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Playing with a lot of packs is overwhelming
Ninoosim
Posts: 387 Member
Over the years I've been buying packs through sales but I don't always get to play them right away. You know how it is, play for a month like a goblin who doesn't need sunlight and then don't touch the game for a year. Problem is, everytime I do come back, it feels overwhelming and I'm sure I'm missing out on features.
I'm thinking about disabling all the packs, playing base game for a while, and then enable packs as the need arise. Some packs obviously go with others, like Parenthood and the new one Get Growing Growing Together. Following release order would not work well, I'll probably need Seasons before Outdoor Retreat. Same for packs adding worlds, enabling them too fast would not leave enough time to explore them all.
I'm thinking maybe make a couple of households per world, and they would each have a theme so I can use them to play each packs (big family, explorers, party goers, etc). I know about the Lepacy challenge but I'd prefer something with less rules. I found these [infographics](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/or5j3n) which are nice to quickly check what comes with what pack.
Maybe I'm overthinking this (yes, yes you are) but I can't be the only one who's thought about this. What order would you go with? And if you did something similar let me know how it went!
I'm thinking about disabling all the packs, playing base game for a while, and then enable packs as the need arise. Some packs obviously go with others, like Parenthood and the new one Get Growing Growing Together. Following release order would not work well, I'll probably need Seasons before Outdoor Retreat. Same for packs adding worlds, enabling them too fast would not leave enough time to explore them all.
I'm thinking maybe make a couple of households per world, and they would each have a theme so I can use them to play each packs (big family, explorers, party goers, etc). I know about the Lepacy challenge but I'd prefer something with less rules. I found these [infographics](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/or5j3n) which are nice to quickly check what comes with what pack.
Maybe I'm overthinking this (yes, yes you are) but I can't be the only one who's thought about this. What order would you go with? And if you did something similar let me know how it went!
5
Comments
This describes me also!
My solution to the overwhelm is generally to come up with elaborate plans and stories to try cover as much as possible. Though I figure it’s an impossibility now to have a single Sim/household/game do everything. Certainly not all at once/quickly.
I didn’t even know we could disable and enable packs?!?
As for what order to play them in, I’d recommend you go with your favourites first! Whichever you’re most drawn to, depending on whether you like new build items, worlds, life states etc. Then when you start to get “Sims fatigue” again maybe enable another pack to keep things fresh.
Here! It's really cool for when you need to build something and don't want to have all the clutter in the catalog!
-disablepacks:EP01,EP02,EP03,EP05,EP06,EP07,EP08,EP09,EP10,EP11,GP01,GP02,GP03,GP04,GP05,GP06,GP07,GP08,GP09,GP10,GP11,GP12,SP01,SP02,SP03,SP04,SP05,SP06,SP07,SP08,SP09,SP10,SP11,SP12,SP13,SP14,SP15,SP16,SP17,SP18,SP19,KP01,KP02,KP03,KP04,KP05,KP06,KP07
unfortunately for myself I am too attached to my current save to do it
I'll just be overwhelmed
but yeah if you can I think you should go for it
certainly makes things whole lot easier
if you plan to play premades i'd also finish premades from each pack before moving to another pack
it would spare you from the chaos I have put myself in with these mismatch aged sims all going to highschool
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That being said, I do understand this and I also have quite a few features I've never even touched. I'm a realistic player, so this means a ton of things (werewolves, vampires, spellcasting, even the scientist career) just haven't been experienced by me. As for realistic features, I try and have my legacies children "Try out" a few things. In each generation, I try to plug in say, an extreme sports enthusiast, or a photographer, or someone that decides to live out in the desert or the woods.
Let us know how your experiment goes!
I know how you feel. I still have not gotten the chance to fully experience highschool years or werewolves or all of jungle adventures and many other things because when I take my sim breaks so much is added lol. But rather than to over think it I pick a family, a storyline that incorporates a certain pack or feature and go with it. I wouldn't want to disable packs because even though I'm playing with infants and mainly growing Together stuff for example, I'm still using vampires, incorporating werewolves as rivals, using stuff from snowy escape, using get together features and clubs for my parties, using other worlds for retail lots or other types of lots to visit. Using social bunny from highschool. Currently using dumpsters and pollution from eco pack on my lot. I have a dog.
And so on. I feel like in a way I almost use a bit of everything and would hate to disable something and miss out.
Progression has been so slow because of waiting for Toddlers and family game play, University, High School etc.
I am playing dozens of sims in rotation, mainly at the toddler stage, and not focusing on the CAS generated parents as much, so my main packs have been Parenthood, High School Years, Discover University, and now, Growing Together. I haven't really bothered with career packs like Get To Work, Get Famous, or Dream Home Decorator because I plan to focus on those after my sims graduate University.
If I were to start over and introduce packs over time, I think I would divide it up into phases.
The first phase would be to try to get core game play in combination with starting off with support for the Young Adult life stage's social and career needs.
The second stage would support family game play, and expand on careers further.
The final stage would be adding niche game play.
But yeah, this is overwhelming, so many packs, and I haven't even bothered with Kits.
Another way is to try to cut the amount of packs in half and just include the packs that make for a satisfying game.
That's going to involve some tough choices.
That's some nice insight and yeah, you're right. I do use a little bit of everything and it'd feel weird to not have a pet or weather.
furiously takes notes I just love to see how others do it
I just discovered the other day that teens can graduate early if they have good grades due to High School Years. I actually think it’s nice discovering features organically over time. I don’t feel overwhelmed.
I got pretty far in TS3 LEPacy challenge. It was a fun experience and really made me appreciate TS3 base game. The only pack I really missed was Seasons but I did eventually unlock it. The creator intended for the challenge to be used in this kind of situation to explore all of the packs without being overwhelmed. It's totally customizable.
S3 simblr: http://simplysimming.tumblr.com/
S4 simblr: http://simlogic.tumblr.com/
I guess I don't get overwhelmed by choices and things like that. I've heard people talk about how they didn't want a colorwheel again because TS3's CASt was overwhelming. I'm thinking to myself, but the game gave you preset swatches and choosing to change something was not required so they could have just ignored it. But then their response would be like, I know but then I'd miss out. *scratches head*
Anyway, there's no wrong or right way to play.
Actually for me, it's like they don't exist, because I don't think about features I'm not using.
I can't remember the last time I used anything from Jungle Adventures.
No wait,
I had students, from my Hogwarts test-play, go to my Jungle Adventures outfitters store to copypasto some pricey relics and take the copies so that acting Headmistress McGonagal could pay for the crazy expensive bills that the school had racked up.
[Finds a picture]
That's just me though, because my sims are mostly focused on High School and University.
So it's mostly base game, Parenthood, High School Years, Discover University, Get Together and Growing Together for me now.
A little bit of Snowy Escape and Journey to Batuu vacations for my students, but those are the only packs I am using heavily. My student sims have (CAS) parents, but I haven't been paying attention to their parent's careers much. That will be for the next generation.
I will be getting reacquainted with a lot of packs once everyone is out of Uni.
It's a mix between choice paralysis and feeling like I need to play my money's worth for each pack or else why am I even buying them, you know? But I'm working on it and trying to let go a little more.
Seriously, I waited soooo long for some of these features. I would definitely not willingly choose to go without any of them now.
To fix that I make a conscious effort to play each pack. I just pick a pack I want to play then use the CAS, live in the world and do the features in that pack. I don’t disable the others but I mostly focus on the pack I chose. It’s a lot of fun to explore them all like this. I am just trying strangerville first time 😁
All the sims err'day
Since I only started in 2020 there still are a lot of available packs that I haven't added yet.
There are a few more on my list to get sometime when I feel like making my game more complicated. (Looking at you, Vampires and Parenthood.)
Some others that I'm dubious I'll ever want to spend the money on. Either because they're underdeveloped, or riddled with bugs, or because I don't want to support the basic premise of the pack.
I think I'd be overwhelmed all over again if I had everything in my game. (Also a lot poorer)
Definitely recommend @graecyn 's advice above about disabling packs of your choice.
Just be aware that if you play a save game with fewer packs than you previously played that save game, sims or lots that you play might be missing objects from those packs, like hairstyles, clothing, furniture etc. And then you will have to put each of those back manually when you re-add the pack.