I am debating with myself if I should buy Eco Lifestyle (EL) while it is on sale (I'd bundle it with DHD and Fitness stuff).I made a list for myself with pros and cons about the pack. However, I still can't decide if the cons outweigh the pros or not...I think I'll share my list with you. You are very welcome to give your opinion and help me decide.What I'd like about the pack:+ dumpster diving+ geothermal lot trait+ solar panels+ candle making+ juice fizzing+ dew collectors+ vertical gardens+ insect farms+ natural well lot trait+ selling surplus water and electricity for reduced bills and profit or living off the grid+ new apartments+ new piercingsWhat I won't like about the pack:- random phone calls- NAPS (I know you can turn them off, but I still read some Simmers have problems with it. My game is close to problem-free right now.)- eco footprint (s.a.)- eco upgrade parts (I read reports they do not work as intended.)- death by beetles/flies- acid rain- eco inspectors and fees- the new world- half of the CAS- bags over the headWhile I have more pros than cons I feel the cons are heavier than the pros.I could alternatively wait for the November EP to release and bundle that EP with DHD and Fitness stuff around the New Year sale.A note on my playstyle: I like to play with families. Occasionally I like some rags to riches gameplay, too. I play in a rotational way with aging off most of the time. My current game has 290 Sims in it. The only mod I use is MCCC. I do not use CC. I play one save since I bought the game in November 2014. I am a veteran Simmer (stared with "The Sims" in 2001 or 2002). I could use EL for some more eco-friendly Sims while my rich and famous Sims don't want to be bothered by this kind of gameplay.

I have it and I think its amazing, brings such a fun aspect to the game!

I have it, but I didn't buy it for the NAPS, that doesn't interest me. I bought it for the additional crafting and activities. I have had NAPS turned off from the very beginning. The only issue I've had is one of my worlds went green and the sun rays were EXTREMELY bright (to the point that I literally couldn't see the world around my sim's lot), so I have to use a mod to keep all worlds neutral. I like the build/buy stuff a lot and use some of it in almost every house I make over.

I really like, personally. A lot of your cons I do not really deal with. For example, I've always had NPC voting off since day one. You will get a pop up saying something won, but nothing actually does, so no NAPs unless you put them in place. This also means no Eco inspectors and bags. I do not really remember having problems with them, but I also do not remember them showing up a lot either. Also, the Eco score naturally gravitates towards neutral so even if you start in the Eco's neighborhoods with a set score they won't stay that way for long. So very little chance you will deal with acid rain.I still haven't seen the death by beetles/flies, either, but I've never particularly encouraged it. Tending to beetles can be difficult, though, and if you choose bombadier beetles they do light fires. I think they were toned down, though, because the first time I played with them it was crazy.As for the Eco parts, my main complaint with them is usually that I am not going to dumpster dive to get them. While that crafting system is nice and not world specific, it still can be a bit of a pain to incorporate. I am not sure which Eco upgrades you are specifically talking about, but the one I am having issues with lately is the one that makes things work off the grid. All I can say is it is bugged, should work, and will theoretically be fixed.Now, to be completely fair, I've had a long Eco NAP bugged household I just recently found and fixed, but they were made when Eco was first launched and was more than kind of screwy. They had a NAP trait saved with them that constantly charged me money when they completed TV watching actions. Made it nearly impossible to diagnose, but there are mods to fix it and cheat trick which I did. Besides that, though, I have had remarkably few issues with Eco. I think it is one of the better packs in 4. Ultimately, only you will know if you like it, though.

I'll try to address your concerns here. I have played with EL since the release.- random phone callsI actually love these. Just pick the options that do nothing I guess.- NAPS (I know you can turn them off, but I still read some Simmers have problems with it. My game is close to problem-free right now.)Most simmers really have no problems with NAPs turned off. I keep the voting turned off, but select some that I want to use. Many of them are too annoying though!- eco footprint (s.a.)Haven't tried turning it off, haven't heard of problems if it's off. But it doesn't work great when on, kind of a broken feature.- eco upgrade parts (I read reports they do not work as intended.)Easy to ignore I guess, I've never played with these so no idea.- death by beetles/fliesNever seen, probably very hard to trigger.- acid rainHaving eco footprints off it shouldn't occur at all. Either way it's not very common since getting industrial footpring is hard.- eco inspectors and feesThis is part of NAPs.- the new worldDon't play there? I like it so not sure what to say. There's no way to have grunge like that in any other world, but you can also clean it via NAPs if you wish.- half of the CASCould bother if townies wear it, I see. Maybe a mod would help if it really bothers you.- bags over the headAgain part of a NAP, can be disabled. You'll need to edit one premade family and after that you'll see no bags in the game.I play rotationally with aging on long and I've enjoyed the pack. It's not my favourite but there's really a lot to explore. I don't use any mods. I see we don't play exactly in the same way but kind of close. I'd recommend getting the pack if it interests you, but waiting for the bundle can be a good option too.

Let me just add this... It's a little cheat you can do with EL.If you have Tiny Living, make your house a micro home and set that up in the lot description.If you have City Living, I think, set the house to have Geothermal and Natural Well.Now the good stuff.--Have the cheapest furniture you can get.Add roof windmills, as they produce the most power. 3 or 4 should be enough.Add 1 or 2 large dew collectors.Use bill discount flooring and walls.Set house to off the grid.Use only off the grid appliances.Set electricity and water to sell.NAPs can help! Set up the power and water conservation NAPs.If done right, your bills will lead to profits, rather than expenses.

Eco Lifestyle - to buy or not to buy

17 Replies

SimsBarbie
Seasoned Ace
5 years ago
@Erja888 I hope you enjoy. :) This EP compliments other packs imo. I do have NAPS turned off so I can add them myself to the neighborhood. A few of them are really good.
Feestbloempje
5 years ago
@BlkBarbiegal which ones do you like?
SimsBarbie
Seasoned Ace
5 years ago
"GreenTurtle;c-17967232" wrote:
@BlkBarbiegal which ones do you like?

@GreenTurtle I play in rotation so I never really paid a whole lot of attention on what the NAPS' do. Except for the obvious ones such a Free Love. Oh my goodness. My sim was kissing her grandmother-in-law. lol And Sharing is Caring. noooo Don't take the the jukebox from the bar!

But Water Conservation NAP is cool because at a specific time the water will shut off for most of the day once or twice a week. (I think) And usually just before one of my sims really need a bath. lol I also upgrade plumbing to reduce costs. I just send my sim to a relative or friend's house to wash up. Great for story purposes.

Power Conservation, same thing. once or twice a week the power is shut off from 9a-9p or something. Also upgrade your electronics to conserve energy. It's fun to me.

-Self Sufficiency
-Eco-Friendly
-Green Gardening
-Rock your Body I think a sim comes by your house and ask you to workout or something. I could be wrong. lol I'm sorry

A lot of these will work great with Cottage Living. Now I will research the specifics of each NAP. Because now I'm even more curious since I am redoing my worlds.
bshag4lv
Seasoned Ace
5 years ago
One of my most favorite packs! So glad you decided to get it, I don't think you will be sorry. I love the b/b, and the skills most of all. My sim has done all the skills and I love them all. The juicer can produce high quality juice that can be sent away for cash, the freelance crafter career pays well and can top all the skills with the gigs to do.

Good luck and happy simming!
ck213
Legend
5 years ago
"bshag4lv;c-17969170" wrote:
One of my most favorite packs! So glad you decided to get it, I don't think you will be sorry. I love the b/b, and the skills most of all. My sim has done all the skills and I love them all. The juicer can produce high quality juice that can be sent away for cash, the freelance crafter career pays well and can top all the skills with the gigs to do.

Good luck and happy simming!

I find I cannot say another critical thing about Eco knowing you love it so, bshag4lv. :)
VaguelyAloof
5 years ago
Buy it, I really like it. Gave me things I'd been wanting for ages.

But I mean, almost everything on your 'cons' list are things I LOVE about the pack so YOU DO YOU, yeah? Do what feels right.
bshag4lv
Seasoned Ace
5 years ago
Aww CK, no worries, I know you've not had a good time with it, naps and all.

I remember when Eco Lifestyle was first announced, and I was majorly bummed. The first thought that came to mind, yeah all the eco nuts in Calif decided to make a stupid pack, yada, yada. :D I did not expect to have as much fun or playability out of that ep. <3

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Eco Lifestyle - to buy or not to buy

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