Info about The Sims™ 4 City Living:

Official game description:
What's included in this pack
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About the Game
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Do your Sims long to leave the suburbs behind? Fulfill their dreams in the diverse city of San Myshuno, where they can discover exciting neighborhoods, move into a new apartment, check out fun festivals, and more. In The Sims™ 4 City Living, your Sims can experience the joys and challenges of sharing close quarters with other Sims. Work your way up from a starter unit to a penthouse as your Sims launch new metropolitan careers!  
**Key features**  
*   **Explore the bustling city of San Myshuno** — This densely populated city has enough unique neighborhoods to give your Sims plenty to explore. Get creative in the Arts Quarter, or sing your heart out at the Karaoke Bar in the Fashion District. Head over to the Spice Market to shoot some hoops, or invite a few friends over to play video games after a long day at the office in Uptown.  
*   **Discover lively cultural festivals** — Festivals are great opportunities to enrich your Sims. Let them watch street performers, enter competitions, and meet a wide variety of folks from every walk of life. Check out the Curry Challenge at the Spice Festival, or light fireworks with a hot date at the Romance Festival.  
*   **Live in apartments and get closer with your neighbors** — Lots of new neighbors mean all kinds of opportunities for relationships, both good and bad. Your Sims might make a new best friend or fall in love, then debate giving them a key to their place. And what about those noisy neighbors and their late night dance parties? You'll need to decide how to handle them — if you can't beat them, maybe you should join them.  
*   **Work your way up from starter apartment to penthouse** — Choosing the right apartment for your Sims can be a challenge. You'll need to balance the charm of your first starter unit with possible setbacks, like cockroaches, leaky pipes, or electrical problems. Help your Sims work their way up to living in a Skyscraper Penthouse with panoramic views and even a Talking Toilet!  
*   **Embark on new, metropolitan careers** — There are all kinds of new opportunities in the city, so make sure your Sims take advantage of them. As a politician, your Sims can make dramatic speeches while fighting for a good cause. Maybe they'd prefer a more refined career as a food or art critic. Or they could inspire the masses working in social media.

Release date: Jun 18, 2020

Categories: Life Simulation, Social Simulation, City Builder, Dating Simulation, Mini-game Collection, Real Estate Management, Character Customization, Cooking Game

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 20; verdict: Fair / Traditional DLC Pricing Complaints Only; summary: The reviews focus almost entirely on overpriced paid DLC/expansion packs, sale-dependent value, and general publisher frustration. There is no direct evidence of in-game microtransactions, real-money gacha, loot boxes, battle passes, currency obfuscation, or pay-to-win mechanics. The complaints are traditional DLC pricing complaints, which the audit rules cap at a maximum score of 20.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $0.00 - $20.00
  - Reasoning: The reviews consistently express that the game's content is only worth purchasing at a discount, with repeated advice to wait for sales and complaints about full-price value. This sale-only sentiment suggests the community's fair base-game price is a discounted price rather than the full price. Because the reviews focus on expansion packs and do not directly address the base game, the fair base-game range is inferred to be low, between $0 and $20.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The reviews do not provide direct gameplay playtime figures for The Sims 4 City Living. The only time-related statements refer to installation troubleshooting duration, ownership duration, or a vague building effort; none specify hours for game completion, story completion, a typical play session, or endgame play. Therefore, all playtime metrics are unsupported and set to null.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Urban Apartment & Festival Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Living in a vibrant city with apartments and festivals.
    - Playstyle: Decorates apartments, attends festivals, and starts new families in the city.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: likes to decorate; doesn't like to build; likes the challenge of smaller spaces
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Sale-Savvy Value Hunter (sale)
    - Motivation: Getting good Sims content without paying full price.
    - Playstyle: Waits for sales and buys DLC at a discount before playing.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Newcomer Seeking Accessible DLC (buy)
    - Motivation: Finding a first Sims DLC that adds a lot without requiring prior franchise experience.
    - Playstyle: Explores the pack as a beginner, often starting fresh and learning through new content.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: never played the other 3 games
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Franchise Veteran / Pack Comparison Analyst (buy)
    - Motivation: Experiencing a new pack that matches favorite older expansions and combines well with other DLC.
    - Playstyle: Combines multiple expansions, compares features across Sims games, and critiques pack design.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: The Sims 3 Late Night; Get Famous; Get Together; Seasons; Get to Work


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Apartments are highly enjoyable (weight 0.6): Apartments are a standout feature, fun to furnish and play in, and offer a different charm from houses. Many reviewers consider apartment gameplay a highlight of the pack.
- Festivals add fun atmosphere (weight 0.6): Weekly festivals are considered fun, cute, and a great addition that enhances the game's atmosphere. Players enjoy attending events in the city center.
- San Myshuno city world praised (weight 0.45): The city world translates city life well and looks amazing, especially at night. The night scenery is beautiful and the city is a cool environment.
- Apartment living offers unique experience (weight 0.45): Living in an apartment is enjoyable and feels super good, with a different charm compared to traditional houses. It allows a plaza-like atmosphere and is a major feature of the pack.
- Favorite pack and DLC (weight 0.39): Many reviewers consider this pack their most loved or favorite DLC, with some specifically praising it as good DLC. It contains a favorite world for some players.
- Apartment variety and affordability (weight 0.28): Apartments come in diverse styles and are well made, and they are also very affordable, making them great starter homes. The variations between apartment styles are unique.
- Karaoke feature is decent (weight 0.22): Karaoke is available and considered decent, with karaoke bars being pretty fantastic. It adds a fun activity to the city experience.
- Seamless travel to community areas (weight 0.17): Players appreciate that they can leave their apartment and head into the community without a loading screen. This seamless travel enhances immersion.
- Apartment scenery is stunning (weight 0.16): Apartment scenery is amazing, especially with all-glass apartments that enhance the visual experience. The views contribute to the overall appeal of city living.
- Social festivals with friends (weight 0.16): It is fun to be invited by friends to festivals and players can bring all their friends along. This social aspect makes festivals more enjoyable.
- Singing skill is great addition (weight 0.16): The singing skill is a valuable addition to the game, allowing Sims to develop their vocal talents. It complements the karaoke feature and city nightlife.

Common complaints:
- Various bugs and glitches (weight 0.95): Multiple bugs are reported, including issues with saving, noisy neighbors, stuck visitors, and graphical glitches. Some bugs persist even after disabling DLC.
- Not enough content added (weight 0.95): The pack is criticized for adding little gameplay, with limited activities and items. Many feel it doesn't justify the price and lacks innovation.
- Overpriced packs and DLCs (weight 0.86): Many reviewers feel the packs and DLCs are overpriced for the content offered. This sentiment is widespread across multiple clusters, with calls for price reductions.
- No apartment building ability (weight 0.71): Players are frustrated that they cannot build their own apartments or empty lots in apartments. They can only decorate existing apartments, with limited renovation options.
- Apartments feel like a downgrade (weight 0.69): Apartments are seen as a downgrade compared to previous games, with limited building options and lack of open world. The apartment system doesn't manage floors as expected and has many restrictions.
- Noisy neighbors are annoying (weight 0.48): Noisy neighbors prevent sleep and concentration, and confronting them only temporarily stops the noise. The feature is random, tedious, and sometimes the player's sim becomes the noisy one without reason.
- Create-a-Sim lacking options (weight 0.44): Reviewers criticize the Create-a-Sim content, noting missing jewellery, makeup, and poor hairstyles. Cultural outfits and clothing options are also seen as unattractive.
- Loading screens disrupt apartment gameplay (weight 0.39): Players complain about loading screens required to move between rooms, visit neighbors, and access different areas within apartments. This breaks immersion and slows down gameplay significantly.
- Festivals become boring and repetitive (weight 0.31): Festivals are criticized for becoming boring over time and not worth revisiting, except possibly the geek festival. Some also report broken festival mechanics.
- Repeated wall art and tacky furniture (weight 0.29): The pack includes repeated wall art with different designs and exotic furniture that looks tacky. This feels like a cash-out with low-quality items.
- Cannot add sims to existing saves (weight 0.22): Players report that adding new sims to apartments under an existing save is broken, requiring a new save to work properly.
- Build mode limitations for apartments (weight 0.22): Building in apartments is very limited, with restrictions on outer walls, windows, and entrance doors. The selection of build items is disappointing.
- Game unplayable and refund ignored (weight 0.21): Some players find the game completely unplayable, stuck on loading, and report that refund requests are ignored by customer service.
- Romance Festival flawed (weight 0.2): The Romance Festival is criticized because most attendees are already in relationships, leading to cheating scenarios. The flirty mood encourages infidelity.
- Skills and aspirations feel useless (weight 0.14): Some skills and the new aspiration are considered useless unless combined with other packs, adding little value to gameplay.
- Pack only shines with other packs (weight 0.09): The pack is seen as lackluster on its own and only becomes enjoyable when combined with other packs like Get Together, Crystal Living, and Dine Out.
- Name list overrides causing duplicates (weight 0.08): The name list in this pack overrides base game and other packs' name lists, resulting in many townies with the same surname and duplicate NPC names.
- Positive note: no negative points (weight 0.06): A few reviewers found no negative points, though this is a minority opinion.

Gameplay feedback:
- Apartments as living option (weight 0.86): Apartments are a core new living option, with variations in quality and price. They are available in the city world and allow Sims to live in them.
- Frequent city festivals and events (weight 0.68): Festivals and community events occur frequently, often weekly, at various locations. They add liveliness to the city experience.
- Create-a-Sim content added (weight 0.39): The pack includes Create-a-Sim (CAS) content with new items. This enhances character customization.
- New clothing and decor (weight 0.38): The pack adds new clothing, hair, and decor items. These expand customization options for players.
- Apartment living challenges (weight 0.35): Apartment living includes challenges such as loud neighbors, pests, and bad repairs like leaking pipes. These mechanics add realism and interactivity.
- San Myshuno city setting (weight 0.29): The pack is set in the city of San Myshuno, offering a unique urban environment. The city includes various activities and venues.
- Neighbor interactions and complaints (weight 0.29): Neighbors are part of the gameplay, with interactions and noise complaint mechanics. This adds social dynamics to apartment living.
- Karaoke activity and venues (weight 0.28): Karaoke is a present activity with bars, machines, and a singing skill. It provides entertainment for Sims.
- City activities variety (weight 0.17): The city offers various activities such as gyms, party places, karaoke, and random protests. This provides diverse entertainment for Sims.
- Haggling with sellers (weight 0.16): Players can haggle with sellers when buying products, including furniture. This adds a negotiation element to shopping.
- Expanded lot traits system (weight 0.16): The lot traits system is expanded in this pack, allowing for more customization of lot behaviors. This adds depth to building and gameplay.
- World foods at stalls (weight 0.16): Food stalls sell various world foods, adding cultural diversity to the city. Sims can purchase and enjoy these foods.

Performance notes:
- Wall and ceiling glitches (weight 0.17): Players encounter a wall cutaway mode glitch and a ceiling glitch in wall up mode. These visual bugs break immersion and building functionality.
- Data loss after DLC install (weight 0.11): After installing the DLC, existing houses and Sims disappeared for some players. This irreversible loss is highly frustrating.
- Loading screen freeze (weight 0.1): Players frequently get stuck on the loading page, unable to progress. This constant hang severely disrupts gameplay.
- Game crashes at film set (weight 0.1): The game constantly exits or crashes during gameplay, particularly at the first film set. This makes a specific story segment unplayable.
- Performance drops after pack (weight 0.1): Some players reported performance issues specifically after installing the pack. This suggests the new content exacerbates existing problems.
- Poor optimization from old design (weight 0.1): The game lacks optimization, possibly due to an old base design from the Windows XP era. This fundamental issue likely contributes to many performance problems.
- Long loading between rooms (weight 0.09): Players experience long loading times when moving between rooms in apartments. This waiting time interrupts the flow of gameplay.
- Performance drop during community events (weight 0.09): Performance tends to drop during community events, likely due to increased activity. This impacts the experience during special occasions.
- Saving feels heavy (weight 0.08): Some players find that saving the game feels somewhat heavy, though details are vague. This could indicate underlying performance concerns.

Recommendations:
- Purchase only during sales (weight 0.9): Many reviewers strongly advise waiting for discounts before buying this expansion, as full price is seen as too high. The pack is considered a good value mainly when discounted or bundled.
- Top-tier Sims expansion (weight 0.67): A significant number of players consider this expansion one of the best or essential packs for The Sims 4. It is frequently recommended over other DLCs, especially for those new to the game.
- Ideal for city life (weight 0.52): The pack is highly praised for its city atmosphere, festivals, and apartment living features. Players who enjoy urban gameplay find it particularly rewarding.
- Not recommended overall (weight 0.21): Some reviewers explicitly advise against purchasing this expansion, citing it as not worth the money even on sale. Their feedback is direct and negative.
- Skip if not building (weight 0.21): Players who focus on building houses may find this pack lacking, as it does not offer much for that playstyle. It is better suited for those interested in city gameplay and apartments.
- Essential for new players (weight 0.15): First-time DLC buyers or those new to The Sims 4 are often recommended to get this pack. It serves as a strong introduction to expansion content.
- Mixed or reserved recommendation (weight 0.15): Some reviewers recommend the pack with reservations, suggesting it depends on individual preferences. It is not universally praised but has merit for certain playstyles.
- Good for builders and decorators (weight 0.15): Players who enjoy building and decorating are encouraged to buy this pack, as it offers valuable items and CAS options. However, others note it may not appeal to builders seeking more construction features.
- Pairs with other packs (weight 0.14): This expansion works well with Seasons and Get to Work, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. It is also suggested as a good companion for Get Famous.
- Needs name-disabling mod (weight 0.08): A specific mod is strongly recommended to disable the names added by this pack, indicating a minor annoyance with the default naming system.

Other player notes:
- Expansion Pricing and Bundles (weight 0.86): Many reviews mention that The Sims 4 expansion packs are sold separately, can be bought on sale or in bundles, and are often considered overpriced. Some reviewers note that buying in a bundle gives the cheapest price per pack.
- Pack Comparisons Across Series (weight 0.67): The pack is frequently compared to previous Sims titles such as Sims 3 and Sims 2, as well as other Sims 4 packs like Vampires, Werewolves, Get Famous, Seasons, and Life and Death. These comparisons highlight differences in content and focus.
- Apartment Gameplay and Bugs (weight 0.45): The pack introduces apartment living with limited renovation options and open areas in San Myshuno. However, there are reported bugs with building custom apartments and cutaway views showing other apartments.
- High Praise from Reviewers (weight 0.34): Some reviewers rank this pack at the top of their favorite Sims 4 packs, are personally satisfied, and consider it one of their top DLCs. One reviewer even praised themselves for deciding to buy it.
- Pack Age and DLC Quantity (weight 0.31): The pack is considered old, and the game has a large number of DLCs available for purchase. Some reviewers collected many packs from a LunarFest sale and tried each individually or in small groups.
- Pack Combinations and Synergies (weight 0.28): The pack works well with other packs like Get Famous, Get Together, Crystal Living, and Dine Out. Some suggest combining it with Get Famous and Get Together as one pack.
- EA Store and Backlash (weight 0.27): Some reviews attribute mixed reviews to EA's actions toward Chinese players, and some reviewers boycott EA or call them greedy. The DLC also requires a working link between Steam and EA to download and install.
- Performance Issues (weight 0.23): Compared to the vanilla map, the pack has many background objects causing worse performance. Loading screens on PS4 took long and traveling was annoying.
- Festival and Food Content (weight 0.16): The pack adds festivals and food stands to the city, but some reviewers feel that other packs already add many festivals, making this pack less appealing if you have enough.
- Pirated Copy Experience (weight 0.06): One reviewer previously played a pirated copy before buying the legitimate version of the pack.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.13): Players feel satisfied because the pack adds apartments, a vibrant city with unique districts, and festivals that keep gameplay engaging. The variety of new content, including clothing, decor, jobs, and lot traits, provides good value and diversifies the game experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Disappointment arises from apartments feeling like a downgrade, a small map, and the inability to build custom apartments. Many players find the pack overpriced with lackluster CAS and build items, unmet expectations, and missing features like town roles.
- Frustration (weight 0.12): Frustration stems from technical issues such as DLC not downloading or working, game crashes, and persistent bugs with festivals, apartment walls, and moving sims. Additionally, the inability to edit apartments and high DLC prices relative to content contribute to the frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Enjoyment comes from fun gameplay with frequent city festivals, lively NPCs, and random events. The challenge of apartment living and activities like selling paintings and attending social invites make the city feel alive.
- Love (weight 0.05): Players love the City Living pack for its apartment gameplay, beautiful world, and luxury clothing items. The festivals, neighbors, and city vibes, along with features like singing and new careers, make it a favorite.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.04): Dissatisfaction is primarily due to the pack feeling overpriced for the content offered. Loading screens between apartments and a lack of special appeal beyond social events and apartment living also contribute.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): Players appreciate the San Myshuno map, inclusive CAS and build items, and well-made diverse apartments. The city's visual appeal and lot traits are also highly valued.
- Annoyance (weight 0.04): Annoyance is caused by practical issues like noisy neighbors, frequent festivals that interrupt plans, and loading screens to visit neighbors. The elevator not working and strangely placed windows add to the irritation.
- Liking (weight 0.04): Players like the variety of items, events, and apartment setups, as well as the new world and open areas. The addition of nasty neighbors, San Myshuno, and weekly festivals that can be shared with friends are highlights.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy is derived from beautiful night scenery and apartment views, along with new features like singing and karaoke. The festivals are particularly pleasing to players.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Enthusiasm is high because San Myshuno is considered the best town, and the pack is strongly recommended and seen as essential for Sims 4. The great festivals and apartments are fundamental to the experience.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Confusion arises from not knowing how to download the pack, being new to the game, and not understanding why the pack is recommended. Players need help navigating these aspects.
- Dislike (weight 0.02): Dislike is due to not being a fan of the CAS content, festivals that aren't worth revisiting, and too many loading screens. These factors detract from the overall experience.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Happiness comes from living in the city and experiencing realistic apartment problems. Playing in apartments after classic houses and satisfaction with the DLC choice, especially for build/buy, contribute.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise is felt because the pack unexpectedly turned out to be the best and least buggy. Initial hesitation gave way to changed gameplay and it becoming a favorite in the bundle.
- Stress (weight 0.01): Stress is caused by build mode issues with wall-mounted furniture being hard to see and remove, and festival invitations producing negative messages when ended early.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is directed at high DLC pricing on outdated content and a neighbor entering without invitation and stealing items. These actions feel unfair and frustrating.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Excitement stems from apartments becoming a favorite feature overnight and the new urban environment and activities. Players are thrilled by the fresh experiences.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom sets in as festivals become repetitive over time and the pack does not add much else to do. The initial novelty wears off, leaving little engagement.
- Mild frustration (weight 0.01): Mild frustration is caused by activities not being centralized, requiring travel to other districts for gym. This inconvenience detracts from the overall experience.}