Eco living is already the most disliked expansion trailer on YouTube.
It’s also the most “original” design for an expansion pack from these developers that doesn’t follow the usual norm (seasons, uni, pets, vacations, etc.).
Maybe it’s time to admit their vision of The Sims doesn’t mesh with the series?
Eh, Get together is one of the most well received packs and it strays from the norm.
The developers have shown the ability to make interesting unique packs before.
Take into the future for example.
Into the future had a similar concept to eco living. It's a world that changes based on your actions.
Your wealth, occult life state, friends, family, etc would all affect how your descendants came out, and your actions could shape the future, literally.
Into the future wasn't the best received pack, but it didn't have mass criticism, despite being the last expansion pack confirmed for the sims 3.
The issue I have with eco living is that it's contained to one world. This will not affect my every day gameplay like Seasons, cats and dogs, get together, vampires, University etc.
This is contained in its own little world. If the pack affected all of the world's I think it'd be a lot more well received. Imagine if I could turn Willow Creek into a polluted dump? That's something this game lacks in spades, consequences for your actions. At this point I actually prefer the world to stay a dumb because it's so unique. I could roleplay it as the slums where poor families live.
Into the future was also one world, but the difference was that the two world's were connected. The present affected the future, and you could bring anything from the future back to change the present.
Island Living and City living are also for the most part contained to one world, and that's fine as well, because they are location packs. The whole selling point is the city and island. Now while both packs had absolutely beautiful scenery, island living was totally half baked, but that's neither here nor there.
The difference is that an eco living pack is not location based. Sure we can put turbines and solar panels in any world, but it won't affect anything unless you live in that world.
Eco living should be an every world or none thing.
We have whole threads of top ideas and they really went and made something literally NOBODY asked for??? It looks extremely boring as soon as I saw the title I knew it would be something boring. It's just recycled ideas as usual. We already have cleaning up the neighborhood in island living and saving the neighborhood in strangerville. Besides I'm pretty sure most people don't see cleaning up trash as fun, I never bothered with it as is on IL. Sims 4 has been a major disappointment with a few good add ons here and there, I was excited for everything in sims 2/3 and rarely buy anything sims 4 releases now. They need a whole new idea team. Not a single thing looked fun in this trailer. I thought sims was supposed to be a fun/fantasy life simulator. The only realism most people wanted was better socializing and family features, not pollution. Even if this were to be released it should be a game pack, I don't see enough content to make it an expansion. I don't know if its the team or lack of budget but sims 4 has been extremely lacking especially within the last year
Eco living is already the most disliked expansion trailer on YouTube.
It’s also the most “original” design for an expansion pack from these developers that doesn’t follow the usual norm (seasons, uni, pets, vacations, etc.).
Maybe it’s time to admit their vision of The Sims doesn’t mesh with the series?
Eh, Get together is one of the most well received packs and it strays from the norm.
The developers have shown the ability to make interesting unique packs before.
Take into the future for example.
Into the future had a similar concept to eco living. It's a world that changes based on your actions.
Your wealth, occult life state, friends, family, etc would all affect how your descendants came out, and your actions could shape the future, literally.
Into the future wasn't the best received pack, but it didn't have mass criticism, despite being the last expansion pack confirmed for the sims 3.
The issue I have with eco living is that it's contained to one world. This will not affect my every day gameplay like Seasons, cats and dogs, get together, vampires, University etc.
This is contained in its own little world. If the pack affected all of the world's I think it'd be a lot more well received. Imagine if I could turn Willow Creek into a polluted dump? That's something this game lacks in spades, consequences for your actions. At this point I actually prefer the world to stay a dumb because it's so unique. I could roleplay it as the slums where poor families live.
Into the future was also one world, but the difference was that the two world's were connected. The present affected the future, and you could bring anything from the future back to change the present.
Island Living and City living are also for the most part contained to one world, and that's fine as well, because they are location packs. The whole selling point is the city and island. Now while both packs had absolutely beautiful scenery, island living was totally half baked, but that's neither here nor there.
The difference is that an eco living pack is not location based. Sure we can put turbines and solar panels in any world, but it won't affect anything unless you live in that world.
Eco living should be an every world or none thing.
In other words, this "Expansion Pack" doesn't seem to actually expand the game. Hence why it should have been a Game Pack.
Y'know, even the packs where I'm not in love with the theme (hello, Island Living), I at least wind up liking the build/buy and CAS stuff. I did not see ANY CAS stuff I would use, and that was really disheartening, to be honest.
In other words, this "Expansion Pack" doesn't seem to actually expand the game. Hence why it should have been a Game Pack.
I'd love the option for it to impact every world. But... I wonder how many angry simmers would then be complaining about their long worked on favourite neighbourhood suddenly being a mess? OFC I'm going to wave the 'Toggles for Everything!' flag here again just like I do for occults
If it was a GP, which features do you think would be reasonable to cut out, to make it the GP price? I'd probably choose drink making and the community lot/voting thing. I bet that's someone else's favourite part of the pack though.
This pack. Woah boy.. I hate it. I hate this. I HATE IT! Imo, humanity is a horrible thing, and should have never existed. A pack that essentially screams about us destroying and killing the planet is awful. I am usually really positive about the packs, even if they kinda suck, so thus means a lot to me. I am almost offended that they would just let out a pack that details how humanity is killing Earth. It isn't even wanted. I am honest to God near crying about this, and I know it may seem silly, but I hate a PACK based on pollition,, with it being a constant reminder of how we all suck for destroying Earth. Lord as my witness, I am crying due to the shame I have for humanity and how we hqve destroyed the one planet we may only live on. What are we doing to Earth? What will our kids do? We are basically forcing our children and their children after them to suffer. I can't believe this. I'm infuriated at ea and everyone who wanted thus as a PACK. My God.
My thoughts are that ea has offended me for making a PACK that screams,'HEY! YOU SUCK FOR DESTROYING EARTH! WANT RO TRY TO FIX IT? ALSO, WE WANT 40 BUCKS.'
Even when it’s fully cleaned up, Evergreen is still an ugly cityscape with cranes, cement barrels, smokestacks, a river encased with cement, areas cleared for housing. If the point of this pack is living green and eco-friendly, the greatest flaw is right there in the title: Eco = ecosystem. Popping a few trees between concrete structures does not create an ecosystem.
The world should have changed to remove the smokestacks, the crane, the barrels and replant those spots into forested areas or crops. The creek should have made more natural: rocky banks that gradually slope to the water, with reeds, an environment for frogs and fish to thrive in. It should provide ECOSYSTEMS for wildlife. Not just some pointless scattered trees. No chain link fences to block wildlife traffic. Just reclamation of the wild, natural world, coexisting with sims who recycle and use eco-friendly items and materials.
Even when it’s fully cleaned up, Evergreen is still an ugly cityscape with cranes, cement barrels, smokestacks, a river encased with cement, areas cleared for housing. If the point of this pack is living green and eco-friendly, the greatest flaw is right there in the title: Eco = ecosystem. Popping a few trees between concrete structures does not create an ecosystem.
The world should have changed to remove the smokestacks, the crane, the barrels and replant those spots into forested areas or crops. The creek should have made more natural: rocky banks that gradually slope to the water, with reeds, an environment for frogs and fish to thrive in. It should provide ECOSYSTEMS for wildlife. Not just some pointless scattered trees. No chain link fences to block wildlife traffic. Just reclamation of the wild, natural world, coexisting with sims who recycle and use eco-friendly items and materials.
So basically a lackluster pack that doesn’t even do eco-living right? 🤦🏽♀️
Just clean up a few trash piles and use your magical eco gun to clear the polluted air and you’re eco friendly
😐
In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.- Coco Chanel
Always a treat when you make these threads thank you from the bottom of my heart.
My pleasure
Btw, I am laughing here at the worm comments. Totally forgot about seeing them in the trailer! I was shocked by their size and then.. he cuddled it
I am fine with the worm farming etc. but if you think about it, it is kind of sad when people were hoping for farm animals like horses and such.
However, I am NOT fine with the reused animations.. again. Its just too much. First they need to bring in the good stuff, then you get to go and try to save yourself some time and money once in a while. This is just outrageously cheap from EA.
Here ya go:
LOL but seriously omg what is it?? Is it actually a worm?
I hate to be one of those people who harps on about one thing but... all I've wanted since Vampires is, yup, werewolves. I feel like they've reluctantly spoon fed us Supernatural or at least parts of it, while concentrating on fluff like this, I mean, I like the look of Strangerville, but I've played through it maybe twice. This seems like Island Living Part 2.
In other words, this "Expansion Pack" doesn't seem to actually expand the game. Hence why it should have been a Game Pack.
I'd love the option for it to impact every world. But... I wonder how many angry simmers would then be complaining about their long worked on favourite neighbourhood suddenly being a mess? OFC I'm going to wave the 'Toggles for Everything!' flag here again just like I do for occults
If it was a GP, which features do you think would be reasonable to cut out, to make it the GP price? I'd probably choose drink making and the community lot/voting thing. I bet that's someone else's favourite part of the pack though.
It's hard to answer that because I don't yet know everything about the pack. But pretty much anything, honestly. I doubt I'd play with any of it. I don't even like the CAS or build items much, save for a few items. I definitely wouldn't have it impact every world, I'd probably shrink the neighborhood to normal game pack size (depending on how many lots it has) and get rid of the sci-fi digital stuff that doesn't seem to fit at all. The community ballots, some of the extra gardening (isn't there enough by now?), the soda, some of the clunky machinery (is that actually eco friendly??) and some of the CAS could get cut down. I don't know, it just doesn't seem to have much to begin with.
But because we already have the Conservationist career and effects in Island Living, the Off the Grid lot trait, and the Tiny Living stuff pack, it seems like this eco angle has already been covered enough. Even if this were a game pack, it would feel like overkill to me. And it actually makes me feel a little more regretful about Island Living because these two packs were most likely being developed at the same time at some point, so why put the exact same concept into both when there could have been many better things to put into Island Living while the eco stuff be saved for a focused pack? Had they done that, this pack would have made a little more sense, but still not as an expansion. That just seems unnecessary because the content theme itself doesn't have a replayability factor. Maybe some of the objects do, but the neighborhood cleanup just feels like a one-shot deal that no one would want to play out again. Which is the same complaint that many have about StrangerVille, and that is a game pack. Why do that to an EP? I don't get it.
I also personally don't think eco cleanup is a fun gameplay concept to begin with. I avoid it in Island Living until the game forces me to when the garbage starts affecting my Mermaids. I wish I could turn it off altogether (might have to see if there's a cheat, that would help.) It's mainly because of the way Sims' emotions are programmed; I can't stand that they constantly stand around and stomp their feet and react to smelly garbage over and over so I feel like this new world is going to be very annoying very quickly, which is a bummer, because that's kind of the only thing I really like about the pack is the trashy city. If the trash was superficially environmental and didn't actually trigger Sims into a reactional loop, It would be much better. But real gameplay is never, ever anything like the trailer, so I see this becoming a huge irritation.
I just can't believe an entire EP budget was spent on this repetitive theme that we already had in Island Living. Especially when Realm of Magic was left wanting for more and many people felt let down that it wasn't an EP. With the amount of time it takes to get any requested content at all, (hello, personalities? Romance? Whims that make sense? Traits? A Fear emotion?! Generational play and Occults?!) The eco concept has now been done to death. It's probably going to be the single most complete featured theme in the entire game, and, not gonna lie, that's very disappointing.
But, since there is more info to come on the pack, I won't say this is my final opinion. There could still be something in there that grabs my attention, or salvages the gameplay for me. I doubt it, but it's possible.
And I'm just going to clarify that my opinion is about my own personal preferences. Those who like the Eco stuff are welcome to enjoy it as they will. The only thing that actually critically bothers me is that there are other packs that could have, should have gotten the budget of an EP way before this did, because this gameplay was already done.
It irritates me that people think Tiny Living, Laundry Day and Island Living are 'enough', or that if you have them, they'll 'replace' this pack, because even if the trailer is a bit vague,, I just don't see it.
I'd love to know what it is about the Tiny Living STUFF PACK that means it can replace Eco Lifestyle. Tiny Living was generally advertised as a way to make cheap first homes - and encouraged Tiny Home builders, and there's a lot of them - not a way to protect the environment.
As for Island Living... well, Off The Grid was not for the ecologically conscious; it was a self-imposed challenge that meant living out in the wilderness and there wasn't actually a huge amount of choice for Off The Grid items. Off The Grid will soon be an official lot trait. And litter picking? It meant removing a litter graphic. That's about it.
Prepping a list of mods to add after Infants are placed into the game. Because real life isn't 'nice'.
It irritates me that people think Tiny Living, Laundry Day and Island Living are 'enough', or that if you have them, they'll 'replace' this pack, because even if the trailer is a bit vague,, I just don't see it.
I'd love to know what it is about the Tiny Living STUFF PACK that means it can replace Eco Lifestyle. Tiny Living was generally advertised as a way to make cheap first homes - and encouraged Tiny Home builders, and there's a lot of them - not a way to protect the environment.
As for Island Living... well, Off The Grid was not for the ecologically conscious; it was a self-imposed challenge that meant living out in the wilderness and there wasn't actually a huge amount of choice for Off The Grid items. Off The Grid will soon be an official lot trait. And litter picking? It meant removing a litter graphic. That's about it.
yes this has a lot more in it for people that like eco stuff no I don't think they compare to this @loanet
I think a lot of people are just disappointed because they've been starved for new content for awhile now
it will be good for rags to riches or if you like playing eco sims but if you aren't that simmer then you likely aren't gonna have a whole lot
of fun with this I'm sure people would have felt the same way if it was an ep based on just one occult I would be pleased but I don't think
others would be that being said at least I like rags to riches gameplay
It irritates me that people think Tiny Living, Laundry Day and Island Living are 'enough', or that if you have them, they'll 'replace' this pack, because even if the trailer is a bit vague,, I just don't see it.
I'd love to know what it is about the Tiny Living STUFF PACK that means it can replace Eco Lifestyle. Tiny Living was generally advertised as a way to make cheap first homes - and encouraged Tiny Home builders, and there's a lot of them - not a way to protect the environment.
As for Island Living... well, Off The Grid was not for the ecologically conscious; it was a self-imposed challenge that meant living out in the wilderness and there wasn't actually a huge amount of choice for Off The Grid items. Off The Grid will soon be an official lot trait. And litter picking? It meant removing a litter graphic. That's about it.
Tiny living is a nod to the tiny house movement in real life, that is about leaving a smaller footprint on the planet. It has everything to do with eco living. And since you bolded the words "stuff pack", I'll also point out that the entire original concept for eco living came from the first community stuff pack vote.
People wanted it as a stuff pack. People even wanted it as a game pack. Fair enough. But when we started getting bits and pieces of the eco requests in other packs and patches, it seemed like we were being accommodated for the lost concept that people wanted. A stuff pack's worth of gameplay.
The Off the Grid lot trait was also a leftover from the community stuff pack vote. It was discussed in those forums. It wasn't about "living out in the wilderness", necessarily, it was about living "off the grid" in general, an idea spurned from the lost "Off the Grid" stuff pack that had become "Laundry Day". They are absolutely connected.
You are also really playing down the "litter picking" from Island Living. There is an entire career revolving around it, and it's not just a litter graphic. Have you played Island Living? There's a whole third of the map that is dependent on the ecosystem of that litter. The entire environment changes if you try to ignore it. I know this because I did try to ignore it since I'm not interested in eco gameplay. I thought that if I didn't use the career, the Island would be fine. But nope. This whole environmental shift happens for the worst unless you make your Sims go on beach cleanup duty. There is no "opt out". People would have preferred underwater diving and swimming but apparently, the devs chose to add an ecosystem to the pack instead.
Now here we are, not even one year later, and suddenly there is an entire EP dedicated to eco living. If this was planned all along, then why were actual swimming activities sacrificed for eco gameplay in the first place? A lot of players were upset with Island Living because it didn't fully deliver. It would have made more sense to develop more practical and player-interest activities for IL, like underwater swimming for the Mermaids, and save the general eco stuff for the appropriate pack, wouldn't it?
It's no wonder this Eco pack is getting a lot of shade. Players most likely thought that this concept was already done, and now an entire EP has been dedicated to it on top of the Stuff Pack worth (and more) that's already in the game. This is why it feels extra "recycled" (haha) and overdone because the whole "clean up the land to make it prettier and healthier" gameplay was already done in Island Living less than a year ago. It just wasn't needed. Not as an expansion pack, at least.
Apparently the new eco hippie slogan is no longer tree hugging it is worm hugging! Seriously. Worm ! Worm ! Like many I thought it was chicken which gave me hope
It irritates me that people think Tiny Living, Laundry Day and Island Living are 'enough', or that if you have them, they'll 'replace' this pack, because even if the trailer is a bit vague,, I just don't see it.
I'd love to know what it is about the Tiny Living STUFF PACK that means it can replace Eco Lifestyle. Tiny Living was generally advertised as a way to make cheap first homes - and encouraged Tiny Home builders, and there's a lot of them - not a way to protect the environment.
As for Island Living... well, Off The Grid was not for the ecologically conscious; it was a self-imposed challenge that meant living out in the wilderness and there wasn't actually a huge amount of choice for Off The Grid items. Off The Grid will soon be an official lot trait. And litter picking? It meant removing a litter graphic. That's about it.
Tiny living is a nod to the tiny house movement in real life, that is about leaving a smaller footprint on the planet. It has everything to do with eco living. And since you bolded the words "stuff pack", I'll also point out that the entire original concept for eco living came from the first community stuff pack vote.
People wanted it as a stuff pack. People even wanted it as a game pack. Fair enough. But when we started getting bits and pieces of the eco requests in other packs and patches, it seemed like we were being accommodated for the lost concept that people wanted. A stuff pack's worth of gameplay.
The Off the Grid lot trait was also a leftover from the community stuff pack vote. It was discussed in those forums. It wasn't about "living out in the wilderness", necessarily, it was about living "off the grid" in general, an idea spurned from the lost "Off the Grid" stuff pack that had become "Laundry Day". They are absolutely connected.
You are also really playing down the "litter picking" from Island Living. There is an entire career revolving around it, and it's not just a litter graphic. Have you played Island Living? There's a whole third of the map that is dependent on the ecosystem of that litter. The entire environment changes if you try to ignore it. I know this because I did try to ignore it since I'm not interested in eco gameplay. I thought that if I didn't use the career, the Island would be fine. But nope. This whole environmental shift happens for the worst unless you make your Sims go on beach cleanup duty. There is no "opt out". People would have preferred underwater diving and swimming but apparently, the devs chose to add an ecosystem to the pack instead.
Now here we are, not even one year later, and suddenly there is an entire EP dedicated to eco living. If this was planned all along, then why were actual swimming activities sacrificed for eco gameplay in the first place? A lot of players were upset with Island Living because it didn't fully deliver. It would have made more sense to develop more practical and player-interest activities for IL, like underwater swimming for the Mermaids, and save the general eco stuff for the appropriate pack, wouldn't it?
It's no wonder this Eco pack is getting a lot of shade. Players most likely thought that this concept was already done, and now an entire EP has been dedicated to it on top of the Stuff Pack worth (and more) that's already in the game. This is why it feels extra "recycled" (haha) and overdone because the whole "clean up the land to make it prettier and healthier" gameplay was already done in Island Living less than a year ago. It just wasn't needed. Not as an expansion pack, at least.
I actually felt sick reading that! That’s a really sobering thought. This was the one reason why Island Living is my least favourite pack - the lack of underwater gameplay.
Alright. Hear me out. This is probably the first time I post in a complaining thread.
This is the first time I've EVER been disappointed with an EP. First. FIRST.
I'm mad, I'm incredibly mad. And I'm not mad because I think that every single pack should please specifically me and live up to my personal expectations. Obviously everyone has a different gaming style! And there were many other packs I wasn't interested in the slightest. Discover University. Get Famous (although I ended up getting that one and having lots of fun with it). Strangeville, Realm of Magic. But I was never disappointed with any of those packs because they provided us with gameplay we didn't have in TS4 before. So this isn't bashing because "HOW DARE U NOT GIVE ME WHAT I WANT, EVERYTHING HAZ TO BE ABOUT MEEEE ".
But this... We all know it's recycled, alright? Bits and pieces from other packs. City Living, Island Living, Tiny friggin' Living... If EA already decided to add a little bit of Eco in every pack then why break that rule? Why give Eco a pack of it's own? Just continue implementing all of those features in other packs like you always did before!
At least could've kept it a gamepack. But NO, they decided to steal a whole EP for recycled content.
And hey! You know what's also eco-friendly? You know what's the EMBODIMENT of eco-friendly? Take a guess! Take another! That's right - FARMING.
I know a lot of simmers aren't hyped about farming. I know a lot of simmers are annoyed with people hyping about farming (like me). But you have to admit - it would've provided so much more original gameplay then this excuse for an expansion pack. It could've also given us a normal country world because besides a few areas in Windenburg we have NOTHING that could at least RESEMBLE a countryside.
Now I don't think we'll even get a farming pack. Seems like that idea is just... scrapped forever.
I get that you want to show how cool and modern the sims is. But sometimes I like my sims living the quiet country life. Call me old-fashioned - that would be incredibly hilarious considering I'm not even in college yet and have the mindset of a six year old (which probably explains all of this complaining). A lot of people complain about Sims only making content for teenage girls now - Well I'm that, okay!? And I'm REALLY not happy with what EA is doing!
If I ever get this pack, I'll make sure the world stays dirty and polluted. Because that's the only friggin' exciting thing in this pack and could do well for storyline purposes.
Sorry for the ramble. I'm all over the place. I'm just so disappointed with this pack.
Honestly, I'm half expecting there to be a Greta Thurnberb NPC that'll go around saying "how are you!" to our sims in simlish.
Give our Vampires back their fangs!!! Reverse the Nerf!!! Occult simmers should not be shoved aside for the "realism players"! It's time Occult lovers/players started to demand equal treatment. #JusticeForOccults
Getting an entire neighbourhood to be eco-friendly and improving the environment must be really difficult, we have to get people on our side, build neighborhoods that makes it easier to use bikes or buses, convince industries to not release as much pollution, eat less meat, set larger goals to improve the environment...
...or we could just create a magical gun that removes pollution.
I'm sorry, I cannot get over just how absurd that thing is.
@logion hey at least they got to use that Uni repo man animation again....also probably the same animation that will be used as the Happy Haunts grim reaper that people want so bad.
Calling it now: the voting board/system is in no way whatsoever reliant on votes.
The lot will cycle randomly through purposes, like festivals in City Living. You’ll get to “vote”, your sim performing the animation, then at a predetermined time, the lot will become whatever it was always going to become. This lot will be entirely uncustomisable.
Comments
Eh, Get together is one of the most well received packs and it strays from the norm.
The developers have shown the ability to make interesting unique packs before.
Take into the future for example.
Into the future had a similar concept to eco living. It's a world that changes based on your actions.
Your wealth, occult life state, friends, family, etc would all affect how your descendants came out, and your actions could shape the future, literally.
Into the future wasn't the best received pack, but it didn't have mass criticism, despite being the last expansion pack confirmed for the sims 3.
The issue I have with eco living is that it's contained to one world. This will not affect my every day gameplay like Seasons, cats and dogs, get together, vampires, University etc.
This is contained in its own little world. If the pack affected all of the world's I think it'd be a lot more well received. Imagine if I could turn Willow Creek into a polluted dump? That's something this game lacks in spades, consequences for your actions. At this point I actually prefer the world to stay a dumb because it's so unique. I could roleplay it as the slums where poor families live.
Into the future was also one world, but the difference was that the two world's were connected. The present affected the future, and you could bring anything from the future back to change the present.
Island Living and City living are also for the most part contained to one world, and that's fine as well, because they are location packs. The whole selling point is the city and island. Now while both packs had absolutely beautiful scenery, island living was totally half baked, but that's neither here nor there.
The difference is that an eco living pack is not location based. Sure we can put turbines and solar panels in any world, but it won't affect anything unless you live in that world.
Eco living should be an every world or none thing.
In other words, this "Expansion Pack" doesn't seem to actually expand the game. Hence why it should have been a Game Pack.
At least I liked some of the build/buy, I guess.
I'd love the option for it to impact every world. But... I wonder how many angry simmers would then be complaining about their long worked on favourite neighbourhood suddenly being a mess? OFC I'm going to wave the 'Toggles for Everything!' flag here again just like I do for occults
If it was a GP, which features do you think would be reasonable to cut out, to make it the GP price? I'd probably choose drink making and the community lot/voting thing. I bet that's someone else's favourite part of the pack though.
It has truly earned it what a waste of a expansion.
Even when it’s fully cleaned up, Evergreen is still an ugly cityscape with cranes, cement barrels, smokestacks, a river encased with cement, areas cleared for housing. If the point of this pack is living green and eco-friendly, the greatest flaw is right there in the title: Eco = ecosystem. Popping a few trees between concrete structures does not create an ecosystem.
The world should have changed to remove the smokestacks, the crane, the barrels and replant those spots into forested areas or crops. The creek should have made more natural: rocky banks that gradually slope to the water, with reeds, an environment for frogs and fish to thrive in. It should provide ECOSYSTEMS for wildlife. Not just some pointless scattered trees. No chain link fences to block wildlife traffic. Just reclamation of the wild, natural world, coexisting with sims who recycle and use eco-friendly items and materials.
So basically a lackluster pack that doesn’t even do eco-living right? 🤦🏽♀️
Just clean up a few trash piles and use your magical eco gun to clear the polluted air and you’re eco friendly
😐
HA!!!
LOL but seriously omg what is it?? Is it actually a worm?
It's hard to answer that because I don't yet know everything about the pack. But pretty much anything, honestly. I doubt I'd play with any of it. I don't even like the CAS or build items much, save for a few items. I definitely wouldn't have it impact every world, I'd probably shrink the neighborhood to normal game pack size (depending on how many lots it has) and get rid of the sci-fi digital stuff that doesn't seem to fit at all. The community ballots, some of the extra gardening (isn't there enough by now?), the soda, some of the clunky machinery (is that actually eco friendly??) and some of the CAS could get cut down. I don't know, it just doesn't seem to have much to begin with.
But because we already have the Conservationist career and effects in Island Living, the Off the Grid lot trait, and the Tiny Living stuff pack, it seems like this eco angle has already been covered enough. Even if this were a game pack, it would feel like overkill to me. And it actually makes me feel a little more regretful about Island Living because these two packs were most likely being developed at the same time at some point, so why put the exact same concept into both when there could have been many better things to put into Island Living while the eco stuff be saved for a focused pack? Had they done that, this pack would have made a little more sense, but still not as an expansion. That just seems unnecessary because the content theme itself doesn't have a replayability factor. Maybe some of the objects do, but the neighborhood cleanup just feels like a one-shot deal that no one would want to play out again. Which is the same complaint that many have about StrangerVille, and that is a game pack. Why do that to an EP? I don't get it.
I also personally don't think eco cleanup is a fun gameplay concept to begin with. I avoid it in Island Living until the game forces me to when the garbage starts affecting my Mermaids. I wish I could turn it off altogether (might have to see if there's a cheat, that would help.) It's mainly because of the way Sims' emotions are programmed; I can't stand that they constantly stand around and stomp their feet and react to smelly garbage over and over so I feel like this new world is going to be very annoying very quickly, which is a bummer, because that's kind of the only thing I really like about the pack is the trashy city. If the trash was superficially environmental and didn't actually trigger Sims into a reactional loop, It would be much better. But real gameplay is never, ever anything like the trailer, so I see this becoming a huge irritation.
I just can't believe an entire EP budget was spent on this repetitive theme that we already had in Island Living. Especially when Realm of Magic was left wanting for more and many people felt let down that it wasn't an EP. With the amount of time it takes to get any requested content at all, (hello, personalities? Romance? Whims that make sense? Traits? A Fear emotion?! Generational play and Occults?!) The eco concept has now been done to death. It's probably going to be the single most complete featured theme in the entire game, and, not gonna lie, that's very disappointing.
But, since there is more info to come on the pack, I won't say this is my final opinion. There could still be something in there that grabs my attention, or salvages the gameplay for me. I doubt it, but it's possible.
And I'm just going to clarify that my opinion is about my own personal preferences. Those who like the Eco stuff are welcome to enjoy it as they will. The only thing that actually critically bothers me is that there are other packs that could have, should have gotten the budget of an EP way before this did, because this gameplay was already done.
I'd love to know what it is about the Tiny Living STUFF PACK that means it can replace Eco Lifestyle. Tiny Living was generally advertised as a way to make cheap first homes - and encouraged Tiny Home builders, and there's a lot of them - not a way to protect the environment.
As for Island Living... well, Off The Grid was not for the ecologically conscious; it was a self-imposed challenge that meant living out in the wilderness and there wasn't actually a huge amount of choice for Off The Grid items. Off The Grid will soon be an official lot trait. And litter picking? It meant removing a litter graphic. That's about it.
yes this has a lot more in it for people that like eco stuff no I don't think they compare to this @loanet
I think a lot of people are just disappointed because they've been starved for new content for awhile now
it will be good for rags to riches or if you like playing eco sims but if you aren't that simmer then you likely aren't gonna have a whole lot
of fun with this I'm sure people would have felt the same way if it was an ep based on just one occult I would be pleased but I don't think
others would be that being said at least I like rags to riches gameplay
Tiny living is a nod to the tiny house movement in real life, that is about leaving a smaller footprint on the planet. It has everything to do with eco living. And since you bolded the words "stuff pack", I'll also point out that the entire original concept for eco living came from the first community stuff pack vote.
People wanted it as a stuff pack. People even wanted it as a game pack. Fair enough. But when we started getting bits and pieces of the eco requests in other packs and patches, it seemed like we were being accommodated for the lost concept that people wanted. A stuff pack's worth of gameplay.
The Off the Grid lot trait was also a leftover from the community stuff pack vote. It was discussed in those forums. It wasn't about "living out in the wilderness", necessarily, it was about living "off the grid" in general, an idea spurned from the lost "Off the Grid" stuff pack that had become "Laundry Day". They are absolutely connected.
You are also really playing down the "litter picking" from Island Living. There is an entire career revolving around it, and it's not just a litter graphic. Have you played Island Living? There's a whole third of the map that is dependent on the ecosystem of that litter. The entire environment changes if you try to ignore it. I know this because I did try to ignore it since I'm not interested in eco gameplay. I thought that if I didn't use the career, the Island would be fine. But nope. This whole environmental shift happens for the worst unless you make your Sims go on beach cleanup duty. There is no "opt out". People would have preferred underwater diving and swimming but apparently, the devs chose to add an ecosystem to the pack instead.
Now here we are, not even one year later, and suddenly there is an entire EP dedicated to eco living. If this was planned all along, then why were actual swimming activities sacrificed for eco gameplay in the first place? A lot of players were upset with Island Living because it didn't fully deliver. It would have made more sense to develop more practical and player-interest activities for IL, like underwater swimming for the Mermaids, and save the general eco stuff for the appropriate pack, wouldn't it?
It's no wonder this Eco pack is getting a lot of shade. Players most likely thought that this concept was already done, and now an entire EP has been dedicated to it on top of the Stuff Pack worth (and more) that's already in the game. This is why it feels extra "recycled" (haha) and overdone because the whole "clean up the land to make it prettier and healthier" gameplay was already done in Island Living less than a year ago. It just wasn't needed. Not as an expansion pack, at least.
I actually felt sick reading that! That’s a really sobering thought. This was the one reason why Island Living is my least favourite pack - the lack of underwater gameplay.
This is the first time I've EVER been disappointed with an EP. First. FIRST.
I'm mad, I'm incredibly mad. And I'm not mad because I think that every single pack should please specifically me and live up to my personal expectations. Obviously everyone has a different gaming style! And there were many other packs I wasn't interested in the slightest. Discover University. Get Famous (although I ended up getting that one and having lots of fun with it). Strangeville, Realm of Magic. But I was never disappointed with any of those packs because they provided us with gameplay we didn't have in TS4 before. So this isn't bashing because "HOW DARE U NOT GIVE ME WHAT I WANT, EVERYTHING HAZ TO BE ABOUT MEEEE
But this... We all know it's recycled, alright? Bits and pieces from other packs. City Living, Island Living, Tiny friggin' Living... If EA already decided to add a little bit of Eco in every pack then why break that rule? Why give Eco a pack of it's own? Just continue implementing all of those features in other packs like you always did before!
At least could've kept it a gamepack. But NO, they decided to steal a whole EP for recycled content.
And hey! You know what's also eco-friendly? You know what's the EMBODIMENT of eco-friendly? Take a guess! Take another! That's right - FARMING.
I know a lot of simmers aren't hyped about farming. I know a lot of simmers are annoyed with people hyping about farming (like me). But you have to admit - it would've provided so much more original gameplay then this excuse for an expansion pack. It could've also given us a normal country world because besides a few areas in Windenburg we have NOTHING that could at least RESEMBLE a countryside.
Now I don't think we'll even get a farming pack. Seems like that idea is just... scrapped forever.
I get that you want to show how cool and modern the sims is. But sometimes I like my sims living the quiet country life. Call me old-fashioned - that would be incredibly hilarious considering I'm not even in college yet and have the mindset of a six year old (which probably explains all of this complaining). A lot of people complain about Sims only making content for teenage girls now - Well I'm that, okay!? And I'm REALLY not happy with what EA is doing!
If I ever get this pack, I'll make sure the world stays dirty and polluted. Because that's the only friggin' exciting thing in this pack and could do well for storyline purposes.
Sorry for the ramble. I'm all over the place. I'm just so disappointed with this pack.
This is most certainly an opinion, not sure if it should be extended into the world of Sims packs.....
@logion hey at least they got to use that Uni repo man animation again....also probably the same animation that will be used as the Happy Haunts grim reaper that people want so bad.
The lot will cycle randomly through purposes, like festivals in City Living. You’ll get to “vote”, your sim performing the animation, then at a predetermined time, the lot will become whatever it was always going to become. This lot will be entirely uncustomisable.