Patching in Limited Content + Reward Events?
This is going to be a couple of nitpicks, but it is very annoying that new expansion packs since Cottage Living are advertised with a pre-order bonus incentive of three objects, and there is only a set amount of time to order each pack to get each set of items; after that there is no official way to get the bonus items into the game. I missed out on pre-ordering some packs and it's very frustrating that some other Simmers who didn't get to pre-order miss out on the bonus, too. These are the packs and their pre-order incentives:
- Cottage Living: Gnome on the Go (the Scenic Commuting Bicycle, the "Onward" The Adventurous Gnome, and Bramblewood's DeLIGHTful Tree)
- High School Years: Digital Streamer (the Groove Tube Wireless Speaker, the Spine Reticulating Gamer Chair, and Tri Hard LED panels (left and right versions))
- Growing Together: Outdoor Playtime (the Prime of Childhood Swing Set, Lil' Whalebert Toddler Slide, and the PowerWalk Companion baby carrier)
- Horse Ranch: Rockin' Rancher (the '63 Twilight Notes Resonator Guitar, the Softly Spoke n' Petals, and the Rocking Star)
- For Rent: Street Eats (the Quick Eats Grill, Streetside Stars Shade, and the Peak Freshness Fruit Basket)
- Lovestruck: Heartbreak Happens (the Cry Me a River Eyeliner, the Herbert Heart Plushie, and Basic Breakup Double Bed)
- Life & Death: Macabre Mementos (the Lasting Legacy Family Portrait, Mournful Melodies Music Box, and Plumed Elegance Mask)
- Businesses & Hobbies: Set Up Shop (the Practice Makes Perfect Priscilla Statue, Sweetest Treat Display Case, and Beautiful Flaws Lamp)
- Enchanted By Nature: Fairy Garden (the Lofty Leaf Pond, Luminous Mycena Lantern, and the Disguised Dwelling Fairy Home)
- Adventure Awaits: Warm & Cozy (the Toasty Tower Lamp, Toasty Tootsies Socks, and the Toast-Tea Kettle)
Why don't EA stop doing pre-order bonus incentives entirely, and instead start patching all the limited pre-order bonus content directly into each pack permanently from now on instead of just offering the bonus items as pre-order only?
Another nitpick is the absence of the older Challenge Events and the limited duration of the more recent Reward Events. I never got to participate in the Challenge Events, which were quests designed for collecting a set of items or completing a set of tasks to unlock new objects or new traits. The PlantSim Challenge was the only one to be upgraded into the Plant-a-Sim scenario, but the other events never came back. The Reward Events are basically the same thing which unlocks new items for the base game, but the annoying thing is they can only be played once, and are not available ever again after the end date. Some of the recent events I have not been able to play smoothly due to crashes, and there have been times where I've wanted to actually play the adventure of each of the events again but there is no way to ever trigger the adventure. I know that the Happy at Home Reward Event is the only event that did not require any gameplay to unlock the items, and that EA eventually made these items available to anyone with the base game even if they didn't participate, but I think a better change needs to be made with the events going forward.
Maybe EA should also think about making all the in-game reward events (the Reaper's Rewards Event, the Cozy Celebrations Event, the Blast from the Past Event, the Nature's Calling Event, and the Forever Friends Event, plus all future reward events) as well as the challenge events (the Bunny Egg Hunt, the Spring Challenge, the Day of the Dead Challenge and the Positivity Challenge) permanently available as playable scenarios (or Seasons-exclusive holidays in the case of the Bunny Egg Hunt and the Day of the Dead Challenge), allowing Simmers to relive and have fun with the gameplay with the events and unlock the event items for their Sims at their own pace? Maybe The Sims Sessions event could be reinstated permanently as a base-game festival or as a Seasons-exclusive festival for each in-game summer season?
