I voted Food Preserves only because they didn't have the choice of the Pottery Wheel or Glass Blowing..., or even Bee Keeping! Those would have been great ways to make money in the game. And laundry sounded shallow..., IMO..., like something that should be added as extra content in an EP. Off the Grid was my second choice and the whole Carbon thing was totally 'off the grid' for me.... Anywho, my votes in.
Lol or you could just let people vote how they want instead of trying to sway everyone to the group that YOU would prefer.
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.
That's a fair point. I think it's just a little... what's the word... seems wrong? Because in most contexts in life (that I'm aware of) the stage of things where there's a vote ongoing is when debate halts and everybody is supposed to have made up their mind at that point.
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...
I chose Food Preserves as well, as it seemed like something I could get the most use out of. I really enjoyed nectar making in TS3 and would be pleased to see it back.
My only concern is that the pack might not be as in depth as previous versions, if this ends up being the main theme, because the description suggests 'many' features (nectar making, canning and preserving) and we're talking only about a stuff pack.
These ideas that you put forward show just how many possibilities there are to use these features with the existing packs. That's why I don't want them to sacrifice the flexibility of nectar/jam making by making it limited.
However, I honestly like all the ideas proposed to us (#teamallthethings), but Food Preserves and Laundry are my top two.
I want canning/nectar making eventually and enjoyed reading this. While I'm not sure it will win I'm sure it's been "heard" that many of us want it.
When something like this comes I hope there is more to do with the product than sell it or consume it on the spot. I know some items will give our sims moods they always do and that's great. I for instance think at least one of the nectar's should provide a dazed moodlet. Maybe something with Lilies and a fruit or even death flower added in. It would be kind of hard to get the ingredients which would add to game play. You have to work for it. Well or cheat it/buy it but that's all built in anyway for those that can't wait or don't want to work hard (or tediously if they consider it to be tedious) for it.
There are many base game plants that haven't gotten any love or real use. I hope they focus on some of those or at least have it in mind for a future Witches Pack. I play Scientists and Herbalist type sims so I have both of those gardens down pat... even spliced up so they grow fast or combined for a household with both. There are some plants I never use and would love the game to force my hand and make me use them if that makes sense.
I agree with a lot of this, but as a story teller I think canning mostly enhances a story I can already tell, but off the grid opens up entirely new stories that I couldn't tell before. I have ideas if it wins for granite falls and the Windenburg island. Ultimately it was the immediate set of stories that idea spawned that Drew me to it.
I'll be happy with any of the three leading contenders so I can honestly say I won't be at all sad if canning (or laundry) wins!
From a personal stand point, I feel like the sims 4 is lacking in area's that require earning a living from home. Art and writing are clearly the winners in this area. Gardening and fishing can come close but the former is a Pandora's box plants, and the latter (to me) seems tedious. Art and writing are both very artistic pursuits and they don't really offer much to a sim who's story would be inclined to do something else.
Nectar making was always to me, one of the most interesting and involved ways of self employment. You had to manage inventory, gardening, manufacturing, organization and space. The results were fantastic if you managed yourself properly, every 1-2 real life hours of aging usually resulted in one full Nectar rack bringing in 100-150k. A basement full was worth millions to tens of millions.
I had a ton of fun being that rich without cheats.
But even still it had something else going for it. It was one of the few skills/hobbies that had barriers of interaction. Ill explain. The very basic game play element was going out buying one or two bottles and you're done. The next level of interaction that you could buy a rack and stash bottles there for parties. From there stocking basements. This would give you a feel for a sim that enjoyed nectar as a hobby but not as a career.
Then you would have sims that would dabble in making it for fun, and making it to go big. The layers of game-play between being a casual consumer, to a connoisseur, to a supplier always seemed like a balance that not many area's received in the sims series.
I honestly don't think many other area's came close to achieving such versatility.
Then again mabye im just a nectar fanatic.
Specs: i9-9900k, SLI 2080ti MSI SeaHawk EK X, 32g 3000hz Corsair RAM, 2TB M.2 Samsung SSD, EVGA 1600W. Custom loop done by myself with dual 560mm radiators.
Off the grid sounded very interesting to me as well.
However I have been dying for nectar and canning.
I could live without laundry and I'm sure it can be thrown in with just about any pack.
I really do not want laundry I know others do and as I've said before more power to them. It will add nothing but a headache to my game. All the other choices were fantastic, but I'm with you in that I finally ended up voting for nectar making and canning because it seem to have the most in-depth, applicable game play and can integrate with what I already have.
You're kind of selling a fake ideal. We don't know the limits nectar making would have, and the jam making was explicitly described as a countertop machine, nothing like cute ts3 grandma in the oven. It'll probably be quick and not an in depth action. I personally feel like offgrid sims are an entirely new way to live in TS4, and would be way more impactful than ocasionally making wine or jam.
I agree that food preserves offers the most in-depth gameplay, but in the end I voted Off the grid instead. I play a lot of nonstandard settings like slums, post-apocalyptic, colonisation and war/occupation/resistance, so I can see me using the off the grid mechanics a lot. Whereas food preservers would only be useful for a fraction of my households.
I think in the end it boils down to this: not the question what is the best thought-out and complex theme, but what a given player will use the most often and enjoy the most. And for many players that could just as well be laundry, even though it cannot compare to nectar-making, let alone nectar AND canned food, in terms of complexity and depth.
You're kind of selling a fake ideal. We don't know the limits nectar making would have, and the jam making was explicitly described as a countertop machine, nothing like cute ts3 grandma in the oven. It'll probably be quick and not an in depth action. I personally feel like offgrid sims are an entirely new way to live in TS4, and would be way more impactful than ocasionally making wine or jam.
Grandma in the oven??? That sounds deviant. Unlike Grandma's Canning Station from TS3, it will be a countertop machine which is something we have discussed on the forum. Some of us were even hoping it could be done on a normal stove. God knows we have enough oversized objects. I'm glad they made a point to tell us it would be smaller.
I voted for canning and nectar making because it appeals to me however the off the grid came close. Whichever one wins, I know I will buy. I do hope the others will be considered for future SP or GP because they would really add alot to our games.
@Simmer_Will everything in your op is what I loved about nectar making and canning in TS3. Initially, I thought I would vote laundry, then I read all the other examples in the survey and they all sounded very cool. I ultimately went with nectar/canning because I was thinking along the same lines, like having a nectar shop and selling preserves, etc. I love your idea about a nectar club. In real life I love to drink the real world equivalent to nectar. I can see one of the required traits as maybe loves nectar and the club being very snobby, LOL. I've been on several wine tasting tours and I like the idea of Sims going on nectar tasting vacations, similar to TS3 WA. You did a great job at breaking down how the gameplay can work well with each EP and more.
> @Simmer_Will said: > 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. > > * 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 > > > > 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!
@Simmer_Will , I couldn't agree with you more! <3 I have always loved it when our Sims can make something or transform an object! It is how I love most to play my game, so this category is what I voted for, even though there were aspects from all 4 categories that I liked. And while recycling from "Off the Grid" is really something that this pack "should" have, lets face it ... recycling just sounds boring. (Although the Freegan trait sounds fun!) And while I loved the laundry, solar panels and wind turbines we had in previous Sims games, I think that the Food Preserving category offers by FAR the most for gameplay potential! Too bad we cant have everything from all 4 categories, because the environment is an important enough issue to warrant having all of these aspects in a pack! ;) Happy Simming!
I like the idea of "off the grid" but I would like to see that explored in a deeper way than a stuff pack allows, like I think it deserves a new world to make it believable. I liked all the options we could vote on so I hope whatever isn't chosen initially will be brought back at another time. Depending on the amount of votes for each pack we've essentially helped the team develop and brainstorm their next few stuff packs.
not sure if the person who started this thread was aware but the sims one also had a nectar making option and we could grow grapes. I never played the sims 3 world adventures, so, I know I'm not getting it mixed up with the sims one. Plus, the link he shows to prove it was "first introduced" in the sims 3 even says that it was in the first sims game as part of making magic. While he doesn't mention it as being specific to the sims 3 I would also like to point out that canning and such were also available in games prior to the sims 3 and were included in actual game packs instead of as something separate like being from the sims 3 store. Now, I voted for the food option before reading this post, so, I think it's a great option, but I also think if you want to point out that laundry could go in its own pack, then so could the food stuff go in a farming related pack. My second choice would have been the off the grid one, which does seem to uniquely fit this pack if you want to choose an option that would not fit so well in another pack.
I also voted for Food Preserves as I found it the most creative choice with most gameplay. My number 2 would be Off The Grid - 3rd comes the carbon-thingie - and as the very last comes Laundry.
I am really having a hard time understanding why so many people love Laundry so much, when I watch the ones playing on youtube they can hardly take care of their sims as it is - with toddlers and parenthood things have already gotten more difficult - adding Laundry will just be yet another thing added to the things that have to be done. LOL maybe we will see a lot of butts sticking up from hampers and a lot of z's floating in the air. Personally I might never use that part of the pack if Laundry wins if I ever want to buy the pack if that happens.
AHH just voted and I already initially wanted to vote for canning and jams BUT THEY ADDED NECTAR MAKING. I am SOLD if they add nectar making. Ohmygosh
PS love your ideas!
And you can already live "off the grid" simply by not paying your bills lol. It cuts off utilities.
The off grid option does sound cool, but I would not buy a pack for it. I would, however, buy a pack SOLELY for nectar-making. I really hope it wins.
And you can already live "off the grid" simply by not paying your bills lol. It cuts off utilities.
The off grid option does sound cool, but I would not buy a pack for it. I would, however, buy a pack SOLELY for nectar-making. I really hope it wins.
Correct me @SimGuruGraham if Im wrong, but Nectar making would be no like at The Sims 3 World Adventures. No only because is is a Stuff pack, also because is not GP or EP, further packs will be no able to add new ingredients for nectar making
Remember than at TS3, some Supernatural plants an also University Life ones, can be used for Nectar Making
I feel like regardless of what wins, an off the grid lot trait should be added, as @Louise_G0325 said, you can live off the grid by not paying bills, so why not just include that option?
I was torn between off the grid and food preserving, but as soon as I saw nectar and new grapes I knew what I had to vote for
Totally wishing this was a game pack now though.... Not for laundry (well maybe the washtub and clothes line) but all choices seemed great imo for an eco pack.
I agree with another poster too, if food doesn't win, id hope for a mediteranian country side type gp, with these options and more.
Comments
My only concern is that the pack might not be as in depth as previous versions, if this ends up being the main theme, because the description suggests 'many' features (nectar making, canning and preserving) and we're talking only about a stuff pack.
These ideas that you put forward show just how many possibilities there are to use these features with the existing packs. That's why I don't want them to sacrifice the flexibility of nectar/jam making by making it limited.
However, I honestly like all the ideas proposed to us (#teamallthethings), but Food Preserves and Laundry are my top two.
When something like this comes I hope there is more to do with the product than sell it or consume it on the spot. I know some items will give our sims moods they always do and that's great. I for instance think at least one of the nectar's should provide a dazed moodlet. Maybe something with Lilies and a fruit or even death flower added in. It would be kind of hard to get the ingredients which would add to game play. You have to work for it. Well or cheat it/buy it but that's all built in anyway for those that can't wait or don't want to work hard (or tediously if they consider it to be tedious) for it.
There are many base game plants that haven't gotten any love or real use. I hope they focus on some of those or at least have it in mind for a future Witches Pack. I play Scientists and Herbalist type sims so I have both of those gardens down pat... even spliced up so they grow fast or combined for a household with both. There are some plants I never use and would love the game to force my hand and make me use them if that makes sense.
I'll be happy with any of the three leading contenders so I can honestly say I won't be at all sad if canning (or laundry) wins!
Nectar making was always to me, one of the most interesting and involved ways of self employment. You had to manage inventory, gardening, manufacturing, organization and space. The results were fantastic if you managed yourself properly, every 1-2 real life hours of aging usually resulted in one full Nectar rack bringing in 100-150k. A basement full was worth millions to tens of millions.
I had a ton of fun being that rich without cheats.
But even still it had something else going for it. It was one of the few skills/hobbies that had barriers of interaction. Ill explain. The very basic game play element was going out buying one or two bottles and you're done. The next level of interaction that you could buy a rack and stash bottles there for parties. From there stocking basements. This would give you a feel for a sim that enjoyed nectar as a hobby but not as a career.
Then you would have sims that would dabble in making it for fun, and making it to go big. The layers of game-play between being a casual consumer, to a connoisseur, to a supplier always seemed like a balance that not many area's received in the sims series.
I honestly don't think many other area's came close to achieving such versatility.
Then again mabye im just a nectar fanatic.
However I have been dying for nectar and canning.
I could live without laundry and I'm sure it can be thrown in with just about any pack.
*Here's to hope*
I think in the end it boils down to this: not the question what is the best thought-out and complex theme, but what a given player will use the most often and enjoy the most. And for many players that could just as well be laundry, even though it cannot compare to nectar-making, let alone nectar AND canned food, in terms of complexity and depth.
Grandma in the oven??? That sounds deviant. Unlike Grandma's Canning Station from TS3, it will be a countertop machine which is something we have discussed on the forum. Some of us were even hoping it could be done on a normal stove. God knows we have enough oversized objects. I'm glad they made a point to tell us it would be smaller.
> 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.
>
> * 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
>
>
>
> 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!
@Simmer_Will , I couldn't agree with you more! <3 I have always loved it when our Sims can make something or transform an object! It is how I love most to play my game, so this category is what I voted for, even though there were aspects from all 4 categories that I liked. And while recycling from "Off the Grid" is really something that this pack "should" have, lets face it ... recycling just sounds boring. (Although the Freegan trait sounds fun!) And while I loved the laundry, solar panels and wind turbines we had in previous Sims games, I think that the Food Preserving category offers by FAR the most for gameplay potential! Too bad we cant have everything from all 4 categories, because the environment is an important enough issue to warrant having all of these aspects in a pack! ;)
Happy Simming!
My number 2 would be Off The Grid - 3rd comes the carbon-thingie - and as the very last
comes Laundry.
I am really having a hard time understanding why so many people love Laundry so much,
when I watch the ones playing on youtube they can hardly take care of their sims as it is -
with toddlers and parenthood things have already gotten more difficult - adding Laundry
will just be yet another thing added to the things that have to be done.
LOL maybe we will see a lot of butts sticking up from hampers and a lot of z's floating in
the air. Personally I might never use that part of the pack if Laundry wins if I ever want
to buy the pack if that happens.
I am crossing my fingers for Food Preserves !!
PS love your ideas!
Pirates!! http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/906481/pirate-gp-smuggling-dueling-live-on-ship-or-build-own-and-more#latest
The off grid option does sound cool, but I would not buy a pack for it. I would, however, buy a pack SOLELY for nectar-making. I really hope it wins.
Pirates!! http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/906481/pirate-gp-smuggling-dueling-live-on-ship-or-build-own-and-more#latest
me to
Remember than at TS3, some Supernatural plants an also University Life ones, can be used for Nectar Making
I was torn between off the grid and food preserving, but as soon as I saw nectar and new grapes I knew what I had to vote for
Totally wishing this was a game pack now though.... Not for laundry (well maybe the washtub and clothes line) but all choices seemed great imo for an eco pack.
I agree with another poster too, if food doesn't win, id hope for a mediteranian country side type gp, with these options and more.
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