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.

"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.

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!

"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.pngThe 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.

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.

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.

The Festivals are boring | EA Forums

50 Replies

MidnightAura86
Seasoned Ace
4 years ago
I agree the cottage living festivals are boring. City living has the best festivals but they have gown downhill ever since. The dev team totally missed the atmosphere. I’ve been to many agricultural shows where live stock is displayed in competition and there is so much going on with a ton to see and do. This is literally just watching sims dance and talk for ten hours.

And the results of the competition do seem totally random. How did my cow who has their needs and friendship maxed out come in third place when there was only one other cow in the contest? To add insult to injury the second place cow stats were much worse.
MaggieMae7276
Seasoned Ace
4 years ago
I agree that the festival is very disappointing. The local fairs in early fall where I live are filled with activities and food trucks of every kind. I love exploring the buildings where a variety of items are displayed with their ribbons, plants of all kings, flower arrangements, handcrafted items including knitted and cross-stitch, and so many more. And of course many different animals and demonstrations like shearing of wool.Bands play and you can watch them or just enjoy the music as you browse the fair. I don't expect all of that in Sims but having picnic tables, food stalls, horseshoes and something for kids to do while waiting would be nice. I haven't had my sims enter anything as yet, waiting til have children in scouts to enter things (or make a 4H type club). I love the Sims 3 festivals and in Sims 3 my families always attend and participate in everything! That was fun! Is there a way to add anything to the festival area, a cheat maybe? I know it isn't an actual lot. Would be nice to be able to at least put in a few items to give people more to do.
Isharell
Seasoned Ace
4 years ago
Yeah, the fairs are boring, but that is mainly because there isn't anything else to do other than go to the pub. I sent Mavis there to chat with whoever she met to get her social need up; she lives alone with 2 chickens and hasn't entered anything in the fair yet.

I've decided to treat it more of a social event, (which is a large part of what they are irl anyway) and I figure if I want to win I'll bribe the Mayor. :* I usually don't notice what day it is in the game, anyway. ;) Whenever I decide to participate it would be a good way to introduce a bit of drama: get in a fight with another entrant, or sneak a kiss with someone so Mrs. Crumplebottom can strike. I just remembered, I haven't seen that yet!

I guess I could level one of the buildings near the village green and put some fun things to do in it, then go back and forth. yeah, there is a loading screen, but that might be worth considering.
Cinebar
4 years ago
I can't believe so many who love TS4 are so unhappy with the 'fair' in Cottage Living. When the 'fair' is supposedly the reason for all the hard work in this pack. By reading this thread it seems Maxis' devs never actually attended 'country' fairs or know what happens there and or maybe they should have watched Charlotte's Web to get some insight into what goes on at country fairs (farmer fairs).

There are always shows, music, food stalls, cotton candy, candied apples, maybe a few performances like from a magician along with singers and bands, tours of seeing the animals, and omg...rides on at least a a few things for adults and smaller rides of kids.

The contests are only part of the fair and very important and is the main reason for having one but an actual country fair for the farmers where I live happens annually, and has some big name entertainment, lots of rides, lots of food, lots of competitions, lots of farm goods to buy, jam, apple butter, etc. It's almost like Maxis never attended a real one. And they are usually a week long event so people can return every day and night and see all there is to see and do. Different entertainment and contests depending on the day of the week. Geez, Maxis go to a few because you left out a lot.
ChokoGrimes
4 years ago
"Elisdream;c-17947219" wrote:
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 :)
Spoiler
https://64.media.tumblr.com/c50c664be34f0d8ad325febb94713932/898b8b09f78f7e9d-40/s400x600/e7668a48bb8f509f0e62e220c0cbae7c55699178.jpg
https://64.media.tumblr.com/a070b543b6e3bd0675a92257faeecede/898b8b09f78f7e9d-66/s400x600/864c912e4f6c29790091c5646a859eff20ed5f5d.jpg
https://64.media.tumblr.com/590d63d6a09f74517005bd6bf47df8bd/898b8b09f78f7e9d-18/s540x810/900037fcd0adff3b87b6324fe59955987008055c.jpg

Sorry. What Mod is this? What is your name or do you have a link to provide? What is it about?
Simfriend68
Seasoned Ace
4 years ago
"maggiemae8135;c-17948735" wrote:
I agree that the festival is very disappointing. The local fairs in early fall where I live are filled with activities and food trucks of every kind. I love exploring the buildings where a variety of items are displayed with their ribbons, plants of all kings, flower arrangements, handcrafted items including knitted and cross-stitch, and so many more. And of course many different animals and demonstrations like shearing of wool.Bands play and you can watch them or just enjoy the music as you browse the fair. I don't expect all of that in Sims but having picnic tables, food stalls, horseshoes and something for kids to do while waiting would be nice. I haven't had my sims enter anything as yet, waiting til have children in scouts to enter things (or make a 4H type club). I love the Sims 3 festivals and in Sims 3 my families always attend and participate in everything! That was fun! Is there a way to add anything to the festival area, a cheat maybe? I know it isn't an actual lot. Would be nice to be able to at least put in a few items to give people more to do.

You could try to use TwistedMexi's TOOL mod to place a few objects around a world. I have used it in a limited way in a few worlds and it works great. You have to be careful, though, to place any objects only in spots where nothing is likely to spawn, (so in Cottage Living nowhere on the Festival Green in the centre of town). I have used to TOOL mod successfully in various neighbourhoods to place extra easels where I wanted to capture particular views, extra garbage cans, a barbecue near some picnic tables where there was nothing to eat (!), extra benches, a portable bar, a couple of toilet bushes where there was nothing nearby when my sim would go foraging and get quite desperate, a chess table, and a couple of kids' playground objects that wouldn't fit on my small lots.

My usual rule is to observe a likely spot for awhile during normal gameplay to make sure nothing spawns there (like the Seasons food stall or the ice rink), and if it is clear, I will put down whatever I need there. I've been very happy with the results of putting down the jungle gym and swings -- it does really create a mini playground and attracts the local kids and townie NPC kids to come and play, allowing my sim's kids to meet and play naturally with other children fairly often. Ditto the chess table: unplayed sims actually autonomously sit down, play chess and chat with each other. I might try the Observatory at some point (it's just so darn big to place on a tiny lot) if I can find the right spot.

As for Cottage Living, the TOOL mod could work great for some things. Iron Seagull actually already did a tutorial on how to use the mod to place the rabbit and bird tree stumps in Brindleton Bay and other neighborhoods to improve realism and make them more lifelike. I should explain that so far I have been playing in Finchwick and have only used the fair from my sim's home base, which means I can't access the pub and makes the fair even less lively with no music or food sources. So I definitely thought the mod could help me there.

In Finchwick, I've used the TOOL mod so far to place an easel in town, a guitar near the edge of the Festival green (to my delight, a random sim autonomously picked it up and started using it during a festival, adding some much needed music), a few extra benches and garbage cans etc.

But I can't really think of how to use it to improve the festivals, since I am constrained by not being able to place anything where the fair takes place. There is already a barbecue and picnic tables next to the space, so that means there's nowhere to place a food source that is handy. The guitar I placed near the extreme edge of the fair green, on the pavement's edge, and a few nearby sims seemed to notice it being played by an NPC. However, it was pretty far away from the main action of the crop and pie displays and so most of the sims (who were as usual gathered in a clump talking in front of the displays) didn't notice it. Maybe I need to move the guitar closer to the main action. Anyway, if there is a solution to making the fair a bit more more lively while not playing the pub, I am sure TOOL mod will be part of it.
MaggieMae7276
Seasoned Ace
4 years ago
Thank you Simfriend1968 for the information. I will have to watch IronSeagull's video to check into it. I don't currently use any mods so tend to hesitate with using them. Appreciate your suggestion!
Simfriend68
Seasoned Ace
4 years ago
"maggiemae8135;c-17948797" wrote:
Thank you Simfriend1968 for the information. I will have to watch IronSeagull's video to check into it. I don't currently use any mods so tend to hesitate with using them. Appreciate your suggestion!

I like to keep my mods to a minimum too, but I consider the TOOL mod to be essential. Mind you, I only use it with game objects, and I do try to keep it limited as well as using it in a logical way. I will also add that TwistedMexi is very good (and fast) about keeping it updated for every patch.
SweetieWright_84
Seasoned Ace
4 years ago
I agree with most in this thread. I went to two fairs and I thought I was missing something. I would rather have had something else besides fairs if this is all there is to them. So far, that's really my only gripe with the pack. I haven't played this much in a while.
TS1299
4 years ago
"SweetieWright_84;c-17948899" wrote:
I agree with most in this thread. I went to two fairs and I thought I was missing something. I would rather have had something else besides fairs if this is all there is to them. So far, that's really my only gripe with the pack. I haven't played this much in a while.

If having no fairs means having horses then give me horses ??

Seriously fairs are empty that any other features would have been great to replace it

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The Festivals are boring

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