You may not know this but… you need mods and cc in your Sims 4 game! And I am here to tell you why! There are so many great mods and cc options out there for The Sims 4 that it is very easy to find exactly what you are wanting in your game! Of course, there are some Simmers who swear by playing with no mods, and that is their choice. But I personally cannot play without mods and CC.
Johnny tells Nancy she is Basic and needs CC (the real reason he is not in the fam anymore)
Difference Between Mods and CC
So what is the difference between a Mod and Custom Content or CC? Well, it is quite simple, a Mod changes or adds gameplay or the game framework, whereas CC adds content elements to the game. So for example; clothing, makeup, hair, furniture, flooring, and wallpaper are all examples of CC. Downloadable lighting, traits, interactive items, presets, and added actions are considered Mods.
The Outfit and Hair is CC, Pose & CAS BG would be considered a Mod
Reasons Why I use Mods and CC
There are a ton of reasons why I use Mods and CC in my Sims 4 game. Most of my reasons are to add things or change things visually. These are my top five reasons why I use Mods. I rarely play out of CAS but when I do I definitely use mods and CC to do so. For me personally, I could maybe play without mods but definitely not CC. Wait no. Not at all I need pose player and columns.
Lighting Mod, Poses, and CC (With No additional Photo Editing)
Reason #1 – The Sims 4 is an Older Game
What better way to constantly freshen up your game than adding new CC every week. Look the Sims 4 game is eight years old and sure there are loads of packs and kits, but sometimes things get a little stale. Lots of CC creators regularly publish new content! So always watch your favorite CC Artists so that you know exactly when something new is released.
Reason #2 – More Options and More Choice
So what is so great about mods and CC you might ask? Well, Sims is a life simulation game, which means you need lots of choices in your game. Sure there are tons and tons of packs for The Sims 4, but it is like the clothes or shoes in your closet… is it EVER enough. Plus multiply that by however many Sims you play or houses you decorate? Without CC and mods is there really a way to keep up? No, not at all.
Reason #3 – Gameplay Limitations
If there is something you want changed or added into your gameplay experience there is probably a mod out there for it. Simmers are a very creative bunch and you can bet if they want something bad enough… like HORSES… someone in the community will create a mod for it.
Reason #4 – Visual Limitations
For those of us Simmers that enjoy Sim modeling and screenshot editing, there are a few visual elements that make it a bit harder for in-game screenshots. But fortunately, you can replace that Create a Sim Background and even get rid of the dreaded blue lighting all with mods. If you want to get really crazy you can even go down the Reshade route and totally change how your game looks visually.
Reason #5 – Ease of Building
I will be 100% honest I have finished ONE, yes ONE build my entire life as a Simmer. So you better believe I download lots that artists create! My games are full of custom content lots that I did not build and I am not sad about it one bit. This saves me HOURS of time and frustration, as I simply cannot build well… but I still get great looking lots for my Sims this way.
Why Some Simmers Don’t Use Mods or CC
There are some Simmers that will not use mods ever, meaning they only use what is developed by EA. There are several reasons other than personal preference for this; fear of viruses and malware, computer limitations, and mod installation difficulties. Sometimes if Simmers have a bad experience with CC or mods messing up their game it is just easier not to reinstall mods and CC. This is why it is VERY important to be careful where you get your Mods and CC. You do not want broken mods or CC as it can be quite the battle to get things fixed.
I can’t go without CC
If you need help installing mods check out this blog or need help installing CC read this blog.
My Top 5 Must-have Mods
Being that I rarely EVER come out of Create A Sim (CAS) in The Sims 4, my top five mods are ALL CAS-related. Surprise… Surprise right? Hey, don’t judge this is what I like to do ;D But these are the Mods that I could not play without.
Pose + Pose Player
Pose player & Poses
For those of us who love Simstagram, Sim modeling, creating stories, or editing images Pose Player is a Vital mod. Why wait to try to take 50 different screenshots when you can freeze a Sim in the desired pose, snap the photo, and be done! Pose Player and poses save so much time and make images look so much better.
More Columns
Do you have any idea how long it would take me to scroll through my Female Sim CC with only two columns? FOREVER! Way too long for sure! These handy dandy columns by weerbesu allow for CC lovers and hoarders to actually have a shot at making a Sim in CAS in less than five hours. Don’t want five columns, it not a problem you can also download three and four as well.
Lighting
Another mod that saves so much time – Luumia’s Lighting Mod. There are several different options I typically use the ‘Render Lighting’ as well as mods to remove blue and green lights. This gives my Sims from the screenshot a good crisp look to start with. If not it is a lot more alterations on the editing side and color balancing that I would just rather not do if there is a mod for it.
Presets
I love to make my Sims as unique as possible! One of the ways I have found to do this is by using CAS preset Mods. This gives me a great variety to start with and I can mix and match creators making super unique Sims!
CAS Backgrounds
Because I never leave CAS… having a solid CAS background is VERY important to me. This allows for me to take photos easier and speeds up my overall editing process. Let’s face it cutting out Sims to transparency is not always the most fun thing to do!
My CC Recommendations
We will have to do a top list at some point in time of my CC recommendations. I am super indecisive about what pieces are my favorites. So all I am going to commit to now is by downloading creations by the lovely artists here at The Sims Resource. With me, one or two pieces are not quite enough and I never just use one creator. This is another reason why it is so hard to just choose five. Honesty it will probably be a list of twenty to fifty if I ever do make a list as in the main game I have over 70GBS of Mods and CC. (Mostly hair and clothes….)
Ok, I lied I will commit to ONE favorite CC… S-Club’s 3d Eyelashes. I use these eyelashes ALOT they are perfect for adding just the final detail to complete a Sim! The eyelashes are not super long or short, perfectly in the middle in length for everyday and glam use!
Summary
For me, it is the ability to have options that draws me to Mods and CC for the Sims 4. Sure there is over $900 worth of packs for The Sims 4… but I still need more. I have ALL the packs and I need more content. I am constantly looking for new content to improve my ability to make amazing-looking and unique Sims for photos and videos! So I am always on the lookout every day checking things out to see what I can add to my game.
Keep up with more Sims stuff and what I’m up to at @TSR Jezi
