Was Parenthood What we Need?

That_Fat_Cat

I don't think the upcoming Parenthood pack was what we needed. This sort of stuff should have been in the game in the first place. What do you think?

CK213

If it was there in the first place, we wouldn't need it.
So yeah, we need it, because it's not.

Aside: your siggy sent me on a YouTube Beatles trip.
Watching Kids react to I am the Walrus.

Kid: " What the heck?"

Kandy

As others have said, you're asking two different questions. For me personally, I do "need" this pack, as I'm a family player and it looks like it will really flesh out parenting in general, as well as familial relationships. But about it being in the base game in the first place, I don't think it's an outrage that it wasn't in the base game.

While I wouldn't complain if it was included in the base game, parenting this fleshed out wasn't really present in TS3. I'm not sure about TS2, but I know some elements of this pack (curfews, grounding, etc.) are similar to what was included in the Generations expansion. So I really don't think it's bad that this wasn't in the base game, as this sort of stuff wasn't in TS3 base game. Also, in my opinion, this actually looks a lot better than Generations, so I'm definitely not going to be unhappy paying for this. That's just me, though. Whether or not this so necessary is pretty subjective.

Simanite

Um yes. But it should have shorter teens as well.

JimG72

Yes, it is needed....for many of us. Anyone who isn't interested in it gets the bonus of saving themselves $20...that'll get you a couple of lunches at Subway or a movie and a popcorn at your local theater.

And, yeah, it would be great if everything was in the base game....it would probably take them 7 years to develop and cost us $250 to purchase and the graphics would be outdated by the time it was released, but at least we would get a lot in the base game, lol. That's not how these games work. How many expansions, packs, DLC, etc. did Sims 2 have? Sims 3? They call it the "base" game for a reason. There's really no such thing as a finished product in today's gaming world....everything has add-ons and DLC.

Briana2425

Yes very much so.

alexandrea

Well, yeah it should've been in the base game. Therefore... We need it.

DeservedCriticism

Depends entirely on execution. Family features are desired, but given that this may be the only family pack we get, it's important they get it right, otherwise family players are basically left high and dry. I mean look at Vampires. Everyone praises Vampires to the point Witches are now one of the most demanded GP concepts; had Vampires bombed, I doubt we'd see the demand for Witches and I doubt supernatural fans would be happy.

Let's assume for example that the Character Traits that kids can earn are things like whether they swear or not, whether they showcase good table manners or not, whether they're easy-going or strict, and that ALL of these simply have the effect where the more refined Sims take relationship hits when the learn about the bad habits of the less refined Sims. In this case, I'd call the pack a waste of money, as it would only offer the same function in multiple seperate forms; I'd prefer different functions rather than seeing the same one repeated.

Now let's assume that instead, easy going Sims have their energy drain faster while strict Sims get a boost to how quickly they're promoted. Let's say Sims that have bad table manners have their hunger drain faster while those with good manners get a relationship boost when they eat dinner with others, while swearing has the traditional role of potentially causing a relationship hit.

In the second case, I welcome this kind of pack. It combines RPG elements with family play in order to give family players some variety amongst their Sims. Family A and Family B will now function differently in a multitude of ways, and this helps give each sim personality and reinforce any sense that our Sims have individuality. In the first case though, it just stinks of the GP team lacking creativity and not knowing how to implement a concept beyond the most barebones and basic implications. There'd be no special thought or care into trying to provide variety, a potential "misunderstanding" of sorts where they recognize that we want more unique traits but don't recognize the traits can't all be the exact same style copy-pasted 10 times, and I feel as though things would just very quickly get boring if it was a case where you see one function and you've seen them all.

Any pack can be a good concept, what matters is the implementation. I was not a fan of supernaturals until Sims 2 Seasons, Open for Business and Sims 3 Supernaturals all warmed me up to the idea of how different lifestates can provide unique gameplay. I initially thought the concept of World Adventures was very odd, but warmed up to the sheer amount of content and depth that it had. Showtime absolutely bombed while Ambitions was very well received, and that's all to do with the implementation since both had similar concepts.

Parenthood is no different, and it largely depends on how well the team did with it.

Lomelindi7

Short answer: Yep.

Long answer: This game has little in the way of long term consequences. It also has been sorely lacking in family interactions, from little spontaneous animations between siblings or parents and children, to big things like unique relationships and family dynamics. So if the Parenthood GP can address these two issues with any sort of finesse, then it will be a very refreshing addition to my game. So yes, I think we do need it.

Facetious answer: We don't technically NEED video games at all, so do we really need any GP?

Dreamie209

As a family player, it's very important and exactly what I've been looking for in this game. I'm not even completely sure if I'll be interested in the rest of the the packs to come, maybe. But this one is a major pack for me. I think every simmer has a certain pack they wait for throughout the sim universe. Some wait for pets, some wait for seasons, some wait for supernatural/magic creatures, some wait for jobs/careers.

We all wait for one special pack, or maybe two/three. Either way for simmers "individually" one will always feel they need one of those. So I can't speak for every simmer out there, but I know for myself, this was defiantly needed.

simmer_whovian

Parenthood might not be what everyone needs, but it's certainly what I've wanted for a long time, so it's very much needed for me. A more meaningful upbringing with choices and consequences is something that would add so much to my family play and I can't wait to learn more about it. I play pretty much only families so something like Parenthood is right up my alley.

Also, from what we've learned so far, the parenting system seems to be quite involved, so I can't really agree it's something that should have been in the base game. More complex gameplay has usually been reserved for expansions before as well, the base game is pretty much just there to provide the essentials and something to build upon. Moreover by now they've had lots of feedback from players wanting family play to be expanded upon, so they've had time to come up with something that would (hopefully) be worth it for them. That would not have been the case if they'd added a parenting skill right from the beginning. In the end, I guess we'll see very soon as the gameplay trailer drops this week and we get a livestream on Friday. Both should help people decide if the pack is worth it for them or not.

Neia

It was something that I needed personally, and that I wished for on the forum. Parenting is a theme I wanted to see explored, and I wanted some ways to "build" my Sims, it seems I'll have both !

friendlysimmers

i think its pretty much needed if you went to send your young adult sims to the bar for a night drink or just to spend time as a couple if they have kids to you went the kids in your simhousehold to tag along when you just went the sims parents at the bar?

Jase

This was the top EP/GP theme on my wishlist. So, since none of these interactions or objects were included or patched into the base game, in my opinion this GP is extremely needed.

Bear31

OP, you have heard this time and time again of course, but I am going to put in my two cents here. I think it was sorely needed.....as someone had already pointed out, the idea of a base game is so that they can add to it. Content that IS added is stuff that the game does need.....thats why we have the game/expansion packs in the first place.

That said? I too have been looking for more depth in the game. It used to be that we had consequences to our sims actions. With this game pack, we will have that back in family play at least. I am sort of on the fence about the schooling consequences. Some might say that they are good, don't change them. However, it might be good to have it fleshed out a bit. For example, if the kid misses too many days of school, they get expelled. BUT they could then have the option of boarding school or home-schooling in which to jump to. You could impress the principle for the boarding school thing (I sort of miss that to be honest, but it seemed super hard to impress him/her). Home schooling? There would be tasks that you would have to perform and complete before the next day. But......I digress.....my point is........we need a bit more of the consequences thing in the game and this game pack gives it to us.

Also, with the parenting as it is right now? That seems so non-existent. There are no rules to follow, again with the consequences to the food slinging toddler or rebellious teen etc, and family time right now is consistent upon movie nights, dinner parties, or game nights. Thats it. It'll be nice to see them have more interactions instead of random-on the fly type of activities. It would be fun though, to have them add things like family dinner (yes, you could technically do this......but if they made it an event? The fam would HAVE to come). Or fam game night where they break out a board game and automatically sit around a table to laugh and play! That would be nice to see.

ChampandGirlie

Technically none of these packs are needed but they can certainly be wanted and very much so. It's pretty much an "a la carte" approach in this version, which has its pros and cons. The upside is that you can choose what you want to customize your game. The downside is that getting "everything" is very expensive, so the best approach is to get what you specifically want. If you want and can afford everything? That's awesome, but don't feel awkward if you want to take a break or if a particular theme doesn't appeal to you.

So far, it does seem like they are trying to vary the subjects of what they release to appeal to different types of players, which is a good strategy IMO. Toddlers were clearly released in advance of this GP.

There has been a lot of demand for a parenthood theme as the popularity of the toddlers has shown. I have a varied gameplay style but family play does eventually show up quite a lot. I am looking forward to knowing more about this GP and I will probably be interested. I do want to know more specifics about it but I am inclined to be interested.

Personally, I prefer more of a sandbox approach than an RPG approach, so I will be less inclined to like it if being a relaxed (not neglectful) parent results in getting punished a lot. I have a lot of households with different kids and it would be great to customize their childhoods. I don't want it to be a simple formula of "relaxed parents produce bratty kids" though. Clearly, correcting childhood behaviors will be a big part of it, I will probably be interested in that. Not all of my households would be relaxed, but I don't want that to be the only or primary path to delinquency.

There's a relaxed style that says, "You do you, kid, become your best self." That's different than being relaxed about a kid playing with an electrical socket. Lol. I'd like to see that difference reflected.

It does look like a way to create more complicated personalities and back stories for sims, starting in childhood.

zubrowkas

I haven't the foggiest whether or not it was needed.
I do, however, think it was wanted and that's all that matters to me.

stilljustme2

It's a pack that wasn't really conceivable until we got toddlers patched in -- it finishes up the work started when we got toddlers. Now that we have the potential for complete families we get the option to actually have an impact on how they grow up. Super-strict parents might create young adults who resist authority, hands-off parents who don't hug their children much might raise Sims who are uncomfortable with physical affection, "buddy" type parents with no rules might raise slacker Sims who have trouble getting promotions because they're always goofing off.

For those of us that do enjoy playing families, this is a needed pack because it fills in a lot of the gaps we've had in family play. Instead of just a group of roommates related by blood like in Sims 3, we actually get a family. Should it have been in base game? Probably -- I would have likely dropped the professional bars and the venues that gave Sims 4 base the reputation of being all about young adults and partying. Then again, we should have had toddlers in the base game or these features wouldn't have made as much sense. If there is a Sims 5 on a drawing board somewhere, I could see this sort of parenting feature being included in the base along with toddlers. But it's a pack that will likely have staying power, as players try all sorts of different parenting styles to see how the offspring turns out.

My initial plan is to have two families that I'll be playing in rotation; it's a brother-sister who were in the base game Library, Ollie and Cassidy Purdue. Cassidy is staying single but going to adopt one or two children, and she'll be the "buddy" mom with no to few rules, pretty much letting the kids raise themselves, while her brother Ollie with his wife Aicha will be a little stricter but not overly strict, and a lot more involved in their kids' lives (Aicha's going to be a stay-at-home mom). I think seeing the difference in the cousins as they age up will be interesting.

dogboy678

You literally just proved our point since it's not in the base game and in the game already we do need it.

Cinebar

stilljustme2 wrote: »

It's a pack that wasn't really conceivable until we got toddlers patched in -- it finishes up the work started when we got toddlers. Now that we have the potential for complete families we get the option to actually have an impact on how they grow up. Super-strict parents might create young adults who resist authority, hands-off parents who don't hug their children much might raise Sims who are uncomfortable with physical affection, "buddy" type parents with no rules might raise slacker Sims who have trouble getting promotions because they're always goofing off.

For those of us that do enjoy playing families, this is a needed pack because it fills in a lot of the gaps we've had in family play. Instead of just a group of roommates related by blood like in Sims 3, we actually get a family. Should it have been in base game? Probably -- I would have likely dropped the professional bars and the venues that gave Sims 4 base the reputation of being all about young adults and partying. Then again, we should have had toddlers in the base game or these features wouldn't have made as much sense. If there is a Sims 5 on a drawing board somewhere, I could see this sort of parenting feature being included in the base along with toddlers. But it's a pack that will likely have staying power, as players try all sorts of different parenting styles to see how the offspring turns out.

My initial plan is to have two families that I'll be playing in rotation; it's a brother-sister who were in the base game Library, Ollie and Cassidy Purdue. Cassidy is staying single but going to adopt one or two children, and she'll be the "buddy" mom with no to few rules, pretty much letting the kids raise themselves, while her brother Ollie with his wife Aicha will be a little stricter but not overly strict, and a lot more involved in their kids' lives (Aicha's going to be a stay-at-home mom). I think seeing the difference in the cousins as they age up will be interesting.

Your first paragraph makes me think of the old adage, which came first the chicken or the egg? I wonder if toddlers were going to be part of this pack at some point in design and if this pack was contrived after the fact or before? It really doesn't matter now, but still a question in my head. (Was this pack going to contain the toddlers? and or was the pack born after the toddlers?)

Uzone27

Cinebar wrote: »

stilljustme2 wrote: »

It's a pack that wasn't really conceivable until we got toddlers patched in -- it finishes up the work started when we got toddlers. Now that we have the potential for complete families we get the option to actually have an impact on how they grow up. Super-strict parents might create young adults who resist authority, hands-off parents who don't hug their children much might raise Sims who are uncomfortable with physical affection, "buddy" type parents with no rules might raise slacker Sims who have trouble getting promotions because they're always goofing off.

For those of us that do enjoy playing families, this is a needed pack because it fills in a lot of the gaps we've had in family play. Instead of just a group of roommates related by blood like in Sims 3, we actually get a family. Should it have been in base game? Probably -- I would have likely dropped the professional bars and the venues that gave Sims 4 base the reputation of being all about young adults and partying. Then again, we should have had toddlers in the base game or these features wouldn't have made as much sense. If there is a Sims 5 on a drawing board somewhere, I could see this sort of parenting feature being included in the base along with toddlers. But it's a pack that will likely have staying power, as players try all sorts of different parenting styles to see how the offspring turns out.

My initial plan is to have two families that I'll be playing in rotation; it's a brother-sister who were in the base game Library, Ollie and Cassidy Purdue. Cassidy is staying single but going to adopt one or two children, and she'll be the "buddy" mom with no to few rules, pretty much letting the kids raise themselves, while her brother Ollie with his wife Aicha will be a little stricter but not overly strict, and a lot more involved in their kids' lives (Aicha's going to be a stay-at-home mom). I think seeing the difference in the cousins as they age up will be interesting.

Your first paragraph makes me think of the old adage, which came first the chicken or the egg? I wonder if toddlers were going to be part of this pack at some point in design and if this pack was contrived after the fact or before? It really doesn't matter now, but still a question in my head. (Was this pack going to contain the toddlers? and or was the pack born after the toddlers?)

Interesting thought....but it's the kind of conjecture that could easily turn into a runaway meme...
Since we'll never know for sure, it's probably best to focus on the fact that they did the right thing in the end.

pepperjax1230

Simanite wrote: »

Um yes. But it should have shorter teens as well.

Why do you keep harping on shorter teens that isn't needed in the game and people have proved to you teens can be as tall as adults and even taller.