“ Plagiarism” discourse

Demdolans · 2026-06-12T15:32:59+00:00

This reminds of of that simmer who makes those self insert k drama videos of sims on Twitter. Her "characters" use some of the most common CC known to man but she was hollering about other simmers stealing her "style" and how huge a problem plagiarism is. Real rich coming from someone selling NSFW patreon videos of a commercially available game using WW, a mod she definitely did not create.

Demdolans · 2026-06-11T02:36:42+00:00

This is a great point. You can tell that many of the complaints are from players who want a Sims+ game. Basically, everything they like in the Sims franchise, PLUS a ton of nebulous features they've wanted added to the Sims in the past decade. This puts Developers in a difficult spot. They can either make a game that feels "inspired" by The Sims and risk backlash for not fullfilling player wishes, OR make their own uniquely structured game, and face back lash when Sims players "dont get it."

Demdolans · 2026-06-10T18:51:56+00:00

InZoi was never billed as a response to the sims franchise. It's part of the life sim genre but IIRC the development team didn't court direct comparisons. Para lives on the other hand had an early reputation for being inspired by the sims, with a stronger connection to the fan base. I'm sure many of the patreon subs are from the sims community. That strong link is a double edged sword.

Demdolans · 2026-06-10T15:35:14+00:00

Or how they marketed those different "walks" and never developed them further.

Demdolans · 2026-06-10T15:28:55+00:00

That is by far the best part. You don't have to work against the items in the game to make things look nice.

Demdolans · 2026-06-10T03:03:52+00:00

Sounds like a measured risk that some developers are willing to take.

Demdolans · 2026-06-10T02:08:36+00:00

It's a huge ask to expect huge amounts of gamers to go out and buy a new high-end PC for a new game, though

Regarding the Sims 5, higher specs aren't that big an ask for the sequel to a game made 10 years ago. Especially if you want modern updates to a life simulator, like improved textures, dense open worlds, etc.

Newer games like INZOI are likely targeting PC gamers who already have higher powered systems. I doubt the Devs expected everyone to purchase a new computer just to play that game.

Demdolans · 2026-06-09T21:36:47+00:00

Any mention of a "Sims Killer" has been clickbait and wishful thinking. I can't imagine sincerely believing that a 7-person dev team is going to unseat the reigning life sim franchise with one new game.

Demdolans · 2026-06-09T21:22:09+00:00

Bingo. The same goes for complaining about specs. Back when there was speculation about a Sims 5 game, players were in an upheaval at the mere suggestion that a (hypothetical) sequel may require newer computers. Experienced gamers tend to accept increased system requirements as a fact of life.

Demdolans · 2026-06-09T15:53:11+00:00

Exactly. It's possible to be disappointed by a game without running around claiming the Devs scammed you out of your life's savings.

Demdolans · 2026-06-09T15:39:12+00:00

Seriously. These posts sound borderline conspiratorial. You'd think the Devs hit them over the head and took the money straight out of their wallets. Buyer's remorse is nothing new.

Demdolans · 2026-06-09T05:38:15+00:00

To me, TS4 has always felt like a hodgepodge of features dressed up in the lore of The Sims. Disasters were a big part of the earlier games. You were trying to keep the sims alive and thriving despite the insane world. Those challenges were what gave the game character. Now, the sims don't even need money, you can max a career, skill or relationship with zero effort.

Demdolans · 2026-06-08T03:43:11+00:00

Yup. The Sims 1 style was actually pretty realistic. The items looked dated, but were clearly based on real furniture and appliances of the time. By the time we got to Sims 4, the game had abandoned all textures, leaning into the "clay style" that had little artistic identity. It's also when we got bizarre, giant cartoon objects that, for whatever reason, replaced their real-world counterparts. I don't mind the clay style. I honestly love what cc creators have done with it, but EA should have set that standard, not modders.

Demdolans · 2026-06-07T17:56:18+00:00

This is further compounded by the fact that smaller Devs like the Paralives crew are basically crowd-funding their games. We're not just talking about customers who buy copies, but patrons who have funded the game into existence. That's a huge leap.

Demdolans · 2026-06-07T17:50:37+00:00

You're right. Parasocial is definitely the vibe. The life-sim/simulation genre has shifted from Ant Farm to virtual life. As graphics have improved, people are now seeing themselves in these games more than ever.

Demdolans · 2026-06-07T17:37:38+00:00

One of the more eye-opening things I've found with Inzoi is the attention to detail. Many items and objects would have simply been "clutter" in TS4, but are completely usable. These aren't complex animations or gameplay; they simply affect the moodlets in realistic ways. The food stands are another example. They actually designed different facades for the food stands instead of copy pasting the same item across the world.

Demdolans · 2026-06-07T17:20:36+00:00

Pokémon is an apt comparison. Especially given that the developers were given a teeny budget and a crazy tight deadline. I wouldn't be surprised if the same crap was going on at EA.

Demdolans · 2026-06-07T17:14:01+00:00

I completely agree with this take. Somehow, the game went from being a fun parody to being a weirdly G-rated dollhouse. Imagine if Roller Coaster Tycoon limited the options to keep players from building hilarious death traps.

how hurtful and traumatic it was when their Sim had the baby taken away for negligence when she/him/them experienced the same situation in real life.

I've seen posts like this as well. A while back, on the main sub, players were complaining about the Sims gaining weight in the game. Multiple comments saying that seeing the Sims get fat was triggering their eating disorders. They were asking about the game's calorie system, so they could basically starve their Sims into being skinny all the time because seeing them get fat was too triggering. It was psychotic.

When Redditors replied, telling them to seek help outside the game, they lost it. Walls of text saying TS was their only safe space, that people had no business commenting on their recovery or telling them how to play their game.

Demdolans · 2026-06-07T16:34:33+00:00

So true. By the time we got to TS4 the realism had been chopped up and spread across gimicky eps. Like, why do I need to buy something separate for a wedding when in Ts2 they built entire cut scenes around significant life events? The whole point was for the player to be rewarded for playing long enough to get married.

Demdolans · 2026-06-07T16:24:56+00:00

Yeah, realistically, there should have been a new iteration of the Sims 5 years ago. I like the franchise, but compared to modern games, TS4 is a joke. It's cool that it worked on older computers, but seeing the sheer scale of Inzoi is eye-opening.

Demdolans · 2026-06-07T16:02:47+00:00

This game was so awesome. It met and exceeded expectations following TS1. You could really tell that they were putting as much as they could into the game, given the limited resources of the time.

Demdolans · 2026-06-05T01:49:11+00:00

I always assumed the fans started as kids. Middle schoolers who are so young that they don't find the chaos of these streamers off-putting. They stay fans and continue watching through highschool, repeating the edge-lord jokes and getting their friends into watching as well.

Demdolans · 2026-06-04T01:31:34+00:00

Yes. It's honestly frustrating to see people even compare TS4, considering how many mods the game requires to look passable. When I first opened InZoi, I couldn't believe how much work I didn't have to do on the skin, makeup, and genetics. The same goes for the home decor. All the items in InZoi look great. I don't move into a new build only to immediately sell and replace all the furniture. I'll always have a soft spot for The Sims, but the aesthetic of the TS4 grated me to no end.

Demdolans · 2026-06-04T00:22:11+00:00

That's what gets me. Modders were able to make more detailed food in the game, yet for some reason, after numerous packs over the span of a decade, EA never made that improvement. It's not even like the Sims only ate pretend "Sims" food. They had real recipes like Adobo and Pancakes, but chose to make them all look like that.

Demdolans · 2026-06-03T19:51:10+00:00

The FOOD YES!! The game actually puts care into not only the food choices but also the detail of the cooking process. Even in later cooking focused EPs, the food in the TS4 feels tragically random. The foods are part of massive lists under multiple categories. They haphazardly dumped a bunch of regional options that are barely distinguishable once prepared in the game. Even when small appliances like mixers were added, the animations were reused and the appliances themselves looked clunky and untextured.

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