I want to start this with saying that I haven't purchased the pack yet, so my perspective is only from seeing trailers and watching LPs and reviews on YouTube. With that said, I am getting the impression that some are feeling this pack is slightly lacking in replayability. It seems to be one of those "complete and move on" type of packs, similar to strangerville. So I was thinking of giving some feedback/ideas for future content via feedback on the conception of this pack.What I think should have happened is Island Living should have not included mermaids. Rather, the gameplay feature should have been about living on an island and included things like resorts, hotels, tropical vacation type things. Building and running your own resort would naturally have way more replayability to it. Similar to restaurants, resorts could have had themes, lot traits etc. The tools are there already, so I'm not sure why they didn't choose this path for development. So what about mermaids? I know a lot of people requested them, but it doesn't seem like they got the treatment they deserved like vampires did. I was assuming that with the introduction of the occult system with vampires they would use that as a base and flush out several other occults, including mermaids. Both of those packs (Dine Out and Vampires) have the ability to be played with many times over. Don't get me wrong, I love what they did include (conservation, island culture, DOLPHINS) and from what I've heard/seen, it is a truly stunning world. But I get the sense that the "sandbox" type of play has been lost a bit. Thoughts?

I get a similar impression. It’s certainly a nice looking world, but it seems that’s one of the listed features. Personally, I do not agree with that as I do not view worlds as game features. Looking over the pack as a whole it doesn’t seem to have any new features. Mostly just gameplay activities and two careers. I don’t exactly think this pack hit the nail on the head, but I never expected it to anyway. Not to beat a dead horse, but Sims 3 did this exact same pack a lot better. Of course it had new features along with the activities, and career, but that’s not how they do things with Sims 4.

"simmer_jay;d-961560" wrote:Rather, the gameplay feature should have been about living on an island and included things like resorts, hotels, tropical vacation type things.I don't know, but for most people living somewhere isn't about resorts and tropical vacation things. In this case, it's about living by the seaside, engaging with local culture, trying out the local cuisine, have some free time seaside activities like snorkeling, aqua zips, diving, swimming, sunbathing, etc., but also improvements to fishing (which are clearly no accident given the content of the pack - fishing on boats is awesome btw, I really love that xD), different types of jobs, etc.That being said: yes, I think they could have added resorts. But I'm glad they are not the main feature of the pack and I prefer living in Sulani to vacationing in Sulani. I'm also glad I don't run into a lot of familiar faces from other worlds there. It's quite lovely to meet mostly locals, especially in the more remote parts. Resorts / vacationing would probably make the thing feel more touristy and less homey.

"SimTrippy;c-17130082" wrote:I don't know, but for most people living somewhere isn't about resorts and tropical vacation things. In this case, it's about living by the seaside, engaging with local culture, trying out the local cuisine, have some free time seaside activities like snorkeling, aqua zips, diving, swimming, sunbathing, etc., but also improvements to fishing (which are clearly no accident given the content of the pack - fishing on boats is awesome btw, I really love that xD), different types of jobs, etc.Yeah, fair enough. Obviously locals wouldn't have any need for resorts and such; and some of the features they've included are unique and interesting. But I was just trying to think of something that would have been the main feature over mermaids. Something that would use the tools the game already has so that they could leverage their resources, and make the pack feel "meaty-er".

I don't know that mermaids are necessarily the main feature - I think it's the conservation angle? I haven't heard a ton about that, though. I think that mermaids are getting all of the attention because they're a new occult.

"superkyle221;c-17130104" wrote:I don't know that mermaids are necessarily the main feature - I think it's the conservation angle? I haven't heard a ton about that, though. I think that mermaids are getting all of the attention because they're a new occult. True. But they are a huge component to the pack, so it seems reasonable people are giving them the most attention. But I just think they could have been done with greater depth and attention to detail if they got their own pack.

Feedback on Island Living | EA Forums

68 Replies

astridentanja
6 years ago
"simgirl1010;c-17188983" wrote:
"JoAnne65;c-17188880" wrote:
Caring about your sims is not what sets Sims 4 apart (bonding with sims in 4 for me is a problem actually, where in Sims 3 it will never fail to happen; I love the looks of my latest vampire sim in 4 but her total lack of personality just spoils everything for me), it probably comes down to what we personally look for concerning the characters, looks, behaviour, I don’t know. It’s also not an explanation why IL is a good or a not so very good pack, which is the subject here. Even when you absolutely adore your sims, a game or expansion pack should simply add enough things to do for them to make their lives varied and challenging.

OK, I'm done. Since you seem to know better than me why I prefer Sims 4.

As for staying on topic I believe I responded to your and another simmer's comments on why Sims 4 players like the game.

Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!

Actually I love it when people ask that. They can’t ask often enough, I love to elaborate on that subject, what I love about this game.

You’re missing my point. I fully appreciate that you prefer sims in Sims 4, I believe it, I understand it, I accept it, I’m in no way doubting it, I also appreciate why that makes the game good enough to continue to play and favour it over the others. The sims indeed are important. But in a topic where actual gameplay is being discussed and whether a pack is worth its money, if it’s any good, it’s just not an argument. It is an argument why you love playing Sims 4 in general, it is not an argument why IL is an acceptable/good/ok/whatever pack and if it’s ok a lot of the packs seem to fall short for many.

When someone tells me Sims 3 is a buggy mess that crashes all the time, I can respond: “But I love my sims”, that won’t make sense will it? It won’t refute their point. If they say “ the worlds are filled with rabbitholes” and I say “But I love my sims”, that’s not an argument. If they say “WA was a boring pack with too many RPG elements” and I say “but I love my sims”: no argument to refute that statement. So when people are giving feedback for IL (like in this topic), “I love my sims” just is not what it’s about and the very reason people keep asking “But why do you think Sims 4 and this pack in particular is great or acceptable?” It’s a legitimate question that doesn’t want to question how you feel about the game in general, it questions Sims 4 and its packs. Not people.
simgirl1010
Hero
6 years ago
"JoAnne65;c-17189054" wrote:
"simgirl1010;c-17188983" wrote:
"JoAnne65;c-17188880" wrote:
Caring about your sims is not what sets Sims 4 apart (bonding with sims in 4 for me is a problem actually, where in Sims 3 it will never fail to happen; I love the looks of my latest vampire sim in 4 but her total lack of personality just spoils everything for me), it probably comes down to what we personally look for concerning the characters, looks, behaviour, I don’t know. It’s also not an explanation why IL is a good or a not so very good pack, which is the subject here. Even when you absolutely adore your sims, a game or expansion pack should simply add enough things to do for them to make their lives varied and challenging.

OK, I'm done. Since you seem to know better than me why I prefer Sims 4.

As for staying on topic I believe I responded to your and another simmer's comments on why Sims 4 players like the game.

Why is it so hard for TS4 simmers to describe what and why they like the game? All the other TS1, TS2 and TS3 simmers easily can. They can go on for pages and pages!

Actually I love it when people ask that. They can’t ask often enough, I love to elaborate on that subject, what I love about this game.

You’re missing my point. I fully appreciate that you prefer sims in Sims 4, I believe it, I understand it, I accept it, I’m in no way doubting it, I also appreciate why that makes the game good enough to continue to play and favour it over the others. The sims indeed are important. But in a topic where actual gameplay is being discussed and whether a pack is worth its money, if it’s any good, it’s just not an argument. It is an argument why you love playing Sims 4 in general, it is not an argument why IL is an acceptable/good/ok/whatever pack and if it’s ok a lot of the packs seem to fall short for many.

When someone tells me Sims 3 is a buggy mess that crashes all the time, I can respond: “But I love my sims”, that won’t make sense will it? It won’t refute their point. If they say “ the worlds are filled with rabbitholes” and I say “But I love my sims”, that’s not an argument. If they say “WA was a boring pack with too many RPG elements” and I say “but I love my sims”: no argument to refute that statement. So when people are giving feedback for IL (like in this topic), “I love my sims” just is not what it’s about and the very reason people keep asking “But why do you think Sims 4 and this pack in particular is great or acceptable?” It’s a legitimate question that doesn’t want to question how you feel about the game in general, it questions Sims 4 and its packs. Not people.

You're right. I wasn't addressing the Island Life pack at all. Which I don't think is great. I just responded to the general query of why I love and prefer the Sims 4. Although the topic is Island Life it wasn't clear that your query was directed to that specific pack.
hestiah23
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
I wouldn't have minded if it took them a loading screen to give us diving lots, hidden land (where we can build on), hidden tunnels/passages and more secrets by special mermaids and dolphins.
Cinebar
6 years ago
"simgirl1010;c-17188561" wrote:
"Cinebar;c-17188510" wrote:

I love that sort of gameplay it's great it still happens in TS4 sometimes. Sometimes nothing happens. I have that gameplay in TS2 and TS3 so, I actually feel very close to those Sims, too. Though no moodlet is needed in older games. It's obvivous for days. It bothers me Graham one time said we didn't actually have emotions in TS2.....I think you and I both know yes, we did, but he said they were good at selling that fiction, was his exact words. We had never had emotioins like these (in TS4) I have to beg to differ with him. He must have not spent very much time playing the games. Working and viewing a game from a work view (like when you edit a video to see if you got something captured on screen) is totally different than experiencing it, I guess. I've never questioned why anyone likes TS4 so much, it can be fun for awhile. The problem for me is, that Sim can be deleted and the sad Sim will never notice. To me that breaks the immersion since I could just go ahead and delete and replace eveyrone with a clone and it wouldn't matter. And a few times I did, and it didn't matter to the Sim at all.

I'm not talking about emotions and reactions, or lack thereof. I'm not talking about how she felt sad because she saw her husband flirting with her mother. I'm talking about how I felt when I saw my sim was hurt. I'm talking about how I've been playing my toddler, child, and teen for over a year and its upsetting to think about aging them up. It may be strange but I've never felt emotionally invested in the sims in any of the previous games.

No? Wow, I did, the first family I created in TS1 made me cry, lol. The wife got burned up the next morning because I didn't know anything about smoke detectors in the game. And I was a grown woman. lol He became my favorite and though I played rotationally he was the favorite since he struggled so much, broke, starving, wouldn't work (due to his emotional upset) had to sell off furniture to buy food etc. It was great.
Jep_Vingo
6 years ago
I've found Island Living disappointing and deficient.

My main complaint is that a major aspect which had been present in Sims 3 just doesn't exist anymore. I'm speaking of any kind of 'ocean living' aspect. Maybe it needs to be a new expansion? One may hope. But for now, Island Living doesn't offer anything for the whole mermaid underwater living features. Nothing. Nada. Hugely disappointing.

No underwater lots, no underwater viewing - it just seems like Maxis/EA have taken Sims3, given it better graphics and slashed away whole chunks of dynamic gameplay. And I'll never stop disliking the end of 'open worlds'. Now all I see are damned loading screens. That and the lots are all so much smaller, less chance to 'build' in the neighbourhoods.

Overall Sims 4 continues to make me want to just play Sims 3.
LQuinn00
6 years ago
We're all different in what we want out of the Sims 4, one thing I would have liked is more under water visuals. I really like Island Living, and feel like I got my mine worth. I give Island Living, 8 out of 10.
Writin_Reg
6 years ago
"ClarionOfJoy;c-17190343" wrote:
There's not much to do in the Island Living GP EP. I wouldn't say it is worth the EP price. AT ALL. It's such a small world too. And beyond that, unfortunately, there is nothing else.

You got a lot more for your money in TS3's Island Paradise EP. You get the Isla Paradiso world - yes, it's buggy and you have to fix it or download a fixed version of it, but when that's done, you'll find that it is an amazing world with tons of things to do: scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, water skiing, boating with different kinds of boats, lifeguard career, discovering hidden islands, hotel building and management, houseboats that travel (pretty enjoyable to sit back and watch over your sim's shoulder as the beautiful scenery passes by as the houseboat travels from point A to point B). Moreover, you can add those features to other worlds as well as create other tropical worlds like it (but lag-free!).

Both TS1's Vacation EP and TS2's Bon Voyage EP also gave you three worlds each, vastly different from each other with a lot of unique things to do in each as well.

In TS4 - Suvadiva is all you will ever have and you can't make any changes to its environment or add more lots. It only has one active career, but everything else is a rabbit hole. It's a pretty world, but quickly gets boring as there's very little to do. They took out everything I loved to do from previous iterations. How is that worth an EP's price? It's such a rip-off. The vacation EPs have always been consistently my favorite theme in all The Sims iterations, so the Island Living GP EP was especially heart-breaking and upsetting to me.

Technically Sims 1 gave you 9 - 3 camping, 3 winter, and 3 beach places. There was only 1 world in the Sims 1 technically - just new areas to add to that world was given with each pack and Vacation gave us 9 new areas.

3 Winter Lodges - Al Pine's Winter Wonderland, Penguin Acres Campground, Alpine Preserve

3-Camping places - Bear Essentials Lodge, Ranger's Ranch Campground, Wren's Fens National Park

3 Beaches - Palazzo Palms Hotel, Sunset Beach, Reclaimed Public Beach .
Simburian
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
I don't really care if other people compare it to other packs or games unfavourably, that's their problem not mine. I did try starting up Sims 3 today but took one look at the Sims in CAS and decided not to go further. For some reason the male Sim reminded me of a "grey" from Ancient Aliens. I wouldn't mind trying again if I could bring some of the Sims 4 Sims in to enjoy those Island Paradises.

I've just made a Sim with a German Shepherd dog to live as a beachcomber layabout on Sulani with tent, toilet and minimal equipment. It's great fun and one can play it at slow speed to enjoy it fully.

I've got the feeling that some people don't know how to play the game properly. (runs away and hides, as the saying apparently goes). B)

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Feedback on Island Living

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