TonicSims

I miss Will Wright

Added 2024-07-02 17:23:42 +0000 UTC

Will Wright was the primary force behind Sim City and The Sims. What set him apart, and in my opinion made the Sim franchises successful, was his ability to translate complex human behavior into fun and engaging video play. His design was based on a foundation of philosophy and a deep understanding of human behavior. Sim City is a beautiful example. It's not just about building and maintaining a city. It's about making the tough choices that position demands. Your citizens are angry because the roads are in disrepair so you raise the taxes to pay for the roads, and now they're angry that you raised their taxes. This behavioral philosophy continued with The Sims. Will Wright and his team singled out 5 primary human traits that would dictate the behavior of every Sim. This created surprisingly complex and diverse personalities for all the Sims you interact with in a way I'd argue Sims 3 and 4 has never been able to reproduce. Will Wright's design is precise, and every string of code serves a purpose. He's not simply throwing things at the wall hoping something sticks. Every aspect of Sim City, The Sims, and the Sims 2 has some form of deeper understanding to justify it. I'm not saying Sims3 and 4 aren't fun. They are, but I feel they'd be substantially better if they retained the core foundation of The Sims and The Sims 2 behavioral philosophy.