The release of “The Sims 4” has been quite successful so far, even though some fans were initially disappointed by the removal of certain long-running features that, in their eyes, had become staples of the franchise. In the end, EA/Maxis have managed to develop a pretty solid title with a strong entertainment value, and they have been enjoying a lot of success on the market. Players have been requesting new content regularly too, and EA have been happy to oblige with new DLC packs.
And now, the “Get Together” DLC that was announced during Gamescom is going to add even more new things for players to mess around with. First of all, there will be an entire new world called Windenburg, something which will be quite close to some European cities in its presentation and style. There will be a greater variety in architecture and environments, and those who’ve grown bored with the original design of the neighborhoods in “The Sims 4” should be happy to explore their new potential housing options.
EA are quite confident that players will love this new world and some might even find it surprising, according to the studio. There will be a good mix of urban and more rural settings, so everyone should find something suitable to make their new home in.
It would be a pretty dull DLC if all it offered was a new world though, and Sims will now have various extra features added to their gameplay and interactions. For example, there will now be an option to go out clubbing, and the more entrepreneurial among Sims will even be able to invest in their own clubs. We don’t know the details of that gameplay feature yet, but we assume it will play out similar to most other types of investments in the series, and players will be able to use their clubs as an additional source of income.
There will also be football games and swimming pools that Sims can visit – and there will even be swimming in rivers as an option. This seems to be EA’s response to the common complaint about the removal of pools in “The Sims 4”. Pools were a major feature of the previous games to some players, as they allowed them to get quite creative with the designs of their backyards, with some players even coming up with incredibly complicated pool layouts.
On the other hand, there were those that liked to use pools for more nefarious purposes, and even though the game didn’t directly allow for any violence (such as ordering Sims to kill each other), there were certain tricks to force characters to die. Perhaps the most popular and well-known one was to get the Sim to enter a pool and remove all ladders – Sims didn’t “know” how to get out of a pool without a ladder, so they eventually ended up getting exhausted and drowned.
It’s not clear if this had anything to do with EA’s decision to remove pools from the game, and it would indeed be a huge disappointment to learn that this was their primary motivation.
However, it is noticeable that they have been trying to make the game a bit more kid-friendly and accessible to players of all ages. Sure, “The Sims” has always been a franchise that appealed to younger players, but as the new installment shows, even more can be done to make it an attractive title for the smaller ones.
Please add a loud door bell and even the option of door access (adding who can walk into a home, instead of having to constantly answer the door…if and when you even hear the light knock.