And what an INCREDIBLE lie that was. There are very few times in this game when I actually feel like "I rule" more than I did in previous titles. The Sims 4 is very much a passion project for the devs to tell their own stories and the players' come second. I firmly believe that's why packs like Get Together and Vampires are so well received. They're one of the only times where the players are given full creative control (or as much control as we can get on such a restrictive foundation)
As for this mystery pack with zero mystery (Seriously. Some of y'all are really going nuts with this "no spoilers" nonsense. They already give the whole story away in the trailer) while I do appreciate them wanting to try something new....or rather something everyone keeps calling new even though literally every iteration of the Sims has had some sort of storytelling spinoff, I can't help but feel like they didn't really put their hearts into it. Everything about this pack is so basic and uninspired that I wonder if it only exists because of some weird executive mandate and not because it's something the team actually wanted to do.
The trailer park that's 90% decoration. The laptops that don't even have opening and closing animations. The return of the martial arts training dummy (complete with reused animations from TS3) but no martial arts skill. And a story so bland and predictable that I can't believe people are actually concerned about spoilers. With all of that in mind, remind me again what the incentive to drop $20 for this is? Because I'm way past the point of buying anything just because it has The Sims written on it (I left those dark times behind with TS3)
I think it's weird when sims cant wash their clothes. It's like having no cars. Its basic life things that bring realness into the game. Although the interactions in sims 3 laundry were better. They actually put soap in. Also, homes need a laundry room, we all have them or at least one on the premises. I think it's essential for a life simulation game. And if you're playing without cheats, you can actually make good money searching pockets lol.
Why they couldn't have done all the packs in the poll instead of the other ones we have I do not know. They were all very good ideas then just vanished.
I do like laundry but as a side feature in an Expansion Pack, not as a whole separate pack. They added a way to wash clothes without a washing machine, which is cool, but made washing machines not as good as in The Sims 3. Animations are super simplified, but that could be said of MOST animations in The Sims 4.
Animation technology is better so animations look smoother, but they're simplified when compared to animations from The Sims 3 (and especially Sims 2). For example, have you notice how Sims in 4 don't touch faucets to use sinks? In 2 and 3 they do. Same with dishwashers. Sims in 4 don't even touch them (they open on their own, like magic), same with ovens, dressers, etc. Sims in 4 barely interact with the world (everything moves magically), which really breaks immersion in my opinion.
I also think it's essential for a life sim so in my opinion it should be part of the base game. It should still remain an opt-in feature, but we shouldn't have to pay extra to have it. At least in 3 MULTIPLE packs introduced laundry, not just Ambitions. University also added washing machines and many stuff packs too. You could buy a washing machine and dryer on The Sims 3 Store too for $2.
I always enjoyed the spinoff games in the Sims 2 era especially, but would I have wanted those elements randomly appear in my sandbox game? Of course not. The Sims on PC has always been a sandbox game and it should remain that way. I personally feel that we're getting less and less creativity and freedom, it's quite sad when you compare how limited 4 is to previous instalments.
@Cabelle1863 I share your sentiment completely. The Sims 4 has been out FOR A LONG time now, and it should have, long ago, hit all of the tick marks that we Sims players expect from the game series (like Witches and other supernaturals, and University), and THEN moved along into the newer stuff. I get that maybe they wanted to intermingle some new things in here and there, which is fine, but the Sims needs to feel complete, and should have felt complete long ago, with way more of the stuff in the base game so that it wouldn't have to be released in content packs (like laundry, cars, universities, and aliens), with some major EPs and/or GPs to introduce some of the bigger things like Witchcraft and Fame. That's the way the game can BE the next generation of the game, by folding in add-ons from previous generations into the base game, so that there's more unique ways to expand the game later - and this also prevents them as developers from leaving the players in a constant state of need and frustration that some of the packs we loved have still yet to show up in the game.
If we felt that the game was complete, when compared to past generations, we can genuinely get excited for new content, because new is new, and it would be an unexplored frontier for the Sims. But when so many people have been begging for witches and university, as well as other things, it's insulting when those desires are consistently ignored and something highly experimental and not those things gets released, and only serves to upset the community that you really need on board to keep the game going and allow it to continue to grow. Like, I'm ok with the concept of Strangerville, I'll probably enjoy it. But I'm getting more and more bitter and resentful that some of the core expansions of the previous game are still missing this late into the life cycle of the Sims 4. I already have a lot of difficulty buying packs for TS4 at full price for this reason, and every release that doesn't fill the empty void of expectation isn't helping the situation.
I agree 100% w/you, Aine. This gamepack for me is a total wash... the useless Trailer Park that could have been a lot of fun to revamp each trailer. The tiny town... the lack of any really interesting places to go IF you do not want to play along the storyline -- it's just a shell of a game pack once again. I will be using Twisted Mex's "All Cheats" mod to bring the story to it's finality and then will be able to use the minimal lots for more of my sims families.
Many of us want something different than yet another Uni Pack and a Witches pack belongs far in the future. There are still NOT enough objects and games for our Sims to play in a group or family setting. We are missing objects like volleyball, badminton, frisbee/baseball/football tossing, the soccer goal and Sim Gnubb type game to name just a few missing fun activities. The Sims 4 franchise is more about solo activities and this leaves so many sims w/nothing to do when and if they have friends or family members over to their house. A complete FAIL on EA's part for this sims generation.
I hate RPG's as they are too repetitive and monotonous. If I wanted to play RPG's then I would buy a different video game. Sims 4 needs to continue the sandbox game that MOST of us WANT and love. This newest GP is a complete FAIL for me. 2 Thumbs Down --
They are so going to make more of these packs. This GP is barren. Sure it comes with a career and a world, but the last GP also came with that and a whole lot more. They are making big money off Strangerville because it was a cheap pack that was clearly tossed together solely to make a quick buck at the end of the year.
Seeing how there was nearly an entire calendar year between JA’s release and this pack, does it do the game pack format ANY justice? No it does not. Regardless of how people like the story, or the story mode format they should be critical of this pack because it is not on the same quality level as it’s sibling packs. If you ignore the story (which does not add anything new at all!) you are left with a career, a small world, and a couple interactive objects. Hardly worth $20. A 3-5 hour story that never changes and has no replay value after completion does not add value. It really doesn’t. Maxis devs should stick to what they know because experiments like this do nothing but rip off the player.
After playing through the story this evening, I honestly don't mind the pack. I wouldn't want ALL of the packs to be done this way, but I sincerely don't think that is their intention. This was a nice break.
I'm a simmer who has been begging for a post apocalyptic or desolate setting of some sort since TS4 released. This pack has come the closest to giving me that setting. It isn't as shabby as I'd like it, but it's closer than anything else in the game, and I will finally be able to move out of Forgotten Hollow. I have more of a problem with the annoying background FX housing that ruins lot immersion, than I do with the simple RPG element of this pack.
I received more assets that I will actually use in my general game play with this pack, than I did with Spa Day or Outdoor Retreat. The RPG elements do not interfere with sandbox play (which was my only worry), and the rpg aspiration made a whole lot more sense to me than the City Native one that came with City Living.
Literally the only thing I am miffed about is that there isn't a fishing hole in Strangerville.
Now, that's not to say I don't want more sandbox features, because I do. As I mentioned before, I hate the static FX house models in the background that completely rob you of a unique lot's immersion. You can't put a slum building or an alien stronghold down in most neighborhoods without it looking horribly out of place due to the FX buildings in the background.
I still hate that we can't edit the worlds or at least the horribly basic FX backgrounds previously mentioned. I still dislike that we don't have at least a color wheel! I want more supernatural sims. I want more death states and unexpected events with consequences that make you fear for your sim, but at least this is something different and quirky, instead of FLIPPING LAUNDRY! It still kills me that the community voted for the least interesting of all the pack options. My Sim sky fell when that was voted through, so from my perspective, this pack was a pleasant surprise compared to some of the previous disappointments I've patiently endured.
Edit:
I was wrong about there not being a fishing hole. >.< lol
To say The Sims 4 hasn't been the most controversial release of the series entirely would be a massive understatement. From before the game was announced, to where they revealed it was a closed world only weeks before release, through the inconsistent quality of pack releases, to now, it's clear that The Sims Studio has lost its way.
Really, the crux of The Sims 4's issue is the fact that the game is not designed as The Sims should be. The sky is truly the limit with the life simulation genre. There was far more that could have been innovated and improved with this fourth iteration. Yet, with its lead who had Facebook gaming experience, and a mismanaged development history, none of that came to fruition.
Since release, this 'life simulation game' is anything but. There are no longer any meaningful rewards from taking good care of your Sim (needs, mental state, cultivating interests, finances, property, etc. There is no challenge. There is no risk. You can have a Sim who is a level 1 "secret agent" waking up on a cheap bed, using poor quality furniture, cooking with cheap equipment, possess no fire alarm system, no house security system, no close friends, no achievements, no skills, etc. die PERFECTLY happy. Does anyone else find the massive problem with this, or is it just me?
In other words, this isn't a game; it lacks the game design it once had. It's a doll-house simulator, where you use your imagination with very uninspired and useless gameplay systems. It's not even a creative tool, because EA is calling the shots on everything -- the worlds, the lot sizes, the color swatches, the rules, the broken emotion system, the broken AI system. And now they've actually taken away one of the few powers we actually possessed in this game: story-telling. This pack dictates the backstory and ending of a story EA has created, and even worse, controls us as we play through it, forcing us to experience it the same exact way as anyone else. The fact the moniker, "You Rule" was ever once associated with this title is mind-boggling.
The Sims 1 through The Sims 3 were strategic, challenging, and fun modern life simulators, as well as amazing creative tools. Until this development studio chooses to accept the game's original genre as it was, and have the motivation and inspiration to innovate within it, will the decline only get worse.
@Sk8rblaze From comments that we get from the devs, I'm starting to wonder if some part of it isn't due to their inability to grasp what a simulation and sandbox game really is and how to build its tools. Take for instance how the community lots are coded. Instead of having a tollkit where WE decide what the rules of the community lot is, we get a bunch of presets that decide for us - compare this to the genius way it was done in sims 2 for instance, where placing objects spawned the correct npc etc. In Sims 4, they could easily give us WAY more power over what is spawned on community lots and what sims, ages or npc's and how many, come to the lot - no presets required. And that's just ONE example of many. The devs seems to lack a basic understanding of how to develop for this genre, and it's baffling, because they DO have devs that has been with the game SINCE Sims 2 if not longer.
Also, the sims don't have any meaningful personalities, we lack basic emotions like fear, Sims don't have memories to build their experiences and reactions to the world around them, multi tasking worked WAY better in Sims 2 and has basically has stayed the same since Sims 4 release, completely hindering certain objects and interactions because of the way it's implemented in the game,and things like wants/fears and an attraction system would wildly improve the game, yet it's unlikely we will get it - most of this are things that should have been included in the base game IMO.
IMO two of the most essential parts of a simulation game besides the foundational features like animations, AI, personality system, build/buy/cas etc. are 1. sandbox tools 2. Immersion creating features. Sandbox tools would include things like creating your own rules for community lots, and immersion creating features would include realistic travel methods, economic systems, social reputation and hierarchy, sicknesses, having to buy phones and clothes at a store and so on. Immersion is everything that draws you as the player into the game and invest in the stories you're telling, because what you do makes a difference, and because there's a difficulty level. A simulation game has to have a payoff, and for that to happen, there has to be a danger of failing miserably. I remember a quote, I think it was Will Wright, that said that the most interesting part of The Sims is the fail states, not the part where you succeed. This hardly happens in Sims 4, because everything is too easy, to psychedelically happy and unrealistically perfect. I wish there was a danger of my sims becoming miserable, so that their happiness meant something. I want to work for their happiness, because that is a great payoff, a wonderful dramatic tool where we create our happy world, or let the sims become miserable, to our liking. Let US rule.
Allons-y!
---> Afterlife Game Pack Idea - improved ghosts, cemeteries and funerals, psychics, new skills, new career and more! <---
I'm not worried in the slightest. They already have a plethora of non-story packs to bring out in the future: University, Tropical Getaway, Witches, Farming etc. This is not suddenly going to make them scrap everything for linear game-play.
What I do think is positive, is the fact that Strangerville has a lot of grunge and creepiness. Feels like they're branching away from the all-happy direction it was taking before. Maybe this will lead to more deviant style game-play in the future.
While there were packs like my first pet stuff that threw a spanner in the works, I feel like the majority have been improving with each new release.
I don't think there's anything worth worrying about, at least not with this pack.
@dreamprisoner I'm not sure I agree that it's creepy - the sims can't even feel fear? And as I've said, I have nothing against rpg elements, if they're well done. This isn't IMO. It's the quality that bothers me the most, not the theme or style of the pack. If people are okay with this level of quality, then what's to stop them from making more packs with the same low quality?
Allons-y!
---> Afterlife Game Pack Idea - improved ghosts, cemeteries and funerals, psychics, new skills, new career and more! <---
What I do think is positive, is the fact that Strangerville has a lot of grunge and creepiness.
WHAAT? Creepiness? Where? I don't see it. Even "zombies" (infected Sims) are intended to be comical rather than creepy. Just look at the way they run. Honestly I don't see creepiness ANYWHERE in this pack.
You want to see creepy, play the Dementé Insanitarium (custom tomb for The Sims 3). This is what creepy looks like in a Sims game:
@dreamprisoner I'm not sure I agree that it's creepy - the sims can't even feel fear? And as I've said, I have nothing against rpg elements, if they're well done. This isn't IMO. It's the quality that bothers me
Creepy in that sims can actually be possessed, and build objects have splatters that could even pass as blood. It makes a difference from the tip-toeing going on before, cutting out burglars and making slap & kiss animations that don't actually make contact.
I am bothered by the quality of the builds, that would be my major complaint. It's not hard to put some heart into the furnishing when you've got such a good background to the world.
As for the linear game-play being the main object of the pack, I'm not angry. If this were an expansion instead of a game-pack, sure, but it's the point of a game-pack to heavily surround one element, if to the neglect of everyone that doesn't like it. Whether the RPG was good or not is subjective, I didn't expect it to be anything mind blowing. I got the general story from the trailer and figured it would be like a longer version of careers. But I like the theme, I love possessed sims, and so I'm happy with what I got.
It's good to have things you can use for all sims, like fame, or parenthood, but I also don't mind the off pack where it's scope is very narrow. I don't think this will spur more similar packs, maybe only one more at most, because there's so much else to get done.
Sims 4 in general needs work, but I don't think University, or farming or Tropical vacation would fix it. So I also didn't expect that from this pack. I think giving sims some more personality, including a fear emotion, would be the best thing.
I only visit this forum around interesting releases but right off the face of it I think it's probably not fair to talk about a worrying trajectory, using Pet stuff as a starting point for a few reasons:
- Pet Stuff seems to have marked the end of stuff packs entirely, so presumably they realize that stuff packs are flaming garbage no one really wants now.
- Since then and now with the release of Strangerville we've had Seasons and Get Famous, which afaik were warmly received.
- the devs have clearly stated that this is a bit of an experimental pack, as such it would have been a bad idea to pour too much resources into it. Ofc this kind of decision is a double edged sword because now they won't be able to tell whether the criticisms are strictly related to alien genre elements or whether the off putting bit was the poor execution thereof.
An additional question everyone needs to ask themselves with that last one is: are the devs allowed to try something new and risky, even if that might result in a dip in player experience? Personally I'd answer yes, experimentation is good cuz they might discover something fresh and interesting and I'm also sure it must just be nice to work on something a little different after nth year of working on the same thing. A little palate cleanser. But I know there are plenty of people overtly or covertly against the idea of compromising their enjoyment to any degree.
So yeah, inconsistent quality is a more fair criticism than troubling direction considering the caveats from the devs that came with this pack but both have additional caveats and cherry picking going on.
@revgrv Yes, the quality is by far the thing that bothers me the most. I'm okay with any experimentation, as long as we get the sandbox tools to create the stories we want.
Allons-y!
---> Afterlife Game Pack Idea - improved ghosts, cemeteries and funerals, psychics, new skills, new career and more! <---
@Sk8rblaze From comments that we get from the devs, I'm starting to wonder if some part of it isn't due to their inability to grasp what a simulation and sandbox game really is and how to build its tools. Take for instance how the community lots are coded. Instead of having a tollkit where WE decide what the rules of the community lot is, we get a bunch of presets that decide for us - compare this to the genius way it was done in sims 2 for instance, where placing objects spawned the correct npc etc. In Sims 4, they could easily give us WAY more power over what is spawned on community lots and what sims, ages or npc's and how many, come to the lot - no presets required. And that's just ONE example of many. The devs seems to lack a basic understanding of how to develop for this genre, and it's baffling, because they DO have devs that has been with the game SINCE Sims 2 if not longer.
Also, the sims don't have any meaningful personalities, we lack basic emotions like fear, Sims don't have memories to build their experiences and reactions to the world around them, multi tasking worked WAY better in Sims 2 and has basically has stayed the same since Sims 4 release, completely hindering certain objects and interactions because of the way it's implemented in the game,and things like wants/fears and an attraction system would wildly improve the game, yet it's unlikely we will get it - most of this are things that should have been included in the base game IMO.
IMO two of the most essential parts of a simulation game besides the foundational features like animations, AI, personality system, build/buy/cas etc. are 1. sandbox tools 2. Immersion creating features. Sandbox tools would include things like creating your own rules for community lots, and immersion creating features would include realistic travel methods, economic systems, social reputation and hierarchy, sicknesses, having to buy phones and clothes at a store and so on. Immersion is everything that draws you as the player into the game and invest in the stories you're telling, because what you do makes a difference, and because there's a difficulty level. A simulation game has to have a payoff, and for that to happen, there has to be a danger of failing miserably. I remember a quote, I think it was Will Wright, that said that the most interesting part of The Sims is the fail states, not the part where you succeed. This hardly happens in Sims 4, because everything is too easy, to psychedelically happy and unrealistically perfect. I wish there was a danger of my sims becoming miserable, so that their happiness meant something. I want to work for their happiness, because that is a great payoff, a wonderful dramatic tool where we create our happy world, or let the sims become miserable, to our liking. Let US rule.
I agree with your many points, especially with wanting to work for my Sims to be happy. That should really be the goal of the game, unless you desire to make your goal drama, unhappiness, strife, etc. for a Sim -- which the game should also provide plenty of tools to do.
The Sims 2 is really the pinnacle of the franchise for me because all of its gameplay systems were meaningful, connected, and just made sense.
Keeping after your Sims needs allowed you to focus on their wants, which was tied to their personality, interests, and environment.
Keeping after their wants earned you aspiration benefit points, which could be redeemed for very cool and useful objects (such as the money tree, a tool to change aspirations, etc). Doing so also rewarded aspiration benefit points, a skill tree UI system, allowing you to unlock benefits in their Needs, Work, and aspiration-related field. You could even opt for dual aspirations when you reached a certain point.
Achieving an aspiration unlocked platinum mood, which kept them immune from depression. The pace of achieving such was almost a Sim lifetime, and not a Sim day, like the aspirations we have in TS4.
Working in their careers, earned them money and friends. But aside from bills, they HAD to pay for groceries, or else they could not eat at all. Poor quality objects often broke; you would have to upgrade their objects or pay for repairs, before you could splurge on other things, such as activities.
Doing activities and skilling increased their interest/hobby levels. Interests were tied to wants. Wants were tied to the aspiration system. Full circle.
Personality points actually were meaningful, and made each Sim unique. Their personality connected to their available interactions, behavior, and the wants system. All of that tied to aspirations and vise-versa. Again, full circle.
And then we had fears, all of which were directly tied to their personality, aspirations, and environment. We also had a large emphasis on legacies in the game; there was inheritance, making it worth building a whole lineage to improve the lives of their successors.
I'm kind of just jotting down the different gameplay systems here, which is difficult to do in detail within one post, but my point is everything was just so well connected and made the game an actual game, where you worked to achieve something, and faced plenty of challenges and risk along the way. Even if you wanted to make your Sims depressed beings, achieving their fears and making them miserable was, too, an effort.
I agree, seems like EA is wanting to sell these bare bones gamepacks with the intent to milk the fanbase. I do understand developers need money but to charge $20 for a world(which is why we dont have a World creator) + single sight line gameplay.
I'm not worried and I'm loving this pack even though it wasn't something I was asking for. 🤷♀️ I don't want to play the same Sims games just re-skinned with better graphics every time, so I am okay with them testing out new things in addition to the classics. It's way better than taking a great idea and making it a spin-off like TS Medieval that I could never play within the main game no matter how much I actually wanted to. I'm still bitter about that and it's been years.
- Pet Stuff seems to have marked the end of stuff packs entirely, so presumably they realize that stuff packs are flaming garbage no one really wants now.
I...uh...don't recall most fans not wanting stuff packs anymore. Stuff Packs are fine. That particular one just happened to be flaming garbage. Honestly, stuff pack quality is one of the few things I think this game has over the other two. Most of them are pretty solid.
All I can say is from Sims 1 through Sims 3 I gladly threw my money at them. I have everything. It was either in my hand the moment it came out or it was preordered. Even the silly KPSP which took me a year to install. I spent hours playng the games. That stopped with Sims 4. The game is not what it once was. I just wait for the sale. It is too bad that they are sitting on a what could be a gold mine and don't know it. If there is a Sims 5, and if it is still following this path, I might just have to throw in the towel.
This pack feels like the sims development team doesn't care anymore and if that's the case I think the community is to blame not for complaining but for the way they attacked members of the team, sims gurus, and offered no constructive feedback and rather acted like entitled brats. Not that I'm saying all the members did but there was a lot of plain bad manner and rudeness from the sims community from day one.
Frankly I'm appalled at the quality of the pack, normally I would be for a rpg type aspect to the sims 4 because its boring as all heck right now, The sims needed something new and fresh and I think taking the sims down a much needed change of pace was a good idea, but the execution was disastrous, The story could be done in what 3 real time hours and there was no replay value, the world had decor buildings on the main street, this I think is the biggest cut corner, empty lots would have been better than these atrocious decor buildings. They made it look like we were getting martial arts in the trailer but it was another combat dummy, All in all I feel lied to and let down, this is not the end for sims for me (i hope) but its the last time I will buy a pack without some serious post release research first, I was seriously exited for this pack I imagined being able to build "dungeon" lots and place baddies for sims to defeat and make my own short rpg stories, this pack has 0 replay value, I've always said the sims 4 doesn't focus on quantity but quality (vampires are the best they've ever been for example) and frankly this pack has focused on neither. This pack feels like the sims development team doesn't care anymore and if that's the case I think the community is to blame not for complaining but for the way they attacked members of the team, sims gurus, and offered no constructive feedback and rather acted like entitled brats. Not that I'm saying all the members did but there was a lot of plain bad manner and rudeness from the sims community from day one.
No, I think gaming has changed in general across the board. Games used to be made for the gamer. That has shifted to the shareholder.
To me game packs seems like a good format to put out a RPG style story and I like that they're expanding to that direction. I view it as extra flavour (not too much salt that ruined the whole dish). I have said elsewhere that I would be very unlikely to buy a spinoff if they did that separate from the main game. This sort of story only interests me if I can play my current sims in it and use the assets afterwards. I haven't played the pack yet so can't comment if the story is actually any good etc. just that I'm okay with the idea and the timing too. Its not like we're running out of time to add other elements to the game.
I think the community is to blame not for complaining but for the way they attacked members of the team, sims gurus, and offered no constructive feedback and rather acted like entitled brats. Not that I'm saying all the members did but there was a lot of plain bad manner and rudeness from the sims community from day one.
Eh WHAT? Over the years that Sims 4 has existed, I have read many, many beautifully written finely detailed descriptions and lists of what this Sims Community here on the official site would like to see in future EP/GP/SP development. Simmers have spent hours asking, pleading and exhorting the Sims 4 development team to add a plethora of themes, storylines, new objects and fun activities. I have been amazed at the incredibly intelligent, thoughtful and visionary descriptions -- the logistical soundness of the proposed game additions and the passion with which all of these have been written and listed for the EA creators/programmers year after year.
Also, many of us have now been playing this game for almost 20 years. Do you not think at some point that our patience might begin to wear thin causing frustration and irritation to take its place? We as a community have put up w/Sims 4 which has never achieved the heights of Sims 2 and even Sims 3. How long do you expect us as we continue to pay for a game that is so much LESS than the previous generations, to be polite and "well-behaved"? EA cries about "Budget constraints"... the developers/programmers say they are restricted with what they can do with the current game engine... and so our Simming Community ends up with this mess of a game. EA needs to sell off the Sims 4 if they can't "afford" to give this game the financial support it deserves.
You need to do more research in the "Feedback" and "Ideas Corner" forums here. Many Simmers have written exhaustively on what they would like to see in Sims 4 -- think college thesis level of the written descriptions, suggestions and requests.
As for this mystery pack with zero mystery (Seriously. Some of y'all are really going nuts with this "no spoilers" nonsense. They already give the whole story away in the trailer) while I do appreciate them wanting to try something new....or rather something everyone keeps calling new even though literally every iteration of the Sims has had some sort of storytelling spinoff, I can't help but feel like they didn't really put their hearts into it. Everything about this pack is so basic and uninspired that I wonder if it only exists because of some weird executive mandate and not because it's something the team actually wanted to do.
..//
This. I just...has everyone forgotten that Millie Bobby Brown did that Kindness Week thing last year? I realise it sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory, but Strangerville appears to lean heavily on the TV series she was in.
One thing I have noticed in these (often heated) discussions is that players seem divided into two groups: one that has played previous iterations and one that has not. I belong to the latter, so I have nothing to compare my gaming experience with and so far I have been happy with what has been released. What does surprise me are the many bugs that are left unfixed for so long or that new packs don't seem to have been tested for bugs or clashes with previous packs (Seasons/City Living being the obvious one right now).
I don't know where I was going with this, to be honest, other than that I feel a discrepancy between what players have been asking very vocally for in the game versus what is being released, combined with a lack of quality testing before release. (Honestly, the series that SimSupply is doing right now with a dev building a house just highlights how obvious it is that they don't even test their own stuff. Half of it is James going "No, you can't do that. That's not possible. Sorry, that door doesn't match anything.")
I suppose the questions is: did anyone actually ask for this type of content pack? If not, why was it released?
Comments
And what an INCREDIBLE lie that was. There are very few times in this game when I actually feel like "I rule" more than I did in previous titles. The Sims 4 is very much a passion project for the devs to tell their own stories and the players' come second. I firmly believe that's why packs like Get Together and Vampires are so well received. They're one of the only times where the players are given full creative control (or as much control as we can get on such a restrictive foundation)
As for this mystery pack with zero mystery (Seriously. Some of y'all are really going nuts with this "no spoilers" nonsense. They already give the whole story away in the trailer) while I do appreciate them wanting to try something new....or rather something everyone keeps calling new even though literally every iteration of the Sims has had some sort of storytelling spinoff, I can't help but feel like they didn't really put their hearts into it. Everything about this pack is so basic and uninspired that I wonder if it only exists because of some weird executive mandate and not because it's something the team actually wanted to do.
The trailer park that's 90% decoration. The laptops that don't even have opening and closing animations. The return of the martial arts training dummy (complete with reused animations from TS3) but no martial arts skill. And a story so bland and predictable that I can't believe people are actually concerned about spoilers. With all of that in mind, remind me again what the incentive to drop $20 for this is? Because I'm way past the point of buying anything just because it has The Sims written on it (I left those dark times behind with TS3)
....And just like that, things are starting to make sense.
I don't know if that counts as them listening or them knowing that it and Pets are two things that are kinda requirements at this point.
I do like laundry but as a side feature in an Expansion Pack, not as a whole separate pack. They added a way to wash clothes without a washing machine, which is cool, but made washing machines not as good as in The Sims 3. Animations are super simplified, but that could be said of MOST animations in The Sims 4.
Animation technology is better so animations look smoother, but they're simplified when compared to animations from The Sims 3 (and especially Sims 2). For example, have you notice how Sims in 4 don't touch faucets to use sinks? In 2 and 3 they do. Same with dishwashers. Sims in 4 don't even touch them (they open on their own, like magic), same with ovens, dressers, etc. Sims in 4 barely interact with the world (everything moves magically), which really breaks immersion in my opinion.
I also think it's essential for a life sim so in my opinion it should be part of the base game. It should still remain an opt-in feature, but we shouldn't have to pay extra to have it. At least in 3 MULTIPLE packs introduced laundry, not just Ambitions. University also added washing machines and many stuff packs too. You could buy a washing machine and dryer on The Sims 3 Store too for $2.
I always enjoyed the spinoff games in the Sims 2 era especially, but would I have wanted those elements randomly appear in my sandbox game? Of course not. The Sims on PC has always been a sandbox game and it should remain that way. I personally feel that we're getting less and less creativity and freedom, it's quite sad when you compare how limited 4 is to previous instalments.
If we felt that the game was complete, when compared to past generations, we can genuinely get excited for new content, because new is new, and it would be an unexplored frontier for the Sims. But when so many people have been begging for witches and university, as well as other things, it's insulting when those desires are consistently ignored and something highly experimental and not those things gets released, and only serves to upset the community that you really need on board to keep the game going and allow it to continue to grow. Like, I'm ok with the concept of Strangerville, I'll probably enjoy it. But I'm getting more and more bitter and resentful that some of the core expansions of the previous game are still missing this late into the life cycle of the Sims 4. I already have a lot of difficulty buying packs for TS4 at full price for this reason, and every release that doesn't fill the empty void of expectation isn't helping the situation.
Many of us want something different than yet another Uni Pack and a Witches pack belongs far in the future. There are still NOT enough objects and games for our Sims to play in a group or family setting. We are missing objects like volleyball, badminton, frisbee/baseball/football tossing, the soccer goal and Sim Gnubb type game to name just a few missing fun activities. The Sims 4 franchise is more about solo activities and this leaves so many sims w/nothing to do when and if they have friends or family members over to their house. A complete FAIL on EA's part for this sims generation.
I hate RPG's as they are too repetitive and monotonous. If I wanted to play RPG's then I would buy a different video game. Sims 4 needs to continue the sandbox game that MOST of us WANT and love. This newest GP is a complete FAIL for me. 2 Thumbs Down --
INFJ -A/-T
Seeing how there was nearly an entire calendar year between JA’s release and this pack, does it do the game pack format ANY justice? No it does not. Regardless of how people like the story, or the story mode format they should be critical of this pack because it is not on the same quality level as it’s sibling packs. If you ignore the story (which does not add anything new at all!) you are left with a career, a small world, and a couple interactive objects. Hardly worth $20. A 3-5 hour story that never changes and has no replay value after completion does not add value. It really doesn’t. Maxis devs should stick to what they know because experiments like this do nothing but rip off the player.
I'm a simmer who has been begging for a post apocalyptic or desolate setting of some sort since TS4 released. This pack has come the closest to giving me that setting. It isn't as shabby as I'd like it, but it's closer than anything else in the game, and I will finally be able to move out of Forgotten Hollow. I have more of a problem with the annoying background FX housing that ruins lot immersion, than I do with the simple RPG element of this pack.
I received more assets that I will actually use in my general game play with this pack, than I did with Spa Day or Outdoor Retreat. The RPG elements do not interfere with sandbox play (which was my only worry), and the rpg aspiration made a whole lot more sense to me than the City Native one that came with City Living.
Literally the only thing I am miffed about is that there isn't a fishing hole in Strangerville.
Now, that's not to say I don't want more sandbox features, because I do. As I mentioned before, I hate the static FX house models in the background that completely rob you of a unique lot's immersion. You can't put a slum building or an alien stronghold down in most neighborhoods without it looking horribly out of place due to the FX buildings in the background.
I still hate that we can't edit the worlds or at least the horribly basic FX backgrounds previously mentioned. I still dislike that we don't have at least a color wheel! I want more supernatural sims. I want more death states and unexpected events with consequences that make you fear for your sim, but at least this is something different and quirky, instead of FLIPPING LAUNDRY! It still kills me that the community voted for the least interesting of all the pack options. My Sim sky fell when that was voted through, so from my perspective, this pack was a pleasant surprise compared to some of the previous disappointments I've patiently endured.
Edit:
I was wrong about there not being a fishing hole. >.< lol
Really, the crux of The Sims 4's issue is the fact that the game is not designed as The Sims should be. The sky is truly the limit with the life simulation genre. There was far more that could have been innovated and improved with this fourth iteration. Yet, with its lead who had Facebook gaming experience, and a mismanaged development history, none of that came to fruition.
Since release, this 'life simulation game' is anything but. There are no longer any meaningful rewards from taking good care of your Sim (needs, mental state, cultivating interests, finances, property, etc. There is no challenge. There is no risk. You can have a Sim who is a level 1 "secret agent" waking up on a cheap bed, using poor quality furniture, cooking with cheap equipment, possess no fire alarm system, no house security system, no close friends, no achievements, no skills, etc. die PERFECTLY happy. Does anyone else find the massive problem with this, or is it just me?
In other words, this isn't a game; it lacks the game design it once had. It's a doll-house simulator, where you use your imagination with very uninspired and useless gameplay systems. It's not even a creative tool, because EA is calling the shots on everything -- the worlds, the lot sizes, the color swatches, the rules, the broken emotion system, the broken AI system. And now they've actually taken away one of the few powers we actually possessed in this game: story-telling. This pack dictates the backstory and ending of a story EA has created, and even worse, controls us as we play through it, forcing us to experience it the same exact way as anyone else. The fact the moniker, "You Rule" was ever once associated with this title is mind-boggling.
The Sims 1 through The Sims 3 were strategic, challenging, and fun modern life simulators, as well as amazing creative tools. Until this development studio chooses to accept the game's original genre as it was, and have the motivation and inspiration to innovate within it, will the decline only get worse.
Also, the sims don't have any meaningful personalities, we lack basic emotions like fear, Sims don't have memories to build their experiences and reactions to the world around them, multi tasking worked WAY better in Sims 2 and has basically has stayed the same since Sims 4 release, completely hindering certain objects and interactions because of the way it's implemented in the game,and things like wants/fears and an attraction system would wildly improve the game, yet it's unlikely we will get it - most of this are things that should have been included in the base game IMO.
IMO two of the most essential parts of a simulation game besides the foundational features like animations, AI, personality system, build/buy/cas etc. are 1. sandbox tools 2. Immersion creating features. Sandbox tools would include things like creating your own rules for community lots, and immersion creating features would include realistic travel methods, economic systems, social reputation and hierarchy, sicknesses, having to buy phones and clothes at a store and so on. Immersion is everything that draws you as the player into the game and invest in the stories you're telling, because what you do makes a difference, and because there's a difficulty level. A simulation game has to have a payoff, and for that to happen, there has to be a danger of failing miserably. I remember a quote, I think it was Will Wright, that said that the most interesting part of The Sims is the fail states, not the part where you succeed. This hardly happens in Sims 4, because everything is too easy, to psychedelically happy and unrealistically perfect. I wish there was a danger of my sims becoming miserable, so that their happiness meant something. I want to work for their happiness, because that is a great payoff, a wonderful dramatic tool where we create our happy world, or let the sims become miserable, to our liking. Let US rule.
What I do think is positive, is the fact that Strangerville has a lot of grunge and creepiness. Feels like they're branching away from the all-happy direction it was taking before. Maybe this will lead to more deviant style game-play in the future.
While there were packs like my first pet stuff that threw a spanner in the works, I feel like the majority have been improving with each new release.
I don't think there's anything worth worrying about, at least not with this pack.
WHAAT? Creepiness? Where? I don't see it. Even "zombies" (infected Sims) are intended to be comical rather than creepy. Just look at the way they run. Honestly I don't see creepiness ANYWHERE in this pack.
You want to see creepy, play the Dementé Insanitarium (custom tomb for The Sims 3). This is what creepy looks like in a Sims game:
Creepy in that sims can actually be possessed, and build objects have splatters that could even pass as blood. It makes a difference from the tip-toeing going on before, cutting out burglars and making slap & kiss animations that don't actually make contact.
I am bothered by the quality of the builds, that would be my major complaint. It's not hard to put some heart into the furnishing when you've got such a good background to the world.
As for the linear game-play being the main object of the pack, I'm not angry. If this were an expansion instead of a game-pack, sure, but it's the point of a game-pack to heavily surround one element, if to the neglect of everyone that doesn't like it. Whether the RPG was good or not is subjective, I didn't expect it to be anything mind blowing. I got the general story from the trailer and figured it would be like a longer version of careers. But I like the theme, I love possessed sims, and so I'm happy with what I got.
It's good to have things you can use for all sims, like fame, or parenthood, but I also don't mind the off pack where it's scope is very narrow. I don't think this will spur more similar packs, maybe only one more at most, because there's so much else to get done.
Sims 4 in general needs work, but I don't think University, or farming or Tropical vacation would fix it. So I also didn't expect that from this pack. I think giving sims some more personality, including a fear emotion, would be the best thing.
- Pet Stuff seems to have marked the end of stuff packs entirely, so presumably they realize that stuff packs are flaming garbage no one really wants now.
- Since then and now with the release of Strangerville we've had Seasons and Get Famous, which afaik were warmly received.
- the devs have clearly stated that this is a bit of an experimental pack, as such it would have been a bad idea to pour too much resources into it. Ofc this kind of decision is a double edged sword because now they won't be able to tell whether the criticisms are strictly related to alien genre elements or whether the off putting bit was the poor execution thereof.
An additional question everyone needs to ask themselves with that last one is: are the devs allowed to try something new and risky, even if that might result in a dip in player experience? Personally I'd answer yes, experimentation is good cuz they might discover something fresh and interesting and I'm also sure it must just be nice to work on something a little different after nth year of working on the same thing. A little palate cleanser. But I know there are plenty of people overtly or covertly against the idea of compromising their enjoyment to any degree.
So yeah, inconsistent quality is a more fair criticism than troubling direction considering the caveats from the devs that came with this pack but both have additional caveats and cherry picking going on.
I agree with your many points, especially with wanting to work for my Sims to be happy. That should really be the goal of the game, unless you desire to make your goal drama, unhappiness, strife, etc. for a Sim -- which the game should also provide plenty of tools to do.
The Sims 2 is really the pinnacle of the franchise for me because all of its gameplay systems were meaningful, connected, and just made sense.
And then we had fears, all of which were directly tied to their personality, aspirations, and environment. We also had a large emphasis on legacies in the game; there was inheritance, making it worth building a whole lineage to improve the lives of their successors.
I'm kind of just jotting down the different gameplay systems here, which is difficult to do in detail within one post, but my point is everything was just so well connected and made the game an actual game, where you worked to achieve something, and faced plenty of challenges and risk along the way. Even if you wanted to make your Sims depressed beings, achieving their fears and making them miserable was, too, an effort.
I...uh...don't recall most fans not wanting stuff packs anymore. Stuff Packs are fine. That particular one just happened to be flaming garbage. Honestly, stuff pack quality is one of the few things I think this game has over the other two. Most of them are pretty solid.
Is this a joke? Are you for real?
No, I think gaming has changed in general across the board. Games used to be made for the gamer. That has shifted to the shareholder.
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
Eh WHAT? Over the years that Sims 4 has existed, I have read many, many beautifully written finely detailed descriptions and lists of what this Sims Community here on the official site would like to see in future EP/GP/SP development. Simmers have spent hours asking, pleading and exhorting the Sims 4 development team to add a plethora of themes, storylines, new objects and fun activities. I have been amazed at the incredibly intelligent, thoughtful and visionary descriptions -- the logistical soundness of the proposed game additions and the passion with which all of these have been written and listed for the EA creators/programmers year after year.
Also, many of us have now been playing this game for almost 20 years. Do you not think at some point that our patience might begin to wear thin causing frustration and irritation to take its place? We as a community have put up w/Sims 4 which has never achieved the heights of Sims 2 and even Sims 3. How long do you expect us as we continue to pay for a game that is so much LESS than the previous generations, to be polite and "well-behaved"? EA cries about "Budget constraints"... the developers/programmers say they are restricted with what they can do with the current game engine... and so our Simming Community ends up with this mess of a game. EA needs to sell off the Sims 4 if they can't "afford" to give this game the financial support it deserves.
You need to do more research in the "Feedback" and "Ideas Corner" forums here. Many Simmers have written exhaustively on what they would like to see in Sims 4 -- think college thesis level of the written descriptions, suggestions and requests.
INFJ -A/-T
This. I just...has everyone forgotten that Millie Bobby Brown did that Kindness Week thing last year? I realise it sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory, but Strangerville appears to lean heavily on the TV series she was in.
One thing I have noticed in these (often heated) discussions is that players seem divided into two groups: one that has played previous iterations and one that has not. I belong to the latter, so I have nothing to compare my gaming experience with and so far I have been happy with what has been released. What does surprise me are the many bugs that are left unfixed for so long or that new packs don't seem to have been tested for bugs or clashes with previous packs (Seasons/City Living being the obvious one right now).
I don't know where I was going with this, to be honest, other than that I feel a discrepancy between what players have been asking very vocally for in the game versus what is being released, combined with a lack of quality testing before release. (Honestly, the series that SimSupply is doing right now with a dev building a house just highlights how obvious it is that they don't even test their own stuff. Half of it is James going "No, you can't do that. That's not possible. Sorry, that door doesn't match anything.")
I suppose the questions is: did anyone actually ask for this type of content pack? If not, why was it released?