Hi Simmers!
Hope you all doing well out there!
I’ve watched a lot of lets plays / reviews from Game changers on the Cottage Living Ep.
But I can’t find a specific thread for
“regular” simmers to share their
feedback / constructive feedback on the packs, so I started this thread for CoL!
I’m myself is very happy with Cottage living and having a lot of fun, but there are
some things that I would really
like to see updated / fixed.
What do you like / don’t like?
What are you missing or want to be updated / fixed? Is there anything that could be improved?
Experiencing any bugs? Do you Agree / Disagree with my ideas?
PLEASE SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK & IDEAS
(Or please share a link to your Bug report if you experiencing any bugs!)
NEGATIVE FEEDBACKThing that I would like to see added / updatedGARDEN & GROCERY STALL / GROCERY DELIVERY SERVICE1. Can we have the option to
type in the amount of groceries? (My finger got into cramp mode when buying/selling stuff!)
2. Missing
Honey (Seasons) and
Candles (Eco) in the
Grocery delivery list3. Missing some groceries / harvestables:
Oats,
Rice (could been added in the sack used for flour, there are a couple of dishes with rice on the plate)
FINCHWICK FAIR1. Missing
an activity for sims to enjoy besides competing (not just waiting). Why not
Apple bobbing or
Croquet (the game)? Or can we get the
ability to add activities to the fair / festivals? (similar to the
Holiday system)
2. I would love to have the option to
sabotage for the other
competitors (high mischief skill = higher chance of succeeding)
PICNIC BASKET 1. You can’t put a picnic basket on the tables with a lamp. Is it possible to remove these lamps in the game?
BUG REPORT2. You
can’t put a box of
Fizzy jouice (6-pack or more, EL Ep) in the basket
BUG REPORT3. Toddlers can’t join the picnic (unless the poor kid sit on the ground, it would be awesome if
toddlers could sit on an adult sim’s lap)
4. I missing a
picnic blanket that can be put on the ground (toddlers can join, re-use part of the Kotatsuu table animation?)
5. Missing an
option to merge drinks (you can just put 4 objects in the basket).
Make & bring a bigger batch or combine multiple servings of
coffee / tea / milk bottles / juice! (I can feel the
dryness! You need some coffee to that cake!).
SKILLS - CROSS STITCHING & CANNING1. 5 level skills are
too easy! I would like see cross stitching as a 10 level skill (or an
option in the settings to have
slower skill progression, all sims gets
overskilled when playing on long lifespan)
2. I would have loved to see just one more
skill related to the farming life! Something like an
Animal care skill?WORLD – HENFORD-ON-BAGLEY1. I would love to see
1-2 hiking trails for tourists (could take you to the “perfect” picnic spot / romantic getaway. Preferably Hiking that could be performed with multitasking (ex. take a photo without cancel the hike).
NEIGHBORHOOD - FINCHWICK (the town center)
1. More interactions on the buildings is needed (ex. the Bakery & Clothing store).
Some ideas:Functional Bakery (rabbit hole)
Have opening hours and sell random baked goods / drinks (bread / Cookies / Cakes / Sandwiches / Coffee / Tea). You could go to the bakery, buy some cookies and then go for a picnic in the woods. Wouldn’t that be nice? Even the worst cook can now enjoy a fresh made BLT. 😉
1. Become a business partner and make a profit (become the full owner to get some control of the shop: Managing employees / the supply, Set pricing / quality / opening hours)
2. Work as a baker (rabbit hole career, storytelling purposes, patch in the baking skill to BG)
The Clothing store (rabbit hole)
I would love to see a Clothing update. This would give more sense to the clothing store and give more challenges to the game (ex. Rags to riches). Some ideas for a Clothing update:
1. Clothes being functional: Work clothes (overalls/etc) protect the hygiene bar (decreases slower). Rain coats + hats protects from the rain (possibility to use instead of umbrellas). Snob sims / other traits can react negative if wearing Work clothes for too long. Slob sims will not be affected. (Toggle on / off in the game settings)
2. Clothes in CAS cost money (toggle on / off in the settings).
3. Umbrellas can be added / adjusted in CAS mode
LLAMAS & COWS1. No reproduction (No baby llama 😭)
2. The sheds are very big and the lots are very small. Can’t we have at least
2 animals / shed?
NEW TRAITS / DIET SECTION1. Lactose intolerance and
Vegetarian need to be moved to a separate
diet section. Why not use the favorites / dislikes system and add things like: Yes/No - White meat / Red meat / Fish / Dairy / Vegetarian / Vegan (no animal products or honey) / Drinking.
THE FOODS1. Jam aren’t spreadable on bread and
canned goods can’t be added to a meal2. Missing some
plain scones (that you could spread jam on, I know there’s one in the Cupcake factory, but that’s… a very big factory just for some scones lol!😁).
3. Miss the option to
boil an egg to eat (breakfast anyone?)
4. The game really need an
update for the food menu! Now it’s just a
veery looooong list of dishesSome ideas on a food update:
1. Lactose free & Vegetarian needs symbols instead of text
2. New design when choosing a dish to prepare! Categories & Filters for fish / meat / vegetarian / etc
(I don’t want to miss anything! And I want to feel like I can “taste” the food )
3. Baking skill can be patched into BG. All baked dishes moved to the baking skill (cakes / bread / etc) +A Functional Off-The-Grid oven!
4. Clicking on a plate will give the option add drink (from your inventory / fridge)
5. Sims can get thirsty (moodlet, toggle on/off in the game settings)
6. Option to Plan a meal on the Calendar. Choose Meal type (breakfast / lunch / dinner) + Portions + Cooks + Add to shopping list. You will now get the prepare planed meal option on the fridge. Sims will prepare the planned dish or wait for the planned dinner instead of grabbing quick meals. (Parents can scold kids / teens that grabs food instead of waiting for the planned dinner).
SIMPLE LIVING LOT CHALLENGE1. Simple Living
don’t include drinks (from mixology / fridge), I really like to see this updated
OTHER (MISSING FEATURES)1. Real
plant milk made from plants, could be made with the canning animation but poured into a milk bottle with a label instead of a jar (soy / oats / rice / peas / etc)
THREAD HERE2. A
Functional broom (as an update to the BTD kit), would have fit perfect with the theme
3. A
Croquet set (or other British outdoor game)
4. Functional tea set and a
Tea time event (Spill your tea - party event)
5. Some things could have been done with the veterinary career from C&D EP and the new animals in CoL.
6. Missing the feature to make
bottles of fruit cordial (the drink! 🍓 + sugar + water). Making a bottle with strawberry cordial that you can enjoy on your picnic!
7. Cross stitching and
Cottage core music station is missing from
Favorites / Dislikes!
8. There could have been a
Lifestyle centered around
Farm life / Living of the land9. There's
no compost (for food left-overs / cleanig the shed. Could have been used as a fertilizer -and also be used by kids!)
VILLAGERS1. The
feature to own and manage a bar (is the bar owner NPC just pretending to be a bar owner? That’ a bit creepy…)
2. The
feature to vote for / play as the Mayor (active Mayor career, that using something similar to the NAPs system?)
3. All
Npc careers as career options (or selectable through testingcheats): Zoomers / Grocery deliverer / Michael-the-creature-creeper
/ etc.
(so you don’t lose the career when moving them in, have control of their looks/traits, +options for storytelling)
ZOOMERS DELIVERY SERVICE1. I would love to see this expanded as an
update for Dine out. Order food from restaurants and manage delivery orders when playing as a restaurant owner.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
1. Really good job with the animals! The animations are awesome!!!
2. The lot challenges are a really clever way to implement challenges. I love the “Simple living”, no more infinite fridges!
3. Chickens can roam around like crazy, reproduce and be quite grumpy. 10/10 points to the chickens! (+Sims gets scared from interaction with the rooster, HAHA!)
4. The competitions are really fun! The variation (many different competitions / prices / random rewards) gives them re-playability.
5. Payment for errands / goods are quite low. Very suitable for the pack and I love the challenge.
6. Opening hours for the garden / food stall (Realistic! Agnes & Agatha needs to sleep otherwise they would not be immortal 😉)
7. The picnic basket
8. Different options on how to trade animals gives more re-playability (and thanks for also including the trade for meat option!).
9. Errand are really fun! The randomness in the rewards (multiple rewards) and not just one level (new tasks when the first one is completed) makes them more fun
10. The randomness in the Mystery box is fun and re-playable.
11. Some integration of other packs (the llama wool for knitting!)
12. Swimmable rivers!
13. Cross stitching is fun!
13. NEW SENTIMENTS
14. You can bribe the judge (mayor), and it's hard to convince her!
15. Making the buildings interactable in Finchwick makes the town center feels a bit more alive (and not so empty and claustrophobic!), but I would like to see some more interactions (that also makes sense)
BUGS & TUNING - COTTAGE LIVING
(Please make sure to click the
Metoo button if experiencing any of these bugs!)
HAPPY SIMMING EVERYONE!
Comments
I think Sims eating the canned stuff like mayo straight from the jar is weird lol
I don’t like that Sims have to buy the little circle thing in order to cross-stitch. I would have much preferred if you just put the basket from Buy Mode into their inventory and they can cross-stitch just like they can with Knitting, nothing extra is needed.
Orange plant to make orange juice is needed! Bonus would be a new juicer item where you can make juice and smoothies from all types of fruits and veggies.
- Sims can't make flour because there is no wheat harvestable
- Sims also can't make regular animal feed and use compost for fertilizer for non-oversized crops
- Sims can't substitute honey for sugar and cricket flour for flour.
- lamas and cows can't breed.
And for Grocery system:
- add realistic food packages like pack of spaghetti, crackers, oatmeal, and cereal
- juice cartons so sims can grab orange juice
I also cannot eat mayo out of jar LOL however handy to sell that way. Would prefer the spread on "whatever" option.
I miss proper shops in Sims. Going in to purchase clothes, groceries etc . For those who don't want the bother they would have the option to buy online.
Proper compost would be awesome. Super Size produce should be seasonal.
I wouldn't want all baked goods moved to baking skill as for now I can off- the- grid bake milk bread. I can't use bake option in that mode.
However if they fixed that and allowed proper oven use then it would be okay. I mean seriously my sim is cooking on a woodstove. Trust me you can bake in those (probably better than modern day electric).
I would like to add Free the Babies but I know thats' not what this thread is about. LOL oops. Keep the Sim!
Oh and I agree with your Positive! I haven't tried a mystery box yet. I love listening to the cows & chickens though it makes me a little homesick.
AHQ Champion
I agree that they should be able to drag the the cross-stitching basket into their inventories, and hopefully that's something that will be fixed.
However, just so you know, you don't actually have to buy the extra hoops. You can just click on the basket to start a project. If you stop mid-project, you can then put the half-finished hoop into your inventory. (They should put it in their inventory autonomously, but often they leave it lying on the ground the first time. But once you've put it in your inventory the first time, you can click on it from your inventory to continue working on it anywhere.)
ETA: for example, if I know I want to go cross-stitching out in the world, I'll click on the basket at home, and then as soon as the sim starts, I'll immediately cancel the action and move the project into the inventory.
I reduced the townies with MCC and my sim was the only participant. Nevertheless, his perfect rainbow wool didn't win. So it makes no sense to participate in the competition.
You could participate in the competition for the chance to win, but with random produce, no need for them to be perfect quality.
AHQ Champion
What additions would you make to the llama and cows?
But why? Part of the gameplay should be making the absolute best entries you can. I really think this was a bad design decision on the team's part, but I wonder if they just couldn't figure out how to do it properly, so decided to rely on RNG instead.
I would love to see cows sitting down to rest and sleep sometime, and ruminate their food. There should be also a water trough for drinking water and a block of salt the cows can lick on.
Another small thing is that I noticed you can use Mighty Plant Milk (which is lactose free) to make cheese, but the cheese made from it isn't lactose free
Cooking - the options are overwhelming, we need a better way to group the options, based on meal (breakfast, dinner, pastries, snacks etc ), or main ingredient (meat, fish, vegan, sweet, salty). I like how the grocery stall is categorized.
Red or green apples? We harvest red apples, but we preserve green apples? I wish the canning label was showing red apples, unless EA plans to give us both... Using green in order to avoid mixing the jar with tomato is not good enough...
I think it's fine that canning ties to the Cooking skill. But I sometimes miss an Animal Care skill. It feels a bit strange that my farm kids are not more skilled with the farm animals than the average kids of San Myshuno are. I do like the idea of traits/relation etc coming into play, but right now it feels like years of experience makes no difference. If there's a hidden skill for this, then fine - I don't need to see it listed if it has some effect.
I wish roots from Sulani, berries from the jungle and UFO fruits etc would be slightly harder to find at the stall. I'd prefer them to be on offer only with a very small chance, not being listed daily as if the source was unlimited. In my book it would be better if my sims could still enjoy going to the jungle to find those berries... or to Sulani to bring home a root or two as a souvenir.
I miss a way to pack produce in say boxes of 4 or 6. It would make it more effective to say sell eggs from a street table, than to sell them one by one. Who buys one egg anyway? This could be used for most produce, but at least eggs, apples, mushrooms, potatoes, onions? Also packing Preserves like this would be cool and take up less space on the shelf in your kitchen and in your retail grocery store.
I know we can take a selfie with our overgrown veggie, but how about a selfie with your beloved rabbit or farm animal?
The animal sheds look bad. Good for a cottage style, but very bad on any farm with a tiny bit more modern vibe. I'm disappointed that EA did not include at least one more design with a less cottage /fairytale design. They look a bit plastic especially in Winter when I think snow makes the stone structure stand out. But the worst thing ever is the bright green plastic grass around the entire shed!!! It looks terrible in Winter, when all other green stuff is dead, but even in Summer there is hardly any grass elsewhere in game looking like that. It reminds me of some flower decorated objects from Get Together (prior to Seasons and weather) that stay the same all year round. I can't wait for modders giving us a shed without the grass + another design - should not be difficult at all as the size and the animal door is all that really matters to the animations.
The world is lovely, but I had a few occasions where the far off landscape is in different season, when I zoom far out. It breaks the immersion of Winter when all distant hills are bright green... I solved it by paying more attention to the ground nearby, like I guess a farmer should...
@Bluegayle @Simmerville You made me totally change my mind about the Canning skill lol! 🥫 Also, having Canning tied to cooking maybe make it easier for them to add new Canning recipes with new packs (instead of having a separate Canning skill that is locked behind the CoL EP). But I really missing some more new skills, something like an Animal Care Skill is a great idea (it’s makes sense that you get some farm life experience unlike sims that just living the city life!). 🤠🐄
Also really agree that we need a functional Off-the-grid oven (and thanks for sharing that point, now I understand why I couldn't bake with my multi-lot-challenges family, I thought it had to do with the Simple Living challenge! 🤔).
Having the ability to pack produce in baskets / merged servings would also benefit the retail system. (like eggs / fruits / candles / jam / etc). Selling small single pieces of carrots one by one on a big shelf makes it looks more like an art installation than a supermarket lol. 😅
(And yeah @kaiwrysims I really agree, groceries need proper packaging! I think there’s already a package of orange juice in the debug menu that they could use!).
@Simmerville A tip about the design of the Animal shed is that you can put walls on the sides of that object and it will still function (you can make a custom build around it, but it seems like you can’t put a door in front of the shed). James Turner tested this in one video (you can see the shed at 23:11):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MEUnatSK4w
LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
Also, @Simmerville , if you are a user of the TOOL mod, Sati Sim has also shared a way to make custom sheds as well: https://youtu.be/4RB40daWa8A
I also kinda wish picnic baskets could go on ground. Regarding the use of the kotatsuu table as a base, I like they could use a picnic blanket object that the basket can slot into so sims could picnic on the ground.
Do you also want Meat pie be made with Egg🥚 + Meat🥩 + Flour??? (instead of sugar) Please click the Metoo button on the bug report:
[CoL] Meat pie requires sugar
LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
I believe the meat pie is based on traditional British mincemeat pie which contained meat + fruit + sugar and is a Christmas staple though most modern cooks leave the meat out now and use fruits and nuts instead.
Traditional Mincemeat Pie
What You Will Need
Medium Bowl
1-Quart Jar
Dough Blender
9-Inch Pie Plate
Rolling Pin
Pastry Brush
Wire Cooling Rack
Yield: makes one 9-inch pie
Time: 4 hr. (plus 2 days age the mincemeat)
For the Filling
2 cups finely chopped beef suet
¾ cup dried currants
¾ cup finely chopped rump steak (about 3 oz.)
½ cup raisins
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp. brandy
1½ tsp. chopped candied citron peel
1½ tsp. chopped candied lemon peel
1½ tsp. chopped candied orange peel
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, plus grated zest of ½ lemon
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
1½ Granny Smith apples, cored and finely chopped
For the Crust
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
12 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed
6 Tbsp. ice-cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the beef suet, currants, rump steak, raisins, brown sugar, brandy, candied citrus peels, lemon juice and zest, nutmeg, and apples. Mix well.
Transfer the mixture to a 1-quart jar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days and up to 2 weeks.
Make the crust: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a dough blender, two forks, or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture, forming pea-size crumbles. Add the water; work the dough until smooth but with visible flecks of butter. (Alternatively, pulse the ingredients in a food processor.) Divide the dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap the disks in plastic; refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
When ready to bake, remove one of the disks of dough to a lightly floured work surface, and let it rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes, or until still chilled but pliable. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the disk into a ⅛-inch-thick round, rotating often and flouring the surface more as needed to prevent sticking. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing gently against the sides and bottom to fit. Roll out the remaining disk of dough into a ⅛-inch-thick round using the same method. Transfer the filling to the pie shell, brush the edges with water, and cover the pie with the top crust. Trim excess, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the top edge over the bottom crust to seal, and crimp as desired. Cut a few steam vents in the top crust, then refrigerate the pie for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the pie with egg wash, then bake until golden, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Recipe from : https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Traditional-Mincemeat-Pie-2/
I never heard of this! Thanks for the recipe maybe I try it for Christmas then! Have you ever tasted it? How does it taste?
But I would love to see Flour & Sugar for the recipe (watching Sims just pour sugar instead of flour over a pie gives me the feeling that my teeth going to fall out of my mouth lol).
And why not add an apple to it as in the recipe, that would give some character.
LIFE STRUGGLES PACK
If you live in America like I do it’s not super common here, I know about it because my grandmother’s family was from Ireland and they have it there too and she would make it for Christmas, but the meatless version. So no I haven’t tried the kind with meat. FYI suet is the fat found surrounding animal kidneys and that is really off putting to me. But it’s a common ingredient in Britain and I believe still easily obtainable there, I’m not sure if you can get it in the states but since it’s just used as shortening for the crust you could substitute butter or solid vegetable shortening instead. I do like the meatless mince pies very much I order some mini ones from Amazon and often have them for breakfast with coffee during the holidays.
Edit to add: I imagine the version with meat wouldn’t taste too bad as meat 🥩 + fruit 🍎 isn’t a terribly uncommon combination think ham + pineapple, or pork chops + apple sauce, turkey + cranberry if you like savory + sweet combos it might be right up your street.
My biggest (visual) issue is the fact that the snow is green in winter, it looks disgusting and like my sim is living on snot mountain or something.
It's such a shame because in the other seasons it looks alright, beautiful and sometimes even stunning. But winter? Yuck!
I feel like this is a running issue that they really need to take on board and address. I felt it when Eco Living came out and all the off the grid turbines are so modern looking. I would like them to realize that people build in many very different styles and try to accommodate that. An old fashioned looking wind turbine and a dew collector with a well skin would have been an excellent addition there.
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
So many missed opportunities in the sims indeed. There'd be nothing funnier than a Pollination Technician swooping in to abduct our cows.
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/17959481#Comment_17959481
Maybe I'll add more more but these are what I can think of at the moment.
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/17959481#Comment_17959481
***
A well skin? Hmm, I hope I understand correctly but I can suggest Ravasheen who has made a well into a functional dew collector:
https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-objects-furnishing-appliances-miscellaneous/title/wishing-water-well/id/1528952/
It's included in this set which has some great options if you want alternative turbines etc.
https://www.thesimsresource.com/members/RAVASHEEN/downloads/details/category/sims4-sets/title/alter-eco-utility-set/id/1528955/
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/17959481#Comment_17959481