Here are my written notes about the livestream re the Horse Ranch pack and the base game update (expected to be at 10 am Pacific, Tuesday, July 18, 2023, link to time zone converter for when that will be in your own time zone), information seen afterwards, and the laundry list that came out before the live stream.
My video overview, which will include my thoughts, will follow, link will be added when it’s available.
Link to the Sims livestream replay on YouTube.
Note the livestream was prerecorded due to scheduling conflicts, so things shown in the livestream may be different in the game because they are still finalizing the pack. Though apart from an edit at the end to show a child riding a horse, the rest of the ‘stream’ seemed to be recorded in one take.
Horse Create a Sim (‘CAS’):
More than 30 breeds in the game.
Horses can have up to three traits from a choice of eleven traits (aggressive, brave, defiant, energetic, fearful, free spirit, friendly, independent, intelligent, mellow, needy).
Traits can impact how horses interact with sims.
Sim scan develop fears of horses.
Can start as foals (as well as full grown horses) in CAS.
If horses are born in game, they can have special traits that you can only get when born in game.
However, both foals born in game and those created in CAS using the genetics option, will inherit physical attributes from parents.
Similar to cats and dogs, there is a full colour wheel for putting brushes, stamps and stencils on horses. Horses have some unique stamps for blazes or ‘snips’ and some unique stencils.
Including a bow tie stamp (already available for cats and dogs) and star stencils (new for horses)
Horse Accessories:
Two blankets, one hat, one flower crown, a bow and a flower for the tail and leg wraps (‘leg warmers’). Didn’t see the unicorn horn there, but it was shown in the horse CAS tweet The Sims shared later and it was shown in the CAS previously shown on the EA app.
Horses have two outfits. An everyday and a riding outfit (the latter has a variety of tack (horse equipment), including a saddle and bridle and a blanket or saddle pad plus reins. It’s mostly Western gear but there is some English gear). Horses will automatically change into the riding outfit when they are being ridden.
Link to my video on the CAS / Build/Buy Items shown in the EA app. AS of July 15, 2023, they are no longer shown, though they will come back at release at the latest as they always show the items under the pack view on the main menu.
Sims Create a Sim:
I don’t think everything was shown.
Chaps aren’t an accessory they are on some bottoms.
A lot of outfits have both a ‘clean’ look and a ‘dirty’ look.
Kids: Two girl tops and two bottoms.,
Toddler: one top and one bottom (chaps)
Infants: very cute horsie onesie
Three moustaches
Accessories – wild rags (oversized bandannas). There are two different styles. Found under necklaces. Note there may be clipping with some things, but they left it to work with whatever you want.
6 new male hairstyles
3 new base game native American hairstyles (mentioned the collab with Native American consultant Stacey Parshall Jensen).
Two New Sim Traits:
Rancher (under lifestyle): These sims excel at ranch life and take pride in their work. They enjoy ranch chores and caring for their livestock.
Horse Lover (under social): These sims share a strong bond with Horses. They have an easier time socializing with and caring for Horses than other Sims.
Two New Sim Aspirations:
Champion rider under Fitness
Nectar aspiration under Food
They didn’t show any details on these aspirations.
World of Chestnut Ridge Overview:
13 lots in three neighbourhoods. One empty lot (so three by each GC (ChrissieYT, Doctor Ashley, Ninnster & Simproved) plus one empty)
One neighbourhood had three lots, the other two have five each.
Lot sizes per tweet by Matthew J. Fahey, Principal Designer at EA for the Sims.
From blog post:
Gameplay:
Note they started in the Riders’ Glen Ranches’ Neighbourhood, which has five lots:
- one empty 64×64 residential lot
- two residential lots have premade sims on them (40×30 and 30×20)
- the other two residential lots have homes built on them (30×30 and 30×20)
Need to befriend horses, which was already shared in the Behind the Sims livestream and the gameplay trailer.
Skill: horse riding skill. In the beginning you can walk and trot, but eventually you can sit a canter.
Community board: Each neighbourhood has one and you can place one on any lot from build mode, though most of the options are also on your sim’s phone.
Prairie grass: grows in the neighbourhood. Horses will graze on it; you can harvest it by hand and search on it (it’s like a ‘loot box’). Can hand feed horses or stock your feeder with it.
The prairie grass is a new lot challenge and grass will spread (I’m glad it’s a challenge since those aren’t limited)
You can also pay to load feeder vs using what you’ve collected.
Showed horse stalls with ‘beds’: two different types plus different colour variations (you can assign beds to horses).
Horses both eat and drink water, so some basics needed for looking after them are horse beds, a feeder and a waterer.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of time looking after the horses, you can hire a ranch hand (can do from phone in addition to on the community board).
Note the ranch hands are scheduled to work everyday from 7 am to 7 pm, however, when the SimGuru’s returned back to their sims’ ranch around midnight, the ranch hand was still there.
Ranch hands can help with livestock care (not sure if that includes Cottage Living animals, hopefully it does), take care of plants and fix things that are busted.
There’s a box to put manure in so you can use it later as fertilizer.
Different qualities of poop. The better you look after your horse, the better quality the poop is, i.e., better the fertilizer is.
You can see the horses’ needs (seems to be when you hover over them?).
They showed the early purchase items, but also a few things in the pack.
New BBQ and new recipes: Three sisters chili (base game Native American dish) plus two more (Bison stew & Wild Nut Soup)
Plus Pan de campo (classic Cowboy dish) – they will bring that as a welcome wagon food vs the fruit cake.
Two new social events:
- Ranch Gathering (can grill, dance, drink, socialize with neighbours)
- Ranch Animal Day (focus more on four-legged friend and showing them off to your friends)
Plus, new ‘bedroll’ (i.e. sleeping bag from Growing Together).
They hit the trail to see Chestnut Ridge’s neighbourhoods.
Galloping Gulch Neighbourhood & Gameplay There:
There are only three lots in this neighbourhood. One is lived in, one is not lived in and one is a rental lot.
I noticed they landed in on their horses (But they seem to get on them before they left)
Montana style neighbourhood, with canyons
Perfect spot if you want to be away from civilization.
Big map for horses to travel around.
There’s waterfalls and stone bridges.
If you have seasons, weather will be more arid. However, if there is a storm, horses can get spooked.
Lots of D&D influence. Dreadhorse caverns (when you explore it there are good written stories, surprises, and rewards). Seems like it is similar to the caves in Island Living and Snowy Escape.
Lots of winding bends. Lots of story telling to discover, big vistas to enjoy. There’s something to touch around every corner to make it more interesting to explore. (Paraphrasing their words)
Can do jumping/barrel racing. Fun location for riding.
Also, lots of rest spots
Great fishing spots
Pee/woohoo bushes, plus the occasional outhouse.
Waterfalls, sims can swim in water under them. No mention of horses being able to swim.
New Appaloosa Neighbourhood & Gameplay There:
This neighbourhood has a ‘small western town’ feel to it and has five lots:
- The Rusty Horseshoe is a great stop (nightclub?)
- Oak Barrel Nectar bar
- Small empty starter home (20×20 lot)
- Home for Premade Sims
- Dukes Hall (which is 40×30 park/national park lot across from the Equestrian Center)
The Equestrian Center is in the neighbourhood space, and it closes at 7 pm.
There are four competitions (Jumping, Barrel Racing, Endurance Riding and Western Pleasure Riding (art of how chill your horse can be while you are riding)). You can earn simoleons (big bucks? and plaques) from competitions and you can advance to more advanced competitions.
They gave a preliminary look at the painted ceilings which are coming in the free base game update.
You can ride your horses into the dance hall (Rusty Horseshoe).
Cowpoke dance shown.
Clothing store where your sims can choose and change outfits, general store (These are in the public space vs being lots but aren’t open all the time).
General store, closes at 10 pm (was closed when they were there).
Mini Goats and Mini Sheep:
Phone can be used to buy mini goats and sheep, no limit on how many you can buy. (Possibly computer?)
Mini animals: ‘black sheep – so expensive, wonder why?’ was what was said (costs 2000 simoleons). The others cost different amounts (150, 200 and 400 simoleons).
Sheep will provide simoleons when you shave them.
Goats will give milk.
If you have cottage living, feeds into that system (wool and milk).
They eat weeds and bugs in the garden. They can roam all over your ranch and they are very cute!
Sims can count sheep when they are trying to go to sleep (I had wondered if that was trailer magic!).
Nectar Making:
Found under activities.
This is a skill (the sim with more skill was level 5, wondering if that’s the max level, similar to juice fizzing)
Taps into everything you can grow, including trash nectar.
Occult sims each have a special nectar they can make (i.e. with the plants from those packs?).
Stackable nectar rack. If you put your bottles in the rack, they will stack up too. Aging nectar increases it’s value.
Once you crack a bottle it will only last a few days, so I expect it lasts indefinitely if it’s unopened. You get multiple servings from a bottle.
You can drink nectar from a glass or from the bottle.
Build/Buy:
Two different ranch signs that can be customized with different things. Animal iron work signs (horses, sheep, goats and cowplants and ones that match Cottage Living (cow, llama, and chicken) that you can add. Some signs can be unlocked.
Free cam mode coming to build mode in base game update.
Ceilings. Pretty much any floor tile can be used for the ceiling. They showed the icon you use to access the ceiling.
Plus, new flooring/ceiling from the pack. Night sky (not the top swatch).
Also, coming in the free base game update – more colour variants in floor tiles.
New door for base game with ‘ranchy patterns’
Horses can go through doors, but only some doors are available when a sim is riding a horse (they are labelled ‘mounted horse mountable’). The mounted horse rideable doors are available on medium and tall walls.
They cut to the next morning where they showed off child getting on and riding a horse.
Follow up Horse CAS Tweet/FB/Instagram:
Tweet link (which should work now for everyone):
Note you can have horses in all worlds, that was confirmed in a follow up to the above tweet:
Base Game Update summary:
1) Fixes/Laundry List:
SimsDirect Tweet: https://twitter.com/TheSimsDirect/status/1679899145455407105
Laundry list: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/news/laundry-list-july-14th-2023
2) What’s New:
Paintable ceilings
Free cam in build mode!
More swatches for some floor tiles
3 new Native American hairstyles (didn’t see)
One Native American food (Three Sisters Chili)
New door for base game with ‘ranchy patterns’ (didn’t see it though)
Hinted, not announced, sleepwear set previously exclusive to Xbox EA Play players coming to base game. Note I initially missed that in the livestream, I saw that SimsVIP had an article about it, but I did see it when I went back and looked during the Sims CAS portion of the live stream. https://simsvip.com/2023/07/14/confirmed-sleepover-sleepwear-set-coming-for-all-the-sims-4-players
Contact Me:
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