I just realized that Snowy Escape could have been so much more than just a new neighborhood to level up skills and I think its because the Maxis teams have been stuck in a grove how they design Sims 4 packs - a range of activities based on skill advancement but not a while new type of gameplay.
I'm not sure how much of it is skill advancement or skill-building type of play.
I think the core issue with Sims 4 is the completely faulty, superfluous, superficial "emotions" game design. Their 'goal', it seems, is to trigger emotions with new packs. And that's usually tense, or sad, or just not in tune at all with what simmers expect. I feel like sometimes they've given up and are just trying to ruin the game.
Simmers want "fear" or "real" emotions, but the game design is strictly superficial coding to get the animations going. pouting while eating, slamming fridge doors, stomping around, shuffling with head down. I guess that's where their real animation budget went?
The problem is that the much touted emotion system of S4 is strictly superficial coding for those animations and they do NOT affect sims inlong term, at all.
But yes, as to the OP? I agree, that description you gave is much more about game PLAY vs watching a sim go down the slopes over and over again. Or taking selfies on hikes. It's all GAME controlled. Players DO NOT rule.
