SeveralThe Sims 4packs were focused on linear adventures. While they could be a fun romp the first time, going through them again with another family was more about farming skills and aspirations. This plaguedTS4: Jungle Adventure,TS4: StrangerVille, andTS4: Journey To Batuu. It seems like EA has learned its lesson and has stopped making such narrow-focused packs. Or, if there is a linear goal, there are enough side activities to delay or ignore the former.
An example of retaining some linear aspects but making them optional comes inTS4: Snowy Escape. While there is a nudge to conquer the treacherous Mt. Komorebi climb, players can leave that until they have alreadymastered the climbing skill. In the meantime, they can explore festivals, learn to ski, or relax at an Onsen. It does help that this was marked and priced as a full expansion pack, while the other examples were smaller game packs.
Linear Packs Are Better When You Don’t Follow The Story
The Worlds Can Be Great, If You Do Something Else
The includedSims 4worlds of Selvadorada and StrangerVille can be fairly fun to visit and explore on their own. Batuu is a bit more restrictive with the ever-presentStar Warstheme, but can also work as a short trip.These places have interesting NPCs Sims to meet, skills to build up, and things to bring back to the main town.
The Most Underrated Sims Game Had One Feature The Sims 4 Desperately Needs
The Sims Medieval had all kinds of extra deaths compared to The Sims 4. Sword duels poison, executions, and deadly magic could all be added.
The issue comes when actually focusing on the overarching goal of the pack. These tend to feel like a checklist with very little variety or challenge. Worst off, it doesn’t make for a new or interesting story.Once you know how such events progress and end, there is no longer any excitementleft.
To spice things up, consider instead taking portions of those linear packs and tossing them in other neighborhoods.You could infect the celebrities ofTS4: Get Famouswith the bizarre fruit, or jungle curse a rival student fromTS4: High School Years. It is rather hilarious to finally make it into the exclusive lounge of Studio PBP, only to see every member flailing about and shouting alien gibberish.
The Sims 4’s Best Feature Is Hiding In The Base Game - And It Should Be Included In Every New Expansion
Thanks to numerous updates and packs, there is an ever-growing number of features in The Sims 4. The best one, however, is hiding in the base game.
Exploring the temple of Selvadorada is also a nice means of getting richquickly, especially for those who hateusing cheats to simply gain Simoleans. Digging up individual treasures can be worth the effort, and there are larger caches behind just a few vine walls. Don’t think of it as a quest you need to rush to finish. Instead, gather what you can on one trip and then come back later in yourTS4save.
EA Should Not Make Another Linear Pack
The last official linear style pack wasTS4: Journey To Batuureleased at the end of 2020. Since then,EA has made expansion packs and game packs much more free-form, allowing players to tackle goals in any order or push them to the side entirely. For example, it’s easy to go through several in-game generations ofTS4: Growing Togetherand not pick upevery infant milestone.
TS4: Werewolvesis still a linear adventure in some regards, with the option to concentrate on being the leader of one of the two werewolf packs and dominating the other. It’s also possible to take your newly made lycanthrope and cause mischief in any other owned world, however, not just the confines of Moonwood Mill.
Now that it has been years since a linear storyline, EA should never return to these style expansions forThe Sims 4. The game is so much more fun with random elements and surprises, not strict goals and outcomes. At minimum, linear aspects should be hidden behind more varied gameplay, making such tasks feel like side quests with little pressure to actually finish them.
