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Eco Lifestyle, or The Sims 4 Is Done

The latest release of this so-called "Expansion Pack," sounds the absolute death knell for the franchise. The developers are recycling content in so blatant a manner--while ignoring ALL of the problems that Simmers have brought up for YEARS--that it can only mean they have entirely given up on the franchise and hope to wring a few last dollars out of players before moving on to TS5.

It is almost comical how the trailer showcases all the unfixed problems: children, elders, and family units are difficult to come by, the focus being almost completely on young adults; technology and materialism is hilariously showcased as the answer to environmental woes (buy cool machines, solve all your problems!); NOTHING is offered to fix fundamental problems with Sims, the emotions, their personalities, their relationships, their attractions...ANYTHING. If anything the trailer suggests that everyone is the same and wants the same things and yay, work together, woo, so who cares about personality anyway.

And this is an EP. Not a GP. AN EP, centered around a theme that they started to play with in several previous packs, most recently in IL. This is all they care to offer at this time.

Comments

  • ElizaG2016ElizaG2016 Posts: 35 Member
    I'm hoping this isn't the end, because I've loved the Sims as a franchise. But I wasn't too surprised when they said this was going to be surprise - I knew it wasn't going to be a good surprise, and was a little suspicious that the Country Livin' leak was too good to be true (and not the surprise they had promised). The problem is they've made a conscious choice to bring unexpected content to the Sims 4, thinking they've checked all the boxes on packs everybody wants. But they haven't, and now everyone's upset that their favorite pack idea got pushed to the back burner for something seemingly random.

    I know Eco living won a stuff pack vote a while back, but it was just that - a stuff pack idea. I think most people expected eco living to be worked into packs in smaller ways, and at most a game pack - not a whole expansion pack's worth of content. Generally you want an expansion pack to be marketable to a wide audience, which is what they've done in the past. I agree with Simmer Erin that such niche gameplay would have been better suited to a game pack.
  • FelicityFelicity Posts: 4,979 Member
    Well, I was kind of hoping that the next expansion pack would take the survey data and make improvements to the Sims themselves, but since it's coming out this soon after the survey, they're not fixed.

    Well, the pack actually looks cool, but as a gamepack, not an expansion pack. I'll keep my eye on reviews, though. At least this should give a bit of a boost to the "off the grid" trait, right?
  • cemason004cemason004 Posts: 6 New Member
    Ik in the knitting pack you can sell stuff your sim makes on an online database, so you could probably sell your recyclable stuff on there too I'm assuming.

    Quite frankly, I enjoy having my sims be business owners but I struggle getting them rich enough to do that. The more cost efficient I can make a sim, the more money I will have for the business without cheating. So I'm looking forward to seeing this particular aspect of the game.

    Next. I saw dumpster diving. Now, what if they took the rags to riches challenge and incorporated it into this. You can literally be homeless. I feel like this is wishful thinking. But I really would like this if it was part of the game. *fingers cross*
  • Tay-way654Tay-way654 Posts: 50 Member
    Honestly that’s how I feel too. I predict the developers will suffer a major financial blow from the amount of $ and effort they put into this unwanted ep. I have seen 80% of negative comments about this pack. And truthfully I get it
  • PoppyErstwhilePoppyErstwhile Posts: 29 Member
    Do you know what is the tragedy? I am so desperate for ANY new content, for at least a new world for my sims to discover, that I am probably going to buy this EP anyway, sooner or later. I am nearly always disappointed, but I just keep hoping that every new EP will be better than it initially looks... I am part of the problem *sigh*.
  • GorgeoiousGorgeoious Posts: 118 Member
    I am so disappointed and confused about this new Eco expansion pack. It don't appear to have enough content to be an expansion pack 1st of all. Am I missing something? The eco friendly theme could have been incorporated in so many other packs. The world looks horrible. I wouldn't want any of my Sims living there. Oh yeah, we're supposed to clean it up. Once we do that, then what? The Sims 4 team has some explaining to do about this pack. One reason I'm so disappointed is because I was looking forward to a new expansion pack. Now it doesn't look like I'll be getting one.
  • Renato10Renato10 Posts: 472 Member
    edited May 2020
    What I found hilarious about this EP is that they recycled so many features from other packs! Vendor Table from City Living, More gardening things after Seasons, World that changes by your actions (Strangerville and Island Living) By the way I hate that in The Sims 4 there are packs you can literally enjoy only in its own worlds... but thats due to how the world system in TS4 is, which is so bad compared to TS2 and TS3 in my opinion.

    I don't think is the fake leak that are causing trouble with the community. People are affraid this will be another empty 40 dollar pack with content that is fun for a while but after a period of time it becames boring and no one will talk about anymore!
  • texxx78texxx78 Posts: 5,657 Member
    Gorgeoious wrote: »
    I am so disappointed and confused about this new Eco expansion pack. It don't appear to have enough content to be an expansion pack 1st of all. Am I missing something? The eco friendly theme could have been incorporated in so many other packs. The world looks horrible. I wouldn't want any of my Sims living there. Oh yeah, we're supposed to clean it up. Once we do that, then what? The Sims 4 team has some explaining to do about this pack. One reason I'm so disappointed is because I was looking forward to a new expansion pack. Now it doesn't look like I'll be getting one.

    We're not supposed to clean the world. The world will change for the better or the worse depending on what the player decides to do.
  • Placebo7Placebo7 Posts: 107 Member
    Do you know what is the tragedy? I am so desperate for ANY new content, for at least a new world for my sims to discover, that I am probably going to buy this EP anyway, sooner or later. I am nearly always disappointed, but I just keep hoping that every new EP will be better than it initially looks... I am part of the problem *sigh*.

    And that is exactly the cynical cycle EA profits from. Don't get me wrong, I have been guilty of it too, but this last year has made their money-grabs SO PAINFULLY OBVIOUS that I am done. They can't even be bothered to come up with a unique idea for an entire EP--I don't even mean totally original, just something that TS4 hasn't done before. It's all recycled. EA is clearly telling us they have more important things to work on than this franchise, so I guess I do too.
  • PlayerSinger2010PlayerSinger2010 Posts: 3,267 Member
    Disagree. I think people need to calm down with this anger. TS4 is not "done".
  • KaeChan2089KaeChan2089 Posts: 4,944 Member
    TS4 is done because its basic concept has been out for 6 years now and that is an eternity in the digital (and real) world. It's time for a new iteration with today's possibilities and aesthetics.

    Prreacch ;-;

  • SimAlexandriaSimAlexandria Posts: 4,845 Member
    TS4 is done because its basic concept has been out for 6 years now and that is an eternity in the digital (and real) world. It's time for a new iteration with today's possibilities and aesthetics.

    It's not done because it's still releasing packs, still selling well, and still has loads of people who love it.
  • KaeChan2089KaeChan2089 Posts: 4,944 Member
    TS4 is done because its basic concept has been out for 6 years now and that is an eternity in the digital (and real) world. It's time for a new iteration with today's possibilities and aesthetics.

    It's not done because it's still releasing packs, still selling well, and still has loads of people who love it.

    Think you missed the point of their post....we KNOW they are gonna still release packs, but the core gameplay is basically done.
  • SimAlexandriaSimAlexandria Posts: 4,845 Member
    TS4 is done because its basic concept has been out for 6 years now and that is an eternity in the digital (and real) world. It's time for a new iteration with today's possibilities and aesthetics.

    It's not done because it's still releasing packs, still selling well, and still has loads of people who love it.

    Think you missed the point of their post....we KNOW they are gonna still release packs, but the core gameplay is basically done.

    Doubtful, with the surverys asking things about freeing babies and more gameplay for diff ages and stuff.. A lot of people voted for that and they'll take it into consideration even if it takes a few years to come out.

  • alanmichael1alanmichael1 Posts: 5,384 Member
    TS4 is done because its basic concept has been out for 6 years now and that is an eternity in the digital (and real) world. It's time for a new iteration with today's possibilities and aesthetics.

    It's not done because it's still releasing packs, still selling well, and still has loads of people who love it.

    A life simulation has to be on the height of current life and I don't see that anymore in TS4. In the beginning (post-)pandemic era this funny cartoony 2011 world will soon look vintage like a TV ad from 1979. And where should new gameplay come from when every animation that exceeds standing/sitting in front of a computer/machine/crafts table seems to hard/expensive to do?
  • blackwolf10799blackwolf10799 Posts: 28 Member
    edited May 2020
    Even as soon as I first bought sims 4 I couldn't figure out why I was bored so quickly whereas sims 2 I could not get off the game after playing for hours. It's gotten so much clearer over time. This entire franchise has been lacking, and continuously recycling content into things only playable in that world. They've completely ignored what people have been wanting in an EP. University was exciting til I learned you couldn't actually play the sim inside the class so I didn't buy it. Just a "send your sim to school/work" with dorms similar to apartments in city living, wowee. Sims 4 keeps going further and further downhill and at this point I am not excited for sims 5 because if this is sims 4, I don't even want to see what disappointment sims 5 would be. With the whole checklist thing, they're going in the wrong direction making sims a story game. It's a dollhouse game. Yes we want sims to have individual stories (otherwise theres no point having playable npcs when they're a blank slate), but as a point and click game following a checklist of tasks is not fun, it's not an open world game where you are physically doing the task. Clearly EA doesn't care about sims anymore, or Maxis needs an overhaul of employees. Judging by how horrible this EP is, I lost my hope for the knitting pack too, I just know it's going to be another "well it's not exactly what I expected but still playable" like everything released for this game.
  • Renato10Renato10 Posts: 472 Member
    edited May 2020
    The Sims 4 was lucky to be the only new life simulator experience after the other The Sims titles. I doubt The Sims 5 will be the same but honestly its not that hard to be a better game than The Sims 4 xD
  • SimAlexandriaSimAlexandria Posts: 4,845 Member
    edited May 2020
    Even as soon as I first bought sims 4 I couldn't figure out why I was bored so quickly whereas sims 2 I could not get off the game after playing for hours. This entire franchise has been lacking, and continuously recycling content into things only playable in that world. They've completely ignored what people have been wanting in an EP. University was exciting til I learned you couldn't actually play the sim inside the class so I didn't buy it. Just a "send your sim to school/work" with dorms similar to apartments in city living, wowee. Sims 4 keeps going further and further downhill and at this point I am not excited for sims 5 because if this is sims 4, I don't even want to see what disappointment sims 5 would be. With the whole checklist thing, they're going in the wrong direction making sims a story game. It's a dollhouse game. Yes we want sims to have individual stories (otherwise theres no point having playable npcs when they're a blank slate), but as a point and click game following a checklist of tasks is not fun, it's not an open world game where you are physically doing the task. Clearly EA doesn't care about sims anymore, or Maxis needs an overhaul of employees. Judging by how horrible this EP is, I lost my hope for the knitting pack too, I just know it's going to be another "well it's not exactly what I expected but still playable" like everything released for this game.

    I'm the opposite. Sims 2 (and 3) are extremely boring to me. I have tried over and over to like them, but after an hour or so I shut it off bored out of my mind each time I play. I have them both, I don't have all the packs for 3 but for 2 I do. Even before 4 was released though I got excited and would spend maybe an hour two every day for a week but then loose interest for years. (Same with Sims 1 tbh, I spent more time on it than the later ones) I think they are all good games, not great, but good. After playing Sims 4 I just can't seem to go back (I've tried, it doesn't work)

    Sims 4 on the other hand I don't seem to ever get bored of. I can play for sooo many hours. The sims have the best personalities of all the games, the art style is by far the best, the emotions could use some minor tweaking, especially when it comes to mourning, but it's minor enough that the game is still easily the best of them all so far, whether with or without mods (I use a couple of them in about 50% of my gaming sessions)

    I do agree about university though, I wish we could follow the Sims to class and bikes should have been for kids too. It's definitely my least favourite expansion and I regret getting it full price, but the expansion before it, IL is my all time favourite expansion (I have them all) and I still can't get enough of it even after moving all my families there full time. So overall I wouldn't say it's going down hill.
  • Placebo7Placebo7 Posts: 107 Member
    @blackwolf10799 "This entire franchise has been lacking, and continuously recycling content into things only playable in that world."

    You're exactly right. The game has always been intolerable compared to previous iterations, for anyone who likes depth. For people who think Instagram is the real world, I suppose this is the game for them. But for those who liked the depth of personality, consequence, memory, and real emotion, there has never been anything in TS4 approaching that.

    The question was just will they ever try to FIX it and bring back the game as it should be. The answer now is clear to me: no.
  • SimAlexandriaSimAlexandria Posts: 4,845 Member
    edited May 2020
    Placebo7 wrote: »
    @blackwolf10799 "This entire franchise has been lacking, and continuously recycling content into things only playable in that world."

    You're exactly right. The game has always been intolerable compared to previous iterations, for anyone who likes depth. For people who think Instagram is the real world, I suppose this is the game for them. But for those who liked the depth of personality, consequence, memory, and real emotion, there has never been anything in TS4 approaching that.

    The question was just will they ever try to FIX it and bring back the game as it should be. The answer now is clear to me: no.

    I dunno, it's my favourite and I don't usesocial media haha, def. not an instagram user, I think that's for a younger generation or something. Just got my first cellphone actually last year haha so I'm not really up to date on all that stuff. But I'm a writer and the strict limitations sims 2 and 3 have make it quite boring to someone who wants to create stories rather than have the Sims do their own thing. They are more like watching tv then creating and Sims 4 finally allows for imagination and creativity to be a part of the game play. The depth is there, you just have to imagine and create it yourself.
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