Tough choice, they are both good, but I vote Island Living because you said you are a builder and a family player. I have not found as much build objects in University that I love as much as the Island furniture and decorations. The location is beautiful too. It's a lot of fun decorating a beach lot with a dock over the water and beach sand. I've also had a lot of fun taking the family to the beaches. They can build sandcastles, swim, look for shells, suntan, there is just a lot of interaction for families going there together. The University gameplay is fun if you like studying and then getting that huge career bump, but I never build or see my family when playing, just always doing homework and presentations and writing essays, and you have to play for quite a while before you graduate. I never really have time to explore all the other activities and I've dropped a class, but it is a great feeling to send a family member off the Uni and see them graduate and get that huge career bump when looking for work. I'm not sure if you can build a dorm lot, but you can redecorate the dorm rooms as long as no playable Sims are currently living in the lot. You can build the bars or the common room, which is like any other bar/commercial lot and create places to eat or study. There are very few lots though. There are only a couple of common rooms, a bar, a couple of residential lots. There is no room to build new lots or replace lots with campus coffee shops, retail stores, restaurants, gyms etc. so I don't think this pack really adds much to build gameplay. I love the juice keg though and the ping pong/juice pong table. Island Living has beautiful new hair. University has great new clothes and shoes. Just in case that stuff is important to you
I've played both packs. I abandoned discover university within two weeks after I had it installed because I feel like my sim had to spend too much time studying/doing homework...like from toddlers to young adults, homework, homework and homework!! If sims are aiming for good grades and be active at those DU-specific clubs, they basically have no time to socialise or find a partner.
I love IL because the build items are rustic and aesthetic whereas those offered by DU have simple designs and I believe they have already been made by some CC-creators!
Island living has the best world we got in TS4 to date. None of these os made specifically for family gameplay and the bb is a matter of preference. They are both really good.
University if you really want to be part of the experience--especially if you played a sim from child or teen up and want to experience their college years. I have a sim currently going through who is a young adult and while it's fun it seems very much set to only that.
Island Living is lacking a bit of depth in some areas but has a beautiful world, new gameplay, swimming, snorkeling, baby turtle/dolphin events, a few new food items/recipes, the culture of Sulani has cultural events etc. You can build a bed and breakfast of sorts and have your sims go on vacation there (not the same as going to a vacation world but still fun).
Overall it depends on if you want the university experience with sims just starting out or a pack that works for any age.
"Not All Who Wander Are Lost"-Tolkien
Origin ID: simaddict1990
Sulani is just too beautiful to pass up, honestly... it's probably the most beautiful world in Sims 4 so far! Also, it's a really nice world to use as a "vacation spot" (even though we don't actually have hotels or anything like that). I've made a few "hotels" (one spa with multiple bedrooms upstairs and another is a generic lot with "bungalows") in Sulani that I send my Sims to for a few days and pretend they're on vacation. I also have "tourist" attractions around the islands I use while my Sims are there.
I wish they'd add hospitality features to the game so we can create actual hotels/motels!
@Lustianicia that is cool! What kinds of island attractions do you have?
Comments
I love IL because the build items are rustic and aesthetic whereas those offered by DU have simple designs and I believe they have already been made by some CC-creators!
Island Living is lacking a bit of depth in some areas but has a beautiful world, new gameplay, swimming, snorkeling, baby turtle/dolphin events, a few new food items/recipes, the culture of Sulani has cultural events etc. You can build a bed and breakfast of sorts and have your sims go on vacation there (not the same as going to a vacation world but still fun).
Overall it depends on if you want the university experience with sims just starting out or a pack that works for any age.
Origin ID: simaddict1990
@Lustianicia that is cool! What kinds of island attractions do you have?