Sims 4 EP Suggestion: Horses [ Edited ]

[Starsrukk]

Dear [team responsible for S4 Expansion Packs], 

I won't beat around the bush explaining just how much I loved having horses in the Sims 3 Pets EP, so I'll just get to it:

Please consider adding a Horse / Equestrian expansion pack!  One that has a world made for fellow equestrians and pet lovers, complete with training arenas and showing events!  Can a horse be famous or well known?  Maybe a consecutive winner can!  Maybe other equestrians want your champion horse's foal?!  Do they carry themselves better when they know they're performing?  Or do they become clumsy or skittish in the limelight?  Perhaps you can own your own riding arena or horse stable and sims pay you to keep their horses there if their own lots are too small, or to ride there when they have none!

Maybe I'm asking for too much... but I'm always extra when it comes to horses.

I have been waiting since before the Pets expansion was released for a horse reveal on Sims 4.  Ironically, I just realized I almost exclusively only had horses as pets on the Sims 3 because they were soo fun and kept you busy with soo many things to do that I almost forgot about the dogs and cats entirely (I'm definitely not complaining about that; I'm just biased to horses).

If you've read this far, thank you for your time and consideration.

Best of wishes and here's to the future!

- Ash

[RandomBuzziness]

@Starsrukk I loved the horses in Sims 3! I never did much playing time in Appaloosa Plains but I made a huge horse ranch in the Aurora Skies store world. For me, that world seemed like a perfect fit to go with the Pets EP because it had lots of open grassland areas for the wild horse herds and also some nice wooded areas for the deer and raccoons. If they do something like this for Sims 4 I hope they include a world with plenty of large lots and build/buy items for barns and loafing sheds. I keep hearing rumors about a new Farming pack so I'm keeping my fingers crossed we'll see horses (and maybe a few other farm animals?) in something like that :D

[Player_jp5s5eav]

If focused solely on horses, it sounds like it would be best as a game pack rather than an expansion - like how Vampires is a game pack. It could come with a small world with lots suitable for making horse ranches, training grounds and focus all on various things dealing with horses from good ol' horse care to careers like riding instructor, extension on the vet career, racing, show, breeding and the like. The latter three could be rabbit holes where horses are mainly judged by how well you've raised/trained them to other others.

Yeah, if it is all about horses, it would be rather exclusive the way it is with almost all the game packs.

[Starsrukk]

@Player_jp5s5eav I don't believe a game pack would be big enough to contain the additional content necessary to add horses and all related items + skills.  You have to consider all the saddles, saddle pads, stalls, food types, skills, materials, bridles, etc. etc., all of which alone (not including the horses themselves) is equal to the current size of game packs available to us at the moment.  And a "small world" wouldn't be suitable for the space necessary to take care of and utilize a large animal, let alone multiple large animals.  I like what RB said in getting a world with large lots meant for horses and equestrianism, if it's small you're gonna end up with 4-5 lots in a single world and that would just be disappointing.  And the comparison to Vampires is that vampires utilizes dominantly pre-existing and already in-game models.  (i.e. human model with vampire traits) Horses have no pre-existing in game model to be spun from, which requires much more space.
Expansion packs are meant to be for larger amounts of content in my personal opinion.  If dogs and cats alone (that you can't ride but can do just as many ground level interactions as you can with horses) get their own expansion pack then I don't see equestrianism fitting into the current game's current typical game pack size.  

[Starsrukk]

I would love a new world with exclusively large lots for farming/ranches and related buildings!  

[RandomBuzziness]

@Starsrukk I agree, I would much rather see a full-sized world with several large lots for horse ranches/ farms. Divide the world into at least three neighborhoods for some variety, like maybe a flat lowlands neighborhood, a hilly uplands neighborhood, and a town/ market area. The town area could host an equestrian center and maybe have a farmers market, sort of like a country version of the Spice Market in San Myshuno.

If adding horses alone is not enough new game-play for a full expansion pack they could add a other secondary things like cow sheds, chicken coops, and tractors, like those from the Sims 3 Store.

[Player_jp5s5eav]

@RandomBuzzinessI had actually thought that, in terms of making it go beyond a game pack. I get what you guys are saying about the amount that would be put into it, but that is why horses should have come out with the Cats & Dogs as Pets. Expansion packs focus on more than one thing or subject. Game packs pretty focus on a singular. A pack focused only on horses is singular.

Also, I probably should have used Jungle Adventure or maybe even Realm of Magic for example game packs in terms of world adding. You get those base worlds with four to five lots, but you also have the ability to go farther - especially in Jungle Adventure. So, base world... Any horse lover can have their niche. Go off yonder to that area and travel to the more rustic lands where you have a vast place to train and breed. An event has come up, go through that area that you can now access to compete.

I'm mainly just looking at this on the side of more of a business set mind: a horse theme expansion pack will only sell to a select amount of people interested solely in simulation horse game play. In turn, I see EA not wanting to put as much money and time in making an Expansion Pack that will sell to a more select few: horse lovers and those who might be a bit curious or obsessed in collecting every pack in the Sims 4.

[PugLove888]

@Starsrukk, @Player_jp5s5eav , and @RandomBuzziness , I would guess that EA is working on something similar right now.  They have pretty much given us all the most requested packs that we have had in past versions of the Sims, and according to them we have at least 2 years left in the Sims 4, so that would leave several Expansion and Game Packs they would need to release in that time.   Also, they have made some strides (pun intended!) at giving us some modes of transportation for single Sims (aqua zips in Island Living, brooms in Realm of Magic, and bikes in Discover University), so it is in the realm of possibilities that this will continue with horses. 

Even better, during the developer's Guru Garage livestream on Twitch right before Discover University was released, one of the Sim Guru's came in later than the others and when asked why he was late he answered "Oh, I've been busy working down on the farm." and then he stifled a smile!   So even though this is speculation, there is a very good chance that they are working on a Farm Pack right now!   Gurus have been known to drop hints like this in the past!   And what is a farm without horses!?!

If the pack was just horses, I would guess it to be a Game Pack, but if it is a farm, I would think it would be an Expansion Pack. 

[Player_jp5s5eav]

Yeah, exactly. My main struggle was trying to figure out how they would implement an actual expansion pack that uses horses as a very strong focus, but adds enough that it stands as an expansion and not a game. I had thought of farms, but with how Seasons came out with the gardening career, I began to wonder where that would take the farm approach. I know there are farms that focus completely on livestock... but, with all the Equestrian dreams this post has, that can take away a lot of things the horse lovers want and likely focus more on farm life.

Before your post, PugLove88, I was thinking it was likely a good thing for the horse lovers that Cats & Dogs was all about cats and dogs, because if horses were added in... I still see a lot of limitations from what the game play has shown. In that world, the most you'd likely be able to do with horses is customize them in CAS with the option to make a Llama, a few types of bridles, saddles and covers for cold weather. There would be some, but very few build items to make a stable and game play... It just see the social interactions not changing much from the ones you have with cats and dogs. Talk to, nuzzle, brush coat, give treat. Maybe there would be some training ability, but at best it would have been to learn how to jump over various pole heights and simple tricks like counting. I don't even want to think how traveling would go at that time. Magically the bridle appear on the horse, but all the sim can do is walk it around the lot? I cringe.

[PugLove888]

@Player_jp5s5eav, well, that is why I was ambivalent about horses not being in Cats & Dogs... on the one hand I missed them , and on the other hand I was relieved that they weren't included since they wouldn't be as fleshed out (pun not intended) if they were lumped in with cats and dogs (and neither would the cats and dogs be as fleshed out if horses were also in the pack). 

But even if horses are in a farming pack, I don't think it would be as bad as if they were included with cats and dogs for the simple reason is that cats, dogs, and horses need 3 separate sets of animations (not counting the babies of each species).  From what I understand, animations take a lot of resources, and for each new type of Sim that would require a lot. So by separating horses from dogs and cats, it should make it easier!   Yes, there would be some animations for cows, chickens, sheep, etc., but I wouldn't think those would be as involved as any Sim animal that is part of your household or that your human Sims would interact with as extensively as they would a horse. 

Also, since there is already a gardening system in place, I wouldn't think as many new resources would be involved in making a few crops.  I would think that horses would be the star of the pack, even if it is a farming pack.

As for transportation, no, horses wouldn't be as valuable as they were in TS3, but in some locations like the larger islands on Sulani (Island Living), or in the town of Glimmerbrook (Realm of Magic) there would be more room for them. It is also probable that a farming EP would have a new world, and that might have enough space for a horse to roam!   But I would still think horses would be primarily to train, or do a jumping course, or do farm work.  No, it wouldn't be like TS3, but as long as we keep that in mind we shouldn't be disappointed.   

There is also a possibility that they could make a horse GP and a farming EP, but I think that is less likely! 

But you do bring up some good points on things like the possibility of saddles and bridles magically appearing if we were to take our horses out for a ride... for that reason we couldn't "store" them in our inventory.  We would have to intentionally go to the barn and gear up our horses if we were to want to ride them.  If we didn't, I know a lot of people who actually own horses would be very disappointed.  It is a lot of seemingly little things people do for their horses that makes them and our bond with them be so special!   A horse and rider are more of a partnership.  After all, horses are the only animals to compete in the Olympics, at least right now! There could be a competition that allows dogs and humans to compete together in the future, but as of now horses are the only ones to hold that honor!