The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack
Guide to DLC Additions and Gameplay Features
The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack release date is May 30, 2017
In the Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack, Sims players are able to more realistically raise children and direct the type of adult that they will become. New features such as the parenting skill, the character values system, and teachable moments will increase the gameplay depth and variety raising children and teens in The Sims 4. New animations and activity features will further add to the game and bring this life simulator a little closer to reality. Improving the realism of interaction and behaviors in childhood seems to have been the main goal of this pack, and to players raising a family it will add some challenge and depth.
Parenthood Guides
- Character Values - Learn about the values, raising them, and good/bad traits for extremes
- Parenting Skill - The new skill that helps your Sims improve as parents.
Parenthood Gameplay
Click to Enlarge this and all other detailed images. A father hugs his daughter. You can teach your children to be empathetic and kind through parenting or be strict and inflict punishment when they misbehave.
The following are the major gameplay additions of the Parenthood pack. On release day, check back for guides to the new content.
Parenting Skill
A father looks up advice for raising his kids, who are trashing the house. The look on his face is priceless.
Parenthood features a new Parenting Skill. As your Sim interacts with their kids or searches the web for advice on parenthood, they will gain experience in the all-new parenting skill and unlock new socials and abilities. You can direct children to do chores, praise positive behavior or scold negative behavior. Grounding can be used in extreme circumstances in order to reverse bad behavior. This new addition is central to the DLC. The parenting skill governs the effects of parenting interactions upon children and how successful they are when used.
However you choose to handle situations, like the sibling rivalry, your Sim will gain parenting skill that makes their interactions more effective.
You can choose tough love or gentle guidance in order to get the desired behavior out of children and teens. Leveling up may introduce new, more advanced interactions and help you to discipline and teach the kids to be well-mannered and emotionally stable, or else let them run wild and actively encourage bad behavior if you're interested in the type of people your little monsters might become.
Character Values Guide
Character Values are a major new feature that impact children into adulthood and change their autonomous behavior.
See the guide for more information. A new type of stat can be found on the Simology panel for all youngsters. Children and Teens have five character values: responsibility, manners, empathy, emotional control, and conflict resolution. A cool thing with these new values, is that they do change your Sims' autonomous behavior. Well-mannered Sims will suppress a fart and Sims with good emotional control will be more stable and less prone to outbursts. You get the idea! Both your Sim's parenting skill and the child's interests may influence their character values.
Teachable Moments appear from time to time during gameplay. These let you pick from several options in order to resolve a situation or teach your kid a lesson. How you choose to handle it will determine if it helps send the kid in the right direction and improves one of their character values.
The Parenthood Pack effects Sims during all ages toddler and up. Any character flaws your child has by the time they transition from teen to adulthood may turn into a negative trait. Naturally, you can also get good traits for raising them well.
Character Values do not exist in a bubble during adolescence. As the child goes from teen to adult, their values turn into permanent traits that also affect how the Sim behaves in day to day life, the social options available to them, and their autonomous behavior. How you choose to raise your Sim's kids will directly impact the adult that they become.
Actions taken by your child, not just parenting, will influence their Character values.
New Traits that develop from these character values include responsible, bad manners, compassionate, and others. Each character value comes with it two traits - one for a high level in one of the values, and another for an 'underdeveloped' character value - a flaw, if you will. There are a total of ten new traits, which can be seen on the Character values guide.
New Aspiration: Super Parent and Role Model Reward Trait
The new aspiration with this game pack is not particularly challenging, but features a great reward. It is one that you can work on in phases while you switch among other life goals. Your goals when taking up this aspiration will be to raise children to have positive character traits. From there, it is much easier for the parent to help raise kids. The'll receive the Role Model Reward Trait, which produces an aura that gives nearby adolescents a 50% increased character value experience boost. This will be handy for a Sim's lifetime, it is great to have a grandparent with tons of experience at parenting!
Other Features and Additions
A Sims 4 family works on a science project together.
- Science and Art Projects - A staple of childhood, all of which can be kept after the project is complete. The family can work together on science projects.
- Curfews - Impose a curfew on your kid to ensure they get home on time, or else you can..
- Use Groundings and Other Punishments - in order to help improve your Sim's character values. They may not like it at the time, but it's sure to help curb bad behavior in the future.
- Be Loving and Wise - Parents can also gently remind kids how to behave, and grandparents will be super-helpful with their experience at raising children.
- Sibling Rivalries - Brothers and sisters might come to a rivalry, leading to conflict and dirty looks.
- New Clothing and Decorations - In the screenshots below, you can see many new types of decoration and new clothes for all ages seem to be included in the pack.
- New Animations and Behaviors - Kids can be told to set the table, do chores like clean up their room, and toddlers might bite!
Overall the Character Values system and Parenting skill are the core features of this pack. Raising kids in this manner immediately reminds me of caring for tamagochi pets and trying to keep them alive. It may be more interesting to play with full autonomy and direct the kids only to hope that they turn out to be good adults.
While the list of features is not massive, the aforementioned gameplay systems do seem capable of making a big impact and are large additions themselves. There are also a lot of little things here that influence day to day gameplay - in particular with how Sims interact with one another. With new objects, decorations, and animations, it's something that will breathe new life into The Sims 4 for many players - especially those of you who love nooboos and like raising them. Check the trailer and screenshots from the video below to see if this DLC is right for you. It's a must-have, or something you would pick up during a sale depending upon your enjoyment of raising children in Sims.
Parenthood Cheats
Cheats to set your Sim's character values, giving them positive or negative experience in each of the five categories, as well as the new reward/flaw traits they receive for being high or low in those categories can be found on our Cheats page.
The Sims 4 Parenthood Release Trailer
The Sims 4 Parenthood Screenshots
This place is a wreck - take the trash out!
No way, old man!
Having fun in the family room.
Sibling Rivalries are a new gameplay feature in The Sims 4 Parenthood.
A teen stuck doing chores.
A family works on an art project together.
Parenthood Guides
- Character Values - Learn about the values, raising them, and good/bad traits for extremes
- Parenting Skill - The new skill that helps your Sims improve as parents.
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Discover University Expansion
The Sims 4 Discover University has been announced for November 15 for PC/Mac and December 17 for Xbox and Playstation 4 consoles. Click to learn more about the pack, see my summary of the livestream or read our FAQs below.
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