Monday, March 30, 2015

Get to Work: The Build Stuff

If you are a builder like me, the first thing you want to see when there is a new expansion pack is the STUFF.  What items come with it...what can we use to for our creations...how useful and versatile is the new stuff.  Show me the stuff.



I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the Sims 4 first expansion pack, Get to Work, this weekend and I spent a lot of time looking at the items and taking pictures to share.  My overall impression is very favorable!  While there are a lot of very career specific items, and some categories have few if any new additions, I also see a bunch of interesting objects that can easily be incorporated into a variety of builds.  Here is a broad overview with some highlights of things that stood out to me.

One area that disappoints is the wall and floor coverings.  There are very few new additions to the catalog....just one wall and a handful of floors.  Considering how relatively easy these assets are to create, I am truly sad to see they couldn't give us some new texture and color options to use in our creations.


This color palette seemed to be pretty uniform across many of the items, something I have been hoping to see.

These linoleum floors are an exception...they are all done in washed out dreary shades.


New fencing

So this "fence" is a bit....different.  It is basically a flat colored strip on the floor. It is supposed to be "clear walls" but there is no texture or sheen to give the impression of anything being there at all.  I thought it might come in handy to make large picture windows or display windows, but I didn't find it effective at all.  It just looks like a hole in the wall. I have to think about how to use this one.....


Only one new stair..this industrial metal style.  It comes in several colors and is actually quite versatile.


There is a great selection of doors and windows.  Plenty of things that can be re-purposed for residential use.  As you can see from the swatches, most of the items follow 2 color palettes, either the more colorful one or a drab set of gray/black/greenish neutrals.








This is a career unlockable door, but its so cool you will want to use the cheat to unlock it right away. (reminder: open the cheat box and type in bb.ignoregameplayunlocksentitlement)






How pretty is that?!  Magnifique indeed!



Some of the windows have a "black out" effect.  When placed one direction, you can see in or out of them, but when rotated, they take on an opaque appearance.


There are no new roof objects or textures.  The only new thing in the landscaping area ( trees, flowers, bushes, etc) is this "alien" tree that comes in two sizes. Most of the emphasis of this expansion pack is clearly on the interior objects.


The styled room section will give you a good idea of some of the looks possible.  Since there are several retail store set ups available, those who don't want to build will appreciate this section immensely.







Overall the furniture has a strong office/industrial vibe with some surprises thrown in here and there.  Don't expect to see much in the way of new kitchen or plumbing objects.  There is one kitchen counter only and a single set of plumbing objects.






I love the details on this book case!








There are a ton of clutter objects and skill specific objects relating to the careers.  Here are a few examples of those objects:



There is a boatload of additional items that I haven't even covered, but I wanted to give you a good overview of what to expect in the game.



While clearly there isn't much here that would be helpful in a Victorian or cottage style build, I think there is a wealth of objects are versatile enough to work for contemporary, modern, suburban and industrial style builds.  And if you have ever wanted to make a hip industrial loft or Bo-Ho apartment, this is your expansion pack.  









Workin' those Get to Work hairstyles

Here are the new hairs available in the Sims 4 expansion pack, Get to Work!




















About Me

I build lots for people to use in the Sims. I have created hundreds of lots that have been downloaded by people all over the world. My work has been featured on the official Sims 3 site, several Sims 3 fan sites and in Game Informer magazine.
I am a mom...a gamer...a book worm...a worrywart...a fan of architecture, interior design, and all things Grumpy Cat.