What's Your Approach To New Packs?

I just incorporate it into my existing gameplay....and sometimes don't get around to fully exploring the options until years after I buy the pack.

My gameplay is about following Sim households that I play through generations and I still haven't included a vampire or an alien sim into any of the households I've played in TS4, nor have I done anything to investigate what's going on in Strangerville yet, despite buying that pack as soon as it came out.
Based on how long it takes me to 'get around' to things I think I'm good for at least 10 more years of play just in what packs have already been released.

I know a lot of people are clamouring for more game and expansion packs after 6 months of nothing but kits, but I've been simming since TS1 and, just mho, TS4 already has more gameplay elements than any of the previous games in the franchise ever did (individual player opinions on quantity over quality will vary regarding that though).
That said, I also would like to see more gameplay packs myself....just because "more to do" is good, even if it takes me forever to get to it.

I never focus on just one pack in any of my gameplay. I incorporate everything within my story.

I like to discover everything on my own when a new pack/kit is released as well, so I only watch the official trailers, never any game changers or let's plays or anything at all. I also do not look at any pre-pack leaks of the CAS or BB preview pics that people like to post because again, I like to see everything in person and be surprised.

If a kit/pack doesn't interest me from the official trailers, then it's a no brainer and I have no need to research it further.

The only kits/packs I have not bought are JtB (which I had zero interest in that theme, I'm not a sci-fi player or Star Wars fanatic, nor do I play "fantasy" gameplay and none of the CAS/BB stuff were remotely my style and the Modern Menswear kits I knew was not ever something I'd use either, so those 2 I skipped). I have found something I can/will use in every kit/pack I've bought.

I play the pack and explore it, I feel this is often how Maxis designs the packs as well, they are often built to invite the player. Sims come knocking on the door, or call you, or you get a notification that a festival, fair whatever is going on.

As I unlock more things in the pack, I start building more, and create more sims, look on the gallery what other simmers have created and try to create more sims myself.

If I find the pack interesting enough, I start to try and do different things with the pack, but this is more difficult to do if I feel that the pack is more isolated, don't offer enough new things, don't work well with other packs or if I have already done very similar things already. I often end up creating a "hero" sim household and once that household is maxed out, I struggle to create new ones to play if the experience is too similar to what I have already played.

If I play the pack with a test save, I figure out HOW I want to incorporate the pack into gameplay.

Do I like this feature? Nope, won't go there in a kept save.

Though this may count as "other"

I have a test save (well, had, I'll need to make a new one) where I make a new household and play focusing on the pack features for about a week or two sims time.

Then I go back to my regular save and incorporate it all in. It also lets me find bugs so that I can be aware of them before they mess up my regular save.

I only play one save file currently, which are the ones on my profile pic (I'll marry them after the love game pack comes out lol). I still have packs I haven't really explored yet, I haven't even been to the Japan world yet (I plan my sims to go there for their honeymoon though, and they will have their first woohoo there and make a baby too lol).

It depends.

If the theme suits my existing gameplay I will incorporate it into the story, although often times a new pack inspires me to create a fresh save for a new story with new characters.
Sometimes a new world suits an existing story much better, in that case I’d transfer the main households from an older world to the new neighborhood and pretend they always lived there.

What I never do is play all the content of that pack until it’s “finished”. I don’t even know how to enjoy that. I haven’t explored many of the features of packs that I own.
Some of the games that I play seem extremely fast paced, (to me ?) and I like that The Sims can offer a bit of contrast to the usual mayhem. Although I’m an adventure player, I tend to take my time to appreciate every detail of older and newer packs.

I just go into my existing save and start exploring

but i do tend to go through cas b/b world/lots and new premades first to just see everything once and hopefully remember it when i feel like making use of it

and then probably end up building something/s or redress some sims

aaand then probably i have wasted some long time so i play the next day or so :sweat_smile:

I usually incorporate it into my existing gameplay.
I continue my save file, and usually will make a new family to start testing the pack out, but also try to see what the pack has to offer.
I may update the looks of my previous Sims if I like the new hairstyles, and I will also give them a new wardrobe overall.
I got my packs around the same time, and use them all at the same time. I have different families more dedicated to each pack, but I am still far from exploring every single feature of each pack. I only started the Sims in late 2018, and only recently got some packs, so I have a lot to play of the game, and a lot to explore.

I always incorporate new pack content into the save I play since shortly after the release of the Base Game.

CoL was the only exception because of the bloating save file bug. I didn't want to ruin my save for good, but I missed it all the time and haven't touched my CoL save since I fixed the bug and could return to my beloved save.