The Sims 4: Spa Day will receive a well-earned facelift on September 7th, 2021.

The Sims 4 team recently made and announced this unprecedented decision - to refine player experience of existing downloadable content, just last Thursday. Though content in question is the game pack “Spa Day,” and it is a choice that not only brings new aspirations, fashionable fingernails, plush reimaginings of existing Spa Day build buy, and fresh Sim traits to the game, but it also seems to preface a series of future pack improvements.

That is, for years many Sims 4 players have bemoaned the lack of depth and realism in both the popular franchise’s base game and its plethora of purchasable packs. Simmers have pointed out the dearth of activities available for children and elders, the superficial gloss of each new pack, and the noticeable vacuum of sustainable gameplay.

Sims 4 developers have taken these criticisms to heart and appear to be slowly updating the quality of Sim hairs and available gameplay in its base game. With the announcement of a Spa Day refresh, developers seem to have embarked upon a journey to drastically improve in-game content.

What exactly can Simmers expect in the renewed pack?

Most notably, Create-a-Sim will gain a new category for both fingernails and toenails!

Simmers will be able to outfit their pixel people with an array of stunning nails- designed by Ebonix herself- in a variety of rounded, stilleto, almond-shaped, short clipped, and unapologetically clawed styles.

In fact, not only will Simmers gain the ability to browse different nail lengths, but they will also be able to choose from several shades of nail colors. The colors come in both high-gloss and matte finishes. Simmers can even choose “curated” styles from Ebonix Sims!

Shiny polishes will display in the in-game menu as glossy nail polish bottles.

.Meanwhile, matte colors will appear as matte- without the signature “shine” - in the menu.

Of course, Sims who want to really express themselves have a variety of fun designs to choose from too.

And they exist alongside Ebonix’s signature nail designs.

When applied in Create-a-Sim, Sim nails will never degrade or need up-keep. They will remain glossy and perfectly maintained for all time.

However, when Sims receive a manicure in-game, those nails will eventually fade and chip, requiring another visit to the spa. This adds a new layer of realistic gameplay in the Sims 4 which is sure to delight fans.

In the past, face masks were only available to Sims while in a bath. The masks helped them relieve tension and gain some temporary moodlets.

The Spa Day refresh allows Sims to purchase face masks at any time from refrigerators. Each face mask offers different, longer lasting moodlet properties.

Kids can even join in the fun this time around. With fun, randomized animal masks, child Sims will get to take part in spa days alongside their self-care savvy parents.

Leaving a face mask on for too long, however, can yield various, unpleasant results from “Weird Sensations” to unfortunate rash. (Occult Sims will also experience interesting side-effects that have yet to be revealed.)

Refrigerators will also boast delicious cucumber slices and cucumber fizzy power sips for Sims to enjoy. These refreshing snacks will also offer some hilariously overboard focus moodlets.

The Spa Day refresh comes complete with three new, sorely needed aspirations: Self-Care Specialist, Zen Guru, and Inner Peace.

Sims with the “Self-Care Specialist” aspiration will have an easier time monetizing their guru abilities- that is, whenever they hold a yoga or meditation class, clients will pay more money for a little slice of that heavenly zen expertise.

By contrast “Zen Guru” Sims will radiate peace and tranquility. They will gain an uncanny ability to empathize with other Sims and soothe them when experiencing unpleasant emotions.

The Sim who desires “inner peace” will turn their zen journey inward, working to master the turmoils of negative emotions.

All three aspirations, naturally, come with new reward traits: Self-care expertise, Calming Aura, and Clear Perspective, respectively.

But the meatiest portion of this refresh is the ability to place the newly updated massage chairs, yoga mats, meditation poufs, and massage tables into inventory. An aspiring Zen Instructor can then place these glorious guru items anywhere in the world to run an impromptu meditation class, yoga class, or impromptu nail salon.

For yoga classes, the instructor must purchase an instructor’s yoga mat- indicated by the Spa Day logo imprinted in one corner- and can also purchase Sim mats for their students, but they don’t have to. Eager yoga students will bring their own mats to class.

The instructor can set their class up as “public,” meaning any Sim in the vicinity may join, or “private,” meaning the instructor must invite attendees.

Instructors can even boost class attendance by advertising on Simstagram!

Even children can join as yoga class attendees or even lead sessions as instructors.

Participating in yoga and meditation classes increase mental and motor skills for kids. If the player has parenthood installed, meditation also increases “emotional control.”

Naturally, the Spa Day refresh features a massive spread of new and updated build/buy items.

Players will enjoy a slew of new robe and towel swatches, fun meditation poufs in a variety incredible colors, new plush massage chairs, a wide array of yoga mats, and much more.

CAS enthusiasts will also find a new sweatsuit for kids, adults, and even toddlers!

​What are you most excited for?

In a huge pre-Cottage Living release patch, Sims 4 developers delivered several player-pleasing in-game updates that have thrilled the larger Sims community.

This patch, standing at 9.62 GB, injects a plethora of family fun into base game alongside extensive glitch course correcting. Base game players can now engage in “Group Cooking,” garden alongside their children, order restaurant-recipes and grocery delivery through an Uber Eats-like app called Zoomers.

If that were not all, Simmers will now be able to build natural water features like lakes and ponds with a new pond tool! Developers have also improved the notebook tool and transitioned the calendar, an organizational widget once native to only Seasons, to base game. Pairing all these fresh features with bug fixes for smoother gameplay with less simulation lag and correctly functioning mirrors, this patch is one that offers intensive quality-of-life changes for the average Simmer.

In this stunning update, Sims gain the ability to cook alongside their family members. Up to five relatives can prepare a meal
at the same time, building social points, increasing any involved child’s mental skill, and resulting in higher quality, larger servings.

Of course, sometimes a busy Sim has no time to cook. This update allows Sims to order delicious restaurant dishes or order quick groceries from the Zoomer delivery service,

The handy Sim notebook now has its own button! It is no longer attached to the phone.

To help Simmers keep track of fairs, weather, birthdays, and social events, developers included the calendar in this base game update.

Gleeful builders will be pleased to know that ponds and other natural bodies of water can now be created in-game without visual tricks. The player need only create a hole and then fill it with water! Developers also fine-tuned landscape tools, offering a better build experience.

Simmers can also fill their ponds with alligators, swans, dragonflies, and more!

Children can now garden alongside their older family members. This action helps children develop their “mental” skill!

This incredible update also offers two new textures hairs and two stunning works of art that represent the tenderness of chosen family and the vulnerability inherent in every fight for freedom. Simmers can find these powerful masterpieces, created by Ashley Lukashepsky and Muhammad Iman Fayaz, under wall art.

Players who pre-ordered Cottage Living also received their free functional bicycle, gnome, and lantern-lit tree today.

Developers address and continue to course correct simulation lag, an issue that has plagued some Simmers for several months. In addition, developers have corrected malfunctioning mirrors, which were reflecting outdoor scenery even when walls were completely up. There are a plethora of other squashed bugs that Simmers can read about on the Sims 4 website here: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/news/update-7-20-2021

Keep it locked right here, on Simmer’s Digest, for more comprehensive Sims news!
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Cottage Living, the latest expansion pack from the Sims 4 team, is but weeks away from release. On July 8th, developers held a YouTube livestream to show off some of the pack's sprawling gameplay in lightning quick fashion. This livestream, in tandem with incredibly detailed coverage from many EA Gamechangers, gave the wider Sims community greater insight into what to expect from Cottage Living.

Thanks to SimGuruRomeo and detailed EA blog notes, Simmers already knew that Henford on Bagley boasted three neighborhoods -- Bramblewood, Old New Henford, and Finchwick Village-- and twelve lots.  Bramblewood is the untamed wilderness in which Sims can discover and befriend foxes, rabbits, and birds.  Filled with scenic waterfalls and lush, rolling hills, the Bramblewood offers romance and plenty of lush fields for mushroom and berry foraging,  

Simmers knew to expect village shops and a weekly fair in Finchwick, and the community has been salivating to settle down in the verdant hills of Old New Henford in a quaint farm to cook alongside their families, picnic in the scenic fields, can in their new country-style kitchens, and garden oversized crops alongside their children. 

While Simmers knew they would have to befriend the wildlife of the Bramblewood, the livestream made the complexities of the new gifting and befriending system more clear. Sims will need to take great pains to cautiously get to know a certain animal. Through trial and error, Sims will need to discover what a particular bunny likes and what it doesn't like.  No two bunnies are the same, and neither are the birds or foxes. That is, while one rabbit may enjoy gifts of carrots or apples, the next rabbit may prefer a pie or some other goody in the hero Sim's inventory. 

Sims who foster positive relationships with bunnies, birds, and foxes will enjoy a whole host of wondrous benefits such as: 

• Treasure-hunting bunnies
• Insect-attacking birds
• Fertilizing bunnies
• Less aggressive foxes
• Birds who sing to crops

Friendly wildlife will allow Sims to take them home as pets to perform these helpful actions. However, earning the ire of these cuddly critters can yield pretty gruesome results. 

​Simmers already knew to expect droves of oversized crops: eggplants, pumpkins, watermeon, and mushrooms.  In an upcoming update, even base game will allow children to water, harvest, weed, and plant seeds alongside their parents.

But developers included a new wrinkle to the grand gardening gameplay loop.  When planting such oversized crops, Sims will need to watch over and tend to these crops carefully.  The manner in which the Sim cares for their crops will yield varying results in not only crop quality but also in crop size and number.  After scattering seeds on the brand new oversized crop plots, Sims can produce nine small plants, two medium plants, or one large plant. There are benefits to each size, however. Smaller crops work best for canning. Large crops are better for festival entries. 

Developers explained earlier than Finchwick would host weekly competitive fairs. During these fairs, locals earn prizes and bragging rights for raising the prettiest chicken, growing the biggest eggplant, and baking the best-tasting pie. ​

What Simmers did not know was that these fairs would appear on a refreshed calendar which is coming to base game. This game-changing, organizational widget was once tied exclusively to the Seasons pack, but its extensive powers will now become available for base game players. 

Simmers were already aware that ponds were coming to the Sims 4 base game as a complement to the Cottage Living pack. Gamechangers and avid builders alike squealed at the impending change, gabbing about watching their Sims fish and wade at a fully customized pond's edge. Currently, Simmers can only include ponds in a given build by resorting to the "fishing hole" in the debug menu.

Developers included a stunning new aspect to pond building-- the inclusion of spawnables. After creating a pond with the highly-anticipated pond tool, Simmers will also be able to populate the pond with a number of critters and cute pond life: swans, ducks, dragonflies, fireflies, turtles, frogs, and even alligators. 

If this were not enough, Simmers will also be able to fill their ponds with whatever fish they desire through a new menu. 

In a gameplay loop firmly familiar to gamers who frequent such games as Stardew Valley or literally any epic fantasy, developers have included a villagers quest system to the Sims 4.  Henford-on-Bagley is stuffed full of interesting lore and character backstories; as the hero Sim becomes acquainted with this treasure trove of charming characters, they can provide helpful services to these characters by performing tasks for them. The grocer may need a pick-up of certain ingredients or the Creature Keeper may need help foraging for mushrooms or watching skulking foxes. 

YouTuber James Turner was jumped quickly into errands gameplay for his infamous rags-to-riches legacy Let's Play.  It became obvious that these quests were not simple "one-offs" by any means. Often, players will need to bake items, travel, forage, and more in order to complete the tasks.  However, players have infinite time to complete the tasks, and they can choose more than one to complete at a time. In fact, Simmers may have up to three tasks active at any given time.  Each task will reward the Simmer with simoleons and an improved relationship with the townie Sim.

Simmers already knew that the Finchwick Garden shoppe, run by Agnes and Agatha Crumplebottom, would offer helpful ingredients for farming, gardening, cross-stitching, and more. 

Simmers did not know that these very shoppes, including the grocer, would offer retail space to the hero Sim. Crops that the Sim brings to market can be sold for a solid chunk of change.

Cottage Living's recent gameplay trailer revealed the incredible effect that particular treats have upon particular animals. Simmers can transform their cows into rainbow colored marvels that produce rainbow-colored milk for the county fair, for example. 

Treats can affect farm animals in a multitude of incredible ways. Sims can change their hens into golden hens that lay golden eggs; they can, through the power of midnight feed, change their chickens into bold, black demon chickens.  They can feed their chickens vegetables so that the chickens produce green eggs.  Sims can cajole their llamas into eating the colorful feed necessary to change their fur from white, to blue, to brown, to orange!

Expansion packs always arrive brimming with new CAS items and build/buy assets, but Game Changer content has given us our first up close and personal look at the country living fashion and down-home quaint cottage build items. Through rustic kitchenware, thatched rooves, new wood floors, modestly comfortable clothes, and romantic tousled and braided hairs, Cottage Living has come alive anew.  In addition, GameChangers like HeyHarrie, Devon Bumpkin, and Clare Siobhan created the beautiful builds available in the pack.

There is far, far more to be said about Cottage Living. Keep it locked here for more detailed information as Game Changers drop their Gameplay details. 

Just like magic, the Sims 4 Cottage Living gameplay trailer has ignited the Sims community at large once again.  Players are buzzing about the wide array of new gameplay features that the fresh expansion pack promises; stuffed to the brim with cottage-core build buy, intricate Sims lore, sprawling views, and quaint country life activities, Cottage Living is poised to offer Simmers worldwide a sweet peek at the simple life in Henford-on-Bagley.

The new world that comes folded into Sims 4: Cottage Living  is called "Henford-on-Bagley." Reminiscent of a squat English-countryside town, Henford-on-Bagley offers Simmers the lush, rolling hills of picturesque England and the robust Sims lore that many Simmers have craved.  Henford-on-Bagley boasts three distinct neighborhoods: Finchwick, Old New Henford, and The Bramblewood. 

Finchwick is the heart of village life in Henford-on-Bagley.  Home to the weekly Finchwick fair, a bustling marketplace, Crumplebottom's Garden shop (where players can purchase items for their gardening and jam-making needs), the Gnomes Arms Pub (owned by Sarah and Simon Scott), and village errands, Finchwick is where the Sim fresh to farm life can get to know the seasoned locals. 

Old New Henford is the idyllic neighborhood with wide open spaces just outside of town. Its lush countryside is perfect for farming, raising livestock, and befriending Wild Animals, who will forage for special trinkets on a Sim's behalf. Simmers can find the new, broken-hearted NPC Cecilia here as she remakes her life in a refurbished barn and as the unlucky-in-love Creature Keeper Michael Bell aches for her from afar. This is also where Simmers can find the Olde Mill Estate, one of the larger lots in the new expansion. 

Finally, the Bramblewood is the untamed wild of Henford-on-Bagely. Here, Sims can collect chocoberries, mushrooms, and nightcaps. They can visit the Island of Volpe, which brims with the rich history of Henford-and-Bagley and hosts the most romantic spot in town. This is also where Sims can find the Creature Keeper's home. The Island of Volpe Park, conversely, is home to Sophie the Snail and Cordelia Falls. 

Cottage Living brings a fresh focus to the simple pleasures of small-town family life.  Full of rustic windows, country cabinets, and quaint cookware, Cottage Living is sure to please the family-player.  In the pack, families can cook together, garden together, watch over their beloved animals together, picnic together, can fresh goods together, and even make jam together.  

One of the most highly-anticipated features of the upcoming pack is the new canning activity. Players will be able to harvest choco-berries, fruits, and mushrooms from The Bramblewood, a scenic woodland area just outside of town.  Once a Sim has harvested these collectibles, they can use them to create a wild assortment of jams right in their kitchen. 

The pack promises a collection of 16 kinds of jams that Sims can cook up in their country kitchens. 

​But even this is not all. Families will not only enjoy a new selection of recipes to choose from, but thanks to a base game update, children and other family members will be able to take part in a new interaction called "Group Cooking."

During Group Cooking interactions: 

• Up to five family members cook together (including children!)
• Children gain "Mental" skill 
• Family members forge sentiments about one another 
• Families produce higher-quality food and more servings

There are many more recipes to master in this pack, amongst them Beef Wellington, Yorkshire Pudding, Bangers and Mash, and more. 

If this were not enough, Simmers can now choose from several "lot challenges," the number of which will vary according to how many packs a certain Simmer owns. The Cottage Living Challenge "Simple Life" urges Sims to fish, harvest, and collect the items they need for daily living.  After all, with the "Simple Life" challenge active, the forever-full refrigerator will no longer be forever full. 

Gardening gets one heck of an overhaul in Cottage Living.  Players will be able to grow such large crops as massive mushrooms, leafy lettuce heads, huge pumpkins, swelling watermelons, and oddly phallic looking eggplants.

Despite the nearly ribald placing of confidently grinning women alongside their enormous eggplants, gardening in Cottage Living is truly a family affair.  The pack, in tandem with a the next Sims 4 base game patch, allows children and toddlers to water, weed, and harvest crops. Toddlers will adorably talk to plants and even ask strangely off-kilter questions about gardening in the way that only toddlers can.  Teens, Young Adults, Adults, and Elders can even teach their little ones how to garden, which increases Mental skill in-game.

The cross-stitching activity will allow Children, Teens, Young Adults, and Elders to master the art of cross-stitching.  There are 34 different cross-stitching patterns that Sims can attempt, working through ill-advised stitching maneuvers and pricked fingers.  As with the art of gardening, child Sims can learn the nuances of cross-stitching from their older counterparts, 

Caring for cozy farm critters takes on a kooky twist within the Sims 4 Cottage Living. Families work together to: 

• Shear llamas for cross-stitch necessary wool
• Milk cows for various fresh recipes
• Collect eggs from Cooped Hens
• Befriend the bunnies and fowl of the forest for treasure hunting purposes

The overall happiness and diet of the kept animals affects the quality of the goods they produce. Feeding rainbow feed to a beloved cow will not only poof her into rainbow-furred glory, but it will also get her to produce some delicious rainbow milk that can be bottled, enjoyed, or entered into Finchwick fair's weekly competition. 

Each chicken coop will house up to eight of the fluttering fowl, and Sims care for the chickens and collect their eggs. However, Sims will need to keep a close eye on their beloved hens; skulking foxes can slip into unattended chicken coops and make off with precious egg treats of their own. To prevent this, farmers can purchase a new alarm called the fox-be-gone, which will sound off when a swiping no-gooder creeps into the chicken coop under cover.

Finchwick, Henford-on-Bagley's town center, will host weekly competitions for both country recipes, best farm animals, and finest large crops. Both winners and participants will earn prizes at the close of each competition, but only winners will get to enjoy their immense bragging rights. 

What part of Sims 4 farm life has you fired up?

In a rainbow-studded Maxis Livestream, the Sims 4 developers not only celebrated the varied contributions of queer Simmers and LGBTQ+ artists around the global community, but they also dropped delicious hints about features coming to base game in the near future. 

The June 29th patch, which came laden with the code necessary for the fresh Sims Sessions in-game festival events, also came with new wall art designed by queer Simmers. The first selection, a landscape Pride parade of colorful confetti, waving queer flags, and queer bodies of every size, shape, and color, is an audacious work of art from Jupiter, known as @MidnightFox452 on Twitter.  Jupiter is a non-binary transperson who identifies as a lesbian; they used the many different hues of the varied pride flags in their work to infuse it with infectious vibrance. Sims 4 players can now find this joyous piece in-game! 

Two more stunning works, created by queer Simmers, will hit Sims 4 build/buy in the next patch.  Ashley Lukashevsky (@AshLukaDraws on Twitter and Instagram) created the next piece wrought in shades of pink and purple.  The piece portrays two soft-bodied women embracing and, according to Ashley, represents the interconnectedness of freedom.  Ashley uses their art to strengthen racial, social, queer, immigrant, and mental health justice movements. Their work will be available in game as wall art come the July patch.  

A queer artist named Mohammed made the final lovely piece entitled "A Recipe for Good Times."  The art depicts four "found family" members celebrating the tender moments of pride: laughter, silliness, hugs, and great times. Mohammed mentions that pride so often focuses on what is big and bold, but they like to highlight these small but essential moments of tenderness between people who love one another. Sims 4 will offer this work in the next July patch. 

True to form, SimGuruBat and SimGuruDuck revealed some delightful changes coming to the Sims 4 base game.  The first welcome update is a fresh, textured, "modernized afro."  The Sims team has been embattled in recent years concerning Black representation in-game. Simmers have criticized the Sims team for poor Sims 4 skin tones, a dearth of good-looking textured hair (one of the afros was designed after cauliflower of all things), and the shoddy quality of what textured hair did exist in the game.  Finally, Sims 4 is beginning to include better representations of kingly coils and queenly curls in-game so that all Simmers can see themselves in their colorful pixel counterparts. The pictured hairstyle will be available July patch.

Sims 4 developers have also improved the cooking activity.  Now, Sims will be able to perform an action called "Group Cooking." 

Group Cooking allows: 

• ​5 selected sims to cook together
• relationship gains while cooking
• Better quality meals and more servings
• Children to cook alongside adults while gaining "mental" skill 
• Newly formed sentiments while cooking

This complements the new "farm-to-table" game mechanics folded into the highly anticipated Sims 4 Expansion Pack: Cottage Living.

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If the cooking update were not enough, the Sims team has also improved the gardening feature. 

Children will now be able to 

• Plant, weed, water, harvest crops
• Children cannot use the vertical gardens
• Unlock weed, plant, and harvest after unlocking mental skill thresholds
• Talk to plants (Toddlers can do this too!) 
• Children can ask questions like "How does the sun taste?"

More interactions include:

• Teens, Young Adults, and Elders with enough gardening skill can teach Child Sims about plants, which increases the Child's "mental" skill
• Sims will now be able to plant seeds in their inventory

Starting June 29th and running until July 7th, Sims 4's newest in-game music festival will invite all Simmers to enjoy intimate, live jam sessions with artists Bebe Rexha, Glass Animals, and Joy Oladokun.  

After logging into game, players can register for the single-player event, receiving tickets to a Sunday show from 12-12:30 (in-game time.) Once Sunday arrives, the game will transport the Sim (via a phone interaction) to Magnolia Blossom Park in Willow Creek. At the music festival, Sims can  buy festival swag, run craft sales tables, visit lounges, camp, eat, woohoo, and make new friends! Food trucks will also come to the game through the Sims festivals. Even after the official show from the famed artists has ended, Simmers can continue jamming on-stage to keep the party rocking! Simmers can show off their festival-themed threads on gallery using the hashtag #SimsSessions in gallery. 

Sims 4 continues to evolve; what are you most excited for?

The trailer for the latest, eye-popping, highly anticipated Sims 4 expansion pack released today, June 10th at 11AM EST.  

For months, players have pleaded for an expansion that would allow their Sims to enjoy the quaint lifestyle afforded by the quiet countryside. Their time has come, it seems, through the newest Sims 4 expansion pack: Cottage Living. 

The expansion pack, dropping July 22nd, boasts an enormous amount of new gameplay systems, fresh activities for child Sims, novel build tools, and a new slew of assets for Sims to live it up the simple way. 

Henford-and-Bagley, the new world folded into the Sims 4: Cottage Living expansion pack, is an English countryside work of stunning art.  It comes with three neighborhoods, each boasting four lots each, including one 64x64 lot.  Simmers will be able to enjoy new roofing patterns and textures such as thatched hay, mossy green, and aged wood.  Perhaps most surprisingly, it appears that players will finally be able to create their own ponds and fishable lakes using a new lake terrain tool. There are of course, many fresh assets at the builder's disposal such as: 

• Chicken Coops which hold 8 chickens each
• Newly styled dormers
• New foliage and flowers
• Cow stalls
• Llama stalls
• New stone and wood fencing
• Garden stalls
• Embellished kitchen cabinets and counters
• Picnic baskets (which Sims can pack and bring along with them to scenic countryside areas. A single interaction will unpack the picnic basket. Sims can scoop the basket into their inventories and then use the picnic interaction at any table, at any time, and in any world. )
• Woodland hollowed logs that serve as happy homes for hopping bunnies
• Country clutter: Jars of jam, casserole dishes, hanging plants, glass milk jugs, and more!

What's in it For Kids?
Speaking of children, there are a lot of new activities for them to enjoy in Cottage Living. The trailer shows live footage of children

• handling baby chicks
• embroidering
• cooking and baking alongside their parents
• Befriending bunnies and llamas
• Gardening/Farming

Meanwhile, adult Sims of course have a barrage of new farmland chores to occupy their simple countryside lives.  

Oversized Gardening
New oversized gardening plots allow Sims to grow large crops like pumpkins, watermelons, aubergines, mushrooms, and lettuce. Sims can harvest these foods for healthy meals (developers added new recipes like beef wellington, milk bread, and Yorkshire pudding to the growing Sims repertoire) or haul them into the Finchwick Fair to compete in the local vegetable growing contest! Of course, if vegetables aren't really a Sim's thing, they can also cajole their chickens into the local chicken contest, or rustle up a homemade pie for the county pie competition.

Game changing Lot Challenges​
Brand new "lot challenges" are a new system in the game which seem to behave like lot traits but with a twist. When the "Simple Living Lot" challenge is active, for example, Sims will find cooking far cheaper but the same Sims must only use the fresh ingredients they have at their immediate disposal. Sims will be able to milk cows for milk, raise chickens for eggs, and forage in the nearby woodlands for berries and mushrooms. Sims will need to procure any missing items via grocery delivery.  They can also buy beef and chicken at the local shop in town. Sims will even be able to "can" goods within the cooking skill. 

When the "Wild Fox" challenge is active, Simmers will have to contend with sneaky, wily foxes who may creep into unsuspecting farms to gobble up hen eggs or run off with bunny snacks! 

Simmers can of course toggle these challenges on and off at their leisure, living their country lifestyle as comfortably as they see fit. 

Village Errands
While there are no new careers involved with this pack, Sims can take part in a new game system called "village errands." It takes a village to, well, run a village, and so the local townsfolk will need much of your Sim's aid when it comes to running their busy stalls and shops.

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Cows, Chickens, and Llamas! Oh My!
Farm life wouldn't be quite as quaint and idyllic without the adorable company of farmland animals.  Cottage Living comes packed with many of the animals for which Sims 4 players have begged developers for years. Gamers can expect: 

• Cows
• Llamas
• Foxes
• Woodland birds
• Bunnies
• Chickens

These cuddly critters help their Sim companions in a variety of ways.  Sims can shear their llamas for wool, raise chickens for eggs, milk cows for a number of flavored milk varieties, and name and befriend rabbits and birds who will fetch valuables through a new gifting system.  Players who take a shining to these cute companions can move their natural homes onto any home lot, but these little hollowed out tree trunks will first exist only in the wild.   With the help of the new Animal Enthusiast Trait, Sims will happily befriend (or gravely irritate) cute critters.  Relationships with each animal color their responses, their moods, and even the flavor and quality of goods they offer.  For example, feeding a cow chocoberries will give the hopeful farmer chocolate milk under the right circumstances. 

None of these animals will take up precious Sim space in a household. Instead, the animals will prove largely self-sufficient, ready to form that special bond with their Sim of choice.  Playable Sims can even make cute little sweaters for their rabbits and special critters!

The animals, not unlike Sims, will age and die, but players can keep them alive forever if they choose to do so. 

Chickens are a Hoot
The chickens in Cottage Living are robust. 
Players will be able to breed chickens as long as a hen and rooster share the same coop. Simmers can dress, name, and gather eggs from their chicken companions. Beware the fox, however! These sly creatures will sneak into hen coops to steal eggs. 

Create-a-Sim
The clothing assets this pack offers appear to range from farmland chic to quaint and country.  Loosely tied hairs, tightly coiled up-dos, conservative quarter-sleeved, floral-patterned dress, hardy waistcoats and vests are the norm for this pack, which is sure to please come July 22nd. 

Right on the heels of the explosive Dream Home Decorator release, Sims 4 developers and Game Changers turned what is usually a quiet, eventless Monday on its head.

June 7th at 11 AM EST, Game Changers began sharing photos of curious postcards on Twitter. The post card hailed from Henford-on-Bagley and was signed by A.A. Crumplebottom, a Sims lore original character. The post card encouraged a visit to Henford, citing its “quaint countryside life” and mentioning a “Garden Stall.”

Taken together, the card suggests that the newest Expansion Pack may be “Country Living,” an experience that may get Simmers farming crops, harvesting goods, caring for animals, and riding horses.

But this has not been our only hint at Country Living. Early in 2020, this Expansion Pack was mistakenly “leaked” at a Target and then promptly debunked.

When Eco Lifestyle was released and was followed by Snowy Escape, players quickly forgot the hiccup. However, many outspoken players continued to plead for some semblance of a farming pack. Some CC creators even made horse stalls and cute cows.

But there may be another wrinkle in this anticipated pack. Earlier, Caylee Hammack, a country singer, revealed that she’s been working on translating some of her songs into Simlish. She signed off this tweet with a fairy emoji and magical stars.

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This tweet, in conjunction with Sim Guru Doi’s acrostic poem posted on Twitter Monday, seems to suggest the upcoming appearance of fairies in game. An acrostic poem, of course, is a poem acting as an acronym, The first letter of each word in Doi’s poem spells out “Henford-on-Bagley” but that isn’t all.

His calculated use of “fairly” which sounds and looks suspiciously like “fairy” and his suggestion of “graceful light encircling you” could also allude to a fairy circle.

What do you think is coming? Tell us in the comments or on Twitter!

Summer is in full swing, and the world of Sims has begun heating up with fresh events and new pack announcements. Sims FreePlay kept players busy with a new garden-themed SimChase, a Produce Market Rerun, and a Moroccan Kitchen reboot.  Just days away from their final few events for the current update, Sims FreePlayers are looking to the horizon for the newest gamut of events for the June and July months. Meanwhile, Sims Mobile kicked off their Modular Wardrobe Treasure Hunt event and began the final stretch of their newest game mechanic: Sim Festivals.  Naturally, the biggest news of the week came from Sims 4, which dropped its long-anticipated "Dream Home Decorator" game pack.  Simmers in all circles are scrambling to decorate, remodel, and snag the best items for their pixel people to enjoy. ​

In classic FreePlay form, Sims FreePlay inundated its players with several, exciting events, sometimes all at once.  On May 27th, players began the newest SimChase: Garden Grapple.  During this event, players complete a laundry list of tasks-- many of which require multiple Sims-- in order to win the perfect pool-side accoutrements. If players are able to beat the "rival" Sim by completing the given tasks within the time limit, they are able to earn special outdoor items like patterned patio flooring, a grand hot tub, modular stone planters crawling with cacti, garage doors, and stone cladding. Not long afterward, on June 1st, Simmers dived into the Produce Market Live Event rerun.  A Live event that encourages Simmers to craft candles, constructor coins, glassware, jewelry, and pottery in return for prizes, Produce Market rewards Simmers with the brightly colored items required to build a quaint fresh farmer's market.  This event is stuffed to the brim with items like checkered store flooring, bread displays and hanging lights, wall signs and cute chalk displays, rustic stone animal stacks, produce freezers, grocery counters, shelves, fruit baskets, and much more.  The grand prize for these crafting efforts is, of course, a grocery store lot already brimming with the offered prizes. 

If this were not enough, just one day later on June 2nd, a brand new Influence Island began for Sims FreePlayers! This Influence Island event is version two of a previous event-- Moroccan Kitchens. During this event, players confuse and cajole game NPCs into friendship.  Their influencing efforts are rewarded with network coins, and these network coins purchase Moroccan-inspired assets like stone counters, squat glass tables, loose-fitting, colorful outfits, beautifully braided hair styles for men, and more.  This event runs for just ten days and will run alongside a SimChase Rerun: Mansion Mania, which begins June 4th. 

The past few weeks have been busy for Sims Mobile, which added a new game element to its growing repertoire-- Sim Festivals.  During these festivals, players complete in-game tasks to earn pink tickets.  These tickets move players along a fixed track of prizes.  Currently, Simmers can choose from two prize tracks.  The first prize track is free and offers a sparse collection of prizes like a lovely armchair, a well-rounded stool, a metallic droplet table, perplexed dresser, and a signed autograph of new NPC Venessa Jeong. 

However, if a player purchases the "festival pass" for $9.99, they earn 60 levels of possible earnable prizes that include Venessa Jeong as an official in-game NPC, in-game currency packs, a fully-furnished house template, a wooden island tub, trendy hair and clothes, and more.

Currently, players are digging and investigating their way through the newest Treasure Hunt event.  As Sims uncover golden bunnies and ancient relics at various excavation sites, they turn in these currencies for such glamorous prizes as gilded modular cabinets, bright lamps, lovely rugs, modular shoe and coat closets, designer shoes, stylish hoodies, cropped clothing, fresh hats, and a new twisted hairdo for men. The incredible grand prize is a backlit vanity desk, tufted chaise, and plush seat. 

Sims Mobile is also nearing the end of its scheduled events for the most recent update, so Mobile players are hungrily watching gurus and GameChangers for word of the next update. 

​This week, the highly anticipated "Dream Home Decorator" pack, a new Game Pack that allows Simmers to enjoy a new interior design career, hit Origin with a bang.  The pack offers many jaw-dropping changes to build mode including modular seating, sectionals, and modular storage units.  In addition, Likes and Dislikes were folded into both base game and Dream Home Decorator. The new interior design career encourages Simmers to remodel the homes of NPCs.  After choosing a gig, Simmers travel to an NPC's home to remodel their room, floor, or commercial space. As Game Changers began releasing their reviews of the Game Pack, offered for $20 USD, the Sims community buzzed eagerly about their joys and disappointments.  While lauded for its beautiful build assets, the pack has suffered from a few unfortunate glitches. In addition, some players, who are not as enthralled with the building portion of Sims 4, complained that the pack did not offer the gameplay that they had hoped. 

Sims 4 players are already buzzing about the next Sims 4 expansion pack promised to arrive this summer, though developers have not yet revealed what the pack will entail. 

Until next time, stay safe and happy Simming!

Sims 4 developers released a truckload of new information about the upcoming Dream Home Decorator game pack during a Tuesday afternoon livestream.

The Game Pack, releasing June 1st, will introduce a smattering of Create-a-Sim items, a slew of Build/Buy assets, and a succulent array of gameplay for any Simmer to sink their teeth into.

Dream Home Decorator and its accompanying Free Base Game Update (the latter of which will trigger in game May 27th), will bring:

• ​Likes and Dislikes (Base Game)
• Sectionals and an auto-sofa function (Game Pack)
• Modular Furniture (Game Pack)
• A New Interior Design Career (Game Pack)
• New hair colors (Base Game)
• New Kitchen decor (Game Pack)
• Improved bunkbeds (Base Game)

Dream Home Decorator is admittedly quite light on fresh Sim digs. As usual, adult female Sims enjoy the lion’s share of the new items: fashionable tops, bottoms, and overalls in which any designer wouldn’t mind getting adorably dirty.

Four new casual hairs are also on the menu for this highly-anticipated pack: two textured looks, a longer hair, and a braided-halo.

Masculine Sims have a few loose-fitting patterned shirts, some overalls, a “utili-kilt” and a couple of simple new hairs to enjoy..

Toddlers have received a similarly patterned top in which to make enormous paint messes.

Perhaps the biggest news by far was that of Likes and Dislikes. This change, coming to all players in a free Base Game Patch, will completely change the way Sims interact with each other, they manner in which they experience moodlets, how they fill or deplete their fun bars, and even what they choose to do autonomously.

Players can choose up to 20 likes and dislikes to pop onto their unsuspecting Sims. A Sim can have a preference for a certain kind of decor, specific activities, and even certain colors! These preference will affect the way the Sim experiences their world.

If a particular Sim “hates cooking” for example, they will never autonomously cook, will earn a “tense” moodlet while
cooking, and the act of cooking will deplete their fun. The then crabby Sim can complain to others about cooking, steadily spreading their hatred and general malcontent about the activity.

While a player may choose Likes and Dislikes in Create-a-Sim, they can also discover Likes and Dislikes during game play. When a Sim is enjoying some activity in real-time, the game will prompt the player to add the activity to their “Likes.”

Naturally, Build-Buy mode is stuffed with sleek, simple, stunning modular furniture. While many Simmers expected modular seating and sectionals, they may not have expected the beautifully modern storage pieces, entertainment systems, and closet items folded into this pack.

Build/Buy mode is an absolute triumph in this Game Pack. Filled with furniture, clutter, updated bunkbeds, and fresh ways to connect and dissect items, Dream Home Decorator is a bespoke builder’s fever dream.

Players will be able to stack and slot separate pieces together to make greater, larger units. Once the separate pieces have snapped together, they can move as one for renovation ease. Players can even select chunks of their masterpiece to move about all in the spirit of rearrangement.

This phenomenon is perhaps best illustrated with the new “auto-sofa” feature, which works much like “auto-counter.” Simmers will be able to click the gear widget while selecting a certain sofa style, and this will pop open the many sofa variants available. A given sofa can become a chaise, an ottoman, an accent chair, a curved end-piece, and more! Players can mix and match the separate pieces for a truly unique sofa experience or use the smaller parts alone!

If this were not enough, this pack is crammed full with clutter. Shoe clutter, modern art pieces, empty shoe box clutter, adorable stone llamas, and variable clothes racks all collide in this pack to make any space look fully livable.

Kitchens received two new counter sets, two stand-alone stovetops, and two counter top stoves to increase variability in kitchen builds.

The newest career coming with the Dream Home Decorator pack is, of course, interior designer.

During this gig-based career, Sims will take on jobs ranging from single room renovations to large-scale commercial redesigns. The more difficult and lucrative gigs will unlock with player designer experience and reputation.

Once the player chooses a gig, they can report to the job (the NPC’s home) at the allotted time.

After arriving at the client’s home, the designer Sim must get to know the client. This means gaining a real understanding of their Likes and Dislikes through a series of conversation prompts. As the player Sim becomes more experienced in the designer career, they will become more adept at these conversations, earning new prompts and discovering client preferences faster.

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The Designer Sim should take into account the client’s Likes and Dislikes when remodeling the home.

The game will also prompt the player to take “before” photos of the client’s abode after sending the client away. After the renovation is complete, players will take “after” photos, which are shown alongside the “before” photos in design-television-esque montage during the “reveal event.”

When the player is ready, they can enter build/buy mode to renovate the space to their heart’s content (while remaining in-budget of course.)

Sims can self-interact or use the phone to call the client back to their home. This triggers a “reveal event,” during which the client will close their eyes and “check out this object” on newly placed furniture. They’ll stumble around with their eyes covered, peer at the newly placed items, and then offer their judgement when the time is right.

The client Sim will openly react to items that please or displease them. The pictured Sim dislikes “mixology,” so placing that over-budget bar in his living room was probably a bad idea.

At long last, the client will either express their approval or disapproval of the renovation. This act will permanently affect the designer’s reputation, the player’s Sim will get paid, and the job is done!

Keep it locked here for more insights on what to expect, asset swatches, and more detailed walkthroughs as we edge closer to this pack’s release date.

There was a lot to unpack in the most recent Sims 4: Dream
Home Designer Game Pack trailer. Between it and the pack’s thrilling blog notes, there were many fun features players may have missed.

Beginning with the most obvious news to drop today is the name and timing of the pack. The Game Pack, dubbed “Sims 4: Dream Home Decorator” will be available June 1st, 2021.

The pack promises a brand new gig-style career that calls creative interior designers into action. Sims with this fresh career will receive home remodeling requests from various clientele. After reviewing the request, the design guru will travel to the abode in question to rearrange, demolish, and renovate the space in style.

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Sims will need to get to know their client’s preferences— favorite color or favored design style— and then deliver a space that both matches these preferences and remains within budget.

Going over budget or failing to deliver on client preferences can affect a designer’s “reputation” and therefore the availability of such gigs in the future.

Many are beginning to speculate that the extra nodule spotted in Tuesday’s Livestream will be reserved for such interior design preferences.

There is a lot to love in this new Game Pack as far as build/buy assets go. From buildable shelving, space-saving ovens, fashionably fresh wallpapers, lovely sectionals, cute clutter, and modular seating, Sims 4 players are finally receiving some of the items long enjoyed by Sims FreePlayers with a wild amount of gameplay to boot.

Because interior designers must decorate according to client preferences, Sims are going to need said preferences.

Simmers can look forward to updated Sim Likes, Dislikes, and Preferences in the near future.

Each gig will have set budget that Sim designers will need to meet. Disregard the budget and watch your designer reputation sink.

Sim designers will be able to sell off unneeded items in order to increase their design budget.

Did we mention sectionals and modular seating? It’s worth mentioning again that bunk beds have been updated, allowing for more space-saving renovation combinations.

Once your designer Sim has renovated the given space, they can then “reveal” that space to their client, who will then visibly emote their reaction. From joy to outright displeasure, Sims can love or hate the player’s work. Their reaction affects, again, the player’s reputation.

The more positive client referrals a designer Sim gets, the more varied and complex their assignments will become. Sims may begin with a simple room renovation and then graduate to retail renos when they find themselves at the top of the career. Designer Sims may even need to balance the preferences of one Sim with the Sim they room with, another challenge with which top designer Sims must wrestle.

Along the way, designer Sims will have to market and brand their way to renovation fame! Who knows? Maybe they’ll end up on the brand new Sim channel: Home Decorator!

What are you most excited for?