The ball pit is a gameplay object introduced in The Sims 4: Toddler Stuff.
The Sims 4 Toddlers Stuff is a solid DLC. The pack features some awesome hairstyles, cute clothes, and more toys. But there is one unforgivably terrible object included in the stuff pack: the ball pit. We get it. This is an extremely difficult object to make. Plenty of crafty Simmers have tried to recreate it and realized why The Sims team produced a finished product with such poor quality compared to the graphics of the rest of the game.
“We were aware that the object was flat for a reason and that’s to save up on the poly count, which would save on your performance,” The Sims Community reports.
Polygons are used in computer graphics to build 3D images. The more polygons, the more processing power it demands from your computer. A simmer who goes by WildlyMiniatureSandwich went so far as to try and recreate the object by filling the entire surface with balls, but when she was done, she had well reached the polygon limits. The original ball pit included in the game had only 1076 polygons. By the time she was done, it had 14901 polygons.
So now that we understand the predicament, we’re only left to wonder why The Sims bothered to include this object at all. Since we’ll never know, the best thing we can do now is give it a good laugh. We hope you’ll join us for some laughs, Sims team. It’s safe to say the following memes are much better than the ball pit:
If you are into mods and want a better ball pit, here you go. How do you like The Sims 4 Toddler Stuff DLC? Let us know what you think in the comments.
- LevelSkip»
Stuff Packs are add-ons to The Sims 4 base game which retail for $9.99 (USD), focus on a limited theme, and add more content to the game; generally 1 or 2 functional (animated) objects, and an assortment of hair, clothing, accessories, furniture and decorative pieces.
So far, there have been a whopping 14 Stuff Packs released for The Sims 4 (as of March 2019), and if you haven't already purchased them all, it might be hard to decide which the best ones are. This list ranks all of The Sims 4 Stuff Packs from worst to best, to help you figure out which the best ones in the series are.
Please note this article is based on the Mac/PC version of the game. Not all of the below Stuff Packs have made it to the console versions of The Sims 4, yet.
Luxury Party Stuff was the first stuff pack released for The Sims 4 and it's the worst one thus far. The pack includes very little- just 12 new objects, and 48 pieces of CAS content (hair, clothes, and makeup). The premium content is a fountain for food and a buffet table.
The idea of releasing a pack for parties isn't a bad one, but most of the content is hideous and unusable. The hairstyles are horrible and dated, the clothes are far too flashy and sparkly (and not in a good way- when was the last time you saw a guy wear sparkly shoes?!) and the objects could really only be used in a night club- not really a 'luxury party.' With the pack's name, you might expect it to even come with a new event type, but sadly there wasn't one. This is one of the most useless packs and one I rarely find myself using it in the game.
The Sims 4 My First Pet Stuff is another pack that had an okay concept, but was executed quite poorly. The pack was meant to be a sort of add-on to the Pets expansion pack, and actually required players to own the Pets Expansion Pack in order to play with all of the content. That sort of thing has never been done before in the history of The Sims, so fans were pretty outraged.
![Pit Pit](http://simscommunity.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/08-23-17_10-50-10-PM.png)
Besides making you essentially buy the Expansion Pack to play the Stuff Pack, the pack itself is just generally lacking. It's got a random mix of pet-inspired furniture and CAS objects (there's actually a rodent custom for Sims to wear) that most people will find no use for and then a small collection of pets your Sims can own: hamsters, rats, and hedgehogs.
It would've been better if it was just a 'Small Pets' pack, with the aforementioned animals, and then some others, like turtles, rabbits, snakes, and birds- all of which were missing from the Pets Expansion pack.
The Sims 4 Perfect Patio Stuff isn't really offensive in any way, but it's just not a necessary pack. The pack was released to introduce hot tubs to the game and includes a few pieces of outdoor furniture, like a bar, and a chairs.
But all of this could've been included in the another pack, or at least the theme could've been fleshed out to include more outdoor objects, besides the paltry 32 Build/Buy mode objects. The Sims team later released another Backyard Pack and in hindsight, the two could've been combined to make one better, cohesive pack.
Also, the two hot tubs (yes, just two- and there have still been no new hot tub models released since this pack) included in this pack are really clunky and ugly, and I never really bother placing them on any of my lots. What a waste.
I remember being excited when The Sims 4 Cool Kitchen Stuff was first annoucned, as I was really thrilled about the new ice cream maker, and was planning to make a functional ice cream store with it using Get to Work. The ice cream maker really is the best part of the pack- and a few cute CAS items- but the rest is pretty disappointing.
Despite the name, there's a huge lack of kitchen items included in this pack- just one set of kitchen counters, one stove, and one fridge. This would've been a great time to include more options for counters, stoves, fridges, and other kitchen appliances, like food processors, new microwaves, juice makers, and more.
At least the ice cream maker is a good addition, though. There's 30 flavours and toppings/garnishes for your Sims to try!
I was pretty excited about the idea of The Sims 4 Fitness Stuff, but this pack truly under-delivered. The premium content is a bulky rock climbing wall (see the screenshot above) and the ability to give your Sims earbuds which they can listen to music on while working out (or doing anything, except sleeping, really). There's also an assortment of work-out clothes and random modern furniture. This pack also added on the ability to Work Out using the TV; Sims can do a 'power sculpt' routine, or Zumba-inspired exercises.
This one is a bit of mixed bag- while I appreciate the workout clothes, hairstyles, and the earbuds and workout videos, I wish they had included more fitness equipment. We're severely lacking a variety of it in the Sims 4, so this pack would've been an ideal time to add things like weight lifting, exercise bike, elliptical, trampoline, jump ropes, etc.
9. The Sims 4 Romantic Garden Stuff (February 2016)
The Sims 4 Romantic Garden Stuff was released right in time for Valentine's Day. It includes a bunch of outdoor garden pieces to create a 'Victorian-inspired' garden, including benches, statues, flowers, water fountains, and a magical Wishing Well. This pack also has a nice selection of flowery and romantic clothing for both male and female Sims, and some nice hairstyles, as well.
I wasn't really thrilled when I first heard of this pack, but it's actually really great for Sim weddings. I love using the included Lost Gardens of Healing national park for outdoor weddings. The Baroque radio station is also a nice touch. Plus, the curled female hairstyle (pictured below) is one of my favourites in the game.
8. The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff (July 2016)
The Sims 4 Backyard Stuff is the second patio/backyard pack for The Sims 4, but I definitely think this one is a big improvement over Perfect Patio Stuff. This pack comes with a water slide, bird feeder, wind chimes, a portable lemonade pitcher, new CAS items (including some ombre hair, really cute braids, and my favourite sandals in the game), and a ton of new outdoor furniture.
While it feels redundant to have two packs that focus on backyards, essentially, this one is miles better than PPS. The waterslide is HUGE, but Sims have a lot of fun on it. The bird feeder is a cute touch, the new CAS objects are all quite lovely and summery, and I love the build/buy mode objects as well. In hindsight, I wish the team had've just released this pack with hot tubs instead of the two separate packs.
When The Sims 4 team patched toddlers into the game for free in January 2017, the Sims fandom was SHOOK. We were all so excited to have this missing life-stage added to the game (for free, no less), but after a few months went by, fans were asking for more content for their little ones. The Sims 4 Toddler Stuff mostly delivers on this idea- with a handful of CAS objects for toddlers, a big variety of build/buy mode objects which you can use to build a playground with, and a new 'play date' event for adults and toddlers to attend together.
I don't understand why there was such a big focus on outdoor objects for toddlers, when I think most of us really just wanted more hair and clothing options, but I have to admit that the toddler slide, ball pit, and jungle gym are super cute (especially watching adult Sims interact with toddlers as they play!) The play date event was a great touch, too. I just wish they had added a few more toddler things besides CAS objects- would've been nice to see the walker and playpen from The Sims 3 store return, at least.
6. The Sims 4 Spooky Stuff (September 2015)
Who doesn't like Halloween? The Sims 4 Spooky Stuff gives your Sims the ability to celebrate the holiday, with pumpkin carving, an assortment of costumes, the ability to throw and attend a 'Spooky Party', a 'spooky' candy bowl, and a selection of ghoulish furniture to decorate with.
This pack came out long before Seasons and its holidays were released in the game, so it was nice to have something Seasons-related before the fan-favourite EP was released. The costumes are cute and it's a lot of fun carving pumpkins and throwing Spooky Parties. I suppose if you're not a fan of Halloween, this pack can be skipped, but why skip the chance to add more fun activities for your Sims to do to your game?
Again, I'm all for anything that adds more fun activities for the Sims to do in the game, so I loved The Sims 4 Bowling Night Stuff pack. While some fans couldn't get over the fact that bowling was added previously as part of bigger expansion packs, I didn't mind much, as The Sims 4 Bowling Night Stuff gives us a really fleshed out bowling experience, with the new bowling activity, tons of retro clothing and hairstyles, and furniture you can use to build your own bowling alley with.
Bowling is a new skill that Sims can work on and as they get better, they can learn trick shots and score higher, as well as wear special bowling gloves. There's also cute bowling t-shirts that you can use for a bowling league (and make it official by making a Bowling Club with the club system in The Sims 4 Get Together Expansion Pack). There's also a new NuDisco radio station which you can play at the alley. Dim the lights for neon/moonlight bowling, and strike 10!
4. The Sims 4 Vintage Glamour Stuff (December 2016)
![Functional Functional](http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f116/cireking213/The%20Sims%204/A%20Mega%20Reboot/15%20Random/10-24-17_7-43-45nbspPM.png)
This pack might not fit everyone's game play, but it's still a good one for rich and wealthy Sims (or a nice one to pair with your celebrity Sims from Get Famous). The Sims 4 Vintage Glamour Stuff adds a big collection of vintage/1930's and 1940's fashion, Art Deco-inspired furniture and decor, a functional vanity table that your Sims can prissy up in, and the ability to hire a butler!
The butler feature was probably the most wanted addition that the pack brought, as previously there was no way to hire a butler in The Sims 4. Now you can hire help to cook meals, clean up the house, greet guests, tend to toddlers, and more. I love all the furniture and clothing in this pack, too (there's even an interactive globe bar for your Sims to get a drink from) and a new TV classics channel. This feels like one of the more cohesive packs released thus far, and I always end up using parts of it in my games.
3. The Sims 4 Movie Hangout Stuff (January 2016)
One of my favourite past-times in real life is catching a good movie- either at home or in theatres- so The Sims 4 Movie Hangout Stuff was right up my alley! This pack adds the ability to watch a choice of 10 in-game films on any TV (but the pack also includes two new big screen monitors), a functional popcorn machine with a variety of popcorn flavours, and an assortment of 'bohemian'-inspired hair, clothing, and furniture objects.
The pack was mainly designed for your Sims to set up a cinema in their backyard or homes using the projector screen/big screen TV and the poof chairs, but you can also use this stuff to create a cinema lot for your Sims to visit (check the Sims 4 Gallery for tons of cinemas!) I love the fact that your Sims can talk about the movies as well; they can declare a favourite genre, talk about the film's ending, discuss the actors, and more! The popcorn is similar to the ice cream machine in Cool Kitchen Stuff, which I also really liked. Plus, it's so much fun to watch the movies with your Sims, even if 'Lost Dog's Journey Home' always makes my Sims cry.
In April 2017, The Sims developers annouced that first the first time ever, they would allow the community to choose an idea for a stuff pack, follow along the development process, and even pick the theme and objects that would make it into the final pack. The original choices for the community-built stuff pack were 'Eco Living Stuff', 'Starter Home Stuff', 'Arcade Stuff', 'Dangerous Stuff', and 'Wedding Stuff.' In the end, Eco Living Stuff, won by fan vote, and was eventually turned into what is now The Sims 4 Laundry Day Stuff Pack.
Fans have been asking for laundry back in the game since The Sims 4 was released. This pack adds back in the ability for your Sims to dirty clothes and then clean them using a washing machine and dryer. Or, if they're 'eco friendly', they can wash them in a basin, and hang them out to dry on a clothes line. The pack also includes a large variety of country-themed build/buy mode objects and CAS items.
I'm partial to this pack for two reasons: 1) because I also missed laundry in the game; though I hate doing laundry in real life, it's a lot more fun to do it in the Sims. And 2) because the clothes and objects were ones that I personally voted on to be in the game. There's something kind of cool about seeing a render you liked the look of actually make it into the game. And the furniture is a really nice addition to the game; I love all the country objects and clothes and most of them can be used for more than just a laundry room.
1. The Sims 4 Kids Room Stuff (June 2016)
The Sims 4 Kids Room Stuff almost feels more like a Game pack than it does a Stuff Pack, due to the sheer amount of content it adds. As its title suggests, The Sims 4 Kids Room Stuff adds new stuff for the kids life-stage in the game, including 43 new build/buy mode objects, a huge assortment of clothing and hair styles, a trading card collection/game called Void Critters (kinda like The Sims' version of Pokemon), an interactive puppet theatre, a Tween Pop radio station, and a new TV station called BEtween TV.
One of the big reasons this pack is such a great addition is because prior to its release, there wasn't much for children Sims to do. It was one of the most boring life stages, because all they really did was go to school, come home and do homework, then go to bed. Having the new activities really gave me more to do with my child Sims; whether they were digging through trash cans to find Void Critter cards, trading them with friends, or putting on puppet shows.
The furniture and clothes were also much-needed and gave some fresh choices for children's bedrooms for the first time since the game was released in 2014. This pack is great for players that enjoy Legacy-style play, or just anyone looking for more things for kids to do.
What's your favourite Sims 4 Stuff Pack? Do you have a least favourite? Let me know in the comments section below!
© 2019 Brittany Brown
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