Hey Simmers! Welcome to the TSR April Newsletter! We hope you are all doing well and can’t wait to share all the Sim things that happened in April! Of course, we have even more exciting things planned for May, so let’s take a look at this TSR April Newsletter!
You can find our Look of The Week Gallery HERE
TSR News
We had a lot going on this month at TSR! Content, activities, giveaways, and THREE Collections. That is a lot of Sims, so let’s start with the Collections!
Collections
We had three collections in April; Spring Florals, Grunge, and Earth Day. Spring Florals started the month off with bright lovely floral displays and patterns and then we dove into the unpolished looks of the Grunge aesthetic and finished the month with the nature-inspired Earth Day Collection.
Spring florals
The first collection in April started in March but went through until April, so I am counting it! Of course, I am talking about the Spring Florals Collection, which inspired some lovely spring CC! I am not usually a fan of bright colors, but there is just something gorgeous about colorful flowers I have always appreciated. If you missed the collection or need to download more you can find the Spring Florals Collection HERE.
Grunge
The Grunge Collection has been one of my favorite Collections thus far. I have been around TSR for a while now, so I have seen my fair share of collections and themes, and this Grunge Collection is mind-blowing. I can’t think of a favorite piece, as I’d have to pick like twenty. But if you somehow missed it or want to look again to see if you missed a download you can find this amazing Grunge Collection HERE.
Earth Day
It has become clear that the artists here at TSR can turn any holiday or theme into a beautiful celebration of CC. This Earth Day Collection is gorgeous. Lots of plants and earthy tones, and some incredible builds, a perfect celebration of Earth Day. You can find the Earth Day Collection HERE.
VIP Discord
If you are not aware we have an exclusive TSR VIP Discord. This is where you can join and chill, chat, and share with other VIPs, Artists, and Staff! If you are a VIP you should see the banners leading you to this exclusive discord.
Activities
We are working on getting more activities going for the VIP Discord. We have a few activities; a Spring remodel of an ingame house, Color Challenges, Bingo Boards, Makeover Townie Challenges, and more!
Chill, Chat, & Share
We talk about all sorts of Sim things and nonsim things; like music, books, art, you name it. This is a great place to chat with other Simmers in a moderated discord. We encourage sharing of screenshots and CC hauls but we keep everything PG-13, so all Simmers can join.
Information Resource
Discord members also get sneak peeks at what artists are working on. The discord is a great place to ask questions, learn how to create, get site information, and any information on Sims. We also post our social content here, so you are always up to date on ALL things TSR and Sims.
Socials
We have been super active on Social Media this past month, so if you would like to say hi or comment on any of the features or content you see, please do so! We are a friendly bunch!
Give Aways
We had another Annual VIP Subscription Giveaway! We will do more of these, but the next time there might be some competition! I promise it will be well worth the effort!
Artist Features
You are going to start seeing more artist features and content. We know you all love to download CC so we will help you and show you more of what you can download! This is also a great way to follow your favorite artists and keep up with all the CC they upload!
Streaming
I am still streaming when time permits and having a ton of fun with actually playing the game and challenges! Almost done with the Rags to Riches basic challenge so if you want to tune in and watch the stream you can HERE.
The Sims Community
Looking at the Simming Community and trends, there were some shifts in how Simmers played the game from March to April. Before Rags to Riches, breeding out the Vlad Challenges and other structured gameplay Challenges was super popular. Looking at previous download trends; Menswear was the top requested CC. April, Kids, Infant, and Toddler Sim CC appear more searched for.
Gameplay Trends
Let’s look at how Simmers played The Sims in April. So as I stated before there were some definite shifts from structured challenges to more of the inspirational challenges.
Building
Lot by Moniamay72
For building, I am seeing many landscaping focus builds, coastal-themed rooms, and beach house builds. This is expected as many of our followers are in the Spring season, getting closer to Summer and vacation/holiday seasons! So really this is no surprise; year after year, this time is relatively consistent with this trend.
CAS
For Create A Sim there are generally more bright colors due to Spring, which is not seasonally different year to year. I have also seen lots of fairy or whimsical CC used in images on socials which is typical this time of year. I do absolutely love it, though I may like the spookier stuff but fairy and whimsical CC I love to see too.
One area I am seeing a lot of Community interest in is Sims RP through Instagram and Community Discords. Sims RP or Role Play is where the creator pretends to manage or be that Sim in the photos and make a story, sometimes interacting as that Sim with others on the platform.
Challenges
The non-structured challenges I see in the Community are; Color Palette Challenges, Lot Shell Challenges, House Flipper Challenges, and Bingo Boards. Because of this trend, I have started to make Color Palette Challenge Cards, so feel free to use them (I only have one officially done as of now, but hoping to have another one tonight!) You can find these Color Palette Challenges HERE and my bingo boards HERE if you need inspiration or mix up a challenge.
Trending Downloads in April
Our April Trending Downloads include a variety of CC available to download for your game, from hairstyles to lots we have a bit of everything. Of course, this is just a sample of the most downloaded items in April, I always try to pick a variety, so there is a lot more!
S-Club – Wavy Hair
Orbita Bathroom by SIMcredible
Lip Liner A4 by ANGISSI
Jane Romper by PureSim
Official Sims 4 News
Our TSR April Newsletter would not be complete without including official news from The Sims. In April the Sims released a Laundry List article, a patch, and two new kits. So let’s take a look!
Urban Homage Kit & Party Essentials Kit
The two new kits released in April were the Urban Homage Kit and the Party Essentials Kit. So one CAS and one Decor Kit for the month. I reviewed these two Kits in a blog that you can find HERE. Overall I liked several pieces from each kit; the butterfly top in the Urban Homage Kit and the tiled wall in the Party Essentials Kit.
Patches & Laundry List
There was a list of twelve things on the Laundry List for April that were being investigated, you can find this list HERE. There was also an official Patch… Just skimming it over; horseback riding helps Sims lose weight, Spellcasters who are abducted now have Alien babies, and something about the economy and raising rent in the For Rent Pack. You can find the full notes on the patch HERE.
Upcoming TSR
So what does May look like here at TSR? Well… more… everything we just listed and more. More Collections, more activities, more content! May is going to be a big month for Collections and fun! The first collection is themed on a type of CC people ask for, and the second is a popular trend. But they all have amazing CC! So get your computer fans ready to take off in flight from downloading way too much CC in May!
Keep up with more Sims stuff and what I’m up to at @TSR Jezi.
If you missed the previous TSR Newsletters, you can check them out here: January Newsletter, February Newsletter, and March Newsletter.
