I was a madly dedicated simmer since TS1, saving for months to buy a new computer for each new game, taking time off work for every new pack and sinking all my time (and money!) into the games. Until TS4, which I found shallow and childish and playing felt more like a box ticking exercise where every sim was the same. I gave up nearly 4 years ago, after vampires and toddlers were released. Both were well done but didn't help with the lack of gameplay and samey sims.
So how is the game now? Is the gameplay better, do sims feel more unique? Any packs really good?
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If you ask me I've really had a lot of enjoyment these last 4 years. It's not a perfect game but I've gotten thousands of hours of fun and it has kept me sane during quarantine. I have every pack and enjoy each one of them. (University the least)
The latest snowy escape is amazing and they added sentiments to base game which really add depth for a lot of people. I think it will only get better from here and that they will keep improving personalities to the best of their abilities.
I play daily almost since quarantine and I have loads of fun. No major bugs lags or issues for me personally.
One thing I can say though. If you didn't enjoy it last time you played you probably won't enjoy it now. Essentially it's the same game you remember with more stuff to do. 😆😁
If you want gameplay? ...Nah lol. The sims still feel the same. They recently added Sentiments to the base game which adds a layer to relationships, but other than that there's nothing to make the sims feel individual. My game is loaded with mods to try to fix this lol.
Any good packs? I haven't played Snowy Escape yet, but I believe it's very contained in its own world. Discover University may be good, it's somewhat difficult and you don't have to live on campus to be a student. Seasons is also really good, naturally.
I made a Sims 4 Save File set 15 years into the future using the premade sims by giving them family trees, storylines and lore, fixed and added relationships, and more!
Check it out here! -> kookablarn.tumblr.com
I got a lot of packs on sale but I paid full price for Island Living and that was most disappointing in terms of gameplay. So I recommend getting it for half price if you can. Snowy Escape is a better value if you are going to pay full price. I don’t regret paying it for SE, personally. I think the real mountain sports are way better than any half-pipe we got before.
The base game updates in the past few years have been pretty great. Configurable stairs, platforms, and many other build features. Firefighters are back. Sentiments are the new thing people are exploring now and I think they show the team has been listening when many have been asking for more depth in relationships. Maybe see how you like the base game now before you buy many new packs.
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
my top 5:https://store.thesims3.com/myWishlist.html?persona=adamzaid#
my top 5:https://store.thesims3.com/myWishlist.html?persona=adamzaid#
And also the boulder that broke the camel's back: Eco Lifestyle's NAPS.
And of course EA comes out with Snowy Escape a week later.
Japanese culture and winter sports, Lifestyles and Sentiments: Reinstalled everything but Eco Lifestyle.
I haven't played enough, but I suspect Lifestyles and Sentiments won't be as deep as I would like, but I have had a few moments with sentiments that I liked. It's a step in the right direction and I hope EA follows through on the great ideas they had in one of their recent surveys. Currently, I am enjoying my game.
if you weren't surprised with vampires or toddlers then i'm not sure if you will like any of the other features as the most celebrated ones are still those two lol anyways seasons is a well done pack too (although ppl still has to pay for weather on the game, but whatever)
if you want to know better i'd say reinstall the game and play it yourself. if you end up liking the game then good for you, if you end up disliking it once again, uninstalling it will be pleasing and at least you will have quit the doubt of playing or not
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lgr+sims+4
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0IIEZuaOermmnQCzudUo-g
Hard to say without knowing your playstyle.
For reference I'm a 50%live mode 50% story teller using pose player. Most would consider my style really boring to watch. I like to pause often and zoom in on all the details and watch them do mundane stuff like eat dinner s.l.o.w.l y. Lol
I enjoy apocalyptic story lines using custom content to make my worlds look rusty and broken down.
And some of the packs I enjoy most is ecolifestyle because it adds more in depth off the grid play that goes well with the apocalyptic theme. They have to work my crafting things and selling it in the vendors stand to make money. Dumpster dive for food, and use the bee box and insect farm to power the generator and try to get enough electricity to take a bath. Or use a bucket to gather water from the pond. And I use the cheat to keep the world in a polluted state which makes the sky's look foggy and brownish. Plus sims cough and get an uncomfortable moodlet. It also came with roaches that gather if you don't take out the trash death by flies, insect eating, garbage man that comes every week, and that kinda stuff.
If you enjoy taking pictures you would love moschino stuff pack. For a stuff pack it's pretty well done. The free lance photographer career is fun and I enjoy setting up photoshoots with sims in the studio using custom backdrops and custom poses. I even sort of made it into an actual modeling career by having one of my sims model then sell the photos for fame and money
One of my favorites is island living. Now I admit I don't think they added nearly enough actives in that pack but at the end of the day sulani is amazing and I love living the island life style. Lots on the world are a nice size and I love that you can build half in the water. Mermaids should have been expanded on but it's still one of my most used occults.
Snowy escape has really fun snow activites. Half the world is Japanese style with tiny lots and the other half is all snowy mountains. With an additional 3 hidden lots to build on. I use it as a vacation world (we can now have rentals in any world) and it really brought a lot to the table for ts4 standards 😅 rock climbing is really adventurous.
Hiking is my favorite. Sims can walk side by side and chat with eachother. I just finished building a cozy rustic cabin in the mountain area.
When I'm tired to dragging my sims through the eco mud 😅 get famous is a fun one if you're into the celebrity life style.
Celebrities have a tree sort of like vampires that make them more customizable, quirks they can develope, and the acting career is fun. Plus different ways to build fame and different levels of fame. Stalkers can follow you too watch out lol.
The only thing I'm still sour about is how people complained and they nerfed celebrities so fans don't go crazy over my sim like they use to. A sim here and there will acknowledge me and paparazzi will show up. But I use to get swarmed by crying fainting fans before. I know it was extreme but that's what made it fun to be famous. Plus you could go out in disguise if you didn't want the attention ugh.
They also nerfed vampire break ins, alien abductions and party invites that was a big part of get famous. Now it rarely ever happens if ever.😑
I mean, I could go on and one but to me EVERY pack adds something. I literally use stuff from every single pack. I think the combination of all of it together makes it so great.
Like the knitting pack I initially thought I had no use for. Now I had a grandma sim sitting but the fireplace in the snowy moutain vacation cabin, knitting warm sicks and sweaters in the rocking chair. So the pack you enjoy all depends on how you like to play.
Sentiments has bettered their personalities. They now better react to enemies,cheating and close relationships. They can hold grudges or adore eachother. They have I believe 50 different sentiments and each sim can feel different about the same experience. Plus the new sim profiles added to base game is really nice.
BUT the emotions system without mods still flip flop too much and the traits still need more work. They are too week and controlled by emotions which can still make them feel samey. However, they are improving.
Build mode is always improving we can now even stack windows and we have platforms which got me into building. I made sunken living room, almost spiral stairs, functional bunk beds and more using platforms.
I go crazy on cc because it doesn't really cause glitches and my pc can handle it. But I try to limit mods as much as possible because they need constant updating and can be a hassle to keep up with.
But the mods I consider essentially are meaningful stories. This one really balances out the emotions and stops all the constant flip flopping between them.
Mccomand. I use it to slow down time and needs and make days longer so I don't feel rushed and my sims have leisure time. But it has a ton of functions to allow tweaking of things to your liking. Like allowing more sims in a zone so you can have up to 50 or more sims on one lot. Love it for big parties.
Lotharihoe walkby mod is a must. It keeps sims restricted to their world and now I won't see vlad playing with sand on the beach. Love it 😂
Sacrificial fame mod (if you want expanded celebrities)
Spinningplumbob expanded mermaids (if you're into mermaids)
Werbesu more Cas columns if you spend a lot of time in CAS and with mizuriyuki standstill in CAS.
TMEX tool mod (if you are into building.) I use it to place items outside of the lot and also it can be used to move sims around with posing.
I can't think of anything else I consider a must have. Any other mod i use for just playing around and having a different experience like sacrificial zombie mod and many others he hasbut i think they can't be discussed here. And other mods by littlemisssam and Zero (free on patreon) is good for eliminating annoyances.
Like I have her no idle chat mod, no fire mod, no fire reaction, no eco living idles and that kinda stuff.
Like I said less is more unless you mind all the time, trail and error they take to keep up during patches.
Phew..... that was a lot but I hope it helps you make a decision. Just be aware it's still the same game. You won't find anything mind blowing if you were not into before. But I'm sure if you give it a try you will find something to enjoy.😃
I can recommend a few mods. MCCC by Deaderpool; Slice of Life by KS; Mortem (which adds more realism in that Grimmy isn't around, but rather a Sim must call to report a death and they send out a Medical Examiner who takes notes and removes the body, then you get a chance to be the Executor for the deceased if you wish and either throw a memorial or a funeral depending on whether you choose cremation.) I also have Private Practice, also by Simsrealist which is an overhaul to the Doctor Career. With these mods and the initiation of Sentiments and Lifestyles I'm having a blast. Oh, and if you desire to have a singer in your game Road to Fame by Sacrificial is a must.
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
It's interesting that the eco pack gets mixed reviews, but I do like a gritty feel and realism in my sims so I'll find some gameplay videos for that one too.
I'm not sure how to label how I play. I usually play one family per save, but whether I'm trying to fulfill lifetime wishes, or explore different worlds, do various legacy challenges, asylums, top careers, randomise everything or whatever depends on my mood. For me build mode and CAS are the boring bits I have to do before I play.
Great idea to try a new style haneul, I've never tried rotational.
Other than that it honestly hasn't really changed, it's very much followed on the same trajectory it was on back then. There's been some little improvements here and there but it's still much the same game. Some things have gotten a lot better like build mode and CAS, others have got worse, like the worlds which have sadly continued to get smaller and have started to get completely filled with fake buildings which makes a lot of them unplayable for me and feel like a ghost town.
My biggest gripe with 4 has always been that packs are lacking, and they still very much are. That honestly goes for every single pack in the game. Sure you can have fun with them but it's pretty short lived and you have to keep buying to maintain an interest
https://youtube.com/channel/UCaj9o4hycNSPy8U1Ip0OCFA/videos