History YMMV / TheSims4

** Financially, buying an easel and creating paintings gives stupid amounts of money per once sims gain enough skill (which they usually do very quickly.) Painting alone can easily replace a job. The writing skill can also be a game-breaker; once Sims get a high enough writing skill, they can sell books to publishers and collect daily royalties, which more than make up for the initial cost of a computer. As long as sims have a computer and an easel, they can make enough money to cover living expenses and most luxuries, making actual jobs pointless unless you want the career rewards they unlock or you need them for completing an aspiration.

* AccidentalNightmareFuel: On [[https://simscommunity.info/2022/04/26/ring-ring-the-sims-4-is-trolling-us-with-the-stuff-of-nightmares/ April 26, 2022]], Callia Maebey (aka the Ring Ring Girl) have made an appearance on the main menu (to remind you of the phone's features) and social media as a recurring character. However, this gave her notoriety among simmers due to her UnintentionalUncannyValley expression being front-and-center which gave them quite a JumpScare, and her wide-eyed stare (described in the site as "soulless") and her big, wide smile is comparable to that of a sim with a PØŞŞ€ŞŞ€Đ trait. So much that EA [[AscendedMeme made her a ghost]] (which, due to the design, is definitely less scary than the living one) in the High School Years trailer.

*** In addition, the included world, Batuu, was a very small vacation neighborhood that Sims couldn't live in permanently, with the conveniences necessary to take care of needs like the Fun meter few and far between (if you don't want your Sims to [[OutOfCharacter start playing smartphone games]] in the middle of Batuu, you're basically confined to the Cantina or the Sabacc table at Resistance camp.) It was also the literal ThemeParkVersion of a Star Wars planet, being based almost entirely off of the ''Ride/StarWarsGalaxysEdge'' part of the real-life Disneyland. As a result, the entire neighborhood was almost completely useless not only for anyone who didn't like the included storylines, it's also ''completely uneditable as well!'' This caused the pack to be compared unfavorably to its fellow story-driven predecessor, ''The Sims 4: Strangerville,'' which also had a central plotline for players to follow, but also a unique desert world that ''is'' editable and could be lived in and used well after the story arc concluded.
*** Even the CAS items were disappointing—since the entire expansion was based on the sequel trilogy, none of the iconic costumes from the originals and prequels were included, alienating anyone who intended to buy it just for Leia's space buns[[note]]actually a base-game item, but a costume wig, not a true hairstyle[[/note]], Luke's robotic hand, or Padmé's beautiful dresses.
*** By the time the pack was released, it had become a common joke that it only appealed to [[{{Fangirl}} fangirls]] who wanted to make a family and settle down in suburbia with their ''Star Wars'' crushes like Kylo Ren... except Kylo Ren was specifically made to be non-romancable, so you couldn't even do that!

* AudienceAlienatingPremise:
** The ''Star Wars: Journey to Batuu'' pack suffered from this for a miriad of reasons.

** The ''Star Wars: Journey to Batuu'' pack. It was a "story-driven" expansion for a sandbox game, which immediately made it unpalatable to many. Then it turned out that the story content was quite shallow, repetitive, and mostly consisted of clicking the same interactions over and over again (most notably, the mission involving starship travel is almost entirely text-only events, which caused the pack to be compared unfavorably to ''The Sims 3: World Adventures''), which upset the already-small contingent of players who were actually looking forward to that aspect of the pack.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** After three generations of players becoming frustrated when their beloved Sims died and were gone forever (in some particularly egregious cases, just in-game hours after exiting Create-A-Sim), ''The Sims 4'' became the first game in the series to automatically save a copy of your household to your library when exiting [=CAS=]. You can also save an in-game household from the pared-down version of [=CAS=] accessed via a mirror or dresser. This allows you to quickly re-start the game with the same characters at any point you like.
** Travelling between in-game residential worlds had been a huge player request since the very first game, since generations 1 through 3 treated different main neighbourhoods as effectively different universes that had no way to interact with each other ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation even though in-lore they often referenced each other]]). ''The Sims 4'' shipped with two worlds (Willow Creek and Oasis Springs) to make it clear that you could travel freely between them, and every subsequent world added in an expansion or update has been added on to this central hub.
** ''Spooky Stuff'' was a very unpopular addition, even among Stuff Packs, due to the fact that the Halloween-themed stuff was very niche and had very little purpose in the game. The ''Seasons'' expansion pack fixes this with holidays, giving your sims a reason to decorate the house and celebrate.
** The game received criticism for focusing too much on young adults and neglecting the familial aspects of the game. Since then, the game introduced toddlers and devoted several packs to fleshing out the younger life stages, as well as added more parenting-related actions to flesh out familial relationships.
** The game was originally developed to be online multiplayer-only code named ''[[WorkingTitle Olympus]]'', with all other Sims in the world being controlled by other players, but after the massive backlash that VideoGame/SimCity2013 received for being online-only, ''The Sims 4'' was reprogrammed to be single player. Sadly, the resources that went into rewriting the engine meant that story progression, open world, toddlers, and features that differentiated young adults from the other ages all had to be cut.
** The lack of occult sims has been a huge sore spot for the community, with the game going over two years without adding a single one after vampires. 2019 saw the announcement of mermaids and magic (witches), the two most-requested life states.
** A few older players were disappointed at the lack of returning Sims, outside of the obvious ones such as the Goths. Maxis has since made recreated versions of families like the Pleasants and the Grunts available to download for free.
** While most players probably didn't think too much about it, a patch renamed the "Insane" trait to "Erratic". Since the trait is meant to represent [[AmbiguousDisorder mental illness in general]] and is the only "mental illness" in the game, the old name -- however accidentally -- could be seen as ableist[[note]]The general public connects the word [[InsaneEqualsViolent to violent behaviour]]. As such, some see it as a derogatory term[[/note]] The new name describes the odd behaviour just as well, without the negative connotations. A later patch changed the trait's image from a straitjacket to a collection of conflicting emoticons, possibly to help de-stigmatize psychiatric care and avoid additional ableism.
** One of the complaints about Island Living was that the new world, Sulani, was a proper residential world rather than a vacation destination, with many feeling that it would've been better as one due to many of the pack's features being isolated to Sulani. A similar concern was raised about Snowy Escape prior to its release due to promos prominantly showcasing Mt. Komorebi as a residential world. The patch that coincided with Snowy Escape curbed both of these issues by allowing rental lots to be placed in residential worlds, thereby making both Sulani and Mt. Komorebi valid destinations for vacationing.
** While the houses and commercial lots in the base game weren't bad by any means, later packs' builds seem to be... unorthodox at best. Notable examples being a Glimmerbook house that has a exterior staircase leading to straight into a wall, a Strangerville house that you cannot make food in due to the choice of counters, and a mansion in Del Sol Valley that has four bathrooms, but only one toilet. Starting with ''Snowy Escape'' however, all builds are built by [[PromotedFanboy Simmers]] themselves.
** On the day after its announcement, EA [[https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/news/our-commitment-to-you confirmed]] that the ''My Wedding Stories'' game pack [[NoExportForYou wasn't going to be released in Russia]], citing federal laws regarding the promotion of a same-sex couple. A week later, in response to the feedback, EA had reversed it's decision and decided to release the pack globally, including Russia, unaltered and unchanged (apart from the cover art in Russia only), while also [[ReleaseDateChange pushing the release date to February 23]].
** When the game launched, there was significant outrage about the fact Bella Goth and her children were significantly lighter skin-toned in this game compared to previous outing with [[WhatTheHellHero open accusations of whitewashing.]] In 2021, EA openly admitted it was a mistake and that the Goths alongside other sims that had CAS-related issues would be up for a remaster. While many were happy about the announcement, others doubted it would happen. Fast forward to May 2022 and the Goths were indeed the first family to receive a makeover with Bella, Cassandra, and Alex all sporting notably darker skintones, as well Mortimer receiving some [[AceCustom custom assets]] (that are also available in CAS for player-made Sims) and fixing some issues such as missing Season-related clothing and Alexander's mismatched genetics and hair.

* ScrappyMechanic:
** The somewhat sudden change on mood influenced by many, many factors including room decoration, traits, and lot traits, might make it harder to accomplish whims that you want. It also extends on aspiration goals, as some including having to do a particular thing with the correct mood (such as one of the cooking aspiration need to be accomplished while "inspired" and Computer Whiz has one of the objectives being having to play videogames for two in-game hours straight while "focused"). The fact that some of the "Very" variants of the moods (such as "Inspired" and "Very Inspired") resetting the mood-based whims didn't help either. It was compared unfavorably with the Wants from ''The Sims 2'' (which only rerolls after sleeping or after fulfilling it) or ''The Sims 3'' (which the player can save up to 4 wants as soon as it appears). Expansions may make whims irrelevant to your Sims personality to appear as well, such as the infamous "buy a Bee Box". A workaround exists [[https://deichschafblog.de/bienchen/sonstige-mods-misc-mods/ here]] (look for the "whimoverhaul").
** Unlike past games, you can't buy birthday cakes, and instead must make them on your own. While it's fun for story-based players, it can be an annoying and time-wasting inconvenience for others. Ditto for the pregnancy tests that replaced the baby music to determine a pregnancy.
** In contrast, an update fixed things so that Social Services no longer provides free bassinets, and you have to buy your own, even if your Sim is in labor and you still don't have one. As of now, if you don't have a bassinet, the game will provide you one upon the birth of a baby (or more in case of twins.)
** Apartments. For some, a large portion of the appeal of this franchise is to simulate living a life better than our own. Cramped quarters, extremely close proximity to irksome neighbors, and the distinct inability to have a private yard are all reasons people move into houses, anyway. For the most part, apartment neighbors are the ''worst;'' it makes it more realistic, but it is still a pain in the ass to live peacefully when your neighbors either make constant noise or are chewing you out for comparatively minor things like practicing acoustic guitar in the opposite side of the building.
** First person mode is introduced in an update, but not only it was hidden and buggy, you can't directly control your Sim.
** Do you have a stereo in your Sims' house? Have you noticed that they will often drop everything they have going on to seek that stereo out and dance to whatever is on it at any given moment, for hours on end? Have you also noticed that leaving a single stereo on in the ''other side of a house'' will make every sim on the lot refuse to sleep? Have you noticed that that's ''really annoying''?
** Sims also feel compelled to use a computer, whether they're part of your household or neighbors. While there is a "Computer Security Settings", they sometimes didn't work and need multiple confirmations. At least you can put the computer inside a room that you can lock it.
** Sims will also gravitate towards automatically going to the refrigerator and making food for themselves if hungry - even if another member of the household has been instructed to "Serve [A Meal]", ''right next to them''. Deleting the action from their queue doesn't stop them, because given a few more minutes they'll continue their inexorable march towards the fridge to make completely pointless food. Sims will also repeatedly take their hungry toddlers in and out of high chairs, even if another adult has already given the toddler food that doesn't need to be eaten in a high chair.
** You aren't allowed to shower or cook in when visiting a household, which can be jarring if the household you're visiting are family or friends. The guests at ''your'' house, however, can rub their grubby hands in your bath or rifle through your fridge to their hearts' content.

* AccidentalNightmareFuel: On [[https://simscommunity.info/2022/04/26/ring-ring-the-sims-4-is-trolling-us-with-the-stuff-of-nightmares/ April 26, 2022]], Callia Maebey (aka the Ring Ring Girl) have made an appearance on a main menu and social media as a form of joke. However, this gave her notoriety among simmers due to her UnintentionalUncannyValley expression being front-and-center which gave them quite a JumpScare, and her wide-eyed stare (described in the site as "soulless") and her big, wide smile is comparable to that of a sim with a PØŞŞ€ŞŞ€Đ trait.

** On the day after its announcement, EA [[https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/news/our-commitment-to-you confirmed]] that the ''My Wedding Stories'' game pack [[NoExportForYou wasn't going to be released in Russia]], citing federal laws regarding the promotion of a same-sex couple. A week later, in response to the feedback, EA had reversed it's decision and decided to release the pack globally, including Russia, unaltered and unchanged, while also [[ReleaseDateChange pushing the release date to February 23]].

*** The end result was a pack that appealed to absolutely no one—it was too story-driven and created too many [[ContinuitySnarl continuity snarls]] to interest typical Sims players, it was too shallow and sequel-trilogy-focused for ''Star Wars'' fans, and the few people who were interested in mixing ''Star Wars's'' sci-fi adventures with regular, domestic ''Sims'' gameplay were put off by the reasons above, the non-romancable [=NPCs=], and the fact that you can't actually live on Batuu. It should come as no surprise that it was [[https://screenrant.com/sims-4-journey-batuu-game-review/ not well-received]].

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some of the mechanics in ''Cottage Living'', such as cows and chickens, originate from ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' Store.

*** In addition, the included world, Batuu, was a very small vacation neighborhood that Sims couldn't live in permanently, with the conveniences necessary to take care of needs like the Fun meter few and far between (if you don't want your Sims to [[OutOfCharacter start playing smartphone games]] in the middle of Batuu, you're basically confined to the Cantina or the Sabacc table at Resistance camp.) It was also the literal ThemeParkVersion of a Star Wars planet, being based almost entirely off of the ''Ride/StarWarsGalaxysEdge'' part of the real-life Disneyland. As a result, the entire neighborhood was almost completely useless for anyone who didn't like the included storylines (or had already played through them.) This caused the pack to be compared unfavorably to its fellow story-driven predecessor, ''The Sims 4: Strangerville,'' which also had a central plotline for players to follow, but also a unique desert world that could be lived in and used well after the story arc concluded.

* GameBreaker: The Book of Life, the reward for completing the writing aspiration can be bound to any sim except the writer. While dead, anyone reading the book brings the bound sim back to life. While alive, the sim has all their needs filled and any negative moodlets are removed. A sim can carry around their own book and never have to worry about needs or events ruining their day.

** The end result was a pack that appealed to absolutely no one—it was too story-driven and created too many [[ContinuitySnarl continuity snarls]] to interest typical Sims players, it was too shallow and sequel-trilogy-focused for ''Star Wars'' fans, and the few people who were interested in mixing ''Star Wars's'' sci-fi adventures with regular, domestic ''Sims'' gameplay were put off by the reasons above, the non-romancable [=NPCs=], and the fact that you can't actually live on Batuu. It should come as no surprise that it was [[https://screenrant.com/sims-4-journey-batuu-game-review/ not well-received]].

** While most players probably didn't think too much about it, a patch renamed the "Insane" trait to "Erratic". Since the trait is meant to represent [[AmbiguousDisorder mental illness in general]] and is the only "mental illness" in the game, the old name - [[InnocentlyInsensitive however accidentally]] - [[UnfortunateImplications could be seen as ableist]][[note]]The general public connects the word [[InsaneEqualsViolent to violent behaviour]]. As such, some see it as a derogatory term[[/note]] The new name describes the odd behaviour just as well, without the negative connotations. A later patch changed the trait's image from a straitjacket to a collection of conflicting emoticons, possibly to help de-stigmatize psychiatric care and avoid additional ableism.

** Travelling between in-game residential worlds had been a huge player request since the very first game, since generations 1 through 3 treated different main neighbourhoods as effectively different universes that had no way to interact with each other (even though in-lore they often [[GameplayAndStorySegregation referenced each other]]). ''The Sims 4'' shipped with two worlds (Willow Creek and Oasis Springs) to make it clear that you could travel freely between them, and every subsequent world added in an expansion or update has been added on to this central hub.

** Travelling between in-game residential worlds had been a huge player request since the very first game, since generations 1 through 3 treated different main neighbourhoods as effectively different universes that had no way to interact with each other. ''The Sims 4'' shipped with two worlds (Willow Creek and Oasis Springs) to make it clear that you could travel freely between them, and every subsequent world added in an expansion or update has been added on to this central hub.

** After three generations of players becoming frustrated when their beloved Sims died and were gone forever (in some particularly egregious cases, just in-game hours after exiting Create-A-Sim), ''The Sims 4'' became the first game in the series to automatically save a copy of your household to your library when exiting [=CAS=]. This allows you to quickly re-start the game with the same characters at any point you like.

** On the day after it's announcement, EA [[https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/news/our-commitment-to-you confirmed]] that the ''My Wedding Stories'' game pack [[NoExportForYou wasn't going to be released in Russia]], citing federal laws regarding the promotion of a same-sex couple. A week later, in response to the feedback, EA had reversed it's decision and decided to release the pack globally, including Russia, unaltered and unchanged, while also [[ReleaseDateChange pushing the release date to February 23]].

** The ''Star Wars: Journey to Batuu'' pack. It was a "story-driven" expansion for a sandbox game, which immediately made it unpalatable to many. Then it turned out that the story content was quite shallow, repetitive, and mostly consisted of clicking the same interactions over and over again (most notably the mission part that brings you travelling by spaceships are mostly text-only events, which is compared unfavorably to ''The Sims 3: World Adventures''), which upset the already-small contingent of players who were actually looking forward to that aspect of the pack.
*** The included world, Batuu, was a very small vacation neighborhood that Sims couldn't live in permanently with conveniences like restroom and fun places (if you don't want your Sims to do an OutOfCharacter playing smartphone games in the middle of Batuu, you're basically only confined to have fun in the Cantina or the Sabacc table at Resistance camp) are few and far between, and it was also the literal ThemeParkVersion of a Star Wars planet, being based almost entirely off of the ''Ride/StarWarsGalaxysEdge'' part of the real-life Disneyland.
*** Even the CAS items were disappointing—since the entire expansion was based on the sequel trilogy, none of the iconic costumes from the originals and prequels were included, alienating anyone who intended to buy it just for Leia's space buns (which were actually a base game item), Luke's robotic hand, or Padmé's beautiful dresses.

*** The end result was a pack that appealed to absolutely no one—it was too story-driven and created too many [[ContinuitySnarl continuity snarls]] to interest typical Sims players, it was too shallow and sequel-trilogy-focused for ''Star Wars'' fans, and the few people who were interested in mixing ''Star Wars's'' sci-fi adventures with regular, domestic ''Sims'' gameplay were put off by the reasons above, the non-romancable [=NPCs=], and the fact that you can't actually live on Batuu. It should come as no surprise that it was [[https://screenrant.com/sims-4-journey-batuu-game-review/ not well-received]].