Now that we can place rental lots in Sulani does that change your opinion of Island Living?

Rentals alone wouldn't change my mind about the EP not having underwater swimming and rabbit holes. I like the rental feature, sure, but it doesn't make or break any pack for me.

I had one generic lot on Sulani that I used as a "rental" so now at least that can be official. But I have so many Sims already living in the area; pirates, mermaids, sirens, Naga and the Voodoo Loa, so it's not like I don't get good use out of it anyway, lol.

No. IP was my favourite TS3 pack, and I had high hopes for its TS4 version. Since launch day I've yearned for it. The feature I was most excited for was scuba diving. TS4's art style is perfect for it - instead of purely realistic diving spots, more fantasy spots would fit in perfectly and transport us to a whole new underwater world.
TS4 "scuba diving" is a rabbit hole. Punch to the face.

I don't like the theme of the world, having wanted a Tiki theme. Sulani is beautiful, but when I heard it was Polynesian, all I could think was "Moana is popular so they want to make money by attracting its fans." There's a Tiki bar in the game and JA explored Mayan temples and artifacts. IL could have been so much more interesting imo if it had a hidden Tiki temple, maps and mysteries rather than one of the core selling points of the pack being glorified ghosts and "fun facts," and it would have expanded the game better by forming coherence with existing DLC.

I don't expect IL to be an exact replica of IP, but seriously. Who thought that resorts should not come with this pack. In an EP so utterly devoid of gameplay, resorts would have made it worthwhile. I am 99% sure that they didn't add it bc they thought they'd make more money if they sold it seperately. I am disgusted. It is not simply a step down from IP, it is a disgrace. All the gameplay is tied to the world, but even then there is barely any. My only motivation for sending sims here on vacation is for the beach. There is nothing else to explore.

At least if there was a hidden Tiki temple I could send my sims adventuring. If there were resorts, I could run my dream resort, not simply build a rental lot and visit it. If there were shell jewelry and crafts as well as more beach-y collectables, I could run a cute, airy beach hut shop with GTW. If there was proper scuba diving, I could spend real-life hours simply being enchanted by the beauty and mystery of the ocean - I love it dearly but am too terrified to scuba dive in real life. Taking underwater pics myself would also open up a lot of creative possibilities, as well as integrate with the marine biology career.
If there were some nice activities like games (Gnubb set; how low can you go), more hobbies (taxidermy of fish, Spongebob Squarepants shop style; crafting jewelry from shells and pearls) and less empty careers (lifeguard not being a rabbit hole), this pack would actually be useful even when not playing in Sulani.
If ALL WORLDS had swimmable water, we would 1) be able to enjoy swimming more overall, 2) have more use for floaties and boats and 3) have more use for mermaids. If IL included the ability to turn swimming pools into custom aquariums via a special water paint ("fish habitat water") and the ability to stock fish into them, 1) a wealth of creative possibilities would be opened (ex. shark tank villain lair) and 2) mermaids would make more sense outside of Sulani, having a secret habitat they can feel home in no matter where they live.
Mermaids could have gotten more special recipes to make them feel unique. Take inspiration from movies like Barbie Mermadia: kelp kebabs, seaweed sandwiches, coral cupcakes, sand dollar cookies etc. Crafts with shells and starfish could have doubled as a way to unlock more mermaid bras. Mermaids could have gotten more interactions with fish in bowls and aquariums.


I could seriously talk forever about features that could have made IL better, but it's useless bc I don't see the devs updating it - at least not to add substantial improvements. I do want this pack eventually, purely so I can rebuild it to better fit the aesthetic I wanted, but I'm waiting for it to be 75% off. I refuse to pay more for it.

So, rental lots: I'm happy we got them, and I will use them in IL. However, they do not improve IL for me at all, since the EP itself infuriates me with its (to use a euphemism) lacklusterness.

As much as I loved the mermaid aspects (even tho they are lacking) I didn’t really play with that world as much because it didn’t go well with my gameplay story. Now that we have rentals that gives me a chance to go on summer vacations & so forth. It’s a beautiful world & im glad I’m able to use it. I just wish there was more activities to do. Hopefully in the future we get a underwater world/pack

"catloverplayer;d-983640" wrote:
I know there is a lot of people that complain that Island Living should have been a Gamepack rather then an Expansion but now that we can place rentals there and take a vacation in Sulani does this change your minds? I was already in love with this pack and now that I can have rentals there that made me even more excited.

I usually just play mermaids in Sulani to help with their hydration. I don't normally play or build there. With rental options in build mode, I would probably turn most of the slots into rentals so that sims can go on holiday there.

I still wish there was a setting that allowed us to indicate how far we want worlds to reside from one another. Like if a Sim wants to go from Windenburg to Sulani, in my game, I’d want them to pay $1000 airfare. Or Willowcreek to whatever that GTW shed is, like $12 cab ride or walk.

"Louise_G0325;c-17727809" wrote:
No. IP was my favourite TS3 pack, and I had high hopes for its TS4 version. Since launch day I've yearned for it. The feature I was most excited for was scuba diving. TS4's art style is perfect for it - instead of purely realistic diving spots, more fantasy spots would fit in perfectly and transport us to a whole new underwater world.
TS4 "scuba diving" is a rabbit hole. Punch to the face.

I don't like the theme of the world, having wanted a Tiki theme. Sulani is beautiful, but when I heard it was Polynesian, all I could think was "Moana is popular so they want to make money by attracting its fans." There's a Tiki bar in the game and JA explored Mayan temples and artifacts. IL could have been so much more interesting imo if it had a hidden Tiki temple, maps and mysteries rather than one of the core selling points of the pack being glorified ghosts and "fun facts," and it would have expanded the game better by forming coherence with existing DLC.

I don't expect IL to be an exact replica of IP, but seriously. Who thought that resorts should not come with this pack. In an EP so utterly devoid of gameplay, resorts would have made it worthwhile. I am 99% sure that they didn't add it bc they thought they'd make more money if they sold it seperately. I am disgusted. It is not simply a step down from IP, it is a disgrace. All the gameplay is tied to the world, but even then there is barely any. My only motivation for sending sims here on vacation is for the beach. There is nothing else to explore.

At least if there was a hidden Tiki temple I could send my sims adventuring. If there were resorts, I could run my dream resort, not simply build a rental lot and visit it. If there were shell jewelry and crafts as well as more beach-y collectables, I could run a cute, airy beach hut shop with GTW. If there was proper scuba diving, I could spend real-life hours simply being enchanted by the beauty and mystery of the ocean - I love it dearly but am too terrified to scuba dive in real life. Taking underwater pics myself would also open up a lot of creative possibilities, as well as integrate with the marine biology career.
If there were some nice activities like games (Gnubb set; how low can you go), more hobbies (taxidermy of fish, Spongebob Squarepants shop style; crafting jewelry from shells and pearls) and less empty careers (lifeguard not being a rabbit hole), this pack would actually be useful even when not playing in Sulani.
If ALL WORLDS had swimmable water, we would 1) be able to enjoy swimming more overall, 2) have more use for floaties and boats and 3) have more use for mermaids. If IL included the ability to turn swimming pools into custom aquariums via a special water paint ("fish habitat water") and the ability to stock fish into them, 1) a wealth of creative possibilities would be opened (ex. shark tank villain lair) and 2) mermaids would make more sense outside of Sulani, having a secret habitat they can feel home in no matter where they live.
Mermaids could have gotten more special recipes to make them feel unique. Take inspiration from movies like Barbie Mermadia: kelp kebabs, seaweed sandwiches, coral cupcakes, sand dollar cookies etc. Crafts with shells and starfish could have doubled as a way to unlock more mermaid bras. Mermaids could have gotten more interactions with fish in bowls and aquariums.


I could seriously talk forever about features that could have made IL better, but it's useless bc I don't see the devs updating it - at least not to add substantial improvements. I do want this pack eventually, purely so I can rebuild it to better fit the aesthetic I wanted, but I'm waiting for it to be 75% off. I refuse to pay more for it.

So, rental lots: I'm happy we got them, and I will use them in IL. However, they do not improve IL for me at all, since the EP itself infuriates me with its (to use a euphemism) lacklusterness.

I agree, for a pack that had such high demand it's a major disappointment that for me personally IL falls near to the bottom of the ranking. The CAS, Build Buy and scenery looks stunning but the pack lacks much beyond face value. It's a huge shame that Island Paradise somehow surpasses Island Living in most ways.

One of it's biggest flaws which is now apprent is that they put a focus on Conservation....something that could have really fleshed Eco Lifestyle (which also falls flat with the non interactive litter). If they knew that somewhere in the pipeline that Eco Lifestyle was coming why didn't they think to organise their EP themes a little better?

Another major failing of this is the careers. Two big features in this pack is the stunning island of Sulani to explore and the friendly locals. Why then make three rabbit hole, part time carreers which don't allow you to explore both aspects? The fisherman career should have utilised the freelancer feature and the Lifeguard career should have been an active career. That could have really made this pack something and it could even use existing assets!

I'm going to be a little contrary....I really feel that a resort/hotel pack needs to be more versatile (B&B in Brindleton Bay, Snow Resort in Mt Komorebi etc) so with that I would like it to have it's own GP. I feel that if resorts were added to IL then it would be another watered down feature like retail which Sims 4 should be nipping in the bud!

"popstarsley;c-17727883" wrote:
I still wish there was a setting that allowed us to indicate how far we want worlds to reside from one another. Like if a Sim wants to go from Windenburg to Sulani, in my game, I’d want them to pay $1000 airfare. Or Willowcreek to whatever that GTW shed is, like $12 cab ride or walk.

I would also like a feature like that. I try to deduct money with the money cheat to simulate travelling costs but I sometimes forget to enter the cheat. But with rentals I will have my sims rent a lot in those destinations I consider far away.