[AA] Custom Venues vs. Clubs
I know AA has hardly come out, but I just like to give my hot-take on it.
My Hot-Take Review:
Custom Venues seems to more or less replace the Club system (to an extent). It is missing "Banned Activities", which I think is a mistake, because with banned actions Custom Venues would be near perfect replacement for Clubs.
I only just got to playing Sims 4 about a year, and I only got GT this summer. I found it disappointing, it had an 8 member cap, and that I have to manage new ones with active household. But with Custom Venues, I can tweak it all out during build/buy with or without household, have seemingly as many "Role Types" and amounts per type. The Schedule almost seems overwhelming at first, but if you don't have a main activity "Free Time" roles can do as you want them.
This really is nice, and helpful to get just the vibe you want from a community lot. I think this was a great evolution of the Club System (I believe Small Businesses also have a version of this too (I don't have this pack yet)).
What is a missed opportunity, and I think would be great if updated is adding banned activities. This would just fix community lots from inappropriate behaviour (if wanted).
Pros:
- Customize Venue without having to be in an active household.
- You can save Custom Role Types and Custom Schedules.
- Role Types and Schedules can be simple to complex.
Cons:
- No Banned Activities
- Only for Commercial Lots
- Cannot pick "Career Outfits" as a Role Outfit or selection
Conclusion:
You don't really need Clubs anymore, unless you want to keep it as a Social Group that does activities. Custom Venues is like programming NPCs on community lots, and I think it is amazing. If you bought GT for Clubs; you probably will buy AA for Custom Venues (even if you don't play kids/families, getaways/vacations, outdoor activities, etc.).
Next Logical Step:
I think the next step is a pack/update something like this "allowed/banned activities" for the active household/residential lots. Roles for each, or as many household members, to keep them in character—if you only want to control your "main".