Are Stuff Packs dead?

"DaniRose2143;c-18142775" wrote:
I loved stuff packs and I love kits. The recent kits have given us CAS and BB items of a quality that we never got with any stuff pack. I would love to see a stuff pack with that kind of quality items in it, who wouldn't. Twice as many items as we're getting now at the quality level they're producing now is a dream come true, with gameplay as an added bonus. I would love that, but I think the kits have effectively killed off the stuff packs.

Kits might have been an easier and faster way to keep producing content during the pandemic. Knowing that simmers were trapped at home and would likely be playing the game much more than usual, they needed a way to deliver new content faster to keep simmers happy. With staff stuck at home too and it being harder to get packs assembled the kits were a compromise that fit the moment. They've proven at least reasonably successful, so even though the community wants stuff packs back will Maxis listen or will they stick with a new model that works for them? I feel like the kits have been enough of success that Maxis isn't going to be in any hurry to bring back the stuff packs. I wish they would, but I'm not holding my breath waiting.

I don’t see it quite the same way as you do. I always felt like we got quality stuff with stuff packs too. Kids room stuff had void critters which was extremely well thought out. Outdoor toddler stuff had outdoor toys for toddlers, plus a play date system, vintage glamour not only had the make up tables, but glamour objects to match, and I believe the bar globe as well as a butler to hire, and children could even play around with the adult makeup tables. Backyard stuff had the water slides, and I loved all the outdoor decorations it came with as well as the bird house with the birds you could talk to, and the wind chimes. My first pet stuff came with a few different types of rodents that kept children occupied, along with some extra things for cat and dogs, clothing items, and some cute children's items that matched some of those in cats and dogs. Nifty knitting came with rocking chairs even children and toddlers could use, a new skill, and tons of clothing, objects, and toys to knit. Bowling stuff came with a whole new hobby/game and the furniture to go along with it. I’m not going to mention each pack, but you get my point…. I even enjoyed the luxury stuff pack because it came with a buffet table I got much use out of before we ever got them in MWS ( and probably the High school pack ). Plus with each pack we got clothes, hairstyles, and build/buy items. I like kits too, and enjoy the furniture sets, or CAS sets that come with them, but I certainly don’t think kits are better quality than the stuff packs were. I loved stuff packs, and was much more excited to see them come out than I am for kits. But I think you are right about kits being easier for them to produce…… but I just don’t see as much hype for them. I will say that little campers was one of my favorites because I wanted more things for children, and the toys seem like new things even if the animations are similar to the other toys.

"DaniRose2143;c-18145471" wrote:


I don't know what's changed, if it's the software they use to create meshes, they found someone who is a genius at creating meshes, or some other explanation. All I know for sure is, for my tastes, the visual aesthetics of the CAS and BB items is the best it's ever been and by a large margin and that improvement has been very recent.

I have noticed that they have gotten better at making kits too, I think they have managed to find some talented people and improved on how they are making them. I love detailed items too and their recent kits (little campers kit, moonlight chic kit) had some very detailed items. Whoever that was responsible for the silk dress in the moonlight chic kit needs to be responsible for more CAS items.

I'm sick of kits. Hoping we get something better soon.

I don't know. Besides a few of them, I wasn't really rushing out to buy kits or stuff packs. I am more into the game and expansion packs anyways. Though the Paranormal one was really amazing.

Either way, I rather they focus on updates, bug fixes and taking time with game and expansions to bring more higher quality packs.

"Sheepiling;c-18142691" wrote:
I think with them beginning production on Sims 5, and moving a lot of the Sims 4 staff over to the new game (nothing is confirmed i don't think but there's been enough job postings and leaks by now to assume that's where the staff that said bye-bye on twitter went) that the people that were apart of the stuff pack production team probably got moved to game and expansion teams to fill in the empty roles. So I'd guess stuff packs are gone for good, but we'll probably still get game and expansion packs.

Kits are probably the new stuff packs now because they don't need a dedicated team to make sure a gameplay aspect is working. They can just contract outsourced employees for each kit and pump them out cheap, fast, and easy. So it's a way for Sims 4 to still keep getting content, even with lowered staff and expansions happening less often.

I don't think kits themselves killed off stuff packs. I think Sims 5 is slowing down production for Sims 4, and kits is a response to that.

Which gurus were this?

@SheriSim57 It was never a quality problem with the gameplay play items or skill building items. It is, or was, a purely aesthetic problem for me. I don't necessarily want realism in the items in game, but I want more detail and I'd like more sharpness on those details. Maxis had to sacrifice a lot of those details and sharpness to make their product playable on the widest range of computers possible. That was what made me look at cc originally, the detailing. Over the last couple of years the detailing slowly started to improve, BB really took off with DHD, in my eyes. Since the birth of the kits CAS has made huge strides, and from Incheon Arrivals on they have been on a par with the cc community or very close to it. There are still some areas, makeup, jeans, heels, fashionable boots, and facial hair that they still lag way behind. In every other category the only reason I still use cc is because I want to have extra options so that I don't repeat the same hairstyles or outfits and so I can personalize each sim more.

I don't know what's changed, if it's the software they use to create meshes, they found someone who is a genius at creating meshes, or some other explanation. All I know for sure is, for my tastes, the visual aesthetics of the CAS and BB items is the best it's ever been and by a large margin and that improvement has been very recent.

"logion;c-18145481" wrote:
I have noticed that they have gotten better at making kits too, I think they have managed to find some talented people and improved on how they are making them. I love detailed items too and their recent kits (little campers kit, moonlight chic kit) had some very detailed items. Whoever that was responsible for the silk dress in the moonlight chic kit needs to be hired.

It feels like it happened overnight or it was something we all just suddenly noticed. My theory is they hired a current or former cc creator who has a great understanding of mesh creation and poly counts. I have my werewolf save that most of the sims use very little cc, some even use none which is a first for me, at least since the early days of TS4.

ETA: I agree totally with your take on the last two kits, and that dress?.