The Sims 4 expands on Neighbor Tales with a new free update

Neighbor stories is a relatively new feature for The Sims 4, and it gives free will to other Sims in the world. A common fan complaint in The Sims 4A Sim’s neighbor’s base experience remains frozen over time; even as they age and die, they make no meaningful decisions or change households. The first launch of Neighborhood Stories made some changes to a small group of Sims and Maxis is expanding it with a new free update released on Tuesday.

This new update to Neighbor Stories gives Neighbor Sims the ability to make certain choices. These new life changes are now available and they extend beyond the Sim player’s circle of friends, colleagues and acquaintances. According to the news announcement, Neighbor Sims can now:

Get Young Sims into their households, from infants to toddlers.

Pregnant with their significant other, and finally the distribution. Family Sims are more likely to do this, while Non-Metallic Sims are less likely. If their Sim or SO hates Children, they will never do this.

Some Sims are replaceable adopt a dog or cat (requires The Sims 4 Cats and Dogs).

Join and leave a career. Sim characteristics greatly influence these decisions. Elder Sims can decide retire.

Household can move in and out a lot.

Died in different types of accidentsdepending on risk factors such as Age, Characteristics and Occupation.

The second addition is a new game controller that allows players to opt in, opt out, or tweak their Neighborhood Stories system. If you don’t want your neighbors to have an accident or adopt a pet, you can turn them on and off. You can also adjust the Story settings for a specific household, or turn them off entirely globally.

Neighborhood Stories interactions can be found in the mailbox, and players will see these changes in action as they go about their lives. A hated colleague might stop showing up, or an old friend might get married and adopt a child. It’s a cool addition to the life simulator and it’s good to see Maxis adding to the original platform.