Getting annoyed about Sims 4 Expacs (repost)
Before I start - this is a repost from my blogger - a rant about Sims 4 content spurred by the release of a "Bowling Stuff" Pack back in February 2017. I feel with the announcement of the Pet Stuff pack - £10 for a fucking hamster and pet clothes - this is needed.
BOWLING STUFF?!?! SERIOUSLY?! WHAT?!
So I've been a Sims fan since the beginning. My Godmother brought the game round one night to distract me, my older brother and her two kids who are both younger than us for the evening so she and my mum could catch up without having to be mums. I remember sitting at the PC with my Godsister Leanne, plastic cups filled with blackcurrent squash, making our first Sims and she showed me all the money cheats so we could make a huge house (1 floor square box on the biggest lot) for our Sims. I was... maybe 7 or 8..?
Sims 2 came out and I snapped it up. My PC couldn't handle Sims 3 when it came out so I mooched off a friend from High School.... or actually that might have been Sims 2.... Yeah I think that was 2. I played all through 3 and often prioritised my Sims' University lives over my own and so of course have played Sims 4 since it's launch and I own all the expansions - as you've seen in my videos, likely.
With all that fandom comes with a browsing history filled with Sims 4 articles and bookmarks to all the best news/community/mod sites. Since TS4 release I've seen a few of them slowly fade away and then after a few frankly disappointing expansion packs these have dwindled away altogether. One site, you may know which, said that they'd be closed until EA and Maxis start producing decent content again.
At first I kinda thought they were over-reacting. Sure, I haven't logged as many hours into TS4 these past couple years as I did in TS3's first couple years but there are a lot of really awesome features and I've had a lot of fun playing. But those hours and fun have been in creating sims and their homes. Until Vampires came out I really wasn't all that excited to start actually playing through my Sims' lives. Hearing about Pets coding being found in the game really excited me again, maybe this is where TS4 starts upping it's game expacs?
But now, with the announcement of Sims 4 BOWLING STUFF pack, it doesn't look like they'll be back any time soon!
Source - https://simsvip.com/2017/01/06/the-sims-4-ea-announces-bowling-stuff-pack-coming-spring-2017/
I just... I don't understand the reasoning behind this. Bowling is great and all but a whole stuff pack dedicated to it? Maybe this would have been okay as part of a date stuff pack - bowling alleys added for dates, maybe picnic stuff too, would go well coupled with the vintage glamour or movie hangout stuff packs but this doesn't seem to fit anywhere in the Sims verse or fanbase.
I've seen the surveys that get sent out for upcoming packs - where was bowling on those and who voted for them over the more awesome-sounding expacs like Fashion Forward or Winter sports?
Survey examples and their sources below;
Image by https://www.simtimes.de/ I found at: https://simsvip.com/2016/03/28/the-sims-4-pets-new-official-survey-making-rounds/
Source and more survey screenshots at: http://simscommunity.info/2017/02/21/the-sims-4-another-survey-has-surfaced-speculation/
FYI, EA, I WOULD PAY DOUBLE FOR A FASHION FORWARD EXPANSION PACK!
(source and more survey expacs here - https://simsvip.com/2015/08/08/the-sims-4-new-expansion-pack-survey-released/ )
If you ask a Sims Player what Sims 4 needs, I garuntee you'll get an answer along the lines of;
I really like X expac from TS2/3 and it'd be really awesome if we could get a TS4 version (e.g. SEASONS, PETS, SUNNY HOLIDAYS).
I'd like some more build options, like spiral staircases or better split-leveling tools
I'd like more customisation options like we had in Sims 3, the colours for clothes/hair/build and buy items is just too limited (7.3.18 - Simmers have been crying out for more varied skin tones and more "ethnic" hairstyles for their sims as many cannot create an accurate sim-self without the use of cc skin tones and hair styles - see this article https://simsvip.com/2018/02/07/sims-4-gurus-respond-players-feel-underrepresented-game/.)
I WANT FAIRIES AND MERMAIDS BACK, THEY WERE AWESOME IN TS3 ISLAND PARADISE AND SUPERNATURAL <--- me AF, btw.
I really like A feature from B expac but wish I could be expanded a little more to include X, Y, Z
What you won't hear;
Man I'd love to have my Sim stuck in a traffic jam on their way to work
Wouldn't it be cool if Sims could randomly get terminal diseases like heart disease, liver failure and cancer and there would be no way for the player to cure them, you'd just have to watch them waste away and die?
GEE I WISH MY SIMS COULD GO BOWLING
Why, EA, why do you want to drive us away from this magical franchise?
I will not be buying this stuff pack.
I also realise this was announced last month but it was only brought to my attention today and it has ENRAGED ME.
/rantover
Might have overreated with the terminal disease thing.
Might have.
Some more super awesome expac ideas from a couple friends.
The Sims 4 - Sandwiches
The Sims 4 - Clouds*
The Sims 4 - Gloves
The Sims 4 - Typewriters
The Sims 4 - Bingo
The Sims 4 - The Scrabble Game DLC
The Sims 4 - Hoola Hoops
The Sims 4 - Ants
Which is your favourite? Personally, I'm looking forward to Sims 4 Typewriters.
[slow clap] Good fucking show, EA.
*07.03.2018 - the way things are going now, we'll get each season in a different stuff pack. If EA announces "Sims 4 Clouds, just remember you heard it here first!
