In yesterday’s official Inside Maxis Livestream The Sims Team has revealed that they’ll continue their tradition of adding small bits of content from previous DLCs into The Sims 4 Base Game.
This type of think is particularly nothing new and has been practiced by The Sims Team for years now. However it was important for the team to disclose why they’re doing this and how they plan to continue this trend moving forward.
Check out what they had to say in the livestream:
Why does The Sims release content from Packs into the Base Game?
We have heard feedback that there are hairs currently gated behind DLC or a Pack that offer more in representation that those include within the Base Game. We want to make sure that they are available for everybody. We love creating Packs that offer cohesive and immersive scenes and experiences, but we are also commited to ensuring access to our full catalogue of character elements that are for representation purposes. We want to make sure that everybody has a chance to represent themselves in the game. So that is one reason why we do that.
We’re continuing to research and select a small number of hairstyles form previously released Packs. We would be adding them to the game for the benefit of Simmers. It is something we’re balancing out but expect to have more of that soon.
In the Livestream they’ve also revealed that this Toddlers Hairstyle will make its way into the Base Game for free in an upcoming update:
Do you prefer small bits of content from previous packs being added for free later or would you prefer the team focuses more on creating unique assets? Let us know in the comments!
If they’ve got the resources to flood us with CAS kits then why can’t they create original assets for the base game?
Totally agree. Hairstyles and stuff from CAS kits should be added to the base game, particularly in free/inexpensive updates, so they are accessible to everyone; often the CAS kits are not worth being an expansion pack/major game add on; I think most kits could just be free/inexpensive content added to the base game not a separate expansion/major game add on. Even though I say inexpensive I really think they should be free updates to the base game, but I know EA probably won’t do that as they’d want to make money. I think when coming out with base Sims games or expansion packs EA should do more for those so that there wouldn’t be as much need for kits as kits don’t add much and it’s silly to pay that few dollars extra on top of the already expensive expansion packs and expensive base game.
I think this kind of misses the whole point. It feels like feigned concern as far as representation goes because we’re getting thrown scraps every now and again. People who have straight and mildly wavy hair have all kinds of styles to choose from. Why not just create 20 or more new hairstyles with a variety of textures and add them to the base game instead of stealing old stuff from the packs? Why not add swatches and styles for the hijabs? Why not add clothing that comes from a variety of cultures? I feel like there’s no point in just leaving breadcrumbs of representation. It should be made a priority or it shouldn’t be touched on at all. Otherwise it feels like a PR move done with the minimum possible level of effort.
It just seems like every time a part of the base game is updated, something old that a lot of Simmers have already paid for is thrown in just to save EA the effort of creating a new asset. Parenthood bed is added with bunkbeds. Get Famous jackets and shirts are added. Toddler hair is added for representation. Are all the international clothing styles from City Living gonna be added to the base game instead of us getting unique clothing that represents the cultures we come from?
I own all the packages and prefer to add new content, and without that there is still a lot to be desired
I think they need to consider this when creating new packs. If they come up with something that would fit this bill, save it and give it away for free and keep it out of the packs altogether. There are probably people who pay for these packs just for these things and I doubt they appreciate this (Just like with the hot tub issue).
Honestly, I don’t see why they don’t have a seperate team, perhaps made up of pre-existing content creators AND bring on some custom content creators who have come to be known for their inclusive content. They could develop their own small packs which include content that simmers feel is “missing” in terms of representation such as hairs, skin, skin details like scars or rosacea, accessibility accessories like hearing aids or prosthetic limbs, traditional cultural garb/home objects, retexturing previous hairs to include other hair types, etc. And perhaps even working on implementing larger elements into gameplay such as wheelchairs, health conditions like allergies, options to adjust things to fit other cultures such as naming traditions or marriage, stuff like that. Edited to add: I forgot to clarify that I meant these small inclusive packs would be released as updates, not to be sold.
I think heavy influence from the community would be necessary but I know I myself have seen a lot of what I listed mentioned many many times in simming communities and people are not happy about the fact that these things havent been attempted yet. I think everyone wants to feel like they can recreate their own life experiences in the Sims and feel represented. Obviously a lot of these things wouldn’t be easy to figure out but if EA can do what theyve done already, Im certain they can handle anything.
The Gallery is very buggy. Adding content from paid DLC to base game may cause issues for households that use these this content. There were times I clicked on a household and there are packs shown under the information bar: “Uses items from These Pack”. Whenever I clicked on the pack icon, “Show used items”, no items show up.