Sims Community | Latest Updates and News from The Sims Universe!

What Makes a Great Expansion Pack?

Duwsh

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February 24, 2017

We are currently two and a half years into the development of The Sims 4, we’ve had several expansion packs since the launch, but what makes an expansion pack actually good? I’m going to try my best to answer that.

I’ve been asking the community recently what their favourite expansion packs are from previous games and the results are quite interesting, it was no surprise that many love the staple packs we’re so used to getting such as pets, seasons and university, but some of the others were quite surprising.

Jobs and Careers

It seems like quite a few people love the whole career aspect of gameplay, getting their Sims truly involved in working and playing them through their days at work. The reason this surprised me is because it never came into my mind as a big deal, but thinking back to The Sims 3 Ambitions, it was a huge deal.

Rabbit holes and Sims disappearing off to work was a usual occurrence to Simmers and then the devs announced we could actually see what happens when our Sims left the lot to earn those simoleons. Another popular choice was The Sims 2 Open for Business, in my opinion one of the best expansion packs we’ve ever received, it was absolutely brilliant and not hard to see why it got many votes, it completely opened your Sims up to a world of retail, to create your own businesses and work your way from the bottom to the top. We’ve obviously got a version of this kind of gameplay in the form of Get to Work, but this also added similar features from Ambitions, we could once again go to work and guide our Sims through the ranks.

But why are these popular? Most people say it added extra realism to the game, opened up something brand new we hadn’t seen before and obviously was much more interesting than watching your empty lot fast forward.

Urban Life

Another surprise to me was the love for The Sims 4 City Living and The Sims 3 Late night, the ability to live way above the ground in fantastic high rises is definitely more interesting than a grassy plot of land. City Living was especially good at making a great lot with the addition of grungy furniture to make realistic and fun apartments, it’s nice to have those extra details.

I don’t think it’s just the apartments though, I think it’s the environment, San Myshuno is one of the most beautiful worlds the guru’s have ever created and it looks amazing from literally any view, Bridgeport is another fantastic world and it’s always my go-to world when I load up The Sims 3.

But is a nice environment enough? It’s when the sun goes down our Sims really start to play, The Sims 2 Nightlife added some amazing features and stands out as one of the second iterations best packs, the addition of cars was mind blowing, it added so many new features that really don’t get enough credit, table interactions made dining out a better experience and bowling allowed our Sims to spend more time together.

It’s not hard to see why these packs are so great, they add amazing worlds, fantastic ways to live and so many new interactions, a brilliant combination for a brilliant set of expansion packs.

Family Time

Generations received so much attention in my research, it seemed like such a popular choice and I was really surprised at this, until I really gave it some thought.

The Sims 3 Generations was one of my favourite packs, it added such brilliant features, some of which we’ve never seen and some we’ve seen before. Now this sounds all well and good, but is that where it fails, it had features you’d expect in the base game, The Sims 2 didn’t have a generations pack but then again it didn’t need it, it had the fun family aspect in its base game and within the other expansion packs. Was the generations pack just a quick fix for a game which lacked the family story telling telling? I think so, but I still loved it.

Giving it some more thought I asked myself is history repeating? The Sims 4 is a brilliant game but it was very clearly geared towards the young adult life state, with the many party options and bar/club venues it feels like it doesn’t have enough stuff aimed at families, that’s why I believe a generations pack is so requested.

So while yes it was a good pack, I believe it’s so popular because it filled a very large gap within The Sims 3 base game. Regardless of that it was a great expansion pack and added some fantastic features.

The Classics

I couldn’t write an article about great expansion packs without including the classics, pets, seasons and university. There is a reason they’ve been remade several times, they are brilliant.

Pets are a crucial part of life, we will all have them some time in our lives so why shouldn’t our Sims get them too? It’s not just having the pets that’s fun it’s making them, we’ve had some brilliant tools to make great pets in so many different varieties and it’s clear a lot of effort goes into the pets expansion packs.

Seasons is another crucial pack, we all experience weather and seasons so it seems strange our Sims live in perpetual sunlight until this pack comes along. A statement which stood out to me was that having seasons in the game adds the aspect of time passing which couldn’t be more true. The pack makes it feel like you’re actually going somewhere in your games when you have the various seasons, it’s definitely a pack we’ve all come to love and miss when a new base game comes around.

University is the next and it’s definitely a must for me. I believe the whole process of sending your young Sims to college and the challenge of managing work and social life is a great experience. I think that this pack adds such depth and awesome features to the game and it’s not hard to see why it’s a very demanded pack. It would be interesting to see The Sims 4 take on a university expansion pack, I’d love to see them expand upon the class function and add more depth.

I think the reason these packs keep coming back is because they have so much love, care and attention put in them and it really does show, the gurus do such a great job and we should all be so grateful for the work they do for us.

Let us know what your favourite pack is and why below.

Sims Building Design Skills: Three Rooms, Three Styles

holliebb

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February 24, 2017

0

A novice builder might look at creations on the Sims 4 gallery and become a little discouraged. “I could never build something like that!” you might tell yourself, however it’s totally possible to develop your Sims building design skills!

There are many components to a great build, but they can all be summed up with one descriptor: Great attention to detail.

In this tutorial I’m going to demonstrate a design technique for interiors which might help you out if you’re struggling to design and decorate rooms.

For this tutorial, I’m going to start out with a room shell that I created. This is a random room shape, with designated door and window placement. Let’s copy this room twice, so we now have three identical rooms. Each of the interiors will be designed in three different styles for demonstration purposes.

Decide Your Style

Are you creating this room with a Sim in mind? What is their personality like? If you don’t have a specific family or household you’re designing for, then make one up! Think of who would be living here and give them a little story. This will help you tremendously and make your build less generic. For my three bedrooms themes, I’m going to go with comfy, modern, and traditional.

Swatch It Out

Decide your floor and wall pattern, textures, and colours. Pick a wall, any wall, inside your room. These can help guide the tone of your room so you don’t get off track.

Room 1: I really wanted to go for a comfortable and ‘lived-in’ motif; something that has a nice abundance of clutter and items all around. Since there would be a lot of stuff for your eye to look at in this room, it might be best to go with a more muted colour palette on the walls and floor.

Room 2: For this room, clutter was out and modern was in. I wanted a more futuristic vibe, which gave me thoughts of greys, shiny surfaces, mirrors, glass and clean lines. These grey and orange swatches will do quite nicely for this theme.

Room 3: For this room, we went back in time. An old Victorian style with carpeting, paneling and wallpaper. These will set the stage for our old-timey interior.

Place The Big Stuff

Get all of that clutter out of your brain for just a second. Done? Good! Now is the time to look at large pieces of furniture you would like to incorporate based on your style. Don’t worry about paintings, lamps, small chairs, or any other small clutter right now. You really want to define the layout of the space with the large pieces, and then the small stuff will come much easier.

This is when you can decide where to place your bed, closet, chests, couches, or anything else that’s going to be taking up some space. Don’t be afraid to rearrange things again and again! It’s not about getting it right the first time. Place something, let it marinate, and then place it someplace else. How does it feel in this position compared to the one before? Feel out the space. The more you do this, the more you will develop better design instincts. Practice makes perfect!

Room 1: Bed, couch, closet, desk, easel. Got it!

Room 2: Bed, desk, sitting area, dresser. No problem!

Room 3: Bed, armoire, chest mirror, vanity. Too Easy!

Add Details

Once you have your large objects, you can work on the little things. Start in one corner and work your way all around the room. Use bb.moveobjects to add clutter on top of surfaces that do not have item slots, and also use bb.ignoregameplayunlocksentitlement to unlock some of that cool stuff that is progress locked (if you don’t mind using this, that is!). Also, don’t forget about bb.showhiddenobjects to place some of that hidden debug build gold. Place objects whatever you like! Try to use items that work with the theme you started out with. This will narrow down your detailing so you don’t feel so overwhelmed by objects.

Room 1: This was a clutter filled room! Here are the final pictures.

Room 2: So very different than the first! Ultra-modern and sophisticated. Check out the final shots!

Room 3: Old fashioned and fabulous! It’s amazing how much decor can change things up!

Working in steps will help you develop a process. After you have some practice, you won’t even have to think about it anymore!

Let me know in the comments if this Sims building technique has worked for you! What are some of your build processes?

You can catch my Let’s Plays and Build Casts daily on twitch.tv/holliebb

The Sims 4 Get Together: Add 20 (or even 50) Sims to your Club! (Mod)

Jovan

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February 23, 2017

0

The Sims 4 Get Together: Add 20 (or even 50) Sims to your Club! (Mod)

Ever wanted to add more than 8 Sims to your club? Now you can!

This mod lets you add up to 20 Sims to your club. If you want to go to the extremes there’s even a different version of this mod that lets you add up to 50 Sims to your club. Please make sure you have a computer powerful enough to run all 50 sims at once!

To start, download THIS MOD from Mod The Sims. Extract the zipped .package file to Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods folder. Make sure you have Mods / CC enabled in your game options!

Now, you won’t be able to add 20 Sims to your club momentarily – you’ll have to earn it first!

You’ll be able to add up to 20 Sims to your club once you purchase the ”Capacity Upgrade 2” Club Perk.

Then, select an empty slot with a + icon and add any Sim you want to your club.

NOTE: After you’ve done this you won’t be able to add sims to your club using this method. There’s a workaround…

Simply click on a Sim of your choice and select Clubs > Invite to Club > *Club Name*.

There you have it. With this mod it’s a party wherever you go!

The Sims 4: A Third Survery Has Surfaced (SPECULATION)

The Sims 4

Krista

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February 23, 2017

28

The Sims 4: A Third Survery Has Surfaced (SPECULATION)

Please note that this post is pure speculation until proven otherwise.

UPDATE: Another Reddit user reports taking this survey. This user also had a University-themed Expansion Pack suggested called “On Campus”:

Reddit user Becccaboo has shared screenshots of another survey that has been sent out to some players. This makes it the third survey in the past week. Although some of the content is repeated we see new additions to the survey in the form of Witches and fairies. Becccaboo took to the comments section to add some context to the post explaining that she receives emails from EA from time to time asking her to complete the surveys.

Check out the 2 other survey that surfaced with different pack suggestions:

To put some context to this, I do surveys online and this turned up in my most recent survey. I had to rate the attractiveness of each point in the pack and how likely I was to buy it and then give my opinion on what I thought on the pack as a whole.

The survey also asked a lot about brands that go with the Sims franchise so I don’t know why they wouldn’t do this.

They did feel like they were more ideas floating around as they asked all about brands and celebrities that you associate with The Sims franchise too.

The Sims Blog: SimGuru Spotlight – SimGuruNinja

Krista

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February 21, 2017

2

Via TheSims.com

We’re back with another Meet a Guru spotlight! We’re so fortunate to have people working on The Sims that choose to take on extra duties as SimGurus, and these individuals are excited about engaging with our amazing community and sharing their knowledge with you! For this spotlight we wanted to highlight one of our more playful SimGurus who had a hand in the creation of The Sims™ 4 Vampires Game Pack*.

Can you give us a brief introduction to yourself?
My name is Dave Miotke (David if I’m in trouble) and I’ve been with EA & Maxis for over 8 years. I love strategy & simulations games, collecting vintage toys from the 80’s & 90’s, gardening, and (recently) playing VR games.
I started here at Electronic Arts as a QA tester and worked on titles like The Sims Pet Stories, The Sims Castaway, and MySims Kingdom.

As a designer, I worked on MySims Agents; a game I’m very proud of. I joined production to work on The Sims Medieval series before moving onto The Sims 4 team in 2011. Alas, I remember joining EA like it was yesterday. I was so happy, excited, and full of youthful energy. Now I have greying hair, an ever expanding tummy, and a growing appreciation for dad jokes.
Basically, I’m super old now. But I’m young at heart and still madly in love with games and with Maxis! So I have that going for me.

What do you do on The Sims 4?
I’m a Producer; one-part planner, one-part cheerleader, and one-part tester. (or I think that’s the official recipe to make a producer).

Early in a project I help to pitch & refine ideas & concepts. If a pitch is green lit, I help to further clarify and prioritize features for the pack as well as communicate the intent and ongoing progress team wide. Later in the project I help to evaluate the software and plan for iteration and/or additions to maintain a high quality bar for you, the players.
To date I’ve worked on…

• The Sims 4 base game: working on social system, relationships, screenshots/memories, social events, etc.
• The Sims 4 Get To Work ( The Sims 4’s first expansion pack), The Sims 4 Get Together ( The Sims 4’s second expansion pack), The Sims 4 Dine Out (The Sims 4’s third Game Pack), and… The Sims 4 Vampires! (The Sims 4’s fourth Game pack), where I generally oversaw gameplay features.

What’s the best thing about being a SimGuru?
The best part of being a SimGuru is interacting with our players, of course. It is so much fun to be able to directly chat with people and see what kind of fun and trouble they are getting into with this game. Our community is one of the best and even when they yell at me for misusing the word “soon” I’ve got nothing but love for them.

What do you love most about The Sims franchise?
I absolutely love that The Sims is so open-ended and caters to so many different play-styles. It’s amazing to see what architectural madness our hard-core builders cook up and submit to the Gallery. It’s a blast following strong storytellers to watch their drama and characters emerge over multiple Let’s Play segments. It’s super fun watching game play-oriented folks create and run through legacy challenges. It’s just such a diverse game that caters to your personal desires; it’s awesome. I’m a bit of a subversive player myself. I immensely enjoy creating perfect worlds and then wreaking havoc with my sims to see it all go down in flames.

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
The flavor of ice cream is unimportant. What’s important is that it comes with a large slice of PIE!!!!!! Mmmm…. pie.
Or Cobbler… YUM! (Sad side story – A shoe repair store on my way home prominently features a “Cobbler” sign. When I see it my tummy grumbles and then I get sad that it’s the wrong kind of cobbler. Every darn time. Stupid shoe cobbler. Why do they even still exist?!)

And did you know that pie/cobbler pairs perfectly with barbecue?
Of course you knew. It’s common knowledge that BBQ + Pie is nourishment for the soul.
Oh my goodness. Pulled pork. Brisket. Mac & Cheese. A nice cornbread muffin and maybe a few ribs for good measure. I’m literally drooling now. For all that is holy, why did you ask me an ice cream question? You know I have a food weakness!!
It’s a serious condition.

Well, it’s been nice chatting with everyone, but I need to go grab a bite to eat before I get hangry. Talk to you all again soon!

The Sims Facebook Pages are merging

Jovan

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February 21, 2017

2

UPDATE: @SimGuruPanda announced that The Sims Facebook Page now work in an ”umbrella” – which means that the main The Sims Facebook page will redirect to the page of your language. You can change the language of The Sims Facebook page by clicking the 3 dots under the cover photo and by selecting the ”Switch Region” option.

In case you’ve been following The Sims Facebook Pages for other countries such as Germany, France, Poland and so on, you probably noticed that Facebook Pages for those countries are now gone for some odd reason.

All of those pages now redirect to the biggest page of them all – The Sims.

There’s no official information for now but we do assume that, if you for example live in Germany, you’ll be seeing posts on The Sims page exclusively in German language.

The Sims 4: Another Survey Has Surfaced (Speculation)

Jovan

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February 21, 2017

68

The Sims 4: Another Survey Has Surfaced (Speculation)

Please note that this post is pure speculation until proven otherwise.

UPDATE: @RemiSurridge reports receiving an e-mail with a different survey sent by EA – the same email that sends her usual The Sims 4 newsletters. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to take the survey as she didn’t take it on time.

Apparently, this survey is asking people if they would recommend The Sims 4 to others and their thoughts on the game.

Just a few hours after we reported on a Survey asking about our interest in various The Sims 4 Pack themes, MissTiquelle has reported on Reddit that she received a similar survey.

MissTiquelle published the images of the survey she took saying:

I’ve taken this survey, but it had different options for game pack & expansion pack ideas. It also asked about brands/celebrities I liked/associated with the sims and which occults I most wanted to play (witches, fairies, etc.).

It’s just a survey, the price is probably made up, it’s just floating ideas out there. Chill, don’t panic. Take it with a pinch of salt, it’s just a survey after all.

Unlike the survey linked above which was translated from french to english (as it was taken by a french member), this one is fully in english with some different features and pack themes suggested. Take a look!

Tip: @TonzaOfficial

The Sims 4: SimGuruKimmi’s Dine Out Build Challenge

Dine Out

Jovan

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February 20, 2017

0

The Sims 4: SimGuruKimmi’s Dine Out Build Challenge

SimGuruKimmi, concept artist on The Sims 4, published a new build challenge on twitter.

Basically all you have to do is download the restaurant shell that she’s made from The Gallery and furnish & decorate it using the requirements shown in the image below.

If you’re looking for a new Sims 4 challenge and love building, this challenge is perfect for you. Do keep in mind that you’ll need The Sims 4 Dine Out Game Pack in order to do this challenge.

To stay up-to-date about this challenge, follow SimGuruKimmi on Twitter!

The Sims 4 CC Showcase: Toddler Clothing

zobosims

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February 20, 2017

2

The Sims 4 CC Showcase: Toddler Clothing

So, The Sims 4 Toddlers have been out for over a month, and creators wasted no time in making all the custom content for them – we would expect no less!

In this showcase, we’ve highlighted our favourites in Custom Content Toddler Clothing, with all links included of course. To be directed to the download page just click on the name of each creator!

Toddler Suspender Outfit – GeorgiaGLM

Cardigan Outfit – GeorgiaGLM

Patterned Jammies – Butterscotch Sims

Dress Conversion – Simple Simmer

The Incredibles Outfit – Janysims3

Vintage Glamour Glasses Conversion – Beth Glasses – hlsimies

Toddler Tee – Pheebsims

Let us know what your favourites are in the comments!

Using The Sims 4 Build Mode as a Box of Building Blocks

JasonSterling

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February 19, 2017

2

Using The Sims 4 Build Mode as a Box of Building Blocks

Hi, I’m Jason Sterling and this is the second in a series of Sims 4 build articles outlining build tips and tricks within the new world of Forgotten Hollow in the Sims 4. I’ll start this article with the “Sims Builder’s Three Best Friends” in-game cheats.

bb.IgnoreGamePlayUnlocksEntitlement (IGUE) Unlocks all items tied to in game advancement from the start.
bb.ShowHiddenObjects (SHO) Displays all hidden objects for use in building such as ponds, dishes, bottles ect.
bb.MoveObjects (MOO) Allows build/buy items to be freely moved around within the build and activates the height slider that raises objects up and down in the air and on the walls using the number 9 for up and the number 0 for going back down.

If you are new to the Sims 4 or just new to building in the Sims 4, press CTRL/SHIFT/C to open the command box within your game and enter each of the cheats above should you wish to access their features. Now on with the article.

My first thought when I see something new in a Sims 4 pack is WOW, this is cool BUT my second thought is-

How Can I Use This in a Way That’s Not Intended?

There are many items within the Sims 4 Build Mode that give you the opportunity to combine them through the BB.MoveObjects cheat into something entirely different from what they originally were. Much like a box of building blocks that you can combine in different ways to create different things. One set of objects that I love to use this way are the kitchen cabinets. Following, you’ll see one particularly novel use. I will outline turning them into wall paneling for the construction of a two-side, see through fireplace in the style of Colonial America.

Start by first by turning on the BB.Moveobjects (MOO) cheat. Then, assemble the five items above. These are what I have used for this particular look. However, I encourage you to pursue your own look and ideas.

Cargeaux Counter Island (Base Game Item)
The Immaculate (Base Game Wall Shelf)
Load-bearing Pillar (City Living Item)
Rocks of Fire (Outdoor Retreat Item)
The Travers (Dine Out Décor Item)

Position the first cabinet with the back side is facing out. (Grid Picture #1) Raise it by using the number “9” on your keyboard until you reach your desired height. Here I slide the cabinet to the door to decide proportionately the best height. Although, I often change it as I play test the design. Re-center the cabinet on the grid after testing the height. (Grid Picture #2) Bring your next cabinet into place with the first cabinet as shown. (Grid Picture #3) Continue placing the cabinets until the space is filled. (Grid Picture #4) It’s helpful here to have a sim “living” in the build as you work, allowing you to switch into live mode. Once there, press the “TAB” button, angle the camera upward and press the “Page Up” button to view how the cabinetry intersects the ceiling. Make adjustments up/down to meet the ceiling properly.

Merging the cabinets creates a substantial amount of “MOO Graphical Stutter”. To cover the stutter we’ll use The Immaculate shelf. First, double the size of the shelf by pressing the “ ] “ button once while holding the shelf. (Grid Picture #1) Then lift the shelf into position as above with the cabinets. (Grid Picture #2) Place another shelf in the same fashion next to it. (Grid Picture #3) Then, place shelves in the same manner on the second tier of cabinets. Lastly, I take one last shelf and enlarge it by pressing the “ ] ” three times, then sliding it up to rest on top of the structure. (Grid Picture #4) This last piece is hidden in the ceiling when you view the room in “TAB” mode. It’s purpose is to disguise stutter on top which can be distracting during regular play.

Lastly we’ll set the cosmetic touches. Fire rings in a manner as shown (Grid Picture #1)- Columns (Grid Picture #2)- Decorative Art (Grid Picture #3)- And the walls on the sides and front (Grid Picture #4). On the front I’ve used the lowest height “half wall” selection. Your sims will still use the fire rings in this build. The lowest height makes more visual sense. Then paint the new walls, along with the half wall shelf trim, to match the existing structure or use your own design sensibilities. One option would be to paint the interior of the fireplace with a brick design matching the chimney on the outside of the house if you’ve custom built one. Repeat the above on the reverse side and the project is done.

I’ll finish here with a few shots showing alternate design ideas within this technique. First, instead of using an enlarged shelf to help disguise stutter, you can simply place an additional layer of cabinets on top without any other intersecting objects. This works when you have a chimney stack that rises through the entire house and therefore disguises the extra layer of cabinetry. (Grid Picture #1) Second, a shot of another fireplace within this build done in a much smaller fashion for the family room. This utilizes a deep mantle area. Two of the “Not do Invisible Shelves” from Get Together hide stutter and create an interesting crown molding effect on top. (Grid Picture #2) Third and Fourth, are two shots of the fireplaces in the Manor House of this build series. (Grid Pictures #3 and #4).

I hope you’ve found this build article helpful and even more so I hope you’ll be inspired to take the everyday things in your game and “use them as they were not intended.” My next article will deal with building your sim’s house for your sim. In that article we will be extensively visiting my Apothecary’s House from Forgotten Hollow.

You can see this tutorial in video form on my Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/IlW3lhYBNME

If you like this build and would like to see it’s fully completed form it’s available on the Gallery: https://www.thesims.com/en_GB/gallery/5C0C0901F6D211E68443C0A5F03BDD40?category=lots&searchtype=item_name&sortby=newest&time=all&searchquery=&max=50&maxis=false

See additional pictures of the completed build here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/MyWorldofSims/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1190273261088096

The Sims 4: Game Pack / Expansion Pack Survey (SPECULATION)

The Sims 4

Jovan

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February 19, 2017

108

The Sims 4: Game Pack / Expansion Pack Survey (SPECULATION)

Please note that this post is pure speculation until proven otherwise.

UPDATE #2: Our staff member Cassie3k translated the survey manually with more accurate information.

UPDATE: Yoann, the person who received this survey, revealed more information on how he got this survey. According to him, the survey was released through GlobalTestMarket, a website which offers companies to pay for surveys which will be filled out by GlobalTestMarket members (you can even sign up yourself and get rewards for finishing up surveys).

We know for a fact that the person who published this survey has been a member of this website for quite some time. Yoann explained that he couldn’t go back and take the survey again and / or give more evidence than the screen captures that we’ve shown down below.

SimCookie’s reader received an e-mail with the following Expansion Pack / Game Pack theme ideas for The Sims 4. Although it’s not confirmed yet if the survey that was sent out in french is official, the e-mail content and screens do look legit.

Here are some of the EP / GP themes that were suggested in the survey.

The Sims 4 – Small Pets

Sims who long to own a pet but lack the space to accommodate them will love The Sims 4 Small Pets. Adopt a wide variety of new small animals, teach them tricks or even breed them to unlock rare specimens. Earn simoleons by building your own pet shop with adorable creatures and their accessories!

Adopt new animals – Have your sim adopt a new pet and take care of them. Your sim can choose between a talkative bird, a mischievous ferret, an adorable guinea pig or a furtive reptile.

New breeds and tricks – Teach new tricks to your pets, like how to say new expressions, or “go fetch an object”. Create your own rare species with distinct looks and unique personalities.

Build a pet shop – Create your own pet shop and put animals up for adoption to earn some simoleons. Sell animal habitats, pet food and even toys for their entertainment!

What is the probability that you would buy the Small Animals pack were it available for 19.99€?

The Sims 4 – Dream Jobs

The sims may now pursue careers that very few people have access to in The Sims 4 Dream Jobs. Go for glory and fortune by floating in space as an astronaut, leading dangerous heists as a burglar or by strumming guitar chords on stage!

Become an astronaut – Launch into space and land in a fascinating space station. Conduct scientific experiments, float around, and even leave the station to roam around outer space.

Lead the life of a scoundrel – Sims looking for a more thrilling lifestyle may become world-renown burglars. Successfully pull off risky heists, steal jewelry, and manage a company of international thieves.

Rock your way to the top – Get a band together and go on tour to become rich and famous and live new experiences! Practice playing multiple instruments, ranging from the guitar to the drums, to better your performances.

What is the probability that you would buy the Dream Jobs pack were it available for 39.99€?

The Sims 4 – Beauty Salon

Sims who want to change their looks or want to build a career in the cosmetic world will love The Sims 4 Beauty Salon. Put together a team of cosmetologists and open a Beauty Salon to win simoleons! You may offer a variety of services, including haircuts and manicures. The Sims may also get tattoos… or have them removed.

Open a Beauty Salon – The Sims, being entrepreneurs, may own their own salon and benefit from it. Hire hairdressers, offer unique services and build a solid reputation.

Enjoy all the Beauty Salon has to offer – It’s make-over time! Give your Sims a new haircut, a waxing, a new hair color or even a manicure to boost their confidence!

Get ink – Sims who are looking for a more permanent look can get tattoos on any part of their body. Alternatively, they can also get laser tattoo-removal.

What is the probability that you would buy the Beauty Salon pack were it available for 19.99€?

The Sims 4 – Summer Holidays

School is out for the Summer and it is high time your Sims relaxed and took a seat in the sun in The Sims 4 Summer Holidays. Choose your living arrangements, then go make a sand castle at the beach or take part in luau! Tame the waves with your surf board or relax, go shell-hunting or discover new marine plants and animals.

Choose your lodgings – The Sims may rent a cabin on the beach, buy a summer home on a cliff, or go to a lusureous hotel with a breathtakingocean view.

Time for fun beach activities! – Embrace the sun rays and go to the beach to build a sand castle, make camp fires or learn new dance moves at the luau!

Surf’s up! – Pull off the prefect hang-ten and show off your gnarly surf skills. Choose your own surfboard and work on your skills to become a local surf legend.

Explore the beach – Mosey down the beach and discover rare aquatic plants and marine animals! Find new corals of all colors and maybe even have a magical encounter with a mermaid at sunset.

What is the probability that you would buy the Summer Holidays pack were it available for 39.99€?

Sims 4 Building Tutorial: Terraforming without the Tools

The Sims 4 Guides

holliebb

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February 17, 2017

8

Sims 4 Building Tutorial: Terraforming without the Tools

Today’s Sims 4 building tutorial might give you some ideas to help your landscapes appear a little more realistic, and a little less flat. I’m still holding out hope that terraforming tools will be added in a future patch or DLC, but in the meantime we can get creative!

In this tutorial, we’re going to use a combination of building techniques, which can add some needed character to an otherwise level surface.

Let’s begin!

In build mode, press CTRL + SHIFT + C to bring up the type field in the top left of your screen. We’re going to type in a couple of cheats:

bb.moveobjects
bb.showhiddenobjects

Adding Caverns

First, let’s start with depressed areas. I’m going to use the basement tool to cut out a hole. Use the custom basement tool to trace a shape that is sharp and irregular.

Once you have your jagged basement, select it by clicking on the side, then use the up-level arrow in the top right of your screen to move up to the ground level. Hover over the outline and you’ll see a yellow band appear on the basement outline. Click the yellow band, and click ‘remove ceiling.’ Now you have a nice looking hole!

Change the wall covering to resemble rock or stone, add some grass, rock, or dirt flooring. Now we can get ready to add some pizzaz!

Using rocks, or rock-like objects, you can start to layer them on top of and inside of each other. Scale them to larger sizes using the right square bracket key ( ] ) or bring the size back to normal with the left square bracket key ( [ ) while you have the object selected.

To move an object up, select the object and press the number (0). To move it down, or back to the baseline, hit the (9) number key. Don’t forget to hold down ALT while placing your objects to avoid the grid snap, too!

Keep placing and overlapping rock shapes of different sizes, shapes, and elevations all around the hole opening. You want to soften the jagged corners and the final result will be more pleasing to the eye.

Adding Hills

To add a hill, a similar technique of layering can be used.

Type ‘garden‘ in the item search field. When you do this, avoid hitting enter. Hitting enter can sometimes result in a search of the most relevant items. We want to see something hidden. When you type in garden, click the search magnifying glass icon next to it for best results.

Since we entered the showhiddenobjects cheat at the beginning, we’ll be able to see some hidden and debug items to place.

You’re going to want to place this garden dirt pile debug item. You can overlap and resize these to your liking!

Add some rocks, grass, flowers – whatever you like! Layer all of the things! You’ll want to add some ground paint (or so I call it) underneath and around the edges to blend the dirt pile into the flat ground a little better.

Using these techniques can add some life to your builds. Sure, these specific design elements won’t work for every type of landscaping project, but they’re nice to pull out every once and a while.
Though your Sims won’t be able to hike up one of these hills or jump down a cavern, they’ll look good in the environment all the same!

The featured pictures are from a recent build where I used these faux terrain tool tricks. You can find the build on the gallery under my Origin ID (HollieBBTV).

Shoutout to TheNUBalicious for the dirt pile idea!

Be on the look out for another Sims 4 building tutorial next Friday!

You can catch my Let’s Plays and Build Casts daily on twitch.tv/holliebb

The Sims 4 Vampires: XP, Power Points, Abilities and More!

gitsie

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February 17, 2017

8

The Sims 4 Vampires: XP, Power Points, Abilities and More!

Unlike previous generations, Vampires in the Sims 4 can level up their supernatural status all the way up to being a Grand Master Vampire. This seems to have impressed those of you who enjoy your story-driven gameplay, but for those of you who love the Sims 4 Challenges it’s a chance for you to really get stuck in to some immersive gaming that forces you to invest some time in developing your Sims that little bit more.

But you might be thinking; “How the hell do I level up a Vampire Sim? And what is Vampire XP?”. Well, read on for some top tips and some time-saving tricks that will take your Sims from a Nocturnal Newbie to a Day-walking Demi-God!

What is Vampire XP and how do I earn it?

Simply put, they are experience points that you earn by feeding on other Sims and by performing certain Vampire specific actions such as Dark Meditation or Researching Vampire Lore on the computer. If your aim is to level up your Vampire quickly, then you should focus on building relationships with other Vampires, performing Vampire actions and keeping on top of your Vampire’s needs. Feed them regularly, ask higher rank Vampire Sims for training and read about Vampire lore and secrets as if it was their hobby.

XP stacks up over time, and eventually will mean that your Sim will ‘level up’. Levelling up as a Vampire Sim will give you Power Points that can use to purchase Vampire abilities, which in turn can make gameplay more varied and interesting, will help you gain even more XP, and will give your Vampire a higher “rank” within the Vampire World. Your XP Bar is situated at the bottom of your Vampire Sim’s needs console, and will fill up with a pink/purple bar as you earn XP. You will also see a small, purple bat with a + sign appear above your Sim’s head every time they earn XP.

What are Power Points?

Power Points are awarded to you when your Vampire Sim levels up and gets a new rank. When you create a Vampire Sim in CAS, they start as Fledgling Vampire Level 1 in rank and they will automatically have 2 Power Points to spend on some new Vampire Abilities (don’t worry, we’ll talk more about that below!). At certain ranks, you will also have to take a Vampire Weakness when you take on a new ability – so make sure you choose carefully! Power Points available to your Sim is displayed at the bottom of their needs, next to a small book symbol which will take you to a catalog of abilities they are able to purchase. Below is a list of Vampire ranks, and what you gain when you achieve them.

Fledgling Vampire Level 1 – You start at this rank, with 2 Power Points to spend
Fledgling Vampire Level 2 – Gain 1 Power Point
Fledgling Vampire Level 3 – Gain 1 Power Point
Fledgling Vampire Level 4 – Gain 1 Power Point
Minor Vampire Level 1 – Gain 2 Power Points and 1 Weakness
Minor Vampire Level 2 – Gain 2 Power Point
Minor Vampire Level 3 – Gain 2 Power Point
Minor Vampire Level 4 – Gain 2 Power Point
Prime Vampire Level 1 – Gain 3 Power Points and 1 Weakness
Prime Vampire Level 2 – Gain 3 Power Points
Prime Vampire Level 3 – Gain 3 Power Points
Prime Vampire Level 4 – Gain 3 Power Points
Master Vampire Level 1 – Gain 4 Power Points and 1 Weakness
Master Vampire Level 2 – Gain 4 Power Points
Master Vampire Level 3 – Gain 4 Power Points
Master Vampire Level 4 – Gain 4 Power Points
Grand Master Vampire – Gain 5 Power Points and 2 Weaknesses
Max Level Grand Master – Gain 2 Power Points per full bar

What Abilities can you buy?

When you level up to a new rank, choosing a new ability to purchase with your Power Points can be a difficult decision. It’s made easier by having some of the abilities locked down to certain ranks, but for anyone having a really tough time picking one – here is a guide by rank levels for what you can get!

Fledgling Levels 1-4

Bat Form – Whilst you won’t earn any Vampire XP by using this ability, who doesn’t love the idea of flying around as a Bat? It beats walking!

Cast Hallucination – Make Sims talk to themselves as if you’re a Las Vegas Hypnotist. This is more for comedy reasons that for gaining XP.

Detect Personality – Cast a spell and find out a fellow Sim’s personality traits. Very useful in certain career paths, and also for building relationships.

Eternally Welcome – That age old tradition of a Vampire having to be invited in is dead and gone! This skill allows your Vampire Sims to simply unlock the doors of sleeping Sims, wake them up, compel them and drink their tasty, tasty Plasma.

Occult Student – When you’re starting out as a brand new Vampire, this can be a great ability to buy into as it helps lower the energy cost of using other abilities and therefore improves overall happiness for your Sim. It also means that you can practice your other abilities, and train other Sims in them, at greater efficiency and effectiveness. If you find the Sunlight energy draining too annoying – then definitely pick this up! It doesn’t protect you from the ongoing damage being dealt by the yellow nemesis in the sky, but reduces the speed at which Vampire energy is drained.

Minor Levels 1 – 4

Command – You can essentially control a Sim to do certain actions and social interactions with other Sims. So if your Sims has their eye on that special someone, but they’re married, it can be a very handy ability to have at their disposal!

Garlic Immunity – Garlic prevents your Vampire Sim from feeding, which is both inconvenient and can prevent them from gaining XP. This ability cancels that out.

Vampiric Charm – Useful for those romantically inclined Vampires who need a little extra help, any Sims in the close vicinity of your Vampire Sim when they use this will have a romantic moodlet and stars circling their heads for a few hours. They won’t be able to resist your Sim!

Vampire Creation – If you Vampire Sim wants to turn another “normal” Sim, this ability is the only way to do so.

Vampiric Strength – Vampires can duel with other vampires, but they have to be strong in both rank and physique in order to stand a chance at winning! In order to improve their physical strength, you can buy this ability and spend less time on the treadmill whilst still seeing impressive results!

Prime Levels 1 – 4

Child Of The Moon – Much like the Occult Student ability, this gives your Sim a sort of ‘buff’ from 6pm – 7am and means that he or she can gain skills faster and consume less Vampire Energy. It also stacks against other ability bonuses so you could be looking at pretty impressive skill gains overnight!

Irresistible Slumber – This allows you to put another Sim to sleep.

Manipulate Life Spirit – This ability can seriously drain Vampire Energy so be careful when you use it! You can remove spirit from another Sim, which means they are more affected by your Vampire Sim’s other abilities. You can also restore a Sim’s life spirit which will give them a confidence boost for 2 days!

Mesmerize – Like the Irresistable Slumber ability, this affects another Sim’s mood and consciousness. It won’t put them to sleep though, they will just be dazed and unable to move for a few hours.

Vampiric Slumber – The effectiveness of this ability differs by rank, but the premise is the same. It restores your Sim’s Vampire Energy faster and more efficiently than sleeping.

Master Levels 1 – 4

Dampened Emotions – A double edged sword! This ability stops your Vampire Sim from being affected by emotional moodlets. Handy when your Sim is prone to embarassment, but not great if your Sim needs a confidence boost or wants to feel flirty!

Deprive Needs – If your Vampire Sim really dislikes another “normal” Sim, they can use this ability to completely drain one of that Sim’s needs and make them be super hungry, pee themselves or stink like an old sewer!

Odorless – For Sims who don’t like soap and water, this ability means your Vampire Sim will never have to shower ever, ever again!

Sun Resistence – The amount of resistence differs by rank, but this is a self-explanatory ability that gives your Sim some ability to walk around unaffected by daylight.

Supernatural Speed – Run like the wind!

Grand Master Level

Beyond the Herd – If your Vampire Sim doesn’t need other people in their life then this ability could be for them! This means that their social bar will never go down.

Immortal Pleasures – Probably not for those gameplay Simmers out there, but if your aim is to level up your Vampire Sim as quickly as possible then it’s ideal! Your Vampire Sim will never feel bored again! So you can spend a whole day levelling up their logic skill and they won’t yawn, not even once!

Influence Emotion – Make another Sim feel a certain emotion. This can be used for both good and evil, entirely up to you. You can make a Sim depressed, confident, flirty, or even kill them with an extreme emotion! How dastardly can you be?

Mist Form – Like an upgraded version of the Bat Form ability, this allows your Sim to teleport anywhere in a cloud of enigmatic mist. Very spooky!

Tamed Thirst – If you don’t want to spend time feeding your Vampire Sim, or you want to challenge yourself to create an Blade-like ‘Friendly’ Vampire then this is a great ability to buy. Your Sim’s thirst will always be quenched and they won’t need to feast on unsuspecting “normal” Sims.

Don’t forget, for every Vampire Ability there is a Vampire Weakness. Come back and read by “Best Abilities” article soon, which will also include a list of weaknesses and how these affect your Vampire Sims.

Features We Would Like To See Added To The Sims 4

The Sims 4 Guides

Krista

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February 16, 2017

130

Features We Would Like To See Added To The Sims 4

A couple of days ago, I asked the following question over on the Sims Community Forums followed by a tweet on our Twitter.

What feature(s) would you still like to see added to The Sims 4?

Although this question is very open and I have my own answers I wanted to see what the community felt The Sims 4 was still missing. I had a great variety of responses. Some very similar ideas and others that completely stood out on their own.

Many Simmers hope to see the return of Seasons, University, Generations and Supernatural expansion packs in some description at some point in the games time. Another popular feature that Simmers found is missing is Pets although currently there is a lot of speculation around Pets being the next possible expansion pack for The Sims 4.

The Sims Superstar got a mention which I think would be a wonderful addition if a pack was created for The Sims 4. It had many great features and set the foundations for the later The Sims 3 Showtime expansion.

Makin’ Magic as well was another that appeared a couple of times. There was a handful of responses that had variations of the more mythical and magical packs including seeing a combination of Supernatural and Makin’ Magic in one pack. A new pack but with mythical and magical Sim types we have and haven’t seen before.

Some Simmers just wanted to see some smaller features added to the game like terrain tools, bigger lot sizes, transport, curfews, burglars, strollers for babies and toddlers, new careers, better clothing options, spiral stairs, multi-level tools and to see the return of the design tool. There are many features that although they could be considered small they could add so much to the game.

Another popular feature and one that many Simmers have wanted since The Sims 4 launch is having a better open world. This has been a highly debated topic but currently, the only open world we have is in our immediate neighbourhood.

Of course, there was mention of some new ideas that The Sims 4 could feature like amusement parks, new vacation locations, shopping centers, high school prom and graduation. New skills like gymnastics, ice skating and the addition of more sports to the game.

There are so many things that could happen to The Sims 4 in 2017. In the first month and a half we have seen Vampires grace our games, as well as the highly-requested Toddlers, make a triumphant return to the game. Everyone who responded to my forum post or on the tweet, thank you. Each and every one of your responses made me think about how it would possibly look and work in The Sims 4. I’m sure many of you feel the same after reading this.

If there are any features not mentioned in this article that you would like to see in The Sims 4 then let us know in the comments section below. Alternatively check out the original forum post here.