Do you believe Island Living is lacking or feels empty? Many people believe that Island Living is beautiful, and the aesthetic is spot on, however the gameplay is bare and direction missing.
Also people aren’t impressed with mermaids.
Tell me what you think down below, along with what it’s missing, and could benefit from!
Disclaimer: I have not played Island Living yet, and am merely speculating or using my basic knowledge from research.
Island Living; is it lacking? 341 votes
Yes, Island Living is Lacking
No, Island Living is Fine
Eh, Island Living is tolerable
5
Comments
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I feel like they try to fit too much in, but come to where they don’t have enough. I don’t know their budgets, but they must suck.
The conservation part is actually also pretty in depth and I have to say it’s not my favorite career because it’s not fun enough for me, but the global policies part really is a cool feature and I hope they had made the political career just like this. Can’t wait for more careers like this in the future.
Other features are really not that impressive. Mermaids are okay since it at least is a step forward; Jet Skis are okay for the customization and ability to be placed in pools.
The rabbit holes are so not needed in this pack. I mean of course we need new careers but come on, my Sims don’t even unlock that lifeguard outfit after maxing out; and the diver reward is bugged because I have one in my inventory but cannot buy a new one because it still says “locked”. The cave is disappointing, the diving is boring and disappointing. And the odd jobs... I wish they put that passion in writing all those humorous notifications elsewhere.
And then the culture... Well, the festivals are so lackluster, apart from the fishing competition, which is good and unique and I like quite a lot, are basically the same. And then there’s not enough cultural stuffs. You know it when they reused bonfires in Get Together and swing sets in Seasons.
I kinda hope they added more depth to the existing contents... But now it’s a pack where there are not a lot to do (if you ignore the rabbit holes) and the existing stuffs lack depth.
Personally I could accept it if they add more culture like new dance, new recreation, or at least work from home lifeguard and fisherman or a system that is in depth like the fame or reputation, clubs or holidays... And add scuba diving, an underwater world and mermaids in a separate GP.
To me depth is everything. I don’t need a rabbit hole career for my Sims to be in to “imagine” my Sims did stuffs on the beach as a lifeguard. I can already do that if I give him an existing career and just say “he’a lifeguard, actually”.
I don’t hate this pack, because the feel of the world is really stunning. But I can’t recommend it at full price. And I don’t think it is on par with any other Sims 4 Expansions.
City Living was done much better as a 'living' pack, imo. Yes, apartments and festivals are locked to San Myshuno, but at least you get notified when festivals are happening so you can go there if you want. And a lot of the new additions, like the new traits, aren't focused on San Myshuno as a location. There are elements of the city that you can bring elsewhere if you want.
As it stands, imo Island Living should have been a gamepack.
The prettiness of the world seems to be what everyone talks about, and personally I don’t even fully get behind that. Maps are not gameplay, or even a feature of the game/pack. I think it’s just sad that a map is the biggest selling point for this pack, that says A LOT about the pack. The decorative backdrop is the best part..... so yea, it’s absolutely lacking in a massive and noticeable way. I do think it’s good that so many people share this belief, because it means the dirty tricks EA is trying to pull on this fan base aren’t working as well as they hoped they would.
It definitely feels lacking in actual game-changing gameplay.
Cool animations and more moodlets aren't game-changing.
Mermaids have no progression system. Go from freshly-made human Sim, gain 500 aspiration points and buy some Mermadic Kelp, eat it, and boom you're suddenly a mermaid with instant mastery of all of their various abilities.
There's more, but there's no denying that Island Living's biggest strengths are that Sulani itself is quite beautiful, and seeing the cultural-inspired aspects apparenty in the various CAS and BB options.
I'd recommend checking out his video review to see his takes on the positives/negatives of the pack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVDCU82W7U0
Mermaids didn't have to be as super fleshed out as vampires, but they're absolute barebones. Pretty but not much different from regular sims. We should've gotten at LEAST one underwater/special lot accessible to scuba-diving sims and mermaids, along with lifeguard being an active career.
There is a lot of good ideas/good intentions behind IL, but it needs more meat, so to speak.
But I do feel that it is lacking in some features.
First, for me would be the mermaids. They're an okay addition but since you can make a good non-sim killing mermaid or an evil sim killing mermaid/siren, the team could have given them a trait tree, like for vampries, where players could have picked from different traits to flush out their mermaids characteristics/personalities.
Next would be the cave in Mua Pel'am. For me it should have been made into a proper secret lot for sims to explore to find items after unlocking a puzzle or feature to get there.
Then there's deep sea diving. I would love to see my sim actually swimming under the water and interacting with the sand and objects to discover items.
And finally there's the jet ski and canoe. They are a great way of getting around but they can't go from island to island. And given how close the islands appear not having a Loading Screen when traveling to them would have been great. (Then shattered when it would be back just because you want to travel from lot to lot on the island once you get there. )
I want to be in love with this pack but it feels like so many shortcuts were taken.
The rabbit hole careers, lack of dive lots/underwater camera and more rabbit holes, and mermaids not being able to drown sims and being fully fleshed out (like: not having transformations, younger life stage versions, or having a even a cute mermaid baby crib), lack of houseboats, (and lack of resorts for some simmers), and not having enough water or beach activities really do lower the pack’s value in my eyes.
I realized how much I am especially missing houseboats, being able to see the actual Kraken swimming underneath the water (which was so cool and creepy in Sims 3!), having danger with the kraken and sharks, having a lifeguard career, and seeing my mermaids from below the water.
I still love the pack, and consider it a must-have for myself since it has my number one favorite supernatural (merpeople), but I’m disappointed by some elements of it. I am glad I preorder it for a cheaper price elsewhere as the pack feels more of a game pack price.
(She/her)
Listen, I do still love the pack, but it does feel lacking. And it has nothing to do with slowing down or anything like that.
Island Paradise is okay-ish for me as well, but at least it tries and it has: resort system, lifeguard career that is NOT a rabbit hole, underwater camera view, underwater dive lots that are NOT rabbit holes, houseboats, an actual visual of the kraken that you can see, water skiing, sailboating, a sense of danger with sharks and krakens (and you can see them) and a rabbit hole monster, a big world with hidden islands, and treasure hunting. There are probably some other things I’m missing, but those are some major cool features that I remembered that Island Paradise brings to the table.
Island Paradise brought a sense of immersion when it comes the ocean activities, the deep ocean life environment, and the active career of being a lifeguard.
(And I say all of this as someone who’s more of a Sims 2, Sims 1, and Sims 4 fan than a Sims 3 fan. I would have loved Island Paradise much more, though, if the mermaids were better, and if I liked Sims 3. Sims 3 has some charm, but I could never fully embrace it like I did with Sims 1 and Sims 2. *sighs*)
(She/her)
I wish the cave took you to a separate location similar to the tree in the base game.
And you have a right to your opinion as well Have fun playing, I am