4 years ago

Is Sims DLC Necessary?

I have seen and participated in a few recommendation threads as of late and it has gotten me thinking: is DLC necessary in the Sims series? I am thinking more grounded in the here and now with existing titles, but I would not mind a little speculation as to if it will be necessary for future titles.

I realize, obviously, they are all optional purchases and usually any debate would end there (optional = not necessary). However, thinking through it all, I personally do not disable or really even skip that many packs. I have all of 1, all but the regional holiday pack of 2, all packs of 3 and a little store content, and all of 4. If anything, the one major constant for my playstyle through the years from 1 to now is that fact that I am constantly using all kinds of the available DLC pretty well all the time once I have them. Although I definitely understand what I like and dislike about each base game, it is hard for me to actually imagine playing with no packs for any of the titles. With both 3 and 4 I took fairly long hiatuses from them when they first released, only messing around to understand the mechanics and waiting for a point down the DLC line to transfer to the newest entry. (Not necessarily my thought process at the time for 3, but that is what happened.) I suppose it is possible to an extent, but I would not really want to. Plus, being completely honest, I have really been enjoying 4 lately, but if I had to be relegated to the base game for some hypothetical reason (worse yet, launch base game) then I genuinely think I would never play it again.

So what does everyone else think? I understand that for others this is the same kind of situation with mods, and they may very well shape the answers for many of you. I have never been big into modding the Sims. Some other games I will not touch unmodded, but I never really needed it in the older Sims titles and I consider it a hassle for 4 since Origin does not have the built in mod support of say Steam or the Paradox launcher. I digress, though.

Is DLC necessary for you Sims game? I think it is necessary for mine at this point.

hymnofheroes
4 years ago
One word: Seasons. Might expand upon that later.
ChampandGirlie
New Spectator
4 years ago
My attitude is that if I got DLC then it is necessary. Looking back there are a few that maybe I didn't need to pick up but generally I try to get around to playing with anything. Some aspects I play with a lot. Whenever I go back to content that I added then I am glad and I do that.
Bluebell23456
4 years ago
"ACruelButLovingGod;c-17941549" wrote:
For me, some DLC is essential, but most of it isn't.

Doesn't stop me from buying it though...one look at not just Sims 4, but my Steam library, shows I love modular, easily-expanded core game experiences.

Same, actually. (Though perhaps mentioning the Paradox launcher already gave me away.)
jcp011c2
4 years ago
Yes, the way the games in the series have been released thus far. Some are more necessary than others though. At minimum I would consider pets and seasons to have been the necessary packs (and I'm hoping they'll be included in the base game in Sims 5, finally)
bae281995
4 years ago
Only the Seasons pack is necessary for me. The other packs I have, I just bought because I wanted them and I wanted to have more things in my game. I can never complete the collection because they're too expensive, but I will only buy what I think is right for my kind of gameplay.
MiraRoseBlack
4 years ago
DLC is definitely needed for my play style! I feel like it also gives you something to look forward to in the game. Of course not every DLC suits my preference, but I always appreciate a good occult DLC.
InuMiroLover
4 years ago
If the game were base game only, mods would only go so far to keep me entertained. Mods are fun side bites to enhance the game imo, but the game needs to still be able to stand on its own two feet to keep me engaged. I dont want my sims to be human forever. I dont want the weather to be perpetually sunny. I dont want my sims to just hang out at the bar or a club for entertainment. I dont want to run to a mod to find gameplay that should be staples, a mod that risks breaking the game entirely or just bogs down my computer.
Gamer_Cat24
Seasoned Rookie
4 years ago
I put DLC is not necessary for my game, because it usually depends on what platform I am playing on. I answered the question from the Sims 4 perspective, and that some DLC for Sims 2 is no longer supported. I own pretty much everything for Sims 4 on my console, which doesn't allow DLC, so with my packs, I have to work around that. If I wanted to create an Elsa, I have to use what is available to me with what I own. Most sites also don't support DLC for the Sims 2, and so once again I am using what I have. So, in that perspective, DLC is not necessary for me to play the game.
However, for Sims 3, which supports DLC, and owning the base Sims 4 game on my PC, I have quite a bit of DLC. I usually download DLC if I want more hairsyles, or a specific character in my game.
Onverser
4 years ago
The base games only really allow you to play happy families in American suburbia, so if that's your play style then I guess you wouldn't need packs, but for me I definitely need more or the game just isn't fun
ChadSims2
Seasoned Novice
4 years ago
Sims 1 and 2 I would of enjoyed without dlc had they never came out with any expansions. Now Sims 4 dlc is a must but it still does not fix much but the game really is not playable without some of it.