@elanorbreton I think they must have cheated to make it happen because if they started off with a new sim and no skills, there is no way, even a sim who is maxed out on their skills will take more than a couple of hours. It took my maxed skilled sim a good 4 sim days to complete it. That sim didn't require any sleep, nor did her other needs drop normally, but very slow.
Why do people keep saying it's a 2 hour gameplay story? I wonder how many people actually completed it in two hours.
I'm about 12 hours in and not finished yet.
Because people that don't like the concept want to diminish it as much as possible. There is also a type of player that likes to speed run and be proud of how fast they can do something without stopping. I think it makes them feel accomplished to be the fastest, whatever. I've watched many speed runs in games so there are people that play like that on purpose for certain game types.
I still haven't finished the story, but I'm not trying too. Mostly because the story line I'm playing out isn't ready for me too. I'm playing the game and enjoying it. Rotating and doing the story elements when I feel like it and I've been playing many, many hours a day since release. I'm talking more than I should, like 5-10 hours a day. I am on the last of the story but playing in rotation and involving many families in my first run? I guess. Building a community ect.. and I didn't even start from scratch. I used player made buildings and many characters from an older save.
Since I went at it pretty hard for a little while before I slowed down .. still weaving in some story elements, a new character/family and a job. Playing on "slow" except when sleeping for my sims and taking care of their needs. I would have taken about 5-6 hours to finish. I think. I think that mostly because I'm in the last block of the aspiration.
If you play the sims like the sims and personalize it you can take all the time in the world.
It was widely known before release that the pack is mostly mission and storyline based. You probably shouldn't have spent money on something you know you would hate.
I personally think it's fine. I got it for the other stuff, so the story's a bit of a bonus.
If they said they didn't like it and revealed they've never even played it, y'all would rip them to shreds.
I think it's only fair to give a pack a chance before you decide it's not for you and then you have all the rights to express your negative opinion.
I thought Get Famous wasn't something for me but I warmed up to it when I realized I can build a story with it that does NOT include celebrities in any way. Many players probably bought the game pack trying to see if they can utilize at least a little something in their gameplay without having to follow the script but I guess even with that it just falls short as a pack.
I feel like TS4 kind of taught the community to buy packs purely out of hope most of the time lol. So it's not exactly weird that someone buys a pack with a concept they don't find appealing in the first place and then complains... If you don't do that then you're really not getting anything with this iteration.
I think people need to manage their money and expectations carefully. It's one thing to buy a pack like Get Famous and see if it fits a playstyle without celebrities (and it can, because it was shown beforehand that it had a lot of other stuff that could be used in a different way). It's another to see a pack like StrangerVille, where it was revealed that a huge chunk of it revolves around a storyline and only a minor part doesn't, and then buy it at full price knowing that one hates story-based games. Perhaps one could hope that some of the storyline-related objects could be used outside the story, and I guess that would be fair since one might not want spoilers about storyline objects.
I suppose if the OP criticized it being short, linear, and having low replay value (which other simmers have expressed, and which I do agree with), I could understand, because nobody wanted to be spoiled about the story. But it's not the execution that's the problem, but the nature of the pack itself, which the OP already knew he/she dislikes. At the very least, OP could've waited for a sale.
It would be like if I bought Vampires at full price knowing that I wasn't a fan of vampires and that they couldn't be toggled off. I bought it at 50% off, and only when another user told me that vampires aren't that disruptive if you don't engage with them in your save file. So far, I have two novelty save files for vampires, but otherwise I don't incorporate them into my regular gameplay. I use very little of the CAS too, since most of the items are kind of outlandish for me. Would I have regretted buying it at full price? Definitely. But instead, I decided on a price point where it would be worth it to me, and have no regrets.
As for my thoughts on StrangerVille, I didn't really prioritize the story, even if I thought it was an interesting idea. I already knew it was coming with a new world that's quite big for a GP, a new career, and laptops. I also watched videos on the new CAS and B/B items, which were fine. Once I found out all that I wanted to know, I was willing to spend the $20 to try it out. I didn't regret spending it because I knew about the things that would bring value to my gameplay.
Also, as an aside, regarding what OP said on Maxis making highly-requested stuff first, I think that's a fair point. At the pace in which packs are released and information is revealed, I can understand people being antsy for fan favorites. I can personally wait for the stuff I want, and I know that they can't release everything at once, but I can't fault anyone for being impatient, especially occult fans, since the last occult was released two years ago.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Why do people keep saying it's a 2 hour gameplay story? I wonder how many people actually completed it in two hours.
I'm about 12 hours in and not finished yet.
Because people that don't like the concept want to diminish it as much as possible.
I don't think that's necessarily true. Surely there are a few people like this, but I think it all just boils down to play style. Like me, a lot of people may want to know how long the mystery takes to complete before buying it. The easiest way to translate this to other play styles is to just play the mystery straight, because adding any story to that will take longer (as people who want to take longer with the mystery probably realize).
I think the pack being a waste of money is purely dependent on what you want from the pack. I get the concerns, truly -- I'm one of the ones who wants it but is waiting for a sale, on principle, because of my personal reasons and preferences and what I think the pack is worth to me. I've said it before and I'll say it again, just because something makes good sales doesn't mean everyone is happy with it, as we've seen in threads like these. But back on topic.
Whether or not you think the pack is worth it is purely subjective. I do not think that strangerville is on par with, say, MFPS (a true travesty if there ever was one). The world is well-created and beautiful, build/buy is nice for my build style, though not as interactive as I'd hoped with some of the sciencey objects, CAS I'm really excited about. I think it is a shame that the basic storyline will be the same everytime you play it, but for me it is replayable to the extent that I'll have a few different Sims try to solve it. But my real replay value will be in being able to set the weirdness how I want after I solve it. That's what I'm excited about. I want a little oddity, randomness, things that aren't just happy-go-lucky all the time.
TL;DR: I don't think the pack is objectively a waste of money, only subjectively. I don't think you're a chump for buying it at full price, for taking your time to play it through, and I don't think you're settling for being happy as long as you have a product you view as a good product. I also don't think you're stupid for not liking it, for being disappointed in something you wanted to like, or for liking to play through the mystery fast and then wanting more.
Why do people keep saying it's a 2 hour gameplay story? I wonder how many people actually completed it in two hours.
I'm about 12 hours in and not finished yet.
Because people that don't like the concept want to diminish it as much as possible. There is also a type of player that likes to speed run and be proud of how fast they can do something without stopping. I think it makes them feel accomplished to be the fastest, whatever. I've watched many speed runs in games so there are people that play like that on purpose for certain game types.
I still haven't finished the story, but I'm not trying too. Mostly because the story line I'm playing out isn't ready for me too. I'm playing the game and enjoying it. Rotating and doing the story elements when I feel like it and I've been playing many, many hours a day since release. I'm talking more than I should, like 5-10 hours a day. I am on the last of the story but playing in rotation and involving many families in my first run? I guess. Building a community ect.. and I didn't even start from scratch. I used player made buildings and many characters from an older save.
Since I went at it pretty hard for a little while before I slowed down .. still weaving in some story elements, a new character/family and a job. Playing on "slow" except when sleeping for my sims and taking care of their needs. I would have taken about 5-6 hours to finish. I think. I think that mostly because I'm in the last block of the aspiration.
If you play the sims like the sims and personalize it you can take all the time in the world.
I know of a certain demographic of players like this, especially in MMO’s, but going thru the story as quickly as I did, and perhaps others, has nothing to do with that. I bought the pack because of the story. I didn’t care much for another dessert town or the bb/cas in this pack. The laptop was cool until I found out it’s nothing more than a reskinned computer so story/mystery was the draw for me. Especially since I LOVED World Adventures. I kid you not, I focused on the story and managed to complete it with a brand new sim that had no skills, set up in the military career, and no cheats in roughly three hours that were split between 2 real life days. The story isn’t very deep, you as player can give it that by inference and take as long as you’d like in order to up your enjoyment of it. But since it’s not my play style and all I wanted was to enjoy the story I focused on it. Also, it was its main marketing point so I guess I was just expecting a bit more.
Nonetheless the sim I used is part of my extended family in the save and since I wanted her to be eccentric this town, the career, and story fit her. Though I won’t be playing her much only cause the family knows she’s nuts and they stay away lol!
So the pack is not my favorite it’s probably the least favorite of the the GP’s but all is not lost. Though I don’t like the execution it’s not my intention to diminish it, I simply didn’t like it.
In my opinion, it isn't. It's a glorified Stuff Pack with a world and a 2-hour linear story. It shouldn't cost more than $12-15.
I agree with. I admit that I wasn't familiar with the storyline. I haven't been on this forum in awhile, so I didn't even know about this game pack until Friday. I did purchase though as I do with all that Sims releases. So far, I am not impressed at all with this pack.
I will wait for the sale and then decide. But for now, it is a no. I did finally buy MFP at 40% off. I did that mainly to clean out my wallet. I have a whole 22 cents in there now. Sadly, I found another card though.
@elanorbreton I think they must have cheated to make it happen because if they started off with a new sim and no skills, there is no way, even a sim who is maxed out on their skills will take more than a couple of hours. It took my maxed skilled sim a good 4 sim days to complete it. That sim didn't require any sleep, nor did her other needs drop normally, but very slow.
The answer is right there.
Not everybody, and maybe not even the majority of players, start over. They take their lvl 9 Fitness lvl 10 Cooking lvl X whatever Sim.
As I will, btw if I decide to do the story, because I only always play single households until I am bored with them.
to play the strangervill story is each player 's choice since its not impose on players you can play the stranger ville story or not thats what the sims 4 is making cxhoices for your sims since its like a virtual world but offline
If you went the sims5 to remain offline feel free to sign this petition http://chng.it/gtfHPhHK please note that it is also to keep the gallery
The pack wasn't a waste of money it has things in it I love and I love the town. Not everyone is going to share your opinion its a waste of money everyone is different we all play differently. I think its cool to see people incorporate the mystery storyline into their sims game. It adds something to do at least.
Why do people keep saying it's a 2 hour gameplay story? I wonder how many people actually completed it in two hours.
I'm about 12 hours in and not finished yet.
I’ve not played it myself but I have two friends who completed it with no cheats in two hours. (Well one of them completed it in 2.5 hours) even the Gurus said it’s a 3-5 hour adventure and that was not solely focusing on the story.
Many of us have no interest in cars or babies being separated from their cribs. Witches would be cool, but University is not something that I've been dreaming about.
I was a sceptic in regards to Strangerville, and it was kind of anticlimactic to be able to finish the mission fairly easy. But to my surprise, I still find the world and the sims in it, strangely appealing. The world still has a creepy and strange feel to it, and the surroundings are gorgeous. Not to mention the awsome sounds in the higher mountain area. The sims team is extremely good at adding cool and realistic sounds to their worlds, and those screams and strange sounds are perfect for the world.
I love the military career.
So please don't take for granted that everyone has the same opinion as you. What would you even do with cars? Just watch a sim get in to it and disappear? What would be the point? I like that there is no cars.
*ahem* Car WooHoo *ahem*
Also, it would be nice to work on them to build your handiness skill and/or add features.
"That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero." - Stan Lee
SV not an waste of money for me as I am waiting for the big sale so I can feel like I got my money worth as I feel paying $19.99 is too much for so little.
Omen by HP Intel®️ Core™️ i9- 12900K W/ RGB Liquid Cooler 32GB Nvidia RTX 3080 10Gb ASUS Ultra-Wide 34" Curved Monitor. Omen By HP Intel® Core™ i7-12800HX 32 GB Nvidia 3070 Ti 8 GB 17.3 Screen
Wow!! Why, why do some people have to devolve to this. 🤦🏽♀️
Not like I need to defend @Hermitgirl but despite the fact that I may not agree always with her it does not make her comments or opinions as this person described them.
Sad that a proper and respectful argument can’t be formulated without resorting to personal insults!
From the little I have seen, this pack is $5 Max, and I would even wait until it went cheaper than that before getting it to "finish the collection". But then, I believe a linear story mode mechanic DOES NOT belong in a sandbox style game.
I think the thing is there is a... misunderstanding of how the story in this pack should work.
They tried to design a linear story for a sand box world. By that very nature, it's NOT going to be a uber compelling amazing A+++ narrative (because... you are supposed to design the narrative, not them, SANDBOX... as much as Sims 4 is a sandbox anyway), and it's designed to fit into your sims' daily life. They give you the bones of a very basic sci-fi thriller and you are supposed to add the muscle, skin, and etc. They tried to make it as sandbox as possible.
I made a new sim, have her a full time job, and having her poke everything she can. So far I'm 6 hours in and only about 1/3rd of the way through. And I'm enjoying the HECK out of it.
If you only did the prompts and used mood/need cheats and had a sim with all the stats needed, and didn't have a day job, AND somehow got around the scanner which requires a good bit to recharge, than yeah. I could see someone blasting through in a much much shorter timeframe. But... I really get the impression that was not how this storyline was meant to be played?
Regardless, play however brings you joy. I've been treating this more as a bonus playable career rather than as a FULLY IMMERSIVE STORYLINE and as such it's been awesome, with far more flexibility than the playable scientist and detective career. And as such, been havin' a blast.
I think the thing is there is a... misunderstanding of how the story in this pack should work.
They tried to design a linear story for a sand box world. By that very nature, it's NOT going to be a uber compelling amazing A+++ narrative (because... you are supposed to design the narrative, not them, SANDBOX... as much as Sims 4 is a sandbox anyway), and it's designed to fit into your sims' daily life. They give you the bones of a very basic sci-fi thriller and you are supposed to add the muscle, skin, and etc. They tried to make it as sandbox as possible.
This is basically it. If you just power through, ticking things off the list (as I did, can't help myself) then you rob yourself of adding your own story element to the game. I enjoyed myself but as the story progressed I realised that I'd missed a trick not getting more involved with the local community. You need to create your own story and the town's going ons are the spanner in the works that you have to adapt to.
This was a fun idea and a really cool world. The worlds that came with some of the other GPs were seriously lacking in building space and left me feeling a bit flat as a result. This has a decent amount (for Sims 4 anyway, I always wish there were more) and that's what will make me come back to this pack.
> @PansekshuElle said: > > @elanorbreton said: > > Why do people keep saying it's a 2 hour gameplay story? I wonder how many people actually completed it in two hours. > > > > I did. And no, I didn't cheat. > >
Also I finished it in 2 hours with a new character. Finishing the storyline requires no skill, and I mean that in both ways. The Sims involved have no skill requirements, and the player needs zero skill since the game hand-holds to a degree that makes it feel like a gameplay tutorial.
> @PansekshuElle said:
> > @elanorbreton said:
> > Why do people keep saying it's a 2 hour gameplay story? I wonder how many people actually completed it in two hours.
> >
>
> I did. And no, I didn't cheat.
>
>
Also I finished it in 2 hours with a new character. Finishing the storyline requires no skill, and I mean that in both ways. The Sims involved have no skill requirements, and the player needs zero skill since the game hand-holds to a degree that makes it feel like a gameplay tutorial.
But part of the enjoyment for me was to incorporate the game into my regular style of playing.
When I sent my sim to the lab she didn't have the required programming skill (the only one she didn't have because I rarely have need for it). I had her return home and over the course of the next couple of days, while working in the military career, she also worked on her programming skill then returned to the lab. I know it can be completed without hacking the computers. But to get the full experience I wanted to do it that way.
As for skill required in playing the game I don't think this one differs in that respect from any of the previous iterations.
Comments
I'm about 12 hours in and not finished yet.
Because people that don't like the concept want to diminish it as much as possible. There is also a type of player that likes to speed run and be proud of how fast they can do something without stopping. I think it makes them feel accomplished to be the fastest, whatever. I've watched many speed runs in games so there are people that play like that on purpose for certain game types.
I still haven't finished the story, but I'm not trying too. Mostly because the story line I'm playing out isn't ready for me too. I'm playing the game and enjoying it. Rotating and doing the story elements when I feel like it and I've been playing many, many hours a day since release. I'm talking more than I should, like 5-10 hours a day. I am on the last of the story but playing in rotation and involving many families in my first run? I guess. Building a community ect.. and I didn't even start from scratch. I used player made buildings and many characters from an older save.
Since I went at it pretty hard for a little while before I slowed down .. still weaving in some story elements, a new character/family and a job. Playing on "slow" except when sleeping for my sims and taking care of their needs. I would have taken about 5-6 hours to finish. I think. I think that mostly because I'm in the last block of the aspiration.
If you play the sims like the sims and personalize it you can take all the time in the world.
I think people need to manage their money and expectations carefully. It's one thing to buy a pack like Get Famous and see if it fits a playstyle without celebrities (and it can, because it was shown beforehand that it had a lot of other stuff that could be used in a different way). It's another to see a pack like StrangerVille, where it was revealed that a huge chunk of it revolves around a storyline and only a minor part doesn't, and then buy it at full price knowing that one hates story-based games. Perhaps one could hope that some of the storyline-related objects could be used outside the story, and I guess that would be fair since one might not want spoilers about storyline objects.
I suppose if the OP criticized it being short, linear, and having low replay value (which other simmers have expressed, and which I do agree with), I could understand, because nobody wanted to be spoiled about the story. But it's not the execution that's the problem, but the nature of the pack itself, which the OP already knew he/she dislikes. At the very least, OP could've waited for a sale.
It would be like if I bought Vampires at full price knowing that I wasn't a fan of vampires and that they couldn't be toggled off. I bought it at 50% off, and only when another user told me that vampires aren't that disruptive if you don't engage with them in your save file. So far, I have two novelty save files for vampires, but otherwise I don't incorporate them into my regular gameplay. I use very little of the CAS too, since most of the items are kind of outlandish for me. Would I have regretted buying it at full price? Definitely. But instead, I decided on a price point where it would be worth it to me, and have no regrets.
As for my thoughts on StrangerVille, I didn't really prioritize the story, even if I thought it was an interesting idea. I already knew it was coming with a new world that's quite big for a GP, a new career, and laptops. I also watched videos on the new CAS and B/B items, which were fine. Once I found out all that I wanted to know, I was willing to spend the $20 to try it out. I didn't regret spending it because I knew about the things that would bring value to my gameplay.
Also, as an aside, regarding what OP said on Maxis making highly-requested stuff first, I think that's a fair point. At the pace in which packs are released and information is revealed, I can understand people being antsy for fan favorites. I can personally wait for the stuff I want, and I know that they can't release everything at once, but I can't fault anyone for being impatient, especially occult fans, since the last occult was released two years ago.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
I don't think that's necessarily true. Surely there are a few people like this, but I think it all just boils down to play style. Like me, a lot of people may want to know how long the mystery takes to complete before buying it. The easiest way to translate this to other play styles is to just play the mystery straight, because adding any story to that will take longer (as people who want to take longer with the mystery probably realize).
I think the pack being a waste of money is purely dependent on what you want from the pack. I get the concerns, truly -- I'm one of the ones who wants it but is waiting for a sale, on principle, because of my personal reasons and preferences and what I think the pack is worth to me. I've said it before and I'll say it again, just because something makes good sales doesn't mean everyone is happy with it, as we've seen in threads like these. But back on topic.
Whether or not you think the pack is worth it is purely subjective. I do not think that strangerville is on par with, say, MFPS (a true travesty if there ever was one). The world is well-created and beautiful, build/buy is nice for my build style, though not as interactive as I'd hoped with some of the sciencey objects, CAS I'm really excited about. I think it is a shame that the basic storyline will be the same everytime you play it, but for me it is replayable to the extent that I'll have a few different Sims try to solve it. But my real replay value will be in being able to set the weirdness how I want after I solve it. That's what I'm excited about. I want a little oddity, randomness, things that aren't just happy-go-lucky all the time.
TL;DR: I don't think the pack is objectively a waste of money, only subjectively. I don't think you're a chump for buying it at full price, for taking your time to play it through, and I don't think you're settling for being happy as long as you have a product you view as a good product. I also don't think you're stupid for not liking it, for being disappointed in something you wanted to like, or for liking to play through the mystery fast and then wanting more.
I know of a certain demographic of players like this, especially in MMO’s, but going thru the story as quickly as I did, and perhaps others, has nothing to do with that. I bought the pack because of the story. I didn’t care much for another dessert town or the bb/cas in this pack. The laptop was cool until I found out it’s nothing more than a reskinned computer so story/mystery was the draw for me. Especially since I LOVED World Adventures. I kid you not, I focused on the story and managed to complete it with a brand new sim that had no skills, set up in the military career, and no cheats in roughly three hours that were split between 2 real life days. The story isn’t very deep, you as player can give it that by inference and take as long as you’d like in order to up your enjoyment of it. But since it’s not my play style and all I wanted was to enjoy the story I focused on it. Also, it was its main marketing point so I guess I was just expecting a bit more.
Nonetheless the sim I used is part of my extended family in the save and since I wanted her to be eccentric this town, the career, and story fit her. Though I won’t be playing her much only cause the family knows she’s nuts and they stay away lol!
So the pack is not my favorite it’s probably the least favorite of the the GP’s but all is not lost. Though I don’t like the execution it’s not my intention to diminish it, I simply didn’t like it.
I agree with. I admit that I wasn't familiar with the storyline. I haven't been on this forum in awhile, so I didn't even know about this game pack until Friday. I did purchase though as I do with all that Sims releases. So far, I am not impressed at all with this pack.
The answer is right there.
Not everybody, and maybe not even the majority of players, start over. They take their lvl 9 Fitness lvl 10 Cooking lvl X whatever Sim.
As I will, btw if I decide to do the story, because I only always play single households until I am bored with them.
Repose en paix mamie tu va me manquer :
1923-2016 mamie
I’ve not played it myself but I have two friends who completed it with no cheats in two hours. (Well one of them completed it in 2.5 hours) even the Gurus said it’s a 3-5 hour adventure and that was not solely focusing on the story.
Alrighty then
Edited to remove quoted removed post. ~Rtas
*ahem* Car WooHoo *ahem*
Also, it would be nice to work on them to build your handiness skill and/or add features.
Edit: $30 in Canada.
Wow!! Why, why do some people have to devolve to this. 🤦🏽♀️
Not like I need to defend @Hermitgirl but despite the fact that I may not agree always with her it does not make her comments or opinions as this person described them.
Sad that a proper and respectful argument can’t be formulated without resorting to personal insults!
@Hermitgirl keep it up girl!!! 💪🏽
Edited to remove quoted removed post. ~Rtas
They tried to design a linear story for a sand box world. By that very nature, it's NOT going to be a uber compelling amazing A+++ narrative (because... you are supposed to design the narrative, not them, SANDBOX... as much as Sims 4 is a sandbox anyway), and it's designed to fit into your sims' daily life. They give you the bones of a very basic sci-fi thriller and you are supposed to add the muscle, skin, and etc. They tried to make it as sandbox as possible.
I made a new sim, have her a full time job, and having her poke everything she can. So far I'm 6 hours in and only about 1/3rd of the way through. And I'm enjoying the HECK out of it.
If you only did the prompts and used mood/need cheats and had a sim with all the stats needed, and didn't have a day job, AND somehow got around the scanner which requires a good bit to recharge, than yeah. I could see someone blasting through in a much much shorter timeframe. But... I really get the impression that was not how this storyline was meant to be played?
Regardless, play however brings you joy. I've been treating this more as a bonus playable career rather than as a FULLY IMMERSIVE STORYLINE and as such it's been awesome, with far more flexibility than the playable scientist and detective career. And as such, been havin' a blast.
This is basically it. If you just power through, ticking things off the list (as I did, can't help myself) then you rob yourself of adding your own story element to the game. I enjoyed myself but as the story progressed I realised that I'd missed a trick not getting more involved with the local community. You need to create your own story and the town's going ons are the spanner in the works that you have to adapt to.
This was a fun idea and a really cool world. The worlds that came with some of the other GPs were seriously lacking in building space and left me feeling a bit flat as a result. This has a decent amount (for Sims 4 anyway, I always wish there were more) and that's what will make me come back to this pack.
> Why do people keep saying it's a 2 hour gameplay story? I wonder how many people actually completed it in two hours.
>
I did. And no, I didn't cheat.
> > @elanorbreton said:
> > Why do people keep saying it's a 2 hour gameplay story? I wonder how many people actually completed it in two hours.
> >
>
> I did. And no, I didn't cheat.
>
>
Also I finished it in 2 hours with a new character. Finishing the storyline requires no skill, and I mean that in both ways. The Sims involved have no skill requirements, and the player needs zero skill since the game hand-holds to a degree that makes it feel like a gameplay tutorial.
But part of the enjoyment for me was to incorporate the game into my regular style of playing.
As for skill required in playing the game I don't think this one differs in that respect from any of the previous iterations.