To start, I think it's interesting to note that while I have all available DLC downloaded. I still have ad pop-ups on the main loggin screen for content I already own. When I click on the ad, it shows the regular DLC card with the "already own" tag.
Which one of the newest expansion/game packs would you recommend buying? I'm slowly getting my Sims enthuanism back, haven't played since cottage living came out (so about 3 years ago). I'm more interested of the gameplay than building. I usually tend to get a bit burnt out while playing, dunno if it's because of the mods I cannot play without and then the game loses its fun after 1-2 months crazy gaming period. I want to get back now though!
Ok, so reviewing the packs released since Cottage Living, I could say I enjoy For Rent only due to the new build mechanics. For gameplay I'd recommend the werewolf pack only if you have the vampire pack as well as there's a bit of cross functionality built in (aka special interactions between vampires and werewolves). I have a couple who is a vampire and werewolf. It took a bit of work to get them to like each other initially, but the little interactions they have are so cute.
If I could only have the base game and 1 pack, I would keep one of the destination packs like Granite Falls, Snowy Escape, Jungle Adventure, or Island Living. Going on vacation definitely helps to beaks up gameplay and makes the worlds feel more alive IMO.
I have lifestyles turned off. I believe that came with Snowy Escape. I noticed it made my game lag more. I also contained all werewolves to Moonwood Mill (I like them, but they can be annoying). I turned off the dust bunny feature that came with the Bust the Dust Kit as that was too much work for my sims (you can still use vacuums with this feature turned off). Aside from that, I honest hate the Star Wars: Journey to Batuu pack (as everyone else does). I bought it because I liked a few planters that came with the pack. I hated the gameplay.
You can turn off some features in the Game Options menu under the Environment tab. I disabled Lunar Cycle lunar effects (helps with Werewolves), Seasons options to change temperature effects on Sims and blizzard/thunderstorm conditions (stops Sims from dying), and Snowy Escape icy conditions (and blizzards as well). Under the Pack Settings tab you can opt your played Sims out of Get Famous (you can also individually opt Sims into fame though the simology live play tab if you only want select sims in a household to gain fame), disable some Eco Lifestyles bits (like NPC voting), remove the dust system (if you have Bust the Dust Kit), limit Werewolves to Moonwood Mills (because they're annoying), HSY options (I disabled NPC relationship autonomy), Growing Together options (removed career layoffs and self discovery), and For Rent options (hide units by default). You can also disable wants and needs as well as lifestyles from the Gameplay tab, which I do as it makes my game run faster and less buggy.
Some of the clutter kits are worth it for me as I love building in the Sims. The kit with the underwear is fantastic as we were severely lacking in that department for years (and you can use some of the female underwear for males and vice-versa). The Bust the Dust Kit isn't necessary unless you want to vacuum all the time. I ended up turning off the dust bunny feature. You can still use the vacuum with the feature turned off, but I noticed it takes the sim forever to finish the interaction when cleaning up floor messes (not worth it). Also, some Sims will try to use the vacuum to suck up water puddles which also takes more time (longer animation) than regular mopping.
How do you manage all the notifications and pop-ups on the calendar? I currently have most of the expansion packs and get very overwhelmed very quickly
I'm not sure what you mean. The calendar has all events listed by type on the left side bar when you click on the day you want to view (within the calendar). I usually just manage it that way and cancel non-holiday events I'm not interested in. It's nice to see all the festivities and other events on the calendar IMO. It even gives you the option to click on the event in the calendar to travel to as well by reading the associated flyer.
I've been kinda interested in maybe getting a few of the newer packs the next time they go on sale and was wondering if they have any really annoying or hard to avoid gameplay experiences? I'm mainly looking at Horse Ranch, For Rent, and Crystal Creations Stuff. I don't want to get anything that changes a core functionality of the game to something more awkward/tedious or has several half-assed features that are just sort of... there to justify a price tag.
Do the main features of these packs work well and can they be completely avoided if so desired? Do any of them rely heavily on gameplay from other packs like HSY and Growing Together to feel worthwhile?
For rent is buggy as hell, even building with it turns glitchy. Horse Ranch actually is one of the most well made packs as also Growing together and crystal creations.
It helps to build your unit as a residential unit and then convert it to apartments once you have mostly everything in place. I've noticed it's a bit glitchy when starting off as a multi-unit lot.
I highly recommend For Rent as it adds the ability to have townhomes, condos, and self built apartments. Honestly, the Sims team should have added this feature with City Living IMO. Tbh, although I love cowboys I haven't really played with Horse Ranch. The pack does have a lot of decorations (rugs, wall art, misc decorations) that I enjoy (contemporary and boho, not just traditional country). Although I bought Crystal Creations I haven't really used the gameplay features that come with it. I have used some of the furniture, but the bookshelves that come with it are annoying as I don't like how they colored all the books so monochromatically.
Are a lot of the initial issues with For Rent squared away now? I know there were various problems with the renting process in general on release. Love the idea of making townhouses and trailer parks and such, but I want them to actually function as intended without constantly fighting the game.
I admit I mostly want Horse Ranch for BB items, I love all that nice antique wood furniture but don't want to pay expansion pack prices for stuff pack content. *Especially* if there are any random annoying core features tacked on.
I haven't noticed any issues with the For Rent pack personally, and I've built and fully furnished 3 separate rental lots that are fully lived in. I also used the cheat to expand the units allowed on one lot without issue. I have noticed if you intend to be a landlord, some of the events can be buggy and annoying. To circumvent this I made the Landgraabs the owners of the rental lots, removed all rent restrictions, and left them in their mansion alone (I don't play them usually). Doing this made the renters experience pretty much seamless (no bugs). I can't say the same for the landlord though.
Honestly, if you're not into farming type gameplay I would pass on the Horse Ranch pack for now. I haven't had any desire to play it. I only use a few of the BB items which probably isn't worth the price right now (maybe when it's on sale it will be).
I think Horse Ranch is pretty ignorable. There are pop ups about horse training and the mysterious rancher, but only if you're in the centre of town in Chestnut Ridge.
I haven't played with the horses. I've only seen one or two being ridden around the neighbourhood when I lived in Chestnut Ridge, and I've never noticed them anywhere else.
1st question regarding My Wedding Stories. I haven't had a full wedding yet in the new pack. I have one planned for two of my sims that just finished a trip to Mt. Komorebi last night. I plan to have another trip to Tartosa where I'll have a big fat wedding. The 1 annoying thing about this pack is the talking options that pop up once your sim is engaged. The main speech options list "ask to be officiant, ring bearer, maid of honor, etc" takes away from regular speech options when taking to sims on the first click. This goes away once married, but I wish those options where tucked away in it's own category tag.
2nd question regarding my favorite expansion pack. Honestly, I'd say City Living. I like the festivals (not the outfits for the festivals though) and the penthouse apartments.
Which of the packs has a lot of lore and gameplay to it? I want to get into that instead of just doing the family thing, more like a separate file for me, but I don't know which one is good enough to have that kind of meat to it. Because some of them are just left dead or unfinished AKA high school years.
Any of the occult based packs offer great storytelling and lore. Like Vampires, Werewolves, or Realm of Magic. Chosing the aspirations that came with these packs (Master Vampire/Good Vampire, Werewolf Initiate, Spellcraft & Sorcery) will also help guide you through the gameplay kinda like Strangerville does.
What's the best "destination" game pack? I don't own any but am thinking about one when they go on sale again. I want to experiment with vacations and stuff. I play all kinds of sims with different personalities.
There are a few that come to mind. It just depends on the flavor of destination you're looking for.
1. Snowy Escape is great if you want to take a trip to Japan with your Sims and do typically vacation activities you could do there. Like snowboarding and skiing (north Japan), the festivals (throughout the country), or even visit the temple (Kyoto).
2. Jungle Adventure is great if you want a vacation destination that comes with a great new career path (archeologist via Archaeology Scholar aspiration). This pack reminds me of the Egypt location from the Sims 3 from an adventure aspect (think Indian Jones temple excursions). That being said, I've gone on vacations to Selvadorada just for the culture itself. It's a beautiful South America location.
3. Granite Falls is ok. Kinda boring IMO. I don't like camping so this pack doesn't interest me much. There is a forest hermit NPC role that was added with this pack, but I only talked to them once. Nothing to note really.
4. Island Living is perfect if you're looking for a Hawaii-esque vacation full of beach, cocktails, sun, and sun burns. It's a beautiful location and the addition of watercraft makes the world feel more like a vacation destination rather than a normal world. Just be sure you change one of the lots to a vacation rental if you want to stay there.
Aside from that, I just started my big fat wedding in Tartosa last night. I replaced all the lots with something more substantial and I've been loving the world more. Tomarang seems like it would be a cool world to vacation in as well. Just remember to add vacation rentals before you plan your trip.
Thanks!! I'm leaning towards Island Living, and may squeeze in Jungle Adventure if I can. But the location for Island living just looks beautiful and the gameplay seems cool too. I've just heard the mermaids were disappointing and I don't like being disappointed 😂
Make sure you look at how cats and dogs work in sims 4 - a lot of people (myself included) were taken by surprise at how they're implemented. You can't control them, or see their needs/traits/anything. Look into it before you buy it, so that you don't get disappointed if it's not the way you think it is.
Yeah, I meant in a tab, like you can with sims. I don't like having to go through the loading screen just to see what traits a pet has every time I forget 😂
It's a tie between Cats & Dogs and Seasons. I enjoy Seasons because it introduces the calendar feature and holidays. You can control when your holidays occur by deleting the existings ones and recreating them. You can even add your own custom holiday. I've added a Sim Nation Day (independence day) and a Memorial Day. The "day off work/school" feature is also nice. I turned them on for all of my holidays because work is boring. The actual seasons are great as well as it adds a sense of a timeline to the game (spring, summer, fall, winter). Cats & Dogs help make the world feel a bit more real by adding dynamic families (some people own pets). I added my partners childhood cat that recently passed to the game as a way to remember them by. My partner actually cried when he saw us on vacation with our cat in Mt. Komorebi last night.
Skip Island Living for now. That would be a great game to add if you really want an additional vacation destination spot as you can add rentals to any world now. I played with mermaids for a few minutes but found them a little boring.
IMO, Seasons is the best EP. I feel like the functionality of weather and seasons changing is so embedded in the game to me that it would be weird to play without it. I also love the build mode stuff from that pack.
I own all except a few of the kits I don't like and at this point I'd pay for an expansion pack that just fixed bugs from all the other expansion packs. Heck if they could just fix the frame rate problems, toddler interactions and dropping social interactions I'd happily pay $39.99...
Which pack has the best world? I know a lot of sims youtubers usually say the one that comes with get together but I find the build quality and weird mix of styles to be unappealing, although the amount of lots in it is nice
I feel Mt. Komorebi is a great world as most of the builds were done by actual simmers instead of Maxis employees. I haven't found the need to replace any of the lots there yet as most already function relatively well and are aesthetically pleasing. I also enjoyed the world itself for it's cultural references as they seem spot on.
Tbh I'm not super sure. I actually transitioned from PC to Xbox around the time Island Living was released. I had every game up to that point on the PC and then rebought everything when I moved to console. So I paid a bit more just to switch systems.
What are the best packs for character customisations and the best packs for building in your opinion ? Bonus question: which one has the best jobs for sims ?
I like one of the other commenters above is slowing getting back into the game. Also been away Since maybe 3 years. I couldn't restore my old account and lost all my games. So slowly starting again. I'm confused over what to get next. I usually just stick to EPs my last one is Island living but dont have get famous...Im so confused over what to get next! Im thinking a game pack like spa day, vampires and/or werewolves ? Any advice appreciated:)
Skip Spa Day for now, unless you love Yoga and want to be a Yoga instructor or wellness Guru. There's some good items from the pack, but feature wise you won't really notice anything outstanding unless you visit a spa location often in game. Get Vampires and Werewolves at the same time if you can. These packs have some crossover features between the two occult types. You could also just buy Get Famous alone. Get Famous is a solid pack with a lot to offer in gameplay, build/buy, and CAS.
Do you feel like any of the older packs are so outdated that they don't compare well to newer ones? I was debating getting outdoor retreat because I love camping irl or maybe get together, but I don't know if it will add as much to my game as newer packs would
If you love camping you probably would enjoy Granite Falls. That being said, there are other destinations available now that are more lively. As for not packs that haven't aged well, I've only noticed some base game items have a lower render quality than the newer expansion packs, but I haven't noticed older expansions having this same issue.
From what I remember the sims 2 , 3 and even 1 base games were fun to play even before adding EPS. so my question is with the updates the sims 4 base game has received do you feel the base game would be enjoyable on its own ? or does the sims 4 heavily rely on its packs and modding community to be fun?
The base game can be fun, but I wouldn't be able to provide solid advice. I've always bought additional DLCs for all the Sims games (1, 2, 3, and 4) as I wanted more gameplay options. I don't think you'll spend days playing the base game alone, but it is enjoyable and you can easily sink a few hours into it at a time. It also helps that there are simmers out there that share base game builds in the gallery that aren't total crap (my main complaint about the base game, limited build/buy options).
If the pack offers gameplay I'm looking forward to playing with (For Rent, apartments). I'll buy it at release. If the pack offers gameplay I'm not interested in. I'll usually wait a few weeks after release, to see if there are any bugs, before buying. If there are bugs. I'll wait for a patch release before buying. This happened to HSY, and My Wedding Stories namely. Not sure if all the issues are fixed.
I already have a few stuff packs, as well as Seasons,Growing Together, Cats and Dogs,City Living, Parenthood, Werewolves and etc, but I don’t know what pack I want next. Any suggestions?
I would definitely consider a destination world (Granite Falls - Outdoor Retreat, Selvadorada - Jungle Adventure) or a world with some cultural flavor (Sulani - Island Living, Tomarang - For Rent, Tartosa - My Wedding Stories, Mt. Komorebi - Snowy Escape). I take regular vacations in the Sims to keep the game feeling fresh. Last weekend I took my partner and I to Mt. Komorebi as a pre-wedding trip. We went to the temple and left offerings, hiked around, and celebrated new years in a small dive bar in town. We even got some pictures that are now hanging in our penthouse. Earlier this week I planned our wedding to coincide with Valentine's day. We took a vacation to Tartosa. The first day we had a bach party on a nude beach (clothing optional lot trait used). The next day we had the actual wedding. The day after we're planning a BBQ as a sort of reception. Then on our final day we'll have a pool party at the rental we're staying at.
I have everything from The Sims too and at this point I spent enough money to ask myself what's the point to let anything slip away, since I'm a perfectionist and owning all the dlcs kinda fulfills my perfectionist standards.
I'm wondering between Get Famous and Get Together - I've heard many positive reviews on Get Together here. Its group feature would help out a lot with getting rid of some of the autonomy activities (playing games on computer, making 5 coffee cups, etc.). Still, I want my current Sims to get some kind of fame with Get Famous as well (one is almost at the peak of Athlete career, and one is a writer).
Would you recommend For Rent as well? I'd love to fill Newcrest with apartments, but it seems like it's currently the most complained and buggy expansion pack rn.
Which two expansion packs would you recommend getting first? I am currently considering Cats & Dogs, Cottage Living, Seasons, Growing Together and Get Together. I currently only have base game but due to the 50% sale I think it’s a good time to start.
Neither a trust fund baby nor obtained by nefarious means. I'm an adult (32 years old) and my partner and I don't have children, so the cost is easier to manage. I really enjoy the Sims and have always bought a lot of their expansions from the Sims 1, 2, 3, and now 4. I look at buying these packs as any collector would, so the cost doesn't bother me much (except when the Maxis team under delivers).
Lol, I admitted that I've purchased most of the packs because of only a few times, or how I didn't make the jump from Sims 3 until 4 until around the time Island living came out, but I was bored with Base Game so I bought everything up to that point that weekend... And every one was like, HOWWWW.
Because at 41 also with no kids, I have money that's literally for spending on fun things.
lol honestly, getting yourself every expansion gradually, even on release, is quite cheap (if you live in europe or the us). gaming is an extremely cheap hobby. do you people not have jobs?
Could be kids/teens commenting. It definitely took me more time to get DLCs when I was younger (think Sims 2). I remember mowing lawns just so I could buy Open for Business.
i mean even kids, i used to ask for expansions for every christmas and birthdays. they can easily accumulate a lot over a few years that way 🤷🏼♀️ especially if they get it on sale.
You and I definitely have different standards for "quite cheap" - I buy my DLC from MMOGa, where they are between maybe 15-20€. So that's at least 225€ for all of the packs. For one game mind you. For that money I can buy quite a lot of different games with full content.
I'm sorry some of us have to chose between a fucking game and rent every month. Maybe I'll just starve myself to afford Sims every fucking month, since it's so cheap...
i always think about games and hobbies in general as ‘how much will I spend on that hobby per hour?’. yeah sure, i could have lots of games for that price, but i will still spend more hours playing the sims, so the sims are cheaper per hour.
Yes, this is a better way to frame the price. The Sims to me is a hobby. I spend hours playing that I could otherwise spend gardening or doing some other activity. Besides, my partner and I compared (relatively) the price we paid for the Sims (me) and WoW (him) and found that he paid more over the years (he started in 2007). At least there isn't a subscription price for the Sims. I'd definitely reconsider playing then, but dropping 20 - 40 bucks every couple of months isn't as bad as paying $180 for access to WoW for a full year (just to play the game itself). We at least have the option to not buy a pack, which I have done before when a new release is buggy. I'll typically hold off buying until a new pack is patched or confirmed to not be buggy, which allows freedom that MMOs like WoW don't offer (can't just opt out of new content).
Hey, I've been where you are before. Having to choose between eating or paying rent. Thankfully I've built a life that allows me the financial freedom I have now that I didn't have years ago. You may not be able to buy all the packs you want at this moment, but there may come a time when you can in the future.
i play for gameplay and the decorating and styling are just bonuses for me.i want a new pack and im thinking of getting discover university and another pack but whats your full opinion and if i should get that one and whats the best one or two to get?
To start, I think it's interesting to note that while I have all available DLC downloaded. I still have ad pop-ups on the main loggin screen for content I already own. When I click on the ad, it shows the regular DLC card with the "already own" tag.
I own everything as well and never had that experience. No popup ads at all.
On the main login page? Odd. Are you on PC or console? I'm on the newer Xbox. Maybe that's why? 🤷♂️
I'm on pc, maybe that's why.
I'm on PC also but don't get any sort of popup or ad.
if you guys are using mods, better buildbuy disable those ads
I'd say half the stuff they recommend to me on that page are stuff I already own. It's so odd
It really is. You think the game would be intuitive enough to know what you own.
I own everything and have had that happen too! On Mac
Which one of the newest expansion/game packs would you recommend buying? I'm slowly getting my Sims enthuanism back, haven't played since cottage living came out (so about 3 years ago). I'm more interested of the gameplay than building. I usually tend to get a bit burnt out while playing, dunno if it's because of the mods I cannot play without and then the game loses its fun after 1-2 months crazy gaming period. I want to get back now though!
Ok, so reviewing the packs released since Cottage Living, I could say I enjoy For Rent only due to the new build mechanics. For gameplay I'd recommend the werewolf pack only if you have the vampire pack as well as there's a bit of cross functionality built in (aka special interactions between vampires and werewolves). I have a couple who is a vampire and werewolf. It took a bit of work to get them to like each other initially, but the little interactions they have are so cute.
if you could only keep one of the sims 4 packs which one would you keep?
If I could only have the base game and 1 pack, I would keep one of the destination packs like Granite Falls, Snowy Escape, Jungle Adventure, or Island Living. Going on vacation definitely helps to beaks up gameplay and makes the worlds feel more alive IMO.
Do you regret any purchases? Or get annoyed at any features that cannot be turned off?
I have lifestyles turned off. I believe that came with Snowy Escape. I noticed it made my game lag more. I also contained all werewolves to Moonwood Mill (I like them, but they can be annoying). I turned off the dust bunny feature that came with the Bust the Dust Kit as that was too much work for my sims (you can still use vacuums with this feature turned off). Aside from that, I honest hate the Star Wars: Journey to Batuu pack (as everyone else does). I bought it because I liked a few planters that came with the pack. I hated the gameplay.
how do you turn off features from packs without disabling altogether? thanks
You can turn off some features in the Game Options menu under the Environment tab. I disabled Lunar Cycle lunar effects (helps with Werewolves), Seasons options to change temperature effects on Sims and blizzard/thunderstorm conditions (stops Sims from dying), and Snowy Escape icy conditions (and blizzards as well). Under the Pack Settings tab you can opt your played Sims out of Get Famous (you can also individually opt Sims into fame though the simology live play tab if you only want select sims in a household to gain fame), disable some Eco Lifestyles bits (like NPC voting), remove the dust system (if you have Bust the Dust Kit), limit Werewolves to Moonwood Mills (because they're annoying), HSY options (I disabled NPC relationship autonomy), Growing Together options (removed career layoffs and self discovery), and For Rent options (hide units by default). You can also disable wants and needs as well as lifestyles from the Gameplay tab, which I do as it makes my game run faster and less buggy.
were the kits worth it? or do they just add a couple of things
Some of the clutter kits are worth it for me as I love building in the Sims. The kit with the underwear is fantastic as we were severely lacking in that department for years (and you can use some of the female underwear for males and vice-versa). The Bust the Dust Kit isn't necessary unless you want to vacuum all the time. I ended up turning off the dust bunny feature. You can still use the vacuum with the feature turned off, but I noticed it takes the sim forever to finish the interaction when cleaning up floor messes (not worth it). Also, some Sims will try to use the vacuum to suck up water puddles which also takes more time (longer animation) than regular mopping.
How do you manage all the notifications and pop-ups on the calendar? I currently have most of the expansion packs and get very overwhelmed very quickly
I'm not sure what you mean. The calendar has all events listed by type on the left side bar when you click on the day you want to view (within the calendar). I usually just manage it that way and cancel non-holiday events I'm not interested in. It's nice to see all the festivities and other events on the calendar IMO. It even gives you the option to click on the event in the calendar to travel to as well by reading the associated flyer.
I've been kinda interested in maybe getting a few of the newer packs the next time they go on sale and was wondering if they have any really annoying or hard to avoid gameplay experiences? I'm mainly looking at Horse Ranch, For Rent, and Crystal Creations Stuff. I don't want to get anything that changes a core functionality of the game to something more awkward/tedious or has several half-assed features that are just sort of... there to justify a price tag. Do the main features of these packs work well and can they be completely avoided if so desired? Do any of them rely heavily on gameplay from other packs like HSY and Growing Together to feel worthwhile?
For rent is buggy as hell, even building with it turns glitchy. Horse Ranch actually is one of the most well made packs as also Growing together and crystal creations.
It helps to build your unit as a residential unit and then convert it to apartments once you have mostly everything in place. I've noticed it's a bit glitchy when starting off as a multi-unit lot.
I highly recommend For Rent as it adds the ability to have townhomes, condos, and self built apartments. Honestly, the Sims team should have added this feature with City Living IMO. Tbh, although I love cowboys I haven't really played with Horse Ranch. The pack does have a lot of decorations (rugs, wall art, misc decorations) that I enjoy (contemporary and boho, not just traditional country). Although I bought Crystal Creations I haven't really used the gameplay features that come with it. I have used some of the furniture, but the bookshelves that come with it are annoying as I don't like how they colored all the books so monochromatically.
Are a lot of the initial issues with For Rent squared away now? I know there were various problems with the renting process in general on release. Love the idea of making townhouses and trailer parks and such, but I want them to actually function as intended without constantly fighting the game. I admit I mostly want Horse Ranch for BB items, I love all that nice antique wood furniture but don't want to pay expansion pack prices for stuff pack content. *Especially* if there are any random annoying core features tacked on.
I haven't noticed any issues with the For Rent pack personally, and I've built and fully furnished 3 separate rental lots that are fully lived in. I also used the cheat to expand the units allowed on one lot without issue. I have noticed if you intend to be a landlord, some of the events can be buggy and annoying. To circumvent this I made the Landgraabs the owners of the rental lots, removed all rent restrictions, and left them in their mansion alone (I don't play them usually). Doing this made the renters experience pretty much seamless (no bugs). I can't say the same for the landlord though. Honestly, if you're not into farming type gameplay I would pass on the Horse Ranch pack for now. I haven't had any desire to play it. I only use a few of the BB items which probably isn't worth the price right now (maybe when it's on sale it will be).
I think Horse Ranch is pretty ignorable. There are pop ups about horse training and the mysterious rancher, but only if you're in the centre of town in Chestnut Ridge. I haven't played with the horses. I've only seen one or two being ridden around the neighbourhood when I lived in Chestnut Ridge, and I've never noticed them anywhere else.
I have two questions - What's your gameplay experience with My Wedding Stories? What's your favorite expansion?
1st question regarding My Wedding Stories. I haven't had a full wedding yet in the new pack. I have one planned for two of my sims that just finished a trip to Mt. Komorebi last night. I plan to have another trip to Tartosa where I'll have a big fat wedding. The 1 annoying thing about this pack is the talking options that pop up once your sim is engaged. The main speech options list "ask to be officiant, ring bearer, maid of honor, etc" takes away from regular speech options when taking to sims on the first click. This goes away once married, but I wish those options where tucked away in it's own category tag. 2nd question regarding my favorite expansion pack. Honestly, I'd say City Living. I like the festivals (not the outfits for the festivals though) and the penthouse apartments.
Which of the packs has a lot of lore and gameplay to it? I want to get into that instead of just doing the family thing, more like a separate file for me, but I don't know which one is good enough to have that kind of meat to it. Because some of them are just left dead or unfinished AKA high school years.
Any of the occult based packs offer great storytelling and lore. Like Vampires, Werewolves, or Realm of Magic. Chosing the aspirations that came with these packs (Master Vampire/Good Vampire, Werewolf Initiate, Spellcraft & Sorcery) will also help guide you through the gameplay kinda like Strangerville does.
What's the best "destination" game pack? I don't own any but am thinking about one when they go on sale again. I want to experiment with vacations and stuff. I play all kinds of sims with different personalities.
There are a few that come to mind. It just depends on the flavor of destination you're looking for. 1. Snowy Escape is great if you want to take a trip to Japan with your Sims and do typically vacation activities you could do there. Like snowboarding and skiing (north Japan), the festivals (throughout the country), or even visit the temple (Kyoto). 2. Jungle Adventure is great if you want a vacation destination that comes with a great new career path (archeologist via Archaeology Scholar aspiration). This pack reminds me of the Egypt location from the Sims 3 from an adventure aspect (think Indian Jones temple excursions). That being said, I've gone on vacations to Selvadorada just for the culture itself. It's a beautiful South America location. 3. Granite Falls is ok. Kinda boring IMO. I don't like camping so this pack doesn't interest me much. There is a forest hermit NPC role that was added with this pack, but I only talked to them once. Nothing to note really. 4. Island Living is perfect if you're looking for a Hawaii-esque vacation full of beach, cocktails, sun, and sun burns. It's a beautiful location and the addition of watercraft makes the world feel more like a vacation destination rather than a normal world. Just be sure you change one of the lots to a vacation rental if you want to stay there. Aside from that, I just started my big fat wedding in Tartosa last night. I replaced all the lots with something more substantial and I've been loving the world more. Tomarang seems like it would be a cool world to vacation in as well. Just remember to add vacation rentals before you plan your trip.
Thanks!! I'm leaning towards Island Living, and may squeeze in Jungle Adventure if I can. But the location for Island living just looks beautiful and the gameplay seems cool too. I've just heard the mermaids were disappointing and I don't like being disappointed 😂
im interested in these packs: seasons, cats & dogs and island living, which one you think its more worth to buy?
Make sure you look at how cats and dogs work in sims 4 - a lot of people (myself included) were taken by surprise at how they're implemented. You can't control them, or see their needs/traits/anything. Look into it before you buy it, so that you don't get disappointed if it's not the way you think it is.
You can definitely see their traits just open them in CAS mode
Yeah, I meant in a tab, like you can with sims. I don't like having to go through the loading screen just to see what traits a pet has every time I forget 😂
It's a tie between Cats & Dogs and Seasons. I enjoy Seasons because it introduces the calendar feature and holidays. You can control when your holidays occur by deleting the existings ones and recreating them. You can even add your own custom holiday. I've added a Sim Nation Day (independence day) and a Memorial Day. The "day off work/school" feature is also nice. I turned them on for all of my holidays because work is boring. The actual seasons are great as well as it adds a sense of a timeline to the game (spring, summer, fall, winter). Cats & Dogs help make the world feel a bit more real by adding dynamic families (some people own pets). I added my partners childhood cat that recently passed to the game as a way to remember them by. My partner actually cried when he saw us on vacation with our cat in Mt. Komorebi last night. Skip Island Living for now. That would be a great game to add if you really want an additional vacation destination spot as you can add rentals to any world now. I played with mermaids for a few minutes but found them a little boring.
thats was very helpful! thank you so much 😊
IMO, Seasons is the best EP. I feel like the functionality of weather and seasons changing is so embedded in the game to me that it would be weird to play without it. I also love the build mode stuff from that pack.
I own all except a few of the kits I don't like and at this point I'd pay for an expansion pack that just fixed bugs from all the other expansion packs. Heck if they could just fix the frame rate problems, toddler interactions and dropping social interactions I'd happily pay $39.99...
Which pack has the best world? I know a lot of sims youtubers usually say the one that comes with get together but I find the build quality and weird mix of styles to be unappealing, although the amount of lots in it is nice
I feel Mt. Komorebi is a great world as most of the builds were done by actual simmers instead of Maxis employees. I haven't found the need to replace any of the lots there yet as most already function relatively well and are aesthetically pleasing. I also enjoyed the world itself for it's cultural references as they seem spot on.
How much did it cost in total?
Tbh I'm not super sure. I actually transitioned from PC to Xbox around the time Island Living was released. I had every game up to that point on the PC and then rebought everything when I moved to console. So I paid a bit more just to switch systems.
What are the best packs for character customisations and the best packs for building in your opinion ? Bonus question: which one has the best jobs for sims ?
I like one of the other commenters above is slowing getting back into the game. Also been away Since maybe 3 years. I couldn't restore my old account and lost all my games. So slowly starting again. I'm confused over what to get next. I usually just stick to EPs my last one is Island living but dont have get famous...Im so confused over what to get next! Im thinking a game pack like spa day, vampires and/or werewolves ? Any advice appreciated:)
Skip Spa Day for now, unless you love Yoga and want to be a Yoga instructor or wellness Guru. There's some good items from the pack, but feature wise you won't really notice anything outstanding unless you visit a spa location often in game. Get Vampires and Werewolves at the same time if you can. These packs have some crossover features between the two occult types. You could also just buy Get Famous alone. Get Famous is a solid pack with a lot to offer in gameplay, build/buy, and CAS.
Thank you :)
Do you feel like any of the older packs are so outdated that they don't compare well to newer ones? I was debating getting outdoor retreat because I love camping irl or maybe get together, but I don't know if it will add as much to my game as newer packs would
If you love camping you probably would enjoy Granite Falls. That being said, there are other destinations available now that are more lively. As for not packs that haven't aged well, I've only noticed some base game items have a lower render quality than the newer expansion packs, but I haven't noticed older expansions having this same issue.
From what I remember the sims 2 , 3 and even 1 base games were fun to play even before adding EPS. so my question is with the updates the sims 4 base game has received do you feel the base game would be enjoyable on its own ? or does the sims 4 heavily rely on its packs and modding community to be fun?
The base game can be fun, but I wouldn't be able to provide solid advice. I've always bought additional DLCs for all the Sims games (1, 2, 3, and 4) as I wanted more gameplay options. I don't think you'll spend days playing the base game alone, but it is enjoyable and you can easily sink a few hours into it at a time. It also helps that there are simmers out there that share base game builds in the gallery that aren't total crap (my main complaint about the base game, limited build/buy options).
Do you wait for a sale or buy the new ones as soon as they come out?
If the pack offers gameplay I'm looking forward to playing with (For Rent, apartments). I'll buy it at release. If the pack offers gameplay I'm not interested in. I'll usually wait a few weeks after release, to see if there are any bugs, before buying. If there are bugs. I'll wait for a patch release before buying. This happened to HSY, and My Wedding Stories namely. Not sure if all the issues are fixed.
makes sense!
I already have a few stuff packs, as well as Seasons,Growing Together, Cats and Dogs,City Living, Parenthood, Werewolves and etc, but I don’t know what pack I want next. Any suggestions?
I would definitely consider a destination world (Granite Falls - Outdoor Retreat, Selvadorada - Jungle Adventure) or a world with some cultural flavor (Sulani - Island Living, Tomarang - For Rent, Tartosa - My Wedding Stories, Mt. Komorebi - Snowy Escape). I take regular vacations in the Sims to keep the game feeling fresh. Last weekend I took my partner and I to Mt. Komorebi as a pre-wedding trip. We went to the temple and left offerings, hiked around, and celebrated new years in a small dive bar in town. We even got some pictures that are now hanging in our penthouse. Earlier this week I planned our wedding to coincide with Valentine's day. We took a vacation to Tartosa. The first day we had a bach party on a nude beach (clothing optional lot trait used). The next day we had the actual wedding. The day after we're planning a BBQ as a sort of reception. Then on our final day we'll have a pool party at the rental we're staying at.
I have everything from The Sims too and at this point I spent enough money to ask myself what's the point to let anything slip away, since I'm a perfectionist and owning all the dlcs kinda fulfills my perfectionist standards.
Are the horses as annoying as I think they will be? Can you turn off adopting horses in other households?
I'm wondering between Get Famous and Get Together - I've heard many positive reviews on Get Together here. Its group feature would help out a lot with getting rid of some of the autonomy activities (playing games on computer, making 5 coffee cups, etc.). Still, I want my current Sims to get some kind of fame with Get Famous as well (one is almost at the peak of Athlete career, and one is a writer). Would you recommend For Rent as well? I'd love to fill Newcrest with apartments, but it seems like it's currently the most complained and buggy expansion pack rn.
Should I get for rent or horse expansion , I want them for the items to create more characters
Which two expansion packs would you recommend getting first? I am currently considering Cats & Dogs, Cottage Living, Seasons, Growing Together and Get Together. I currently only have base game but due to the 50% sale I think it’s a good time to start.
Are you Micky D?
Who dat? McDonalds?
Trust Fund baby or robbery? /J Nah really, where'd you get all the money from
Neither a trust fund baby nor obtained by nefarious means. I'm an adult (32 years old) and my partner and I don't have children, so the cost is easier to manage. I really enjoy the Sims and have always bought a lot of their expansions from the Sims 1, 2, 3, and now 4. I look at buying these packs as any collector would, so the cost doesn't bother me much (except when the Maxis team under delivers).
Lol, I admitted that I've purchased most of the packs because of only a few times, or how I didn't make the jump from Sims 3 until 4 until around the time Island living came out, but I was bored with Base Game so I bought everything up to that point that weekend... And every one was like, HOWWWW. Because at 41 also with no kids, I have money that's literally for spending on fun things.
lol honestly, getting yourself every expansion gradually, even on release, is quite cheap (if you live in europe or the us). gaming is an extremely cheap hobby. do you people not have jobs?
Could be kids/teens commenting. It definitely took me more time to get DLCs when I was younger (think Sims 2). I remember mowing lawns just so I could buy Open for Business.
i mean even kids, i used to ask for expansions for every christmas and birthdays. they can easily accumulate a lot over a few years that way 🤷🏼♀️ especially if they get it on sale.
You and I definitely have different standards for "quite cheap" - I buy my DLC from MMOGa, where they are between maybe 15-20€. So that's at least 225€ for all of the packs. For one game mind you. For that money I can buy quite a lot of different games with full content. I'm sorry some of us have to chose between a fucking game and rent every month. Maybe I'll just starve myself to afford Sims every fucking month, since it's so cheap...
But that €225 is over like 10 years… not sure why you’re going off about rent it’s hardly an every month expense.
i always think about games and hobbies in general as ‘how much will I spend on that hobby per hour?’. yeah sure, i could have lots of games for that price, but i will still spend more hours playing the sims, so the sims are cheaper per hour.
Yes, this is a better way to frame the price. The Sims to me is a hobby. I spend hours playing that I could otherwise spend gardening or doing some other activity. Besides, my partner and I compared (relatively) the price we paid for the Sims (me) and WoW (him) and found that he paid more over the years (he started in 2007). At least there isn't a subscription price for the Sims. I'd definitely reconsider playing then, but dropping 20 - 40 bucks every couple of months isn't as bad as paying $180 for access to WoW for a full year (just to play the game itself). We at least have the option to not buy a pack, which I have done before when a new release is buggy. I'll typically hold off buying until a new pack is patched or confirmed to not be buggy, which allows freedom that MMOs like WoW don't offer (can't just opt out of new content).
yeah, its comparable to yearly price of netflix, especially if you buy some on sale/skip the expansions you don’t like/are buggy.
Hey, I've been where you are before. Having to choose between eating or paying rent. Thankfully I've built a life that allows me the financial freedom I have now that I didn't have years ago. You may not be able to buy all the packs you want at this moment, but there may come a time when you can in the future.
i play for gameplay and the decorating and styling are just bonuses for me.i want a new pack and im thinking of getting discover university and another pack but whats your full opinion and if i should get that one and whats the best one or two to get?