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Buying packs and intentionally not using the main feature
Atreya33
Posts: 4,429 Member
Is it worth to buy a pack for just the CAS/build buy or some side features and completely ignore the main feature.
The reason why I am wondering about this is eco lifestyle. I was debating whether or not to buy this pack on the black friday sale and now I am tempted again because it is on sale. I will probably get it in the end. In any case I won't be using the NAP feature because I don't like random behaviour. But this made me wonder if it is worth it if I decide not to use the main feature even before I purchase it?
I have done so before. I got get famous and never use the fame system. The furniture and CAS is nice but this is honestly the pack I would miss least if it were gone. I only got this pack after I learned there was an option to turn off fame. My sims have never owned a cat or dog despite the fact that I own the cats and dogs EP for quite a while now. I like the CAS, BB and world of this pack but as someone who doesn't own a pet in real life, I keep thinking I will play with a pet some time but just don't come around to it. When it comes to vampires there seem to be plenty of simmers who want the BB of the pack without the occults.
Please feel free to explain how you guys feel about it.
The reason why I am wondering about this is eco lifestyle. I was debating whether or not to buy this pack on the black friday sale and now I am tempted again because it is on sale. I will probably get it in the end. In any case I won't be using the NAP feature because I don't like random behaviour. But this made me wonder if it is worth it if I decide not to use the main feature even before I purchase it?
I have done so before. I got get famous and never use the fame system. The furniture and CAS is nice but this is honestly the pack I would miss least if it were gone. I only got this pack after I learned there was an option to turn off fame. My sims have never owned a cat or dog despite the fact that I own the cats and dogs EP for quite a while now. I like the CAS, BB and world of this pack but as someone who doesn't own a pet in real life, I keep thinking I will play with a pet some time but just don't come around to it. When it comes to vampires there seem to be plenty of simmers who want the BB of the pack without the occults.
Please feel free to explain how you guys feel about it.
Buying packs and intentionally not using the main feature 148 votes
I like several packs without being interested in the main feature
43%
65 votes
It happened once or twice when I saw a pack without being interested the main feature
32%
48 votes
What's the point of owning a pack if you don't use the main feature?
10%
16 votes
What do you mean? I play with all aspects of every pack I own.
5%
8 votes
Other
7%
11 votes
0
Comments
-20+ saves, and only 2 of my families have cats. No dogs, I'm not a dog person.
-I practically never use clubs, after the first few times. It ends up being a chore with all the nag about gathering. + almost all default clubs are pointless. I some times join Powerhouse.
-I've done the Strangerville story once.
I'm perfectly fine spending money on a pack just to end up only using the CAS & BB. I don't find it a waste, I'll probably get my moneys worth, and then some (not counting bugs, because those happen). The BB/CAS in Eco is great, maybe except a couple of the windows/doors and that ear gauge or whatever that thing is called.
Gallery: Kathykins
AHQ - Game help and Bugs
I've never intended for that to happen when I bought a pack, but it has turned out that I don't use several of Eco Lifestyle's features because of bugs, limitations, etc.
Do stuff packs count? Cause I have a few that I either rarely use of never use the main feature item. Example, Romantic Garden. I never use the wishing well but I do like the clothing and build items mostly the flowers
Cats&Dogs is a good example for me too, because I'm not a big fan of pets in game and I bought it mainly for the world and B&B. I tried being a vet though and liked it.
On the other hand, I'm not going to buy Vampires, Realm of Magic or Batuu, because that would be a waste of money. Not interested in playing occults, worlds are small and not my taste, and CAS and B&B only just not worth it.
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
Of course everyone is free to spend money how they want. This question was not about judging what others do. It was more thinking about deliberately not using the fullest of a dlc. Does it make sense? And it is a question everyone needs to answer for themselves. I just find it interesting how others think about it.
Just out of curiosity, what NAPs do you consider safe?
In the end, I ended up making a mod that pretty much nukes the NAP based behaviour and now I'm actually enjoying them.
That being said, it's a bit different for me because as I modder, I'm tempted to buy any pack to be able to provide full compability for all of my mods. The only pack I did not get (yet - I might be getting it when it's 50 % off again) is Journey to Batuu.
The other packs I do not use the main features off are:
Vampires
Realm of Magic
Strangerville
Vintage Glamour
I like Eco Lifestyle a little bit more as well now because I have gotten the green eco footprint in some worlds and it makes them look better with the aurora borealis, especially Mt. Komorebi in Snowy Escape.
There are still some things I don't like with the pack like the NAPs, nurturing bugs and the crafting machine failing all the time but I guess it's worth it if you can get it for sale and use some mods to play it.
But then there's laundry day. I got it at 50% off because I want my island castaway sims to have a washtub and clothesline off the grid, but I have no interest whatsoever in using the washers and dryers. Nice CAS though.
The "safe" ones are to pass the inspection and satisfy the NAP without hassle and nonsense of the other NAP's:
- Green gardening: you place a bug hotel, don't need to deal with the bugs. Just leave it empty. Or a Bee box, but then....bees. This is the only time I use the bug hotel, just place it somewhere on the lot and forget about it.
- Upcycling initiative: a fabricator or recycling machine
- Self sufficiency: most my sims do handiness, fishing and gardening. So repair objects/upgrade, fish and have a garden.
- Eco friendly appliances: I usually upgrade 1 sink to have Water recycler and the other Eco upgrade I can't remember the name of right now. I never use Eco parts, because those you have to fabricate. Not all my sims are into fabrication. I just buy the parts.
For Evergreen Harbor, the Modern and Green Initiatives are also pretty safe. Your weekly bills will increase, to get funding to improve the neighbourhood.
Also safe: Water/power conservation (in all worlds), but then you'll get fined if your household uses too much, and also 1 day a week without water/power. Which can be inconvenient.
Gallery: Kathykins
AHQ - Game help and Bugs
I got Get Famous for the Mid Century furniture, CAS and so I could make my Adam Lambert Sim a Global Superstar. I've yet to try the acting career. I generally don't care for the celebrities and get rid of most of them. None of my Sims, except Adam, have ever lived in a mansion in the hills.
I wasn't interesting in the butler in Vintage Glamour, I bought it for build/buy and CAS. None of my Sims live in mansions or are rich enough to need and/or want a butler. I've placed the make-up table in several builds, but have not used it, yet.
I originally bought Get Together for Windenburg, build/buy and CAS, not the clubs feature. I love that world, especially the countryside and island lots! None of my non-challenge Sims have ever started their own clubs or joined default clubs. They're great for the Asylum Challenge though, that's it.
I adore the Laundry Day pack! But mostly for CAS and build/buy, not to do laundry. I've placed the laundry appliances in some challenge builds, but very, very rarely use them otherwise.
I believe the waterslide was the big feature in the Backyard pack, but up to now, I've only placed one on a rental lot in Granite Falls. I got it for the windchimes, bird feeder, CAS, and other build/buy.
I originally bought Eco Living for the Northern Lights, candlemaking, off-the-grid features and build/buy. I wasn't all that excited about dumpster diving, but fabricating sounded interesting and NAPs sounded like a disaster from all the reviews. I planned to turn them off immediately. But, I actually LOVE dumpster diving (not the woo hoo feature tho, Eww) and fabricating is fun now since the machine has been fixed to not break so often. I avoid nurturing bugs at all costs. I've played with NAPs every which way, just to see for myself what they do. But they're turned off to NPC voting in my Custom Template save by default and I also cheat to choose which ones I want if I do turn on the Eco features to go Green.
I bought Moschino for the windows and photography. I ended up liking a lot of the other build/buy though and a very select few of the CAS items, mostly the hairstyles, but I use the boots, Mary Jane shoes and black leather outfits as well.
Most of my packs were pretty much were this pack as mermaids, vampires, mages, aliens, they are mine now. I also usually get packs for the CAS items, and not really for the build items.
I don't see any problem with people buying a pack they won't use the main feature so long as they recognise that they got it for that small feature in it and don't complain about it being "not worth expansion pack price" and try to demand the devs change a game that others have gotten for the current main features and enjoy.
https://youtube.com/channel/UCaj9o4hycNSPy8U1Ip0OCFA/videos
ETA: Apparently, it happens on its own!
I own most of the packs (all the EP, all the GP minus JtB, and all but a handful of SP....lockdown was hard on me, don't judge!) and I tend to dip in and out of different game plays.
I have my main save where I jump from family to family. I don't use mods (I used to have the melanin pack though) in it and tend to have fairly vanilla lives. My goal with that is to play through all of the careers and non-occult aspirations through various legacy families. I do have a really famous sim in that save, but most of my sims are just normal people. I have a few in clubs, but not many and it doesn't come up most times I play. With so many options, it's a bit like real life. Some people like some things, other people don't. I don't cheat in this save unless it's something like updating skintones after the skintone update.
I also have an occult save where I focus more on mermaids, vampires, and witches along with making rainbow pets. I don't currently have any mods in that save, but I've been browsing some new occult mods that I might incorporate. I cheat a little in that save to match things up with my occult story lines.
Finally, I have an occasionally played Bacchanalia save. I use mods and don't mind cheating in that save. Anything goes there.
The only outlier is Eco Lifestyle. I like the buy/build content, and I liked making community spaces,
but I dislike the NAPs extemely, and I can do without the eco game play.
I also don't like all the fake houses surrounding single lots. It makes the world feel desolate.
I own the pack, but I uninstalled the game and reinstalled it without putting Eco Lifestyle back.
I only regret not having a particular hairstyle that looked really nice on my sim and the shipping container wallpaper.
Regarding NAPS, something I rarely see talked about is that, if you "disable NAPS" first thing in a new save, your sim can still vote for NAPs and they will happen, the thing is that other sims won't vote autonomously so you have full control over which NAPs are in action - at least that's how it happens in my game, and I can repeal the NAPs I don't want anymore. So I can still use NAPs in my game in a way that's not disruptive and it adds to my gameplay.
I am not using NAPs at all anymore, because they are buggy/annoying...
So, I think buying a pack for a different reason than the main feature is totally legit.