"BreeSasha;c-17134980" wrote:
I got this game on sale through CD Keys for $9 off which was kinda nice. I was cautious about the expansion because the announcement was rushed with only 2 weeks of hype. Then we got all the Q&A, early access info, and live-streams from Simgurus a couple days beforehand. Nonetheless, I bought it and I’ve enjoyed it. I’m not on the hype train that everything Ts4 has created is amazing. I have been an avid sim player since The Sims 2, but I see potential with this expansion. I wasn’t super thrilled about the level of content this time around. I also ran out of things to do after 2 sim days in-game.
As we’ve seen with the Sims 4 since launch, they’re doing something different with this line of the series. They’re treating it more like a service by providing huge free updates and doing almost monthly or every other month patches with new content ranging from clothing to careers to toddlers. I’m keeping that in mind. When they patch this game (which hopefully addresses some of the bugs), I wouldn’t be shocked if they don’t patch in something new that compliments this patch.
I would hold off on full judgment until the game is patched.
The constant updating and/or patching is part of the overall problem. I paid forty dollars for this expansion so I expect forty dolllars worth of content in return. On the day I download a new pack I expect to see what I paid for, not wait for a patch or update that is given to everyone for free. Because the update is for everyone, not just for Simmers that purchased the expansion, whatever content is in that patch will be generic rather than focused on adding more to Island Living. We have never asked for the freebies EA has been handing out since Sims4 was released. But we do expect more content and fewer bugs in the packs we buy. EA made the decision to include free content in the updates so everyone that bought the base game has access to new content. Which is okay, I guess. But it does make me wonder why I bother to buy a new pack if EA has the resources to hand out so much free content. The money I spend on new packs doesn't seem to be going toward the development of future packs these days. That became obvious a few packs ago.
While I appreciate what you are saying, I can't agree with the logic of waiting for a free update, for a new pack I just purchased, and all the content in the update is free for everyone. And because the free content has to be base game compatible, whatever it adds to the game itself won't add much to the overall experience in Island Living. Which is what I paid money for to have in the first place. And then there is another problem with all these updates and patches: I can't remember when any one of those hasn't borked my game in some way. The pre-ep update killed two-thirds of my game fixing mods this time around. My mods folder is looking very empty. And my game is riddled with old and new bugs. Once the new patch is released I will have to wait and see if it has broken any of my newly updated mods. Or any of the bug fixes that came in the pre-ep update. It's a never-ending battle. Very discouraging when all I want to do is play my game without bugs or irritations.
Island Living isn't a bad expansion pack. It has a very lovely new world, brought ocean swimming back to the game, added 'some' new gameplay and included a ton of new assets. But it still lacks a spark of originality that would have made it a great expansion. And after playing this game for a very long time, I have come to expect more from paid content than what I have seen so far in Island Living. I am playing around with it. I build a bit and explore the different neighborhoods while waiting for a couple more key mods to be updated. Once that is done, I am going to play a Sim and give Island Living a second chance to wow me. My opinion of the pack might change in the future. I hope it does change and I end up loving it as much as I love Seasons.
