“Not terrible... but it didn’t really do that much” The whole damn slogan for everything in Sims 4. I said what I said.

i love that the response to your friend calling about having a baby is just "OK"

Personally would have liked it more if it was pinboard pop ups that say "family xy is thinking about having a baby. Would you like them to go through with that idea?" and you having the options yes, no and ignore if you want them to decide by random. You can stay informed why having autonomy and controls your story at the same time

Telling Eliza Pancakes to expand her family with Bob 😬

I feel like Neighborhood Stories is less so story progression and more so an influence system. This reminds me of the features that we got in Get Together and The Sims 2: University (?). Story progression (by sims 3 definition) is the town progressing in the background without your input. Neighborhood Stories seems more about your sims being able to influence the lives of their friends and family. While I foresee myself enjoying this feature in influencing close friends and relatives that are not members of my current household (I prefer playing with one household in the sims 4, so this is beneficial in that sense), I don't think this addresses the problem of the rest of the town not progressing.

My sim got pregnant due to story progression even though she was yet to woohoo with anyone. God job sims team 👍

This is a pretty hard sell for me. There is just something so weird to me about how they decided to give us control over the other sims in the neighbourhood. Why does it *have* to go through the active household? It just doesn't sit right with me. Yes, I understand that it's not the same as story progression. However, it just.....still somehow feels so hollow -- like everything else they give us. It's so frustrating at this point to be able to clearly see where they ask us what we want, how we would want to see it, and then somewhere along the way it STILL gets lost in translation and we end up with half-assed updates that don't make sense. This still doesn't fix the core issue of there being a lack of depth to the gameplay. I'm glad it's not as obtrusive as I originally thought, but at this point there's so many other things and updates I would rather see them spend their time on than convoluted stuff like this. MCCC my beloved you are the one for me ♡

Half the interactions have been recycled from Get Together. The options to ‘convince sim to hook up with’, ‘trash talk sim’ and ‘be friendly with’ have all come from that pack.

I appreciate how you just tell it like it is. No unnecessary negativity or fake positivity. Just what's right in front of us. (And I'm sure there will be people who say you're being negative but that's just not true. Bringing up criticism is valid and necessary. It's the only way the game can improve. Saying everything is perfect and amazing when it's not, you can't make things better )

Honestly, I was just cracking tf up at the Sims 4 being so buggy totally vanilla. Disappearing sims and talking through walls, it's such a mess, I love it!

I don't mind the Neigbourhood stories. In my save, Summer Holiday is my sim's friend, and I always encourage her to have a good friendship with Liberty and Travis. I am not a big fan of randomness, and I like to control sims lives. Unfortunately, I am lazy to do everything, so I like neighbourhood stories. I can see how simmers that like more randomness might not like this feature as much though.

I liked the option in TS3 to have other sims get pregnant and marry on their own. It wasn't mandatory, and having towns change while I was occupied with my household was pretty cool

“Kittens, puppies, baby deer” GIRL! I literally was like “kittens, puppies… literally any baby animal” lmaoooo

I think Neighborhood Stories exemplifies a HUGE issue I have with The Sims 4: the fact it's trying to please EVERY TYPE OF PLAYER. The Sims 2 was made for players who like to play multiple households rotationally and have total control of their Sims (active or inactive households). The Sims 3 was designed for players who prefer to focus on one family per world and have the world around you change seamlessly. You can always use mods if you want to have a different experience, but each game was clearly designed with a playstyle in mind. The Sims 4 is trying to please both Sims 2-style and Sims 3-style players and it ends up pleasing no one because every feature is half-baked and too scared to alienate a fans of a particular playstyle.

I’m interested to see how the Neighbourhood Stories evolve over time. I think the texts about newborn Sims are really cute as well! ☺️ Thanks so much for covering this Cindy! Wishing you and your family all the best! 😊

I kind of like this for my personal style of gameplay where I actively make decisions for my sims based on the story I would like to play. In my mind, the Landgraabs are not going to care about their friends pursuing their dream jobs, but they would probably encourage their kids to reproduce and give them grandchildren because they are all about lineage and legacy (in my mind). However, a sim like Darren Dreamer, for example, would DEFINITELY encourage his friends and family to pursue their dream jobs.

"...not story progression as we know it" pretty much sums it up, yes. In all fairness, this was what they promised. They did not even call in story progression, fans did.

The way I see it, its less of directly asking and more of how friends would converse. Like Summer asking Eliza how Iggy is doing and then asking if she and Bob plan to have any more children.

i would love to see my townies make their own desicions on having a baby, careers and such. Yet the sims is improving and i love it 💚

I'm disappointed it's not Sims 3-style 😔 Oh well, that just means I'll keep playing TS3.

The only thing I’m worried about, is if the house hold has a baby; what happens when it grows up and their isn’t a bed, or a toddler toilet? I’ve come into households with toddlers and no toddler items, and they nearly get taken away lol

The story progression phone calls are nowhere near as intrusive as club members in Get Together calling on a daily basis.

Im so glad you made this video!!! i havent opened the game yet because i was very skeptical of the whole story progression BS but thanks to this video i can see the whole ordeal from a real player's perspective....Thanks a ton Cindy!!! 🤗🤗🤗

Honestly, if this wasn't advertised as Story Progression but as its own thing, I could see it going over well. I honestly kind of like the idea of Sims' friends asking for input and advice from other Sims on big decisions (if it could be phrased more naturally, or come up randomly during the "chat" interaction) because we do tend to ask for other people's opinions on things we're not sure about. Maybe with more autonomy and more fine tooling, and also a wider variety of responses (for example, a jealous sim would be more likely to react accordingly when being asked if their neighbor should make a new friend). I wouldn't even mind having a feature like this in Sims 2, if it was properly implemented.

It’s crazy the past few times when I’m surfing KZfaq and watching an old video of yours, you upload a new video and I’m like SHES A MIND READER. Lol thanks for the new content!!!!

I've never been so early in your video OMG. I'm so glad you reviewed this. I haven't played with Sims 4 since I got bummed out of it.

I don't know but through your video I really like to see how neighborhood story works, it's like living my life in The sims. I don't know but when you have a group of close friends you cna get sometimes phone calls as the phone calls of neighborhood stories. I like it a lot, thanks Cindy finally something special in The sims 4.

7 years of Sims 4 summed up in one sentence. The update didn't make the game worse, but it didn't really improve it either.

It seems okay although there are two things I wish for that we'll probably never get in The Sims (at least not in Sims 4). 1. Some the level of detail and options that NRaas Master Controller and Story Progression provided (setting population numbers, amount of Sims and pets per household, what lots can or cannot be affected by story progression, etc). And 2. For them to complete things then release them instead of releasing them now and completing them later. I think it would've been better if options like the toggle on/off switch were implemented along with this for players, not added later.

On my lunch break and you came in clutch with this video! Thank you

I had my mom call me up and say "Hey Joseph do you think I should have another kid?" Why would you ask your 25 year old son that question

Thank you for providing these reviews! I missed them.

I enjoy your videos because you seem so honest and mention things I didn’t even think about.

I waited for your review specifically! I'm just starting the video, so here's hoping it goes well!

Your honest long game review is so much better then a speed play that isn't great and doesn't show things in detail Love how you do your reviews and information on the game

A honest long game review is so much better then a speed play that isn't great and doesn't show things in detail Love how you do your reviews and information on the game

"Omg Bob and I are pregnant! I wanted you to know first!" "Ok" idk that just made me laugh. No congrats? Hahah

Glad to see you posting more often again! Missed your vids!

i just began playing my household, and i definitely got a few phone call interruptions from a friend-or-two during work hours, or around the week- but its definitely leisurely and by no means invasive, which is awesome! i also like hearing back from my neighbors when a friendship or date i encouraged went well; i think its a cute way to help sims from other households develop relationships without it having to be manually done (caleb vatore and bella goth are now the best friends they were meant to be!)

If you have ever played Tomodachi Life, this totally reminds me of it. You control everybody, but not in like a god type of way, you actually become friends with the residents and then they call you up everytime they make a major decision. In Tomodachi Life, I love that. But in my Sims game? I'm good.

Hey Cindy, I recently started playing the Sims4 and installed several of the mods you suggested. Thank you so much for improving my game! Can't imagine the game without the mods now. ❤

I love the plants behind you next to all your Sims stuff. Very “Sims decorating” vibes!!

I would love to be able to try this update out for myself. Unfortunately, I can’t play my game more than half an hour before suffering a migraine with all the lag and freezing up 😩. Literally screaming, crying, and throwing up any time I try to play Sims 4.

A honest long game review is so much better then a speed play that's garbage and doesn't show things. Love how you do your reviews and information on the sims

Whenever there’s a new feature in the game, I make sure to go to your channel first! Thanks for the run-through!

I loved your review on this! I was waiting to see your reaction to this!

Thank you for your analysis. You really analyze it well. I am waiting for sims 3 and sims 4 story progression comparison video.

totally off topic, but you are glowing in this video! always happy to see a new upload. :)

I know you feel that you appear as overly-negative when you talk about the Sims 4, but I do really appreciate hearing your honest opinion. I much prefer it to trying to give leeway to how "it could be" in the future, something many people do these days. I love the Sims, just like I lov(ed) World of Warcraft- but they have teams beyond most other studios and when smaller, less-funded ones do leagues better... or even single modders for that matter; it's hard not to feel like you're being shafted.

Thanks for the video. I think I will wait a bit to fire back up Sims 4, still in the process of setting up the more important Sims Series, 2 & 3, lol. Btw, the past couple of videos, you seem radiant! Whatever you are doing, keep it up, it definitely shows!

Ah, yes, thanks for the video, Cindy! I bet many people had unrealistic expectations about this feature. I didn't watch other videos about it, but some titles didn't feel right, like "Story Progression is coming!". I mean, no, it's not. Maybe we'll have something like it in the future, as described in the official blog post. As someone who plays with a single household and hates seeing houses getting empty as I play through the generations, despite not having high hopes about the feature, I was interested about how you can influence other sims to have babies. Let's see if it's useful~

I've been watching your channel since I blew up my PC. Oops . The Sims 3 was the culprit (well, I let it get too hot and it started seriously smoking). Things have gotten crazy lately and I have to make a new place for my new PC. You are my Sims fix for now. Especially like the Sims 3, 2nd is Sims 2. Thank you. Your hair is looking better and better! Hang in there. Love your personality.

Love you Cindy, anything you do 🥰

I just want to say your hair is looking great!

I think that the way it works now it will be great for my rotational game, it might be fun to go back to a family and find they had promotions or made new friends.

Great video! Thanks Cindy 😊

A honest long game review is so much better then a speed play that's garbage and doesn't show things Love how you do your reviews and information on the game

The second EA announced it I wanted to hear your review on it, but I love that you don't rush things and wait until you've actually played it for a bit and then do your review on it

I appreciate your review of this update. You always give an honest, objective option, and I like it when you expect to be disappointed and are pleased, even if it's just a little. "Ask about", "talk up", "hook up" under "other sims" has always been there and I use it often. I especially love to use the "other sims" menu at parties to give the feel of mingling. I would talk up a Sim to a Sim in person (especially if they wouldn't stop talking to my Sim) and would get call back if the other Sim wasn't on the lot when I made my suggestion, or I would get a popup about the meet if they were on the lot, but now you get better updates about the progression of the relationship. That's kinda cool. And now if you "hook them up", they might even get married (as what happened to Dr. Gluon during his hotel challenge). Before, there was no real relationship impact. When you switched to the other Sim hh, they wouldn't know the person you introduced them to, even if they called back to say they were now dating. In my game after the update, Holly Alto called and asked if she should meet Dirk Dreamer, and called back to say how much fun it was and how glad she was to have done so. That was a nice touch. (I didn't go into either of their hh to check their relationship meters, tho.) Also, Sims had been calling before the update to ask if they should try for a baby, this update is nice because they invite you over to meet the baby once the baby is born now. The moodlet and skill increase for interacting with the baby is not new, tho. In my current save file, Eliza was already working in the scientist career as a lab tech because my main Sim was a scientist. (You know how the game generates townie co-workers) I found it funny that this is what you got in her thought bubble in your game. And there was already family increase story progression in my games. For instance, Judith Ward would always get married and have a big family (to my chagrin, because I always wanted her to be a bitter and alone fading actress since she's a meanie), and I like having that control now. Currently, tho, she's married to someone from Batuu. 🤷🏽 I nor the update had anything to do with that, however. I like this update, but I hope they give more control in the game options menu in the future. When Sims 4 launched so mediocre, I considered the fact that they could just keep updating the game with new features instead of rushing a Sims 5. With how the community has reacted over the years to Sims 4 (cash grabby, buggy, missing features, etc.), it feels as if this is what they thought, too. Maybe Sims 5 will be a vr game, tho, by the time they get to it. Wouldn't that be interesting? Happy Simming!

We must have in mind that this will be updated and added on, this is just the start of something better!! We need people like you to give feedback tovthe sims team so they can make it better everytime ✨

finally been wait for this

I’m glad to see a more open-minded of sims 4 updates. I know you dislike the sims 4 in general, I prefer the other sims games myself too. But I think overtime I’ve wanted to be kinder to the develops as it seems they’ve made a shift in their development (nevermind I still have a bit of an issue with kits) and it’s clear the sims community are reluctant to forget the mistakes of the past. I just like to see more people giving them the benefit of the doubt and honest criticism instead of just being outright annoyed and entirely dismissive about the changes. (Not to say it isn’t a valid opinion, I just hope we can keep heading towards positive change with some optimistic encouragement).

your eyelashes look so good today (:

I've been waiting for in particular YOUR impression You know your hair is cute, right?💚

Glad you did this I really wanted to see but I can’t bring myself to even open the game anymore lol

I get the faint feeling that pleasant sims doesn’t want children soon 😂 great video and thank you for posting! I haven’t been able to explore much yet lol

loved the video!!

I am enjoying this new feature so far, I found myself bored with it most of the time but now I'm actually wanting to play the game again! I don't want to use mods so this is much needed!

I could see this being good if you use the roommate feature, then you could influence the roommate since you can't control them. But I also don't like how they implemented it as a dialog option, I think it's a bit weird.

My opinion: it's a decent first step toward something the game really needs, and has needed since launch. Since this update doesn't cover the entirety of what the Neighborhood Stories feature will ultimately be, I'm withholding my final judgment for now, but so far? I don't hate it

Thank you, always, for your honest opinion!!

I'm so nervous about the Neighborhood Stories!, I love your videos Cindy❤️☺️

I didn't care for sims3 story progression so this is better for me right now. I am too controlling to let all my sims do whatever they want. Your hair is looking great!

That comment on puppies made me think it'd be funny if they put in something with your friends adopting pets and possibly breeding the ones they have? I'd be happy to use that option or say yes to that.

I think it's a good start so far. at least it adds Something w/out the help of mods (still gonna rely on mccc tho, but maybe not quite as much). looking forward to it getting updated w/ more customizable options like they said they wer going to

Im glad to see this!! but, Im still waiting to update my personal game

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 you’re a real one Cindy!!

I am so jealous of your eyebrows. They're amazing! Is that a weird thing to say? 🤣

I really like the scenarios and neighborhood stories. Sims is really finally after all these years adding something fun and deep

"not that terrible " quite a compliment lol, I can't agree more.

I have watched many famous youtuber channels about this TS4 "story progression" feature. Some of them prefer the TS3's style but some of them prefer to control everything in the game (TS4's style). I think it's a matter of personal preference. I think the best way to do this is to put options for the player to choose how much freedom do they wish to give to the AI or NPCs/Townies to progress their lives.

I actually like this subtle approach. The team never claimed this was meant to be ‘story progression’. They made a point of explaining that it wouldn’t be like sims 3, which I didn’t want. I’m a control freak who didn’t want the chaos of sims 3 but also find the stagnation of sims 2 tedious. Sometimes I don’t have the time or patience to play everyone and like the idea of the sims making small changes in their own lives. And even more so, having the option to control what changes they make. This is a rare win for me 😊

I think so far this will make a mild change in our sims neighborhoods. It is a good start. You hair is looking good.

Like you said: this is not story progression at all, it's more of a friendship update and personally I really like how it makes the connections between our sims feel more real and close. I like that it gives our sims more control over their friendships, friends' lives, etc.

I’m pleasantly surprised by this update!

I kind of like the new Neighborhood Stories, they are actually adding flavor to my game. I never had and NPC sim ask me if they should quit their job. Sims 3 had that happen all the time but never in the Sims 4. I also like to wish you and your family Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays and that you have a very nice holiday.

I actually really like being able to advise your friends because I have a few sims who would totally say "you should probably have another kid" but I can see how it's not for everyone

It's a great new feature I didn't expected and much more user friendly than any mod. I would like to option to recommend risky new hobbies like gardening and a message that the Sim has died for a cow plant. Also, I felt this feature was related with traits. My Sim was evil but got a happy because Mortimer wanted to meet Bob and they got along. I wondered if my Sim would get a sad moodlet named "disappointed about a new friendship. That wasn't what the Sim wanted. If I knew they wouldn't have fighted, I hadn't recommended to spend time together". Let's pray to have a create a style tool in 2022 or something similar.

This is a pretty neat feature. They need to keep adding this kinda stuff though. Honestly with all the base game improvements and additions as of late I'm starting to enjoy TS4 again shockingly.

When you switched to the Pancakes, I started thinking about how Bob and Eliza aren't compatible and that counseling/therapy would be such a great addition! The point would be being able to change a Sims traits and maybe give them traits you can't chose in cas. We all know that thinking you go to therapy and cure your depression is a bit naive at best. So if Bob went to therapy his sad trait wouldn't be changed to happy but to optimistic.

WRT parenting level one, I think there's a lot of stuff you can learn just by looking at a baby. Babies -are small -cry sometimes -smell weird -constantly look confused -poop right after your change the diaper I'd call that level one awareness

Aw yes Cindy the only sims youtuber I can trust!

I so appreciate your review, thanks Cindy :) But honestly, I still do not want this in my game (unless I have the option to turn it off for households I want to play directly) Some in game families I could care less, but others I want to play myself. Looks like I won't be playing until this "off" option is available. I don't want my Sims that I play aging up and dying. I hope the aging off is still still available until I want them to age up.

They could have added social interactions like asking about what kind of families they have, spouse, children, pets, etc.

I dunno if its my save or your save thats off but I started one today and got to know the BFFs and legit most days Id get phone calls about if they should get to know x better or if they should go for a promotion at work etc. Im playing base game only, no mods -- fresh install of said game. It got a bit much on my end and I really wish they would have given us the option to uncheck this stuff for those that dont wish to play with it for now. I just prefer when things happen on their own, I dont like forcing things so its not for me. I hope other players get more out of it though, because the game needs it!

For me I like it alot so far I played with it for 2 days played two weeks in game my sim got three calls and total so it's not intrusive at all And when they call you they're just asking for some encouragement so it's fun it kind of feels like my Sims have friends now cuz they're talking about their life decisions

I play rotational as well and the feature doesn't bother me. Most of the time I say no to stuff like huge life changes, but meeting new sims is always a yes from me. I think there are things that need work before they introduced this, but some of us little voices, or quiet voices never get heard.

I'm a big fan of this! Have only played one Sim week with it but found it fun and it sounds like it'll only get better with more updates. Totally get why some people prefer TS3 story progression, but I think mods are fine for that and I prefer them trying something new rather than copying TS3 which I can play any time for that function.

I like the idea that maybe it'll be based on the aspiration for example a sim with a fortune aspiration will want to get a job with high pay

Thinking about it more, I think I prefer the way this is set up to story progression in the past. I do like how you have more control in what happens.