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Royalty & Legacy Deep Dive: Is This The Legacy Pack We Deserve? · The Plumbob Report

• 0:00
  Sal-sal, Plumbob Report listeners. Welcome back.
• 0:03
  And Okay, I need to JUST say This Right Now. I have been WAITING For This episode.
• 0:08
  Becca, Youvee been texting me IN all caps For Like three days.
• 0:13
  Because We Finally have A real Expansion Pack.
• 0:16
  The Sims 4 Royalty And Legacy drops February 12th,
• 0:19
  And Itss giving Dynasty gameplay, Scandal mechanics,
• 0:22
  And Danny, IMm NOT kidding, over 150 build-buy items.
• 0:26
  Okay, Okay, Okay. But can We talk about That price tag real quick?
• 0:29
  Because The Grand Bundle Is Like 50-plus dollars.
• 0:33
  And I have thoughts.
• 0:36
  Oh, We are Absolutely getting into That.
• 0:39
  But here's The thing. This Pack has Nine core Systems.
• 0:42
  Wow.
• 0:42
  Nine. Crests, Traditions, Succession Planning, Court Intrigue.
• 0:47
  Wait, Wait, Wait. Court Intrigue? Like are my Sims going to backstab each other?
• 0:51
  Yes, Itss peak Sims chaos, Honestly. Weree doing A full gameplay breakdown today.
• 0:56
  Soul Cell, And also, What The heck? This sounds unhinged. IMm SO here For It.
• 1:02
  SO today Weree covering First Impressions, all Nine gameplay Systems,
• 1:06
  And Because IMm A nostalgic mess, Weree comparing This to Sims 2 Genetics And Sims 3 Legacies.
• 1:12
  Youree going to cry about Sims 2 again, aren't You?
• 1:16
  Maybe A little, But Weree also giving You honest Buying recommendations based on Your Play style,
• 1:21
  launch Day warnings, And What to watch For.
• 1:24
  All Right, Letss jump IN. Becca, take us to The Pack Overview.
• 1:27
  Letss DO This.
• 1:30
  We want to hear from You. Submit questions via The web form IN The description
• 1:34
  Or give us A call at 747-677-1037 And leave Your question.
• 1:41
  Dontt Be shy. Our AI assistant makes It super easy.
• 1:46
  Soul Cell Simmers, Welcome back to The Plumbob Report.
• 1:49
  IMm Becca, And Danny, We need to talk about What JUST dropped.
• 1:53
  Daniel, I haven't stopped screaming since The announcement.
• 1:56
  Like my entire timeline Is losing It.
• 1:59
  Okay, SO For anyone who hasn't seen It yet,
• 2:01
  The Sims 4 Royalty And Legacy Expansion Pack Is officially coming February 12th.
• 2:06
  And Yes, I said Expansion Pack. Which, can We JUST, Thatss huge.
• 2:12
  This isn't A Game Pack Or A Kit. This Is A full Expansion.
• 2:16
  Right, SO That means Weree getting Dynasty Systems, Legacy gameplay mechanics,
• 2:20
  Royal court drama, And apparently A Scandal system?
• 2:25
  The team Really understood The assignment here. A Scandal system?
• 2:29
  Finally, I can live out my chaotic Royal drama fantasies.
• 2:33
  Like, Ivee been WAITING For This moment my entire Sims career.
• 2:37
  I mean, Youvee been creating chaos anyway. Now Itss JUST official.
• 2:41
  Exactly. Now Itss gameplay. But seriously, The core concept Is SO smart.
• 2:46
  Youree building A Dynasty Like Your own Royal house with Crests,
• 2:50
  mottos, traditions, And Itss all about Legacy.
• 2:53
  Which, Becca, Legacy Players have been begging For This kind Of depth For years, Right?
• 2:59
  Oh my God, Yes. Like, I need to nerd out For A second.
• 3:02
  Legacy challenges have been community-created content since The Sims 2.
• 3:06
  Wevee been making our own rules, tracking our own family trees IN spreadsheets,
• 3:11
  And Now EA Is Finally giving us actual in-game Systems For It.
• 3:14
  Thatss peak Sims, Honestly.
• 3:16
  The community Does something, EA watches, And then they make It official.
• 3:20
  I mean, to Be Fair, they're Really good at That. And IMm NOT mad about It This time.
• 3:24
  SO What makes This feel Like an Expansion versus Like A Game Pack?
• 3:31
  Because I feel Like We need to talk scope here.
• 3:33
  Okay, SO typically Expansion Packs give You A NEW world, major gameplay Systems, plural, And A ton Of content.
• 3:42
  Game Packs are more focused. One big feature with supporting stuff.
• 3:45
  Right, Right. And This has Dynasty Creation, The Scandal And Reputation mechanics,
• 3:52
  A whole Noble career path, succession planning. Thatss A lot.
• 3:57
  Plus, build-by For Royal estates, CAS items For The looks, court intrigue Systems.
• 4:03
  Like, This Is giving multi-layered gameplay energy.
• 4:06
  Wait, court intrigue Is confirmed?
• 4:08
  A trailer hinted at It.
• 4:10
  There Were Sims IN formal wear having What looked Like very tense conversations.
• 4:14
  And The official description mentions navigating court dynamics.
• 4:19
  Okay, Okay, Okay. I need That. I need my Sims to scheme.
• 5:00
  And plot And betray each other.
• 5:02
  Of course You DO.
• 5:03
  Listen, If IMm running A Royal house, There Better Be drama.
• 5:07
  Thatss literally The whole point.
• 5:09
  This Is JUST something Ivee been WAITING to talk about.
• 5:11
  The community reaction.
• 5:13
  Danny, Whatss The vibe?
• 5:15
  Oh, The vibe Is unhinged IN The best way.
• 5:18
  Like my meme account Is getting tagged Every five seconds.
• 5:21
  Reddit Is already theorizing about succession mechanics.
• 5:25
  TikTok Is planning their Royal households.
• 5:28
  I saw someone say they're recreating The entire British Monarchy.
• 5:32
  Scandals And all.
• 5:34
  That Sim Is Absolutely NOT OK, But I respect The commitment.
• 5:38
  Honestly, Same.
• 5:40
  And Gallery creators are already planning Royal estate builds.
• 5:43
  The hype Is real.
• 5:45
  But Like, IMm curious, DO You think This will live Up to expectations?
• 5:49
  Because The community has wanted This For SO long.
• 5:53
  IMm optimistic.
• 5:55
  The fact That Itss an Expansion means they've had time And budget to DO It Right.
• 5:59
  But Welll need to see The actual mechanics IN action.
• 6:02
  Fair. I JUST hope The Dynasty Systems have depth.
• 6:06
  You Know, Like, I Dontt want surface level stuff.
• 6:09
  Agreed. We need real consequences, real rewards.
• 6:12
  Systems That make each playthrough feel unique.
• 6:15
  Which, speaking Of Systems, We need to talk about How You actually Build
• 6:19
  And maintain these dynasties.
• 6:22
  Because The trailer showed Crests, traditions, all That good stuff.
• 6:25
  Yes. OK, SO Letss dive into The mechanics.
• 6:29
  How DO You create A Royal house?
• 6:30
  What are The Dynasty Features?
• 6:32
  And Danny, most importantly, How DO I cause maximum Scandal?
• 6:37
  Exactly. Letss get into It.
• 6:40
  OK, SO Wevee hyped Up The announcement.
• 6:43
  Now Letss actually nerd out about What This Pack Does.
• 6:46
  Because The feature breakdown, Danny, Itss giving main menu music energy.
• 6:52
  Sol sol. And also, please Tell me Itss NOT JUST Like fancy chairs And A crown.
• 6:58
  No, No, No. This Is way deeper.
• 7:01
  SO There are Nine major Systems.
• 7:04
  And I need to walk through The ones That actually Matter For Legacy gameplay.
• 7:09
  First Up, Dynasty Creation.
• 7:12
  Youree NOT JUST making A Royal family.
• 7:14
  Youree designing Your entire house identity.
• 7:18
  Wait, Like house identity?
• 7:22
  Yes. SO You get to create A custom Dynasty crest, pick A house motto
• 7:28
  And choose traditions That actually affect gameplay.
• 7:31
  Like one tradition might give Your Sims A confidence boost during formal events.
• 7:36
  Another could make them Better at scheming.
• 7:39
  Oh, Hold on. Hold on.
• 7:40
  Scheming Is A mechanic.
• 7:43
  Oh, It gets Better.
• 7:44
  The Scandal And Reputation system Is basically The backbone Of This Pack.
• 7:49
  Your Dynasty has A Reputation meter That fluctuates based on Your actions.
• 7:54
  You throw A successful gala.
• 7:56
  Reputation goes Up.
• 7:57
  Your heir gets caught IN A compromising situation.
• 8:00
  Scandal erupts. Reputation tanks.
• 8:04
  OK, But Like What Does Reputation DO, though?
• 8:08
  It unlocks opportunities.
• 8:10
  High Reputation means You get invitations to exclusive events,
• 8:14
  Better marriage proposals For alliance building And access to rare heralds.
• 8:19
  Low Reputation.
• 8:20
  Youree dealing with public mockery And losing political influence.
• 8:24
  Thatss actually kind Of cool.
• 8:25
  SO Itss NOT JUST decorative.
• 8:27
  NOT at all.
• 8:28
  And then Theress The Noble career path, Which, OK,
• 8:31
  I need to mention This Because Itss NOT A rabbit hole.
• 8:35
  Wait, Really? Really?
• 8:36
  Itss an active career with decision making events.
• 8:40
  Youree attending court, navigating intrigue,
• 8:43
  making choices That affect Your Dynasty standing. Wow.
• 8:46
  Theress A whole political gameplay loop here.
• 8:49
  OK, IMm I mean, Thatss actually ambitious.
• 8:52
  Does It tie into The succession system?
• 8:55
  Yes. SO succession planning Is Its own feature.
• 8:59
  You can choose different inheritance rules, promogeniture,
• 9:02
  merit based player choice And their in-game consequences.
• 9:07
  If You pick an unpopular heir, You might face internal family drama
• 9:12
  Or public backlash.
• 9:14
  The autonomy Is going to Be wild with This.
• 9:17
  Like imagine Your spare heir autonomously starts A coup.
• 9:23
  I mean, to Be Fair, Thatss.
• 10:00
  Beck Sims, Honestly. But speaking Of autonomy, There are NEW social interactions, specifically
• 10:05
  For court intrigue. Blackmail, form alliances, arrange marriages, spread rumors. Itss Like
• 10:12
  Finally, The drama Wevee been asking For.
• 10:15
  Okay, But Becca, real talk. How Does This compare to, Like, Mods That already DO Royal
• 10:22
  gameplay?
• 10:23
  Here's The thing. Mods Like Llamalordss Monarchy mod are incredible, But they're
• 10:28
  limited by What custom content can DO. This Pack has integrated Systems. The Reputation
• 10:35
  affects career progression, scandals trigger specific events, And The UI actually tracks
• 10:42
  Your Dynasty lineage with A proper family tree interface.
• 10:45
  Wait, A proper family tree? Like, Better than What We have Now?
• 10:51
  Better than What We have Now. It shows Your Dynasty branches, tracks titles And achievements,
• 10:58
  This Is The part IMm most excited about. It highlights notable ancestors with little icons
• 11:04
  For their accomplishments.
• 11:05
  Okay, Okay, Thatss solid. What about Build-By? Because If Itss JUST medieval clutter…
• 11:11
  Listen, There are over 150 items And they Really understood The assignment here. Youvee
• 11:18
  got modular throne room pieces, stately dining sets, portrait paintings That You can customize
• 11:25
  with Your Simss faces, And, Build tip Of The week, There are NEW column And archway
• 11:31
  pieces That snap together For creating Grand halls.
• 11:35
  Wait, they snap? Like, Properly?
• 11:38
  Properly. No more fighting with move objects. And The CAS Is giving Regency meets Fantasy.
• 11:45
  Youvee got formal court attire, crowns, ceremonial robes, But also everyday Noble
• 11:51
  fashion. Itss NOT all costumes.
• 11:54
  I mean, IMm cautiously hype. Like, This sounds Like they actually built Systems instead
• 11:59
  Of JUST slapping A theme on existing gameplay.
• 12:03
  Exactly. Which brings us to The big question. And, Danny, Youree gonna have opinions on
• 12:10
  This.
• 12:11
  Uh-oh.
• 12:12
  Laughing. Does This Pack actually deliver What Sims 2 And Sims 3 Legacy gameplay gave
• 12:19
  us, Or Is This something Totally different? Because I have thoughts about The nostalgia
• 12:24
  factor here.
• 12:25
  Oh, Weree doing A franchise deep dive? IMm ready.
• 12:29
  Okay, SO We need to talk about The elephant IN The room. How Does This actually compare
• 12:34
  to Legacy gameplay IN Sims 2 And Sims 3?
• 12:37
  Oh, Beccass about to get misty-eyed. I can feel It.
• 12:41
  Listen, IMm NOT crying yet, But, um, The memory system IN Sims 2 was something special, Danny.
• 12:49
  Every life event created A memory. First kiss, First woohoo, births, deaths.
• 12:55
  The drama.
• 12:57
  Exactly. And those memories shaped personality And relationships. Plus, genetics Were wild.
• 13:03
  Youdd see grandma's nose show Up three generations later.
• 13:07
  Okay, Okay, That was peak. And Sims 3 had those open-world dynasties where You could
• 13:12
  JUST… I mean, Your Legacy family owned half The town.
• 13:18
  Right, Right. SO here's The thing. Royalty And Legacy isn't trying to recreate That.
• 13:23
  Itss doing something different with The Scandal system And court intrigue We talked about earlier.
• 13:29
  But Is different actually Better?
• 13:33
  I would say Itss more structured. Like, Sims 2 was emergent storytelling. This Is guided
• 13:40
  gameplay with those traditions And succession rules.
• 13:43
  Which some people are gonna love And some people are gonna hate.
• 13:47
  Absolutely. If You wanted open-ended Legacy chaos, This might feel restrictive. But If
• 13:54
  You want A framework, Like The active Noble career And political decisions…
• 13:59
  Wait, But What about The stuff Thatss missing? No memory system Like Sims 2 had?
• 14:04
  Ah, Yeah. And No attraction system. No chemistry bolts.
• 14:09
  No story progression Like Sims 3ss autonomous world.
• 14:13
  Sol Sol And also What The heck, EA?
• 14:16
  I mean, to Be Fair, The Sims 4 engine JUST doesn't support That.
• 14:21
  Ivee talked to developers at EA Play who genuinely wish they could.
• 14:25
  But they can't Because The foundation Is different. Yeah.
• 15:00
  Yeah, I get It. Still. Stings, though.
• 15:03
  It Does. But here's Whatss innovative.
• 15:06
  That improved Family Tree UI That tracks titles And ancestor accomplishments?
• 15:11
  Thatss NEW functionality.
• 15:12
  The crest And motto system affecting gameplay?
• 15:16
  Thatss NOT JUST cosmetic.
• 15:17
  OK, But Letss talk money.
• 15:19
  Because The Grand Bundle Is What, $50-plus?
• 15:23
  Yeah, Itss The Expansion Pack at $40, Plus The Kit at $10, If You Bundle.
• 15:29
  Thatss A lot For Legacy enthusiasts,
• 15:32
  who remember when Sims 2 Generations And Memories came IN The base Game.
• 15:37
  Oof. Youree NOT wrong.
• 15:39
  IMm on both sides A little bit here.
• 15:40
  Of course You are.
• 15:42
  No, Listen.
• 15:43
  If Youree A Legacy Challenge player who's been begging For Better Dynasty tools,
• 15:48
  This Is actually substantial content.
• 15:50
  Nine Systems, 150 build-by-items, an active career?
• 15:54
  I Know. Look, I Dontt want to Be too harsh,
• 15:57
  But The pricing Is A valid concern,
• 15:59
  Especially when modders have created family gameplay Features For Free.
• 16:03
  For Free. Thatss The thing.
• 16:06
  Like, We already have Mods That add memories And Better family trees.
• 16:10
  True, But those aren't integrated with official gameplay Systems.
• 16:15
  The Scandal mechanics And court intrigue We covered?
• 16:18
  Thatss NOT something Mods can fully replicate,
• 16:20
  Because It requires NEW animations And career structures.
• 16:23
  Okay, Okay. SO, honest assessment time.
• 16:27
  Whatss actually good here?
• 16:29
  The structure.
• 16:30
  If Youree A storyteller Or Legacy player who wants A framework, This delivers.
• 16:35
  The tradition system Is genuinely innovative.
• 16:38
  And The build-by Is solid.
• 16:40
  We didn't Even mention those stained-glass windows yet.
• 16:43
  Oh my God, The windows!
• 16:45
  But Yeah, Whatss missing?
• 16:47
  The emergent chaos Of Sims 2.
• 16:50
  The autonomous world Of Sims 3.
• 16:52
  That magic.
• 16:53
  SO, Itss NOT Better than those. Itss JUST different.
• 16:58
  Yeah, And whether Thatss worth $50 depends on What You want from Legacy gameplay.
• 17:03
  Is This where You Tell me to Wait For A sale?
• 17:06
  I mean, Maybe.
• 17:08
  We should probably talk about who This Pack Is actually For, Right?
• 17:11
  Oh, Absolutely, Because NOT everyone needs court intrigue IN their life.
• 17:16
  Exactly. Letss break down The buy, Wait, Or Skip.
• 17:21
  Okay, Okay, Okay. SO, Wevee talked about Whatss IN The Pack.
• 17:25
  Now Letss talk about The actual question everyone's asking.
• 17:29
  Which Is, Danny, should I Spend my actual money on This?
• 17:32
  Exactly. And Like, IMm going to Be brutally honest here, This Pack Is NOT For everyone.
• 17:39
  Right, SO Letss break It down by player type, Because Thatss actually super important.
• 17:42
  Yeah, jumping IN. Legacy Challenge Players, Youree The target audience.
• 17:46
  Like, If You run multi-generational saves And Youree obsessed with family trees, Day one buy.
• 17:53
  Agreed. The Dynasty tracking alone Is worth It For Legacy Players.
• 17:56
  I mean, Finally having A family tree UI That actually tracks accomplishments And titles, Thatss What Wevee been begging For.
• 18:02
  Storytellers And rotational Players, Youlll probably love This too.
• 18:07
  The Noble Career Is active gameplay with decision-making events, Which gives You SO much story fuel.
• 18:13
  And builders?
• 18:14
  Idd say Wait For sale. Like, The Build items are gorgeous, Dontt get me wrong.
• 18:19
  But If Youree JUST A builder And You Dontt care about gameplay, Maybe NOT worth 50 bucks.
• 18:25
  Yeah, IMm on both sides A little bit. The Grand Bundle Is expensive, But The Build Pack has some Really stunning historical pieces.
• 18:32
  If Youree into castle builds Or period interiors, Youlll USE those objects constantly.
• 18:36
  Fair, Fair. But here's my thing, Becca. Casual Players who JUST want fun chaos, This isn't giving That energy.
• 18:44
  Absolutely. Like, If You love The emergent storytelling We talked about from Sims 2, This Is structured gameplay.
• 18:50
  Itss A different vibe entirely.
• 18:51
  Right, Right. SO my honest recommendation, If Youree casual Or on A budget, Skip Or Wait For A sale.
• 18:58
  Maybe grab JUST The Expansion If It goes on sale solo.
• 19:01
  And If Youree A Legacy player with The funds, Day one.
• 19:04
  But, And This Is important, watch For bugs at launch.
• 19:08
  Oh, Absolutely. Wevee learned This lesson before.
• 19:12
  Suel, suel, And also brace yourselves.
• 19:15
  NEW Packs Always have issues.
• 19:17
  Like, The Noble Career Is active gameplay, Which means Theress
• 20:30
  Does The Dynasty system actually work with existing saves?
• 20:34
  Because If I have to start A NEW Legacy from scratch, Thatss going to make people mad.
• 20:39
  Thatss A Really good point.
• 20:40
  I hadn't thought about That.
• 20:41
  Like, If It doesn't retroactively track Your current family trees, Thatss A problem.
• 20:46
  Right.
• 20:47
  And also, will The political events get repetitive Because active careers can feel samey after
• 20:53
  A while?
• 20:54
  Totally valid concern.
• 20:56
  IMm watching For community creativity, Honestly.
• 20:59
  Like, How are Storytellers going to USE This system?
• 21:03
  What wild challenges will people create?
• 21:05
  Oh, You Know The hundred Baby Challenge people are going to DO something unhinged with dynasties.
• 21:12
  Absolutely.
• 21:14
  Or Like rival Dynasty challenges, Royal succession drama.
• 21:18
  The community Is going to take This And run with It IN ways EA didn't Even imagine.
• 21:23
  Thatss What IMm here For.
• 21:24
  The chaos.
• 21:25
  The creativity.
• 21:27
  Same.
• 21:28
  And Honestly, Even with The pricing concerns We talked about earlier, I think Legacy Players
• 21:32
  are going to get hours Of gameplay out Of This.
• 21:35
  Yeah, Yeah.
• 21:36
  If Youree The target audience, Itss worth It.
• 21:39
  If Youree NOT, Spend Your simoleons elsewhere.
• 21:43
  SO final Verdict, Know Your Play style, Be honest about What You actually DO IN The Game,
• 21:49
  And Maybe Wait A few days For bug reports.
• 21:52
  And For The love Of The Watcher, back Up Your saves before You install.
• 21:56
  Oh my God, Yes, Always.
• 21:59
  Welll Be covering launch reactions And community creativity IN our next episode, SO stay tuned
• 22:04
  For That.
• 22:05
  Weree going to see What The community builds, What breaks, And What chaotic challenges people
• 22:10
  invent.
• 22:12
  Until then, happy simming everyone.
• 22:14
  Dog dog, And may Your dynasties Be drama-free.
• 22:18
  Or You Know, appropriately dramatic.
• 22:22
  Perfectly chaotic, As It should Be.
• 22:25
  Okay, SO Thatss our deep dive into Royalty And Legacy.
• 22:29
  Danny, IMm actually Really excited about those Dynasty Systems.
• 22:33
  Right?
• 22:34
  Like, The Scandal mechanics alone, Thatss peak Sims chaos energy.
• 22:37
  Absolutely.
• 22:38
  SO here's The thing, whether You grab This Pack on February 12th Or Wait For reviews,
• 22:43
  Welll Be covering all The community reactions next episode.
• 22:47
  And Honestly, Like, The memes are already incredible.
• 22:50
  With excitement.
• 22:51
  Soul Soul Simmers, If You enjoyed This episode, subscribe And leave us A review.
• 22:56
  It helps other fans find us.
• 22:58
  Share Your Royal household plans with us on social at Plumbob Report.
• 23:02
  And Like, Dontt forget to back Up Your saves before The Pack drops.
• 23:05
  Learn from Beccass Sims 3 Legacy trauma.
• 23:08
  Laughing, Never letting That go, are You?
• 23:11
  Never.
• 23:12
  Soul soul, everyone.
• 23:13
  Warmly, Thanks For listening.
• 23:14
  Welll catch You next time on The Plumbob Report.
• 23:16
  With energy.
• 23:18
  Build dreams, cause chaos.