> @akuheikomatsu said:
> Grocery stores, casinos, hotels, beaches, amusement parks, aquariums, shopping malls, hair salons, dedicated movie theaters, concert venues, banquet halls, arcades, sports stadiums, rec centers, tattoo parlors, cemeteries, schools, destination themes
I have the feeling that a Vacation-specific Expansion pack (not just a new world-based Game Pack) would be a great way to include a bunch of these ideas. Introduce a new world as a destination spot definitely, and add things that would work for future "destination/vacation" worlds as well. I might make a separate thread based solely on the idea of a Vacation/Travel Expansion pack. I can imagine them developing a new world that would have areas to incorporate all of the following ideas. For instance:
Hotels/Casinos:
I'd imagine hotels and casinos both being added to a pack for vacations/travel and also being useful in the base game. Hotels could be built upon the existing apartment mechanics, though with the temporary rental ability from the vacation packs instead of moving in. Different price points and quality just like apartments, with lower quality hotels having the same neighbor issues as apartments (I'd advise higher-priced hotels have that mechanic turned off since soundproofing is an thing irl.) Hotels could also have housekeeping staff and room service staff, though I'd imagine the latter of those would require new animations (I think cleaning staff are already a service in the game...?) though it could just be built upon the pizza delivery animations.
Casinos would be a natural addition to hotels, though they'd need to design a way for the apartment base to have a "bottom floor" to interact with instead of immediately jumping into the elevator or out the front door. A lobby with a check-in desk (like hospitals from Get to Work) and a secondary room behind it with a Casino (or restaurant--depends if Dine Out is loaded) would work swimmingly. I'd imagine basic gambling games could work similarly to current group games but with the designs changed for poker/black jack, etc, and the risk of money loss. Those would be useful to have in build mode for homes as well. For casino venues, several new assets would potentially need to be created, for a roulette table and slot machines especially. Black Jack tables, too, and any card game that requires a dealer. I don't gamble, so if I'm missing typical casino-things, I apologize.
Beaches:
Beaches. I was so disappointed that the beaches were just fishing spots and collectible spawn points in Get Together and Cats and Dogs. If they add an Island location to a Vacation pack, beaches would be integral to it. Obviously several of the outdoor assets could be built upon to match, though I believe several new assets, animations, and interactions would need to be designed for this to work the way we want it to, thus it would probably be included in a new Game Pack like the other two vacation spots. We have yoga mats which could be turned into beach towels; bonfires, fireworks, water-balloons, grills, coolers, etc that could be used on their own without modification; existing swimming animations for when the water gets deep enough; animations for sunburns (and sunscreen); and moodlets for hot weather. What they'd need to create new would be a way to add terrain building to swimming areas--I imagine that the areas for beaches that are swimmable would act like swimming pools without the walls (the space limit would be there, but it'd be invisible) but since it's a beach and therefore natural terrain, they'd need to develop a way to have a gradual walk down into the deeper water instead of the jump-in action or pool ladder that currently exist. Fish (and sharks) would also need to be things Sims can interact with (and die from--or at least get moodlets from like "ew...stepped on a fish"). Other things they'd need to create: umbrellas like on the picnic tables that can be stuck in the ground--and potentially taken in a Sim's inventory or even as smaller umbrellas are in Seasons. There could also be "permanent" beach umbrella locations I guess. Seashells could be a new collectible. Beach Volleyball could be a new group game that could be simply Volleyball on non-beach lots. Building sandcastles like snowmen and sunbathing would also be great interactions/animations to add. Seagulls and Sandpipers could use the same animations as pigeons in Cats and Dogs.
Some things I'd like to see developed for a pack including beaches:
-Actual Swimming skill. Swimming right now is tied to the fitness skill, but I'd love for it to be its own skill with at least 5 levels to perfect. Toddlers, Kids, and low-skill Sims could start out with inner tubes (another new asset with animations to develop I think). Swimming with waves would be more of a challenge and require a higher level to do successfully. New kinds of strokes could be learned, and snorkeling could also be a learned technique, though I'd imagine this wouldn't be something the players could share in unless they're in first-person view. Not sure if rip-tides would be something they'd consider adding, but a Sim would need a higher level swimming skill to know to swim sideways instead of against the current. I imagine any NPC lifeguards would be maxed out in the swimming skill.
-Pirates as random encounter NPCs, possibly with mostly mischievous, goofball, hot-headed, romantic, glutton, insane, kleptomaniac, slob, mean, and non-committal traits. I believe the Get Famous pack includes a pirate ship set, and there's already ship decor items that could be made bigger the same way they use the car decor items in the world. Pirates could also be a club to make or join.
-New Sim lifestate for Merfolk. This could either be like PlantSims where you have to collect things (maybe special seashells or pearls) to become one, or like Aliens where you have to discover them/be impregnated by them. I'd imagine any Sim with a tail could have a magical transformation into a regular two-legged Sim similar to Aliens' disguise. They'd still have "tells" though, also like Aliens. Water could reveal their tails like baths, showers, and swimming pools. They could either avoid these for that reason, or love the water despite being outed. They could be either helpful, vegetarian neighbors, or dangerous sirens. Baby MerSims could have fish bowls for cradles.
Amusement Parks/Aquariums:
Aquariums would fit swimmingly (lol) with the above mentioned beach themed area. Really, the tanks would be enlarged existing fish tanks with the fish scaled down to be "real sized." The tanks could also probably be amended swimming pools with glass walls, but they'd need to be redesigned to function differently from swimming pools (unless Sims swimming in Aquarium tanks is a thing they want to allow.) Could include brand-new fish specifically for the aquarium or any new ones added with a beach world. MerSims could also be in the tanks, probably as employees of the Aquarium instead of cages specimens. New seafood-specific dishes could also be added as well as a seafood restaurant built into the Aquarium (if Dine Out is loaded.) Play areas for toddlers and kids could be water and ocean themed. Because animal/mascot costumes are a thing in the game with seemingly every pack, I'd imagine Whale/Dolphin/Fish costumes would be apropos to this idea. Obviously new build mode items in general to fit, as well as Aquarium "merch" CAS parts.
Amusement parks would also require brand-new interact-able assets, but could be used to great ends. Ferris wheels could be romantic spots (and potential public woohoo spots?); Merry-go-Rounds/Carousel especially for toddlers and kids; possibly roller-coasters, but I'm sure they'd be non-customizable beyond palette swaps, as that's getting awfully close to games like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Planet Coaster. They'd also be "basic" coasters--nothing crazy, probably one or two types including a toddler/kid version. I say this only because developing/designing/animating something like a roller coaster would probably take up most of the effort in even an expansion pack. But having even simple coasters would be a fun addition to the game. Haunted houses could absolutely be built upon stuff from the Vampires pack, as well as mazes from the Get Together pack. Other rides they could consider but I'd be surprised if they added more than one or two:
-Drop towers
-Pendulum rides
-Swing rides
-Water rides (these would go great with Aquariums though)
Other Amusement Park things they could include:
New food stalls (not just the "American" food ones), clowns (sad or otherwise), more mascot costumes, barf bags, game stalls to win stuffed animals, a goldfish catching stall, fortune reader booths, etc. Some would obviously require more work to develop than others, but all would be great. An Amusement Park would be a great teen hangout and date spot, and would of course be crazy fun for toddlers and kids.
