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The two underrated packs that I can't go without
Louise_G0325
Posts: 1,040 Member
Get Together
People like saying that GT only brings clubs and Windenburg, and beyond that it's relatively useless. I don't use clubs much either, but it's absolutely great when you want to make a more lively world, add drama etc. It's also nice to set sims up romantically (ex. meeting sims and having a natural way to hang out with them), and you can make pseudo bands with it. It really becomes fun when playing challenges: factions, tribes, cliques etc. Clubs also integrate FANTASTICALLY with other packs: sororities with uni, covens and packs with Vamps/ROM etc. Whenever a group feature isn't included in a pack, it's often possible to mimick/create it with GT.
I use the Windenburg private island more than almost any other neighborhood in any world, and that's not even touching how beautiful and versatile the rest of the world is. Since there are so many areas, it's lovely for me to pretend it's 1820 and my vampire is prowling the streets of London near the ruins, or my sim is someone in a Jane Austen novel living in the rural countryside.
The clubs and world isn't what qualifies GT as one of my most-used packs, though. It's:
Dine Out
Restaurants are the non-residential lot type I use the most, hands down. The types of restaurants I can make are endless (various levels of fancy, seafood or vegetarian, sandwhich shacks, pie holes, pizzerias, old-fashioned breakfast bistros etc), and every single building lends a completely different feeling to a restaurant with the same menu. Chatting over a meal is a great way to get to know sims, go on dates, hang out on your own etc. AND, the most important of all: restaurants are probably the most versatile lot type.
Bowling & Ice cream; Skating & Alien fruit tarts; Arcade & Grilled cheese; Tea and Scones in a Botanical Garden; Experimental/Asian food and Spa etc. I've been working on a fancy hotel that functions as a restaurant, spa and place to vacation at. Restaurants are the kings of community lots, imo, and it's sad that it's so overlooked.
What is your opinion? Do you adore any overlooked packs?
People like saying that GT only brings clubs and Windenburg, and beyond that it's relatively useless. I don't use clubs much either, but it's absolutely great when you want to make a more lively world, add drama etc. It's also nice to set sims up romantically (ex. meeting sims and having a natural way to hang out with them), and you can make pseudo bands with it. It really becomes fun when playing challenges: factions, tribes, cliques etc. Clubs also integrate FANTASTICALLY with other packs: sororities with uni, covens and packs with Vamps/ROM etc. Whenever a group feature isn't included in a pack, it's often possible to mimick/create it with GT.
I use the Windenburg private island more than almost any other neighborhood in any world, and that's not even touching how beautiful and versatile the rest of the world is. Since there are so many areas, it's lovely for me to pretend it's 1820 and my vampire is prowling the streets of London near the ruins, or my sim is someone in a Jane Austen novel living in the rural countryside.
The clubs and world isn't what qualifies GT as one of my most-used packs, though. It's:
- Nightclubs. My sims love dancing in the nightclubs I build for them. Going out and doing something on a community lot makes the game feel more alive and hustling to me, otherwise I get bored. Nightclubs also offer a destination for sims to get romantic
- Cafés. Even though I don't visit café lots much, I basically put the barista station in my every library and some other lots as well. All the nice coffees and pastries make me feel cozy when my sim is enjoying it amongst books, as an energy booster before work, while looking out over the garden etc.
- Bar activities. Bars are super boring without things like darts, foosball etc bc there just isn't much to do otherwise. I use GT activities in every single hangout I build.
- The build/buy. It's so versatile and an absolute necessity when building in an older style in any world. There are some great modern stuff too, though! Far from a one-trick pony.
Dine Out
Restaurants are the non-residential lot type I use the most, hands down. The types of restaurants I can make are endless (various levels of fancy, seafood or vegetarian, sandwhich shacks, pie holes, pizzerias, old-fashioned breakfast bistros etc), and every single building lends a completely different feeling to a restaurant with the same menu. Chatting over a meal is a great way to get to know sims, go on dates, hang out on your own etc. AND, the most important of all: restaurants are probably the most versatile lot type.
Bowling & Ice cream; Skating & Alien fruit tarts; Arcade & Grilled cheese; Tea and Scones in a Botanical Garden; Experimental/Asian food and Spa etc. I've been working on a fancy hotel that functions as a restaurant, spa and place to vacation at. Restaurants are the kings of community lots, imo, and it's sad that it's so overlooked.
What is your opinion? Do you adore any overlooked packs?
32
Comments
Windenburg is wonderful and it's turning out to be an extension of Britechester for me as I am putting in a huge dorm there and I will probably experiment with a fraternity house and sorority house there in the future.
The club feature is great for creating social groups and giving them locations to hangout.
It allows me some control over social dynamics in my game.
I am really enjoying Parenthood too.
I started seriously playing my sims now that we have University. I like working on the parent's parenting skills and the children's character values.
My personal underrated pack that I'm really glad I got early on is Cool Kitchen. It's not a big pack but I'm a builder and I use so many things from it in builds that I'd be lost without, honestly (I tried without it and ... no).
My personal underrated pack would be romantic garden stuff. I use the plants nearly every build
I know that My First Pet Stuff is disliked a lot (and with good reasons), but i actually really like it
Dine out, as much as I love it, and I really do, I barely ever go to the restaurant again, let alone run one. As much as I love the parenthood gamepack, it was the one to introduce wierd behaviours in Dine Out, taking away a lot of the immersion I had running a restaurant.
Good Timer 'till death
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
Yeah, I don't ever own them either - just build them and then visit. I don't really experience bad waiting times in my game, so I'm lucky there I guess
Pirates!! http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/906481/pirate-gp-smuggling-dueling-live-on-ship-or-build-own-and-more#latest
As for DO it was one of the first packs I got and restaurants are probably my most visited public lots.
I guess it's more buggy if you actually run the restaurant. I did it only once when Dine Out was released, but I figured I like more being a customer. I love placing a lot of different restaurants to different worlds and my Sims love to visit them.
This must be the best response
I couldn't play without Get Together. I use it's features all the time and Windenburg is my all-time favourite world (with Brindleton Bay as a close second, tying with Britechester). I've never had problems with Dine Out either, both visiting and owning a restuarant
Dine out definitely has it's problems, but it is one of my favorites since sims can eat out with friends, family or go on dates, plus they can be customized from what sims come there to wear to the menu's as well as what staff wears. Anything I can customize things in the sims is A o.k with me.
My two underrated packs would be ..........
Strangerville
I just love it! I have gotten so many hours of use and fun out of this pack, it's ridiculous. I mean I couldn't play my military academy without it right. It's one of the best non-active careers we have, I love playing in Strangerville & I enjoyed the mystery (twice). The atmosphere of the town is just so different and fun from the rest. It's really one of my favorites!
City Living
I know it gets a lot of hate but I really adore CL and am so glad it's there. It's not my favorite EP - those would still be Seasons & GF, maybe also DU now - but it's right up there. Could I play without it? Yeah maybe I guess. But I definitely wouldn't want to! I love the city, the BB, the introduction of semi-active careers, its lot traits, the apartments, etc. If anything I think DU took a lot of inspiration from it. Even improved on it in many respects, but that doesn't make me love CL any less!
I got Strangerville on a whim, and while I haven't really played with it (haven't really played TS4 for many months, except when building), I really love the world itself. I still want to set up a cute and cozy old-fashioned, TS3-feeling world for my gothic sim to live in. These days, I get pretty bored with the look of TS4 worlds as many of them are kinda similar in general colour scheme and "suburban-ness." Oasis Springs, Strangerville and San Myshuno really keep me sane when I want to have a completely different aesthetic.
I also used to be against City Living before I actually got it, and while it doesn't add a tonne of gameplay (that I use), the dynamic of the world and the apartments are nice. I like filling up SM with lots of lots so it feels more alive and I have more to do with my sims. The build/buy is also very useful, and I built one of my absolute favourite lots there: a fancy but cozy library that fits in perfectly with the world. If you want to see it in the gallery, its name is "San Myshuno Library" (Louise_Goethals)
Pirates!! http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/906481/pirate-gp-smuggling-dueling-live-on-ship-or-build-own-and-more#latest
My favourite underrated pack: Spa Day (teleporting, yoga and superfood salad). Every Sim I have does yoga for fitness, and of course, to gain enough 'wellness' to teleport and make the superfood salad.
Used Dine Out once.