The Festivals are boring

"Zeldaboy180;d-992508" wrote:
I'll be the first to post about it,

You're far from the first. Just the first to start a thread about it. :p

I have yet to attend my first fair.

ETA. I do want to collect all the ribbons though so I plan on attending for that.

https://i.imgur.com/C1VszUU.png

The Sims 4 Cottage Living comes with one new official collection (and a few “unofficial” collections). The new collection listed in the collections panel is Finchwich Fair Ribbons. There are a total of 34 ribbons to earn from competing in the Finchwick Fair but the game recognizes a complete collection when all 9 first place ribbons have been acquired even if your Sims do not have the rest of the ribbons.

"Zeldaboy180;d-992508" wrote:
I'll be the first to post about it, the festivals are incredibly boring. I'm loving this pack so far, but I haven't gone to a single festival since I won the needed prize for my aspiration. I actually like the City Living festivals, most of them anyway. The Sulani/San Myshuno festivals are kind of meh compared to city living, but at least there's actually activities to do and unique collectibles you can only get at those festivals.

You can't say the same for the cottage living fairs. All it is is submit entry and wait 8 hours for the world's slowest judge to make up her mind. There is nothing else you can do. The shops sell the same stuff they always sell, no unique merchandise or shirts. There isn't even a unique reward besides the Ribbons you get. There is quite literally nothing unique to do in a festival after you submitted your entry besides bribe the judge or wait.

Speaking of bribing the judges, I'm convinced that the results are complete random chance and has nothing to do with quality like it says. My sim's max happiness/max relationship rainbow cow lost to a normal cow with low attention. My friend's cow came in third place in the competition when there were only TWO competing cows. You can't convince me it's not just random chance.

Combining all of this, it just makes for a boring fair that I find myself skipping every week now that I have my aspiration.

I usually don't skip a lot of the city living festivals. The Flea Market is a good chance to find rare collectibles, The spice festival has a lot of unique collectibles and is generally a fun time, not to mention rare garden plants can be found. The Humor and hijinx festival is a great way to improve comedy/mischief skills and is great for a rags to riches challenge with the cash bonus if you win, and I've lost it a couple times or drawn so it's not always an easy guaranteed win. The romance festival just has an all around great atmosphere.

It's just sad that these festivals feel so lackluster. They didn't even have to do much. Make the prize a chance at an animal upgrade part since they seem to be so rare for me. Or earn valuable treats. Make the stalls sell unique rare items. Have music playing and activities for children. Even a pie eating contest would have been great.

I couldn't agree more. I would just have been happy if there had been a food stall, like the one from Britechester, selling unique English foods (fish and chips, bangers and mash or those new fast foods from DU like Mushy Peas, Fish Hand Pie, Chip Butty and Sausage Roll). Actually, they wouldn't even have needed to have a food stand. Instead, they could have had something like the Sulani town potluck with all the locals bringing a dish relevant to the fair.

For the pie and vegetable judging context, have sims bring a variety of pies or vegetable dishes. For the chicken and egg competition, have chicken and egg dishes available, and for the milk and cow competition, have milk-made dishes, ice cream if you have Cool Kitchen etc, or dishes made from beef (meat pies etc). At least if there was food available, sims would seem more social and relaxed, sitting around and eating instead of standing and chatting in a tight bunch in front of the competing entries.

I do agree that if they really wanted the fair to be fun though the developers should have included a greater variety of rare prizes and unique collectibles (ones that you could only get at the fair). They should also have introduced a unique fun group activity that a few sims could do together to build fun, social and relationship points. I like your idea of the pie eating contest (which was fun in the Sims 3). They could also have added a lawn bowling or ring toss object (something like the horseshoe game from OL), or if they really wanted something more elaborate and quintessentially English, a small version of the game of croquet.

And I will always think it a missed opportunity that in an English world they didn't reintroduce social tea drinking as a group activity with a tea set object allowing for various interactions (such as they had in the Brunch at the Old Mill Set). Then at each fair there could have been a table or two with tea sets on them that sims could sit at together, drinking tea, chatting, eating little sandwiches or sweets, and it would really improve the atmosphere of the whole event. As it is there is no real reason to go to the fair at all if your sim isn't competing; if there were some unique or special foods and activities it would at least be more of a motivation to visit the fair.

I agree the fair could be a bit more lively. There are enough sims showing up, but there should be more activities. Something as simple as music would add a lot to the all over feel. I just attended my first fair with a nice apple just to check it out. He got 2d place (do NPCs never bring oversized stuff?). My teen won §250 + an uncommon choco treat + ribbon + his apple back. I think that was a good pay out for a nice quality apple, LOL. Agree to those upgrade parts and other rare stuff.

At fairs I think the stall give discounts, so if your sims are counting their simoleons it would be a good occasion for storing up. At least the grocery stall pays more if you sell to her during the fair. Not exciting activities, but an excuse to visit the fair.

I like the community vibes at the Finchwick fair but the event itself is a little boring. It's supposed to be a contest but barely any sims ever enter anything other than my own controlled sims. I go there and almost all the contest podiums are empty. I thought it would be better than it is but sims pretty much just all stand around and chat.

The stalls give 10% discount and buy items for 10% more (25% if you can successfully haggle) and have some rare stuff in a "fair tab" (looks like a sun) when a fair is happening.

But other than that and obviously the competitions there isnt anything going on.
Which I think would be ok if the made the competitions a bit more interesting cause those are the main (and only) attractions.
It wouldve been cool if you could present your entry, maybe downtalk the other entries and if there was some kind of celebration going along with announcing the winners instead of just a pop up.
They couldve added a microphone and have the mayor actually physically announce the placements, like at award shows in GF.

I like the Finchwik fairs, they're my favourite festivals because usually my Sims compete in them. I don't care much about the festivals in Mt Komorebi and San Myshuno, although I agree there's more going on in the latter.

It would have been nice if, fair ribbons aside, there had been other exclusive collectibles that could be acquired at the Finchwik fair, like commemorative teacups or teapots, or antique spoons (that you could display in a spoon rack) or any other type of décor in line with cottagecore style. It could have been something you can purchase from a vendor or maybe even find (like the snowglobes in the boxes in San Myshuno)

How awesome would it be if festivals were actually festivals?

Food contest with actual strong competitors, and fair judges.

Fun activities for kids and families to join.

Fun games such as apple bobbing, knock over the milk bottles, cotton candy, jam tasting, food tables with pies and recipes to try out and learn how to bake at home!

Music and a new cute choreo in town for kids and adults to learn and dance, in traditional dresses and boots.

? Just some ideas of the many, many things that could have been done. Dah-ah! Festivals are not supposed to be boring!

I don't have the pack yet, but these are some pictures I took with KawaiiiStacie's festivals mod, and I had so much fun recreating this, this is how I always imagine these kind of festivals/fairs should be :)

I know your sims can get food at the pub, but one food stall or a pop-up bar out on the green, plus one lawn game would have made the fairs just that step more believable - and entertaining.

I love the pack, but the fairs are easily the weakest part.

"Zeldaboy180;d-992508" wrote:
I'll be the first to post about it, the festivals are incredibly boring. I'm loving this pack so far, but I haven't gone to a single festival since I won the needed prize for my aspiration. I actually like the City Living festivals, most of them anyway. The Sulani/San Myshuno festivals are kind of meh compared to city living, but at least there's actually activities to do and unique collectibles you can only get at those festivals.

You can't say the same for the cottage living fairs. All it is is submit entry and wait 8 hours for the world's slowest judge to make up her mind. There is nothing else you can do. The shops sell the same stuff they always sell, no unique merchandise or shirts. There isn't even a unique reward besides the Ribbons you get. There is quite literally nothing unique to do in a festival after you submitted your entry besides bribe the judge or wait.

Speaking of bribing the judges, I'm convinced that the results are complete random chance and has nothing to do with quality like it says. My sim's max happiness/max relationship rainbow cow lost to a normal cow with low attention. My friend's cow came in third place in the competition when there were only TWO competing cows. You can't convince me it's not just random chance.

Combining all of this, it just makes for a boring fair that I find myself skipping every week now that I have my aspiration.

I usually don't skip a lot of the city living festivals. The Flea Market is a good chance to find rare collectibles, The spice festival has a lot of unique collectibles and is generally a fun time, not to mention rare garden plants can be found. The Humor and hijinx festival is a great way to improve comedy/mischief skills and is great for a rags to riches challenge with the cash bonus if you win, and I've lost it a couple times or drawn so it's not always an easy guaranteed win. The romance festival just has an all around great atmosphere.

It's just sad that these festivals feel so lackluster. They didn't even have to do much. Make the prize a chance at an animal upgrade part since they seem to be so rare for me. Or earn valuable treats. Make the stalls sell unique rare items. Have music playing and activities for children. Even a pie eating contest would have been great.

Prehaps a modder will fix this and add more stuff to it.