Social Events?

If you're referring to social events like birthday parties, dinner parties, dane parties, and weddings... I think TS4 has done a wonderful job! This is because making them goal-related (what can make them a bit difficult for those who just want to freestyle it) is totally optional when you are designing it after clicking on the "plan a social event" button on the phone. Even if you want to make it goal-related, it is not very difficult to fulfill the various points, since you both have plenty of time and get prizes for both silver and gold medals. During the actual events, you also hace the option of cancelling them at any time, although this may cause a slight drop in friendship levels with the guests/partygoers. Anyways, my favorite part of birthday parties in particular is that you not only get to pick a birthday sim and guests, but also a piantist (entertainer), mixologist, and chef (for a couple meals and a cake). And you get to pick the venue... house, park, museum, bar, etc. Sims even switch into their special party outfits for all these social events!
Hope that helps as a sort of rough overview ?

In TS4 I throw parties rarely. Basically only weddings. In TS3 I used to throw all kinds of parties. Weddings, funerals, basic parties and I loved to throw the fundraisers. I don't know what these events were called but when you had a sim in a certain career then sometimes they had to throw a fancy party and raise a lot of money. I absolutely LOVED those. So cool.

The main reason is that I "grew up". Or I had to :D When I got TS3 I was 19-20yo, in the UK as an au pair so I have plenty of free time to play. Before I went to the UK I was a huuuge party girl. But that was because of my boyfriend. When I got back home to my country I met my husband and only like 2 month later TS4 came out, I was engaged and one month before my wedding. That time I got pregnant. So that's the reason I guess. I've never been on a party since.

Anyhow, I don't liek that events in TS4 are time limited. I want to choose when the events my sim throws end! It is frustrating.

I don't do the social events often but I like them every now and then. But when it comes to the goals, I don't always bother. I like that we have the option to do them without goals, especially birthday parties.

I didn't realize you could do parties without goals. Will have to look into this the next time one of my sims is ready to age up.

I like them better than Sims2. I don't remember why, because I don't remember how they worked in Sims 2. I just remember having the thought when I started Sims4 that dates and parties were much better. I didn't play 3 so I can't compare to that.

I like them a lot over all, and really wish there were different kinds. I enjoy the challenge of reward task versions, and except in specific cases where bugs and poor design makes something impossible and frustrating, I appreciate the effort involved. Tho is can sometimes be a difficult balance between having it be basically impossible and feeling too easy (more often, completing social events falls more on the latter to me), I think it's also nice for story purposes, being a good way to have sims gather and maybe get some unexpected interactions or story progression, or the way they can interact with different packs. For instance, I like having my politicians in the charity organizer branch throw parties in order to collect donations (I was doing that even BEFORE "Charity Fundraiser" was an actual event in the game lol), or throwing a house party when my sim moves to a new place to "break it in." I wish we could have reward tasks on the holidays that come with the Seasons, so I could have proper Spooky Day and Winterfest parties on those holidays, but most of my complaints tend to be on the side of "I want more social events and be able to throw them more times/places," so over all I'm thinking that's a net "pro" stance from me haha.

Like what do you mean about the social events? Like the game con event and such? I never used the events in Sims 3 or 2 so I can't help much there but I do like the events in Sims 4. Just a nice place to get out and see celebrities and friends, etc.

I preferred Sims 3 parties,there were no goals so it felt more like a party and not an event I had to do alot of work for. I wish they had more types, like they had in 3 as well, in TS4 when I unclick the goals it acts like everyone had a bad time, even tho I've done the party aspiration so they should not react like that, one gave me a book like level 1 Charisma lol

Oh yes for the parties they are much better I wasn't quite sure what you were referring to. But yes the parties are a lot better then previous packs because I felt like no one ever had a good time at my parties and this one you have goals to reach to make it more enjoyable for everybody attending.

I don't use their goaled social events very often. But my Sims are always having large groups of friends and relatives over.