#i just think that if you paid ea $5 so your sims could use a Vacuum. you do not have a leg to stand on here

[transmiqote]

something about seeing the sims 4 community complain about paid mods & actually threaten to report them to ea because they're "illegal" (💀) just feels so backwards to me... like do they not realize they pay ea anywhere between $5-$60 every few months for some of the most lacklustre, mediocre, & buggy content imaginable or..?

[redhotchilisimblr]

rant about the sims 4

new roadmap unpopular opinion :

i’m quite satisfied with this roadmap. i mean, we got so many EPs in 2023 that I can barely catch up (I haven’t fully explored growing together, not finished my ranch and still setting residential lots..) there are so many things to do and a lot of simmers want “content for having content”, and are not actually playing the game. i know that we don’t play at the same speed (I'm very slow, I don’t age my Sims, haven’t finished Willow Creek.. so it says a lot), but how can you complain that EA releases too many packs, but at the same time request for more and more expensive packs? lmao it doesn’t make any sense. 

also, I don’t consider kits as packs. they are add-ons for people who want to expand some collections, but are not really essential to get (let alone the fact that some cc creators made some kits available as base game items). despite being a GC, I have purchased some of them with my own money and I regret some kits lmao. now, they are better quality content (for the price I mean) but at a time it was like.. yeah, I don’t want this but I still want all the DLCs. 

I live in France and here we have a powerful currency with the euros. But a lot of simmers tend to forget that many players are living with minimum wage or in a country where even 5$ USD means a lot on their salary/earnings. Now, imagine how players from “weaker currency” (let them called like that bc I don’t want to be biased, or let people think that everyone is poor in some countries when its totally not the case) are dealing with 40$ USD EP coming back to back ??? I mean, in some countries, 40$ USD is a monthly salary or not far away. Which means, getting 3 EPs is out of pocket - literally. 

The Sims 4 is now a luxury to play - because of EA’s greed, for sure, but also bc some players are pushing this agenda of “we need more packs, now!” and bc there’s a high demand, they do not care if the product is exactly want people want. I’m not trying to blame anyone in particular. Tbh, I used to be this kind of player (mostly bc at the launch, the game feeled empty and like a let down compare to previous edition). But now, I fully understand that we are responsible for this never ending issue. As a Game Changers, I know that some people might not believe me, or think it’s not genuine but, clearly, I’m not paid by EA for doing anything. I just playtest most of the time in very short period. I have a great job, I also have some passive income. I don’t need to be influencer to earn money and its a blessing.   

don’t forget that we are all waiting for updates to fix For Rent. it will be mad to launch a new EP if the previous one is still broken for so many players. there’s a lot of things changing for the influencers also and this “slow” time could be used to discover new gameplay, new players, new cc for those who used them and explore all the things we missed in the packs we already have. i still discover new options to this day and I play quite a lot so, you know, we are going to chill together and it will be good. 

as for my suspicion, I really do think as simmers we shouldn’t be worried about upcoming contents. with new competitors launching their game in 2024, EA will be more cautious about the kind of content they release, and they might release more in a shorter time period. I BET we will be flooded with DLCs by the end of the year... 

Now, I really do hope that more Game Changers will be more vocal about the issues (its starting but with caution). we really have nothing to lose. Not bc TS4 is going to be fixed (it won’t, as the BG have so many structural/coding issue) but for Project Rene. We need collectively to point out all the things we do love about TS4 (bc it’s a really beautiful game with a lot of potential) and also the things we don’t like. Loving something or someone is always about honesty : if you friend smells bad, please, tell him. if your friends is in the wrong, tell him! So if you care that much about the Sims, please, tell politely whats is wrong with the game without harassing the creators/workers. 

someone should just open a public file with all the complains compile and give it to the Project Rene team bc we do not want to miss this one for sure.

with all my love always, 

Red

[funkiesims]

sims tag!

tagged by: @magpiesims! thank youuu

1. What’s your favourite sims death? so for the questions that are about gameplay, i unfortunately cannot give great answers as the idea of actually playing the game makes me want to throw up with anxiety. if i made a sim and it died i would have to stomp on my hard drive

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match? maxis mix bc i love a realistic outfit with cartoony hair

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? again i do not play the game but what a bizarre thing to do. side eye if you do this

4. Do you use move objects? yes ofc

5. Favorite mod? everything that makes cas more usable ie stand still, lighting, backgrounds

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? i have not paid one single penny towards the sims i used the dlc unlocker to get them all at once

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? like alive 

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? probably one where i just dumped all of my favorite cc onto one sim

9. Have you made a simself? yes i just updated my simself and will be posting it soon :-)

10. What sim traits do you give yourself? cat lover, loyal, and foodie i think

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color? i like the light/mid tone blondes bc they’re more realistic

12. Favorite EA hair? there’s this one braided hairstyle that’s like shoulder length with the top pulled back i think it’s base game

13. Favorite life stage? any of the adult stages that’s all i ever make lmao

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? between these builder bc of the whole game anxiety thing but i almost exclusively just play in cas

15. Are you a CC creator? no i have a liberal arts degree

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? just my emma @lowvintagesims <3

17. What’s your favorite game? (1, 2, 3, or 4) i’ve only played 3 and 4 and 3 was for like two minutes so i have to go with 4

18. Do you have any sims merch? no <3

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims? no <3

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? i’ve only played for about a year but i think i’ve gotten better at selecting cc and applying it cohesively 

21. What’s your Origin ID? not doxxing myself

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator? ugh idk anyone’s names but there’s this one person who’s made a bunch of like alt/emo looking hairs and the thumbnails are really cool renders and i love them

23. How long have you had a simblr? about 4 minutes

24. How do you edit your pictures? photopea bc free

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? fairies but also i could just use cc to do that

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? ngl i almost always filter for cc only and i do not play the game so i am not totally familiar with the function of each pack

this was v fun!! tagging @lowvintagesims <3

[wildlyminiaturesandwich]

Why I left the EA Game Changer Program

Judging by the state of my inbox, a lot of you want to know what happened that lead to me leaving the Game Changer program and I was gonna write up a MASSIVE text post about it — I still might one day — but honestly... I’m not sure if I could be bothered right now. A lot of things happened, big things and small things, public things and things that took place in the Discord and DMs; all of it absolute bullshit but none of it is anything I want to continue to deal with, which is why I left.

This post still turned out to be quite long so I’m gonna put it under a cut, but if you’re expecting ALL the juicy details, this isn’t it. This is a couple of the major issues but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So let me just say, most of the issues can be boiled down to how the program was managed. The program has been slowly declining since SimGuruDrake left and the Community Manager role has kept changing. Say what you want about Drake and her attitude but she was damn good at her job and none of the crap that certain “high value” Game Changers have gotten away with in the past few years would have ever happened on her watch. But I can honestly say the newest Community Manager has been the worst so far.

(I mean, it’s been 5 days since I told him I was leaving the program and he hasn’t replied. I doubt he ever will. I am not surprised, I’m not even disappointed; I’m just annoyed that I was right because this isn’t the first time he’s ignored DMs and I wasn’t expecting any different this time)

Need some examples? We were told in no uncertain terms by the CM that only “High Value” creators (meaning a select group of Youtubers) would ever be given opportunities such as paid sponsorships, event invites and the like because they alone were worth the investment. He also told us that the Game Changer program has “nothing to do with the community”, which is a stark contrast to what most of us were told by the previous CMs and the reason some of us joined the program. And every single time myself and a few other Simblr Game Changers bought up concerns in the Discord about certain things (eg. racism within the program, favouritism, “high value” Game Changers bullying smaller ones, Game Changers acting inappropriately or taking advantage of their titles/power, the insane amount of stress put on us to produce content within such a tight timeframe for early access) we were either told “this isn’t the place to discuss this”, told to “calm down” when we were speaking politely, told to shut up and warned that if we kept going we’d be punished, or just flat out ignored and spoken over.

There were even several occasions where a certain group of GCs (some of whom were mods in the Discord) would provoke one particular Simblr because they knew she would only put up with so much before she would get angry and they hoped she would eventually say something to get herself kicked out. But every single time this happened, the Simblr was the one who was warned that if she kept being “aggressive” she’d be removed from the program. It’s gotten so bad that there are people who are actually scared to speak at all in the Discord because they’re afraid they’ll be removed from the program for having a difference of opinion or not agreeing with the “High Value” people. Honestly, if people knew even half of what was said within that Discord, if they knew how some of their faves behaved behind “closed doors”, they’d be even more disappoint than I am.

So, in conclusion, if you’re a Simblr and you are thinking about joining the program next time applications are open (if they ever are)... Don’t. They don’t care about us, they don’t view us as equals within the community even though Simblrs provide 90% of the CC and mods they use in their games; they never have and they never will. Simblrs have been part of the program for over 3 years and they still don’t even have a way for us to submit our early access content to EA (we have to DM it to the CM who no doubt just ignores it) or accurately measure our ROI, even though several of us have given the CM literal novels worth of information on how it could be done. The only way Simblr GCs have ever been acknowledged was if they started a Youtube channel or collaborated with one of the “high value” creators. Ever seen a single Simblr at an EA event, get a paid sponsorship or even simply get mentioned in a Sims official Twitter tweet? No. Why? They. Don’t. Care. About. Us. 

Honestly, if I knew back then what I know now, I never would have applied for the program in the first place. I could have saved myself years of stress, anxiety, sleepless nights, and tears.

But, if I keep going this is gonna turn into even more of a rant than it already has and that’s not what I want. I just want to wake up every morning not dreading what nonsense is happening in that Discord and how much trouble I’m going to get into for speaking up for those who are too scared. I want to enjoy my favourite game again. I want to enjoy making CC again. I want to feel like a part of THIS community again. Simblr is where I started and where I grew, and though it sometimes can be tough to be here, it’s my home.

Simblrs are just as valuable and important as any other part of the Sims community and no one can take that away from us, not even EA/Maxis.

Just a few things to add...

I have nothing against the “high value” people or any Youtubers. They are just taking advantage of the opportunities given to them, as anyone in their position would. The issue I have is that it’s always them and no one else, but I don’t blame them for that because that’s not their fault.

I’m not going to name names. Sorry, I know some of you want to avoid supporting the people I mentioned being bullies but I left the program to get away from the bullshit and if I name names those people and their fans will come after me and I got enough of that in the GC Discord.

I will still be buying new packs. I love The Sims 4, no matter how much the management sucks, and I’m going to continue to play it because it helps me deal. Even before I became a Game Changer my FAQs page has always said “EA could literally announce a pack called something stupid like ‘Plant  Life’ with just a single ugly little pot plant in it and I would pay  whatever they ask”. If you choose not to support the game anymore that’s great and that’s your right to do so, but please don’t give out to me for wanting to continue to do one of the only things that makes me happy.

I will still be doing reviews of new packs. Just because I’m no longer part of the program doesn’t mean I won’t be giving my opinions of new packs, nor does it mean my reviews are going to change. My reviews have always been my 100% honest opinion and that won’t change. The only difference now will be I don’t get early access so my reviews won’t be up until after the pack releases, but on the plus side, I also won’t have to deprive myself of sleep and run myself into the ground to review an entire pack in less than 24 hours like I had to do many times with early access.

Saying “I told you so” is not helpful at all. I was aware from the start that Game Changers were free marketing, I’m not an idiot. I was just naive enough to think that they treated everyone the same within the program.

I stayed for as long as I did because I was stupid enough to think I could help change things. I thought adding my voice to the ones already trying to change things (who are still there trying now) that together we might be able to light a fire under the CM’s butt and get some changes happening to make the whole program more friendly towards creators from ALL platforms but it’s literally like banging your head against a brick wall. Nothing is ever going to change because they don’t want it to, but hats off to the few people still in there trying; they have way more patience and sanity than I do.

Not all the Gurus are bad. In fact most of them are really great, super friendly and treat everyone equally within the whole community; you only have to go to one of their live streams (on their personal Twitch channels, not the Sims official one) to see that. It’s mostly just the CM who I was referring to in this post.

It’s now been TWO MONTHS and SimGuruFrost never got back to me. I am no longer able to log into the Game Changer Network (the site we use to opt in to opportunities for upcoming games and DLC packs) so my credentials have officially been revoked but the CM hasn’t said a word to me. Even though I know for a fact when other people have asked to be removed from the program he practically begged them to “just take a break and then come back when you’re ready”. Just goes to show, standing up for people and fighting for what’s right will get you nowhere within the program; all they want are yes men.

[findingbxlance]

I love The Sims. 

Which is why I will never stop being disappointed in TS4. 

Lets do some math, and I’m going to keep this mainly between TS3 & TS4. While I did play TS2, there isn’t a lot of information readily available on what the games themselves cost at the time of release. I have some information on that, but I’m not sure if it’s 100% accurate as I was baby when they came out and my mom had to buy them for me. I’ll release it later if anyone is curious. 

TS3 launched with a base game priced at $49.99, and throughout it’s lifetime accrued nine stuff packs at $19.99 each, and eleven expansion packs priced at $39.99 a pop. This comes to a total of $669.79. 

TS4 launched with a base game price of $59.99 (that price soon dropped to $49.99 because the backlash was immediate), and introduced the new game pack. In total (as of 4/15/2020), TS4 has sixteen stuff packs at $9.99 each, eight expansion packs at $39.99, and eight game packs at $19.99. That comes to a total of $699.67. 

That’s not a huge price difference. All in all, it’s about $30 if you want to get the whole, complete collection, so why do I dislike TS4 so vehemently? 

Quality. 

Let’s compare a few expansion packs just to get a feel for what the difference is.

 TS3 launched the “Late Night” expansion at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Bridgeport) with 82 lots

Fame & reputation systems

Bars & night clubs

Apartments with penthouse suites

Subways

Elevators

Breast & muscle sliders in CAS*

Zodiac signs

A fountain tool*

Height adjustment for wall objects

Groups & bands

Butlers

Vampires!

The mixology skill

2 new traits (shy & star quality)

TS4 launched the “Get Famous” expansion at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Del Sol Valley) with 11 lots

Fame & reputation systems

Active acting career

Multiple ways to become famous 

Music, video station, etc.

And that’s about it. 

Now I’ll be the first person to admit that TS3 wasn’t perfect. Although it was a very full game, it struggled in areas of performance. With such large, open worlds, and detailed customization systems, it was pretty buggy for a lot of people, but we’ll talk on that more later. 

But what I want to focus on is the disparity between these two packs, as they’re supposed to be mirrors of one another. “Get Famous” is the TS4 version of “Late Night”, so where did all the stuff go?

Well, EA broke it into 3 packs. 

To get the full experience of “Late Night” in TS4, or at least something similar, you would need to purchase, “Get Famous”, “City Living”, and “Vampires”. That’s 2 expansion packs, and 1 game pack. So, to replicate the experience of “Late Night” you would need to spend $99.97. 

That’s almost $100. 

So, for an experience we paid $39.99 previously in the last installment, we’re now being asked to pay $100 for. 

Is that fair? 

Lets do another expansion pack comparison: 

TS3 launched “Ambitions” at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Twinbrook) with 82 lots

5 new active jobs that take you all around the world your sims inhabit

Firefighter, investigator, ghost hunter, stylist, and architectural designer

Self-employment

Sculptors, inventors, painters, writers, gardeners, and so on can all profit from at home work

Laundry

Tattooing career

New traits (eco-friendly, good observer, weirdo, etc.)

Consignment stores

Inventing

Sculpting

TS4 launched “Get to Work” at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Magnolia Promenade) with 4 lots

3 new active jobs that take place in one location

Detective, doctor, scientist

Baking & photography skills

Retail lots

Illnesses for sims

Aliens

There’s definitely more crossover here, but “Get to Work” still falls short. $39.99 for a full game and all we get is a world with 4 lots? Even in TS2 “Open for Business” we had more to do.

And, that isn’t to mention the fact that “Get to Work” launched separately from the TS4 “Laundry Day Stuff” pack. So, to get a similar experience to TS3′s “Ambitions” you would need to purchase both “Get to Work” and “Laundry Day Stuff” at a total of $49.98. 

One more comparison for good measure. 

TS3 launched “Island Paradise” at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Isla Paradiso) with 118 lots, the most of ANY TS3 expansion

Houseboats that can move anywhere around the island

Resorts that you can either visit, or own, manage & edit

New transportation modes

Boating, skiing, and windsurfing

3 new careers

Lifeguard, resort manager, scuba diver

Diving into fully realized underwater scenes

Sims could also catch fish, explore underwater caves & find sunken treasure

Shark & kraken attacks

Mermaids!

Missions to discover and unlock new islands

Blueprint templates*

TS4 launched “Island Living” at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Sulani) with 11 lots

Docks & new foundation types

4 new careers

Conservationist, diving, fishing, and lifeguard

Mermaids! 

Boats

Missions to clean up the island

2 new traits

In the case of “Island Paradise” vs. “Island Living” there are a quite a few similarities, but the disparity remains. Thankfully, this time around EA didn’t break “Island Living” into multiple packs, but imagine if in a few months we get a resort style pack? Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past EA. 

In these pack comparisons, I hope I’ve highlighted some of the issues between what should have been pretty similar packs. 

And, to clarify, I’m not saying that EA should have just copy pasted TS3 packs into the TS4 style, but for the amount of money they’re asking, the quality should remain the same. There should be a similar amount of features between each pack, but there isn’t.   

With each expansion, it feels like EA is spending less and less time working on the unique gameplay features, and pouring more time into the general aesthetics of the packs. So, while TS4 is the prettiest of all The Sims titles, it’s also the emptiest. 

Despite the shiny veneer of a good game with solid graphics, TS4 ultimately lacks depth. It doesn’t feel like a game, but rather a character creator. I spend more time building sims and their homes than I do actually playing out their lives.

All in all, I find that the “life simulation” part of TS4 is severely lacking. It mostly comes down to the little things, which is exemplified whenever I go back and replay TS2. Sims would cuddle their partner in their sleep, burglars were a real and present danger, raccoons would topple your trash can at any given chance, and friends would call all the time to ask if you wanted to go downtown. 

It’s been 6 years since TS4 came out, and, from what the dev’s have said, they aren’t planning on pushing out TS5 anytime soon, but let’s dream a little bit about what could be. 

In my perfect game, TS5 would include aspects of TS3 and TS2. The open worlds were great, but not many people’s computers were beefy enough to run them. The one thing I will applaud about TS4, is that its made with everyone in mind. We can’t all afford big, gaming computers, a lot of simmers play on their laptops, and we should all be able to play regardless of what type of machine we’re working with. 

So, instead of fully open works with 90+ lots, I would like to see open neighborhoods. If we take the open concept of TS3, and combine it with the neighborhood style of TS4, we’d get an open world of about 15-20 lots. That’s nowhere near as big as TS3, but would allow for more fun neighbor interactions, and remove the constant load screens. 

I’d also like to see a return of the color wheel. This is also a point of contention, where I understand that excessive customization really dragged down TS3 and made it unplayable for a lot of people. So instead of full customization, relegate it to just colors (instead of different materials like fabric, metal, wood, etc.,) and just CAS. 

I think a lot of what gummed up TS4 was the fact that you could customize everything. Hair color, eye color, makeup, clothes, accessories, wallpaper, paint, tiles, flooring, chairs, sofas, decorations, and on and on. Restricting it just to CAS, and in a simple color wheel would give us so much more freedom. 

A color wheel in CAS would also solve EA’s issue of diversity. While they’ve given us the ability to create trans and nonbinary sims (which is fantastic!), they’ve been really slow on any progress when it comes to skin tones. A color wheel would allow us to create sims of all colors, and give power to the players to create more realistic and diverse representations of their lives as sims. 

The last thing I would really love to see is a return to the little details. Give us more randomness. Genies, walking skeletons, ruins we can explore that aren’t just rabbit holes, more active careers, more opportunities. Don’t be afraid to give us the weird things, we love the weird things! But don’t forget about the little things. Sims sitting in the grass together and chatting, sims leaving flowers at your door after a really great date, sims scooting together to cuddle while watching a movie together on the couch. 

Overall, TS5 should just include more more, if that makes sense. 

Leave your comments & thoughts below! I’d love to talk to ya’ll about this, its really been brewing for awhile. 

*Features included in TS4 base game. 

[cyberqueen-13]

How Do You Feel

Here's my rant: First I want to thank you for making this video and all of your videos. That being said, I want University very much. However, it's been 5 years now for The Sims 4 and there's probably no reason for EA to suddenly start to do anything different or worthwhile. The game has been shallow and lacking of depth from the very beginning with it's empty and some would say,  half baked base game, to each DLC that came after it. Each time we put our faith into the next purchase making the game do something we felt it should have done from the beginning. Each time only feeling disappointed and more and more reluctant to get our hopes up with the next packs that followed. EA feels more like a social experiment than anything else. Here are all of these people from so many different countries and walks of life and we all have this same internal drive to continue to support a game we get just enough satisfaction from but never fully feel like it's going in the right direction. There is no other game out there, that I know of, that gets so much money from it's customers after launching a game most would classify as lacking or boring! I'm talking hundreds of dollars from each player if you are like me and feel the need to keep adding each pack waiting for something spectacular to happen and it never does. And to make matters worse, we have to actually  listen to it's producers say things like, "TS4 will be around for many more years because we are still making lots of money."  Those weren't his exact words but that's what he said. This means, they're not going to fix it if it ain't broke. It's making them lots of money so there's no incentive to bring us a better, deeper gameplay filled game when we've showered them in cash with every half baked add-on up to this point.  Oh yeah, the social experiment part....I almost forgot!  Yeah, I'm pretty comfortable with saying I'm addicted to the game. I mean, who else wakes up and turns the pc on to load up on any new news related to a video game. Who else, when actually out in the world finds themselves somehow imagining how they can implement what they see into a game, like building or creating sims based on the guy you saw this morning at a coffeehouse. I actually catch myself daydreaming of new interesting stories I might wanna try and create in the game and I'm not even near my computer. So yeah, I feel it's a social experiment and we are all not only a part of it, but we paid to opt into it. EA reaps the benefits and we pay for the constant letdowns. This isn't much different from our real lives, where we work hard while holding onto hope that it'll pay off for us in the long run. Only to be disappointed but left with just enough hope to try again. But maybe that's the whole point of the game! Who knew it was a "life simulator" after all. I didn't even know I was gonna say that just now. Hmm. Anyway, I want University, even knowing it will be half baked and as shallow as all the other packs. What can I say. I've been a part of this herd of sheep for 5 years. There's no since in thinking I could get out now... But Sims 5!  F EU EA   You're gonna have to earn that $$$ before I let you stick that needle in my arm again.

[nikatyler]

It’s time for another week of replies. I don’t know what to talk about today, other than I just finished my English homework and kinda hate my English teacher now. But it’s fine.

As you might have noticed, the queue now starts two hours earlier than it used to. That’s because I’ve encountred a wonderful glitch. You might have heard about it. Tumblr basically invented time travel. Posts which were queued to be posted between 9-10 pm CET were sent to the past. Some people suggested turning off the “new post types” or whatever. I did that, but it didn’t help.

This website will never cease to amaze me. Just when you thought you couldn’t be more frustrated...it comes up with something new.

jackssims replied to your photo “Oh hey, long time no replies. And these are the first ones of this...”

@ the reference: it’s to the song “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette! “It’s like rain on your wedding day / It’s a free ride and you’ve already paid” are parts of the chorus

Oh. OH. See I figured it would be a song, I just couldn’t remember for the life of me which one. Now I listened to it and I feel dumb because of course I know this song

In fact, who DOESN’T know this song

myopiccc replied to your photoset “Don’t deny it, Dawn. You like it.”

LOL! She's got me anyway!

Basically

She loves this dork with all her heart

fataleromeo replied to your photoset “Ross: “Happy birthday, Sunset. I have a little gift for you. It’s...”

oooooh love the who reference! ����

jackssims replied to your photoset “Ross: “Happy birthday, Sunset. I have a little gift for you. It’s...”

The Doctor Who reference tho

I had to

simlovinggirl replied to your photoset “My little girl is growing up. She’s going to be an adult. How is that...”

Seriously, where did the time go? I remember when he was a teen just going around kissin' on everyone xD

No joke, I feel the same?? His wild kissing phase happened like half a year ago in my game and it still feels like yesterday

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “Wouldn’t it be nice if they could…I don’t know, maybe slow dance...”

Ts3 waited till the Seasons ts4... nobody knows till thenXD

EA please, if you’re reading this...give us slow dance. Please. I don’t care about anything else. I know a lot of people scream for cars. What are cars good for? Give me slow dancing. And cuddling in bed. Just some cute couple animations in general. Please

Btw unrelated but yeah I don’t care about cars and I would be totally fine without them. There I said it. Also if you guys want cars that’s okay, we don’t have to fight about it.

memesplayssims replied to your photoset

i found the posts from my queue 5 days ago on my blog so your posts may be far back on your blog

Mine were sent on a time travel trip to 16th December 2018 lmao. Tumblr, you ain’t the Doctor, please stop.

alfalfalegacy replied to your photo

Heart eyes ������

I knooooow! I took some cute pictures of them today and...I’m dead. All the quads’ couples are so cute what the heck

cafeheart replied to your photoset “Sunset: “I wanted to talk to you about something. I know you told me...”

i thought i loved ross and caleb but boy are these two blowing them out of the water real fukcin quick!!!

I liked the development Ross and Caleb had. Sunset and Dawn got less of it. But that doesn’t mean I love them less. They’re awesome. At the moment in my game, they’re already engaged and...wow I love focusing on them.

cafeheart replied to your photoset “Sunset: “You’re gonna…sit on me? Do you know how these things are...”

jesus christ dawn's face in the second image

Looks like an angel but is actually a devil

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset

They are so cute!

And wait till you see their children

unstablesims replied to your photoset “There’s nothing quite like getting a massage from the older sister of...”

careful or she will break ur neck lmao

God yes that’s highly possible

justkeeponsimming replied to your photo “~ Del Sol Valley”

This screenshot is so pretty!

Del Sol Valley is very pretty. I’d say the lots are a disappointment, but the scenery around is gorgeous.

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photo “~ Del Sol Valley”

Congratulations!

Thanks! Even though I’m not sure if this is something to congratulate me for, I mean I’m just an obsessed sims freak who completed her sims 4 collection :D Shoutout to my grandparents for giving me money for my birthday and shoutout to Origin for having these ridiculous big sales.

Would I sell my soul to EA? I hate to admit it but possibly

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “Sunset: “Today is going to be eventful, don’t you think?” Caleb: “It...”

Poor Caleb(

I feel bad for him. Actually bad. I even feel a little bad for not quitting without saving.

melien replied to your post “Okay, I follow you because your sims are amazing, and I think I'm one...”

DON'T NEED MONEY DON'T TAKE FAME

DON’T NEED NO CREDIT CARD TO RIDE THIS TRAIN

melien replied to your photo

������

Ahhh I love Myra so much. She’s the only one who can handle Lydia, let’s be real (god I can’t wait to show their little story!). She deserves an award, just like Sharon (as I said yesterday on the ask).

Hmm, Putting Up with a Dumbass Award sounds like something many of the sims in my game should win. 

melien replied to your photoset “Things I’ve never expected to see: This”

Battle of the bumps

I hate this

melien  replied to your photoset “The baby should be here soon and I’m excited. Even though I didn’t...”

Could you bless my game with some aliens? I never get alien babies like ever

Try naming a sim Caleb, that works, they like Calebs

jackssims replied to your photoset “Do I have to? What’s the point if I’m going to be…you know…young...”

This still works, since you’re still fulfilling the requirements of the gen!

dandylion240 replied to your photoset “Do I have to? What’s the point if I’m going to be…you know…young...”

Works for me XD

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “Do I have to? What’s the point if I’m going to be…you know…young...”

It` like reblogging "If you not reblog smth bad happens" and deleting it straight away - still countsXD

That’s exactly what I thought too. Glad we’re on the same page :D And yeah, comparing it to that is pretty accurate, I didn’t even realize. Well, in this case, his “old age” will stay “reblogged” for a bit. But still, it’s basically the same thing!

[sheplaysthegames]

20 Questions for Simmers

1.) Favorite Sims Game

While I have played and loved every version of The Sims, I think my absolute favorite was The Sims 2. It was the one I couldn’t put down! The little details and humor are what really stand out when I look back, and I don’t remember having any real problems with it either since the game itself was pretty solidly developed and bugs tended to be squashed quickly. Overall, I was never bored playing The Sims 2 and I still occasionally boot it up just to reminisce.

2.) Yourself in 3 Traits

Ambitious, dog lover, neat

3.) CC or No CC

I play with a small amount of CC. Everything I download is Maxis-match, and I pull pieces out whenever we get new official content that I can use instead.

4.) Preferred Part of the Game

I really like each part of the game and try to spend my time evenly among them. Lately I’ve been building and messing around in CAS more than actually playing though. Oops!

5.) Favorite Expansion Pack

In The Sims, my favorite EP was Makin’ Magic. I was so young when I played that I thought I was incredibly clever for figuring out the pattern to the spells in the dueling arena so that I’d win every time. And I had a lot of fun creating one of each type of potion and then trying them out on the poor, unsuspecting townies!

In The Sims 2, my favorite EP was Bon Voyage. I spent so much time completing every single vacation memento! Some of them were really hard to figure out too, so finishing the collection was really rewarding to me. All three of the destinations were equally fun to explore with their local dances, gestures, foods, and massages. I could really feel the difference between visiting Takemizu Village, Twikki Island, and Three Lakes.

In The Sims 3, my favorite EP was Ambitions. The firefighter career and the new inventing skill were the real highlights to me. I spent weeks creating a Simbot without cheating, and firefighting was a really exciting change from the standard rabbithole careers. Another neat feature was the ability to sculpt statues of Sims. Never-melting ice sculptures looked great in mansions, and of course stone sculptures made great monuments to ‘famous’ Sims in town.

In The Sims 4, my favorite EP (so far) is Seasons. The weather effects are beautiful, the raincoats and rainboots and umbrellas are adorable, kiddie pools are the greatest item ever created, and temperature is just such a vital addition that it's finally starting to feel like a full game for me! Seasons and weather in general also function differently in each world, which is perfect. I didn’t want snow in Oasis Springs, and Brindleton Bay desperately needed fog and rain to feel complete.

6.) Favorite Game Pack

In The Sims 4, my favorite GP (so far) is Vampires. I never really liked this life state before, but this time around they’re fantastic! The abilities help differentiate each vampire from one another, and I love that they don’t have to ask permission nicely before biting a Sim. The sticker cracks and spider webs are also something I’d been wanting to help make places seem less perfect. Overall, the life state seems so detailed and sets a much higher bar for future life states. I don’t even mind paying for each individually if they’re this well-done.

7.) Favorite Stuff Pack

In The Sims 2, my favorite SP was H&M Fashion. Honestly, I just really loved all the new clothing that kept my Sims from constantly matching each other. And building a clothing store with all the cool retail items that came with it was a lot of fun too!

In The Sims 3, my favorite SP was Town Life. The rabbitholes were more modern and added some variety since most of the others were the same building with slightly different colors. I had a lot of fun remodeling my more modern worlds with them.

In The Sims 4, my favorite SP (so far) is Laundry Day. I’m a sucker for realism elements so adding another menial chore for my Sims makes me happy. The laundry system is surprisingly complex, the furniture filled in a lacking farmhouse style I felt was missing from the game, and stackable machines look perfect in apartments. The clothing and hairstyles were also very well-done and I have to actively try not to overuse them on all my Sims.

8.) Least Favorite Expansion Pack

In The Sims, my least favorite EP was House Party. It felt like the smallest addition we were given, and parties weren’t enough for me to explore more than a handful of times before I got bored. As soon as the next EP came out, I moved on to the new content and I don’t think I ever threw another party again.

In The Sims 2, my least favorite EP was Nightlife. It wasn’t bad at all, it was just the one I used the least. My personal gameplay style at the time was incredibly family-oriented and you just don’t take your kids to clubs. I only ever went to the new Downtown subhood for first dates and a few marriage proposals since the date interactions were pretty cute.

In The Sims 3, my least favorite EP was Showtime. I don’t think I ever really played with anything from it. The ‘optional’ online connection where you would send your Sims to someone else’s game to perform really made me mad since some of the items you paid for were locked away behind it and I had no desire to participate. And the whole in-game news feed and achievement system were horrible and really caused problems. The venues were also super glitchy so even when I did give the new active careers a go, trying to complete a performance was almost impossible. Overall, the whole thing felt like more trouble than it was worth.

In The Sims 4, my least favorite EP (so far) is Get to Work. I think my expectations were just too high going into it. The active careers are okay, but none of them make me actually want to follow my Sims to work past the first few days because they get highly repetitive and there’s no real risk associated with them. The retail system also seems a bit lacking. There are very few retail items to use when building a store, although I do have to mention that the clothing mannequins are pretty cool. And actually running it is too easy since you can just instantly restock the items even if they’re unique things that you’ve made your Sims create.

9.) Least Favorite Game Pack

In The Sims 4, my least favorite GP (so far) is Spa Day. It’s not nearly as immersive as the others. There isn’t much to do outside of getting a massage or doing yoga, and both are kind of boring to do repeatedly over and over. It doesn’t expand on the gameplay nearly enough to be categorized as a GP in my opinion; I’d demote it to SP.

10.) Least Favorite Stuff Pack

In The Sims 2, my least favorite SP was Glamour Life. It added the least versatile stuff. Most of my Sims weren’t swimming in cash, so the items, particularly the clothing, were rarely used since they’d look and feel out of place. 

In The Sims 3, my least favorite SP was Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats. I didn’t even buy it and I have no idea why anyone did. The objects were all horrible and cheesy. There was literally nothing good about it. At all. Ever.

In The Sims 4, my least favorite SP (so far) is My First Pet. No matter how many times they deny it, it’s a massive money grab. The furniture set literally completes what they left incomplete in Cats & Dogs! The clothing is for the most part just recolors of what we already have! And to top it all off, there’s just one new critter. They claim four, but it’s the same thing with a different skin overlay. I am perfectly fine with some items in a pack being dependent on owning previous packs so that they can continue to expand on past content. But to release this immediately after the associated EP and for it to pretty much be the rest of the items that we were missing from said EP...certainly seems like they withheld content just to wring an extra $10 from their players. Especially since it wasn’t even mentioned in their quarterly teaser. Haven’t bought it, and will not until it’s on sale.

11.) Custom or EA / Maxis Sims

EA / Maxis Sims are the best! I adore the premades and their unique, weird stories. My favorite thing to do is make them over and put an interesting spin on their storylines while still keeping them recognizable.

12.) Households or Single Sims

Definitely households. I prefer organized chaos with lots of things going on at once! There just isn’t enough to do when there’s only one Sim.

13.)  Free Will On or Off

Free will is always firmly set to off in my game. I’m a dictator when it comes to my Sims and I make no apologies for that.

14.)  Favorite Life Stage

Toddlers. They’re just so darn cute! The expanded skill building this time around is really cool since they actually learn in discernible stages instead of all at once, and I’m still not over their ability to go up and down stairs all on their own. The little mess-makers also have some of the cutest interactions with other Sims and their environment.

15.)  Favorite Life State

Aliens. The first time I ever had a Sim abducted was in The Sims 2, and it terrified me because I had no idea what was going on and didn’t know if he was ever going to come back. Then he was finally returned and popped out an alien baby! It was just so surprising and ever since I’ve had a particular fondness for extraterrestrials.

16.) Favorite Skill

Cooking is probably my favorite skill to build. Something about getting to see what those difficult dishes look like is just fun to me. Since The Sims 4 actually includes 3 separate skills for cooking, gourmet, and baking skills I’ve been having a blast discovering all the new recipes!

17.) Ever Completed a Legacy

Only once, way back in The Sims 2. It lasted a grand total of 16 generations before I wound up making the move to The Sims 3. I’ve tried numerous times since then, but The Sims 3 was too buggy to play a single file that long and The Sims 4 is still missing a couple of key features that I’d like to have before trying again.

18.) Longest Simming Session

When I had more free time (and was significantly younger), I happily confess to wasting away a full weekend playing The Sims 2. These days I’m lucky to get a couple hours a week here and there. Ah the joys of growing up!

19.) Personal Sims Wishlist

There are a few things I’m still really missing for The Sims 4. I’m hoping universities and witches are making a comeback soon as they’re crucial to my planned storylines. Fairies, werewolves, and a beach vacation world would also be wonderful to have but they’re less important to me.

20.) Unpopular Opinion

I don’t miss the open world system from The Sims 3 at all. I’m perfectly happy trading it for every world to be connected. Every save file is a megahood and I find that preferable to a single, completely open world. I also think that it makes the game more stable for everyone, especially lower-end computers. The loading screens are worth it!

[maxismatchccworld]

Created for: The Sims 4 by asiashamecca

*** Created with Seasons and Game Version 1.46.18.1020 (August 16, 2018 Update) *** PLEASE NOTE: You WILL need the current Neia Career Commons file (included in download) also! Educators are amazing! I think of facing a room full middle school kids and my knees get weak. Also, there are so many paths and choices you can make in the education field. And all of them are equally important and interesting. I wanted to kind of dig into what kinds of things Educators do (and I kind of miss the Sims having a teacher career). I hope you have a teacher in your game who will enjoy it. Most of the paths have 5 levels. Academia has 7, taking you all the way up to university President. The idea is that your Sim will probably be an Elder by that time, which seems fitting. Also, that's where the big Simoleons are.  Pay levels are more EA than realistic for a teacher. Educators are sadly underpaid. I wanted to give your Sims a break and pay them what Educators DESERVE. Play with life, right? Lastly, during most of the school and Academia levels you earn a ridiculous amount of PTO. Like, a day per day. Rack it up and take summers off like a real teacher (well, except your Sims will get paid, so BONUS!). And so... on to... The Ultimate Educator Career Teaching is one of the most challenging careers a person can pursue. Expect to work long hours in what can be a highly stressful environment. However, educators can make positive impacts that may last for their students’ lifetimes. Great teachers do it all. Across all ages, languages, ethnicities, and subjects, teachers are some of the most widely skilled people around. Are you patient, calm, and detail-oriented, with an ability to clearly communicate information? Education may be the field for you.

Ultimate Educator Teaching is one of the most challenging careers a person can pursue. Expect to work long hours in what can be a highly stressful environment. However, educators can make positive impacts that may last for their students’ lifetimes. Great teachers do it all. Across all ages, languages, ethnicities, and subjects, teachers are some of the most widely skilled people around. Are you patient, calm, and detail-oriented, with an ability to clearly communicate information? Education may be the field for you. Grade-Level Teacher Welcome to your first teaching job. At the most basic level, a teacher is expected to be a fount of knowledge: an expert in their field with a thorough understanding of the subjects they instruct. School is the place where much of a student’s future is determined, and it is teachers who play a large role in a students' direction. Stay sharp and keep their interest. Remember, your role is not only to teach, but to inspire and empower! Mood: Focused PTO: 0.99999 Hourly: $21 Daily: $168 Schedule: M T W T F - - Objectives: Charisma 1, Logic 1, Wellness 1 Master Teacher You’re developing professionally. Why should you keep your wealth of knowledge to yourself? You’re already a leader in your school, sharing knowledge and skills with others; mentoring new teachers; and developing strong relationships with parents, families, and stakeholders in the community. Now as a certified Master Teacher, you also serve on the district school board and help define the most effective use of district resources. Mood: Focused PTO: 0.99999 Hourly: $23 Daily: $184 Schedule: M T W T F - - Objectives: Charisma 2, Logic 2, Wellness 2 Mentor Teacher Staff attrition costs districts billions of dollars, contributes to low teacher morale and disrupts student learning. To combat this problem, many school districts use mentoring programs to support new teachers. A common element of these programs is assigned mentors, who guide new teachers' professional learning. Hey! That’s you! Congrats! Mood: Focused PTO: 0.99999 Hourly: $26 Daily: $208 Schedule: M T W T F - - Objectives: Charisma 3, Logic 3, Wellness 3 Curriculum Specialist A curriculum specialist works on developing and improving curricula and assessing the effectiveness of curricula and instruction. Sounds fancy right? With your invaluable experience teaching in the classroom this was a natural fit for you. You also advance staff development, conduct research on trends in curriculum and make recommendations to the administration. Mood: Focused PTO: 0.99999 Hourly: $30 Daily: $240 Schedule: M T W T F - - Objectives: Logic 4 Graduate Student As rewarding as a career in education can be, classroom teaching is not always the final destination for many educators. You love teaching. But can’t help feeling you could be more… impactful. Maybe traditional classroom teaching isn't for you? There are plenty of roles in education that would benefit from your experience and skills. Time to go back to school and expand your options a bit, and with the grants you landed, you can study full time! Mood: Focused PTO: 0.99999 Hourly: $35 Daily: $245 Schedule: M T W T F - - Objectives: Logic 6, Writing 1

Path 1: School Leadership Did you thrive in leadership roles at your school? Crave the opportunity to grow beyond your classroom? Your path as an educator may expand into positions where you oversee everything from the budget to the performance of the entire teaching staff. If you like the idea of creating standards around education and cultivating leadership in others, school leadership sounds like the career for you! Principle (Level 10) Look out Joe Lewis Clark! As Principle (at last), YOU are responsible for establishing a schoolwide vision of commitment to high standards and the success of all students. You have the chance to set your own academic vision, supervise staff to reach it and build a culture… your way! They may never make a movie about you, but you’ve touched and molded a LOT of lives in your career and that’s what it’s all about. Hey!... On the other hand, maybe they will at that! Mood: Focused PTO: 0.99999 Hourly: $78 Daily: $702 Schedule: M T W T F - - Objectives: Charisma 10 Path 2: Education Products and Services The skills you learned as a teacher have prepared you to develop products and services for teachers and schools. What’s more, you have a keen understanding from your experience of what materials and services and would be helpful to classrooms. Love to write, coach… never seen a societal issue you didn’t want to join or advance? Education Products and Services may be your calling! Startup Founder  (Level 10) Education should be for every student. Not just the ones who can afford textbooks. Partnering with Sim Scholastic you form a foundation to provide free educational digital media to for free to students most in need. Digi-Ed produces solutions and products in conjunction with Sim Scholastic to address that unmet need and finds the resources to distribute them… for free. You entered this career to make a difference. Now you do that on a national scale. Mood: Energized PTO: 0.33000 Hourly: $105 Daily: $840 Schedule: M T W T F - - Objectives: Charisma 10, Logic 10 Path 3: Policy and Advocacy Advocacy encompasses a wide range of activities that influence decision makers. Further your commitment to education by sharing what you know with new audiences. Advocating for teacher issues and pursuing policy positions involves relationship building, networking and strong leadership skills. You can lead a classroom, but can you lead teachers in demanding the help and resources they desperately need? Foundation Founder  (Level 10) Your policies have made a difference and now it’s time to use those policies to make the system better. You’ve founded the Nationwide Board of Teaching Standards (NBTS). Your team is committed to advancing better teaching and the NBPTS is the gold standard in teaching certification. Higher standards for teachers means better learning for students and your national voluntary system certifies teachers to meet those standards. Well done! Mood: Energized PTO: 0.33000 Hourly: $115 Daily: $920 Schedule: M T W T F - - Objectives: Charisma 10, Logic 10 Path: 4: Academia If you decide to pursue education to the level of academia you will influence students at the collegiate level. On a given day, you might have to write a reference for a student; develop teaching materials; read and comment on a PhD dissertation; review a journal article and organize a workshop. Choose Academia and a professional life surrounded by brilliant colleagues, teaching stimulating advanced courses could be yours. University President  (Level 10) As University President, your overarching mission is to provide the university with long-range strategic vision. You oversee 50,000 students, 4,000 faculty, and 28,000 employees. You have used your office to push forward initiatives for BBU, such as expanding online courses, hiring more faculty, and increasing the efficiency of the university. Fundraising is a big part of your job too, and you frequently meet with lawmakers, businesses, and other leaders who can make a positive impact on the school. Congratulations President. You are a leader for the Brindleton Bay University- both on campus and off. Mood: Focused PTO: 0.75000 Hourly: $253 Daily: $2024 Schedule: M - W T - - - Objectives: None (hasn't your poor old Sim been through enough? )

Download: http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=618068 Get featured: https://maxismatchccworld.tumblr.com/

[lowcaloriesims]

a rant

Maybe I’m in the minority, but I think that artists should have the options to get paid for the work they do. I’m glad that society has realized this, and doesn’t start witch trials for people that create CC and ask for some sort of monetization from it. I’m so glad that we have moved on from the days of the Sims 2 era, where it was basically illegal to ask for donations in anything a person created online at all.

Do I think that there are people who do scummy things? Yeah. I hate it when creators make cool looking CC and they attach ad fly links to their upload on sims file share. I also find it stupid when a creator deletes their content from all of the world because someone “stole their mod” and uploaded it to another site...when the content wasn’t even something that they created to begin with. It may be a fine line, but there are people who literally just reskin something actually create something by EA, and then call it ‘theirs’. I know that, if anyone were to even read this, they wouldn’t agree with me on this. And that’s okay. I just want to get this off my mind.

I find it really stupid how the community used to be even back in 2013-2014 era, which in some ways, wasn’t even that long ago. I remember back then how the sims community acted like the sims resource was the devil, and to never even look at things on there. In some ways, I feel like it’s still like that today. But I won’t deny that TSR does scummy things too. Like, without paying for a subscription, the timewall is awful. Won’t deny that. But I feel like we’ve moved on from ‘pay sites must be destroyed’ to ‘yeah. I can get behind donating to a creator because man, they’re fixing the game!’. Maybe if people like JMP didn’t act like donating to certain creators was the worst thing ever you could do, perhaps we could have seen better fixes to issues in TS2, and the early years of TS3. I chalk up his personality to the ‘Angry Gen X cool guy that has to be nihilistic and loud to be understood, and funny’.

I was just a young teen when the Sims 2 ended, and the Sims 3 started. So I wasn’t on the forums where all the drama took place, and at the age of 28, I still don’t know or understand a lot of the mentality behind it either. Reading what I can about that time period, from what hasn’t been taken down or left to go defunct (a lot of sites from the ts2 era don’t exist anymore), I just feel like the whole situation is stupid.

It is just so crazy to me that back then people were against sites that asked for donations. Like, no-one bothered to think how expensive it is to create a website, upload things to it, and keep the damn thing up? What I find most ironic is how JMP would create websites to pirate other peoples’ content, and yet no-one seemed to realize that it would even cost him money to do so. Maybe that fits more within his cause - he could create websites and not ask money for it. But I think that with time, the sites he had did not age well.

I was reading how there were people against ‘Around The Sims’, a great content creator, converter, and more. I just recently came across their website this year, despite playing TS3 on PC for over 5 years. I think that with the ‘Anti pay site’ mentality, creators like ATS were buried, despite having free content. Demonizing a creator like them makes no sense to me. Just because they have the option to donate doesn’t make them greedy. But in the end, look at where we are with our creators.

ATS is still around to this day. Lazy Duchess (who you can buy a coffee for) literally has fixes for two sims games. We have plenty of people that create content such as hair, clothes, and more, content you can still download for free, but if it’s your choice, you can donate to on patreon, kofi, or wherever.

The demonization of sites during the ts2 era largely left a lot of them to going defunct, and only recently being able to have been archived. There was actually some good content that a person would have had to donate to or pay for...and then it was lost forever because it was illegal to want a dollar. There were some sites that had a one time pay thing. And those were shit on too. It’s so stupid to me. Like, who cares if a person wants money. If you don’t agree with the content, just move on. Why create a mob mentality that is only going to hurt people?

There are some sources that state that it was against the TOS and copyright law for a person to sell CC of ts2. I need to find the actual documentation of this, because I get a feeling that some of mobs against donations were twisting the wording completely.

I’m just glad that we don’t shit on people for asking for a little help for the things they do. Maybe the community finally realized how hard it is to create things on a computer. Especially working CC, that isn’t corrupt, nor would corrupt your game. It’s ironic that Pescado created a mob mentality against other people, but no-one ever seemed to complain about him? One of the greatest faults with the items he’d create, such as the bat box, was that there was little documentation to help the player. In fact, it’s pretty impossible to find actual useful information on the FFS bat box, even on the sims wiki.

With the advent of the sims 3, there was the awesome mod for that, but JMP largely became defunct with ts3, especially when Nraas came around. I am so glad that the Nraas team are still around, and helping people today. If you ask for help with something from them, they actually help you, instead of bumping you on the head and calling you stupid. 

I guess it was a sign of the times. That’s just how things were back then. During the early 2000′s, everyone was an internet tough guy. JMP definitely was. There are remnants of mods from that era, which if you play with today are honestly super cringe now. idek, I’m just complaining about a whole different era. The Gen X internet generation was definitely not the same as how things are now. And I am so glad for that.

[lovely-lizzey]

My Honest Opinions So Far on Sims Mobile [A Positive Takeaway]

So Sims Mobile released (mostly) worldwide yesterday and I and a lot of others were texted about it this morning. I just want to start out with saying that I grew up playing the Sims from the first game at about six (I’m almost 23 now) and I adore the franchise. Believe me, I know it and EA are not perfect. However, I actually have really really enjoyed playing this new game so far. Also, my friend code is ADVKRUU if anyone wants to add me I still have 30 open slots.

I want to start with the positives. I love how the game looks and feels. I’m giving Freeplay another shot and ironically redownloaded it about the time this new Sims game dropped. With Freeplay, I really struggle getting past how the sims look and I really don’t like how to unlock marriage and babies and basically any additional perk in the game, there’s quests that time out and if you don’t have what you need to extend them and don’t want to pay actual money, you just don’t get that aspect of the game. The first time I tried and quit Freeplay back in about 2014 was because my toddler quest timed out and I just can NOT play Sims without toddlers. It’s one of my favorite age groups. Anyway, I’m getting away from the point. With the Sims mobile the first thing I noticed and the first enormous positive is that marriage and age groups are unlocked by level and if you keep playing the game and play pretty regularly throughout your day, you hit those levels very quickly and can begin the game married and with children pretty quickly if that’s what you want to do.

 A lot of people on the Sims mobile forum on EA’s site who played the soft release were complaining about their not being need bars anymore. Honestly, I don’t miss this AT ALL. I prefer the Sims being able to use their bed, shower, and toilet once a day to get more energy. Another downfall of freeplay was that after you played the game a while and your sims needs deteriorated, you spent most of the day getting them back to white if you didn’t have lifepoints or cake or whatever the microtransaction advantage was. A lot of people have also been complaining about the new tasks during careers, hobbies, and relationship events. I don’t think these individuals realize that when your sims has energy and you take the time to tap them along, each little task within the event only takes five seconds and they can finish it much faster with your help. Speaking of, I love the way the Sims mobile notifies you when your sim’s energy is full—they say they could do it better with you and as someone with depression and anxiety, it’s really encouraging. I know it’s just a game, but I like the way the app provides a sense of your sims needing you. Energy refills fairly quickly, too. I’m an online student and a mother and frequently am looking after my niece and nephew, so I haven’t noticed exactly how long it takes to fully refill, but when I need a break from a paper or get some time between taking care of the littles, I have really enjoyed being able to just pick up my tablet and give my sims a boost in whatever event they are working on.

 Now, of course, there are some negative aspects, but I just want to preface these by stating that I’m hopeful they will change. The team was really receptive to those who spoke up during the soft release and though I’m not naive enough to believe they’ll read this specific post or anything, I’m hopeful if enough are outspoken and honest with their thoughts on the app, it will only improve. First off, I do agree wholeheartedly with the complaints on the object packs in the store. I know any mobile game is going to have microtransactions and was not at all surprised to see the cupcakes and simcash having a place in the store, but they are available to earn at a smaller pace as you play the game and I intend to just do that and not pay anything towards them. The object packs, however, are ridiculous. I don’t know anyone in their right mind who would pay $90 for a bedroom set in a mobile game. This is the highest one and the others I believe are closer to $10 but even then. I’m not paying the amount of a game pack for five items within the game. The cost of these is way too high. Say what you want, but if I’m going to pay cash for a mobile game, I want to feel it’s worth it and two couches and a rug and lamp are not worth $10 in my game.

 I also really don’t like that we aren’t able to customize or dress toddlers, children, and unplayed adults in the household. I’m hoping the team is already working on adding this into the app. I also am a bit confused about the sim slots. I think I’m about level 18 now and I still only have 2 adult sims slots. 2 of my household children have aged up to adults and the ability to promote them within the family photo screen is greyed out. The only way it looks like I can get a third and fourth slot is to pay like 170 simcash and I only have about 80. The smallest simcash microtransaction is $5 for like 400 or something. I would have honestly paid $1 or $2 for 100 or 200 to get the slot, and that is not currently an option. The third slot may still unlock at a higher level, but regardless, it’s driving me nuts that I can’t customize any of the sims I’m not playing and I’m not ready to retire the first couple in my generation yet.

 All in all, I love the game and I’m hopeful the team working on the app will continue to see what the community thinks and make changes and add content as they feel is best for the game and what we want. I’m very optimistic and I wish people who downloaded it and played it for only a day would just give it an actual chance.

[ameranthe]

A lengthy treatise on DLC and the Sims. Or something.

So now that the bowling stuff pack has been released for The Sims 4 and the topic of game DLC comes up once again in the Simblr community, I feel like I want to sit down and write a post that outlines how the DLC market and the larger gaming market in general has changed how The Sims has been created, marketed and sold over the years. So hold on, this will probably get pretty long.

Lets climb into our wayback machine and head to the year 2000, when The Sims was originally released for PC. The Sim City franchise had been around for quite some time, debuting in 1989, which was cool because you could run a whole city, but Will Wright had this crazy idea about making a game where you could build houses and control mini people. What most people don’t know is that this game was rejected by Maxis once, before being picked up for distribution by EA. So yes, Maxis developed it, but the much-hated EA has been a part of the franchise since the very beginning.

Now, in 2000, we had the internet, for you young people out there. But, there was absolutely no way to download large files in any kind of timely fashion. One song could take hours to download, and a cool show from Japan could take days. Also, at this time DLC was not really a thing. You bought a disc, and that was it. Expansion packs also had to be physically bought, and due to limitations and costs, it just wasn’t worth it to make smaller DLC rather than just putting everything into one big expansion pack. Yes, custom content and mods did exist for TS1, but were still limited by download speeds and bandwidth costs.

The Sims 2 was released in 2004, a mere four years later, and yet a lot of things had changed very quickly. Technology was rapidly expanding, and things that could never, ever have been done on a year 2000 machine were possible. That means the game was richer and fuller than the original, and sims were way more customizable. DLC as a marketed product was still in its infancy during the TS2 years, and while some games were starting to get a lot of paid extras, there was backlash from the gaming community, who felt that everything should be included in the product as shipped. The Sims 2 kept to the same release type as TS1, meaning instead of smaller DLC scattered throughout, each expansion pack contained a large amount of content, and was priced accordingly. This also meant that some expansion packs were thematically all over the place, such as Apartment life, which included apartments and witches. Maybe witches prefer apartments?

This is also when the big controversies over paid custom content created by fans became a huge issue. EA included language in the terms of service agreement which allowed fans to charge money in order to recoup bandwidth costs, but stipulated that the content itself was still owned by EA. EA also chose to stay out of the massive conflicts brewing in the fan community over mod creators generating profits and charging large sums for fan made content. It is worth noting that in the larger gaming community, it is extremely rare for anyone to charge for mods for other games. 

In 2009, The Sims 3 was released. For some this caused cheering, for others it was more of a wet fart noise. Reactions were mixed, is what I’m getting at. It was pretty ambitious in the customization department, using the CAST system, which used quite a bit of CPU power to accomplish. Now, digital download sales were starting to really catch up with physical copy sales, and download times were much less painful. EA also started to run into the PC game maker’s dillema; they can develop for high end computers, pushing the graphic capabilities to the max, and creating gameplay that is smooth and buttery on high end of computers, or they can make a game that looks good and runs well for the majority of customers. Given the popularity of the game among non-hardcore gamers, they clearly went with route two, though at high graphic settings the game could still be quite beautiful.

EA also ran into a second problem with TS3. DLC sales were exploding in other games, where players could opt to pay only for the content they actually wanted, while still relying on expansion packs for larger content upgrades. Think of this in terms of modern MMOs, you can buy a pretty mount for your character to ride around on, but a huge new continent and quest line will be reserved for expansion packs. Obviously, they wanted to try this out with one of their most profitable games, The Sims. Unfortunately for them, many Simmers were not impressed with either the quality or the price of those DLC offerings. They were largely ignored or shared via piracy. 

EA also continued to offer large expansion packs, which could cram disparately themed items into one expansion pack. A lot of simmers wanted more flexibility in choosing the things they wanted in their games. For example, a lot of people loved the idea of cities, but didn’t want the vampires that came lumped in with it.

The Sims 4 arrived on the scene in 2014, and it was instantly either loved or vehemently hated. It returned, in style anyway, to the cartoonish graphics of The Sims 2, and were clearly designed to get the most out of mid-range PCs. They also abandoned the CPU intensive CAST system introduced in The Sims 3. EA also started to push smaller DLC packs in a big way, which has stirred up controversy in the Sims community.

On the one hand, the DLCs created for TS4 are largely viewed as an improvement over the overpriced DLC from TS3. These Game Packs and Stuff Packs include new gameplay and, in the case of Vampires, a new lifestate, things that have previously been solely available in expansion packs. They do allow gamers more freedom in selecting the content they want in their individual games, and allow EPs to focus more tightly on one theme. For some gamers, this pick-and-choose format is preferable to the content dump style EPs of the past.

On the other hand, expansion packs containing the largest amount of new content are slower in being released, which is making some simmers a bit more impatient for new content. The expansion packs are also not any cheaper, despite the fact that content is being spread out over smaller DLC releases. And unlike many other gamers, many simmers are completionists, meaning that they are spending more money on DLC than they were previously spending on expansion packs only.

It is also worth noting that the controversy over paid custom content has died down in the era of The Sims 4, largely because the community in general will not pay for content. 

I personally do not see the DLC system changing much for the release of The Sims 5 (whenever that happens.) Love it or hate it, DLC is a prominent and very profitable part game development. EA is also notorious for loving their DLC, so I can’t imagine that they would ever willingly stop selling it.

What are your thoughts on the matter? 

(Please refrain from turning this into a hate-fest over games you dislike.)

[landgraaab]

the townie legacy challenge (beta)

i haven’t technically finished this challenge, i’m still working on it and i wanted it to be 10 gens but i got stuck at 6! i really wanted to post it though, so if you have any ideas PLEASE tell me!! also if there are any problems, let me know :)

I’m kinda obsessed with the townies in the Sims 4?? i know a lot of people don’t like them but anyone who follows me knows that i’m constantly playing with and making over the ea-made townies. so, i created a legacy challenge inspired by some of their stories. i’d like to thank @mizspiffysims and @itsraininggaysims for helping with this!

rules and stuff below the cut!

GEN 1: JOHNNY ZEST.

You were thrown out of your parent’s luxurious mansion almost instantly after you told them you were dropping out of college to fulfill your dreams of becoming a world-famous comedian. Because your parents generally paid for everything, you have a very small amount of money saved up for the journey. You will have to make do with what you have.

getting started:

- you may either use the actual johnny zest or make your own sim from scratch (must be a young adult)

- if you do choose to use johnny zest, you may age him down to a teen and move him in with the landgraabs for storytelling purposes. of course, you could also do this with your own sim, and make them a family.

- turn “freerealestateon” and move your sim into a 40x30 lot. if the parents exist in the world, then you must move your sim into the same town as their parents. I chose to use johnny zest’s little trailer.

- using the 20,000 simoleons you get when you move in, or set your funds to 20,000 if it isn’t there already, build/decorate your home to your heart’s desire!

- set your funds to 4,000

rules and objectives:

- NO CHEATS besides the ones above.

- you may not talk to your family (if they exist)

- you may not move out of the lot until you are financially stable (40,000 simoleons in total, counting your lot’s value)

- you may only make money by 1. your job (must be entertainer) and 2. performing at a lounge.

- you must marry a sim who you meet at the bar while performing

- stay married to that sim until you die

- have at least two kids

GEN 2:  TRAVIS SCOTT

Your parents could hardly support you during your childhood, so you were eager to move out. However, it was impossible to make it alone in the world! So you do what every other sim your age does: you find some roommates.

getting started:

- the generation begins when your sim ages up to a young adult

- create two sims to move in with you

- create a household for them and 

rules and objectives:

- develop a romantic relationship with both of your roommates

- have one of them find out and move out

- get married to the roommate who stays, but rarely talk to them due to your “scandal”

- have at least one female child. you may make the decision whether or not to have other kids.

GEN 3: MILA MUNCH

Your parents had a nearly non-existant relationship. You don’t want this for your children, but you soon realize that relationships are not as easy as they seem. 

getting started:

- the generation begins when your sim ages up to a young adult

- the sim must be female.

rules and objectives:

- have your heir date a sim who can get her pregnant

- have three kids, do NOT get married.

- have a “falling out” with your significant other. raise your kids by yourself.

- your eldest child may never move out.

GEN 4: CANDY BEHR

You inherit a small home from your grandparents. Once you are of age, you decide to move out of the house you grew up in; your mother has worked hard to make you independent unlike your older sibling. Raising the three of you was hard on her, so you decide to lift some weight off her shoulders by bringing your little sibling with you to the new home.

getting started:

- age up the middle (second) child to a young adult

- age up the youngest child to a teen

- move them into a new house

rules and objectives:

- prove that you’re a responsible adult: have your sibling get an A in high school. never let them ditch school.

- join the entertainer career

- become a DJ if you have get together

- do not get married

- have a child with a stranger (i guess you’re not as responsible as you think!)

- your sibling may not join a career once they age up. they may make money by computer skills such as hacking.

GEN 5: MORTIMER GOTH

You’ve always been a mysterious sim. From childhood, everyone has thought you were a bit.. weird! But you decide to prove them wrong. You get married, get a job, have kids, all the normal adult things. But there’s still something wrong, as if a dark shadow is hovering over your family’s mansion.

getting started:

- earn enough satisfaction points during teenhood to get the “connections” reward

- have the “fabulously wealthy” aspiration when you age up

rules and objectives:

- do not get married until you have at least $50,000 in your savings.      (optional) you may set the lifespan to long until you reach this goal.

- do not have children until you complete your aspiration. you may also extend the lifespan in order to make this goal more realistic.

- have at least two kids

GEN 6: BOB PANCAKES (idea by @mizspiffysims)

Excited by your parents’ romance, you have always dreamed of the perfect relationship. But.. things don’t always go as planned.

getting started:

-sim must have the slob trait

-move out of your parent’s house. you may use freerealestate on but try to avoid anything too fancy.

rules and objectives:

-marry a sim very quickly (as soon as the proposal option is available, do it!)

-elope

-spouse to be must have neat trait

-try to maintain the minimum friendship that is required to get married

-have one or two kids

-don’t talk to spouse during marriage. do not get a divorce either.

GEN 7: DON LOTHARIO (idea by @mizspiffysims and @itsraininggaysims)

Your parents had a loveless marriage. Maybe you’ll be different. (spoiler alert: you won’t. it’s probably just a case of bad genetics.)

getting started:

-have the non-committal trait

-have the romance aspiration that i forgot the name for lol it’s the one that isn’t serial romantic?? idk

-starts at young adult

rules and objectives:

-marry an adult or elder before you become an adult.

-your spouse must have at least one child who is a young adult or older.

-do not get a job, have your spouse provide for you.

-have a relationship with at least one of your spouse’s children.

GEN 8: NANCY LANDGRAAB (idea by @mizspiffysims)

Since you were a child, you have always loved the idea of glamour and being rich. You manage to achieve this, but life will have its twists and turns.

getting started:

-starts at young adult

-have the snob or materialistic trait

rules and objectives:

-join the criminal career

-marry someone in the secret agent or detective career.

-do not tell your spouse the truth about your career.

-have as many children as you wish.

unfinished!

[wildlyminiaturesandwich]

The Sims 4 Moschino Stuff - Early Access Build/Buy Review

Huge thank you to the EA Game Changer Program for providing me with the opportunity to play Moschino Stuff early!

Ever since I saw the trailer for Moschino Stuff, I knew the Build/Buy content was going to be the part of this pack that I was the most excited for and interested in and for the most part I absolutely love a lot of it. But, like CAS, Build/Buy is not without it’s issues.

As always, if you have any questions about the pack, feel free to send me an ask!

See a preview of all the new Build/Buy items here

👗The Buy

I pretty much love all of the Buy Mode objects. The couches come in some very cool patterns as well as solids, the funky pop art mirror is fun, and I love that the end table is much lower than most end tables we have so it sits nice and flush at the same height as the couches and coffee table.

But my favourite things are probably, as always, the decorative stuff. More specifically the LiBEARian (the books with the bear book ends, get it!), the Simsational Style Stack (the magazine pile) and the Amp Stack (they’re all in the pics above). Even though the Amp Stack is purely decorative, it looks very cool sitting next to a guitar and adds a lot of character to any musician’s house!

I also really like the Repurposed Gear Chest (the trunk with stickers on it) that’s essentially a coffee table and looks very cool and retro, and the Tastefully Empty Bookcase which... is not empty at all? lol I do wish the bookcase came in different heights and widths as well, but at least this time it’s a short one, unlike the bookcases that came with Seasons and StrangerVille that I love but never get to use because they’re too tall for short walls.

Something that’s bothered me pretty much since base game released is that there’s no consistent colour palette for all build/buy objects. I get that each pack has specific themes and there might be colours that fit that theme better than others but I would love to see a consistent palette used throughout every pack — say like black and white obviously, 5 different wood tones, 5 solid neutrals and 5 solid “standard” colours (blue, red, yellow etc) — and have every single item that gets added to the game made in those colours, then if a new pack has specific colours for it’s theme they can be added on top of the standard palette. I like the colour palette that was chosen for the items in this pack but I found it really hard to find anything from other packs that matched it. It bothers me so much that nothing ever matches from pack to pack, half the time objects in the same pack don’t even match! And even now that the 350 new swatches were added to base game doors... they still don’t match anything else!

Sorry, I know I’m ranting and this has very little to do with Moschino Stuff but it just really bothers me that nothing ever matches because whenever I build I spend hours trying to find a floor to match the trim around the bottom of the wall I’ve chosen, then none of the doors match the floor and trim so I have to change it all, then none of the windows match the doors, floor and trim, and on and on until I’ve completely forgotten what I originally wanted the build to look like!

I really like the new frames we got for photos too, and the fact that they can now be placed on tables BUT I’ve had a couple of issues with them. First of all, it’s not possible to turn the frames placed on tables using the alt key, so you can only turn them in 45 degree increments and I hate that. I like to have all my photo frames slightly askew at different angles and it bothers me that these ones can only be places either facing straight forwards or angled by 45 degrees.

The second issue I have with the frames is actually more of a technical one but I’m not entirely sure if it’s the frames themselves, the photos, or the photography skill; I haven’t been able to work that out yet. When I have a sim take photos using the new tripod and camera everything is fine, but the second I exit out of the photography UI my FPS drops drastically.

I thought it was just my computer being stupid at first, until other Game Changers started reporting the same issue. I suspect it might be the photos and frames — specifically the new collage frame — because as soon as I remove the frames from the lot, the FPS goes back to normal. My game normally runs at a steady 60 FPS at all times but as you can see here, it drops down to 8-12 whenever there are framed photos on the lot and shoots back up when I delete them.

NOTE: This was with my game 100% CC and Mod free.

All of the new photography gear is so cool too! The fact that most of the items (like the tripod, camera, and tape markers) can be picked up in your sims inventory is so handy; your sim can just grab their equipment and head out into the world to take photos of other sims, landscapes, pets, and themselves literally anywhere they can plop the tripod down! And the backdrops have some really cool backgrounds for you to take photos in front of... or maybe... some other... uses 😈

👗The Build

I think the thing most people were looking forward to in this pack were the beautiful windows and doors; I’m definitely one of those people lol They are definitely gorgeous but as seems to happen every single time we get new windows and doors, the selection is limit in many different ways.

Every single colourway for both the windows and the doors is either white, black, red, or some combination of those colours. There are no colourways that match any of the other colours used on the furniture for the set (like blue, pink and yellow) and absolutely zero wood or neutral tones.

There are also no other heights for both the door and window other than for the shortest wall height, which absolutely baffles me because they’re clearly a set made to be used in lofts and converted warehouse type builds... builds that are generally made with either the medium or tallest wall height. They also didn’t bother to make single tile versions of any of the windows and doors, or even a closed version for the smaller window!

But what’s even more baffling (at least to me) is the way the door was made. I literally spent a full 30 minutes just sitting here in front of my computer, staring at this door, trying to figure out what could possibly have been going through the head of whoever made it when they decided that not only would it be shorter on one side, therefore also shorter than the windows, but also that it wouldn’t take up the full two tiles it was allocated and therefore wouldn’t sit flush up against the windows it was made to go with!

I saw a tweet by one of the Gurus that basically said “It’s the right height on the outside, just flip it around” but... that still leaves you with one side shorter than the windows, it’s just now on the other side, and there’s still gaps at the side! Why you would go to all the trouble to make the windows fit beautifully together like that and then not make the door exactly the same height and width! It bothers me way more than it probably should but I just don’t understand!

On the plus side, there are some base game doors that fit in with the windows (kind of) that I will probably use instead of the Moschino door... at least until someone makes a build add-on for them anyway lol

👗The Verdict

Overall, while I have issues with some of the build/buy stuff, this is where this pack makes up for the lack of CAS stuff in my opinion and what would make me want to fork over the $10 for the pack. To be completely honest, I’d pay $10 just for the LiBEARian though 🤣

All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. I am not paid by EA to “hype” their games; I am given the opportunity to review their games early in exchange for an honest review.

Click here for my Create-A-Sim Review

Gameplay Review coming soon