Pre-Growing Together expansion pack angst!

Serendipity38 · February 2023

So, I'm DEFINITELY getting Growing Together, once it's released! But in the meanwhile, I find that I just get angsty and even bored playing The Sims 4 while waiting impatiently for the release! I have a couple that I'm working on getting both themselves and their home ready for having kids once the new pack is out...But even playing them I experience the angst and boredom. It's like, with so many new and exciting family play features in the new pack, I just cant focus on the things I enjoy in the game already!

I can't be the only one experiencing this, I know. PLEASE tell me what you're going through and how you're working around it to still enjoy your game?

crocobaura · February 2023

I am really curious about what else is in the pack and want to see the new world. I am looking forward to the live stream.

SelinaKyles · February 2023

I’ve been controlling my PEPS by playing other games. So far got Skyrim and old school RuneScape to distract me😅 I tried playing ts4 but I keep opening and closing it

Simmingal · February 2023

Yeah kinda same though its more the infant update less the pack itself that keeps me from playing lately

I feel like I just don't want to progress too much in my save before the babes are there and settled

I could play my other households but i just feel like it would make things confusing if I don't wrap up whatever i am playing with before the nooboos

well that all and the yearly existential crisis spring is upon us again so i must say i feel quite off about doing anything lately inside and outside the game

just been cleaning my screenshot folders of spares and killing off some sims n whatever

jennieeffin · February 2023

I feel you! I have restarted my legacy with a teen twice now since the trailer announcement. Since I have all the packs I figured that if I started them off as teens with aging off or on long lifespan and went through the aspects of gameplay that don't require anything from GroT I would be caught up by the time the pack came out.

This includes high school, uni, dating and a big and messy "My Wedding Stories" wedding.

The first time I accidentally got her pregnant as YA using one of my few mods, LittleMsSam's SimsDa dating app. It has a small change of pregnancy from hook ups if you set it up that way. And I guess I had. So that save had to be scrapped as I was way too early for an infant.

I then started over and thought to myself "self, surely if the teen has a hook up on this app this will not lead to an oops pregnancy" but I was wrong. Save #2 was also compromised. This time, however, I decided to simply move the baby to another household ie "adopt it out" and just pretend the whole thing never happened.

So now save 2 is progressing with my just turned YA sim in college, aging is off. I'm going to try really hard to keep her from getting pregnant AGAIN and just travel, study, date, etc and finally settle down just as the infant update comes out.

lemonella · February 2023

I totally understand your dilemma! Waiting for a new expansion pack release is difficult, especially if you’re really looking forward to it. I am taking the same approach as @jennieeffin and putting a focus on other expansion pack’s content. I too plan to get my sims through high school, University and the early stages of young adulthood (settle down, get married, establish careers) before the pack releases.

@Serendipity38 It sounds like you currently have a couple that you’re playing with. To stay inspired, I would take full advantage of the calendar in game. I personally think this is a highly underrated feature. Maybe it would be nice to create family members of your couple in CAS and add more family-driven holidays and special events to your calendar like family game nights, family movie nights, Sunday dinners, family camping trips, date nights, etc. When I make the most of my sim’s calendar, I find that I rarely get bored of the game. Hoping my advice can get you through this next month angst free!

Simmerville · February 2023

Create a new household. A couple raising 2 or 3 kids. Make the mother (or father) a Doctor (if you have the GTW ep) or perhaps Writer. This character will become your game's new BABY EXPERT, skilled on all about pregnancies, raising kids, and of course parenting. Being a Doctor might give you the chance to do medic al stuff, while being a Writer could mean your sim writes popular books about raising babies-infants-kids-teen. Getting high in the writer career might include some book signing at meet&greet/releases. There are more careers that can be related - a Culinary chef being an expert on baby food, running an infant/toddler friendly restaurant? A weird scientist doing researches on young brains vs old brains (muha!), a Politician fighting for a more family friendly community. Artist crafting and selling nursery toys and decor (Knitter + Painter). Your expert can give speeches, but can also visit private homes or talk to kids anywhere to gather information/inspiration.

I'm going the easier road by having a Baby Expert that will publish books, give speeches and attend TV debate shows.
(btw, do anyone remember my TS1 Baby Expert, Ursull Swims?) Probably not, LOL

catloverplayer · February 2023

Serendipity38 wrote: »

So, I'm DEFINITELY getting Growing Together, once it's released! But in the meanwhile, I find that I just get angsty and even bored playing The Sims 4 while waiting impatiently for the release! I have a couple that I'm working on getting both themselves and their home ready for having kids once the new pack is out...But even playing them I experience the angst and boredom. It's like, with so many new and exciting family play features in the new pack, I just cant focus on the things I enjoy in the game already!

I can't be the only one experiencing this, I know. PLEASE tell me what you're going through and how you're working around it to still enjoy your game?

I'm going through PEPS aka Pre Expansion Pack Syndrome. I'm especially excited for the world especially the bridge we haven't seen up close yet,the waterpark and the cinema.

Serendipity38 · February 2023

Wow! Thank you to everyone who's commented already, keep them coming! And an especial thank you to those of you who've responded with both ideas for ways to help me with my PEPS and also mentions of what you're doing in your own game to enjoy playing until Growing Together comes out! Keep those coming too, please! Love reading that stuff! *Smiles*

WildIrishBanshee · February 2023

I had to pause a current pregnancy to wait for the infant update, so I'm just slowly playing them while waiting - I too, can't wait for the new expansion. I have aging off in that save, so they have all the time in the world, but I still don't want them getting too far before the nooboo shows up!

Gordy · February 2023

I stymied this by having my main couple adopt a shiba inu and dust bunny. You get all the fun development of having a family. Much like in real life, raising a puppy is like raising a human baby, except it's way better.

JustinB113 · February 2023

jpajari wrote: »

I totally understand your dilemma! Waiting for a new expansion pack release is difficult, especially if you’re really looking forward to it. I am taking the same approach as @jennieeffin and putting a focus on other expansion pack’s content. I too plan to get my sims through high school, University and the early stages of young adulthood (settle down, get married, establish careers) before the pack releases.

@Serendipity38 It sounds like you currently have a couple that you’re playing with. To stay inspired, I would take full advantage of the calendar in game. I personally think this is a highly underrated feature. Maybe it would be nice to create family members of your couple in CAS and add more family-driven holidays and special events to your calendar like family game nights, family movie nights, Sunday dinners, family camping trips, date nights, etc. When I make the most of my sim’s calendar, I find that I rarely get bored of the game. Hoping my advice can get you through this next month angst free!

This was my plan too.. take teens through to young adult stage this month then have infants on release date. But then I took my teens to paranormal house and I’ve gotten distracted.

Paigeisin5 · February 2023

I purged a lot of old CC and ended up downloading more new stuff than what I got rid of. Newcrest in my main save needed a new look so I've been working on that but encountered a problem that required a fresh install. That was a trip. Still don't understand what happened there. My main focus has been keeping my expectations from spiraling out of control. I am quite excited about this pack, and there is nothing wrong with being excited. But I am also excited about this save I am playing, so I guess that's what keeps me interested in playing. Since doing the purge I had to go back into my other saves and replace certain items in a lot of homes, as well as giving some Sims a makeover using the new CAS CC I downloaded. I'm doing some maintenance, some playing, and generally doing my best to stop myself from thinking about the new pack.

SweetBexi · February 2023

I am exactly the same. I just bought my new PC and had it all worked out ready to start my new legacy then this was announced and I suddenly felt like I didn't wanna play

It feels so bland somehow lol.

But I've a new hard drive to install which means I'm going to have to reinstall everything again then I think I'll go through the towns and make everything how I want it them hopefully the new game will be here

Babykittyjade · February 2023

I don't particularly feel that way but it might help you to still have fun by preparing your game for their coming? Do you gave all the lots ready? A baby room? You could build a recreation center ahead of time. Or a playground for the kids, packs,or other types of family fun lots.
You could use this time to work on the couples relationship. I know you said you tried that but maybe they can have couple adventures before planning a family. Mountain climbing, exploring the temple in the jungle together, snowboarding, ice skating etc. (Assuming you have all or most packs)
Then it could lead to proposal and wedding planning (if you have wedding pack)
After all of these things it would be about 30 days and the pack would be out 😅

Or you could work on other sims or family members if you are a rotational player.

Babykittyjade · February 2023

Forgot to mention that it's pretty much what I have been doing in my own game. Rearranging families, setting up their houses, other fun amusement park lots from a mod creator. I've also been building my familes relationships, doing photoshoots with my photographer, designing wearwolves, adopting pets, and things like that. My vampire wearwolf rivalries will start soon so I've been plenty busy without feeling bored. Though I am excited for this new pack. I'm not a family player in the traditional sense and I rarely play couples or romance. But I'm really looking forward to all of the features this pack will bring to expand my families and kids especially. Can't wait for my vampire to adopt an infant. Soon I'm going to have him find a lost baby that he will care for until infants arrive and I can age the baby up.
And since I don't play for long periods of time I don't even think I will get to do it all 😅

Sara1010P · February 2023

The peps is real for me, but not for the expansion, don't get me wrong, I love what I have seen and plan on getting it at release, but what has me not wanting to play is the infant update. My current save my main Sim is pregnant and now I don't want to play her family until the infant update is here. The wait is torture. Maybe I will just start a new save and focus on something else I normally don't.

sorokonozhka · February 2023

Yeah, I am going hog wild on my current save trying to prepare my game for infants and the new EP. It almost feels like work sometimes but I can't imagine just installing an expansion and jumping right into the game raw with new townies roaming around in a totally different "style" than my made over ones. It wouldn't be fun, it would just be a reminder of how much I gotta do to make it fun.
Like many (maybe most) players who are getting the newest pack, my gameplay is also on hold until the babies can age into infants. I have to come up with some family-type sims to care for the infants also, without making the game too hard to play with a packed household. Don't even know where to start with that part, at least making over townies is easy. None of them are abominable looking, just mismatched which is an easy fix.

yumemitchi · February 2023

so. much. pain. WAITING-
૮꒰ ⸝⸝ ·•᷄ ∩ •᷅· ⸝⸝ ꒱ა

GalacticGal · February 2023

There is a name for this phenomenon. It's called PEPS, Pre-Expansion Pack Syndrome. Been going on for ages in this franchise. I chose to get my save ready.

Vyolla · February 2023

I am right there with you. I haven't been *this* excited for an expansion pack in years. So, definitely having some major PEPS. But I have this idea for a legacy, so I'm trying to get my founder and her background story ready. I'm also trying to make some Single Sims and families in CAS so that she can have some Sims to befriend over time. I really like that we're getting so many new systems in this expansion pack and so, I'm trying to prepare for them as I make the Sims and also trying to find a nice suburban house for my founder because I'm not great at building. So, while I'm a little sad about this wait because it feels like foreverr! I'm also grateful because it gives me time to prepare my game/households.

I'm also playing other games in between working on my save file, because I do get unmotivated to actually play game play, because we don't have the new features and the pack + the infants.. it makes it so hard for me to even attempt to have kids in the game right now because I don't want my Sim, or future Sim kids to miss out on quirks, milestones, etc.

simlish1 · February 2023

I'd like to see the map of the new world with lot sizes so I can build my house in advance and then be able to move it straight to the new world and begin playing lol

Simmerville · February 2023

simlish1 wrote: »

I'd like to see the map of the new world with lot sizes so I can build my house in advance and then be able to move it straight to the new world and begin playing lol

Agree to this! I always create a detailed backstory for a new world, and doing that before release is a perfect way to build up for a new pack. Details can be adjusted later as needed. A map is essential before getting started, though. Like, the water park might reflect this world's past - the name "Wharf" and the spotted whale, might be used to draw the back carpet of a town built on early maritime trades, but I really need to see how the harbor looks, if there is a river for old industry, or if there are islands right outside that might have been used to protect the original village. By seeing the map I can make up so many story lines, also lead up to sims living today.

I'll find some existing families living elsewhere that actually hails from San Sequoia. I already decided parts of the story, but need to double check a few things... Hoping for a map leak!!!

Simmingal · February 2023

yeah it would be nice to see the world map and lot sizes
if not to start building then at least to start scheming

LuvtehGeeks · February 2023

I decided to build a bigger house with a first floor nursery and adjoining butler's quarter's but I forgot the music room and the house itself is rather to large with 7 bedrooms on the second floor. Straight up I hate the house and can't find my save with my first ever grandbabies, things aren't' going well in game or RL.

catloverplayer · February 2023

We're 21 Days Away and even less for that with the Gameplay Trailer and Livestream.

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Pre-Growing Together expansion pack angst!

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