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Food Preserves offers the most in-depth gameplay
Simmer_Will
Posts: 54 Member
I know the majority will likely vote for laundry since that's how the pack was initially described to us, and despite that obvious initial bias, I hope some of you can look objectively at the other options. I wanted to play devil's advocate on "Food Preserves" as I think it would offer the most detailed gameplay out of the 4 options.
Nectar-Making
The only option in the entire gameplay pack with an already established multi-level skill in prior games is Nectar-Making. First introduced in the Sims 3 World Adventures, nectar making offered players a new way to flesh out their gameplay for "farming", "gardening", "travelling" or "foodie" Sims. Not only did it give gardening more depth as it let players grow more crops for use outside of just cooking or fertilizer, it added a lot more to players who decided to become nectar collectors, nectar snobs, nectar sellers, etc.
Nectar Racks are a great build item which can really enhance a basement, a mansion, or a farm/vineyard lot. It adds a level of detail that we have not yet seen in the Sims 4 in terms of farming gameplay.
Canning & Preserving
Available in prior games through the Sims 3 store. This item again allows for lots of additional gameplay for gardener Sims and offers a great activity for elders especially! The idea of having a garden that your family grows crops in, and then gives them to grandma to make homemade jam adds a great level of family gameplay!
Superfood Harvestable Plant
Having a superfood plant would add a lot of gameplay for Sims who are health-conscious, foodies or hipsters. Sure it's fine to be a vegetarian Sim, but what if you could be a vegetarian who refuses to eat anything but food with Superfood added to it! There's a lot of gameplay hidden behind such an innocuous feature.
TL;DR I know that it's easy to brush off the other features in favour of laundry, but I think we'd be better off saving Laundry for an EP/GP that can have it as one of its minor features, but having an SP focused entirely on eco-friendly gameplay it makes sense to include gameplay features with this much gameplay!
Nectar-Making
The only option in the entire gameplay pack with an already established multi-level skill in prior games is Nectar-Making. First introduced in the Sims 3 World Adventures, nectar making offered players a new way to flesh out their gameplay for "farming", "gardening", "travelling" or "foodie" Sims. Not only did it give gardening more depth as it let players grow more crops for use outside of just cooking or fertilizer, it added a lot more to players who decided to become nectar collectors, nectar snobs, nectar sellers, etc.
- Imagine the possibilities of nectar making in the Sims 4 so far...
- If you have Get to Work you can create a nectar store, which would create a really authentic level of gameplay for farmer sims. You could grow your own crops and have your Sims turn them into nectars which you could then sell at various levels depending on how they're aged.
- If you have Get Together you could make a nectar club, or have your Sims form a club and go on a nectar-tasting tour in a vineyard. Or you could make a club with club rules based on tending the garden and making nectar which could essentially make a nectar farmers club!
- If you have Dine Out you could have a multitude of homemade nectars on the menu for your fancier restaurants.
- If you have City Living you can sell your nectar with the vendor's table.
- If you have Outdoor Retreat you could make a Vineyard lot in Granite Falls and have your Sims take a nectar-tasting vacation, like you could in World Adventures
- If you have Vampires, you could make nectar out of plasma fruit and make plasma nectars!
- If you have Vintage Glamour Stuff, you could have your butlers serve you nectar or build a fancy wine cellar complete with globe bar and nectar racks.
- Imagine using the Get to Work harvestables and making Alien Nectar! Or using a trashplant and making trash nectar. Or using a cowplant berry and having Cowplant nectar! There's so much depth in this option for "wacky" gameplay too!
Nectar Racks are a great build item which can really enhance a basement, a mansion, or a farm/vineyard lot. It adds a level of detail that we have not yet seen in the Sims 4 in terms of farming gameplay.
Canning & Preserving
Available in prior games through the Sims 3 store. This item again allows for lots of additional gameplay for gardener Sims and offers a great activity for elders especially! The idea of having a garden that your family grows crops in, and then gives them to grandma to make homemade jam adds a great level of family gameplay!
- If you gave Get to Work you can sell your preserves which again adds a great level of detail to farming gameplay. I.e. you could create your own Farmers Market by selling jams/preserves along with fresh harvestables and your own homemade nectars! Or you could create a bakery that sells homemade preserves as well as baked goods!
- If you have Get Together, you can have an elders only club where you have your elder Sims gather and make their own jams and preserves. Or you could make a farming club where Sims come together to tend garden and make preserves!
- If you have Dine Out, you could make a restaurant that specializes in high tea featuring scones with jam, toast with jam along with other delicious treats
- If you have Vampires you could preserve plasma fruit so that you always have a good supply ready for your thirsty vampires
- If you have Parenthood you could encourage your Teens to build their gardening skill and then influence them to make jam, teaching them responsibility!
- If you have Outdoor Retreat and Get to Work you could build a rustic cannery or general store where your Sims could visit and purchase fresh homemade harvestables and jams.
Superfood Harvestable Plant
Having a superfood plant would add a lot of gameplay for Sims who are health-conscious, foodies or hipsters. Sure it's fine to be a vegetarian Sim, but what if you could be a vegetarian who refuses to eat anything but food with Superfood added to it! There's a lot of gameplay hidden behind such an innocuous feature.
- If you have Get to Work you could create a health food store where all you sell is superfood harvestables and meals with superfood added to them
- If you have Outdoor Retreat you could have a Sim who practices Herbalism but also is a health nut and grows superfood as well.
- If you have Get Together/Fitness Stuff, you could have a club where your Sims workout and hangout on a lot where they eat superfood, or drink superfood nectar/smoothies/juices.
TL;DR I know that it's easy to brush off the other features in favour of laundry, but I think we'd be better off saving Laundry for an EP/GP that can have it as one of its minor features, but having an SP focused entirely on eco-friendly gameplay it makes sense to include gameplay features with this much gameplay!
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Comments
i agree it sounds better than laundry's , but off the grid does give alot too, more ways to customize our homes and gameplay style's
I believed it had substantially more utility and thus more game-play than anything else featured in the vote options.
That's understandable! I predict a lot of people who don't automatically go for laundry may choose between Off the Grid and food preserves. I have a bad feeling we may split the vote and laundry may end up with the most votes, but at least the team can see we care about these other features!
honestly i want them all but off the grid reminds me of sims castaway so i had to vote for it since it is as close as we can get, for now atleast
Ah yes, but just like TS3, I know what modders will do with it. I will personally poke Butterbot to do what they did for 3.
I really liked that choice but didn't pick it, or laundry.
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I don't see how laundry fits into an Eco Living pack. With food preserves, they would be growing and canning their food and they can sell it. The trash compactor one made sense with the recycling and digging in the trash. Off the grid also makes sense for Eco Living by pumping their own water and generating their own electricity. To me, Eco Living is about conscious living and being aware of the impact on the environment and others. I also think food preserves will go well with the look of the pack. I can see canning food in that rustic/earthy style.
Overall, Food Preserves was the best choice in my mind and I hope others will agree.
This is what I'm thinking also. For all those not voting for laundry the votes will be split between food preserves and off the grid with laundry winning.
I'm going to quote something from the welcome post in this forum...
"In game development, many of our decisions are group discussions where well reasoned arguments can convince the majority and help us proceed. In the same way, you're all welcome to post threads and participate in reasoned debates here that are prompted by recent development updates that we've shared."
Reasoned arguments and debates are the basis of how packs are formed, and discussions with fellow players to promote your viewpoint are one of the fundamental reasons this forum exists. Please keep this in mind when contributing here.
If the Food Preserves concept doesn't make it, I'd love to see it paired with some other objects and clothes like a Mediterranean or country theme. I'm just stating this to let the powers that be know that I would be interested in this concept even though I didn't vote for it. I'd buy it. I'm on the fence about Fitness Stuff but give me a farm or upscale rustic pack with this stuff and I will not be on the fence.
Agreed. Unfortunately even though laundry seems to have a big fan following, I don't see it adding a ton of interesting gameplay that will really invigorate my gameplay. It doesn't add in new ways to play for me, I already can make my Sims do chores, especially after Parenthood. That's the reason I thought I'd break down some more in-depth gameplay that could come from this option. I don't see myself getting the same level of rich gameplay from laundry so I thought I'd share my thoughts here!
Thanks Graham for pointing this out. I have no agenda of swaying the group from not choosing what they want, but for those who haven't rushed to one option or another they might find it valuable to get a perspective of what each option could bring to the table! I'd love to read others' perspectives on how the Carbon Conscious or Off the Grid options could really enhance my gameplay too! This whole process is a dialogue and so we should be open to hearing every side of the story!
Oh wow I didn't even think of that! I know we've seen nectar-making associated with France before (Champs Les Sims in WA) but I'd love to have a true mediterranean town like Monte Vista in a non-store pack! Nectar-making could be a great fit if we ever got a pack with a world like that. Perhaps a Romantic Getaway themed Game Pack with activities like nectar-making, gondola tours and ocean swimming just like an Italian getaway!
because I don't feel off the grid would add a lot of game play all it would do is save money on bills
and thats not fun to watch
I guess this setup is an exception to that general rule. I think some are just accustomed to a different structure; a very specific format comes to mind when they hear the word "vote." I can safely say I am one of them.
If anything, debates and discussions are critical to the voting process! It's great that as a community we can share opinions and learn about others' viewpoints before casting our vote. Rather than hastily picking one option or another, it becomes a much richer experience when we all can have a discussion - that's why we have the whole weekend to cast our vote! Just as @SimGuruGraham says, they don't quickly rush to support one feature or another while in development but rather take everyone's views into account first! It's a rough job to be a developer apparently...