Summary
When it comes to DLC inThe Sims 4, there are some packs that the community agrees are let-downs, like the Horse Ranch expansion pack. Players were hoping for them to be included when Cottage Living came out, but they were nowhere to be seen. When horses, sheep, and goats came with the Horse Ranch pack, many fans were willing to brush this off as an unfortunate cash grab forSims 4players.
But withProject Rene, the fifth installment in theSimsmainline games, comes a chance to rectify that mistake. It’s important to show customers that learning from mistakes and listening to the players is easily done. InProject Rene’s base game, animals should be included for adoption. When it comes to adding extra, it should include one pack with a large variety of animals instead of spacing them out three at a time in packs that fit its aesthetic likeSims 4Horse Ranchor Cottage Living did.
How Project Rene Could Do Animal Packs Better
Sims Base Game Inclusion of Animals
SinceProject Reneis taking the game in a different direction from otherSimstitles and is going for an MMO, it should approach its base game inclusion in an MMO-style way. A lot of life simulation games already have basic animals in their base game for players to get to see and play with. Something likeSims 4:Cats and Dogswould’ve already been in those games as basic pet options. From there, there might be a way to buy either pet bundles for more or something similar. Some basic pets players may want to see in the base game include:
Expanding on Project Rene’s Base Game
When it comes to this newSimsgame, the developers need to look at it as a life simulation MMO instead of aSimsfranchise extension. Though players know EA won’t give players everything they ask for, a different perspective on how it does its expansion packs and how often it listens to fans are two things that could use some tweaking. IfProject Reneis going to see an expansion pack with farm animals, the pack it does that with should be a combination of Cottage Living and Horse Ranch. It would be nice if this hypothetical pack did thingsthe wayStardew Valleydoes it—a game that focuses on farming more than anything but could help out with cottage and ranch aesthetics.
Due to the nature of a multiplayer game, it can be hard to find a good balance between releasing DLC, updating the base game, and eventually leaving certain things up todedicatedSimsmodders. However,The Sims 4cannot leave out certain things from the base game, such as pets and pet items. It would be understandable if it went with the approach of adding cats and dogs to the base game, with a later base game update to include lizards and hamsters, but those two pets should not feature in DLC.
It might also be better ifProject Reneheld surveys or polls to vote on what new expansions players want to see, so it can better deliver to players as updates go on. Plenty of other games that have big playerbases or multiplayer offer surveys to see what players are looking for. One gameProject Renecould take note of here isGenshin Impact, which frequently puts out surveysasking for player feedback. It’s important that the newSimsinstallment does not drop the ball when it comes to packs, since it could easily land itself in a sticky spot.
