The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle: Willow Creek GIFs

John, I personally believe that if we don’t like the content as Simmers we have every right to express our displeasure. People who say if you don’t like it don’t buy it need to grow up. We all have a say. EA only knows how their content is being received if Simmers give feedback. So all those who say “If you don’t like it don’t buy it” should shut it if they are happy with the content and move along.

Everyone can express displeasure about a pack or the sims in general and shouldn’t be “stopped” from expressing your opinion (not sure there is a way you actually could be stopped). However, if you constantly complain about the Sims 4 and the packs and are still buying them, it’s a bit counterintuitive, because unless you’re a game-changer your opinions will get lost in everyone else’s, but whether or not you buy something can’t be ignored. EA will respond to money losses if enough people don’t buy the Sims 4 packs. Possibly by stopping the franchise, but also likely by making changes since it isn’t an insignificant part of their profit.

I actually like the Sims 4, the build system is fun and intuitive in a way it’s never been before, and while the multitude of expansion, game, and stuff packs is definitely a cash grab – we are actually getting a lot more content both in build/buy, CAS, and gameplay. Yes, we lost the open world. But to me, that wasn’t super important, and I enjoy the open neighborhood areas in the Sims 4 because they feel more purposeful, not just an open area with collectibles. Also, the world designs are absolutely beautiful and detailed in a way they wouldn’t have been able to do with an open world without requiring their casual players to get better gaming systems. Which is smart because most of their players are casual.

From what I’ve seen, a lot of people’s complaints are along the lines of “it’s not the Sims 3 or 2”, which if that’s the problem they can just play those. Also, I’m always confused about the lack of gameplay comments, because there is so much more you can do in the Sims 4 than 3 in terms of Sim interactions and involvement in their work and personal lives. And there are packs they made actually good for the first time, such as Get Famous (none of the previous fame parks were any good honestly) and Discover University (while it is very difficult to get your sims through college with a full credit load, it’s really fun and very replayable). Also, this is the first time they have done things that are really different and unexpected, like Strangerville, Island Living, Get Together, and Get To Work (because the fully interactable careers with locations and the alien planet you can actually visit are really different from anything in earlier versions), and now with Eco Lifestyle and Knifty Knitting, it will be super interesting to see what they come up with. And these packs are by no means perfect, but neither were any of the packs in Sims 3, 2, or the original.

This is not to say that there haven’t been huge mistakes of packs (in my opinion based of the usability, replayability, and the number of items and gameplay options) – many of the stuff packs fall here – Luxury Party Stuff, Romantic Garden Stuff, Spooky Stuff, My First Pet Stuff, Cool Kitchen Stuff, and Fitness Stuff. Also, Perfect Patio Stuff and Backyard Stuff feature items and gameplay that would have normally been included in the base game or seasons, which is understandably frustrating. For game packs, Dine Out is too buggy to work, Realm of Magic is way too OP without mods, and Strangerville, while I loved playing the story for a few hours, it’s not really replayable. Cats and Dogs – while it has a positive consensus in the community, to me seemed like a huge cop-out, since the vet clinic is basically an extension of what exists in Get To Work, they seemed to take out stuff to be included in My First Pet Stuff, and the pets aren’t controllable – but significant partial code exists to control and read their information and needs (see the mod for controlling pets), so they basically sent us something incomplete and far inferior to all previous versions. I wouldn’t have been as disappointed if these choices seemed to be intentional choices for the benefit of the players or for the benefit of adhering to a theme or style of gameplay, as the world is beautiful and the cats and dogs are still fun to watch and have your sims interact with, even if having them be uncontrollable makes them feel like NPCs.

But there’s also been huge successes, beyond having a pack type, like University or Fame, finally, be good or trying something new and risky that only partially pans out. Whether these packs are your style of gameplay or not, Parenthood, Vampires, Tiny Living, Laundry Day, Movie Hangout, City Living, and Get Together are actually really well done, even if they’re different than what we might have expected.

What I’m trying to say is that if we want to continue buying the games, it helps to have perspective and be open-minded for changes that are made, instead of stopping ourselves from enjoying things because they are not the same as before or exactly what we wanted to get.

For me, the best example is Cats and Dogs, so I bought it on sale and after trying all aspects, I just use the ones I enjoy most, sometimes cats or dogs and the world, and frequently the build/buy items. Another good example is that I never used to play with families, but the changes to both children and toddlers, along with the additions of their stuff packs and parenthood, have made it much more interesting and enjoyable than I expected for a person who generally enjoys playing with one or two, usually adult, sims at most.

I’m not saying that I play them as much as the packs I love more, but if you’re buying the packs anyway it’s worthwhile to give them all a chance to be fun by keeping an open mind and giving all the features a shot, before discounting them.

If you really dislike them and are disappointed with them and want EA to make changes, it makes sense to choose not to buy them or even buy them on sale, if you just like them less but are not entirely disappointed, because that’s the clearest way we have to communicate with EA as individuals, beyond the surveys they send out, which rarely include questions about specific existing packs.

Lastly, I would like to note that I am aware that almost no one, if anyone, will read this exceptionally long reply, but I had fun writing it and it was a great way for me to encompass what I’ve been feeling and thinking about the growing dissent for the Sims franchise in the current Sims 4 era.