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The Sims 4's DLC quality
WinMacSims3
Posts: 1,610 Member
While The Sims 4 along with The Sims FreePlay may be subject to debates if the two games are good or if The Sims 3 (or The Sims 2) is a better game, there are often debates about the game's DLC quality.
The Expansion Packs (Get to Work, Get Together, and City Life) are questioned if they're worth buying considering their §40 price. While they do have interesting features, some say the content is lacking.
The Stuff Packs are probably the DLC that often get debates. Off all, Perfect Patio, Cool Kitchen, Romantic Garden, and Vintage Glamour are arguably the more useful Stuff Packs due to their content (Hot Tubs, Ice Cream maker, Wishing Well, and Butlers respectively) but others tend to be viewed as not worth buying. Affected Stuff Packs include Luxury Party, Spooky, Movie Hangout, Backyard, Bowling Night, and Fitness but also Kids Room and Toddlers depending on the Simmer.
mainly Luxury Party, Spooky, Movie Hangout, Backyard, and Kids Room. The former two are parties, the 3rd is movies, while the latter two depends on Simmers' preferences on backyards and kids respectively. The other three, Perfect Patio, Cool Kitchen, and possibly Romantic Garden, have useful content (I don't know about Vintage Glamour) so they are worth buying.
And then Game Packs (Outdoor Retreat, Spa Day, and Dine Out) as well. Spa Day is probably considered a better GP because of the Skill included while the other two are debatable if these GPs are worth buying.
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I can understand why people think TS4's DLC quality isn't good as TS3's since 60% of TS4's DLCs are Stuff Packs with 40% being Expansion Packs and Game Packs. TS4 has 9 SPs, 3 EPs, and 3 GPs compared to TS3 (December 2011) having 5 EPs and 4 SPs (5 if you count the to be released Master Suite). In 2016, we only saw 1 EP and 1 GP but only 5 SPs.
Do you think The Sims 4 has good DLC compared to The Sims 3, The Sims 2, or even The Sims?
The Expansion Packs (Get to Work, Get Together, and City Life) are questioned if they're worth buying considering their §40 price. While they do have interesting features, some say the content is lacking.
The Stuff Packs are probably the DLC that often get debates. Off all, Perfect Patio, Cool Kitchen, Romantic Garden, and Vintage Glamour are arguably the more useful Stuff Packs due to their content (Hot Tubs, Ice Cream maker, Wishing Well, and Butlers respectively) but others tend to be viewed as not worth buying. Affected Stuff Packs include Luxury Party, Spooky, Movie Hangout, Backyard, Bowling Night, and Fitness but also Kids Room and Toddlers depending on the Simmer.
mainly Luxury Party, Spooky, Movie Hangout, Backyard, and Kids Room. The former two are parties, the 3rd is movies, while the latter two depends on Simmers' preferences on backyards and kids respectively. The other three, Perfect Patio, Cool Kitchen, and possibly Romantic Garden, have useful content (I don't know about Vintage Glamour) so they are worth buying.
And then Game Packs (Outdoor Retreat, Spa Day, and Dine Out) as well. Spa Day is probably considered a better GP because of the Skill included while the other two are debatable if these GPs are worth buying.
[/list]
I can understand why people think TS4's DLC quality isn't good as TS3's since 60% of TS4's DLCs are Stuff Packs with 40% being Expansion Packs and Game Packs. TS4 has 9 SPs, 3 EPs, and 3 GPs compared to TS3 (December 2011) having 5 EPs and 4 SPs (5 if you count the to be released Master Suite). In 2016, we only saw 1 EP and 1 GP but only 5 SPs.
Do you think The Sims 4 has good DLC compared to The Sims 3, The Sims 2, or even The Sims?
Origin ID: GothicSimmer, YouTube: GothicSimmer
Post edited by WinMacSims3 on
2
Comments
I love Spa Day and I have had some use for Outdoor retreat. I've only had a couple of Dine Out experiences, but they went very well.
I only like Stuff Packs for game play and and the clothing they provide. I can't get into stuff pack objects because of this simple, blocky mesh art style and low detail textures, plus not having CASt to detail them how I want.
It's the life stages and basic game play that's sucking the life out of any add on DLC for me.
I am back to playing TS3 and really enjoying it despite some Store DLC being a bit lightweight, but there are others that I really like and I am very glad to have them.
even Instant Gaming has the sense to be able to use a Paysafe card
an alternative is making sure everyone around the world can 'buy' stuff from your wishlist. Since @MasonGamer and I discovered that since I live in Canada and he (I assume) lives in the U.S. since he was going to buy something from my wishlist but couldn't.
In terms of gameplay, TS3 has the advantage over TS4 imo (or as of right now, anyway). I have enjoyed the EPs and GPs TS4 has come out with, but after a time, I feel like I've experienced what I can. I never got to that point with TS3's EPs; there was always something left for me to experience whenever I returned to the game.
I think a big part of it for me is the shortage of in-game goals in TS4. When I play without player challenges, my primary goal is to complete the sim's aspiration/LTW. TS3 was good about adding new LTWs with varying levels of difficulty with each expansion; I've still yet to complete them all. In addition to that, skills also came with a set of optional mini challenges that would usually provide some benefit to your sims should they be completed. There were also opportunities, which were admittedly obnoxious with the constant pop-ups when left unsuppressed, but regardless of that, they were additional (optional) quests that tied in with your sim's skills/careers/fame and could lead to some really neat rewards (the omni plant springs to mind).
As for TS4, there are the aspirations you can complete, but there are so few to choose from, and once you've gone a few generations into a family, the aspirations start to feel repetitve and stale. I like that sims will invite you out to events—the social aspect of TS4 is great—but unlike the opportunities in TS3, there's no reward or consequence for the npc's event. Now, I do still enjoy playing TS4 despite this, but as a goal-oriented player, there's only so much I can do in terms of what the game can provide as of right now.
And while I think I prefer TS4 stuff packs over a TS4 store, I do wish they would concentrate more on EPs and GPs for the game. I like having new things, but ultimately it's the gameplay that will bring me back.
TL; DR:
In terms of CAS: TS4 > TS3
In terms of objects: Not something I'm interested in comparing yet tbh.
In terms of gameplay: TS4 < TS3
Do I think TS4's DLC is as good as TS3's? Aesthetically, yes. I don't think we're there yet with gameplay, but I can still enjoy TS4 for what it is. I do have my frustrations and concerns with the game, but I haven't lost hope yet.
University on the other hand, added a whole new goal, graduate with good grades. it was a fun something else to do that added to regular play, because if you get a degree then your pay gets better.
Im not sure if that makes entire sense but that is how i feel
I love video games because of the things that I could never do in real life... For instance, in the sims you can get a job and a house.
Origin ID: Mainmanvs100
Price plays no part in this for me. If Sims 3 would have been less popular I'm sure the content would have been less expensive. Apart from that, I own the basegame, two EP's (one with a 50% discount) and two GP's and that cost me around € 130. I'm more interested how 'cheap' that is in comparison to other games?
ETA: I wonder why you're narrowing it down to Sims 3 and 4? I think it's also interesting to compare it to Sims 2 (and 1 for that matter).
I think the EP's are lacking (not horrible, just not worth $40 and not really an EP). They seem watered-down, half-done EP's. Like they were in the process of doing it, but ran out of time and was like, "nah... we'll call that good." While I do enjoy City Living and Get Together, I just feel they left out so much that could have been added to each pack.... therefore, they feel unfinished to me.
Ad for GP's. I love how they've done GP's. I'm less impressed with Outdoor Retreat, but I do feel it was complete and, even though I don't use it all that often, it's a fun pack to have. Spa Day, to me, is the best GP. I use Spa's and content from Spa Day all the time. But, there hasn't been a GP that I'm just like, "Well... I feel j.i.p.p.e.d." I wish Dine Out didn't have a billion bugs and I do they missed the mark on a couple things (being able to actually run our restaurant, as in... oh, that table is not being served and their food is just sitting there.. let me take it to them... oh, we can't do that! Among a few other things). But still a good GP.
SP's are probably my favorite in Sims 4 then any other series. I feel we get a lot for the price. We get stuff (CAS and build/buy) as well as new game play. Even the SP's that I'm not particular fond of, chances are I bought it for the new gameplay that it came with.
When it comes to SPs however ts4 is the clear winner at least for me. They are cheapers, have about the same amount of content, add something new gameplay wise to my game and I have use for everthing they have added. TS3 only about half of the pack's I actually care to have and even then I'm not entirely fond of what they add. I think the only pack I actually saw as a must was Master Suite and that because the game was lacking sleeping wear.
GPs are hard to gauge since they are a first for there kind but I guess you could compare them to store venues sets. In which case ts4 wins again. Though the store added some fun gameplay, what you got in the entire set was ridiculously low for the $20 asking price and often time the gameplay they did add was broken.
Overall I say ts4 is better with 3 only beating it in EPs. Oh CL if only you added a bit more you could of given ts4 a perfect score and ts3 had WA working against it.
Can't comments ts2 as I haven't played it
Late Night = CL
(theme wise)
I was mainly talking about World Adventures vs Get Together
WA was probably one of ts3's biggest EPs but it interested me the least, well next to Into the Future.
I hated the store because everything was over priced. You could spend $10 on 1 premium objects alone. It wasn't worth it, especially since I couldn't always afford the content. With ts4 I can usually afford the packs.
Pets isn't really my taste but I do think it's a good pack that can't be missed. Generations was good, it added more for all life stages to do but it didn't solve my issue of life stages feeling too separated. I know that people complain that the life stages in ts4 don't feel separate enough but I think gens can solves that, like how gens solved some issues with 3.
WA and ITF has some really neat stuff. But I didn't really feel like playing with their stuff again after the first few times.
I much preferred things like Generations, Seasons, and Supernatural. They gave me more things to mess around with in my sims every day lives rather than destinations to mess around in.
Not to mention the forever loading times when going back and forth between those worlds. Only thing I found in those that I used a lot was the nectary stuff in WA. I had a legacy of wine/nectar makers that was really fun to play with. They made their living off of it and each generation had a set of bottles they stored for the 10th generation to enjoy.
This might be kind of petty of me I guess, but it REALLY bugs me about the fact that parties start the moment you click 'okay' and you're not able to select the time/day for it to start. Why.
I already dealt with the first loading screen just to get in game, last thing I wanted to do was wait during a second to travel to one of the travel worlds. I also wasn't a fan of exploring tombs which left me to exploring the worlds and sadly it felt like most of the effort put into the tombs rather then the world. I did like karate and nectar making but those aren't enough to make me feel like my money was greatly spent. Honestly though I wanted the experience of sending my sims on vacation to relax and have fun not spend the next 10 sim hours exploring a tomb and my sims passing put due sleep failure. I wish they had combined IP with WA because IP added the feel of going on vacation because of resorts but since they were in your home world it felt weird to go to one. If resorts were instead in those travel worlds that would of made more sense. For me that would of been a great traveling EP, explore tombs and find treasures or relax in luxury resorts .
I've always bought SPs in the past. I enjoy 'stuff' but I don't like having certain things like butlers, popcorn makers, and all those other things that add to 'gameplay' in an SP. it feels like piece-mealing to me when they do that and I don't like it.
I do understand why they do it though. It raises the guarantee on the sale of an SP. It makes sense and I would most-likely continue to eat up every morsel if I felt it were worth it.