I just love almost everything. The compatibility ratings keep giving me surprises. In 8 played families only one married couple had good compatibility. Though perhaps this can be adjusted in others by selecting likes/dislikes, though I much prefer letting everything happen without me interfering.
I will rate it after I played it more because I barely scratched the surface.
My time updating my old sims in CAS was a 10, they looked fantastic. My time creating a new sim with all the personality likes was a 10, I really feel more invested with them. Finding another sim that my sim had the best compatibility with was awesome.
My look at the world was probably a 6/7, there’s not really much unique things to do, and it’s not the greatest looking world but it’s not terrible either. My time building a rec centre was a 9, it’s a versatile lot and you can easily theme them around different worlds, would be easy to make a realm of magic one or a Henford one and sims seem to use various things there - some were in the gym, some were playing games etc.
I only played infants in the patch so far but they seem amazing and I’m looking forward to the milestones. Getting a ‘adopted pet’ milestone for creating my sim with a pet too. There seems to be quite a bit more build/buy/CAS music which is all really exceptional and there’s the odd nursery rhyme theme slipping in and out. It feels really new and fresh.
Still much more to do but it will almost certainly between 8-10, probably on the higher end unless it gets boring fast or I run into some terrible bugs.
I would give it a 9 if not for all the bugs. Currently, there’s just so many, they honestly get in the way of gameplay and it makes for a pretty frustrating experience. There’s infant food preferences resetting, child/teen sims looking totally glitched out whenever a tooth falls out, and most importantly milestones resetting whenever you play rotationally. And also the fact that this pack and update broke other packs, like Werewolves or Snowy Escape.
It’s such a shame that these bugs exist, because I really, really like this pack otherwise and was so excited for it. Maybe after a patch or two, I can give the pack a rating of 9, but for now I honestly can’t just given the amount of bugs,
Like many others I haven't spent enough time with it to give it a final rating, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the bit that I have played so far. I haven't enjoyed an expansion this much since City Living and it's rivaling Werewolves and Paranormal for quality comparing all packs for the last couple of years.
so far I am enjoying it, tho it is not my favorite pack as those would be Snowy Escape, Strangerville and Paranormal stuff. The empty feeling world in this pack is the most disappointing thing.
The infant losing milestones if you travel or change households bug drops the rating down to a "9". It's still good, but it could have been better without the glitch. I am trying to understand how they didn't find this bug before they released it.
I gave it a 4. The bugs are so much worse than the wedding pack, because the bugs are affecting gameplay in all the old worlds, not just the new world. I have lost more than I have gained, for what I want to do with my sims. Hopefully things will get better. Some of the bugs are probably in the patch, not the EP, but it is impossible for me to know which ones.
Sims changed and I have no ability to stop that. I am not able to get the EA app to work offline. If I have the patch, I might as well have some of the new stuff in the EP. I like the radio and sleeping bags. Gradually I am sure little things will become essential parts of my gameplay. Every pack is like that for me. I buy them all and then wait to see what happens.
It is what it is. I accept that. I will always buy every pack. I will not try to fight updates. I want to play. I will play the best I can with what the developers give me to play with. I know I cannot fight them, so I do not try.
The world is a pretty stage world with empty buildings everywhere huge unusable water just a waste of space. The fake houses are terrible addiction to the game. Please stop with the little food stalls too! So over used. And no new food or drinks added to the pack.
This is definitely my most favourite pack. I really really really wanted to give it a 10 but a few things stopped me. The first thing, like many others have said, is the world. To me it feels completely lifeless. There is quite literally nothing to do. I can't believe even the rarity of fishing spots for a town that was built up from a fishing village.
I have encountered a few bugs as well. I can't play the Michaelson family because baby Orion just gets stuck to her parent's legs. I've tried resetting them all multiple times but nothing works. I've given the bug thread on AHQ a "me too". When they interact with Orion autonomously there aren't any problems. They just don't like my directions a lot!
I was disappointed about the loose tooth bug. I had yet to experience a loose tooth. I hope this is fixed soon.
I find the "teach to ride/ask to teach to ride the bike" to be very buggy. It takes an awful lot of queueing up on both sides to get it to work and then even when it does, the child riding the bike clips through everything.
Other than these issues I absolutely ADORE this pack. You really wouldn't believe just how much I have played. I even go to sleep with my laptop on my bed next to me and wake in the night for a "quick" play. I woke at 4.20 this morning and didn't stop playing until I had to get up at 7.30!!
My next request now is to carry on with pack integration as new packs come out because this has been one of my most favourite features of GrT. It has worked as a glue to a lot of my other packs and brought them all together.
I would still like to see an attraction system similar to what we had in TS2. I used to love the NPC matchmaker who would find you a date! I would like to see the family tree developed and relations other than immediate family recognised (ie "aunt", "uncle", "cousin", step-family members etc). I had hoped that would have been part of this pack. However, I would not like to see it sold as a "My First Pets" fiasco.
To sum it all up, thank you Sims team for a wonderful pack and for keeping me occupied. I am actually waiting for major surgery at the moment and am spending my days in bed and in pain and this pack has come at exactly the right time for me.
Thought on it. There's a lot of missed potential, the world is bad, the CAS and BB are subpar, and the main draws of the pack should have been base game. But at the same time, I know I'm going to love playing GT babies every gen now. Combability is fun to play with and really makes things feel different. It's the first EP since Seasons, I think? That enhances the main gameplay and creates a very new experience.
The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
It's a solid 9. My biggest complaint is that we didn't get this pack sooner -- a year after we got toddlers would have been ideal. The infants are great, and toddlers have been improved. I love all their quirks, even messy eater. I've played less with children, but I like what's been added. And I'm sure I'll enjoy teeth coming out when that has been fixed. I'm still getting used to compatibility, but find it interesting to see what shows up in my Sims' relationship panels. Oh, and I'm going to enjoy jigsaw puzzles and the treehouse when I get to them.
A couple of minor glitches -- My child learning to ride the bike clipped through everything, which was distracting. And the baby shower at the Rec Center was a failure. The Sims who were invited wandered off to other activities, and there were a bunch of random Sims showing up in photographs. Next baby shower will be at home.
I give it a 5. The theme is right up my alley. But the pack doesn't offer much of an expansion. The world is full of pretty unlivable shells and plain lots. I don't get the point of the Rec Center when sims just treat it as a library, a park and a gym put together. Why is the water park placed in the middle of nowhere? That could have been the new lot. Also why is there no play together option in the water fountains?
I guess the dynamic and milestone system could be considered an expansion. But these are reduced to random pop-ups after random interactions. Don't really care for the family dynamics because most of my families get along. All I can really enjoy are the new events. So far I've only had stay overs and a family reunion. Stay overs fulfilled my wish of having family/friends babysit while the parents are out.
New features don't work properly. Still haven't tried the bicycle for children but I've seen the screenshots. The loose a tooth feature for children was removed until further notice. Infants' milestones disappear for rotational players. So the only expansion I see are the texting adventures of proposed family dynamics. Which just reminds me of why I turned off Neighborhood Stories and Lifestyles.
If I were to use brain then okay fair probably like 7-8 but idk its getting up there with seasons parenthood etc on the "must have packs" list I feel like if i suddenly didn't have it id be completely devastated and i really have not explored half of it yet
I give it an 8. I have never enjoyed playing in Live mode as much as I do now. There is just so much to do & it all feels so realistic. I also love the build/buy & CAS clothing items.
However, I don’t like any of the new hairstyles other than the ones for infants, & I am experiencing more glitches than I ever have. Granted, it’s probably due to the update since most of my glitches are with other packs, but still. I didn’t even have problems with the wedding pack, lol. I also don’t care for the new world, but that’s just because I prefer worlds that experience all weather types.
Overall, it’s one of my favorite packs! I’d probably rate it a 9 if it wasn’t for all of the glitches.
Finally more Family Gameplay,New Relationships,,New Interactions,Puzzles,Tree Houses, Sleeping Bags,A Cinema,Splash Pads that can be used to make Waterparks and a Beautiful World that looks similar to Brendleton Bay. What's not to love?
It's a solid 9. My biggest complaint is that we didn't get this pack sooner -- a year after we got toddlers would have been ideal. The infants are great, and toddlers have been improved. I love all their quirks, even messy eater. I've played less with children, but I like what's been added. And I'm sure I'll enjoy teeth coming out when that has been fixed. I'm still getting used to compatibility, but find it interesting to see what shows up in my Sims' relationship panels. Oh, and I'm going to enjoy jigsaw puzzles and the treehouse when I get to them.
A couple of minor glitches -- My child learning to ride the bike clipped through everything, which was distracting. And the baby shower at the Rec Center was a failure. The Sims who were invited wandered off to other activities, and there were a bunch of random Sims showing up in photographs. Next baby shower will be at home.
There's a baby shower?
Update
For some reason I thought you meant an actual shower to bathe infants then I remembered it's a baby shower party event.
I gave it a 1 becaue it's currently unplayable for me. I got the pack, made a sim, got them a science baby and she came back with twins. I was very excited, but when they became infants they wouldn't go into their cribs and clip to the floor. I tried every possible fix and yet I can't. Even without CC. So until it's fixed, I can't advance through their first day.
I had to give it an 8. And that's because of the world. What a disappointment when compared to everything else that was in Growing Together. The cherry on top could have come in the form of a world with larger buildable lots fit for families. A 30x20 lot is barely large enough for a single Sim with a garden, let alone a growing family that owns a pool, the treehouse, has a patio with a BBQ, invites friends and family over for the holidays, as well as owning every outdoor activity object that has to be placed somewhere. It's a pretty world but that's the best I can say about it. And why do the largest lots lean more towards already being occupied by a premade family and robbing us of deciding who should live on those lots? My next complaint is the way the trails are laid out and how difficult it is to get my Sims to use them. Plus, those trails are available only in San Seqouia and really should have been patched into some of the other worlds such as Willow Creek, Windenberg and Evergreen Harbor. I know that's a huge ask, but it isn't something that can't be done. Just that feature being added to older worlds would have sparked new interest in playing those worlds. Especially since we have been playing with those worlds for years. Along with the usual bugs and glitches that have popped up, my rating will never hit 10. I am enjoying playing with the new pack. I think the addition of infants was the right choice to make at this point in Sims4 because they really are a challenge to raise and they are adorable.
It’s ok, not the best we’ve had though. Some of the clothes aren’t very versatile. I like that we got things for everyone, but that also means less stuff in each category.
It’s nice to have kids aspirations.
Why are there no new traits though ?
Build/Buy
It’s ok, there are some things I really like and will use a lot like the rugs and the fireplace, the frames, the treehouse…..
- I don’t really get why we got kitchen appliances but no counters, I would have prefered the opposite. I was really hoping we’d get a new family kitchen with this EP, and a big American fridge with double doors and à water dispenser thingy.
- The changing tables should have come with basegame, they even match the basegame stuff so it really feels like they were meant to be in the basegame update.
- The cluster of plants we for it really nice, but why weren’t they separated ?? They would have been way more usable that way.
- The bathroom tiles with the black stripes……would have been way more usable without said stripes.
Gameplay
I’m sad teenagers weren’t included at all, yes they just got an EP, which I have, but not everyone does.
I really enjoy milestones, the compatibility system, family dynamics, sleepovers/slumber parties, stayovers.
I haven’t seen a lot of new interactions between sims though.
I would have liked strollers.
I don’t know if it’s a bug but my sim was always taking her infant out of her carrier, even to do stuff they should be able to do anyway, like walking the dog.
I would like it if sims could play together with their bikes, like do races and things like that.
World
It’s nice but it doesn’t snow in the winter.
It’s quite empty.
I would have liked more lots in the residential neighborhood, especially 40x30, as the treehouse is so big, you need bigger lots to be able to fit it along with a decent sized house.
I haven’t gotten a chance to play it yet as I’m updating likes and dislikes for compatibilities now, and my main save is large. It reminds of the way I had to set up Eco living which is good, just a long process where what I want as a result has to be figured out before hand. I do wish they would have let us given our already made family’s their family dynamics as I have in my mind what I want them to be. I may have to cheat on that if they don’t pop up as I want. I know I have to cheat some lifestyles away.
The world should have had some ocean swimming spots rather than just a lake. And, the type houses in the warf area seem to be wrong. Like others I don’t like the set dressings in the parts of the world ( was checking that out with the overhead camera ). I would rather be able to set my own style. I also wish the world had more lots. I was a bit disappointed in the marina area where it looked like there was a house on it. That would have been a perfect place for a restaurant. I would have been happy if they had even put a food stand there, a bit if a missed opportunity. Also, the house over the lake….. what a wonderful spot that would have been for a lot! I am however very glad that we did get a world as I don’t think the world was the main focus. I always want new worlds. I would love some world packs.
Someone mentioned milestones are reset for rotational players. I hope that doesn’t happen to me, That would be something I would want them to fix quickly in a patch,
I had a lot of anticipation for this pack and I’m hoping compatibilities and family dynamics will be fun to play.
I think I’m satisfied with the build buy, I like the variety of children’s bikes and I like the tree house, they are wonderful touches. I needed a few more clothes for my older sims. I like the idea of a rec center, because it has multi purposes, I think that is great. I would have preferred a movie theatre lot type with a new concession stand and a ticket booth, but at least the rabbit hole has some interactions. I’d still like a real movie theatre lot type at some point. Family reunions and baby showers sound fun.
I gave it a 1 becaue it's currently unplayable for me. I got the pack, made a sim, got them a science baby and she came back with twins. I was very excited, but when they became infants they wouldn't go into their cribs and clip to the floor. I tried every possible fix and yet I can't. Even without CC. So until it's fixed, I can't advance through their first day.
Comments
My time updating my old sims in CAS was a 10, they looked fantastic. My time creating a new sim with all the personality likes was a 10, I really feel more invested with them. Finding another sim that my sim had the best compatibility with was awesome.
My look at the world was probably a 6/7, there’s not really much unique things to do, and it’s not the greatest looking world but it’s not terrible either. My time building a rec centre was a 9, it’s a versatile lot and you can easily theme them around different worlds, would be easy to make a realm of magic one or a Henford one and sims seem to use various things there - some were in the gym, some were playing games etc.
I only played infants in the patch so far but they seem amazing and I’m looking forward to the milestones. Getting a ‘adopted pet’ milestone for creating my sim with a pet too. There seems to be quite a bit more build/buy/CAS music which is all really exceptional and there’s the odd nursery rhyme theme slipping in and out. It feels really new and fresh.
Still much more to do but it will almost certainly between 8-10, probably on the higher end unless it gets boring fast or I run into some terrible bugs.
It’s such a shame that these bugs exist, because I really, really like this pack otherwise and was so excited for it. Maybe after a patch or two, I can give the pack a rating of 9, but for now I honestly can’t just given the amount of bugs,
Sims changed and I have no ability to stop that. I am not able to get the EA app to work offline. If I have the patch, I might as well have some of the new stuff in the EP. I like the radio and sleeping bags. Gradually I am sure little things will become essential parts of my gameplay. Every pack is like that for me. I buy them all and then wait to see what happens.
It is what it is. I accept that. I will always buy every pack. I will not try to fight updates. I want to play. I will play the best I can with what the developers give me to play with. I know I cannot fight them, so I do not try.
I have encountered a few bugs as well. I can't play the Michaelson family because baby Orion just gets stuck to her parent's legs. I've tried resetting them all multiple times but nothing works. I've given the bug thread on AHQ a "me too". When they interact with Orion autonomously there aren't any problems. They just don't like my directions a lot!
I was disappointed about the loose tooth bug. I had yet to experience a loose tooth. I hope this is fixed soon.
I find the "teach to ride/ask to teach to ride the bike" to be very buggy. It takes an awful lot of queueing up on both sides to get it to work and then even when it does, the child riding the bike clips through everything.
Other than these issues I absolutely ADORE this pack. You really wouldn't believe just how much I have played. I even go to sleep with my laptop on my bed next to me and wake in the night for a "quick" play. I woke at 4.20 this morning and didn't stop playing until I had to get up at 7.30!!
My next request now is to carry on with pack integration as new packs come out because this has been one of my most favourite features of GrT. It has worked as a glue to a lot of my other packs and brought them all together.
I would still like to see an attraction system similar to what we had in TS2. I used to love the NPC matchmaker who would find you a date! I would like to see the family tree developed and relations other than immediate family recognised (ie "aunt", "uncle", "cousin", step-family members etc). I had hoped that would have been part of this pack. However, I would not like to see it sold as a "My First Pets" fiasco.
To sum it all up, thank you Sims team for a wonderful pack and for keeping me occupied. I am actually waiting for major surgery at the moment and am spending my days in bed and in pain and this pack has come at exactly the right time for me.
Ok. Enough talking. Back to gaming now!.......
The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
Example - My toddler was asked if she wanted to learn potty and that some how made her have a strict dynamic with the mum?
A couple of minor glitches -- My child learning to ride the bike clipped through everything, which was distracting. And the baby shower at the Rec Center was a failure. The Sims who were invited wandered off to other activities, and there were a bunch of random Sims showing up in photographs. Next baby shower will be at home.
I guess the dynamic and milestone system could be considered an expansion. But these are reduced to random pop-ups after random interactions. Don't really care for the family dynamics because most of my families get along. All I can really enjoy are the new events. So far I've only had stay overs and a family reunion. Stay overs fulfilled my wish of having family/friends babysit while the parents are out.
New features don't work properly. Still haven't tried the bicycle for children but I've seen the screenshots. The loose a tooth feature for children was removed until further notice. Infants' milestones disappear for rotational players. So the only expansion I see are the texting adventures of proposed family dynamics. Which just reminds me of why I turned off Neighborhood Stories and Lifestyles.
🏡 Gallery 📖 Stories 🌍 World Project 🥔 MOD/CC Free
However, I don’t like any of the new hairstyles other than the ones for infants, & I am experiencing more glitches than I ever have. Granted, it’s probably due to the update since most of my glitches are with other packs, but still. I didn’t even have problems with the wedding pack, lol. I also don’t care for the new world, but that’s just because I prefer worlds that experience all weather types.
Overall, it’s one of my favorite packs! I’d probably rate it a 9 if it wasn’t for all of the glitches.
Finally more Family Gameplay,New Relationships,,New Interactions,Puzzles,Tree Houses, Sleeping Bags,A Cinema,Splash Pads that can be used to make Waterparks and a Beautiful World that looks similar to Brendleton Bay. What's not to love?
There's a baby shower?
Update
For some reason I thought you meant an actual shower to bathe infants then I remembered it's a baby shower party event.
CAS
It’s ok, not the best we’ve had though. Some of the clothes aren’t very versatile. I like that we got things for everyone, but that also means less stuff in each category.
It’s nice to have kids aspirations.
Why are there no new traits though ?
Build/Buy
It’s ok, there are some things I really like and will use a lot like the rugs and the fireplace, the frames, the treehouse…..
- I don’t really get why we got kitchen appliances but no counters, I would have prefered the opposite. I was really hoping we’d get a new family kitchen with this EP, and a big American fridge with double doors and à water dispenser thingy.
- The changing tables should have come with basegame, they even match the basegame stuff so it really feels like they were meant to be in the basegame update.
- The cluster of plants we for it really nice, but why weren’t they separated ?? They would have been way more usable that way.
- The bathroom tiles with the black stripes……would have been way more usable without said stripes.
Gameplay
I’m sad teenagers weren’t included at all, yes they just got an EP, which I have, but not everyone does.
I really enjoy milestones, the compatibility system, family dynamics, sleepovers/slumber parties, stayovers.
I haven’t seen a lot of new interactions between sims though.
I would have liked strollers.
I don’t know if it’s a bug but my sim was always taking her infant out of her carrier, even to do stuff they should be able to do anyway, like walking the dog.
I would like it if sims could play together with their bikes, like do races and things like that.
World
It’s nice but it doesn’t snow in the winter.
It’s quite empty.
I would have liked more lots in the residential neighborhood, especially 40x30, as the treehouse is so big, you need bigger lots to be able to fit it along with a decent sized house.
The world should have had some ocean swimming spots rather than just a lake. And, the type houses in the warf area seem to be wrong. Like others I don’t like the set dressings in the parts of the world ( was checking that out with the overhead camera ). I would rather be able to set my own style. I also wish the world had more lots. I was a bit disappointed in the marina area where it looked like there was a house on it. That would have been a perfect place for a restaurant. I would have been happy if they had even put a food stand there, a bit if a missed opportunity. Also, the house over the lake….. what a wonderful spot that would have been for a lot! I am however very glad that we did get a world as I don’t think the world was the main focus. I always want new worlds. I would love some world packs.
Someone mentioned milestones are reset for rotational players. I hope that doesn’t happen to me, That would be something I would want them to fix quickly in a patch,
I had a lot of anticipation for this pack and I’m hoping compatibilities and family dynamics will be fun to play.
I think I’m satisfied with the build buy, I like the variety of children’s bikes and I like the tree house, they are wonderful touches. I needed a few more clothes for my older sims. I like the idea of a rec center, because it has multi purposes, I think that is great. I would have preferred a movie theatre lot type with a new concession stand and a ticket booth, but at least the rabbit hole has some interactions. I’d still like a real movie theatre lot type at some point. Family reunions and baby showers sound fun.
Start a new game without the CC crib.