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Curious Question: Seasons
Cinderellimouse
Posts: 19,380 Member
Hi all! 
I see people requesting 'Seasons' all the time and it got me thinking...
'Seasons' is quite a general term. Obviously there would be weather and uh... seasons, but what else? A seasons expansion could be many things. The Sims 2 and the Sims 3 expansions had quite a different angle and feel. I'm wondering if when we ask for 'Seasons' are we asking for different things?
So my questions are:
What do you think of when you think of Seasons? (besides weather)
and
If you could make your ideal Seasons expansion, what features would it have?
I see people requesting 'Seasons' all the time and it got me thinking...
'Seasons' is quite a general term. Obviously there would be weather and uh... seasons, but what else? A seasons expansion could be many things. The Sims 2 and the Sims 3 expansions had quite a different angle and feel. I'm wondering if when we ask for 'Seasons' are we asking for different things?
So my questions are:
What do you think of when you think of Seasons? (besides weather)
and
If you could make your ideal Seasons expansion, what features would it have?
1
Comments
My imagination is unfortunately on vacation at the moment, so I can't think of anything else, but speaking of vacation, I would love to get some seasonal vacation spots too for TS4.
In CAS, it should have Alpha/Overlay clothing. (to wear layers when it's cold over outfits)
Assuming Favorites is returned before the pack Sims have a Favorite Weather and Season, My Sim's would be Sun Showers and Blizzards, my favorite Season is Summer. When My favorite Weather comes into play I feel relaxed and Excited, and when it snows so much Snow'd in my house, I love it. Especially when the power goes out, We light the fireplace get the candles, gather the blankets, and lay in the living room, I like sitting by the window and watching snow fall... that could be a good interaction with windows. "look outside", "watch snow/rain fall."
A Survival aspect
Heating/Plumbing/Power/Central Air will start to have an effect in Game play. like if the power goes, out, pipes could freeze, things start to spoil.
Pool items/interactions (draining pool, cleaning pool) if pool froze over in the winter, you can play ice hockey, ice skate, (careful of weak ice)
more sports items maybe if they're not in a Game Pack or Stuff pack. but they should be because I don't really want anything taking away from the Season/Weather animations.
As for festivals, I did't really like them.
Like if I can't alter how the celebration Goes/what happens, or rename celebrations no thank you.
My Mood:
Like it's Summer in Oasis Springs, and Winter in Windenburg
or same season but each world are experiencing different weather.
My Mood:
I hope they bring back ice skating in the winter, building snowmen and igloos, and making snow angels.
Fall/Autumn: raking leaves, contests, Halloween activities as stated above.
Summer-swim in the ocean-with a world like Sunlit Tides. Resorts to run or work at, tanning, sunbathing on the beach, building castles, and burying sims up to the head in the sand.
As Isiahzay said, progression of seasons go by with an icon for a countdown on the calendar.
If EA/Maxis really wanted to get dynamic they could have things around town change with the seasons. Lights go up downtown, the new restaurants in the upcoming gamepack incorporate holiday elements automatically.
I'd like to see a snow lodge similar to Outdoor Retreat where you can ski, iceskate, toboggan around the place. Oh, and ice-fish-new types of fish in the frozen lake.
I can see WC and OS getting tornadoes though. And hurricanes. I just don't want to see snow there.
I just can't see a winter festival in OS. It makes no sense.
If you could make your ideal Seasons expansion, what features would it have?
For me, there will be a new vacation world divide in 4 neighborhoods, representing the 4 season: with Winter, my Sims will go skiing or snowboarding, drinking hot chocolate in front of a fireplace, snowball fight, making snowmen, igloo and so one. They also might meet Santa clause. In summer they'll go swim in the ocean, searching for collectible (like shell, submarine treasure) drinking cocktails on a deck chair while hopping mosquito won't attack them. In spring they'll go searching for dandelion *yummy* and in autumn they"LL harvest pumpkin a get ready for Halloween (beware jack o lantern, he could steal your candy).
The season will also be in the other world (with weather like thunderstorm, snow, rain...) if there is too much snow, Sims can't go to school or work, and they might have to buy a radiator. In summer, they also might have to buy a ventilator and maybe tornado which could in rare case fly them away to a hidden lot where there will be rare collectibles (like flame fruit and life fruit, want them back ^^)
Even neighborhoods actually could be experiencing different weather patterns. Like it could be down pouring and thundering in one neighborhood, and on the other side of the map, it could be just cloudy/clearing up
My Mood:
Add in a Santa NPC to the Holiday Celebration Pack (we had him in TS1 and TS2, so why not?) so that he's optional, and leave Seasons (or Get Inside Before You Catch Your Death Of Cold, if it follows the "get" pattern) to the actual outdoor activities.
The basics:
* Raking leaves (and playing in leaf piles) in Autumn
* Building snowmen and snowball fights in Winter
* Gathering around the fireplace to keep warm
* Giving Sims whims to go swimming in Summer
* Umbrellas that actually work (cough cough, TS3)
How to make Seasons distinct from Seasons and Seasons (seriously, they need a new name for this EP):
* Combine it with a Vacation-type EP:
* Different resorts are open at different times of year, or have different functions at different times of year
* The beach is available year-round, but Sims are happiest coming here in Summer. Sims can go swimming, surfing, can build sandcastles and can lie down and work on their tan (and include a tanning bed for other seasons). Sims can rent a beach house, visit for the day, or stay in a resort
* The mountains open up in Winter, and Sims can ski, snowboard, do standard Winter-y things (snowball fights, snowmen), and can rent a log cabin or stay at a resort with other Sims
* In Autumn, Sims can visit a Cape Cod-like area and go on Vineyard tours, and can learn how to make their own Juice at home.
* In Spring, the Sims can go to the beach again, but this time, they can go whale-watching. And if they're really lucky, they might even see a mermaid... or a kraken!
To go with the "seaside resort town" vibe I want, I'd also like to see carnival games on the boardwalk. Rollercoasters would be nice, but honestly I'd be happy with more of "play Whack-A-Guru", "Fill the Clown's Head with Water game", "eat carnival snacks" sort of vibe, rather than a theme park.
I wanted to get a general idea of what people were expecting from a Seasons expansion. I think the three main things people want are: Weather (of course!); seasonal holidays; and seasonal activities. Then people are hoping for new worlds, like a snowy mountain, a tropical beach or a carnival. I liked @MasonGamer's point about the importance of being able to tailor the seasons for each individual hood/world. That's essential!
So people are thinking along the lines of seasons and vacations mixed together?
I'm hoping for farming features, because farming is quite dependant on the seasons. But of course, I'd like the seasonal activities too!