A criticism often leveled at 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Sims 4 is that it lacks depth or is cutting out features. As The Sims 4 Horse Ranch expansion nears its release date of Jul⛦y 20, this is a viewpoint you’ll see trotted out again (sorry, not sorry) on social media over the coming weeks. Largely because in The Sims ✱3, horses were included as part of the pets expansion, leading many to believe they were “left out” of Cats & Dogs so EA could charge us a few extra pennies.
However, we often overlook that The Sims 4 has 𝓡given many features their own DLC to increase their level of depth, and horses are no exception.
“There are certain animals that often come to mind, either because we have made them before or because players keep asking about specific animals,” The Sims 4 production direct✅or JoAnna Lio tells me. &ldquoಌ;We’re always thinking about horses because players are always talking about horses.”
When asked if tꦓhey were considered at any other point, for instance, while developing Cottage Living, which introduced cows, llamas, and chickens, Lio says “So it’s not like let’s do cows and llamas and horses but oh wait maybe we can make more money if we do horses separately&🐻hellip; they are really, really massive in terms of the amount of time, effort, and investment involved.”
If you look back and compare features of The Sims 4 with previous entries you can see how the splits actuall🥀y work. Vampires are often mentioned as an example of a feature done better in past games, but in The Sims 3, while vampires do possess a depth on par with The Sims 4, this was introduced in Late Night, and expanded on in Supernatural, meaning two expansions were required to reach the same level of quality The Sims 4 managed in a single game pack.
The Sims 4 makes a deliberate choice to separate some of its more niche features and expand on them, giving players a choice of which ones they want in their game. Going baওck to the vampire example, if you hate the pesky bloodsuckers you can just skip their pack and save money. You won’t end up with vampires in your world because you wanted Penthouse lofts, a movie career, or the ability to play piano. Horse Ranch looks set to function in t✱he same way, giving those who want horses a way to play that lets them immerse themselves in a ranching lifestyle.
In a recent press preview event, we were shown the basic functionality of Horse Ranch and how it builds on e💃xisting systems and pulls inspiration from a variety of places to add new features. “If you look at shows like Westworld, Yellow Stone or Heartland, these are experiences that are more accessible than seeing a horse down on the corner. “ Lio told me. “So we drew heavily from all of those things for inspiration because this is how people think about [ranching].”
The gameplay trailer we saw displayed a massive emphasis on caring for horses as part of a way of life. They use the core Create-a-Sim functionality we saw in Cats & Dogs and the same level of customization, including many different breeds to choose from. However, horse🅰s themselves are just the starting point. “It’s about forming that relationship with your horses, enjoying them, riding them around the world,” Lio states.
Chestnut Ridge is the world in question, which boasts 13 lots, including an empty 64 x 64 piece of land for you to build upon. It’s a builders' paradise with a range of lot sizes and huge open neighbourhoods. The world was designed to be explored on horseback and has large areas to ride around in, similar to Mt Komorebi and its hiking trails. The real icing on the cake though is that all worlds will support horse riding at a foundational level.
Older worlds, such as those in the base game, have smaller neighbourhoods and may be more restricted when it comes to horse riding, but you can still ride down Sulani’s beaches, or around the sands of Strangerville. The only place where horses are restricted is in apartments. &ldq♐uo;They just aren’t maꦜde for apartments, they are tiny and horses need space,” says Lio. So if you are hoping to ride the elevator on a horse then you’re out of luck, although they will go to most places you can walk, and will even venture into shallow water.
With the addition of clothing, furniture, and build items that reflect the ranching vibe it looks like you’ll be able to go all in on this new lifestyle and I can’t wait to explore it soon. Maybe t🅘hey should have ca꧑lled the pack Horse Living.