I made the mistake of watching a trailer for The Sims 2 Free Time, and it made me really angry because we used to get so much stuff in the expansion packs. You start to forget how rich the expansion packs used to be because you get used to this new model. I don't like how disconnected my game feels with this new model. I don't have all of the GPs and SPs, but I have all the expansions except Eco Lifestyle. I've slowly been collecting the different packs as they go on sale. I feel less angry about spending the money on GPs and SPs when there's a sale. I absolutely hated the TS3 store, so I'll bite my tongue and live with the fact that we don't get the same quantity and quality of content we used to. I'm late to TS4. I held out until this year, and only started playing TS4 because I lost my TS2 and TS3 discs in a cross country move. :s
They actually did go without Stuff Packs for a while after MFPS, but I do think that some of them are well worth the money, my personal favorite being Tiny Living and my most wanted Moschino.
Game Packs are the best way for Occult Players like myself to have all of the weird and supernatural aspects of the game without having to add things we don't want, and vice versa. I'm sure that many Realistic Players are glad that only two expansion packs out of eight come with an occult, unless you count DU with Servos, and I'm sure that many of my fellow Occult Players are glad that we have individual game packs for the two most popular occults from what I can tell, Vampires and Witches (now Spellcasters), allowing them to be much more fleshed out and more engaging to play with.
As mentioned by a few other people, Expansion Packs are expensive and a lot of people (myself included) can't afford to buy them all the time, while the other two options are a lot more affordable and still add several fun and intriguing gameplay aspects and items.
I love stuff packs. I'm mainly a one family player and new content in smaller doses just seems more manageable for me. In fact I could totally get behind just having stuff packs and game packs.
i like their business model and would like it to continue. i like the tiny stuff pack's focus on niche objects. i like the game pack's kinda sort expansion that is hyper focused on just one thing. and i like how the expansions have two or three different styles and directions they go in.
Towards the beginning of the Sims3, I felt the same way. Then they started putting more in some packs. What we need is the team they cut to be put back and concentrating on extra expansions besides what we're already getting. So many want to move on and we don't even have what we had in the Sims3 and some of it like bunkbeds, cemeteries, freed infants, more playground equipment, more wedding stuff, farm animals/tractors/farm fencing, more romantic wear, passies, belly rings, male hair, cars, casinoes, fair/circus stuff, bird/insect collecting, more hobbies, sculpting, house builder/interior designer/ and other careers, future/past worlds, hotels,
dragons/unicorns/Pegasus/horses/ECT, strollers, small animals, updated aquariums, and so much more. I'm not into extra supernaturals past what we have, but I am sure some would like them plus yeti, Bigfoot, lockness lake monster, ECT. Therefore, I think we need more people to work on it. Even though Sims5 rumors have surfaced, it will probably be years before it's released according to team comments months ago despite the fact that there are placeholders for new game systems that haven't been released yet. Game packs are good, but if they did away with stuff packs and tried to put out more expansions, I would be happy about it. 2 a year is just not enough. I will say that some of the Sims4 SP are better than the early Sims3 packs. With bird feeders, chimes, photography job, the laundry, the loaded knitting pack, and other stuff, I am slightly more happy about them than I use to be. I'm not huge on placing different types of furniture and almost never place bars. I consider various types of treadmills extra to be a waste of money. There were very few exceptions for me. Aquariums and riders for toddlers were things I never minded getting more of, but we don't have any riders and poor aquariums in the Sims4. I miss them. I sort of agree with you OP, but without GPs, we would hardly get anything as it takes 6mnts to get an EP. I wish we got at least 4 a year. Having the store was like getting several EPs a year, because with dragons, casinoes, premium content for toddlers, fair stuff, and everything else, we really were getting several EPs a year, disguised as store worlds. They didn't have to keep the store, but they should've never gotten rid of that team. With more experienced workers, they probably would've gotten bugs under control easier.
I'ld actually prefer to have only stuff and game packs instead of expansion packs. Both stuff and game packs seem more cohesive and stuff packs have been getting better over time. Expansion packs, on the other hand, have been somehow weird to me... i mean, they have a theme but then it looks like some random stuff is added just to fill them...
Nah, I highly doubt they will start to lower the price on the Expansion World if they combine it with Stuff packs and Game packs. In fact, the expansion pack will probably cost more, lol. That said, it's been a common complaint among Simmers in regards to how some pack items could have been included with such and such Expansion game pack.
Always be yourself and not what someone else wants you to be, say, see, or do.-WS
I think that stuff packs have improved a lot recently and are good for what they are. On the other hand, expansion packs?? Not so much, they mostly feel unfinished like cats and dogs? Get famous without even bands for instance? I'm not even going to talk about the actual cash grab eco lifestyle and island living are. I like them, but they are not enough for at least in tiger sims games were EPs. Game packs are also better and seem more put together imo.
Edit: I think a few years ago they took a kind of break from SPs and came back better, maybe they should take a break from EPs as well.
True, the latest expansion packs don't even come with big lots anymore. Like 64x64 or 50x50. So much for some of awesome builds in gallery you might want to use, but don't have the additional lot space for it.
Always be yourself and not what someone else wants you to be, say, see, or do.-WS
I think the Stuff packs started as an idea after Sims1when CC makers charged a $2/mos "membership fee" for their downloads and made good money on it. As a company, why wouldn't you want part of that revenue?
Personally I like them and they have gotten better with time. Like most I am underwhelmed with the ex packs...
It's a question of expense for some people who only have the base game so I think that Stuff and Gamepacks are a cheaper way of adding to it without buying the expansions.
It's never clear to me if Stuff packs can be added to the Legacy Edition or not. Can they?
I agree, why do we need gamepacks? when sims 2 and 3 offer whole expansions? In my opinion, we've normalized paying more when a lot of these game/stuff packs could go into one stuff/expansion pack. It's basically another way to chop up the game and get you to pay more instead including it all in one were you would get more bang for your buck. My first pets stuff should of went into cat's and dog, perfect patio and backyard stuff should of bend combined since most houses with hot tubs already have them in their backyard. Laundry and bowling was included in sims 3 university expansion, supernatural had all the occults together, such vampires and witches so you didn't have to buy them separately. So all we're doing is buying an even more fragmented game for more with less and it doesn't make much sense. you don't need game packs and expansion packs..the expansion is the game. And truth to be told expansion were the actually game being sold back to you and not really an expansion. The sims in general is an expensive game and as right now s4 cost around 500 with all dlc, minus the sales cause you have to keep mind there are people who buy this stuff on release day and don't wait for sales. So the game is still expensive regardless of there being no store.
Personally, I'd love to see another medieval pack like before with TS3. I love the knights, kings and queens thing and would love to have another medieval pack like that. Now the we have magic, medieval would be a nice addition to that I think.
Maybe EA could just shell out some money to expert CC makers to continue the “stuff” trend while EA can focus on EP and GP. Tiny Twavellers is by far my favorite “stuff pack” of all time. Gawd, the attention to detail! (Google it and download if you can)
Agree on stuff packs, we have enough and definitely don't need any more.
Disagree on game packs though, they're my favorite type of packs. Game packs generally have more interesting themes than EPs and are more fun to play with. Can't say I ever use Get Together, Get Famous and Discovery University but Jungle Adventure, Dine Out, Vampires, ROM, etc are staples in my game. Just judging on the themes Expansions tend to focus on the more mundane things which don't really interest me which is probably why I don't care for expansions so much.
The only packs I really want now in TS4 are game packs; Fairies and Vacation/International worlds are my biggest wants and I don't see them being a full blown EP.
I dont know about you, but from what I observed gamepack always came out in a higher quality than expansion packs themselves.
I've actually felt like this too. Game packs have been my favourites this time around and I do feel like they have the most value for the cost of them.
I'm indifferent to the stuff packs though for the most part. It's good they exist, some people like them.
Expansion packs tend to fit an overarching theme -- living in the city, pets, university, etc. -- that require a fairly large budget. So they try and pack as much content as possible, which can sometimes make it feel a little disjointed.
Game packs are more geared to a specific theme -- vampires, magic, parenthood -- and require a smaller budget but feel a bit more cohesive.
Stuff packs are mainly just "stuff", but at the same time they also have a specific theme -- backyard fun, fashion photography, bowling -- with at least one item that has new gameplay.
I think each have a place in the ecosystem known as The Sims.
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Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
Comments
Game Packs are the best way for Occult Players like myself to have all of the weird and supernatural aspects of the game without having to add things we don't want, and vice versa. I'm sure that many Realistic Players are glad that only two expansion packs out of eight come with an occult, unless you count DU with Servos, and I'm sure that many of my fellow Occult Players are glad that we have individual game packs for the two most popular occults from what I can tell, Vampires and Witches (now Spellcasters), allowing them to be much more fleshed out and more engaging to play with.
As mentioned by a few other people, Expansion Packs are expensive and a lot of people (myself included) can't afford to buy them all the time, while the other two options are a lot more affordable and still add several fun and intriguing gameplay aspects and items.
dragons/unicorns/Pegasus/horses/ECT, strollers, small animals, updated aquariums, and so much more. I'm not into extra supernaturals past what we have, but I am sure some would like them plus yeti, Bigfoot, lockness lake monster, ECT. Therefore, I think we need more people to work on it. Even though Sims5 rumors have surfaced, it will probably be years before it's released according to team comments months ago despite the fact that there are placeholders for new game systems that haven't been released yet. Game packs are good, but if they did away with stuff packs and tried to put out more expansions, I would be happy about it. 2 a year is just not enough. I will say that some of the Sims4 SP are better than the early Sims3 packs. With bird feeders, chimes, photography job, the laundry, the loaded knitting pack, and other stuff, I am slightly more happy about them than I use to be. I'm not huge on placing different types of furniture and almost never place bars. I consider various types of treadmills extra to be a waste of money. There were very few exceptions for me. Aquariums and riders for toddlers were things I never minded getting more of, but we don't have any riders and poor aquariums in the Sims4. I miss them. I sort of agree with you OP, but without GPs, we would hardly get anything as it takes 6mnts to get an EP.
True, the latest expansion packs don't even come with big lots anymore. Like 64x64 or 50x50. So much for some of awesome builds in gallery you might want to use, but don't have the additional lot space for it.
Personally I like them and they have gotten better with time. Like most I am underwhelmed with the ex packs...
It's never clear to me if Stuff packs can be added to the Legacy Edition or not. Can they?
Never going to happen. Not everyone works on bugs.
Disagree on game packs though, they're my favorite type of packs. Game packs generally have more interesting themes than EPs and are more fun to play with. Can't say I ever use Get Together, Get Famous and Discovery University but Jungle Adventure, Dine Out, Vampires, ROM, etc are staples in my game. Just judging on the themes Expansions tend to focus on the more mundane things which don't really interest me which is probably why I don't care for expansions so much.
The only packs I really want now in TS4 are game packs; Fairies and Vacation/International worlds are my biggest wants and I don't see them being a full blown EP.
I've actually felt like this too. Game packs have been my favourites this time around and I do feel like they have the most value for the cost of them.
I'm indifferent to the stuff packs though for the most part. It's good they exist, some people like them.
Game packs are more geared to a specific theme -- vampires, magic, parenthood -- and require a smaller budget but feel a bit more cohesive.
Stuff packs are mainly just "stuff", but at the same time they also have a specific theme -- backyard fun, fashion photography, bowling -- with at least one item that has new gameplay.
I think each have a place in the ecosystem known as The Sims.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
Definitely. I love the gamepacks.
That is seriously DEVASTATING!
The look of sheer terror is priceless, lol!