Thoughts on Strangerville?

"SilentKitty;c-16976079" wrote:
This time it is as a brand new recruit for the military, next time I will probably have a sim lvl up in the writer career until reaching reporter and then send the reporter sim to StrangeVille. Uncovering strange doings and sitting at home writing about it.

And yet, the story will play out exactly the same way until the end when you get ONE choice. It isn't like the pack has multiple mysteries, branching paths or anything like that. The story is also grindy and riddled with clichés and tropes.

"SilentKitty;c-16976079" wrote:
I have played through a bit of the story and enjoy it a lot :)

This time it is as a brand new recruit for the military, next time I will probably have a sim lvl up in the writer career until reaching reporter and then send the reporter sim to StrangeVille. Uncovering strange doings and sitting at home writing about it.

I love this idea. Also, there are different ways to play the mystery. I do not want to post spoilers but I am thinking of making a new friend on a new playthrough.

I really like how there are so many different ways to discover various aspects of the Story. It is very flexible. (trying to be vague )

"Naus;c-16976094" wrote:

"SilentKitty;c-16976079" wrote:
This time it is as a brand new recruit for the military, next time I will probably have a sim lvl up in the writer career until reaching reporter and then send the reporter sim to StrangeVille. Uncovering strange doings and sitting at home writing about it.

And yet, the story will play out exactly the same way until the end when you get ONE choice. It isn't like the pack has multiple mysteries, branching paths or anything like that. The story is also grindy and riddled with clichés and tropes.

It is still my sim reacting to it, and that makes it different for me. How I chose to use StrangeVille in my saves

- military brat growing up in safe Windenburg and then moving to StrangeVille as a teen. After that traumatic experience the sim ages up to a paranoid YA
- a sim saw something, something that shouldn’t be seen. Currently on the run from the military and hides out in San Myshuno
- a newly married couple with a kid on the way moves to StrangeVille. He just got a job in the military and was stationed there. They start arguing a lot because she doesn’t feel safe there at all

This is just how my mind works, I like using bits and bobs to make my own story and this has some really good opportunities for me. I had a save about settling a new planet running in the island of Windenburg for weeks. No electricity and they had to grow their own food. Had excel sheets with what they needed to do to unlock new equipment, what was needed for a new settler to join them. Pure sandbox joy. Doesn’t mean that a little bit of story won’t work for me.

If you feel limited by the story then I am sorry, that doesn’t sound fun. Personally I am having a great time imagining different possible challenges. Hope the next pack is more to your liking and have a good time playing.

Cheers!

After seeing the info, some videos & reviews, I think my final thoughts are "meh." :/ I love the world, it's gorgeous and it's so nice to have a game pack with a larger world than any game pack has ever had. I like the military career too, I have missed having that in my game. The content seems pretty cool, but I'm giving major side eye at a "laptop" that is basically just a new mesh of the desktop. I'm waffling on the story stuff. It sounds interesting in theory, but the play through seems a little task grindy to me (talk to x sims, make x items, gather x things, etc.). Not really my thing. And I really don't want these new story type of packs to become the latest fad of the game and my preferred sandbox style to languish in future packs. I suppose I'll have to wait and see on that.

To be able to have more lots & more build/buy for my sims, and to occasionally play the story I'll probably eventually get the pack. But I'm definitely waiting for a sale. For my preferred style of play, StrangerVille is worth more like $10. In comparison, Parenthood was worth the full $20 for how it enriched my playing.

"Horrorgirl6;c-16975934" wrote:

"Cinebar;c-16975882" wrote:

"Horrorgirl6;c-16975859" wrote:

"Cinebar;c-16975845" wrote:

"Horrorgirl6;c-16975564" wrote:

"NorthDakotaGamer;c-16975533" wrote:

"RobinGreenthumb;c-16974698" wrote:
Honestly, overall I'm very confused over people's expectations for their pack. Some people seem to think the storyline should've been a Dragon Age style game for 20 bucks tied to a game like the sims.

It's.... a 20 dollar game pack. Comparing it to the other game packs, it's awesome with a lot more basic content (a new world with just as many lots as a expansion and nearly twice as many as any other game pack world, a BUNCH of amazing CAS and build/buy objects with new functionality, and a storyline that story simmers can have a blast with if it fits their theme).

I don't know. I just feel like a lot of simmers are just... expecting each expansion pack and game pack to be the next savior of the game. I, personally, didn't join in on Sims 4 until both toddlers came about and then outfits and make up were unlocked for all genders. I will defend the sims 2 as the most important game in the series until the day I day, but.... the sims 4 is not and will never be the Sims 2. It's it's own thing. And being forced to play it for 2 years while my old computer crashed and all my mods from sims 2 had to be salvaged, it made me really appreciate it for what it was.

It's a fun, quirky, lighthearted game that does some cool and weird and interesting things and like. Let's face it. It will never have the design philosophy of Sims 2.

So yeah anyway Strangerville is my fav gamepack due to vibe, items, and world and the storyline is fun and goofy and has some amazing details.

The "story-mode" is what makes me dislike it. Sims is supposed to be a sandbox game WITHOUT a forced story within it. This pack just proved that the player no longer rules if there is a story mode within the game.

Aren't you overreacting a bit.This is not the first time they did this.The sim life stories, pssp,and console games did this as well.This is not a new base game.Thid is just a small game pack who do like quests. Your not force to play it or buy it.

It is the first time they did this within the life simulator main game for pc. No, I'm sorry, I don't think it's just a game pack. I think it says they are tired of building packs to broaden a life simulator and they would enjoy more building story scripted packs. At least that is the vibe I got.
It also says to me, no this isn't just a pack, but a change in direction if they make enough money on it, and maybe the last GPs of this game before it ends winds up being more story driven packs. They have said, yes, they will do more (I assume that means if it sells well, not if people enjoy it, but if it brings in some heavy cash.) A change in what they wanted to build also tells me they want to change direction. But for the life simulator players it means the death of the franchise in a way we didn't even think they would even consider. It doesn't broaden the lives of the Sims, it doesn't broaden the experience of life, but a stand-alone pack that just may change this game forever. Especially, if it makes enough money.

Yes if they sell more. We get some packs like this. I don't see a problem with this your not force yo do the story or buy it.There not planing to replace all sandbox add one with story mode.Judt that they probably do a few of these gamepacks in the future

But if players wanted other things like witches, or a supernatural EP or whatever, they may decide no, we did well with story driven packs so let's make more. We don't know what another story driven pack would cause to not be made.

Dude because some story pack will be made in the future .Does not mean we are never get supernatural or any other none story pack.I don't see of them get rid of sandbox.That will be a bad move.The sandbox add ons are still popular.I don't think they are going make that many of theses .

I believe some are looking at the value of paying an fee for games like this and Strangerville is and play once and forget for me. The neighborhood is nothing more than an prop or carrot to sell the game and I look at all angles when it comes to me parting with my money. I have no qualms about playing an hybrid game but it has to have more than one playthrough than one. some are waiting for that half off sale so they can get at an cheaper price or what they feel is the game real value is.

Alright folks I'm going to have to post this here like I've had to post in a few of these threads already. This is not the place to discuss future gamepacks or possible future expansions this thread is to discuss Strangerville, lets keep it that way.

Also I'm noticing a lot of posts that are bordering on bait and come across as derogatory so I'm going to stress this again. If you don't like the gamepack that is fine, other people do like it that is also fine. Just because you like to play the game one way does not make that the only correct way to enjoy the game and if you don't like something discussing it is fine, but claiming that your playstyle is the only one that is correct and that anyone who did like it is "making excuses" isn't acceptable.

Keep it respectful going forward please, I'll be keeping an eye in here to make sure it stays on topic.

Very random pack they decided to hand out, I don't think it's something people were expecting or were asking for but if people happy with this pack and think it's fun then so be it.

Honestly I absolutely LOVE the idea of implementing side stories and mysteries to solve into The Sims. To me it doesn't spoil the life simulation aspect of it, at all. On the contrary, you can still create your own stories, while using the world's back story to make the experience even more immersive and complex. I love researching history and solving mysteries... so of course, my sims do, too. And it doesn't stop me from creating my own backstories when I feel like it.

However I have to question the execution of this GP. The entire gameplay of it can be visited in about two hours. Why make a mystery pack, add in a listening device, a paranoid trait, etc. only to add ONE mystery?!
They could at least have created multiple scenarios. Even if they restricted it to Strangerville, there could at least have written different sequences and outcomes so that it is not exactly the same each time we play it.
But most importantly, those gameplay aspects could have been extended to the rest of the game. They could have added the ability to research information about any town/sim at the library. The ability to learn info about other sims while placing bugs on them, like little drama bits, or opportunities for our sim.

Also I don't understand their decision to stop the sim's needs from moving at a certain point in the investigation. Are we not allowed to attend to their needs, work on other aspects of their life, while solving the mystery? Do we have to solve it as quickly as possible? Were you scared this GP would take too much of our time away from reality? :D
At this price I would rather buy a good 10-hour long mystery game to be honest.

Freyga, if the new friend is the one I am think of, you can make that new friend even if you have solved the mystery and made Strangerville normal.

"Bronwin2;c-16977208" wrote:
Freyga, if the new friend is the one I am think of, you can make that new friend even if you have solved the mystery and made Strangerville normal.

Thank you very much!!! : )