Get Famous - First Impressions

[MrsFlynn]

What's your first impression of the Get Famous Pack?

Please keep on topic of first impression of the pack. If you have questions regarding this pack, please create a New Topic so we can better help with questions.

[Playalot]

It's small. It feels more like a Game pack than an expansion. Right, there now that I've said that right off the bat let's talk about the features I do like. I am enjoying the Mix Master Music Station. The music your sim mixes sounds really great and seeing as I already like the DJ skill it seems to work well along side this. Not actually related as in skill gain but just rounds my sims life out well.

The fame seems to rise very slowly, which may be a good thing for some people as it will extend the amount of game play time you get for your dollars but for me it is starting to feel quite grindy and repetitive as my sims level this up. It is punctuated with the buying of the perks and gaining of the quirks...which can also start to feel very annoying with the sim you're playing. I think quirks are better suited for making NPC sims so that their behavior feels a little different to the next celebs behavior but for your own played sim their repetitive reactions to the triggers...well..gets repetitive and not in a good way.

Some of the perks your sim buys with their fame Points have some funny effects which I like, my fav is probably causing fans to faint on the spot- appeals to my deviant side. Another allows your sim to always arrive home with positive needs which seems a pretty good perk. The tasks your sim can get asked to do as they progress along the road to getting famous (depending on which perks they have) can be fun as well. They can involve options such as taking your sim out into the world and record themselves doing a task i.e. filming themselves (via a drone) while fishing. The neat thing about this is that there are usually stay-at-home options to complete the task as well, nice to have these kinds of game play choices.

I like immensely how non-played sims will not gain fame if you use that game play option. It's great to be able to control just who is/who is not a celeb in your own game. It is also very good that it takes quite a bit of effort to start gaining fame - this isn't something that will happen 'by accident' in your game when you've nipped out of the room to grab a coffee forgetting to hit pause on your way out. One feature that really made me laugh was the game pushed my own CAS made and placed unplayed macho vampires to be the bouncers everywhere. Seeing them in black with shades on looking all macho has really pleased me!

Some of the buy objects have a lovely Mid Century Modern vibe to them which I adore. Big fan of that look so I've spent some time furnishing my sims home to that theme. I find that super appealing. Weirdly I am in love with one of the potted plants. lol #obsessive (Send help).

The world is tiny. It has a very different feel to it than all the other worlds we've had so far and in the cheap neighborhood your sim can, for the first time, walk all the way around a block that includes lots that are just fx. It seems a bit weird to only have three playable lots and the rest are just 'backdrop' when your sim is jogging all the way around them. It would have been nice if all those lots were accessible. I like the look of the world - it's very different to anything we have here in New Zealand so I like the aesthetic from a novelty perspective. Not sure how those of you who know the real life area well will feel about it though.

I won't dive into the acting career and so forth as I feel that explaining this would really be a huge spoiler seeing as it is the major game play component to the pack. The build/buy objects that come with this career are neat to have to play around with and I can certainly see a lot of story tellers getting a huge amount of use out of them.

All in all, if you're into your sims being famous then this is for you, right? While I don't particularly like my sims being famous mainly due to fans/paparazzi horrors from yesteryear, it does feel quite different this time around. I do have to say in all honesty, that if you were to wait and grab this pack in a sale you will feel much more inclined to declare that "I got my money's worth" but it is all new game play and has some surprising little additions that pop up and catch you unawares as you're playing. That I like.

[MrsFlynn]

Carl's first impression of Get Famous:

The Sims 4 Get Famous Guide Pt 1: Tips and First Impressions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9AlLOnMaCE

[scoed]

OK, I been playing a new family as the update right before invalidated all my saves. Grrr. Note on this first impression I am focusing on the child sim in the family as she will be the star. A new perfect sim so to speak. And at least in the early life stages I am underwhelmed. It doesn't seem to ad much.

The Drama club for kids seems pointless as they can't learn acting, capped a level two, earns very little fame and generates too much work that interferes with other game play. Between school, homework, taking care of needs and the off duty drama club assignment you don't have much time to work on other areas. Yes you gain imagination from learning lines but the pay out isn't there. I think as a child the drama club is a complete waste. And speaking of fame you are capped at two stars as a child. If you want to get there forget drama club and get out your violin. Much easier to earn fame that way. I had to max out the skill and it was still a grind to get to that fame level.

Now as a teen Drama club is slightly better. It then goes up to level 4. Earns you acting skill. Still scouting was much better. I don't see the point od drama club really. I haven't age the teen up so maybe there is a payout when the teen becomes a young adult. There better be or in my opinion the drama club is the worse teen activity/job out there. There is no cap on teen fame.

The reputation system also don't seem to do much besides slightly affect relationships and open up fame perks. Seem underwhelming unless you want those perks. Fame is a grind. And well the rewards aren't that great given how annoying some of the quirks are. The perks seems capped on how many you get. Good news is they are easy switch around unlike quirks that are based on your sims actions and are hard to predict which one you will get. I actually like the "fan" mail quirk. You can sell all of it besides the random spoiled food. Free pennies are free pennies.

I haven't earned any of the new aspirations, tried the acting career, spent much time in the new city, or played much with it as an adult sim so maybe I am missing the best part, but I am disappointed. I feel as though I wasted my money on this one. It is so limited in what it adds. It feels like a weak game pack and not a full on expansion. I will post an update after I tried the acting career but at this point I would not recommend this pack. It is a game pack at an expansion packs price. And it isn't even a good game pack.

[Manderley]

So far I really am enjoying it.  I think the biggest reason is because it is really different. 

I had a second generation female sim with no real agenda so she moved to Del Sol Valley and started working as an actor.  I like all the different auditions and deciding if they are right for her.  The requirements for new auditions seems well balanced, not too hard to achieve but it took some effort and planning. I really enjoy deciding if she should perform a scene risky or safe each time.  My sim using the "center herself" motion right before a scene cracks me up.  I think for me the fame portion of the expansion is not going to be big draw but we will see.

I like the new city too although I share everyone's frustration that it doesn't have more residential lots.  I enjoy that the changing seasons in Del Sol Valley doesn't have such a huge impact on game play.  For example, you can jog in the winter.  So far I'm pretty happy with Get Famous.  It will be interesting to go back and play a "normal" family in a week or so and see how this new fame system impacts my older sims like famous writers or painters.  At this point my play has not been impacted by any of the reported bugs so that is awesome.

I'm looking forward to future posts from you guys with hints and tricks and information.  I love that about this forum.

[sdhoey]

So far I am enjoying it a lot. Oh but Colt is really loving it. He has successfully gotten that "Awful" Reputation he has been trying for hard for. 

[eaglezero]

I'm playing a new save since I'm having that weird aging up bug.

My first impression is that I'm enjoying this pack a lot more than I thought I would. I bought it mainly for the build/buy items but I think I'm going to use the fame system a lot, and Del Sol Valley is great.

I'm surprised by how fast you can earn fame by basically busking. Since the clubs are equipped with mic/guitar, I just went there and leveled up singing/guitar. The exclusive club is kind of pointless because in the entire day I was there only Dirk Dreamer came by (but he's now Venessa's boyfriend, so there's that). The one where you get all the fans is where you can gain fame. I had to add more bathrooms too it though since there was only one available to regular sims and they were peeing themselves and getting in bathroom fights constantly.

I LOVE that sims sometimes faint when seeing famous sims. It cracks me up.

I too share the frustration about so few lots - they could *easily* have added three small lots by Venessa's house, and I'd think it's actually easier to add an empty lot than build those backdrop houses? But what do I know. The neighborhood environments overall are great - the sound of planes overhead is a nice environmental touch.

I like that there are fun historical clothes and hairstyles. I don't play with much cc (mainly skin details) so having those is nice.

The fame system goes well with the positivity challenge - by the end of it Venessa had a "pristine" reputation and with that + the incredibly friendly trait she was starting off friendships at 100% even before she hit the second star of fame, which makes gameplay a lot easier for me and meant she could max the friend of the world aspiration to get some aspiration points before grinding away at the acting and fame ones.

re: the acting career, my one gripe is the length of time between gigs. I know it's realistic but before the end of the young adult lifestage, Venessa had maxed basically all skills relevant to acting and made friends with basically everyone because she had so much down time.

[Heart Foam]

The build mode stuff is really great. O, the gaudy taste-free mansions you will build!

The fame system isn't something I've fully committed to. Right now, my two starting YA sims are each addicted to the mirror and can't afford Carefree because a money tree is more of an issue right now (gaudy mansion, you see). So it's just annoying. My sims tend to stay at home, so maybe that's why I'm not feeling the benefit of fame much. And the house will become a house of mirrors. I think I'll like the fame system better when the house and family is more settled, and simoleons are no objects and we have satisfaction points to burn. I started with one painter and one actress (partly to see which would gain fame faster) and had thoughts of opting out of fame for these starting sims because right now the quirks are a pain and we're getting no benefit.

My current, very much first-impression of the acting career is that it's best attempted by well-raised 2nd generation sims. From the little I've played, but also from catching a stream last night, there are going to be gigs that require level 5 in a skill my sim hasn't touched. Sure, in real life actors might say "but a western isn't my thing", or "a romcom isn't my thing", or "I only do period drama" and pass, but I'm just not committed to that level of roleplay. Grief no. So in order to pass some auditions I'd really want a more optimized sim than one straight out of start-a-new-game CAS. I'd want top-notch toddler, the top scouting reward trait, a knowledge aspiration, etc. Otherwise, for the sim to sit around waiting for an audition that suits them is going to be painful.

What I do like is that the acting career, with it's spaced out auditions and gigs, is going to be very accommodating of parents who want to be home raising good toddlers. You can just not go for any auditions for a few days and keep the fame from slipping by doing some media production while the kid/s are sleeping.

 

[coolsim9999999]

The game play is awesome !  Although, I am really enjoying playing new my self-absorbed top-notch celebrity (he already has that sequinned suit), the world is very small, but pretty, and the public lots are fun.  I had hoped that there would way more usable lots in this pack since it is an expansion.  I am really happy that we have so many items to put in most rooms in opulent builds.   

[Joria]

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.  Worst town of all.  HATE the celebs nosing in everywhere.  Grindage is the word for this exp.  Ok, something nice.  I love the costumes and some of the furniture and houses.  Maybe as I go along I'll learn to love it, or at least some of it.  Meanwhile.........

[Saltypaws]

All in all in think I am going to like it.  Progression is slow on the acting and my sim has not gotten any gigs, wonder if that is normal.  He has already maxed out the acting skill, so will see what happens.  Really disappointed about the town, it is small and yes, it was a little pricey,  but will play more today and see if I can get into it more.

[scoed]

My first impressions as actively playing as adult.

The pack gets better. I spend my childhood/teen years min maxing. So I didn't spend much time wasting time. Being a celebrity is a blast after the cash is flowing, and there is time to just be stupid as the rewards are in and the skills are up. Sims falling all over the place puts a smile on my face. And the perks are fun. I haven't tried them all yet but I am a job hopper and keeping my rank is so cool. And the quirks are well ether extremely annoying or some what useful. As a Vamp I love having the paparazzi and stans around as ready made meals. Delivery for my vamps so to say. "fan" mail is just a once a day small side income, not that useful, but not annoying ether. I have had a few others like the obsessed with the phone one, public number and the obsessed with the mirror one and they are super disruptive or super annoying to mu play stile. My current fourth is the looses emotional control one and it isn't bad. It can be annoying when prepping for a gig and you need to be flirty and a random +10 anger moodlet pops up for something small making it difficult.

Speaking of the acting career, I like it. It isn't going to replace scientist career as my favorite, but it is flexible and fun. The best part is you control how much you work. This is great if you say want to take some time to say do the writing aspiration or max a toddlers skills out. It and botanist will be my go to secondary sim careers. It is also great to earn fame but that is easy one you get it going.

I also like much of the buy items. So my final grade it a C. It is fun. It is quirky. But it doesn't add much to regular play unless you are role playing a celeb. The town is small and doesn't add much game play. The reputation system does nothing for me. Fame if fun and the acting career is fun. The drama club is a waist of time. Over all it still feels more like a game pack than a full expansion. It isn't as bad as I first thought. I say if you like playing quirky adults buy it but if family play is your thing don't. Builders will like it too, but that is not my thing. Over all I wished I waited to see if I could have gotten it on sale as it just feels small for an expansion thus over priced. It is as limited as the vamp pack, but not as fun. As I said it is a C. In the end it is enjoyable.

[CuriousSim]

Here are my first impressions:

At the end of the year, I like to check out the half off packs, and maybe pick one or two up. I've skipped some packs, occasionally, but I do like extra neighborhoods to explore, and new build items. This is exactly why I picked this pack up. Also, Origin pushed the magic pack & said that I would like it, so I decided to get that one too, though I haven't really explored that one yet. Interestingly enough, I haven't noticed it, which brings up one of the first thing I noticed about the Famous Pack.


The pack is pervasive

I started my game from scratch. I moved to a different computer, so I decided to start a completely new game. I even decided to try the tutorial, since that seems to be new, since I played the game last. The tutorial has some issues, and it's hard to find the triggers to get it to finish. However, it did get finished. I thought I would continue playing my character, but at the end of the tutorial, it brought me back to "Create-A-Sim" It gave me a female character. I hadn't planned on a female character, but I grew attached. I already liked the way she looked, so I just added additional outfits to each character, with only a few tweaks to the special occasion outfits. I saved her, and put her in the Daisy Hovel, which was one of the available homes, in the neighborhood of my original Sim.

Here is what I noticed:

The pack is pervasive. It seems to have slightly tweaked how many aspects of the game now work. I went to the usual grind of leveling up my Sim's basic skills, to make he an actual functional adult, in society. I set Athletic & Friend of the World, to be her first aspirations. As I was helping her to complete her goal, to be everyone's friend, and unforgetable. (Not needing to constantly visit each friend, to remain in good standing... ) The first thing I noticed, is she began to get a reputation. It was positive. When you get a positive reputation, you start to get charisma perks. Such perks came in handy for her aspiration.

Another thing that is hard to miss:

This world now had celebrities. For good or for bad, you have characters, that glow, and they are typically followed around by fans. Many of them are familiar faces in Sim World. A fan could be anyone. You can't interact with them, aside from asking for a picture, a hug, or an autograph. You can also attempt an introduction, which typically fails. The introduction also has a cooldown period, after working unsuccessfully. 

After grinding away,
and trying to get her the friends she needed, for "Friend of the World", it occurred to me to try moving some friends in, to share income responsibilities, and help each other build skills. Also, they could be friends & make sure they would never be at a loss, for social interaction. I moved in her best friend, that happened to be Candy, and the female  neighbors from the BFF household. Candy's sister would have to live alone, but since she's a loner, she should be ok.
 

Once they were moved in, I noticed further things about the pack:

When your reputation gets positive, you start to get job offers by phone. For those that have tried out the other packs, you are probably used to this. In addition to getting asked to parties, city events, dinner dates, and club gatherings, you now get job offers. Now, I know these messages can be annoying, but if you WANT employment, it can be handy. When your reputation is good, you don't get entry level jobs. You get to start a few levels ahead.


Here is the other part of that:

For Sims that are employed, you will also get "Fame Offers", based on your current occupation. For Summer, she had to quit her job, to cater an award event. In exchange she got a fame star & became friends with a Celebrity. Candy recently got an offer to submit her music to an Awards show, because she was in the music career. She didn't have to quit her job, but she will have to pay a registration fee. It seems like each career has unique opportunities to win fame, while remaining in that career. Maybe the more "menial" jobs would require you to "Trade Up", though.


Now, for miscellaneous stuff:

Many interactions now earn you fame or reputation. If you use nice, charismatic, interactions, it will likely boost your reputation. If you sing Karaoke, or just sing a song, you won't get any recognition at all. HOWEVER, if you practice singing, you will get some fame. If you play the guitar in public, people will love you. You can even upstage celebs at a meet & greet and get tons of recognition - apparently. Candy was practicing, in the last hour before work, and I found this out.

In conclusion:

I kinda like this pack. It has its weirdness & maybe not everyone will like all the new features. However, if you aren't necessarily pursuing a celebrity path, and just trying to play normally, there are a few things, that I think enhance the game. I think the negative stuff is mostly harmless. I did find out about quirks. I have thought about removing them, but some of them are kinda amusing. It is funny to see Summer have to stop what she's doing, and find a mirror. It only takes a quick glance, to calm her down. I still might remove it, anyway. I like the new build items. There are some nice looking curtains. Also, there are a nice collection of decorations, to make businesses or pseudo businesses look a bit more like businesses. In my opinion, it seems to be a pack, that builds on the existing framework, but also expands the functionality a bit.