This is part 2 of our article on the Seasons Expansion Pack.

For those of you who want even more details about the gameplay, here you go!

The pattern for the seasons can be set for a particular neighborhood, so if you want to create a constant winter wonderland, or mimic the weather of California with spring, summer, summer, fall, or have a tropical island where it’s only spring and summer, it’s your choice. Not all the weather is nice – while the Sims will love jumping in puddles, there’s also the danger of lightening strikes, and I have heard that there’s also hail.

Your lots can end up with different seasons on them because of gameplay timing, but when you go to your lot, the lots around it will look correct for the season that is current to that lot. So if it’s winter, all around you will see winter, etc. In addition to changing trees, the game uses overall color of the sky and lighting to create the mood the season; spring has more of a bright green to it, fall is more orange in tone.

What the Sims are wearing will matter; the classification is simplified so as to be compatible with all the custom clothing we’ve created. For instance, swimwear and underwear are assumed to not offer much protection from the cold. There is a new category of clothing – outerwear, and the Sims will automatically change as they go in and out of their homes during cool weather. (this option can be turned off). One of the effects of this change is that a Sim can go out in the snow under-dressed and freeze and need to be revived.

With the clothing change comes an option many have been wishing for: Hairstyles can be individually customized based on the outfit the Sim is wearing – so they can have their hair up for formal occasions, wear a warm hat with their outerwear, and have bed-hair in their pajamas, and so on.

To allow your Sims more time in the great outdoors, their needs decay more slowly while they are outside. This means less bathroom runs in the middle of play. They will also get special boosts during certain seasons – friendship in the summer, skill building in the fall, family in winter, and romance in spring.

There are more features that players have been wishing for: Click on the mailbox to pay all the bills. You will also find new furniture, including a new country kitchen set with sweet accessories. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and taken out by all ages, and then further leftovers can be put back into the fridge. How nice to be able to prepare a big meal and then have the leftovers to quickly access at another time.

There are other surprises that await you in the Seasons EP, including a new breed of Sim, which you’ll find snapshots of in our gallery. I will admit when I first heard about Seasons, I was not sure how much “weather” would have to offer. Everyone had fun playing with the game, and even though I tried, I was not able to fully explore every season that day. Seasons is simply fun. The Seasons EP is expected to ship Feb 27, 2007.

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See Our Gallery for More Screenshots and Info from Seasons