So, it looks like the hot springs and pools only go deep enough for the wading interaction, and to my knowledge, that never results in merfolk changing into their tails. Even though the hot springs and baths are like oversized tubs, I'll assume merfolk won't be changing form in the bath like they do in normal bathtubs. I find that disappointing because I feel like merfolk need a sitting animation at the waters edge or on a seat in the water like with hot tubs. My merfolk can sometimes have a major change in their appearance when they change form. Their ears, hair color, eye color, teeth, and even the presence of scars can be details exclusive to their merform. So, it isn't just about seeing the tail.
I am happy there will be another open world spot to swim. So far, only two other worlds have open world swimming that I've seen my merfolk change form in, and my merfolk are very good at finding places to swim in. It's an autonomous action that exists in child merfolk without tails to all later life stages that do have tails. That is another thing that makes it weird for children to not have a merform. My main sims Dylan and Zephyr could use the Sulani Mana powers as children and Lava Bombs are a little more destructive than a form they swim in that could allow them to sleep in water and other physical merfolk abilities.
I'm definitely interested in watching the section covering injuries while they climb mountains. I can't read the options for different things or descriptions for things.
Because of the dismally decorated moodlet after capturing the Jungle Adventure ruins in my sims home, I'm happy there are ways to overpower negative moodlets associated with certain wallpapers and floors. It's not like I'm using the defaults from build mode, and I am including a theme. Even though my legacy challenge save glitched too much, I was able to at least confirm that the ruins theme was causing the negative moodlet for my main sims. I would definitely love temple themed walls and floors that result in a positive moodlet since the jungle ones cause a negative moodlet.
I think vampires with a bat form should be able to swoop down on ordinary sims. No one suspects a bat to be a vampire.
The vending machine was a little detail that I hoped for more from. It's like the Sulani Beach Supply Shack you can buy jet skis and boats from. I'm a little disappointed by the animation, and I was opening they would at least bend over to retrieve items like in the trailer.
I'm definitely looking forward to the build mode options, and I'm interested in the injury system, life styles, and powerful moodlets. I like how sims are empowered to control their emotions. I still think their are more emotions merfolk should be able to trigger with their Siren Songs. Vampires definitely tap into more emotions. With a game about emotions, I'm still going to hold out for those in an update. I like the new additional content for emotions, but I don't want missed opportunities for old content to be forgotten. Adding new stuff just won't be enough if the old stuff still feels incomplete.
When the summer season rolls around, I hope they do something for merfolk, pools, and add underwater content. As the game is, I've shared lots of ideas and opinions in other threads. Obviously, this is a winter pack so I'm happy that they will include as many water objects and activities as they are. I have to use cheats and the debug items to find more variety for pools and water themed rooms.
That's my opinion for the water game elements and one or two detailed things.
Winter and snow are very foreign to me. I've been in a mountainous area when it snowed maybe once or twice in my life time and I was really young. I think climbing a mountain looks like fun. I'm very happy that climbing a mountain isn't a rabbit hole thing, but it does make me wish the Dive Spots went to similar detail. In the same way the mountain looks different as they get closer to the too, I just can't help but think it would have been cool to dive deeper underwater and explore different places at different depths. Marine Life actually lives differently and looks different at different depths. It almost looked like climbing the mountain was a social event that involved encountering animals at different higher elevations.
I love the introduction of the new mysterious weather. Discovering that strange weather events exist in different worlds exclusive to different worlds was a fun discovery. It does make me wish merfolk could change the weather in more ways like the weather machine can instead of just the three major weather types. The ability to change the weather makes merfolk more uniquely appealing because it basically allows them to do the weather machine interactions without needing the weather machine on every single lot. Sometimes you want sunny weather. Speaking of which, as cool as the new mysterious weather is, I wonder how using mermadic abilities to change the weather on the mountain will impact the storytelling setting. Imagine climbing the mountain and having full control over the weather you climb the mountain in.
I need to look at more gameplay before I share more of my opinions.
