Oh yes, that pack. I didn't buy that pack, I thought I could do without the content. I guess this is what they could have had a online shop, where people can buy what they want. They didn't want to do that, was a bit silly. Sometimes people buy more if they can pick and choose, than if they are forced to buy something they don't want. Making it compatible though might be more of a challenge.

A good solution might have been creating new objects with the same or very similar functions. While I can't think of any examples off the top of my head, I recall that EA has done this before.

They had that during TS2-TS3 Era, it was The SIms 2/3 Store.

But despite working that way at the start of TS3, it quickly became about Sets, the current Stuff Packs are pretty much the Store sets and even if you can "buy what you want" (TS3 Store is still up) you have buy then using SimPoints that is one of those currencies you have to buy so in the end you end spending the same anyway or more, for example 2400 SimPoints is €14 and the Deliciously Indulgent Bakery set on the TS3 Store containing 16 items with 2 being gameplay items and a premade lot costs 1900 Sim points, now a Stuff Pack costs €9.99 so its about the same amount of content more or less but €4 cheaper since you will end with unused SimPoints.

Also they are not going to sell directly individual items because due to charges if the item is not over 50 cents then just in transfer costs most of the price will go to then, one of the reasons of why they use those currencies is that selling then in bulk amounts offset payment costs so unless you want then to sell items for €2 its a problem, they certainly taken points from The Store in relation on how people brought things there and Sim Packs are what they learned from that.

And I dont think they are wrong on what they did, having a The Sims 4 Store would be a worst deal because as I pointed Sims 3 Store Sets cost more that Stuff Packs and even if you could just buy individual items SimPoints that have to be brought in bulk would still force you to spend at least €7 and 1000 points would only be enough to buy 2 gameplay objects, I come to see Stuff Packs for what they seem to been intended ... they replace The Sims Store Sets and so I dont have to buy then all.

I don't know whether this is really better, because Sims 3 had one advantage that 4 doesn't: all major pack code has been patched into the base game (since Generations) and so you could buy a hot tub at the Store instead of having to buy the Late Night EP; same with washing machines or rocking chairs or whatever.

https://youtu.be/wuDMxTL6DCw

Winter comparison.

I keep forgetting how impressive the snowfall animation was in The Sims 2 Seasons. It's probably easily the best, most realistic snowfall animation I have ever seen in any game I have ever played. I do like the blowing snow animation in The Sims 4, though.

And I'll just say this: Even though the lack of snow depth is a major point against The Sims 4 visually, the amount of detail put into the plants and terrain changing with the seasons really makes a HUGE difference for me versus The Sims 2 and 3. I can forgive The Sims 2 for that (being the first instance that Seasons had been tried in the series), but The Sims 3 having flowering bushes in the dead of winter is just super awkward.

In The Sims 4 winter actually looks like winter, even without snow. I did not expect this level of detail from The Sims 4 for even one second. I'm still in awe that they actually did this.



Not my screenshot, it's from the OF Seasons picture topic.

Yes. Despite the graphic style of the Sims 4, it shows an atmosphere of winter, rain, thunderstorms.

I like the rain in the Sims 2. It really sounds like real rain. And the sound of thunder is very realistic and frightening, like a real thunderstorm.

And in the Sims 3 I like what the world looks like when it's bad weather. Especially from the top.

The reason Sims 2 has such a smooth and delicate snow animation is because it is an illusion. Unlike TS3 and TS4 Seasons, the weather effects (rain, snow, hail) do not actually happen in the 3D world. The game basically plasters a gif (not actually a gif) on your screen to give you the illusion that it's raining or snowing. The screen effect slightly moves when you tilt the camera up or down, but it does not have depth and thus moving the camera around the world does nothing. Entering an indoor space will instantly remove the screen effect and exiting it will cause it to start from the beginning. This also means that you cannot actually see rain or snow falling if you have the camera indoors and looking through a window to the outside. It took me many years to realize it, so at least they did a good job at creating a believable illusion. Originally, The Sims 2 base game was going to have weather but they scrapped it due to an issue that caused the weather effects to go through roofs and ceilings. (There are a couple of videos of TS2 being shown at E3 or something, before its release date.) I guess they never managed to get that working properly for Seasons, so they just decided to go with a simple screen animation.