The only pack I paid full price for in the last two years was Island Living, and is the last time I will pay full price for new dlc. This will continue until the content in these packs improves. I don't hate the content, but it isn't done very well which is why I pay less for it. But I would like to point out something I saw in the reveal trailer no one seems to notice. The candles our Sims make don't last forever. They slowly burn down and need to be replaced at some point. I thought that was a nice touch seeing as it is something that has never been in the game before. This little detail does give me some hope for Eco Lifestyle if someone at EA finally realized a candle isn't a lamp and should not last forever. But, you are right, the little details matter and would make the new packs a lot better. If EA would stop micro-managing the teams, allowing them a bit more creative freedom, then back that up with a larger budget, we might see better content in new packs. The fact we are seeing packs on sale more and more these days, makes me think there are fewer players willing to buy new dlc until it is on sale or can be purchased in a bundle. No doubt EA has seen this trend as well, and will make some adjustments. This would be especially important for EA to do if it has plans to add another two years to the life of Sims4.
The fact EA has made a point of being inclusive of different genders, ethnicities and lifestyles in Sims4, I see Eco Lifestyle as a way to include a very important message for all of us. And may very well mean we will see less of the sunshine and rainbows style of the past, and Sims4 will evolve into a more realistic, and relevant interpretation of the world today as we know it. The emphasis that has been placed on social media in this iteration, is a realistic interpretation of real life today. I get that now. I did not like it at first until I realized it is a huge part of our lives today, and there is no escaping that fact. But we have the option of how much we want to use it in our game. The same goes for Eco Lifestyle. We will have a choice in how much or how little we want to participate in the new features being introduced in that pack.
After twenty years of playing the Sims, I am ready for more content that is new and innovative. The tried and true content we enjoyed in the past was great, and I am happy with the past themes, such as pets and seasons, that are included in Sims4. But I'm ready for new challenges and ideas we have never even thought about before. If there are gameplay features I feel need more depth, I look for gameplay mods to make that happen. Early on in Sims4 it became apparent this would become a thing. And I fought the idea I would need to use mods in order to get the features I wanted in my game. But once I gave in to the idea of using mods, my game has grown into a very enjoyable one, one that is relevant to my gaming style.
I won't pay full price for Eco Lifestyle. Not because I dislike the concepts in the new pack, but because I took a stand after paying full price for Island Living and being disappointed because I basically paid forty dollars for what I considered should have been a game pack. The mod creators are benefitting from this because I have been donating more to that community than I have spent on new packs. And if EA is okay with this, I guess we can look forward to nothing changing as far as what we feel is missing from new dlc.
