A new expansion pack for The Sims 4 launched on 16 March 2023, and thanks to the EA Creators’ Network, we got a chance to have a look.
This is a large pack, so we will be sharing a series of articles that talk about the various parts of the pack. This article talks about CAS and Build/Buy.
CAS
I quite like the clothes in this pack. I’d call them “suburban casual”, and they fit in fairly well with the clothes I wear everyday, myself. There are quite a few casual dresses, and of course here are a pair of Mom Jeans and also the ubiquitous pair of cargo shorts, so you can set your Sims up to be stereotypical middle aged parents with no problem! There are also quite a few options for children, infants, and toddlers. Infants got onesies and toddlers and children got some separates and a few full body outfits. There are no new shoes or makeup other than a couple of pairs of toddler shoes.
First we have the Teen/Adult/Elder Clothes. Note that some of these are coded masculine, but as usual they can be worn by all Sims of the appropriate age group.
Next let’s take a look at the Child/Toddler/Infant clothes
All ages got at least one hair, including some that are unique to infants. They seem to be going for the “infants generally don’t have a lot of hair” aesthetic, which means none of the options are long hair. That makes sense, though, because they haven’t actually had enough time to grow long hair.
There’s a lot of content in CAS in this pack! I was actually expecting there to be more content for infants than we see here, but there was more infant clothing in the 13 March patch than I had expected, so I suppose it evens out.
There are also some new traits, aspirations and likes and dislikes, and also the new family dynamics that can be set in CAS, but we will be discussing those in a separate article, as they affect gameplay.
Now, on to Build/Buy!
Build/Buy
Build Mode
The build mode items in this pack have a theme. There are a lot of houses from the midcentury in the Western US that have this look – lots of river rock and wood and a certain style of windows and doors – I’m really looking forward to seeing what builders do with this, because this look is very nostalgic for me.
Buy Mode
First we have some styled rooms, showcasing the general style of the pack. The living room, especially, would not have been out of place in the house I grew up in, and I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, so this pack definitely has some midcentury/vintage elements. Given that I’m a bit vintage, myself, I heartily approve of this aesthetic!
Now let’s look at the items
There is one additional Buy Mode item – the treehouse kit. It’s a huge item – 9×9, so your sims will have to have a fairly sizeable yard to use it. It looks like this when you place it
Once the treehouse is placed you can select a teen or older Sim to begin working on it, and then they build it, like the rocketship kit. The treehouse uses the handiness skill, but Sims do not have to have any handiness skill to build the basic treehouse. Once the treehouse is started then other Sims child or older can help build the treehouse.
Once the treehouse is complete, certain items – like the telescope – can be added to the treehouse and used from that location. The treehouse can also be upgraded if your Sims have the correct items and skills.
So the basic treehouse is accessible for any family that has the space for it, but as the family builds skills they can make it an elaborate place that any kid would be proud to play in. Adults can get some good use out of it too. (Yes, for the reason you’re thinking – it’s a new woohoo location.)
And that is CAS and Build/Buy!
Final Thoughts
Overall I really like the look of this pack. Both the clothes and the furniture/walls fit my preferred aesthetic, so I am thrilled to have these options for my Sims. I think I will also like the gameplay very much, from what I’ve seen so far. Over the next few days we will be looking at the gameplay in more detail, so look for the upcoming article where we discuss what we find!
Happy Simming!
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