Reusing animations or reskinning an object to use as a 'new' game play feature, does not add anything to the base game. New animations and new objects add to the game. Because those are totally new animations and objects we have not seen before. The lack of truly new animations and objects is one of the biggest complaints coming from the Sims community. And after almost six years, seeing the same animations and reskinned objects has become boring. It almost seems as if they look for certain animations to use while new packs are in development rather than create new animations that will eat into the budget. Even if that animation doesn't really make sense when used in certain cases. Case in point being the rubber ducky the toddlers play with while sitting in the ocean. How much budget money would it have taken to place a seashell in a toddler's hand rather than the same duck we have been seeing since toddlers were added to the game? When a modder is able to create new water toys for toddlers while the devs can't, something is definitely wrong with how well these packs are done, and small details that have always been part of the game's charm, are lost. The latest packs were filled with missed opportunities to make new gameplay features stand out as unique and surprising. And is one of the main reasons why I do not pay full price for new packs. If the teams cannot manage to put more effort into new packs, I am not going to pay full price for animations and objects I have seen a thousand times. But I do donate to mod creators who can create the unique things I feel will benefit my enjoyment of my game. Truthfully, I have spent more money donating to mod creators than I have for new packs. But I guess EA is okay with that and is why every pack for Sims4 is on sale most of the time. Because a lot of players are donating to mod creators rather than pay full price for new packs that feel half finished. And why are Sims sliding down that new ladder coming in the June update, when they are able to climb down the one that came with Island Living? Same object with a very different animation that doesn't make much sense is just what the game needs. SMH
