Growing Together Negative Thread

"elanorbreton;c-18228486" wrote:

"GrimlyFiendish;c-18228429" wrote:
https://twitter.com/SimGuruNinja/status/1622408197326913536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I see the ageism is strong as ever :|

I quite like that they have included a special interaction, because there are probably a lot of (not all, of course) elders who are not greatly tech-minded, having not grown up surrounded by tech stuff. To me, this is only along the same lines as people asking for walking canes for elders, and other special interactions which are more common in that age group.

As for people saying there is nothing for teens, I guess the HSY pack added quite a lot for them and EA expect people to buy that pack if they want teen stuff. I hope they have included at least a couple of little things dedicated to teens for people who don't want to/cannot buy HSY.

Maybe they will show more about the other life states in the gameplay trailer. Though it might just be that some of the sims we've seen were teens and we didn't realize.

"telemwill;c-18228500" wrote:

"elanorbreton;c-18228486" wrote:

"GrimlyFiendish;c-18228429" wrote:
https://twitter.com/SimGuruNinja/status/1622408197326913536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I see the ageism is strong as ever :|

I quite like that they have included a special interaction, because there are probably a lot of (not all, of course) elders who are not greatly tech-minded, having not grown up surrounded by tech stuff. To me, this is only along the same lines as people asking for walking canes for elders, and other special interactions which are more common in that age group.

As for people saying there is nothing for teens, I guess the HSY pack added quite a lot for them and EA expect people to buy that pack if they want teen stuff. I hope they have included at least a couple of little things dedicated to teens for people who don't want to/cannot buy HSY.

It's kind of funny to me, because when flip phones first came out, it was my mother-in-law who taught me to use one.

That said, while I can use my smartphone just fine, having been around computers since the days they filled a room and monitors looked like typewriters, my kids tend to adopt new apps and features first. So they do explain those to me sometimes. But they are the ones who come to me if they need desktop or printer advice. I'm the only one in the family who can stop and restart the spooler when a print job gets "stuck".

oh they totally should have "let your mom/dad show you how this work" interaction too if we go this route

its funny to me how my mom and dad seem to handle about every machine and household appliance on earth no problems with complete confidence all "how could you not know how this works"

but then phone computer and the printer are suddenly complete mystery to them :lol:

In my house, I handle the computers and accessories, and household tech - the kid handles the smartphone gadgets for the most part lmao.

"simgirl1010;c-18228124" wrote:

"Monet11;c-18228113" wrote:

I really dislike the name. Not that it is bad in and of itself. It's a rather small annoyance. But it is so similar to Get Together. What kind of abbreviation will end up being used? Or will it just have to be typed out all the time?

I've seen suggestions of GrT. Like CoL for Cottage Living to distinguish between CL for City Living.

Edited CT to CL. Even with the abbreviations I still got it wrong. ?

? Look at you... making my point for me. ??

"GrumpyGlowfish;c-18228162" wrote:
I could do without abbreviations altogether. They always confuse me. As for the name, I think it's actually quite clever, as "Growing Together" can mean "growing up together" (like a family) or "growing closer" (as in, improving a relationship), both of which are themes of the pack.

I remember words better than I remember abbreviations, so I like abbreviations that turn into words. If it were "Growing Up Together", then we could call it GuT. Which I might do anyway, because it's short and funny and easy to remember. Or I could combine it with @Gordy's suggestion of GroT, and make it GroTGuT. Then no one would have any idea what I was talking about. Which is fairly common anyway.

"GrimlyFiendish;c-18228429" wrote:
https://twitter.com/SimGuruNinja/status/1622408197326913536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I am so over that phone. Can we have an option for elders to smash it out of frustration? Or how about a power off option. Can we have a power off option?

I'm rarely lurking in the negative thoughts threads, but I've been reading everyone's thoughts as well as some complaints off twitter recently and I have some opinions. Please bear with me, this may be a longer post than I'm originally intending it to be.

I agree with @JustinB113. I think many simmers are comparing the upcoming expansion pack to the previous TS3 Generations. I can understand why, I mean, it's hard not to compare them when the themes are very similar. To be fair, the themes ultimately are the same, but I think the focus is a little different this time around.

TS3 Generations focused on giving the player new experiences for all generations introducing a memory system, reputations, storytelling, a daycare career, pranks, punishments, etc. The game also introduced life stage specific features like imaginary friends, boarding schools, after-school activities, bachelor/bachelorette parties, proms, midlife crises, etc. The game took each life stage and gave it new features and/or activities.

Now, TS4 Growing Together appears to also focus on giving the player new experiences for all generations including milestones, social compatibility, new activities sims can do together (puzzles, building treehouses, splash pads) along with life stage specific features like infant quirks, toddler quirks, new children aspirations, midlife crises, and giving life lessons. I'm paraphrasing here, but we get the gist.

It's amazing, it really is quite a similar game to Generations, but the big difference that I'd like to point out is that many of the items mentioned in the above TS3 paragraph were given to us in multiple packs in TS4 that went further in depth to create a more meaningful experience. TS4 Parenthood, Kids Room Stuff, Toddler Stuff, My Wedding Stories, Nifty Knitting Stuff, and High School Years are all packs that dive deeper into some of the features that the community has asked for! With some of those features already in the game, I'm totally okay with the team adding in a bunch of content for the infants -- as they are new! And it sounds like toddlers are getting a major update, so I'm thinking the Sims team took the wonderful opportunity to focus on helping incorporate the new infant life stage into a simmer's game while simultaneously giving each life stage something new to experience. I understand that it can leave a bad taste in one's mouth when the sims introduces a new feature for free and then puts all the fun stuff behind a price tag, but hey, that's the point of an expansion pack right? To expand the features and experiences in the game..

I'm almost done! Since I'm here in the negative thread, I will add my share of negativity. Here it goes -- I also want strollers, so it's a shame they've been replaced with a wearable baby carrier. Thank you for letting me write down and share my thoughts! I hope those of you that aren't very impressed with the upcoming expansion pack get a feature (or occult!) that you're hoping for in the very near future :)

"GrumpyGlowfish;c-18228162" wrote:
I could do without abbreviations altogether. They always confuse me. As for the name, I think it's actually quite clever, as "Growing Together" can mean "growing up together" (like a family) or "growing closer" (as in, improving a relationship), both of which are themes of the pack. What bothers me more is the name of the world, San Sequoia, which I'll probably get mixed up with San Myshuno a lot. I'm already having enough trouble with Britechester and Brindleton Bay as it is.

Britechester: "Bright" - Smart/brainy/educated.
Brindleton Bay: "Brindle" - A mottled brown coat colour found on on animals, particularly dogs and cats.

"jpajari;c-18228699" wrote:
I'm rarely lurking in the negative thoughts threads, but I've been reading everyone's thoughts as well as some complaints off twitter recently and I have some opinions. Please bear with me, this may be a longer post than I'm originally intending it to be.

I agree with @JustinB113. I think many simmers are comparing the upcoming expansion pack to the previous TS3 Generations. I can understand why, I mean, it's hard not to compare them when the themes are very similar. To be fair, the themes ultimately are the same, but I think the focus is a little different this time around.

TS3 Generations focused on giving the player new experiences for all generations introducing a memory system, reputations, storytelling, a daycare career, pranks, punishments, etc. The game also introduced life stage specific features like imaginary friends, boarding schools, after-school activities, bachelor/bachelorette parties, proms, midlife crises, etc. The game took each life stage and gave it new features and/or activities.

Now, TS4 Growing Together appears to also focus on giving the player new experiences for all generations including milestones, social compatibility, new activities sims can do together (puzzles, building treehouses, splash pads) along with life stage specific features like infant quirks, toddler quirks, new children aspirations, midlife crises, and giving life lessons. I'm paraphrasing here, but we get the gist.

It's amazing, it really is quite a similar game to Generations, but the big difference that I'd like to point out is that many of the items mentioned in the above TS3 paragraph were given to us in multiple packs in TS4 that went further in depth to create a more meaningful experience. TS4 Parenthood, Kids Room Stuff, Toddler Stuff, My Wedding Stories, Nifty Knitting Stuff, and High School Years are all packs that dive deeper into some of the features that the community has asked for! With some of those features already in the game, I'm totally okay with the team adding in a bunch of content for the infants -- as they are new! And it sounds like toddlers are getting a major update, so I'm thinking the Sims team took the wonderful opportunity to focus on helping incorporate the new infant life stage into a simmer's game while simultaneously giving each life stage something new to experience. I understand that it can leave a bad taste in one's mouth when the sims introduces a new feature for free and then puts all the fun stuff behind a price tag, but hey, that's the point of an expansion pack right? To expand the features and experiences in the game..

I'm almost done! Since I'm here in the negative thread, I will add my share of negativity. Here it goes -- I also want strollers, so it's a shame they've been replaced with a wearable baby carrier. Thank you for letting me write down and share my thoughts! I hope those of you that aren't very impressed with the upcoming expansion pack get a feature (or occult!) that you're hoping for in the very near future :)

Yah rip strollers.

On the negative:

- No strollers/prams, no baby jogging buggy, no baby seat bicycle, no baby activity chair, no baby swings, no bouncy baby hangers.
- Potentially no apartments, no row houses, no new multi-family type of dwellings of any kind by the looks of it.
- No new exciting venue (a recreation centre will most likely function the same as an art centre or a library - a place to read books, play board games, or have a bbq outside - so nothing new). And unfortunately, I think the splash park/pad thingy is most likely locked to the world and you can only get there by walking from a nearby lot, it won't be a new venue type either.


On the positive:

- I'm looking forward to using that treehouse for my rags to riches stories... it looks like we can place items in it. So a sleeping bag, a lantern, and a cooler (with a potty bush on the lot) to set up a new homeless sim struggling to make their way in the world.
- I like the new build style items (craftsmen style is versatile enough to be used in many different types of builds, not just blue suburbans).
- Sleeping bags and sleepovers. Yay!
- Freed babies with real cribs and change tables. Yay!

I wonder what would happen to strollers on stairs if we did have them? Would it be like bicycles that go in the inventory while you walk down stairs? In that case what would happen to the baby?

(I guess similar questions would apply to the wearable infant carrier and chairs... maybe you just can't sit down while wearing one... I certainly couldn't at the time)