Island Living: Unpopular opinion

I LOVE Island Living and use it all the time! It's one of my favorite worlds to live in, I play a lot of Conservationists, it's amazing!

But yes, if you ever refresh Island Living, can you maybe give mermaids a skill tree? Heck, I'd settle for them having their own bassinet and tombstone!

My current save, which I call ROTATION OF INSANITY because I have so many households (I'm playing my pre-made townies and any Maxis prebuilt whose lore/relationships I've tweaked, so my current rotation is Johnny Zest and his wife Zoe Patel in Del Sol Valley) has five households living in Sulani. <3

Also, guys? if you're playing a rags to riches? the waterfall in Sulani is your best friend, and there's even a public bathroom next to the Admiral's Shipwreck...

I think many people just think it was a missed opportunity. Island Living would be a perfect world for a hotel/resort gameplay we got a big world but not much to do there.

For myself I don’t play much in this world it is too bright for me. I like the monsoon there if you have seasons and I like how mermaids looking but this is all. I hope the team will not release again an occult with an EP(exception it would be an occult EP, but this likely never happen). Aliens are bad and mermaids are bad, but at least aliens got a tombstone and bassinet.

I only bought this EP because I am a collector. Don’t get me wrong the world is beautiful as CAS/BB but I don’t think it was worth 40 dollar/Euro in term of gameplay.

I love Sulani life. One of my favourite things to do is to shipwreck a Sim with absolutely nothing in ragged clothing and have them forage, fish and dive to make their fortune. I let them buy a tent after they've earned the money but apart from that I'm quite tough on them.

I also created a family for Mele and Aliki (Alika?) and put them at odds with each other over conservation issues as their daughter married an island guardian.

I've just started my game again after technical problems and I'm rebuilding from the start. So I'm looking forward to adding these Sims back and playing them again.

When I first added it, it was incredibly buggy but it hadn't been out long. It's definitely improved bugwise. I love the dolphins and turtles too but I wish you could get a better look at the sharks. When I realised you could click on the pond logs and get your very own basking turtles I could not have been more chuffed about it.

I love Island Living too! But I was not involved in the Sims community until after it's release, and bought it well after - in fact, it was the free demo that sold me on it. I think Island Living's biggest problem was the marketing/expectations. It sounds like everyone wanted it to be a hotel pack, and expected it to be a mermaid pack, but it's neither (unless you'd describe Get to Work as an "alien pack" which I wouldn't). The marketing should have been much less focused on mermaids and more focused on what it actually is.

There's no hotels, but I didn't buy it for hotels. Mermaids are a simple side feature, but I didn't buy it for mermaids. I love the active careers (I know there isn't an official location, but you can choose "work from home" and then travel to whatever workplace you want to build). I love the odd jobs. I love the beautiful world, and the fact that even toddlers can play in the sand and the water. I love that you can change Sulani by cleaning it up - in my opinion, a better implementation than Eco Lifestyle. I love that the welcome wagon and firefighting have unique local twists to them in this world. I love trying to please the island spirits, or survive near a volcano... and that you can choose if you want to play with either of those lot traits (or mermaids) without them being forced on you every single game. I love that there's activities unique to the island culture - kava parties, cooking in the fire pit, diving - and that kids were not forgotten either, getting a swing set and some pretty good CAS.

@gooochyeee , I have to agree with you on how Island Living actually runs! 🙌 Sims 3 Island Paradise was beautiful and chock full of things to do, but it was just mocking us because it wouldn't let us do those things due to lag and game crashes. 😭  I do hope we eventually get a hotel system in the Sims 4 though! 

@daikoyu , I have to agree with you on hoping they never have supernatural Sims in a EP.  Mermaids look fantastic in Island Living, but their gameplay leaves a lot to be desired! 😓  The same goes for Aliens in Get to Work (Ghosts and PlantSims also are lackluster, but those were free, so I can't really complain ! 😅)  However, I love the gameplay for Vampires, Spellcasters, and Werewolves!!! 🥳 

 @xochiquetzl_xkvn it is so weird that they don't have their own bassinet and tombstone! 😢  Great advice on using Sulani as a Rags to Riches file! 
@gooochyeee thanks for the toddler tip for the 100 Baby challenge !  I don't know if I will ever do that challenge, but you bring up excellent points , and  I love to watch toddlers splash in the water and play in the sand in Sulani! 🥰

@simsplayer818 , my only complaint (besides Mermaids getting short-changed) is that the Off the Grid lots became broken when i got the Bust the Dust Kit. 😭  I could no longer play in the shipwrecked pirate ship! 😠  However, this isn't really Island Living's fault, but more Bust the Dust's fault!  That kit needs either a lot -by lot toggle, or at least a broom and dust pan combo so we can still "bust the dust" on Off the Grid lots!!!! 🤨

@PipMenace , I love the cultural additions to this pack! It gives the pack more depth and it just has a friendly vibe! 🥰

@GiardiniDiMarzo yes! This pack is gorgeous! The plants, the architecture, and the clothing all are fantastic! 😍 And we really needed the extra Swimwear and Hot Weather clothing items this pack brings! 🙌