I'm Having a Jungle Adventure in The Sims 4!
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Hi. It’s been awhile…
Hello! It’s been awhile since my last post. How are you? I’ve been dealing with some anxiety and depression issues. I’m sure I’m not alone in that. The current world situation has been challenging for everyone. I really hope you are doing well or at least well enough for now.
I’m currently working on a post about how to be more comfortable wearing a mask and I have ideas for other self-care posts and Disney posts. I had been procrastinating on posting because I really felt like I should write something about masks and something about Black Lives Matter before posting anything else. Unfortunately, I’m struggling with perfection paralysis. I don’t feel like in my current state I have enough energy to write these posts, so I’m not writing. I’m not posting anything because of these feelings. In fact, I’m not doing anything with my blog...I’m not posting links on social media, I’m not updating old posts...nothing. Ugh.
To help me move forward from this, I’m going to tackle some low hanging fruit. I hope to build up enough momentum to move onto other topics that require more brain power. This low hanging fruit is my comfort blogging and the topic I originally started blogging on- The Sims!
Shaking Things Up in The Sims 4
I’ve been contemplating going back to The Sims 4 for weeks now but I didn’t know what Sims I wanted to play with or what story to tell. As you know, I like doing challenges and telling stories. There are way too many options, though, and I couldn’t decide. Nothing quite inspired me. Then I watched a video on YouTube by Ultimate Sims Guides on “How to Make the Sims 4 More Exciting”: https://youtu.be/7xBLFfAbWMI She suggested playing in a way that was very different from what you normally do.
When I play The Sims, I tend to play in a very realistic, family-oriented way. My Sims spend a lot of time at home. I would take them on vacation, but there’s only two vacation options: camping and the jungles of Selvadorada and those often don’t fit with my Sims lives. I tend to purchase the DLC packs, but then not utilize them fully. And some I ignore altogether, particularly those that would give my Sims a different sort of life. I think the biggest way to shake up my Sims play is to mess around with a particular DLC pack to learn as much about it as possible.
I posted a quick poll on Twitter the other day. I listed the first four DLC packs that I thought of that I felt I hadn’t explored: Knitting (only because it’s new), Witches, Strangerville and Jungle Adventures.
Jungle Adventures won!
The results of my Twitter Poll. Jungle Adventure won with 42%!
My Jungle Adventures Checklist
I’ve done a quick search on Jungle Adventures and made a list of things I’d like to accomplish before I decide I have explored this pack enough and move on to something else. If you are a Simmer and have played the pack, please let me know if you have anything I should add to this list! Particularly any small silly details that I don’t want to miss but might not be listed in features! Here’s what I have so far:
Master the Archaeology Skill
Access all parts of the map
Learn about Selvadoridian Culture
Complete the Jungle Explorer Aspiration
Complete the Archaeology Scholar Aspiration
Befriend a skeleton
Listen to Latin Pop music
Listen to Traditional Latin
Find avocados, black beans, and the other mysterious harvestable (maybe grow these things?)
Make the new recipes
Experience the new death type
Use the new lot traits
Complete the two new collections & display them on the new display
Decorate my home using the build/buy items from this pack
Catch the three new fish
Meet David Serrano
I’ve crafted a Sim to get started exploring this pack. I spent a bit more time on him than I usually do, and I’m already quite attached.
My new Sim, David, embarking on his first adventure to the jungles of Selvadorada.
Since David was a child, he’s aspired to travel to the place where his mother was born. He fondly recalls listening to his grandfather tell him bedtime stories about the jungles of Selvadorada. David longed to be an explorer and to find those lost, uncivilized places and learn their secrets. David is a romantic at heart and loves a good story. He’s confident and has a bit of swagger- important qualities in any adventurer. He struggles with commitment. He has big dreams and he doesn’t want anyone or anything to tie him down to one place.
David recently moved to San Myshuno city with his elderly grandfather, Oscar. They took the cheapest apartment they could find so that David had money to travel to Selvadorada. He hopes to find treasure and artifacts he can sell so that he can continue his adventures. David wants to make exploration his whole life.
Another photo of David, just a bit further back. He’s not as grumpy has he looks.
Where do I go from here?
Thank you for reading! I appreciate your support.
If you’d like to help get me motivated to blog more, let me know in the comments or on Twitter which of these posts you’d like to see soon:
Sims 4 Jungle Adventures: Part 1 of David’s story
How to be Less Uncomfortable with a Mask
Planning my Next Trip to Disney (& Covid Uncertainty)
Review of Into a Dream (a new story-rich indie PC adventure game about a man suffering from depression)
Review of Among Trees (a pre-alpha survival game that is gorgeous and meditative)
Our Top 5 restaurants in Walt Disney World
How I am Dealing with Depression
Easy Ways to Improve your Physical Self Care
My New Day Zero Project List (101 things in 1001 days)
Sims 4: What I Would Like to See Added to the Game
