I'm having fun playing a house with this because it's something I've never done before in the Sims. But there's so many things that need tweaked or added. If they ever do add more to it, what would you like to see?
Solar Panels. But with limited use if you are off the grid, I don't want my Sim to be able to use a computer without going to the library. Or watch tv. But it would be nice to be able to use the older looking radios. And, if they can't heat water on the stove for a hot bath, maybe the solar panel could allow hot showers or baths (with an imaginary water heater I suppose). If nothing else, being able to use tablets and my Sim's phone would make a whole lot more sense if I actually had a way to charge them. On the grid, they'd be great for lowering bills like they did in Sims 2.
Usable Well. Since there are sinks, this isn't completely necessary, but it would be fun. If your Sim could have the option to get a drink or their laundry water from it. Perhaps a cistern that catches rain water instead? Also more sink options would be nice.
More cooking options. There are plenty of things that can be cooked over fire.
Canning. I'm not normally big into gardening, but it seemed appropriate in an off the grid house. So my Sim has a garden full of things that could be canned or made into soups. And this is a feature I could see people using off or on the grid. I used to use it in Sims 3 just to make a pantry that looked good. In this same vein, wine making could be nice.
Gallery ID: LadyGray01
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There's definitely more objects that look like they should be off the grid (like the oil lamp??) and aren't. I like the generator idea. If they had to crank it, it could build fitness like using the wash tub to do laundry does.
That would be a neat feature, and build fitness.
Yes, they should. That's actually what I was intending to do. I missed the separate Sims 4 feedback section when I was looking at the drop down. I thought I got the right one. Wouldn't be surprised if it gets moved.
The oil lamp surprised me that it wasn't off the grid. I'd like to see the current buy mode catalog re-visited properly and things added to "off the grid" accordingly. There's a few candles they've missed from the lighting section, just from what I've seen, so I assume there's probably even more missed items.
Definitely needs a revisit. There's candles, a few lamps and hanging lights that look Victorian that should be gas lamps, there's some halloween decorations that look like they are meant to be candle lit. Also, there are no outside lights for off the grid at all.
- a few more dishes and family meals/group meals for cooking on gas
- at least one cake to bake in a gas oven to use for birthdays
I'd also like a working cooler or antique ice chest. Basically, one that would allow ALL the same functions as a fridge. It's very frustrating that I cannot make recipes on a wooden stove unless I have a fridge.
Or, I'd like to have canning and have a shelf for dry food goods that works almost like a fridge. Like, we couldn't make all the recipes. But we could use fruits & veggies, recipes including pasta, etc. I would also like a way to preserve fish so it wouldn't go bad immediately if they went this route. Then we could just grow all of our food and catch fish.
A solar panel & water heater would be good too, for more modern builds. But honestly, in most cases I would prefer to use off the grid for more rustic homes. So I really want a well and wooden tub.
I forgot about the cakes! We definitely need that. I had my sim bake one at someone else's house. I find it so silly that we are so limited. I actually have a gas stove irl. It is normally lit with electricity, but we've lit it with a lighter and successfully cooked a few times during storms when the power was out. We even used it to help heat the house once when our heat broke. And my kids sometimes use the flames to roast marshmallows.
Homes from the late 1800's on, did have indoor plumbing for sinks and tubs. Not all obviously, but definitely in cities. By the 1900's they also had early water heaters that were heated by the stove before the water made its way to the tub.
But, I agree that more options are needed, so you can choose what "time period" your sims are living in.
Canning is a big one for me too. And definitely ice boxes. There's only one fridge (unless there are more in packs I don't own) that even looks sort of right. And it is way too limited. People used to store all sorts of things in ice boxes and cellars before modern refrigeration.
The way the game is set up now, it's like they didn't think any modern amenities existed at all before electricity, and that's not the case at all.
- Allow Sims to clean dirty items. That makes no sense at all - having to replace an item because it's dirty is antithetical to the whole off-the-grid theme.
- I like the idea of a generator that builds fitness while cranking it. It would be nice to have some other items, such as a phonograph or radio that work if you crank them.
- A real outhouse, and fix the shower tarp so that Sims don't freak out if someone is nearby while they're showering. Especially if it's only their toddler.
- Better labelling of items that work off-the-grid.
All of that! There is only one wall light that I know of that is off the grid and it came with vampires. Even though ALL of the candles should be, and there's a couple that look as if they could be gas that should be.
I haven't noticed un-cleanable items. Maybe because I have a maid and have upgraded all of my sinks and tubs? What happens?
Yes! That would be great. As you pointed out, they could recycle the typing motions and it would allow you to write books or letters instead of emails.
I was playing with a new, off-the-grid save (since my main save was waiting for ROM), and gave one of the Sims the writer aspiration. Oops! No way to do that without a working computer. That's been an issue with several iterations of the Sims - people have wanted an option for writing that did not require a computer for a long time. You can use the journal and books to build writing skill, but you can't write a book. And really, that should be easy to do, as you point out - an old-time typewriter would use the same animations, or they could use the journal animations for writing longhand.
Edited to add regarding the cleaning things: if you upgrade everything, it won't need to be cleaned, but your Sims have to have enough skill and they have to collect the parts (which they can't buy - you have to wait until they've fixed some broken stuff). The toilets get dirty long before that, and the only solution is to junk it and buy a new one. (You can clean the countertops, fortunately, since they can't be upgraded. But why countertops and not sinks and toilets?)
That would explain why I haven't had any cleaning issues. I the first thing my Sim did after moving in was to max handiness and upgrade everything that could be, even the fireplaces. I put a laptop in my Sim's inventory and sent her to the library to buy parts. I suppose you could do that to write a book too, but we shouldn't have to.