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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 17th Sep 2020 at 7:22 AM
Is The Sims 4™ Star Wars™: Journey to Batuu™ worth it? My experience with the pack.
The quick answer is of course, NO. All of the outrage that you are seeing about this pack is not just people hopping onto some bandwagon, the pack is really that bad.

So, why did I get this pack?
I noticed a lot of the reviews of the pack are either by EA's Game Changers™, or by reviewers who don't play Sims games. So I set out to make an unbiased review of JTB. I then realised that would be impossible, as the only people free from bias are babies, and babies lack the mental capacity to play video games, even ones as dumbed-down as The Sims 4.
So, enjoy this biased review of JTB, although it's not a full review yet, as I could only get through 10 missions before I had enough.



So, lets get the more well known issues about this pack out of the way.
- Batuu is made of 3 districts and 0 lots (Well more like 3 uneditable lots).
- The new aliens are not life states.
- The only the only outcome of "Changing Batuu" is banners of your faction are put up around the districts.
- If you don't know anything about Star Wars, the pack is difficult to navigate.
- The pack costs more than a standard game pack in some countries.
- There are no new skills or careers.
- It's a giant advertisement for Galaxy's Edge that you need to pay for.
- Occult powers do not work in Batuu.
Wow, that's quite a lot! Now let's see what I think of the gameplay and world.


To get to Batuu, you simply take a vacation from your phone, you select Batuu from the list of destinations, and you arrive.
Once you are there, you are stripped of powers, money, clothing and inventory. Yes, you can only wear items from the new pack. You are given a little tutorial mission telling you about the dwelling, which is a rabbit hole you can fill your needs at, and the mission tells you to ask citizens about the different factions.

FACTIONS
There are three factions, The Resistance, The First Order and the Scoundrels. As you might expect, the factions are quite boring, The First Order are the villains that do evil things, and The Resistance are the Good Guys that do good things. The factions in the pack rival Fallout 3's factions for having no moral complexity. Once you choose a faction you do missions. This is the only gameplay in the pack.


MISSIONS

The missions in Batuu are like opportunities in The Sims 3 or quests in World Adventures. The only difference is the missions are extremely boring.
Have a look at the ten missions I did, and what they involved.

Quest 1: Play Sabaac
Quest 2: Talk to someone, enter rabbithole, loading screen, interact with control panel, enter rabbithole, loading screen, talk to Someone.
Quest 3: Talk to people SIX times.
Quest 4: Interact with crates 3 times, Talk to people 4 times
Quest 5: Interact with crates 3 times, talk to someone
Quest 6: Interact with control panel, talk to someone
Quest 7: Talk to people 3 times, use spaceship, talk to people
Quest 8: Use Spaceship, talk to someone.
Quest 9: Talk to people 3 times.
Quest 10: Talk to people 3 times, interact with control panels 3 times, talk to someone.

The main things you will be doing on quests are: talking to people, opening crates, interacting with control panels and using spaceships.


CRATES, CONTROL PANELS, AND SPACESHIPS
Crates contain goodies that are totally not useless, and be opened by hacking. If you manage to fail hacking, you have to wait one sim hour before you can try again.
Control panels can be hacked with dataspikes. Hacking them is about the same as activating temple traps from Jungle Adventures, there are three options and only one of them will hack the panel, choose one at random or analyse the panel for it to tell you the correct answer.
And finally spaceships. They are the same as the rockets in the basegame. You enter the ship, the ship takes off, and you get a chance card telling you something cool is happening.

So, the missions are not interesting. What about the cool gadgets you can buy, like lightsabres and droids? In my next post I will go into detail about those and the new world.
Screenshots

BagelTheDog, Village Idiot.

"What a fool you are, I'm a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence! How could you be so naive?" - Dagoth Ur.
"AAAAHHH... I'm burning in hell, the demons are poking me with their pitchforks! Help me!" - Margaret Thatcher (hopefully).
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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#2 Old 17th Sep 2020 at 7:59 AM
THE WORLD


Batuu looks and sounds cool. This is par for the course with worlds in The Sims 4, the problem is that it's not very customisable. The 3 lots are not editable without using bb.enablefreebuild, and when editing them, if you remove any special objects, you won't be able to complete some missions.
The rest of the places are rabbitholes where you can buy food, lightsabres, droids and other junk. You purchase these with credits, which are the currency of Batuu. Credits are earned by doing missions. This makes missions even less desirable to complete, as credits can only be used to buy useless crap, and cannot be converted into simoleans.


DROIDS AND OTHER JUNK
Droids can be bought at the droid store for 1000 credits and 10 scrap metal. You can choose between an R-Series droid (think R2-D2), or a B-Series droid (like the one from the new movies). There's a small amount of customisation, like choosing a paint job or head style.
What can droids do? Well that depends on whether your sim is in Batuu or not. If they are, droids can zap sims, hack crates and control panels, follow you around, play music and be chatted to. If they are not in Batuu, somehow droids turn into static furniture objects that can only be chatted to, or play music. Your sim can also drive it around like some expensive RC car.

What about the other items?
Well, you can buy artifacts, and cool gadgets, but don't get too excited, most of them are only decorative.
Have a look at the items my sim got from completing 10 missions:
A kyber crystal, a comlink, 4 thermal detonators, a blaster rifle, a fake ID, and 5 dataspikes.
Out of all of those items, only the kyber crystal and dataspikes have a use.

The only use of most of the items is collecting virtual dust in your sims' storeroom along with other useless garbage from other packs.


LIGHTSABRES
Once you obtain or buy a kyber crystal and lightsabre hilt, you can assemble a lighsabre! A dangerous weapon of destruction, that takes years to master and can only be used by jedi and sith, can now be bought by any homeless crack addict that shows up to Batuu!

Training with a lighsabre increase fitness skill.
You can duel with any sim with a lightsabre in their inventory. This is basically all lightsabres can do, they look cool but are pretty useless. Also kids can use them.
Screenshots

BagelTheDog, Village Idiot.

"What a fool you are, I'm a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence! How could you be so naive?" - Dagoth Ur.
"AAAAHHH... I'm burning in hell, the demons are poking me with their pitchforks! Help me!" - Margaret Thatcher (hopefully).
Scholar
#3 Old 17th Sep 2020 at 8:45 AM
It's really a world with restrictions, anything that doesn't feel Star warsy has been removed, if it's chat interactions, occult powers (although some have been reported to work), inventories, has been removed, etc

I would say the most fun part of this, is thinking outside the box, to see what slipped though.
Smeg Head
#4 Old 17th Sep 2020 at 10:02 AM
"A dangerous weapon of destruction, that takes years to master and can only be used by jedi and sith, can now be bought by any homeless crack addict that shows up to Batuu!"



I want to be happy for those folks who can buy this pack and go to town with their imaginations using the objects for some unique, even impressively different builds. Because if this pack ever miraculously found its way onto my computer in my lifetime, that's about all I would attempt to do with it. Unique, futuristic builds while trying to look as least Star Wars as possible.

But for gameplay, - if that's even the correct terminology to use for this farce without it doing further injustice to what is already a lackluster iteration - your report is in tandem with every other review out there. The pack sucks. Every other report except LGR's. He couldn't even be bothered finishing it to make a final review. (Sad days.) So then, if at all possible, could you just add a tad bit more information about how many new chairs are in this pack.

"Become a government informer. Betray your family and friends. Fabulous prizes to be won!" Red Dwarf - Back to Reality.

Find all my TS4 mods and lots here: Main Website - simsasylum.com My Section - coolspear's Mods & Lots
Instructor
#5 Old 17th Sep 2020 at 1:00 PM
I think your review is great, but I think the fact that you managed to sneak a picture of Todd Howard in is absolutely hilarious.

A fool and his money are soon parted. ~ Thomas Tusser
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#6 Old 17th Sep 2020 at 1:10 PM
Quote: Originally posted by coolspear1
So then, if at all possible, could you just add a tad bit more information about how many new chairs are in this pack.

There will be chairs coming, along with build buy and CAS review. I even built a LGR Shrine when checking out the build items.

But for now, here are some oddities and bugs from the pack.
There are of course the usual simulation lag and sims getting stuck. The game also seems to be really struggling from all 35 packs installed with random lag around Batuu.


When I came back from Batuu I noticed that almost all of my bits and pieces missing. This wouldn't have been too infuriating, but I had recycled basically all of my household inventory that I had accumulated over FIVE generations. Literal tens of thousands of recycled material gone.


This is one of my non-controlled sims (different household) who somehow turned up at Batuu. Yes, the game thought sending Stephan Stephanovitch to Batuu in his normal clothes to chat with Kylo was a good idea.

Kylo Ren got mad at my sim, but instead of him referring to the sim he was talking to, the notification had my cat's picture and name.
I mean how could you be angry at Aladdin, just look at him!


Quote: Originally posted by Chax
Thank you for your review, very interesting. I'm in love with your lil storage room.

Questions :
- If you are stripped from your clothes, does that mean you arrive in Batuu in your underwear ? Or you automatically arrive with new clothes from Batuu ?
- If you choose the "bad side" (the Empire), does your sim reputation go down ? Does choosing a side have any actual effect on your sim ?
- Funny how kids are always forgotten when it comes to new activities but they can use sabers from this pack lol. Are the fights "deadly" or "hurtful" at all for the ones who lose them (is it like a fight ?) or is it just a bit of banter ?

Thanks !

My storage room also has at least one item from each pack, it's like one of those Where's Wally books, see if you can find them all.
As for your questions, You get a set of generic Batuu clothes.
Choosing a side does have an effect, mainly if you enter the opposite sides camp, you will be force choked by Kylo or memory wiped by Rey. My sim's reputation plummeted from Pristine to Neutral as I did First Order quests.
The sabre fights are not deadly, sims can defeat each other, but the loser gets spared. Kids can only practise and cannot duel.

Quote: Originally posted by Dixieland
I think your review is great, but I think the fact that you managed to sneak a picture of Todd Howard in is absolutely hilarious.

Thanks, My save has a church of Todd Howard, sort of like a cult. I like to hang paintings of Todd in homes like pictures of Jesus.

Screenshots

BagelTheDog, Village Idiot.

"What a fool you are, I'm a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence! How could you be so naive?" - Dagoth Ur.
"AAAAHHH... I'm burning in hell, the demons are poking me with their pitchforks! Help me!" - Margaret Thatcher (hopefully).
Mad Poster
#7 Old 17th Sep 2020 at 4:43 PM
Honestly it needs a texture mod to change the skylines into Disney World, just to reduce the suspension of disbelief required.

Second mod needed is something to add some actual Jedi/Sith gameplay, since they missed out on an opportunity to add a new Force user occult.
Top Secret Researcher
#8 Old 17th Sep 2020 at 5:13 PM
So, I can't slash sims arms off with a light-saber?

Sims are better than us.
Mad Poster
#9 Old 17th Sep 2020 at 7:49 PM Last edited by SneakyWingPhoenix : 25th Sep 2020 at 2:33 AM.
This is one strange Werewolves/Farming Game pack that's for sure, if I'm gonna be honest.

P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
One Minute Ninja'd
#10 Old 18th Sep 2020 at 1:59 PM
To think, they could have taken all that licensing money they had to pay for the IP of Star Wars stuff, and instead created an entire pack with nothing more in it than a comprehensive set of patches and corrections to apply to all aspects of every EP/GP/SP released. I would probably even pay for that pack just to be done with almost every last glitch in one swoop.

Oh, I'm sure they would include at least 4 new chairs with the pack too. I mean, it's a pack, there must be chairs.
Instructor
#11 Old 18th Sep 2020 at 5:51 PM
They could have easily made this a stand-alone because it seems like its a stand-alone within the game. You aren't supposed to bring any aspect of the actual game to Batuu so why did they even make it a pack to add to the main game? More people would have liked the idea if it were like the sims 2 stories or the sims 3 medieval. It just seems bizarre to me. There is no inclusivity with the main game, with the exceptions of maybe a glitch that brings random townies to Batuu and bringing the droid back home (But it loses its abilities and basically becomes a moving Lind-Z*) and the actual build/buy/CAS stuff.

*The equivalent to Alexa in the game(If you didn't already know lol)
Lab Assistant
#12 Old 18th Sep 2020 at 10:22 PM
I literally bought it just so I can build. That is all. I wanted to build with it.
One Minute Ninja'd
#13 Old 19th Sep 2020 at 12:44 AM
Quote: Originally posted by GothicGyrl
I literally bought it just so I can build. That is all. I wanted to build with it.


It's funny. I ran across a story in extratime.media suggesting (without a ton of real support to the idea) of an EP for a town that you could build yourself. Not quite CAW, but a town you can lay out with far more control than say an empty world like Newcrest. But with building shells to dress the place up (without using an actual lot) and neighborhood editing tools could just be the kind of pack to stimulate interest, especially among builders. Ideas floated included new venues, controllable sim access (maybe keep the place unique instead of running into Judith Ward all over the place, like she would in real life go off to San Salvadora (whatever) to explore the jungle. Even an idea for a local political career as mayor to help build the community (kinda like NAPs in Eco Life) is intriguing. A general pack that could satisfy so many different player types in one EP for a change.

As it's pure speculation, based on tea leave reading, a crystal ball, and Tarot cards, I have no faith it will ever amount to something real. Why would EA ever put out an appealing EP when plenty of folks, despite the griping, have bought so many mediocre packs to date?

It could be really cool if it ever happened.
Mad Poster
#14 Old 19th Sep 2020 at 1:55 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Mspigglypooh
They could have easily made this a stand-alone because it seems like its a stand-alone within the game. You aren't supposed to bring any aspect of the actual game to Batuu so why did they even make it a pack to add to the main game? More people would have liked the idea if it were like the sims 2 stories or the sims 3 medieval. It just seems bizarre to me. There is no inclusivity with the main game, with the exceptions of maybe a glitch that brings random townies to Batuu and bringing the droid back home (But it loses its abilities and basically becomes a moving Lind-Z*) and the actual build/buy/CAS stuff.

*The equivalent to Alexa in the game(If you didn't already know lol)

The whole base game should have been the stand-alone, because it's not objectively an improvement but I digress Even If this game pack was a standalone... I really don't see how it would been practical from financial standpoint. It would be flopped, but I may be wrong here Even in the minds of people who are really fans of TS4, they wouldn't buy the standalone for a good reason.

What would the game consist of it? Assuming the 40$ includes the core component of a rehash base game (lolz I'm skeptical they would manage to not screw up and not forget/bother to even include mundane-simulation-content) plus, with the addition of like what.... a destination world? None of the previous spin-offs did it, so let alone why TS4 would receive such treatment? If the worst thing that I said happens, just imagine how really lackluster it would feel ifthe game ONLY centered around Baatu gameplay and you couldn't like do the things and return that available in normal worlds?. Previous spin-off I believe cost the same price as the main game that share the same engine. And we all know EA is not gonna leave it without the $40 because, well - it's a standalone.

P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
Instructor
#15 Old 19th Sep 2020 at 2:33 PM
Quote: Originally posted by SneakyWingPhoenix
The whole base game should have been the stand-alone, because it's not objectively an improvement but I digress Even If this game pack was a standalone... I really don't see how it would been practical from financial standpoint. It would be flopped, but I may be wrong here Even in the minds of people who are really fans of TS4, they wouldn't buy the standalone for a good reason.

What would the game consist of it? Assuming the 40$ includes the core component of a rehash base game (lolz I'm skeptical they would manage to not screw up and not forget/bother to even include mundane-simulation-content) plus, with the addition of like what.... a destination world? None of the previous spin-offs did it, so let alone why TS4 would receive such treatment? If the worst thing that I said happens, just imagine how really lackluster it would feel ifthe game ONLY centered around Baatu gameplay and you couldn't like do the things and return that available in normal worlds?. Previous spin-off I believe cost the same price as the main game that share the same engine. And we all know EA is not gonna leave it without the $40 because, well - it's a standalone.


Sid Meiers' Sim Golf, 2002, was a standalone Sims golf game which did very well. I'd love to play that again. It cost £38.74 then on Amazon! Prices of games have really gone down in relative pricing haven't they? That would equate to about £65 now in the uk.
Field Researcher
#16 Old 19th Sep 2020 at 3:26 PM
This review really hurt me. Not because it was a bad review (pretty good, actually) but because it adds to the depression I already feel about The Sims.
I had gave up on continuing with The Sims after getting the great disappointment called Eco Life, and thus flipped the bird to "Journey To Battu" even before it was made available (which made me sad due to my love for "Star Wars"). I have loved The Sims ever since the beginning - which seems like hundreds of years ago. And it simply hurts so much to see the direction The Sims has gone -- and I am not talking about a galaxy far, far away.
Instructor
#17 Old 19th Sep 2020 at 3:45 PM
Quote: Originally posted by dikosay
This review really hurt me. Not because it was a bad review (pretty good, actually) but because it adds to the depression I already feel about The Sims.
I had gave up on continuing with The Sims after getting the great disappointment called Eco Life, and thus flipped the bird to "Journey To Battu" even before it was made available (which made me sad due to my love for "Star Wars"). I have loved The Sims ever since the beginning - which seems like hundreds of years ago. And it simply hurts so much to see the direction The Sims has gone -- and I am not talking about a galaxy far, far away.


Eco Lifestyle definitely needs some patching and the person who came up with 'Sharing is Caring' as a startup NAP should get the sack in my (personal) opinion. Stealing the tables and chairs in the bar three times in a row and fights breaking out every minute when my Sim just wants a meal and a drink is beyond the pale.

I'm quite enjoying Batuu though but taking it slowly works for me. Lots of visits home.

I think the game engine is getting overloaded so the end is probably quite near anyway.
Scholar
#18 Old 19th Sep 2020 at 3:55 PM
So far play over 9-sim days of nothing but a Batuu, and of course some later missions are impossible to complete due to possibly of bugs or just rotten luck, only way out is a useful button, Quit Mission meaning those bugs will never be fixed.

Work performance and School suffer the longer you stay.
Most objects that clog up your inventory as so call rewards are completely useless.
Loading screens are everywhere when you do missions, then like the Resistance the spawn point is very far away from anywhere you need to go.
If you decide not to any missions there is really almost nothing to do there.

But other than some good, it's great tool for Star Wars sims movie makers, but gameplay alone is frustrating boring, and now left disappointed I've run out of ideas how to get them past Ranks 2 + 3
Instructor
#19 Old 19th Sep 2020 at 6:11 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Citysim
So far play over 9-sim days of nothing but a Batuu, and of course some later missions are impossible to complete due to possibly of bugs or just rotten luck, only way out is a useful button, Quit Mission meaning those bugs will never be fixed.

Work performance and School suffer the longer you stay.
Most objects that clog up your inventory as so call rewards are completely useless.
Loading screens are everywhere when you do missions, then like the Resistance the spawn point is very far away from anywhere you need to go.
If you decide not to any missions there is really almost nothing to do there.

But other than some good, it's great tool for Star Wars sims movie makers, but gameplay alone is frustrating boring, and now left disappointed I've run out of ideas how to get them past Ranks 2 + 3


Someday, someone will provide a complete walkthrough. They did for all the adventures in Sims 3 World Adventures..... and I did need them!
Inventor
#20 Old 19th Sep 2020 at 6:47 PM
They really wasted an opportunity to recycle the vampire perk system and make Jedi/Sith a new "occult." I just feel they spent most of their budget on aesthetics and gameplay was truly an afterthought, even more so than in other packs.
Mad Poster
#21 Old 19th Sep 2020 at 6:59 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Naus Allien
They really wasted an opportunity to recycle the vampire perk system and make Jedi/Sith a new "occult." I just feel they spent most of their budget on aesthetics and gameplay was truly an afterthought, even more so than in other packs.


Feel like this is an increasing issue with recent packs of late.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#22 Old 20th Sep 2020 at 7:10 AM
CHAIRS
I promised you an LGR chair shrine, so here it is:


There are 3 new chairs in this pack with 5 extra seating objects.

This brings the total amount of chairs in the game to 96. There are now 421 seating objects.

Screenshots

BagelTheDog, Village Idiot.

"What a fool you are, I'm a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence! How could you be so naive?" - Dagoth Ur.
"AAAAHHH... I'm burning in hell, the demons are poking me with their pitchforks! Help me!" - Margaret Thatcher (hopefully).
Scholar
#23 Old 20th Sep 2020 at 8:41 AM
Did you include the Rocking Chairs, I can't see them here..

Beds can also be used as seating objects too, and don't forget the swing from seasons and IL, and you can sit in the Spa and Sauna too..
Smeg Head
#24 Old 20th Sep 2020 at 9:00 AM
But what about the edges of swimming pools and toilets? They'll use them as seating in a pinch. Quite literally for toilets, off to "pinch a loaf." But for the sake of decency, not "dropping the kids off at the pool" when sitting by the pool! Where do people make up these analogies for using the loo for a poo?

That big water fountain from the Romance stuff pack could have been central to your LGR shrine. Pretty sure that is also found in seating/misc in build mode!

Though all mentioned above probably do not fully fit the true definition of seating. The bench test for me - if you'll pardon the pun - is will they sit on it to watch TV? Don't know about poolside sitting or fountains. but I know they won't sit on a crapper to watch TV. Damn shame, could have had some real interesting TV locations on a lot. (I suppose a mod could be made to make that available, if I could be truly bothered.) However, more disturbingly, is that in default they will randomly sit on a crapper to eat their dinner. Mods to the rescue on that one, for sure.

LGR given up reviewing TS4, it no longer sits well with him. Oh, the irony...

"Become a government informer. Betray your family and friends. Fabulous prizes to be won!" Red Dwarf - Back to Reality.

Find all my TS4 mods and lots here: Main Website - simsasylum.com My Section - coolspear's Mods & Lots
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#25 Old 20th Sep 2020 at 9:47 AM


447 seating objects in total it is then.
Screenshots

BagelTheDog, Village Idiot.

"What a fool you are, I'm a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence! How could you be so naive?" - Dagoth Ur.
"AAAAHHH... I'm burning in hell, the demons are poking me with their pitchforks! Help me!" - Margaret Thatcher (hopefully).
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