Summary
The Sims 4received a shockingly large patch in preparation forLovestruck, the latest expansion. As a result,the base game now has more content that can be accessed without purchasingLovestruck, and several other pieces of DLC have gotten fixes for an improvement in quality of life. After experiencing these features inThe Sims 4, it feels like they should’ve been included from the beginning, and hopefully, that will be the case withThe Sims 5.
It’s not unusual forThe Sims 4to have a large patch released before the launch of a new expansion. Yet, the pre-patch forLovestruckfeels like it adds more than most patches, and many ofthe additions seem like they should’ve been put into the game much earlier. However, these features and fixes are here now, so it’s time to take a look at the best among them.
Is The Sims 4 Lovestruck worth buying?
The Sims 4 Lovestruck is one of the most-anticipated expansion packs ever, but a pre-release base game update caused lots of issues for fans.
10Sims Can Ask Anybody On A Date, Even Ghosts
Now, Without The Need For Mods
At a glance, this doesn’t seem like much of a change. Sims are already able to ask other Sims on a date, even if that Sim’s orientation doesn’t match, or they’re in a relationship with a different Sim, and the Sim asking them out will simply be rejected. However, Sims wouldn’t even have the option to ask another Sim out on a dateif their relationship level wasn’t high enoughwith their intended dating target.
This means that a Sim can ask out another Sim they just met.
With theLovestruckpre-patch,the relationship level required to ask a Sim out on a date has been removed. This means that a Sim can ask out another Sim they just met. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’ll be successful, but they’re able to give it a try. Additionally, Sims is now officially able to ask ghosts on a date. Mods have allowed for similar actions before, but with love in the air forLovestruck’srelease, the team made it an official option.
The Sims 4 Lovestruck Review: A Bit Of A Hot Mess
The Sims 4 Lovestruck is great for cultivating relationship depth and romantic drama, but its level of detail is better suited to a Game Pack.
9Partners In Relationships Can Be Referred To With Neutral Terms
More Options To Call Your Significant Other
This is a change that would’ve fit in well with the earlier inclusivity updates that were being added toThe Sims 4to include options like vitiligo and hearing aids in Create a Sim. Until theLovestruckpre-patch, a Sim’s partner was referred to by the typical gendered option, such as wife or husband. Now, that’s no longer the case, andgender-neutral terms can be chosen to replace the gendered options.
Changing to use neutral terms can be done in the Create a Sim menuthrough the Identity tab, then in the Household Relationships Panel. While this isn’t the only way to change which terms are used, it’s certainly a convenient and easy option. This way, terms such as “spouse” can be used to replace husband and wife or simply use “partner” in place of boyfriend and girlfriend.
8Partner Statuses Can Be Chosen In Creation
You Now Have This Option While Creating Your Household
Without reading the patch notes, this might be a change that ends up being easy to miss since it’s a rather subtle adjustment. While “partner” can refer to different states of a relationship in general, inThe Sims 4, it usually refers to the boyfriend or girlfriend state of a relationship, as shown by the neutral term update, allowing the term to replace boyfriend and girlfriend. Traditionally,partner statuses could only be gained through playing the game, meaning that they weren’t available as a choice when creating a new household.
With the latest patch,The Sims 4adds partner statuses as an option that can be decided while creating a household. Previously, relationship options in Create a Sim were limited to family relationships, marriages, roommates, and engagements. Now, there are more options for more dynamic choices that can be pickedwithout having to build that specific relationship through gameplay.
7Options Can Be Applied To All Outfits
No Longer Need To Be Looking For The Same Items Over And Over
In the past, Create a Sim required choices to be made repeatedly if there was a particular item or hairstyle that the player wanted to have as part of every outfit, or just multiple outfits. This meant that they’d have tosearch for the same item over and over for each outfit selection, as it was rare for it to be part of the randomized outfit that Sim had. It’s easy to see how this could get frustrating, especially when creating a large household.
Now, when in Create a Sim, there’s anew option to apply a choice to all outfits. This can be used for any outfit aspect, and it’s particularly useful for hairstyles, make-up, and accessories, which can be difficult to keep finding repeatedly for each new outfit. Overall, this is a much-needed quality-of-life feature that should be part of every base game forThe Simsmoving forward.
6Pools Can Now Be Curved
A Design Choice That Can Save SIms Lives
Pools inThe Simshave a bit of an infamous reputation, given the popularity of using them to kill Sims by removing ladders while the Sim is swimming.The Sims 4prevents this by giving Sims the ability to climb out of a pool that doesn’t have a ladder. While this patch doesn’t bring back the ability to kill Sims in a pool, it does add anew option that makes pools more stylish.
Now,pool corners can be roundedto make curved pools. This opens up new aesthetic options that are perfect for anybody that loves to build meticulous properties, especially with the addition of a new pool light as well. Considering the boundless creativity of theSimscommunity, it’s a matter of time until these new additions to outdoor spaces are put to good use.
5Social Interactions Receive Two Subtle Changes
Know Your Relationship Status Even Mid-Conversation
These changes revolve around relationships between Sims, but they both focus on making information easier to access regarding where Sims stand in relationships with each other. The first change is that"Relationships" is now its own option on the Sim Social Wheel. Instead of hunting for options like “Become Best Friends,” they’ve been consolidated in this new category on the wheel, making them much easier to find.
Sims 4 Lovestruck’s Best Feature Is Going To Cause Absolute Chaos For Your Love Life
The Sims 4 players are discovering that one of Lovestruck’s best features could result in some truly unpredictable and absolutely chaotic dates.
The second change for social interactions brings some adjustments to conversation panels, which show the Sims involved in a conversation and their moods. Now, the panel has been revamped so that it’s possible to see a Sim’s sentiments toward their discussion partners and the normal and romantic relationship levels the Sims have. While this isn’t a huge change to how the panels were before,it provides more information that adds convenience for trying to improve relationships without switching through menus.
4Neighborhood Stories Keep Sims Up-To-Date On Gossip
Check Your Mailbox To Know What’s Up With Everyone
When a neighborhood is full of households and time keeps moving, it can be tough to track changes in relationships between Sims outside the current household. Now, Sims are able to keep up with changes in both friendships and romantic relationships as part of Neighborhood Stories.This adds new information options to currently existing options that Sims can use the mailbox to check, such as which Sims have had a baby, adopted a child, or died.
The result is that the neighborhood feels more alive and independent, with Sims being able to make more decisions on their own.
Adding friendship and romantic relationship changes actually has an interestingimpact on what choices Sims in households that aren’t currently being played can make. Previously, Sims in households that aren’t currently being played wouldn’t be able to start or end relationships. The result is that the neighborhood feels more alive and independent, with Sims being able to make more decisions on their own.
3Sims Are Able To Hide Relationships
Now You Can Keep It Private
At a glance, this sounds like a feature that would be perfect for Romeo and Juliet or the characters who reference them inThe Sims 2. However, the new feature that allows Sim relationships to be hidden isn’t exclusive to romantic relationships. Instead, this featuremakes it easier to keep unwanted Sims from continuing to contact other Simsby showing up at their house or calling them to hang out repeatedly.
Sims 4 Lovestruck’s New Feature Is Well-Intentioned, But Poorly Executed
Lovestruck is definitely an improvement to romance in The Sims 4, but it’s not exactly everything that it could be thanks to some weird choices.
By going into the Relationship Panel, there’s now an option to hide relationships with Sims that the Sim has met previously. This helps clean up the Sim’s relationships, so theyreceive fewer unwanted interactions with the unwanted Sims. Like the new apply to all outfits ability, this option needs to be part of every base game inThe Simsmoving forward since it’s a nice quality-of-life improvement to not be spammed by calls from random Sims.
2The Sims 4 Partnership With Dark And Lovely Arrives With New Hairstyles
Variety, Diversity And Customization
The second part ofThe Sims 4’s partnership with Dark and Lovelyfinally arrives with this patch. While this patch doesn’t bring more hairstyles, it bringsnew options to the loc braidsthat were added as part of the partnership. Since Dark and Lovely is running a campaign to champion diversity and inclusion in games, it’s a perfect match forThe Sims 4, which has been making a push towards being increasingly inclusive recently.
Considering that a lot of hairstyles feel similar inThe Sims 4, partnerships with brands like Dark and Lovely open up the potential for actual variety. Not only that, but the new options that come from partnerships offer the chance to create options for Sims that are much more unique. Plus,these new hairstyles are part of the base game, so purchasing DLC to access them isn’t needed.
1Sims Now Have Romantic Boundaries
Even Virtually, No Means No
Part of the Identity menu in Create a Sim, there are now options for romantic boundaries. These are the circumstances where a Sim becomes jealous if their partner participates in certain actions. The main options for romantic boundaries are divided intonon-physical romance, physical romance, WooHoo, and open to change.
The options for romantic boundaries can each be given a yes or no answer. If a Sim gets jealous from non-physical romance, then they’d be upset seeing their partner flirt with others. If they get jealous from physical romance or WooHoo, then a Sim would be upset to see their partner do actions that range from holding hands to WooHoo with others. Finally, the last option is if the Sim is open to change, which means thatthey can be spoken with during gameplay to reconsider their feelings about what makes them jealous.
After a decade,The Sims 4continues to evolve through both patches and new pack releases. While the amount of content can feel overwhelming at times when looking at the store page and seeing the staggering price tag required to buy all the extra content, it also makes this the most expansive entry in the series. Luckily, some content is added for free through patches for the base game, such as theLovestruckp pre-patch forThe Sims 4.
