sim is. The more "personality" driven traits that serve to build upon a Sims unique character could be defined by choosing a number of traits like, "Loves the outdoors", "Loves being inside", "Loves TV" and "Hates children" as we did in The Sims 3 and The Sims 4. I feel like there's a clear difference between these types of traits, and sometimes those that would be determined by a sliding scale are at the detriment of the more personality driven ones, and visa versa in The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 because we have a limited number of slots. I'd like to see the return of turn ons/turn offs and an attraction system so Sims don't just fall in love with anyone if you push for it.

I liked another poster's idea of a difficulty mode, so you can toggle what kinds of things are available to you that make the game easier or harder, whether that's just "easy/medium/hard" or more specific like being able to turn certain things on and off. But it's these kinds of options that would improve the Sims experience for players I think, and the game should always be promoting choice.

If I made the game then there'd be an NPC named Grant that comes to your house and tells you things like beavers are better at flying than eagles, or how Yoko Ono is actually the true King of Pop instead of Michael Jackson. He would be exceedingly difficult to get rid of and make your Sims angry. He'd also have an autonomous desire to use your computer, at which point he'd either break it, replace your Sim's game library with a bunch of new games that fill the fun meter slower, or he might spend a couple hours hogging it and leave one of his stories on your computer, which are always super short and give the impression much of the storyline is actually stolen from someone else's story. Reading the story or playing the games automatically trigger the bored emotion.

So would books and food innstead of there immediately coming with the bookshelf/fridge.

Now that you mention it, it would probably follow similar models of a finite amount of food for fridge before charging in place of unstocked foods and a number of books are included, depending on model and the model's price. You still have two shopping options when stocking up on goods: brick and mortar or online

If anything, it would remain the same since TS2 but I would tweak the characteristics to fit the range of models provided.

Honestly, you're joking, but I'm actually surprised he hasn't pulled a Rod Humble and inserted himself into the game as an annoying NPC yet.

Open world, easy Sims 4 customizability, World Editor that doesn't require a degree in game design to know how to use, clothing mesh generator so an idiot can design new meshes (you won't need Blender to make new accessories), brutal realism, astounding weather. Cars. Ghosts and aliens.

Essentially, give power to the player to make it the game they want it to be. If they want it to be a GTA knockoff, that's their prerogative. If they want to make it a virtual film studio, the tools exist. If a simple Barbie knockoff, that's okay too.

I'd do the bare minimum to keep the T rating intact, so older players don't have to feel ashamed to say they still play it. I'd make the censors really easy to turn off, since modders are gonna do it anyway. Keeping things limited to R rated at worst possibility will help deter anyone aching for more realism from turning to 21+ sites, where younger players' minds can easily overdose. (Those sites will always find a way to exist. )

I can't eliminate LGBTQPIZO, but I'd put spoof STDs in the game. No one respects woohoo pregnancy, and abortion mods are a plenty. But a spoof STD? Might help teach responsibility. Also, having factors added in so there can be after the fact woohoo regret that can sour relationships, since real life sex can hurt you even if you don't make a baby, cheat, or get sick. Make it so that Sims who get woohoo too easily outside marriage lose empathy a little each time, until they become jerks.

This will frustrate players into either using mods, or cleaning up their own sense of priorities. Of course, modders could find ways to turn off social consequences, as I know some players' dirty minds are incorrigible.

Every new pack would add a buttload of extra clothes, extra premade maps, extra stuff to toy with, etc. I'd add a fun location, and a not so fun location to each game pack or expansion.

I'd make space busy - and terrifying. No more boring Sixam! I'd make an entire law and order themed expansion. Sims can be lawyers, judges, or beat cops. Crime will return. Just not rape and murder, because we need to keep the T rating. Sims - including teens - can go to prison if they're not careful! As a judge, you decide how many Sim days they're sentenced to. You can control the actions of every Sim on a cellblock, or design a custom prison.

Not sure about capital punishment though . I'd make it so modders could easily add their own methods, if they know how to animate correctly. Electrocution would be obvious and easy. Medieval styles...too much room for that to be abused. Sending Sims to a chopping block that actually works sounds fascinating, but I don't see how that would keep the T rating.

You can follow a fireman on his route, just like in Sims 3 Ambitions. Werewolves? Why not werebirds? Mermaids would return, and types would be much more customizable. Anything from Ryn to Calliope to Anarteq to Aquaman!

I'd make a superhero pack. With custom powers. Combined with the clothing maker tool, you could make your own X-Men movie however you wanted to, without having to beg other creators for parts.

Want to recreate your own hometown? Never easier!

I dread to think the cost of development. The base game would probably cost $100 easily!

That and either in cheat form or not include "restock" options to automatically for refrigerators to be... stocked. Those who don't like a wait time for delivery to arrive or leave the lot. Same applies to wardrobes with clothing. Win&win for everyone.

...



Wait, you're not joking ?

No I'm not. Open world doesn't work in The Sims and leads to performance and stability issues.

I would build the entire AI of The Sims 2, with no loading screens, (open world) end of story, it had everything someone would want, other than I would throw in a CASt. And I would throw in basic weather and a few strays like cats, dogs would have to be purchased in a bigger and better pet pack. Not much I would keep from TS4, other than sending a Sim to a community lot and they stay there allowing the player to play a different Sim and the first Sim would stay where we left them (like in TS4) for a a specific time period, come home on their on (like in TS4) and not run home shortly like in TS3. I would build the game to reflect the power of newer processors and video cards. No toasters. If you have a great machine then set it to high and see the difference in a round bowl or a jagged bowl. Population caps would return to the power of the processor, if you can handle one hundred Sims on a lot then go for it. If not, the shoddy pc would have three or four. I would not cap population as it is capped in TS4. I would require on every complaint the person sign a post they know their pc doesn't meet the standards and therefore can not post a bug report unless it is strictly gameplay problems.

My dream game would have number one focus on personality and traits. CAS would include hobbies, aspirations, vices, and talents. I definitely would bring back wants and fears from Sims 2 because that lent yet another layer of depth to the Sims. Aspirations would both have 4's "checklist" section but it would be more open as to what counts towards your aspiration. Aspiration desires would be mixed with a Sim's wants and fears. There would be a plethora of deep and noticeable traits available from the base game. I would have toddlers have 2 traits. Children would have 3 traits. Teens would have 5 traits. Young adults through elder would have 6 traits. I wouldn't completely get rid of the emotions but the unique personality of the sim would be number one in the AI behaviors! Of course, I'd tweak the emotions so they were more subtle and believable. A memories system would contribute to this as well.

I would bring back the Gallery. It is so useful and it's amazing to see what creations our fellow players come up with!

I would bring back the amazing Create a Style. It would come with tons of patterns and a tool to make patterns right from the start!!! It would be awesome to share our custom patterns on the gallery. Imagine the immense amount of creativity!!!

I actually don't want an open world in my game but I wouldn't mind a small-scale open neighborhood where you have a couple lots you could visit without encountering a loading screen. I LOVE interconnected worlds in 4 so I'd want that feature to stay so I could easily jump around worlds when any new content came along! I much prefer coming to a lively lot than the barren lots that were in Sims 3 because so many sims were spread thinly all over the map. I would have shopping centers that sold books, clothing, and random items in the base game. I prefer having to buy clothing over having everything free.

I also would love SEPARATED BILLS AND UTILITIES! For example, you'd have to purchase a cell phone plan only if you want that household to have phones. You'd have to separately pay your electric, water, internet ETC. This is a life simulator after all! We could choose to have households that don't believe in cell phones or electricity or whatever we wanted them to partake in. It would open the door for "off-the grid" gameplay right from the start.

I will post more ideas as I think of them!!!

You aren't the only one who doesn't want open worlds! As I said in my post--I'd rather have open neighborhoods.

Okay, I'm sick and my brain isn't functioning at full capacity, but let's see if I can improve on what I've originally written...

I would keep Open World from TS3 or do a Half-Open World. Like in TS4, the world is segregated into various 'neighborhoods' of multiple lots, and those would be open-world-esque. You could walk over to them without any kind of loading screen, meaning you could visit neighbors or the nearby park/gym/library/whatever. If you wanted to head into a different neighborhood, then you would require a loading screen, but that entire neighborhood would be 'open' again. Call it a cheesy halfway, but I would honestly much prefer this to what we got with TS4.

As said before, I'd keep the CAS 'body sliding' as it is in TS4 because I felt you could really make differently shaped Sim, without needing extra body sliders.

I would throw out Emotions or severely modify them. They can be there, but they might be more subdued than before (unless one uses a trait like Overemotional), and depending on the trait, some might not be so easy to get into certain moods. An Unflirty Sim rarely gets into a Flirty mood unless quite some in-game time is spent on buttering them up; a Mean Sim would not get Happy unless they just did something horrible to another Sim (think of the Fiendishly Delighted moodlet from TS3, though that appeared at just having high Fun); and a Gloomy Sim would need something big or many small things to happen to them to get them into a Happy mood. (And smaller things lead to a shorter Happy buff; eating their favorite dish would give them a 'Special Treat' Happy moodlet that lasts an hour or an hour-and-a-half.)

I would also throw out everything being a skill. Or turn it more into Sims 3, where a Sim needed to reach at least Level 1 in a skill before they 'had' the skill. Not three seconds of touching an easel meaning the Sim got the Painting Skill Level 1.

Art-style would likely remain somewhat cartoon-y, a bit like TS4 with TS3 mixed in.

Base Game would have NPCs. Firefighters, Policemen and Criminals/Burglars, Maildelivery, etc. Also, Aliens would be in the base game.
It would also get some weather. The weather can either be sunny or rainy. If you want things like seasons, snow, leaves changing colors and falling to the ground, as well as thunderstorms and blizzards, those would be in a Seasons EP.

Self-Employment would be an option from the get-go, including an option to pick between Maternity Leave/Parent Time (after the baby is born), where the Sim doesn't go to work, and Working From Home, which basically means the Sim remains at home and can then focus on taking care of the baby, while also dealing with work matters (on computer or smartphone, whatever is available). Maybe for the latter, a 'goal' to reach to ensure the performance won't suffer and the Sim isn't in danger of being fired. (Like, work X hours within business hours of the job)

Oh, and you get an option of what kind of 'world' you want. It doesn't have to be suburban all the time. There's an option to pick a more city-like world to start in, which might be smaller and with more compact buildings. Remember how in TS2, you could make a custom neighborhood and pick between terrain paints? Something like that, but a bit expanded.

Other Lifestates, like Supernaturals, would be kept to one EP. Not separated into some Lifestates here, but another one in a different EP, and then this really odd one in a third EP.
University, which would get a lot less party-focused. (Seriously, not every country's University is a constant keg-party thing like they portray in these games...)

I would add diseases. Including toddlers getting sick, like getting a cold or temperature, making them fussier and needing more care during that time.

Online features would remain nothing but screenshots sharing or similar.
No message to suggest to login to play the game or anything.

What would you keep from previous games?
from TS2:
Genetics
Personality Points
A Rotational Game Mode (more on that later)
A strong memory system for Sims.
The love for small, technically unnecessary details that make the game lively
The babbehs
Fears
The more generic Aspirations
The ability to add as many lots as you want to the neighbourhood
The neighbourhoods being called neighbourhoods and not "worlds"
Sims going "to the city" for school and work.
Subhoods
The gardening system

From TS3:
A modified version of the Open World (more on that later)
A Story Progression Game Mode (more on that later)
A improved version of CAST (I think the technology is there by now)
Five traits for every Sims to further refine the Personality Points
Moodlets
The accessories and shoes being independent of the rest of clothing
Opportunities
Optinal active careers for some jobs
The ability to assign several outfits for each sim.

From Sims Medieval:
The general look of the Sims.
Witches

From Sims 4:
The way you sculpt faces and bodies in CAS
Hats being separate from hair
The ability to drag walls and transplant houses/rooms
Vampires

What would you throw out?
Rabbit Holes!
Collectibles
The ability to grow fish on shrubs...
Fruit Trees evaporating after being harvested
The Sims 4 emotions
The railroady aspirations of 4/3
Overly goal oriented gameplay
Unlockables
Any "live service" events
Any micro transactions (which includes an online store like TS2/TS3 had)
The rickety, basically non existed memory and genetics systems of TS3 and TS4
Playable Ghosts that irrevocable turn into ghosts on the family tree.
The over-focus on Young Adult "Yoursims" the franchise has had since TS3
Premades that are lame parodies of terrible TV shows.

What art style does your game go for? Realistic? Cartoony?
A slightly cartoony artsyle after the fashion of Sims 2 and Sims Medieval. So more cartoony and lively than Sims 3, but a lot less cartoony than Sims 4.

What is critical to have in the Base Game?
Everything that was in the Basegames of TS1, 2 and 3, as well as at least basic weather (rain at the very least)

What would you save for Expansions?
Pets. Supernatural gameplay. Active career gameplay. University. Vacations. Proper Seasons.

What has been missing from the series and should be introduced?

Sims being more aware of their surroundings and memories. If a Sim's mother sees her son in law cheating on her daughter, she should react negatively and be able to tell her daughter of the husband's infidelity. Of a Sim has been hurt badly by another Sim, they should be able to bear a grudge against them, not become best friends again after a few Sim days.

A possibility to play the game *your way*either rotational, like Sims 2 where the households you don't play are "frozen" or Sims 3 style with a neighbourhood that lives and changes in real time with your active household. To accomplish that and avoid rabbit holes I would turn the whole neighbourhood into a gigantic "community lot" with the individual households being lots that would require loading to enter and visit.

I would rearrange the adult ages: Instead of having Young Adult and Adult, I'd have that "age" slider from Sims Medieval running in the background, gradually making the Sim look older until the reach the elder stage.

Sims should develop over the course of their lives. If they experience a lot of negative things and hardship then they should get random changes in personality and traits upon aging up, if they are successful in life, the player should be allowed to reassign and/or add/subtract some personality points and traits.

I'd give the player the ability to layer clothing. Outerwear would no longer be a complete separate outfit, but instead it'd be an additional layer the Sims wear over their outfits. Likewise underwear would be whatever they are wearing under their clothes, and potentially be visible.

Any online features?

Just the gallery.

@Orphalesion Oh, so you love the way Sims in Medieval look too:



Just add higher res textures and slightly higher poly models and I'm sold...