We didn’t have internet for two days so I had some fun drawing clothes. Then I kept drawing clothes for several days and then I coloured and then I got really tired of it. So.
Starting this I can already predict it’s gonna be a big one so if you stick with me, thank you and I’ll try and add pictures to make things feel easier
I was thinking about it and I mean really thinking about these community surveys we’ve been getting and how they speak volumes on the way the game is handledbut alsoalsohow we position ourselves as a community. I noticed alot more game changers are starting to get pretty vocal about their thoughts since the first community survey came out and that’s refreshing to say the least, but it shows a pattern that we all present: give us what is missing no matter how. We want beaches. We want cars. We want more stairs. We want bunkbeds. Etc.
So these things are probably somehow rushed into production to please the community and then, when we finally get it, it’s like we finally realize that what this game truly lacks is gameplay and not more items.
I invite you to come and think about the packs and the stuff we got throughout these 6 years with me.
Chapter 1: The apartment issue
Yes we got apartment buildings with city living, but sometimes it doesn’t even feel like it’s a game feature because it’s L I T E R A L L Y related to living in a city, so it’s not a real feature. We have no possible way to play with apartments and condos outside of san myshuno because for the first time ever we can’t build or own apartments. This was such a missed opportunity of giving us new lot treatments like condos and even rentable properties. I mean, just think about how those 2 features could allow so much new gameplay and stories with it (I can literally imagine being a landlord, having to go fix renters stuff in my their places and doing social events as condo meetings).
The neighbors in that type of lot could also help solve somehow what so many people mention as “boring lot gameplay”. Let’s be real. hardly something ever happens with so little npcs and only the walk by sims (You have to literally run after them to make things happen sometimes and it shouldn’t be like that). But if sims were to live in the same condo or building as yours, sharing common living spaces that’s a whole other thing. Which brings me to the fact that even in the city, where apartments exist, there’s no common area other than the halls. Imagine if we could build laundries, rooftops, basements, patios with pools and all that sort of stuff.
That sort of detaling and really getting deep into the pack’s features is even show in elevators: we can’t use them ourselves (for building) and they’re not even animated, your sim is just teleported (even the modded ones have animations and that’s just awkward).
Chapter 2: Swimming in shallow waters
“We want a beach”, we said. So they gave us a beach, and a beach only. I’ve never seen so many people call a pack “shallow” as I’ve seen it happen to Island Living and tbh I do agree with them ‘cause… there’s really not much to do in this pack. For the first time ever swimming was restricted to this pack which is already a big let down by itself, but then features like deep diving were added for no reason and of course, as a rabbit whole, not actually contributing with much to do. So how could it be better?
My answer is pretty obvious: resorts. It is a livable world, but that don’t mean your sims can’t take a vacation from work and just stay there if that’s the gameplay you want to go with and resorts match perfectly with that, not to mention it would have great integration with packs like spa day. It also means a new lot type and lot system, that wouldn’t be much new if the city living building condos and sublocating them as I mentioned would’ve already been implemented, but now with the feature of renting it yourself too. Resorts could also have their own event schedules, integrated with the seasons calendar: cava parties every wednesday, yoga lessons on thursdays, etc. And the best thing would be: if you own one, you can make your own events and traditions. imagine just how fun that would be. A feature like this would also mean it’s already done for other packs coming later on, maybe a colder destination where you can ski and build iglus or even another cultural based pack like jungle adventure.
Other obvious resolution would be better mermaids. Make it harder to become one, being only able to get the kelp from a mermaid themselves. Make it less anticlimactic, having an animation of them turning before they just walk in water with a tail all of the sudden, maybe just some scales in their legs. Give them more unique features and powers like vampires and spellcasters have, such as easily persuading people (sort of like the mind control feature aliens have) and maybe even a secret lot, like a grotto where all the mermaids are. Give them curses with the points system to go with it, some mermaids are actually sirens amirite
Chapter 3: Seasons change, gameplay stays the same
Activities truly based on the season that are specific to that moment create urgency and different moments. Something I can think of is integrating a pack we already have: spooky stuff. It does feel lackluster ‘cause it’s missing opportunities, but imagine going trick or treating but actually going, loading different houses and gathering it while a meter like the active jobs one guided you. Forming groups with friends to do it or maybe for tpeing trees and bushes if you’re on the rebel teen side and destroying their porch jack’o lanterns. It could even be randomly generated, like the game would send you to 3 different houses to do it (that would bring lots of replayability value ‘cause you could end up in houses with neighbors that love you and will give you candy no problem, but maybe also neighbors with family feuds that won’t answer their door or make it harder for you to accomplish the event objectives), maybe one of those could even be a abandoned one that’s haunted or something like that.
The implementing of a better wants and fears system is very essential for this pack. Yes your sims get overheated and a popup message tells you they need some water or lighter clothes, but it’d be so good if they’d actually want to go to the beach, swim in the ocean, take a vacation from work and go to a resort. Heatwaves that would make your sim act weird, not strangerville level of weird, but maybe not obeying your commands.
Blizzards so strong that work and school would get canceled and you actually don’t have the option to leave your home lot anymore until it passes would not only add a different element to the gameplay, but also add value to the weather controler machine.
Final chapter: The general “more stuff to do” and “more things happening” factor
The game offers all these beautiful secret worlds and yet when you finally get to them there’s not much to do other than searching for rocks and frogs and doing some fishing. I miss going to a community lot hidden somewhere and finding an eremite, goddamn bigfoot, some crazy npc or even just an actual community lot with something to do and people doing stuff in it. Unique community lots would also be a way to make towns more lively and captivating like they did so well with realm of magic and the casters alley section of the world. Maybe forgotten hollow has this abandoned haunted house where people claim they’ve seen the grim reaper walking around. Maybe sixam has a alien station where they clone human sims. Maybe sulani has this beautiful sunken ship beach where a club of people that dress up as pirated meet. Maybe Del Sol Valley has a movie theater where you can watch premieres. Maybe Oasis Springs mine hides actual gold that you can collect and get rich outta nowhere. That kind of stuff.
I can’t stress this enough, but NPCs are so important to shake things up. It was so good to have a pack like realm of magic where the we would have to go to the three sages in order to progress. Having unique sims like this or npcs that change the way your story is going like burglars, firefighters, cops, social bunny, bonehilda and even a fortune teller is so important to keep things impredictable and interesting.
Age groups really need more specific restricted gameplay for better feel of progression. Many people say sims 4 is a young adult simulator and well… there’s not much to show that differs from that. Toddlers are as interesting as hamsters, locked in an object waiting for you to feed, clean and give them attention. Teens really should feel more like a transiction period, and the wants and fears system would really help out with that. I miss being able to participate in more elements that would mark a sims life even if they’re cheesy as heck, like having a prom, graduating, having a midlife crises.
In conclusion
First of all: if you got to this point thank you and I’d really wanna know what you think about all of this.
Some people may find even ridiculous for someone to go about a rant this big on a game and to that I have to say I agree lol I can’t help it tho, honestly, the sims has always been the game I’m most passionate about and it helped me express myself and my creativity so much since I was a kid. I really do care about this game and this franchise.
The point I want to make with this is: perhaps we shouldn’t ask for more and more different stuff, but actually put some effort into showing things we already like in the game and how they can be improved to make it more interesting. At the end of the day I still want spiral staircases, ladders, paintable ceiling, werewolves and all that but does it really matter if they get added to the game following the same patterns as the things pointed in here? Also we really are getting to a point where only a few things are missing as far as cas/build/buy go and I believe it’s time for us, as a community, to give gameplay as much importance as all these things we wanted so bad that got implemented. I probaby forgot to say something here and I didn’t even mention the infamous hamster pack, but anyway, I hope the point got across.
I try really hard to believe that the gurus are here for us and that most of all we, as a community, have a very strong voice, all we need to do is make it clearer and stronger about the things we really wish for this game.
you know, a lot of the time i do feel genuine affection for this site. sometimes though, i read a phrase like “homophobic tumblr user who also writes paul simon mpreg” and i truly wish the servers would burn to the ground <3
AITA for trying to save my brother’s soul from hell?
I (~470M) lost my brother (25M) in a tragic witch related accident many years ago. Before his death he sadly began to stray from the path of righteousness, betraying me and the values we held dear. Because I didn’t want his corpse to languish forever in the unhallowed earth of this demonic realm, I stole his body. In an effort to help him I’ve used his bones to restore him to life several times (22M, 18M, 18M, 24M, 17M, 20M, 13M, 7M, 23M, 18M, 19M, 24M, 23M, +assorted early failures) but each time he rejects my efforts, scorns my hard work, and falls once more into selfish rebellion. I begin to suspect the corrupting effect of witchcraft, as despite my best efforts all his reincarnations are housed in tainted, imperfect vessels of sorcery. Still, I’m determined not to give up, and my latest attempt (15M) is promising, a very obedient thing. Yet I’m perturbed by what his predecessor said before I was forced to terminate the effort and start again; he called me a “delusional, sadistic asshole”. Am I the asshole for attempting to help my brother despite his tantrums?
I’d buy the “yeet pray love” shirt if it came in black tbh
“Pick up your sword bruh”
There are two possible explanations for this. Either no one involved in this project has spoken firsthand to a teenager in over twelve years and their only sources are op-eds written by other baby boomers. Or they did consult actual teenagers, who succeeded in trolling the living hell out of them.
six of one, half dozen of the other
so, I looked into this, because as an ex-church-kid, this delights me to no end. and, my friends? we have only just begun to pull the thread on thissweater!
this book was originally published on August 14th 2020. as you can see above, Matt Walsh’s tweets were from August 21st - but he wasn’t the only one to notice this garbage, and he wasn’t even the first.
by August 20th, multiple Christian news websites had already taken issue with the book, as you can tell by these hilarious headlines:
so, both companies apologized, assured people that they weren’t trying to translate the whole bible into this “Gen-Z lingo” (gross), and said that people could still buy the book if they wanted to.
but here’s the deal. the book they’re selling? it’s not the original book.
Exhibit A:
^ that’s the original cover of the book. “The Word According to Gen Z - A 30-Day Devo Challenge.”
but the book they’re selling now? well, see for yourself. Exhibit B:
“The Word According to Gen Z - A 30-Day Devo Challenge Using a Made-Up Language for a Real Generation.”
“Using a Made-Up Language for a Real Generation”
these nerds don’t want to admit that they actually thought Gen Z talked like that! what a lack of commitment. they disappoint me.
andthe free sample pdf on their website is edited as well! no longer does it say “Cap G” (short for Capital G, by the way - like how Christians spell “God” with a capital G) and “Big J” - now, it just says “God” and “Jesus.”
…good thing I’m a veritable internet detective, because I found the original sample pdf, which is just as cringey as it looked! I recommend skimming it if you want, because it’s a disaster.
but, now that we know that they edited the book, how will we find out what the rest of the verses were? how ever can we know just how bad it truly was before Christian news sites yelled “blasphemy!” and Lifeway had a collective panic attack?
well, guess what! this devo book came with video lesson tie-ins, and they left their whole website up, for anyone to stumble across!
here are a few of the other “translations,” next to the original verses, so that you can compare:
Isaiah 40:8, NIV Bible:
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
The “Gen-Z” version:
“Moo moo food goes bye bye, and pedal pads take an L, but Cap G’s scripts are perm.“
what the fuck? what the actual fuck? here, have another:
Matthew 4:4, NIV Bible:
“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
The “Gen-Z” version:
“Dudes can’t make it on sammie blanks alone, gotta feast on that real talk from Cap G.”
“sammie blanks”?? sammie blanks?
Ephesians 6:17, NIV Bible:
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
The “Gen-Z” version:
“Take that noggin guard of savies and that big ol’ knife of Cap G’s wordz.”
ah, of course. that big ol’ knife.
one last one, and then I’m done with this.
Galatians 6:2, NIV Bible:
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
The “Gen-Z” version:
“Forklift your fam’s saddies so Cap G’s sched is maxed out and relaxing all cool.”
I…I’ve got nothing. this broke me. I give up!
final notes:
1. don’t go following Matt Walsh on twitter. like, I’m glad he brought this to our attention, but he’s marked red on shinigami eyes, and from his tweets, he looks like a shitty person.
2. all of these translations are actually blasphemy, and I’m pretty sure a few of them count as straight-up heresy. so, there’s a fun thought!
3. I’m pretty sure this is also racist? like, some of these verses seem like mangled AAVE, and that’s not okay! that’s fucking terrible!
4. when you click on any of the video tie-ins, you’ll find out that the guy in the devo videos looks like this:
yes, he’s wearing sunglasses in a dimly-lit room. and yes, he’s wearing a shirt with a picture of praying hands and the word “Yeet” on it. and on that note…
5.what the fuck do they think “yeet” means? I mean, that “yeet pray love” shirt is a work of art, but this begs the question…what do they actually think it means?
