There is always room for improvement and after my initial hype, I am now forming a fuller opinion on the pack that I can't articulate properly yet but I feel like it is a definite 7.
I'm trying to pin down specifics but I will need more hours of play.
Origin ID is: AlbaWaterhouse
All my creations are CC free.
For those of you that have get famous too would you rather get this one over that one?
I'd say this one. But it really depends on your gameplay preferences and what do you think you need more in your game: celebrities and actors or a beautiful world (and culture) and mermaids?
Origin ID is: AlbaWaterhouse
All my creations are CC free.
For those of you that have get famous too would you rather get this one over that one?
Difficult to say, I'll spend some more time with it today and try to let you know. I really enjoyed it yesterday, but I have to admit that I am super fond of Get Famous too. The world in Island Living is, however, a lot better. And it feels larger because it had more residential lots. But my mind isn't made up yet.
It’s beautiful.
Nice to finally have ocean swimming, snorkelling, sunbathing and jet skis. Dolphins are cute.
Cons
As beautiful as the world is, it feels really small. It’s missing so many basic community lots and while one could argue the theme is not a city it doesn’t need clubs, gyms etc- that’s not what I mean. I mean I can’t see myself setting a family up there pretending they are living in a tropical destination cut off from civilisation when there’s nothing really do there besides the above mentioned activities. While travelling between the worlds has always been a thing in the sims 4 and I know people will read this and think “Just travel to another world” in some situations that can break immersion not to mention it just feels empty besides the aboveboard mentioned activities.
So.many.rabbit.holes.
Why? Odd jobs? Rabbit hole. New careers rabbit hole apart from the conservation one I think?
Sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling is fun, but it’s going to get old.
I get that performance is a concern but as much as I love the world it feels very limited.
CAS items are really nice.
The world is stunning! I wish the ocean waves were a bit louder, though. Especially where the homes are built out over the water. More beach activities would have been nice to include in the pack. Even playing frisbee with other Sims would give us something to do as a group. Volleyball could have been a club activity, and would have been an awesome group activity. I played for about five hours so I haven't had time to explore the entire island yet, or the new job types. The lack of group activities is why I gave Island Living a 9 rather than a ten. We have an entire pack devoted to getting together with friends and families, but we have so few group options that don't include going to lounges and bars, or parties, and that isn't what Sulani is all about. But none of these things I feel is lacking is enough for me to dislike this EP. I am enjoying it a lot, and I don't regret buying it.
6 as a fist impression. Very pretty... but so small. All the 'gameplay' features seem so... limited. And there's no whims for them that I could get either? Surely a whim going to the beach would want to do something there? Did they just give up on the feature entirely? So they just lie down on a towel or swim in water and then what? There just doesn't seem much purpose to it. We'll see how I feel when I dig a bit deeper.
It's pretty and very relaxing, which is why I find this pack very appealing.
However, even paradise gets boring after an extended amount of time there.
And that's why I don't want my sims to live there. I want to regret leaving and look forward to returning.
I get it that this pack is about living there,
but considering how many simmers wanted a tropical island vacation getaway, it boggles my
mind that no concession was made to at least owning a vacation home there.
No hotels necessary, no BNB necessary, just tweaking the existing game play to allow sims to own a second home and request vacation time to stay there instead of a daily vacation time call.
I wasn't going to get this pack since my main sims don't have much use for it.
However, I do have my Get Famous sims that I used to try out that expansion pack. Seeing them in the new lounge chairs made me want more.
I get this...
...and this from the patch while Island Living exists?
Of course I am going to cave and buy it.
I really liked the idea of them being able to get away from Del Sol Valley and fame and also a way of spending
some of that cash laying around in their money vault.
So I went with the retail store lot work-around.
It seemed like a great idea, but I forgot about the paparazzi.
I didn't mind them hanging around the property, until they start coming into the house despite locked doors.
They were there 24-7. You ask them to leave and they come right back. It was unplayable.
So I went for the generic lot workaround, which I don't like since it's free access,
and now I have island residents walking up to the property and hanging out despite it being a generic lot.
You can't ask them to leave.
I like you Nalani, but go home.
I was lucky that most of the household members were in the same club, so I could allow only
club members through the doors. But I had to send one household member home because I haven't unlocked enough member slots
to add her to the club.
This is Meadow Thayer and she is sad because she lost a fame level while on "vacation". AND I LOVE IT!
There is some tension between getting away from the celebrity scene and losing celebrity status for being away too long.
When she goes back we can get back to it and get her status back.
It just seems so short sighted to me not to build vacation lot ownership in.
My sims that can most use this have to deal with not so satisfying workarounds in a beautiful paradise, or they can go camping in a bug infested forest. And for my sims that do live there, long term, this pack will just feel like another neighborhood after the honeymoon phase has worn off and it won't feel like a special place anymore because you are there all the time.
EA, please add purchasable vacation home lots to the game and work in the vacation time mechanic to them.
I will know more once I get the pack - so I have not rated it really - but I do love what I am seeing and so much to do. I am excited to try everything - so I do hope I can get it sooner than it looks like I can. LOL. I will wait to rate as it is only fair if one has the pack. My brother is a Marine biologist in real life so I want to go out for that job on the island and see how it rates to what my brother does.
ETA
Through the roof - oh my goodness do I love this! I have it! Amazing! Thank you to my dear friend - there are just no words enough to say how much I am loving this pack. It is spot on in such a cute way!
Post edited by Writin_Reg on
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
I downloaded it at 10 pm my time and played until 1 am and had such a blast! I'm just up and had breakfast and then I'm off to play some more! Sulani is beautiful and there is so much to do! I love this pack!!
The only reason I don't give it a 10 is because I feel like it could have included resorts and more pool objects (diving board, pool slide, etc), but other than that I love this EP.
The world is gorgeous. No denying that. My problem is that the gameplay is a bit shallow to me. If they added fully fleshed out diving lots I'd bounce the rating up to a 7.5 or 8. The part time jobs are not engaging. It's so disappointing that diving is a rabbithole. Swimming around in water is going to get old fast.
resorts, underwater snorkeling/diving , a few active jobs and a couple of fun group activities would have bounced this pack up to a 7.5 for me. And a 9 for houseboats. No game deserves a solid 10. Usually.
"Let Our Hearts And Hands Be Streched Out In Compassion Toward Others."
And Im actually being generous with the 6 rating because I couldn't even get to play mermaids since I couldn't edit their form....it just seems glitched. Hope it works today since I uninstalled and re-installed it.
"Let Our Hearts And Hands Be Streched Out In Compassion Toward Others."
My score is only provisional because I have only been able to play about 30 minutes, so far. Darn day job! But it was 30 minutes of the most satisfying simming I've had in a while.
Really loving this pack! Best and favourite so far hands down, loving everything in it. The world, build items and CAS items, the mermaids... Only thing stoping it from being a ten for me, is I was hoping for a new mermaid-related aspiration all about becoming a mermaid, and a few small things with mermaids. I wish they had a better animation switching to their mermaid form, and that they could eat and catch raw fish in the water. Still, they are a vast improvement on TS3 mermaids!
For those of you that have get famous too would you rather get this one over that one?
I'd say this one. But it really depends on your gameplay preferences and what do you think you need more in your game: celebrities and actors or a beautiful world (and culture) and mermaids?
For those of you that have get famous too would you rather get this one over that one?
Difficult to say, I'll spend some more time with it today and try to let you know. I really enjoyed it yesterday, but I have to admit that I am super fond of Get Famous too. The world in Island Living is, however, a lot better. And it feels larger because it had more residential lots. But my mind isn't made up yet.
Yeah, most people seem to be really enjoying it and I'm always up for a new life form... atm I'm in the middle of the Build Newcrest challenge so I wouldn't be using it yet... so I might wait it out a bit until I'd have the opportunity to play it and enjoy it properly.
It didn’t really live up to the hype in my opinion. Mermaids? 👌 clothes? 👌 world (visually)? 👌 cultural aspects? 👌 but.... that’s about it for me. I’ll definitely have families live there and use the world some, yes, but I’m unsure if it was actually worth the hype & money. Like, I’m currently quite tight on money and leaving for a beach vacation in like 36 hours. I’m going to two coastal locations and an island so as you can tell that’s quite expensive. But I DEMANDED I get this pack because of how excited I was for it. Now, I feel kinda bad about it 😢
For those of you that have get famous too would you rather get this one over that one?
Honestly, it depends. I wasn’t excited for get Famous but ended up loving it. I was SUPER excited for Island Living and now feel let down in a way. I think it’s hard for you to ask most simmers this question because most people have had get Famous over 6 montages and this one less than 6 hours 🤣
And Im actually being generous with the 6 rating because I couldn't even get to play mermaids since I couldn't edit their form....it just seems glitched. Hope it works today since I uninstalled and re-installed it.
Just out of curiosity why did you buy the pack? The Sims 4 isn't ever going to be like Sims 3 they are both different games. I am sorry if you aren't getting what you wanted from the pack but I am and others are to. There is things to do and you can't have possibly done everything in the pack to rate it how you did. So yes just curious why you bought it.
Comments
I'm trying to pin down specifics but I will need more hours of play.
All my creations are CC free.
I'd say this one. But it really depends on your gameplay preferences and what do you think you need more in your game: celebrities and actors or a beautiful world (and culture) and mermaids?
All my creations are CC free.
Difficult to say, I'll spend some more time with it today and try to let you know. I really enjoyed it yesterday, but I have to admit that I am super fond of Get Famous too. The world in Island Living is, however, a lot better. And it feels larger because it had more residential lots. But my mind isn't made up yet.
Lets make this a reality!
It’s beautiful.
Nice to finally have ocean swimming, snorkelling, sunbathing and jet skis. Dolphins are cute.
Cons
As beautiful as the world is, it feels really small. It’s missing so many basic community lots and while one could argue the theme is not a city it doesn’t need clubs, gyms etc- that’s not what I mean. I mean I can’t see myself setting a family up there pretending they are living in a tropical destination cut off from civilisation when there’s nothing really do there besides the above mentioned activities. While travelling between the worlds has always been a thing in the sims 4 and I know people will read this and think “Just travel to another world” in some situations that can break immersion not to mention it just feels empty besides the aboveboard mentioned activities.
So.many.rabbit.holes.
Why? Odd jobs? Rabbit hole. New careers rabbit hole apart from the conservation one I think?
Sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling is fun, but it’s going to get old.
I get that performance is a concern but as much as I love the world it feels very limited.
CAS items are really nice.
I can’t comment on mermaids.
But I must say I'm impressed so far.
However, even paradise gets boring after an extended amount of time there.
And that's why I don't want my sims to live there. I want to regret leaving and look forward to returning.
I get it that this pack is about living there,
but considering how many simmers wanted a tropical island vacation getaway, it boggles my
mind that no concession was made to at least owning a vacation home there.
No hotels necessary, no BNB necessary, just tweaking the existing game play to allow sims to own a second home and request vacation time to stay there instead of a daily vacation time call.
I wasn't going to get this pack since my main sims don't have much use for it.
However, I do have my Get Famous sims that I used to try out that expansion pack. Seeing them in the new lounge chairs made me want more.
I get this...
...and this from the patch while Island Living exists?
Of course I am going to cave and buy it.
I really liked the idea of them being able to get away from Del Sol Valley and fame and also a way of spending
some of that cash laying around in their money vault.
So I went with the retail store lot work-around.
It seemed like a great idea, but I forgot about the paparazzi.
I didn't mind them hanging around the property, until they start coming into the house despite locked doors.
They were there 24-7. You ask them to leave and they come right back. It was unplayable.
So I went for the generic lot workaround, which I don't like since it's free access,
and now I have island residents walking up to the property and hanging out despite it being a generic lot.
You can't ask them to leave.
I like you Nalani, but go home.
I was lucky that most of the household members were in the same club, so I could allow only
club members through the doors. But I had to send one household member home because I haven't unlocked enough member slots
to add her to the club.
This is Meadow Thayer and she is sad because she lost a fame level while on "vacation".
AND I LOVE IT!
There is some tension between getting away from the celebrity scene and losing celebrity status for being away too long.
When she goes back we can get back to it and get her status back.
It just seems so short sighted to me not to build vacation lot ownership in.
My sims that can most use this have to deal with not so satisfying workarounds in a beautiful paradise, or they can go camping in a bug infested forest. And for my sims that do live there, long term, this pack will just feel like another neighborhood after the honeymoon phase has worn off and it won't feel like a special place anymore because you are there all the time.
EA, please add purchasable vacation home lots to the game and work in the vacation time mechanic to them.
ETA
Through the roof - oh my goodness do I love this! I have it! Amazing! Thank you to my dear friend - there are just no words enough to say how much I am loving this pack. It is spot on in such a cute way!
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."
""He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence." So it is written."
Yeah, most people seem to be really enjoying it and I'm always up for a new life form... atm I'm in the middle of the Build Newcrest challenge so I wouldn't be using it yet... so I might wait it out a bit until I'd have the opportunity to play it and enjoy it properly.
Honestly, it depends. I wasn’t excited for get Famous but ended up loving it. I was SUPER excited for Island Living and now feel let down in a way. I think it’s hard for you to ask most simmers this question because most people have had get Famous over 6 montages and this one less than 6 hours 🤣
Wait, what???