[SUGGESTIONS] Off-the-Grid lot trait

Dear Devs and other The Sims 4 Creation Team Members, 

It would be super cool if the off-the-grid trait had been thought out a little more. It feels unfinished. Slap-dash. As if it was rushed out the door as a last-minute addition with little testing. 

I was a little excited at the thought of off-the-grid living, all the possibilities! At least until I tested it out in-game. It was mainly disappointing. I don't normally stick my nose into these sorts of discussions, because while I don't always agree with certain choices, I usually warm up to them in the end. With this issue, I just can't get past certain aspects. So, at the risk of public ridicule, this is what I think.

It's great if my little homeless sims don't have running water and must "live rough," that's the story-line. But my eco-warrior sims shouldn't have to live in the dark ages (or just plain in the dark) just to be kind to the environment. 

1. Water: Lots of people live off-the-grid while also not lacking running water. At our house, we're not hooked up to city water at all, yet we don't resort to collecting rainwater in a bucket and taking "tepid" showers in it: We have a well. We have clean, hot-and-cold running water 24/7, and have done for around 60 years. There are also off-the-grid water-collectors or reservoirs which do things like collect rainwater, store it, even filter it, for use in a modern home (see Earth Ship home designs from 10 or 15 years ago - self-sustaining, off-the-grid homes). Some sort of off-the-grid water source would be fab. 

2. Power: Again, check out those Earth Ship homes. There are plenty of sources of off-the-grid power. For the eco-vibe of the new expansion, things like solar panels and wind turbines could be great options. There are also things like gas generators. Or maybe something off-the-wall, like a hamster-wheel generator - put your pocket pets to work. Tie power-generating device building into the Science careers or handiness skill maybe.  Having options for off-the-grid power would make it feel a lot more immersive. It was a bit of a let-down to find that there are no alternative energy sources for off-grid living. 

3. Candles: Why oh, why don't most of the candles work in off-the-grid mode?? It's SO hard trying to light my Sims' hovel when my options are limited to tiki torches (and maybe two or three actual candles, none of which can be wall-mounted). Those torches would set the ceiling on fire. Their little home would burn to the ground in no time. The outdoor citronella candle even needs power! Why!? Wall candles that don't need power would also be pretty spiffy. Like maybe those Victorian wall-candles from the Vampires pack which currently require electricity to power the gas-powered, simulated-candle lights...um...what? Please, more non-electric-dependant candles would be really nice. 

4. Food: Erm. This one might be trickier. A person can cook quite a lot on gas. More than toast, that's for sure. Also, the fridge... How can food be stored in it and kept fresh without power? I mean, I'm GLAD the fridge still keeps food fresh longer, my off-the-grid sims generally can't afford to waste that much food, don't get me wrong here, it's just a bit annoying that there isn't really an adequate, off-the-grid option for food storage. An icebox would be an amazing addition. Slap a new skin on the antique fridge or make it work-off-grid or something. Maybe they have to have ice delivered, like pizza, or buy it from the bar or vending machines, or camping supply kiosks (you could use the laundry bag and re-skin it to look like a sack of ice if you were feeling in a hurry). Pop open the icebox, toss in the bag, boom, done. Make it last a week, upgrade to last a month or "recycle" ice, or use the freeze-ray tech inside it or something. Something besides a giant fridge that is magically keeping food cold without power. Or cooking, for that matter. The grill is wasteful and expensive, (due to lack of storage) and even the antique stove, which could feasibly be a wood-burner (it even has wood stored under the oven), doesn't really work off-grid.

Overall, it feels so unfinished and only partially thought-out. I (and many others) LOVE the idea, but the implementation could use some tweaking. Please and thank you. (Ooh, new traits, skills, and even retail options could tie into the off-the-grid thing really nicely. I know, I know... can't bog down the game, but seriously, as it stands, I find the off-the-grid feature virtually un-playable and completely immersion-breaking.) 

Again, just my own, personal opinions here.  

Many thanks. 

Yours faithfully, 

A player who's been enjoying Simming since the beginning.