The Sims 4Growing Togetheris the most recent expansion pack to be announced for the franchise and is slated to introduce some vital mechanics for family gameplay. While some fans are waiting for the release ofThe Sims 5- aka “Project Rene” - before buying new content, a base game update scheduled for March 14th will add an entire new life stage to the game: infants. Paired with the upcomingGrowing Togetherpack, the sheer amount of new content being added to the game is causing significant issues for theSims 4modding community.
The Sims 4received mixed reviews upon release for itsremoval ofThe Sims 3open-world mechanicsand for creating paid content featuring mechanics that were free in previous games. While the lack of features and innovative content first hampered the game’s success,The Sims 4modding community has stepped up and delivered thousands of free mods that elevate gameplay. The seemingly last-minute inclusion of a new life stage has modders scrambling to make their mods compatible - and this isn’t the first time.
RELATED:Sims 4 Glitches That Should Be Turned Into Sims 5 Mechanics
The Sims 4 Modding Community Is An Underappreciated Part Of The Game’s Success
The Simsfranchise has a long history of player creation, with some players using the game as a foundation for their custom content.The Sims 4is an especially prudent example, as some Simmers have created “expansion pack” - quality mods that add realistic gameplay, dating apps, zombie apocalypses, and more. WhileThe Sims 4was released with the inclusion of mod-friendly mechanics - a mod directory for instance -The Simsteam has had controversy regarding the mod communityand policy changes.
WithThe Sims 4base game being released for almost a decade, many Simmers rely on mods and custom content to continue playing, especially when expansion and game packs miss the mark. Although the upcoming addition of infants to the game isn’t the first major expansion, the continual updates have devastating consequences for mods. For instance,Sims 4modder Arnie created the popular “Brookheights Open-World Mod Pack” that gave the game open-world mechanics. Unfortunately, the frequent official patch updates ofThe Sims 4have broken the mod, requiring it to be rebuilt from scratch.
The Sims Team Should Support The Mod Community Before The Release of Future Updates
The main issue surrounding the new update could be that inThe Sims 4base game, babies are the first life stage, with toddlers added in the January 2017 patch. This means it’s been almost six years since a new life stage was added. Given that many ofthe bestSims 4modsare built to augment Sim behavior and realism, it seems almost every mod will need to be updated to include infants. While it’s surprising to get such a significant update forThe Sims 4, it might be a signal forThe Simsteam to give the mod community ample time and resources to make their content compatible.
The Sims 4Growing Togetherexpansion pack is exciting because it might be the first to introduce unique gameplay to the franchise. The trailer includes new traits, items, family dynamics, and interactions that haven’t been seen before in any of the games, boding well forthe future ofThe Sims. As players are certain to want to incorporate new official content with mods that they might have been using for years, it’s important forThe Simsteam to consider the creator community when planning updates. After all, the sheer time it takes to create free content shows an appreciation forThe Sims 4that creators should get in return.
The Sims 4is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
