Hello everyone,today I'd like to open a discussion regarding content that was previously released in expansions packs, game packs, or stuff packs. Like many other players, one of my pet peeves with the release of Get Famous was the lack of new apartments, especially when the trailers showed me skyscrapers and city skylines in all their glory. I've got to say I'm no longer brooding about it and am happy with the expansion for what it has. However, it got me thinking a bit deeper on the issue.I think the sad truth behind the lack of apartments in Get Famous is that they didn't want to take appeal away from City Living for new players. Take the exclusivity of apartments away from City Living, and what do you have left? Festivals, I guess, and the San Myshuno world. Is that enough to entice a new player who already has apartments in Get Famous? I'm not so sure.This realization makes me worry about other packs who are focused solely on one specific type of item or feature being added. Will we see no more new hottubs, or washing machines so that no appeal is taken away from Perfect Patio and Laundry Day Stuff? I worry about that.Of course you could say "they could add more of those in new packs and just make them available to those who bought the older packs (new washing machines for those who bought Laundry Day, etc.)", but look at the backlash that My First Pet Stuff got for containing content available only to those who had Cats&Dogs. Will EA be as brave as to try that again?So what can be done? Older packs must stay appealing for new costumers, so new packs just can't contain older packs-locked features like apartments or washing machines. Are we, the players, okay with just not seeing any more of these added (save relying on the mods creators, which seems to be something more and more of us have to resort to for the sake of some variety), or are we okay with seeing them added in new packs but locked with the purchase of older packs (My First Pet Stuff style)?Food for thought.

Get to Work's main feature was active careers, but in later packs we've had other active and semi-active careers, including the most recent acting career. There are also many small features locked to older expansions, like new club requirements or events going into the calendar. There are also examples of similar features that don't overlap, like retail, restaurants, and vet clinics.We also have the question of how much similarities we are OK with between expansions. Showtime is the best example of where it has so much similarities to Late Night that it should have been in the previous one. Conversely, Late Night also has an example of how repeating certain content can be a good thing, as the poor iteration of vampires were much improved with Supernatural.So really it's a matter of how unique a feature is, the twist that makes it different from previous games. It could be differences in how the feature works, or just having a different environment or style.

I wasn't really talking about the implementation of features that were in previous games, but only previous packs of The Sims 4. You make a good point about the active career of Actor being in another expansion than Get to Work; however, the appeal of Get to Work is the ability to be a doctor, detective, or scientist. Something that Get Famous does not take away from it.But if we look at unique features such as water slides, washing machines, hot tubs and the like, can EA really add more of those in new packs without making the previous packs obsolete? Would you still buy Laundry Day Stuff, if Get Famous had come with its own gold-plated washing machine? Probably not.So I worry that EA may just avoid adding new version of these items in order to keep previous DLC packs valuable in the market. Unless they do another stunt like with First Pet Stuff (where pet-related objects could only be used if you had Cats&Dogs). Personally, I'd be okay with that at this point.

I hope you are wrong. I love City Living. It has little to do with the apartments if I'm honest. I love the community areas, the feel of San Myshuno, the CAS items, the jobs, the sims that came with it, the new systems like the one where your sim can collect the recipes from food stalls. For me it wouldn't detract at all from City Living to add apartments to other packs. They were cool, they just had very little to do with why the expansion is great!I would hate to think that EA would be short-sighted and not create more worlds with apartments in them out of fear of detracting from an expansion that, in my own opinion, stands quite well without them."ChiaraFoschiani;c-16840107" wrote:I wasn't really talking about the implementation of features that were in previous games, but only previous packs of The Sims 4. You make a good point about the active career of Actor being in another expansion than Get to Work; however, the appeal of Get to Work is the ability to be a doctor, detective, or scientist. Something that Get Famous does not take away from it.But if we look at unique features such as water slides, washing machines, hot tubs and the like, can EA really add more of those in new packs without making the previous packs obsolete? Would you still buy Laundry Day Stuff, if Get Famous had come with its own gold-plated washing machine? Probably not.I would. ...And I think many others might as well. I purchase for variety every bit as much as for newness. I, like so many others, am a career Sims addict. I want new things but I also crave variety in the things I already have."ChiaraFoschiani;c-16840107" wrote:So I worry that EA may just avoid adding new version of these items in order to keep previous DLC packs valuable in the market. Unless they do another stunt like with First Pet Stuff (where pet-related objects could only be used if you had Cats&Dogs). Personally, I'd be okay with that at this point.

"duhboy2u2;c-16840163" wrote:I would. ...And I think many others might as well. I purchase for variety every bit as much as for newness. I, like so many others, am a career Sims addict. I want new things but I also crave variety in the things I already have.This.... entirely, 100%, completely this! Keep shipping those packs! <3

"simwolf;c-16840227" wrote:"duhboy2u2;c-16840163" wrote:I would. ...And I think many others might as well. I purchase for variety every bit as much as for newness. I, like so many others, am a career Sims addict. I want new things but I also crave variety in the things I already have.This.... entirely, 100%, completely this! Keep shipping those packs! <3 I second that emotion! <3

A Concern About DLC-Specific Content (Apartments, Washing Machines etc.)

15 Replies

SennaWales
Rising Ace
7 years ago
Get to Work's main feature was active careers, but in later packs we've had other active and semi-active careers, including the most recent acting career. There are also many small features locked to older expansions, like new club requirements or events going into the calendar. There are also examples of similar features that don't overlap, like retail, restaurants, and vet clinics.

We also have the question of how much similarities we are OK with between expansions. Showtime is the best example of where it has so much similarities to Late Night that it should have been in the previous one. Conversely, Late Night also has an example of how repeating certain content can be a good thing, as the poor iteration of vampires were much improved with Supernatural.

So really it's a matter of how unique a feature is, the twist that makes it different from previous games. It could be differences in how the feature works, or just having a different environment or style.
saruhiko93
Seasoned Rookie
7 years ago
I wasn't really talking about the implementation of features that were in previous games, but only previous packs of The Sims 4. You make a good point about the active career of Actor being in another expansion than Get to Work; however, the appeal of Get to Work is the ability to be a doctor, detective, or scientist. Something that Get Famous does not take away from it.

But if we look at unique features such as water slides, washing machines, hot tubs and the like, can EA really add more of those in new packs without making the previous packs obsolete? Would you still buy Laundry Day Stuff, if Get Famous had come with its own gold-plated washing machine? Probably not.

So I worry that EA may just avoid adding new version of these items in order to keep previous DLC packs valuable in the market. Unless they do another stunt like with First Pet Stuff (where pet-related objects could only be used if you had Cats&Dogs). Personally, I'd be okay with that at this point.
SimsBarbie
Seasoned Ace
7 years ago
nevermind :)
Duhgirl2u2
7 years ago
I hope you are wrong. I love City Living. It has little to do with the apartments if I'm honest. I love the community areas, the feel of San Myshuno, the CAS items, the jobs, the sims that came with it, the new systems like the one where your sim can collect the recipes from food stalls.

For me it wouldn't detract at all from City Living to add apartments to other packs. They were cool, they just had very little to do with why the expansion is great!

I would hate to think that EA would be short-sighted and not create more worlds with apartments in them out of fear of detracting from an expansion that, in my own opinion, stands quite well without them.

"ChiaraFoschiani;c-16840107" wrote:
I wasn't really talking about the implementation of features that were in previous games, but only previous packs of The Sims 4. You make a good point about the active career of Actor being in another expansion than Get to Work; however, the appeal of Get to Work is the ability to be a doctor, detective, or scientist. Something that Get Famous does not take away from it.

But if we look at unique features such as water slides, washing machines, hot tubs and the like, can EA really add more of those in new packs without making the previous packs obsolete? Would you still buy Laundry Day Stuff, if Get Famous had come with its own gold-plated washing machine? Probably not.

I would. ...And I think many others might as well. I purchase for variety every bit as much as for newness. I, like so many others, am a career Sims addict. I want new things but I also crave variety in the things I already have.

"ChiaraFoschiani;c-16840107" wrote:
So I worry that EA may just avoid adding new version of these items in order to keep previous DLC packs valuable in the market. Unless they do another stunt like with First Pet Stuff (where pet-related objects could only be used if you had Cats&Dogs). Personally, I'd be okay with that at this point.
simwolf79
New Ace
7 years ago
"duhboy2u2;c-16840163" wrote:

I would. ...And I think many others might as well. I purchase for variety every bit as much as for newness. I, like so many others, am a career Sims addict. I want new things but I also crave variety in the things I already have.

This.... entirely, 100%, completely this! Keep shipping those packs! <3
JanuaryGarnet08
Seasoned Ace
7 years ago
"simwolf;c-16840227" wrote:
"duhboy2u2;c-16840163" wrote:

I would. ...And I think many others might as well. I purchase for variety every bit as much as for newness. I, like so many others, am a career Sims addict. I want new things but I also crave variety in the things I already have.

This.... entirely, 100%, completely this! Keep shipping those packs! <3

I second that emotion! <3
kurimisarang
Seasoned Ace
7 years ago
"ChiaraFoschiani;d-951484" wrote:
look at the backlash that My First Pet Stuff got for containing content available only to those who had Cats&Dogs. Will EA be as brave as to try that again?

From my pov, the backlash was because most of mfp content was very obviously removed from c&d to be sold separately right after.
It's not gameplay, but a good few objects in Get Famous go well with Bowling SP and no one is mad about that. If it's for continuity and not an obvious cash grab, everything's chill.

Even if there were other apartments I'd still love City Living, the world is just my aesthetic.
I'd gladly have more apartments, even.
Variety is needed. I love the furniture in Laundry Day, should a later pack brings a more modern clothesline and a top loading washer I'll take it, and still love Laundry Day just as much.
EnkiSchmidt
Hero
7 years ago
One example where doubling content was handled well in my opinion was the punchbowl fountain. It appeared first in Luxury party, then it got reused for City living, although not to be uses freely, but only during festivals. So if you already had Luxury party, you didn't get an item you had already payed for twice, but the same mesh with a new function. And if you only owned CL you got to try a demo version of the fountain as an incentive to buy the stuff pack.

I hope they'll one day do something similar again and offer a winter vacation GP with an eternal winter for those of us who do not want Seasons... but might, after we bought their GP. Some interactions like snowball fights would still be exclusive to Seasons and owners of Seasons would get to use, for example, skiiing and snowboarding everywhere, while non-owners could do these activities only in the new vacation world.
FlyingPotato659
Seasoned Ace
7 years ago
At this point, I have given up complaining to EA and hoping there will be a competitor with more creative life simulation game-plays like The Sims as its very easy for EA to lack content and milk money from it since there is no competitor currently.
VentusMatt
7 years ago
When it comes to apartments they have said that they could add them in future packs as there is nothing stopping them but they would limit just how many apartments they add.

As for previous gameplay items from other packs like hottubs the have said that if their were to add more hottubs they would have to be different like inground hottubs. As for laundry no it wouldn't be added in any other packs as laundry day covered two ways of doing laundry. Manual and the standard machines. If laundry day features only manual then they would be able to add machines later. Actually they could keep manual just to laundry day and add more machines/make them base content but I can see many players going into an uproar over laundry being made base or being added in other packs as laundry got a lot of lash in ts3 and many players were vocal about not even wanting the option of laundry in their game in this iteration.

They have shown though that they could make features base like photography and most recently social media but for the former a lot of players complained that a feature they paid for was now being given away for free but photography and social media are features that tie into new content and help expand the possibilities of what can be added in new packs/patches by playing off those features.

Overall though the only way gameplay features from previous packs can be added in new packs is if it can be changed enough to make it unique in itself. To be made base it needs to play a big enough role that without it future content won't be able to be added properly. Most notable is how the style influencer career that requires photography and plays into social media. This is most likely why that career was patched in and not a part of GF.