Hopefully other people who have aged up their teens/children will chime in then- will be good to add more voices to the mix.
That won't be me since I am also using Parenthood to play out a story scenario and it's going very slow, but this has been a concern of mine since the LGR video. I suspect Parenthood is more a training ground pack with very little real world uses after the training. I wish I was further ahead to see how my play-style really works with the pack, but I am not going to rush things and only play the features.
I am hoping EA will treat the game mechanic as they do the Get Together groups mechanic where you can add in more activities from other packs. Character Values could use more social and venue situations from later packs that determine how your sims fail or succeed at them.
I am suggesting a Drama and Danger pack that factors in Character Values, traits, emotional state, and skills: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/916817/please-make-the-dangerous-stuff-concept-a-game-pack-parenthood-update#latest
I think what a lot of people are disappointed by/don't understand is that the results of this pack are going to be more long-term. Like a whole sim's life cycle and then some. The traits you do/don't inherit can have great benefits or nasty consequences, and honestly even if you don't get to certain levels of the character traits; they sims themselves start picking up on it as they go. My more responsible teen sims are auto-doing their homework. The argumentative teen is insulting their siblings, etc. etc.
tbh I haven't gone through a whole family cycle mainly cause I like to rotate after a while and can only play so much of a family in one sitting. But even I'm starting to see some impact. Especially with the teens, cause they get the most points earned (and probably lost as well) and it shows.
Also I am drooling @ that Emotional Control benefit reward trait. GNARLY, MY MAN.
I think the pack is going to have more impact if you're starting with toddlers or children right off, rather than if you're going straight into parenting teens. The teens you've raised from toddlerhood are going to have some set behaviors from how you've raised them by the time they become teens, so the interactions may have more effect. A Sim that was never taught responsibility as a toddler or child, for example, may be more likely to break curfew as a teen, or one who wasn't lectured about manners might be more likely to fart or belch in public. If you're going in and just creating a family with mom, dad and teens to see the teen interactions, you're missing the progression that leads to that point, how they were raised earlier in their lives.
Check out my Gallery! Origin ID: justme22
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
I feel that it is time for EA/Maxis to turn to other aspects of the game instead of focusing on the Sims only. Very little has been done to add more worlds and neighborhoods to the game (lack of empty lots), add more build tools (which we have seen little to none added to the game lately), and many other areas of the game that are being ignored. This game has so many different ways to play, other than game play, that have been left along the roadside in favor of Sim's emotions, life stages, interactions, etc., etc. As I have read in this thread, some family play members are not happy or impressed with this GP. This is one good reason to focus on something else to help improve the game. Building has always been a big part of this game. Even many family play Simmers have stated that builders add A LOT to the game, and without them the game would be less attractive and boring.
Come on, EA! Give us what we truly want!!! More build tools!!!
PS Please don't tell me I am wrong about build tools. You know you love all of those fantastic lots you can download from the Gallery. Just think of all of the fabulous builds you will see with the introduction of new build tools!
I will agree with you for one reason. As a family/realism player I and many others NEEDED this pack and the toddlers, no i didnt complain about the toddlers but i did need them, However we do (as builders and family players) need more worlds and even vacations other than camping. and many things could come for builders, family and storyteller players that could make a difference things like L and U shaped stairs would helps all of the above. the long stairs are hard to place just right and can force a house to be bigger than the player or storyteller wants plus add veriety even in the same home for all 3 types of players.
Something i think will never happen but NEEDS to is building specific foundations even if its just for the whole building but split levels would be nice to. there are so many aspects a building GP could add that would help us all.
But as for this post and this GP I absolutely love it. If you are micro managing your sims then your not letting the true aspects of this GP work for you. Unless you want a child sim to be an angel or demon then alowing them to do their thing and seeing what they become works to and give some some surprises along the way.
I completely agree with you. I was going to try and get a refund but I figured it doesn't matter $20 isn't going to kill me financially. But this gamepack wasn't worth the hype. Everything was planned during the stream. It's all the same... I played my sim from child to Ya she now has the irresponsible trait but the trait doesn't hold any weight. She cusses every now and then but.... That's it. Back to TS3 & TS2
I'll agree that we need more worlds, and worlds that have space for us to actually customize without having to delete other venues. For example, in San Myshuno I lost The Old Salt House as a residence because I made it a bowling alley -- I felt it fit the city better. I did replace it by turning The Stargazer Lounge into a penthouse residence, but the penthouses are pretty pricy for my Sims until I get a few generations in. Willow Creek is probably my favorite of the worlds because it's got the most "suburban" feel to it; I've made a few edits mainly in replacing houses (the Goths probably hate me because I moved them and their house to Forgotten Hollow) and it's usually where I start out my families. I'm hoping if Pets is the EP on the horizon we might get a world with that, with plenty of space for dog-walking and the like, but not too many pre-made venues so players can easily add their own houses for their (and their pets') needs.
Check out my Gallery! Origin ID: justme22
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
[quote="I8PIKACHU;d-918935"]No matter if the teen is an emo or outspoken, the end goal is all the same: they all turn into regular adults and need jobs and everything is erased from their teen experience as if the pack never existed. [/qoute]
I hate to break it to you, but that sounds an awful lot like real life.
In all seriousness though, the pack is mainly about parenting. It has some sweet bonus things for teens as well, but its main focus is parenting. How are you supposed to parent without a parent in the household?
I completely agree with you. I was going to try and get a refund but I figured it doesn't matter $20 isn't going to kill me financially. But this gamepack wasn't worth the hype. Everything was planned during the stream. It's all the same... I played my sim from child to Ya she now has the irresponsible trait but the trait doesn't hold any weight. She cusses every now and then but.... That's it. Back to TS3 & TS2
Actually I believe cussing affects/is an effect from Manners, not Responsibility (or the Irresponsible trait).
Are you sure the trait doesn't have any effect? I suspect it may have an effect with getting promotions... although I don't know for sure because I haven't read up on the permanent traits (I want to play the game without too many spoilers).
Your sim can get up to five traits upon aging to YA provided the red for negative/green for positive is past the point indicated. If you don't get it to that point, then no trait.
To me, it is the little things that I like about the pack. The toddler making a mess all over the floor with flour and chocolate. The setting of the table for dinner. The sibling rivalry and the teenage mood swings .... and when they say mood swing, they aren't kidding. I even actually liked the rabbit hole volunteering.
In a sense then, OP ... the toddler traits are pointless, unless you get the three traits to level 3 or level 5. They don't do anything .... so does that make toddlers pointless as well?
I always liked the child stage for Sims4, now it is better. My two teenage girls were a hot mess and my little child has the mouth of a sailor apparently ...
One persons trash is another persons treasure ... and on that note, I am feeling like a king.
King Gruffman, eh? I always knew you had a regal air about you
I really have no idea how the OP has managed to play through 3 age stages in such a short space of time!!! Did you eat or sleep in the last 24 hours? I must be a really, really slow player as I think I have only got through about 4 sim days since the pack was released.
King Gruffman, eh? I always knew you had a regal air about you
I really have no idea how the OP has managed to play through 3 age stages in such a short space of time!!! Did you eat or sleep in the last 24 hours? I must be a really, really slow player as I think I have only got through about 4 sim days since the pack was released.
Lol.
No, no regalness here, that is a good chuckle though.
I managed to play seven sim days before I had to stop playing.
King Gruffman, eh? I always knew you had a regal air about you
I really have no idea how the OP has managed to play through 3 age stages in such a short space of time!!! Did you eat or sleep in the last 24 hours? I must be a really, really slow player as I think I have only got through about 4 sim days since the pack was released.
Easy. Teens were upgraded with the new pack, they became adults and had children. I played for about 16 hours.
In a sense then, OP ... the toddler traits are pointless, unless you get the three traits to level 3 or level 5. They don't do anything .... so does that make toddlers pointless as well?
Regardless of the meaningless trait system for toddlers, teens or adults, there is a consequence for not taking care of toddlers. You can lose them so you have to constantly watch them.
unless the original traits are substantially improved everything which is added in the growing up phases won't have any substantial impact
as i understand the Parenthood GP it's more of a filler, the way which leads towards groups of traits like creative, talkative, motoric, thinker & some more decorational stuff like bad manners & emotional instability
i think this pack will be a good one AFTER the main traits are improved, but until this happens it's best played only within those adolescent ages, after the sims grow up to YA & beyond, their upbringing doesn't enrich substantially their actions, interactions, wishes, autonomous behaviour, all that is still basically the same as before
this GP didn't promiss more than that, in the accompanying patch there was not a word about any changes to traits
i am waiting for a substantial change to the sims' traits & i didn't play any toddler for even a second since they were added & i am not going to purchase the Parenthood GP until traits in general are improved - it spares me the disappointment, i was already disappointed with those lacking traits years ago, since nothing changed about those traits, so it would be just a repeat of what i already know - unnerving shallow traits
still
i think with how toddlers are fleshed out & how this Parenthood GP enriches the upbringing it makes me more hopeful that some day the traits of adult sims will be improved too
that improvement is just not there yet
& every expectation about improved traits will be disappointed, cause so far they were not improved
i won't be participating in the forums & the gallery anymore - thanks EA
King Gruffman, eh? I always knew you had a regal air about you
I really have no idea how the OP has managed to play through 3 age stages in such a short space of time!!! Did you eat or sleep in the last 24 hours? I must be a really, really slow player as I think I have only got through about 4 sim days since the pack was released.
Easy. Teens were upgraded with the new pack, they became adults and had children. I played for about 16 hours.
And parenting does not start with teens, it starts with babies, then toddlers, child and finally teen. Parenting is over the long haul and not just one stage. Two of the biggest skill levels of the parenting skill affects babies. If you started with teens, you already missed out on the other younger life stages.
Parenting can set the stage for the sims life. As a toddler, was she a wild child, constantly making messes on the floor and not listening to her parents and throwing tantrums? Did it continue to the child stage and into the rebellious teen years? Its long term and not a flash in the pan.
No matter if the teen is an emo or outspoken, the end goal is all the same: they all turn into regular adults and need jobs and everything is erased from their teen experience as if the pack never existed.
I hate to break it to you, but that sounds an awful lot like real life.
In all seriousness though, the pack is mainly about parenting. It has some sweet bonus things for teens as well, but its main focus is parenting. How are you supposed to parent without a parent in the household?
Thought the same. Welcome to the real world where no one cares what kind of teen you were and you grew up and needed to get a job like a "regular" adult. Studying, grades, the trouble I ran into, nor sports or music or skating really mattered long term. They're hobbies I love, but on the grand scheme of things my adult world turned on math skills, a late night bar conversation, and saying yes to a volunteer opportunity that turned into a career change (and is way less sketchy in reality than that story makes it sound).
Just to test things, I tested a household with two parents, one teen, one child and one toddler. Gave the mom all the good character traits....neat, family-oriented and outgoing traits....big happy family aspiration...and put her parenting at level 8. Gave dad all bad character traits.....lazy, slob and hot-headed....mischief aspiration...and put his parenting skill at level 1. Gave the teen traits of mean and gloomy...the public enemy aspiration...and gave her 60 out of 100 on the negative scale for all character traits. Gave the child the cheerful trait and the rambunctious scamp aspiration...and gave her 30 out of 100 on the positive scale for all character traits. Gave the toddler the fussy trait...and gave her 20 out of 100 on the negative scale for all character traits.
I set everyone on full autonomy and just let the game play without any interference from me.
By the end of day 1, the super mom doled out several loving hugs to her children, had encouraged her child at the activity table, played with her child at the dollhouse on multiple occasions, left notes and drawings for the family at the bulletin board, play wrestled with the toddler, grilled up hot dogs for everyone, taught the toddler on the blocks, and cleaned all the empty dishes and garbage in the house. She even cleaned a desk a few times that didn't need to be cleaned...just because she's a neat freak. Both the teen and the child came to the mom a few times for advice...they never bothered asking lazy bad dad for anything. Meanwhile, lazy bad dad spent 90% of the day trolling on the forums. He never cleaned anything, not even his own dish. He checked on the toddler a couple of times....he also farted a few times. First thing the next morning, he went into the teen's room to troll the forums again and cut one loose while he was seated at the computer...it must have been a bad one because it woke the teen up...was she mad? Of course not, she has bad manners so she laughed about it.
As for the kids, the teen was constantly insulting her parents and her little sister. When she wasn't doing that, the teen was cursing up a storm or trolling the forums (like father, like daughter) or smashing the dollhouse. She spent so much time aggravating her little sister, who is a "cheerful" sim, that the child got into a very angry mood and started insulting her big sister back and even tried to angrily convince her that monsters are real...when that didn't work, the child had to go over to poor Blarffy and start calling him names and yelling at him to let off some steam. When she wasn't being antagonized by her older sister, the child was in a good mood and entertaining herself at the drawing/activity table and having pleasant chats with her mom and hugging the toddler. The fussy toddler had a meltdown because she got tired of playing blocks...had a meltdown because she was hungry...and just decided to throw some fits for no particular reason. She tried to smash the dollhouse once but the teen beat her to it.
And this was just one day....so please tell me again how traits don't impact anything.
Comments
Don't read this if you don't like spoilers:
http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/gamepacks/parenthood/values.php
I am hoping EA will treat the game mechanic as they do the Get Together groups mechanic where you can add in more activities from other packs. Character Values could use more social and venue situations from later packs that determine how your sims fail or succeed at them.
I am suggesting a Drama and Danger pack that factors in Character Values, traits, emotional state, and skills:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/916817/please-make-the-dangerous-stuff-concept-a-game-pack-parenthood-update#latest
http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/gamepacks/parenthood/values.php
tbh I haven't gone through a whole family cycle mainly cause I like to rotate after a while and can only play so much of a family in one sitting. But even I'm starting to see some impact. Especially with the teens, cause they get the most points earned (and probably lost as well) and it shows.
Also I am drooling @ that Emotional Control benefit reward trait. GNARLY, MY MAN.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
I will agree with you for one reason. As a family/realism player I and many others NEEDED this pack and the toddlers, no i didnt complain about the toddlers but i did need them, However we do (as builders and family players) need more worlds and even vacations other than camping. and many things could come for builders, family and storyteller players that could make a difference things like L and U shaped stairs would helps all of the above. the long stairs are hard to place just right and can force a house to be bigger than the player or storyteller wants plus add veriety even in the same home for all 3 types of players.
Something i think will never happen but NEEDS to is building specific foundations even if its just for the whole building but split levels would be nice to. there are so many aspects a building GP could add that would help us all.
But as for this post and this GP I absolutely love it. If you are micro managing your sims then your not letting the true aspects of this GP work for you. Unless you want a child sim to be an angel or demon then alowing them to do their thing and seeing what they become works to and give some some surprises along the way.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
[/qoute]
I hate to break it to you, but that sounds an awful lot like real life.
In all seriousness though, the pack is mainly about parenting. It has some sweet bonus things for teens as well, but its main focus is parenting. How are you supposed to parent without a parent in the household?
Actually I believe cussing affects/is an effect from Manners, not Responsibility (or the Irresponsible trait).
Are you sure the trait doesn't have any effect? I suspect it may have an effect with getting promotions... although I don't know for sure because I haven't read up on the permanent traits (I want to play the game without too many spoilers).
Sim Stuff by Pegasys
Your sim can get up to five traits upon aging to YA provided the red for negative/green for positive is past the point indicated. If you don't get it to that point, then no trait.
To me, it is the little things that I like about the pack. The toddler making a mess all over the floor with flour and chocolate. The setting of the table for dinner. The sibling rivalry and the teenage mood swings .... and when they say mood swing, they aren't kidding. I even actually liked the rabbit hole volunteering.
In a sense then, OP ... the toddler traits are pointless, unless you get the three traits to level 3 or level 5. They don't do anything .... so does that make toddlers pointless as well?
I always liked the child stage for Sims4, now it is better. My two teenage girls were a hot mess and my little child has the mouth of a sailor apparently ...
One persons trash is another persons treasure ... and on that note, I am feeling like a king.
I really have no idea how the OP has managed to play through 3 age stages in such a short space of time!!! Did you eat or sleep in the last 24 hours?
Lol.
No, no regalness here, that is a good chuckle though.
I managed to play seven sim days before I had to stop playing.
Easy. Teens were upgraded with the new pack, they became adults and had children. I played for about 16 hours.
It doesn't mean anything, though. You can be loaded with traits but it will not impact your sims' lives.
as i understand the Parenthood GP it's more of a filler, the way which leads towards groups of traits like creative, talkative, motoric, thinker & some more decorational stuff like bad manners & emotional instability
i think this pack will be a good one AFTER the main traits are improved, but until this happens it's best played only within those adolescent ages, after the sims grow up to YA & beyond, their upbringing doesn't enrich substantially their actions, interactions, wishes, autonomous behaviour, all that is still basically the same as before
this GP didn't promiss more than that, in the accompanying patch there was not a word about any changes to traits
i am waiting for a substantial change to the sims' traits & i didn't play any toddler for even a second since they were added & i am not going to purchase the Parenthood GP until traits in general are improved - it spares me the disappointment, i was already disappointed with those lacking traits years ago, since nothing changed about those traits, so it would be just a repeat of what i already know - unnerving shallow traits
still
i think with how toddlers are fleshed out & how this Parenthood GP enriches the upbringing it makes me more hopeful that some day the traits of adult sims will be improved too
that improvement is just not there yet
& every expectation about improved traits will be disappointed, cause so far they were not improved
What character traits did your YAs get?
Sim Stuff by Pegasys
And parenting does not start with teens, it starts with babies, then toddlers, child and finally teen. Parenting is over the long haul and not just one stage. Two of the biggest skill levels of the parenting skill affects babies. If you started with teens, you already missed out on the other younger life stages.
Parenting can set the stage for the sims life. As a toddler, was she a wild child, constantly making messes on the floor and not listening to her parents and throwing tantrums? Did it continue to the child stage and into the rebellious teen years? Its long term and not a flash in the pan.
Thought the same. Welcome to the real world where no one cares what kind of teen you were and you grew up and needed to get a job like a "regular" adult. Studying, grades, the trouble I ran into, nor sports or music or skating really mattered long term. They're hobbies I love, but on the grand scheme of things my adult world turned on math skills, a late night bar conversation, and saying yes to a volunteer opportunity that turned into a career change (and is way less sketchy in reality than that story makes it sound).
For someone who isn't of a parenting persuasion shall we say, in real or virtual life, I'm actually quite enjoying it.
Haha - I was thinking of Madonna
I'm glad I'm not the only one.
Nothing really matters... nothing really matters.... to meeeeeee
I set everyone on full autonomy and just let the game play without any interference from me.
By the end of day 1, the super mom doled out several loving hugs to her children, had encouraged her child at the activity table, played with her child at the dollhouse on multiple occasions, left notes and drawings for the family at the bulletin board, play wrestled with the toddler, grilled up hot dogs for everyone, taught the toddler on the blocks, and cleaned all the empty dishes and garbage in the house. She even cleaned a desk a few times that didn't need to be cleaned...just because she's a neat freak. Both the teen and the child came to the mom a few times for advice...they never bothered asking lazy bad dad for anything. Meanwhile, lazy bad dad spent 90% of the day trolling on the forums. He never cleaned anything, not even his own dish. He checked on the toddler a couple of times....he also farted a few times. First thing the next morning, he went into the teen's room to troll the forums again and cut one loose while he was seated at the computer...it must have been a bad one because it woke the teen up...was she mad? Of course not, she has bad manners so she laughed about it.
As for the kids, the teen was constantly insulting her parents and her little sister. When she wasn't doing that, the teen was cursing up a storm or trolling the forums (like father, like daughter) or smashing the dollhouse. She spent so much time aggravating her little sister, who is a "cheerful" sim, that the child got into a very angry mood and started insulting her big sister back and even tried to angrily convince her that monsters are real...when that didn't work, the child had to go over to poor Blarffy and start calling him names and yelling at him to let off some steam. When she wasn't being antagonized by her older sister, the child was in a good mood and entertaining herself at the drawing/activity table and having pleasant chats with her mom and hugging the toddler. The fussy toddler had a meltdown because she got tired of playing blocks...had a meltdown because she was hungry...and just decided to throw some fits for no particular reason. She tried to smash the dollhouse once but the teen beat her to it.
And this was just one day....so please tell me again how traits don't impact anything.