Cottage Living Guide! Here is my guide to new features in the Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion
You can also find handy Cottage Living Cheats
I have much more to come, since you can actually write a few guides about this pack!
The Sims 4 June 2020 Patch
What's New in The Base Game?
This patch adds a lot of new features. You can find a new firefighter outfit. It actually helps you fight fires better when wearing it and offers a bit of fire resistance.
Today a new patch has been released that fixes some of my favorite things about The Sims 4, like, you know I'm enthused to be asked for earbuds every time. Don't get me started at how sad I am to see the Sims 4 move to a modern inventory management system, because it's clear I thoroughly enjoyed having my inventory full of $2-3 garbage items that I can sell one at a time when I need to come up with a couple thousand simoleons. It's money in the bank!
Eco Lifestyle Guides
- Eco Lifestyle Expansion for The Sims 4 - Pack Gameplay Features
- Cheats for The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle - learn to change Neighborhood Action Plans, modify the Eco Footprint, and add Traits.
- Eco Footprint: How It Works - Learn about Green and Industrial Worlds
- Neighborhood Action Plans - NAP List and How they Work
- Gameplay Ideas for Eco Lifestyle - My attempt to inspired ideas for gameplay that might be fun to some players.
- Learn New Changes in The Sims 4 Patch from June 2020
- Traits and Aspirations in Eco Lifestyle - Traits and Aspirations Lists both updated.
New Inventory
These inventory updates are great! We can now select multiple objects with Multi-select mode (hotkey E).
I have to pick what I write about first, and this is the biggest improvement of this patch because it impacts every simmer on every playthrough. They actually added some hotkeys for this. While your inventory is open, pressing 'E' turns on multi-select mode, which will be used when you're not actually hunting for something but rather planning to sell a ton of junk you've collected over the past three Sim weeks. You can use the little button top right of the inventory to do this, too.
You can sell everything at once, with only a couple clicks.
Alternatively if you want to be a real pro gamer use Control + A to select ALL and then pick what you DON'T want to sell. Now press the hotkey K to sell, click the horribly playskool 'Yes I am sure I want to sell this' and you will now be free of the horrible garbage. Although I can nitpick about how awful that dialog box is - the one that asks you if you're sure - I am happy to see Maxis not take just a baby step here but a massive frickin leap toward greatness in inventory management.
This patch now lets you filter items, as well. Think of favorites as a filter. You can view only your favorites if you like, which helps with managing things.
You can also filter by item category and there are tons of categories so you should be able to find what you want in the filthiest inventory. But then, your inventory shouldn't be too filthy unless you play like me. I'll let all this build up then nuke everything once it's worth a few thousand. My Sim's time is worth at least a couple hundred an hour and though I can pause, I know I could make more money just making a painting.
Bills 2.0
The new bills interface accounts for power and water usage, which is going to go very well with Eco Lifestyle.
In preparation for Eco Lifstyle, which features green energy, the devs created a new bills system but made it work for the base game, too! Now, your power and water are tracked. I mean, literally. If you have a leaky toilet because Bjorn Bjergsen doesn't know you plunge before you flush a second time, you will be charged until you enslave Bjorn and force him to fix it. If you give every kid you have (up to 7, I'm guessing) a tv, you will inevitably find you have a higher power bill.
In order to balance all this out, they made it so that your base bills for the value of your property are a bit less, but said that it should come out to be around the same when power and water are factored in for the average household.
Off The Grid
Off the grid updates for The Sims 4 Base Game - there is now a category specifically for OTG items.
To be honest with you, I'm going to have to come back to this one. There are a lot of little things here. The big one is a new Off The Grid category in Build Mode where you can see items suited to this playstyle. With the bills update, if you have excess water or power, things will function like a normal lot. If you're out of those resources, you will find it functions as though utilities are shut off. Harvestables do things when consumed off the grid (not sure what yet). They did a pass on candles and behaviors to make sure they function off the grid, like Sims only using grills. Players can now gather water from fishing spots to make use of that resource. You can cook a Boiling Frog Hot Pot to feed your Sim. There is some actual need for resources. I would love to see this idea furthered.
Firefighters
A firefighter puts out the blaze. Nothing my Sim couldn't have done herself, but it's nice they're finally here.
Install a smoke detector on your lot, and if your Sim has a fire, Firefighters will now show up to heroically put out the blaze. This is kind of like the Sulani residents' behavior when it comes to fires, just with firefighter uniforms. Don't expect a huge firetruck to pull up. In Sims 4's world, they can just teleport to save you. Hint: If you want a fire, put on level 1 cooking and use the Cursed lot trait. It works, more than half the time.
Repo Man
Neglect your bills long enough, and a Repo Man will now come to take your stuff in order to cover it. These were initially in the game for student loan debts, which people didn't ever really have due to how cheap the University classes are. While I do expect players to see firefighters on a regular basis, the only people who will see Repo Men are people playing with their imagination or those who are doing it on purpose. Let's be honest, it's not hard to cover bills. It's nice they're here, I just would like to see my Sim perhaps have a bit of financial trouble once in a while.
Build Mode Gameplay Modifiers
Certain materials now offer fire resistance, environment boosts, and you may even see Eco Footprint on items whether you own Eco Lifestyle or not. It's a bit odd.
Items from build mode now offer gameplay modifiers - namely, fire resistance and environment boosts and penalties. A material like wood might look great, but have extremely poor fire resistance. Metal is likely to have high fire resistance. These are optional effects that can be turned off under gameplay options (see Build Mode Items Grant Gameplay Effects).
Ladders
Ladders.
Head into build mode (F3) and find the stairs area. Here you can click the little side menu to find ladders that can be placed to allow Sims to... well, to climb up ladders. You can slide down them, too. Toddlers and pets are not able to use ladders, so you may want to provide an alternate route if you expect these Sims to be able to get there. Toddlers will automatically use the alternate route. Cats should be able to climb them, but they don't have such an easy time getting down so this makes sense.
Alt-Place Doors and Windows
Hold Alt while placing a door or window. You can now put them in specific spots without all that snapping!
Go Home, Vlad! ... And No, I Don't Want Your Earbuds!
This is actually a few things. First, they heard us on the free earbuds popup. Now you're just automatically given a pair for some weird reason (just let us buy them, we're not mentally deficient). Also, if you click your Sim, you can tell all NPCs to leave immediately without any relationship hit. You can also find this individually on the NPCs themselves. This is noted as not meant for storytelling, just as a utility to help you get rid of Sims. Also, they know that Vlad showing up in every save kind of annoys some people. Like Youtubers who are recording. So, click your door and you'll find a 'No Tresspassing' option that will stop vampires from visiting at night.
Other
Toddlers and Children now have Styled Looks. There will be less phone call invitations. Consoles now have a controls reminder - when interacting with things it'll show an overlay that has a reference for what button does what. They partnered with M*A*C Cosmetics to provide about 12 new makeup assets. There are a lot of little bugfixes in this pack, so things should play out a bit more predictably. Unfortunately, there may be a few introduced... let's hope it's a net gain.
A Few Things
This Add to Favorites appearing all over the place is confusing some people. When you happen to have a pair of earbuds in your inventory, you click your Sim and 'add to favorites' will appear, which favorites earbuds. This function is probably supposed to appear on live-draggable collectible objects, books, and things like that but you are now just a walking pair of earbuds.
There are some bugs in this patch related to save games, Maxis is aware and working on it. It's probably some object not converting properly that is making the game crash. It's not true of every save. Cache clearing and all that can be helpful in certain situations - no doing this if you're on Xbox or PS4.
<Eco Lifestyle Guides
- Eco Lifestyle Expansion for The Sims 4 - Pack Gameplay Features
- Cheats for The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle - learn to change Neighborhood Action Plans, modify the Eco Footprint, and add Traits.
- Eco Footprint: How It Works - Learn about Green and Industrial Worlds
- Neighborhood Action Plans - NAP List and How they Work
- Gameplay Ideas for Eco Lifestyle - My attempt to inspired ideas for gameplay that might be fun to some players.
- Learn New Changes in The Sims 4 Patch from June 2020
- Traits and Aspirations in Eco Lifestyle - Traits and Aspirations Lists both updated.
How You Can Support The Site and Channel
Check Out My Youtube Channel!
We now have a Youtube Channel with over 50 guides in video format to go along with the huge site I've already created. Check it out and consider subscribing if you like my style.
Add Comment
Insert Bullet List
Please enter at least one item.
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Insert Numeric List
Please enter at least one item.
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Insert Link
Please enter the link of the website
Optionally you can add display text
Insert Email
Please enter the email address
Optionally add any display text
Insert Image
Please enter the link of the image
Insert YouTube Video
Please enter the link of the video
Cottage living
Calling all Blender Users
Blender has been incredibly useful in video production, so I made my own Physics and Simulation Improvement Addon that lumps a ton of unique tools into one compact interface.
Sims 4 Snowy Escape
The Sims 4 Snowy Escape launches November 13, 2020 and my coverage has started. Until I get my review ready, you can learn about the following:
Snowy Escape Cheats
Lifestyles in Snowy Escape
Climb Mt. Komorebi
Sentiments in Snowy Escape
Rock Climbing
Skiing Skill
Snowboarding Skill
Sentiments & Platforms (Free Patch!)
I've released a guide to Sentiments in The Sims 4 & Snowy Escape.
There is a new platform tool in The Sims 4. There's also a new Sentiments system, but it'll take some time to create a guide to that. Players can also use rental lots in any world now by changing lot types of builds in manage worlds.
Best Mods in Sims 4
I've created a massive List of The Best Mods in The Sims 4 that should be very helpful to new players and those who have not yet explored modding and how much it can do for your gameplay.
Secrets and Other New Stuff
New - Secrets I have a new guide to secrets in the game. If you prefer, you can also watch a video about secrets in Sims 4.
Nifty Knitting is now available. Learn all about the stuff pack on my guide page here.
NEW - Nifty Knitting CheatsNew features in the Sims 4 June 2020
The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Guide
Eco Footprint: How it Works
Neighborhood Action Plans
How to Cheat in Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle
Civil Designer Career
Insect Farms & Bio Fuel
Fabrication Skill in Eco Lifestyle
Juice Fizzing NEW
Traits and Aspirations in DLC
Gameplay Ideas for Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle
Updated
Trait Cheats Updated
Traits List Updated
Aspirations List Updated
Search my Sims 4 Site
Sims 4 Packs & DLC
Most Popular
Support Us
Readers who use adblock or those who'd like to thank me for my efforts can now pledge $1/$5 monthly via Patreon. This helps a lot with server costs and provides some stability for my business.
Super Sim Checklist + Other News
Super Sim Text + Checklist and Video Guide! Here is my Super Sim Challenge Guide and Checklist to accompany my video guide to making Super Sims in The Sims 4 that you can view on Youtube.
This is inspired by a new series in which I start at toddler and gradually take on the major bonuses. Here's a link to the full playlist!
I now have a guide page to Tiny Living Stuff where you can learn about Murphy Beds, the new death, as well as the lot bonuses you'll receive if you manage to keep the size of your lot down with this new pack's Tiny Home Lot Type.
Let's Play Playlist
New I now have a guide to Making Super Sims in The Sims 4. Look for a text version within the next 72h. It won't have THAT much more info but it will help out as a checklist.
This was inspired by a series, "Let's Play a Super Sim" in which I start at toddler and gradually take on the major bonuses. Here's a link to each part for people who are interested. You can also see the Let's Play as a Playlist on Youtube.
Latest Videos and Guides
- Sims 4 Ultimate Gameplay Tips Video
- Lot Traits Updated for all DLC
- 10 Objects that Add Gameplay to The Sims 4
- 10+ Mods That Add or Improve Gameplay in The Sims 4
- Spells List Updated & Info on Charge
- Around the World of Glimmerbrook
- Sims 4 Realm of Magic is Available Now. Here’s My Opinion On the Pack
- The Sims 4 Realm of Magic Features Deep-Dive
- Tutorial: Using The Sims 4’s New Stair Customization Tool
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.
- New Career Law Career
- New Video Discover University Review
- New Video The Sims 4 Discover University Super Student
- New Engineering Career - Mechanical or Computer
- NEW Student Organizations (University Groups)
- Gameplay Features Guide (Robotics, Secret Society) Video
- Updated! Discover University Cheats
- Updated: Degrees Guide now also features a Scholarships List
- Discover University Features Guide
- Education Career - Professor or Administrator?
- Research and Debate Skill - Convince Others & Debate Guild
- Robotics and Cybernetics
- The Secret Society of Britechester
Other Guides to Discover University:
New Lot Traits: Study Spot and University Student Hang Out
New: Discover University FAQ: Gameplay Features
New Video The Sims 4 Discover University Gameplay Tips Video
More videos coming soon!
Realm of Magic
Disclaimer This site is not endorsed by or affiliated with Electronic Arts, or its licensors. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The Sims and The Sims 4 Logo are trademarks of Electronic Arts, Inc. Game content and materials copyright Electronic Arts Inc. and its licensors. All Rights Reserved. All original Guides on this site © Carl's Guides
CCPA Statement: You can opt out of personal data sales via ad partners by clicking, Do not sell my data.
Comments (19)
Thank you very much!
I’m glad there are now ladders
Me too! Makes building smaller/tiny homes much easier.
I'm really excited about the new random moodlets during off the grid activities. They seem to be less predictable which I like. For example, once my Sim got a stronger happy buff from eating a fruit, but next time it didn't satisfy hunger and instead made her bladder need drop quickly. Same with using off the grid options on bathroom objects: Sometimes you get an inspired moodlet instead of an uncomfortable or tense one.
Another thing I noticed: Beds can now be upgraded with the handiness skill in order to be able to give massages or set how hard you want the mattress to be (does that impact moods, too? I hope it does, as in real life).
Something
The bed upgrade thing has been in the game for a while, it didn't get added with this patch. I'd say it's been there for a month or two but I'm not sure I noticed it right away myself either.
Added in the Tiny Living patch. I thought it was just for making Murphy beds non-lethal, but then my sim got focused and upgraded her normal bed on her own.
Upgrading beds came with Tiny Living--with the murphy beds ALWAYS breaking, you can upgrade them to break less often, and they added being able to upgrade any bed to make it more comfortable to the base game.
Hello. Do you know what the current bill schedule is? It used to be Monday morning. I was waiting for it to drop, but it didn't. All I could see was the bill information and it wouldn't let my sim pay for anything.
Thanks!
Still Monday morning, I've gotten my bills twice now.
I'm just mad they got rid of the unbreakable toilet. Seriously, it was cheap, it was unbreakable, and it saved time! I wasn't fixing the stupid toilet every 20 minutes because 3 sims use the bathroom in a row
I've gotten my bills twice now, and they're broken down the way they should be, but when I click to pay them, it's $1. The statement shows 300 taxes, 30 electricity, 6 water, subtotal 336. Credits, 168 (I'm in a tiny home). Total due, 168. But when I pay it, it's only 1 Simolean.
my bills are usually around $2500 but it will only let me pay $1
that's happening to me too! i've tried multiple households but its still 1$
The Send Home button! Yay! Not unusual to get a visitor knocking at 10pm, come on in, I needed Social anyway. But I also need to turn in at 12, so I can get up for work... and this townie rattles around awkwardly for 2 or 3 more hours... in my micro tiny home...
There are several new off the grid recipes that can be cooked on a stove or grilled. Also, the campfire doesn't cause the lot to catch on fire as easily anymore, it seems to depend on the ground it's been placed on. In fact, that's a nice fix since the campfire was almost unusable due to fires breaking out frequently and my Sims being unable to extinguish them because of a bug preventing them from getting there.
Repoman? I ain't a simmer no more
Hey it is so cool
I know you are mainly guiding for pc.. But if you could sometimes post the console mappings too. Like alt on pc is what on console? Could being the key word.. Your guides are great. Also... Now since the update on console when a sim cleans a cat tray or lifts trash out of a bin. They get the fitness skill. So that's new.
I've been ppl laying Sims since S1 (still have all my packages from S1'S2'S3 and now 4.) Love Sims, just one question....when will we see cars, spiral stairs more dating options?
Who knows! Maybe never in TS4. There's a thread on the Official Forums if you want to post your ideas there, people have been asking for those things since before launch in 2014. Sims 4 Idea Thread
I'm trying to figure out the new town markers.
Do you mean the new Eco Footprints? Or perhaps the Neighborhood Action plans? Either way we have a guide for both:
Guide to NAP's
Guide to Eco Footprints
Did any changes happen to spell-casters? My teenage sim with a strong bloodline was unable to practice..
Not sure, I couldn't find any new bug reports on this issue. Maybe it is an outdated mod? If it continues to happen in a new game with no cc and no mods then definitely make a bug report Official Bug Forum
I'm not sure if this is a bug but I've noticed the money trash can (I don't remember it's exact name) no longer gives any money when my sims throw anything away. I tried looking at several forums but no one else seems to be talking about this so I'm not sure if it's just me. This has been since the June update. I've also reached out to the EA forums but I figured I'd post something here as well.
I have this in my game too, so yes, must be another bug.
My child sims aren’t learning logic anymore even when level 10 in the mental skill is this a bug or a feature from this update , I play on console.
There is a Bug Report on this issue.
This patch broke my game! Now my pets randomly just flat out dissapear and my furniture vanishes before my eyes. My roommate randomly said my house didn't have what he needed and he moved out. My sim forgets how to function and just stands there or wont eat. The laundry doesnt work anymore either. I dont use mods or anything and I have every expansion/stuff pack. I love the eco expansion but its hard to place with all these damn glitches. Any idea when they'll patch it?
No sadly but you can go and add a 'Me Too' on the bug reports Here.
Additional info : carpet has high water resistance so I think any puddles will gone fast compare to regular floor.
And there is a bug too when we want to potty train toddler then they just done nothing like they used to be so the toddler will learn how to potty by them self like toddler with independence trait and also when in any mode beside live mode there would be a delay for the background sound after eco lifestyle pack's background sound has been played. That's the bug that I know so far.
Why are the neighborhood sims wearing paper bags on there heads?