Does this pack feels like PSa ?

City Skylines has a "Green Cities" DLC..... I don't see the problem with putting renewable energy and pollution as a system in the game; in a life simulation game to be more specific. City Skylines also has city/neighborhood policies which seems to be very similar to the neighborhood action plans of the Eco Lifestyle. On top of that the devs are adding grunge gameplay with this pack, which a lot of people asked for, dirty city/town so that it's not just utopian looking stuff.

I think it's just the marketing lead/team that's making stabs at marketing the pack as an awareness campaign.

As to 'Public Service announcements' it's getting a little more like Sim City 4 where the towns get more attractive to live in when you put a park, library or school in, so that idea has been in Sims games for a very long time. Will Wright's 'The Sims' tried to get over the idea that having things doesn't always make you happy as well. That was after he had lost almost everything in a fire.

I find the ideas in the pack interesting but I never take any notice of what they try to get me interested in. I just take what I want but it'll give me a lot of enjoyment at first, running down a neighbourhood or maximising its' potential to see what happens. Then it's sandbox time.

Like others I don't much like the voice over. Someone with a voice like LGR or Carl would sound less of a primary school teacher type.

"LiELF;c-17507564" wrote:

"filipomel;c-17507395" wrote:
If you think about it, being environmentally conscious is kind of an important thing in modern human life. Is it really that strange that a life simulator is diving into an extremely important area of modern human life?

I would argue caring about the environment is just as much a part of life as pets are, or the seasons, etc.

Yes, it's an important part of reality. Definitely.

But my problem here, is that the Sims 4 clings too much to reality in the wrong ways. Yes, the Sims games have always been life simulators. But not in the PSA way that Sims 4 has been. Not in the ultra socially conscious way it has been promoted. Past Sims games weren't preachy or Utopian. They were more tongue-in-cheek and laughably true to reality in satirical ways. The Sims 4, while childishly goofy with its poop jokes and humor, also takes itself way too seriously with its "message to the people of the world" and tries too hard to rack up those social points with young groups.

In a way, it's like being parented by my video game. Like the company doesn't trust its players to play "the right way" in their own games. So instead of taking a humorous, casual, neutral stance on content and gameplay, they push the DLC to weigh heavily on this "live the best life in your game for everyone, whether you like it or not", propaganda. Always sending a "feel good" message and tying it into the kind of realism that sometimes oppresses. Why even use the tag line, "play your way"? Clearly, they don't want us to anymore.

Anyway. My point is that the pack wouldn't be about sending a message. It would be about balanced gameplay that put the fate of the Sims' world in the player's hands. For good or ill. And the diverse personalities of the Sims 2 would dictate how each Sim would react (or not react.) It would still be an Eco pack without the PSA.

The game play and the 'intention' or 'message' behind the pack should be two separate conversations. I don't think someones efforts for spreading environmental awareness should ever be discredited, no matter who preaches, be it a young girl or a video game developer. If anything I feel like this area of the Sims 4 with trying to be socially aware is one of the games strongest points, how they approach their socially aware efforts I feel can be better at times, but something I feel should be encouraged none the less, not just for the Sims team, but for all video game developers. I feel like people don't understand just how big of a deal this is, that a popular mainstream video game is releasing content purely about environmental awareness. Whether it's too PSA like or preachy is another area of discussion, one where criticism is fair, but some are painting this pack and the team behind this pack in a negative light, and I don't think that's fair

As for the game play and what you think it should be like, I think your ideas are great and I would've loved to see features similar to what you described, but that's not the pack we're getting unfortunately. I agree that this pack is extremely polarizing, however this is the teams first attempt at creating a pack with Eco lifestyles being the central theme, so for a first time pack I'm trying to be a bit more open minded and less picky.

No, it doesn't feels like a psa to me. If it would be a psa, I would expect more "shocking" pictures than a dumpster woohoo (and the insect food), so like a cute little Baby, dog or cat dies slowly because if the dirt. I would expect, that the voice told me how terrible I am because it's my fault as a consumer that the world suffers. I would expect a blame game who is poisoning the air and water. I would expect, that the voice told me that I waste too much ressources.

But the voice didn't told me something like that. It is just a advertisment with a young adult sim, who hasn't lost her hope about the society yet.

People here saying The Sims getting too preachy seem like they never play another game. Environmental factors are common in other games. City simulation games, for example, always include pollution level into their games and become one of major factors in the gameplay. Even Civilization has a expansion pack that added climate change simulation.

Regarding how they market the EP, though, as long as they didn't use real life dancing routine on a stage in front of people, it is always acceptable.

The pack itself doesn't feel PSA to me. The trailers do. Most of the trailers lately have been rubbish for TS4 though so I'm getting used to ignoring their set up and just looking at the actual things the trailer is showing, clothes, new game items etc.

"Placebo7;c-17507255" wrote:
This is what I don't understand. I have seen on these boards people defend TS4 on the grounds that it somehow "allows them to be the storyteller," meaning, I suppose, that the game is so empty that they can imagine whatever they want onto it.

But this pack--and others before it--are clearly being marketed as a pre-scripted story. Yes, you CAN live in trash, but look at the gameplay video; the whole intent behind this is that you will create do-gooder Sims who have a nice story about cleaning up a neighborhood. There is ONE story here, and it's about young adults "changing the world," in a very naive way.

It is so forced, so pedantic, so NOT a sandbox. Its simplistic representation of "changing the world" and "activism" is, yes, very PSA-like, and honestly, it is an insult to the intelligence of adult simmers.

Yes, this. 100%.

IF I get this pack, and it VERY MUCH depends on LGR's review and the Guru livestream tomorrow, I'm going to use it to make the game world dirtier. The Spice District will be the "bad" part of town, and everything will be generally less of a Happy-Smiley-Sunshine Land.

I have NO interest in following EA's story of cleaning up the town, as the reward to cleaning up our worlds is to make them look exactly as they would've done if I hadn't bought the pack.

What's that? I can clean up the trash in Willow Creek and give it clear skies and greenery? Cool, my game is already like that. There's no value for money in paying EA to make the game the way it already is, and it's naive of them to expect us to want that.

By the way, I say this as somebody who has voted Greens in every election I've ever voted in, and who believes VERY strongly that we need to dismantle capitalism and make everything a little more socialist.

I AM the target audience here, and it has zero appeal for me. So who is this "go green" message for?
I'm also pretty disappointed in the underlying pro-gentrification theme present if one looks past the surface environmentalist angle.

You start out in a poor, dirty neighborhood, and turn it into a clean, bougie one.
There's no evil corporation to take down, it's the Sims themselves who live in this town who are causing the dirtiness.

Say it with me, EA: IT IS NOT THE FAULT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT THE WORLD IS ON THE VERGE ON ENVIRONMENTAL COLLAPSE, IT'S THE FAULT OF THE 1% WHO PASS THE BUCK ONTO THE LITTLE GUY

"kwanzaabot;c-17508181" wrote:

Say it with me, EA: IT IS NOT THE FAULT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT THE WORLD IS ON THE VERGE ON ENVIRONMENTAL COLLAPSE, IT'S THE FAULT OF THE 1% WHO PASS THE BUCK ONTO THE LITTLE GUY

What better way to fight capitalism if not to discourage indiscriminate consumption? Buy less, recycle more, bring back small repair workshops and small businesses, grow your own vegetables if possible or else buy from local farmers.

"crocobaura;c-17508229" wrote:

"kwanzaabot;c-17508181" wrote:

Say it with me, EA: IT IS NOT THE FAULT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT THE WORLD IS ON THE VERGE ON ENVIRONMENTAL COLLAPSE, IT'S THE FAULT OF THE 1% WHO PASS THE BUCK ONTO THE LITTLE GUY

What better way to fight capitalism if not to discourage indiscriminate consumption? Buy less, recycle more, bring back small repair workshops and small businesses, grow your own vegetables if possible or else buy from local farmers.

There's a lot of it's their fault not mine isn't there? We all contributed to Microsoft, Google and EA's wealth didn't we? They provide useful stuff for us. Presently I'm having a clearout of things I've found superfluous to my life and creating mess and clutter. Most will be recycled after Lockdown's over in the UK. My laptops are going to a man who recycles them to the Third World where they are needed.

I'll wait for the livestream tonight for further information but I still think I will be buying it.

It's totally pushing a pro-environment message, yeah.

And you know what? Discover University pushed a tertiary education message, too! And Get Famous pushed a message of gaining fame and fortune! And! Parenthood pushed a message of raising kids! I don't want kids, so how dare the Sims assume I want it with their pro-family messages?!

If an environmental message doesn't interest you, don't buy the pack about the environment. It's as simple as that. And if anything, it's also supportive of you turning the world into a grimy hell-hole, which is honestly more than most other EPs have ever done in terms of active choices.