Without a doubt, the best expansion pack for the Sims 4 to date. I am absolutely blown away by all the things it has and the depth of all these features. (I never imagined such interesting and unique mechanics for beekeeping! AMAZING! OR THAT FANTASTIC NEW RADIO STATION WITH OLD-SCHOOL SONGS!) And sure there are some negatives such as the lack of snow depth, but the SimGurus on Twitter were right, all the amazing things in this pack GREATLY overshadow the negatives.
Honestly this pack tops Vampires as my favorite Sims 4 pack. Bravo to the Sims team, they have crafted something truly amazing.
Here is A LOT of info I gathered while watching the stream, not absolutely everything but mostly everything. (It was really difficult to pay attention to the stream and type these things out at the same time) Also potential grammar mistakes, sorry.
If you missed the 3-hour stream, you can rewatch it here:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/273603429
CAS
- The Sims 4 officially has the most outfit categories with the Hot Weather and Cold Weather outfit
categories coming for everyone with the upcoming pre-Seasons patch, not exclusive to the expansion.
- Removing the filters off those categories and wearing say bikini for cold weather will still work and protect you against cold weather. The new categories are fully compatible with CC.
- 7 tops, 6 bottoms, 5 shoes, 21 Fullbodies, 9+6 accessories, ? hats, 6 hairstyles (Female T/YA/A/E)
- 9 tops, 6 bottoms, ? shoes, 10 Fullbodies, ?+3 accessories, 7 hats, 3 hairstyles (Male T/YA/A/E)
- 6 tops, 0 bottoms, 3 shoes, 12 Fullbodies, ?+? accessories, 3 hats, 2 hairstyles (Female Kids)
- 6 tops, ? bottoms, 2 shoes, 9 Fullbodies, ?+? accessories, 3 hats, 2 hairstyles (Male Kids)
- 1 tops, 0 bottoms, 3 shoes, 9 Fullbodies, ?+? accessories, 3 hats, 1 hairstyles (Female Toddlers)
- 1 tops, ? bottoms, ? shoes, 8 Fullbodies, ?+? accessories, ? hats, 1 hairstyles (Male Toddlers)
- They tried to add CAS items for every signature holiday. (example: Dress with hearts for Love Day)
- Swimwear category for Toddlers is coming with the pre-Seasons patch for everyone.
- New traits, but all of them are reward traits.
Seasons and Weather
- Sunset and Sunrise times depend on the season.
- During Fall, giant leaf piles will generate in the worldspace and on your lot under trees. You can burn them, WooHoo in them or play in them. Standard stuff.
- If there is a storm, your umbrella with invert and break instantly. After a while it will auto-repair itself, this was done so you don't have to go and get a new one each time it breaks. (an annoyance in TS3: Seasons)
- Power will not shut down during storms, they wanted thunderstorms to not be too debilitating.
- Weather sound effects like rain and thunder will be slightly muted if your camera is indoors, simulating sound in real life. Props to the audio team.
- Seasons options: Seasons length (7 days, 14 days, 28 days), Rain options (Rain and Thunderstorms, Rain, None), Snow options (Snow and Blizzards, Snow, None), Enable/Disable negative weather effects like freezing or overheating.
- Getting hit by lightning causes a +40 Dazed debuff, can also kill.
- Wearing the opposite seasonal outfit during a specific weather (Hot Weather outfit during a blizzard) causes the Sim to be affected by temperature effects faster.
- You cannot lounge in a kiddie pool if it is too cold. Regular pools are unaffected.
- Different food stands will appear in the worldspace of all worlds during specific seasons. Cupcake cart (Spring), Ice Cream cart (Summer), Pumpkin Spice cart (Fall), Hot Cocoa Cart (Winter).
- Thermostat options: Off, Colder, Warmer. (Colder and Warmer interactions either save money or cost more depending on the weather)
- Toddlers and Children can build relationships with built snowmen.
- Snow piles spawn randomly on your lot or in the worldspace, and can even block doors.
- Sims can slip and fall on the ground during winter.
- 12 Umbrella designs. Most townie walk-by Sims will use a black umbrella. They automatically take out an umbrella when they go outside during rain while having an umbrella in their inventory. (You get umbrellas from an umbrella stand available in Build mode)
- Small UI under the time controls display how many days are left of the current season, current weather, current temperature and the general forecast for the day.
- Mud Puddles spawn randomly during Spring on your lot or in the worldspace. You can have a mud fight with someone, or splash in the puddle. Lowers hygiene.
- Clothing on a clothes line will not dry if it's raining, and if a Sim is wet and changes clothes it will generate a wet clothes pile. (Requires Laundry Day stuff pack)
- Weather Controller interactions - Advance Season, Change Current Season, Change Season Forecasts. (Requires Handiness upgrades to the object to unlock all interactions)
- There is a chance (based on the Handiness skill) to screw up using the weather machine and cause an undesired effect. (such as changing to the wrong season)
- Heatwaves create visual distortion effects like in TS3 and real life. Also vibrant light ray effects show up on trees.
- Weather Types: Blizzard, Clear Skies, Cloudy Skies, Cold, Heatwave, Hot, Rain, Snow, Thunderstorm, Windy.
- A bucket filled with water balloons can be bought in Build mode, and you can initiate water balloon fights through it.
- There is Friendly social interaction that allows your Sim to declare their weather preference. The declared weather type will uniquely impact your Sim.
- Different colored blooming flower field decals appear on the grass in the worldspace during Spring.
Holidays and Calendar
- You can plan social events up to two weeks in advance.
- No new social events and only one gold event can be planned per day, infinite amount of non-gold events per day.
- Premade holidays: Harvestfest, Winterfest, Love Day, New Year's Day and some that randomly pop up in the calendar. (like Rebate Day)
- Grand Meals: Grand Breakfast, Ham Dinner, Fish Dinner, Tofu-Turkey (Tofurkey) Dinner, Turkey Dinner.
- You can edit holidays even while they are currently going on.
- Holidays Maker: Icon, Name, Decoration Theme (None, Love Day, Spring, Spooky, Harvestfest, Winterfest, New Year's Eve), Day off from work/school checkbox, Traditions (min 0, max 5)
- Neighborhood lots will automatically apply the appropriate holiday decorations to buildings, fences and stuff.
- A metric shit ton of holiday decorations.
- Christmas Tree: You can decorate it in a variety of ways (garlands, ornaments, topper), and decorate it together with other Sims.
- Father Winter delivers presents, talks to snowmen and Sims can fight him for more presents.
- Craft table where you can make seasonal and holiday decorations.
Scarecrow
- Scarecrow (Patchy the Strawman): You can chat with him and build a relationship. Maxing out the relationship unlocks the Scarecrow outfit and hat and unlocks two new interactions with him. (Check Pockets for Seeds and Ask for Gardening Tips) Once the relationship is maxed, at noon he comes to life and walks around your lot, helping you garden. You can also WooHoo with him.
Scouting
- Children and Teens can both join the Scouts "career" through the phone. You get tips on how to get a badge through the scouts board, and getting new badges gives promotions in the "career".
- Badges: Arts and Crafts, Civil Responsibility, Keep Fit, Good Deeds, Scholarly Aptitude, Sociability, Young Scientist, Give Back, Outdoor Adventurer.
- The workdays/scout meeting days are on Saturday and Sunday at 3PM.
Other/Misc
- New Radio Station: Summer Strut. (features old-school songs)
- Full Song List: Steal my Sunshine by Len (1999), Hot in Herre by Nelly (2002), Cruel Summer by Bananarama (1984), Walking On Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves (1983), Schools Out by Alice Cooper (1972).
- The Ice Skating Rink/Rollerblading Rink appears in each neighborhood's worldspace during the appropriate season. It is also available in Build mode.
- Skating Skill has 5 levels.
- The rink can be customized: Set Music, Set Effects (None, Confetti, Snowflakes, Sparkles, Stars) and Set Lighting (Different shapes).
- 6 glass roof patterns. Glass roofs coming with the pre-Seasons patch for everyone.
- They pulled/copied some objects from the Spooky Day stuff pack and gave them extra color swatches so they aren't totally the same. (I don't believe it includes the Pumpkin Carving Station from that pack)
Gardening Update
- Some plants do not grow in certain seasons, but if they are inside they are considered sheltered, allowing them to grow regardless of the current season.
- Some plants grow during all seasons, some during only two seasons and some are restricted to a single season.
- New area of effect gardening interactions, such as watering multiple stuff at the same time to save time. (coming with the patch)
- Money Tree returns and will be available in the rewards store. (exclusive to Seasons expansion)
- New plants (exclusive to Seasons expansion)
- You can now sell harvestables by directly clicking on the harvestable plant, and you can also area of effect sell all harvestable plants. (coming with the patch)
- Evolution levels of plants reduced from 10 to 5. (coming with the patch)
- There is a new UI available when you mouse over the plants that shows an evolution progress bar divided into 5 parts for the levels and shows whether the plant is sheltered and during which seasons it blooms/grows. (coming with the patch)
- You can now buy seed packets directly from Build mode in addition to buy them from planter pots. (coming with the patch)
Flower Arranging
- Flower Arranging is a 10 level skill.
- You can add rare flower scents to crafted arrangements. Arrangements with a scent cause a unique effect when gifted to a Sim.
- Deathflower scent causes Sims who smell the arrangement to age up, which can kill elder Sims.
- Begonias (a new flower) apply the "Cursed" scent. Gifting one to a Sim causes that Sim to be cursed, applying a +3 Dazed debuff.
- You can give gifts to Sims at all times. Gift Types: Simoleons, Friendly Gifts, Mean Gifts and Flower Arrangement Gifts.
Beekeeping
- Mousing over the bee box shows a UI that displays the relationship bar with the bees, honey amount, activity level and grumpiness/mood.
- Bees will leave the box and actively swarm nearby flowers and pollinate them, improving how fast plants evolve and grow.
- You can Bond with Bees, improving your relationship with that bee box. A higher relationship decreases the chance of getting stung by the bees of that box and also improves the quality and amount of honey you harvest.
- Honey is used in new recipes such as Honey Cake or Honey Tea.
- You cannot die by getting stung by bees.
- You can collect a Bee Swarm from the box and command it through the inventory to do things. (The swarm does not remain in your inventory forever and will disperse in 5 hours)
- Bee Swarm Interactions: Attack a Sim, Cheer Up Self with Bees, Cheer Up a Sim, Pollinate Nearby Plants, Send to Fetch Gift and Woo a Sim.
- Bee Boxes can get infested with mites, requiring the application of a mite treatment.
- Beekeeper outfit and hat protect against being stung by bees when using the bee box. However you cannot Bond with the Bees or Collect Swarms while wearing it. (The bees think the Sim does not trust them by wearing the suit for protection)
Glass Roof types
List of Holiday traditions