EXPANSION PACKS:

Get to Work:

As you may know, Get to Work adds 3 active careers (Scientist, Detective and Doctor) and the ability to run your own retail business which is of course a big feature. With the active careers you get the choice to go to work with your sim or just send them like it is a rabbit hole.  It adds aliens, and the ability to be abducted by them, with a possibility for males to come back pregnant with an alien baby (the bassinet gives you the option to send back to the home world, but this can only be done while they are babies). It adds the small world of Magnolia Promenade with 4 retail lots, the three work lots (science lab in one neighborhood and hospital and police station in another, these can be accessed when you go to work) and the hidden alien world Sixam.

The pack also adds illness; you can cure illness with medicine purchased on the computer and if you have Seasons, you can get the medicine on the phone under gifts. You can also help treat symptoms with tea, juice or rest, you do not go to the hospital to cure your illness. With the advent of the doctor career, this pack also adds the ability to have your baby at the hospital (you get a ‘birth certificate’ when you do; this also can be purchased in debug). You also get the 10-level baking skill and it also adds a bunch of build/buy/CAS items.

I have a tutorial on how to get to Sixam, here’s a link: https://youtu.be/NbeqA9fhkrY

I have a completed Let’s Play that examines the Scientist Career and aliens, here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrLodZ-82s9WtGPNUU22h0xJ

I also examine the Scientist Career in House 4 of the Drifter Challenge, here’s a link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrLRGiUSAmnfEKz_LnQ_RePx

Get Together:

I love the large new world of Windenburg and the variety of townies that live there that came with Get Together. It currently is the largest world of all the packs released with 27 lots in total, 3 of which are special (Von Haunt Estate, The Bluffs & Ancient Ruins). 10 are community lots and 14 are residential (8 have households, 2 are empty and 3 are empty starter homes & the final is a more expensive empty home). Two of the occupied residential lots are 64×64 (I usually move the sims to another lot and bulldoze the houses when I want to use them 🙂).  It also adds special nights at clubs; singles night, ghost night, alien night (if you have Get to Work), and knight night to name a few. This pack added a new venue type ‘cafe’ and the espresso machine to go with that (two types, one two part one for regular counters and one for the special cafe bar). 

This pack came with one new aspiration (Leader of the Pack, a popularity aspiration) and two new traits (Insider and Dance Machine).

The club system can be a powerful tool to help with skill building, among other things and it continues to be integrated into new packs and features as they get added. It can also be a useful to meet singles or just other sims with similar traits to your sims. I use the club system with my households of two or more all the time, which is what makes this one of my most used packs in my game.

The pack also added the 10 level DJ skill and the 5-level dancing skill. It also added 2 new woohoo spots (closet and bush) as well as a nice selection of build/buy objects I use frequently, not to mention the usual CAS items.

I have a tutorial video on how I use the Club System to help build skills; here’s a link:  https://youtu.be/1RGHJakCv-U

City Living:

City Living comes with the city of San Myshuno with apartments and penthouses, as well as some new townies to go with this new world both of which are fun to play with. While you can edit the interior of the apartments, including moving any interior walls, you cannot build your own apartments, either in the city or in other worlds. I do find the noisy neighbours that you get with apartments can be annoying after a while, though if you are not opposed to using mods, I believe there is a mod that you can use to stop this.  You can also evict all your neighbours and make sure lots don’t get automatically filled to avoid that.

You can fully edit penthouses, but can not add basements to them.  I use the additional lot traits that came with the pack as I find some very useful (for example the ley line trait is great if you want your sims to have twins).

I like the festivals (Spice Festival, Romance Festival, Humor & Hijinks Festival, GeekCon, and the Flea Market) and the 10-level singing skill and karaoke is fun. The produce stands that pop up in the City are also handy to buy certain ‘plants’ from that you can in turn plant, though they are fairly pricey.  This is especially helpful since the gardening overhaul makes it harder to harvest plants in the wild, even more so if you have the Seasons expansion pack in your game.  This pack adds one new aspiration (Location: City Native). It also adds three new careers, Social Media, Critic and Politician. Your sims can work from home with these careers and all three careers have two different branches they split into. The build/buy/CAS items that came with the game are also very nice and I use the street gallery to sell paintings (you can have street sales in any world, not just San Myshuno) and the yard sale table to sell things too, both can be a great way to make money when your sims are ‘self employed’.

I have a tutorial on using the Street Gallery and the Yard Sale Table works the same way.
https://youtu.be/umA7R-Y2PS0

I did a Let’s Play on City Living; here’s a link to the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrLBcJQiK_8Qaqv0c-PJkWN4https://youtu.be/ZD_tNY_xyM4

Cats and Dogs:

Cats and Dogs adds the new world of Brindleton Bay, and cats and dogs as the name suggests. It also adds a new aspiration (Friend of the Animals) and a couple of traits (Cat Lover & Dog Lover). It also adds the ability to own and run a vet clinic as well as the vet skill to go with the clinic and a training skill to train the pets. You can’t control cats and dogs, and unlike in Sims 3 they take up a full slot in your household (in Sims 3 you could have up to 10 slots if 2 were pets). It adds some great CAS/build/buy items that I really like, though that pets themselves aren’t my favourite (I find the pet fears a bit annoying, dogs get dirty too much, taking walks takes forever, even short ones but at the same time I still add a cat or dog to most of my households ). Pets does tend to be a favourite expansion of the game, so if you are really into cats and dogs it’s probably a good addition to your game.

I have a couple of Cats and Dogs Let’s Plays which are now finished; here are the links: In the first one my sims buy and run a vet clinic, as well as complete the new animal aspiration and in the second one I explore Cats and Dogs in a family setting.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PyPCBQSeZfrKcWftBqLnBuZBxIxISdCTB
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrIpzmDKri5peVIbCFPnSfmy

Seasons:

Seasons adds ‘seasons’ as the name indicates, weather and the new calendar system with customizable holidays. It adds a gardening career which has two branches, which is like the City Living careers where you can work from home. There is no new world, but the existing worlds all got overhauled to allow for Seasons. It added the new 10 level flower arranging skill & new plants (mostly flowers but a couple that can be eaten). It also added more activities; skating rink (both ice/roller), swings, sprinkler, toddler wading pool to name a couple. It also adds the Scout after school activity that’s available for both children and teens; if they max it by collecting all the badges they will get a trait ‘scouting aptitude’ which is supposed to boost skill gain (*per the Carl’s Sims 4 site, it is a 25% boost). There were also three new NPCs added, Father Winter, the Flower Bunny and Patchy (you unlock by buying the scarecrow in buy mode and building a relationship with him). One of my favourite features is the Money Tree that you can buy with 5,000 reward points.  Once it matures it will produce ‘fruit’, which can be sold off the tree but not harvested, with a starting value of approx 8,000 simoleons. The pack also adds a bunch of build/buy/CAS items that suit the theme of Seasons.

I have a Let’s Play on Seasons that is now finished; here’s a link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrJnPokdeR-gs9UuPlO3wBVY

Link to Carl’s Sims 4 site re: scouting: http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/expansionpacks/seasons/scouting.php

Get Famous:

Get Famous added the new world of Del Sol Valley which has three neighbourhoods; one with 5 community lots and the other two are residential, one with 2 starter homes and an empty lot and the other with 3 ‘celebrity’ homes.  It also adds the celebrity or fame system which can apply to all sims and across all packs, not just acting, and the reputation system which is separate from fame.  Your sims can either get a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ reputation and there are levels as to how good or bad it can be.  I’ve only played with the ‘good’ aspect but have noticed if you get to the second tier (‘great’) it makes it much easier to get golds on social events, your sims will get job offers starting at level 3 through 5, it helps make friends easier and your sim will get asked on blind dates. It also adds the 10 level acting skill, the 5 level media skill, the Actor career, two new aspirations (Master Actress and World Famous Celebrity) and one new trait that sims can be given when you create them (Self absorbed) and new lot traits (two for community lots and one for residential lots). Drama Club is a new after school activity that has been added for children and teens, though if you have Seasons you have to chose between it and Scouts even though they run at different times. This pack also adds two new aspirations (Creativity: Master Actress and Popularity: World-Famous Celebrity) and a new trait (self absorbed).

The pack adds a bunch of build/buy/CAS items that suit the theme of Get Famous, including the new fish pond that can be stocked with three types of fish, including piranhas and sharks or with sprites.  It also adds a vault which is a new woohoo spot if you add enough money to it.

I have a Let’s Play on Get Famous that has now ended; here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrLfmRPZ6LLRZ4rHaMONfQ3I

My Seasons Let’s Play, which is linked above, also takes a brief look at how Get Famous can affect existing families starting from part 39.

Island Living:

Island Living added the island world of Sulani which has three neighbourhoods with 14 lots in total, three that are community lots (one bar and two beach lots, which is a new lot type).  This pack added the ability to wade and swim in open water, which included some water lot types, which are unique to Island Living.  There are dolphins you can befriend, you can beach comb for treasure, collect shells and you can build sand castles.  This pack added three new lot traits (Oceanic Paradise which is locked to certain lots, Island Spirits and Volcanic Activity). It also added two new traits for sims (Child of the Island and Child of the Ocean) and a new aspiration, Beach Life which if you complete you earn the trait ‘Laid Back’; if sims earn this trait they will never become tense. There is also a waterfall on the island of Mua Pe’lam that sims can woohoo in.

This pack adds new jobs, one full time and three part time.  The full time career is Conservationist, and it has  two branches.  As a conservationist you can choose to work from home or go into work (as a rabbit hole), and one goal is to improve Mua Pe’lam.  There are two stages to improving Mua Pe’lam and you will notice a difference as you reach the two stages.  This pack also added three part time careers, lifeguard, which is available for teen and up and fisherman and diver, which are only available from young adult and up.

Island Living adds a new occult type, Mermaid.  You can create them in CAS or sims can eat mermaidic kelp to turn into a mermaid.  Mermaids can also eat the mermaidic kelp to revert to a normal lifespan.

The pack adds a bunch of build/buy/CAS items that suit the theme of Island Living, including a new wedding arch, boats (aqua zip and canoes).

While Sulani is a residential world, not a vacation destination, if you have Get to Work, Dine Out or Cats and Dogs you can use those business options to buy a second ‘lot’ to use as a vacation home and I examine that in my Get Famous Let’s Play, which is linked above, takes a brief look at Island Living from a ‘vacation’ perspective.

I have a Let’s Play on Island Living that is currently ongoing; here’s a link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrIgFV1cYLNjFMhrXm-e0lvv

Discover University:

Discover University added the new world of Britechester which comes with three neighbourhoods; one for each of the two Universities added with the pack, Foxbury Institute and Britechester University (UBrite) and one for the town.  The two university neighbourhoods have three university dorms (new lot type) which can be changed to other lot types from the world menu (and the university dorm lot type can be used anywhere) and one ‘commons’ for the university.  The ‘town’ of Britechester comes with five lots, one is a bar, one is a library and three are residential, one of the residential lots is empty, the other two are occupied (one is occupied by the Pleasant twins from Sims 2).

This pack comes with one new knowledge aspiration (Academic). There are new lot types, including the aforementioned University Housing and two new lot traits.  While there are no sororities or fraternities with the pack, both universities have three organizations that sims can join if they attend the university.  There is also a secret society that any university student can attend if they get invited.

The university classes themselves are rabbit holes, though the organization events themselves are active.

This pack comes with two new skills, robotics and research & debate. It also comes with three new work from home careers (Law, Engineering and Teaching, all three have separate branches).  Getting a university degree will help you start ahead in the careers they relate to, which is specified up front when you apply. A sim can start anywhere from level 6 to 8 if the degree relates to it, where they start depends on their grade average and if they did a regular or distinguished degree.  A sim needs to complete 12 courses to do a degree and each term takes 5 business days (so essentially a week since there are no classes on weekends).  If a sim chooses to enroll a second time they will only need to do 8 or 9 courses for their subsequent degrees (from what I can gather, 8 if they did a distinguished degree and 9 if they did a regular degree).

Along with the robotics skill, this pack adds the new occult ‘servos’, which must be built and can’t be created in CAS.

The pack adds a bunch of build/buy/CAS items that suit the theme of Discover University, including robotics station that you can use to build bots and servos, a high end laptop and the new Research and Development machine.

I have two Let’s Plays for Discover University, one is a Rags to Riches LP and the sim is attending Britechester, link to the playlist is here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrIrWL1uFuBK7FXQYL5IZ_Wl

The other is with my oldest child from Island Living and he is attending Foxbury, link to the playlist is here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrKXp701duP9PfFlCc2qe9QH

Eco Lifestyle:

Eco Lifestyle adds a new world, Evergreen Harbor, which comes with three new neighbourhoods, two of which have small apartment buildings, previously only found in City Living. All three neighbourhoods also have a Community Space lot, the new lot type ‘Community Space’ that comes with the pack. This can be changed in game through voting to be one of three options, Community Garden, Maker Space and Marketplace. You can also vote on Neighbourhood Action Plans (‘NAPs’), which will impact your sim’s neighbourhood. Some will encourage your neighbourhood to become greener, others just encourage various actions. I have a blog post that goes over some of the current issues with the pack, and commonly with NAPs, the link is here: https://maplesimmer.video.blog/2020/07/18/n-a-p-issues-with-sims-4-eco-lifestyle/

This pack comes with two new aspirations, one creative (Master Maker) and one nature (Eco Innovator) and new sim traits, Maker, Freegan, Green Fiend and Recycle Disciple. There are new lot traits, that suit the pack theme, they are Reduce and Recycle, Natural Well, Geothermal, Eco Lot and Landfill Lot.

This pack comes with two new skills, fabrication (10 levels) and juice fizzing (5 levels). It also adds the work from home Civil Designer career (with two branches) and the freelancer Maker career.

The pack adds a bunch of build/buy/CAS items that suit the theme of Eco Lifestyle, including the recycler, fabricator, candle making station, juice fizzer and items to help generate power (solar panels & windmills) and water (dew collector).

I have a rags to riches Let’s Play for Eco Lifestyle, link to the playlist is here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrJxIzjg9PG6lc0KB7nYnzVE

Snowy Escape:

Snowy Escape adds a new world, Mt. Komorebi, that has 3 neighbourhoods and is inspired by Japan. This includes the Yukimatsu neighbourhood which is a mountain neighbourhood for skiing, snowboarding and sledding. Yukimatsu also includes two vacation lots and the Onsen Bathhouse, which is a new lot type added with the pack. The latter is required for the new, special mountain climbing social event and once you reach the top of the mountain (ie complete the event), there is a lot there that you can freely build on but to reach it again you have to do the mountain climbing event again, as the lot is hidden from the world map. The sim leading the event will earn one of two traits, depending on how successful the trek was. It is perpetually winter in Yukimatsu, including while on the mountain climbing event, and the Seasons Expansion Pack is not needed for this.

The other two neighbourhoods, Senbamachi and Wakaba are not winter neighbourhoods and experience changes in Seasons if you have that expansion pack (and they are perpetually sunny if you don’t). The pack also adds the ability to hike in the Senbamachi and Yukimatsu neighbourhoods, but beware as your sims can get attacked by critters (which vary and there are deterrents and remedies you can get at vending machines found in the neighourhoods). Each neighbourhood also has its own unique festival and you can get information on the festivals and what critters are currently around at the information boards in the neighbourhoods. You will also get a pop up on your notifications when each festival starts.

The pack also adds a new collection, Simmi Capsules, which can be bought at special vending machines found in the neighbourhoods. Sims can also get Simmis when making a wish on a Forest Spirit and children can request them from Yamachan, a new festival NPC added with the pack.

This pack comes with two new aspirations, one athletic (Extreme Sports Enthusiast) and one location (Mt. Komorebi Sightseer) and two new sim traits (Adventurer and Proper). Both aspirations help to walk you through many of the things that come with this pack.

The base game update that preceded this pack release added
1) the ability to make lots in any residential world a rental lot so sims can vacation in any residential worlds if you add a rental lot to that world, and
2) sentiments which sims develop based on their interactions with others.

Snowy Escape builds on the sentiments added in the base game update by adding additional sentiments that suit the pack theme. The pack also added Lifestyles which sims can develop over time. There is supposed to be a limit of three lifestyles, however, they are extremely glitchy at the time I’m writing this (April 2021), so sims currently get more than three lifestyles and they don’t remove properly even when you use the methods given by the game (a reward potion & coaching, the latter which is accessed by the phone). As with many features added in later packs, lifestyles and even sentiments seem over the top and while they may be fun for one play through, I find they get very annoying with repeat game play, so I have turned lifestyles off in most of my saves (under game options, game play). Unfortunately we do not have the ability to turn off sentiments and there is currently a bug report whereby sentiments are applied with no reason and this includes the issue that toddlers get angry/hurt sentiments from their parents/caregivers giving baths that persist and damage their relationship (I try to limit this by having the toddler initiate these type of requests). Link to EA AHQ for this bug report: https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/OPEN-Negative-Sentiment-Applied-Without-Reason/m-p/9751258#M163344

This pack comes with three new skills, rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding (10 levels). Once you max the snowboarding skill your sim can record a video while snowboarding and upload it on a computer for daily royalties. Once they max the skiing skill sims have the option to teach skiing during day time hours and they will disappear for a while and then come back. Neither seems to pay that well, but it is another source of income. I prefer the snowboarding royalties as they do continue daily and you get 150 simoleons a day) and It also adds the rabbit hole SalaryPerson career (with two branches) which is said to have long hours. I have not played it yet as I prefer the work from home careers that most recent packs have been adding and this feels like a step backwards to me.

There are new ways to die with Snowy Escape. One is from a vending machine falling on your sim too many times (my understanding is that if they get injured from a vending machine, if they have it fall on them again while still injured they will die) and if they slip and fall while rock climbing, though my understanding is that this is more likely to happen on icy rock climbs found on the mountain expedition.

The pack adds a bunch of build/buy/CAS items that suit both the Japanese and winter inspired theme, including skiis and snowboards that unlock as you level up the skill.

I have a rags to riches Let’s Play for Snowy Escape, link to the playlist is here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyPCBQSeZfrKaEoTWy5RE4fRfW763JzGa