Secret Lot?

"rambahadoer;c-17128452" wrote:
I don’t think there is an actual secret lot the only thing i found in the cave is the kelp found like 30 of those wich was kinda weird and she came out with one of those rabbit hole stories

That was my experience. I kept sending my sim in repeatedly, her daughter shown as outside swimming drowned. Whoops.

"simfriend1968;c-17128444" wrote:

"MidnightAura;c-17128421" wrote:
Didn’t the Gurus say they were no longer adding secret lots after they discovered they were rarely used?

There was a lot that was wildly exaggerated in the streams (mermaids luring sims to death, dangerous cave, sharks being dangerous) that since Thursday evening and way too much game time than I would normally give; have not been able to replicate. Even my friend couldn’t either.

I will believe it when I see it.

Aww! I love the secret lots. I often use them in storytelling. I think there should be more of them. They have been around since TS1 and can act as a real motivation for maxing out a skill or completing a series of interactions; they make it all seem more purposeful and magical. I loved the secret lots in TS2 -- the hobby lots and the Bon Voyage lots were all great. They need to add some more to TS4: the changing temple is the best thing about JA but I also really liked the hermit’s lot in OR. This would have been the perfect pack in which to have a really mysterious and transcendent secret mermaid lot, full of waterfalls, corals and bioluminescence as well as mermaids and hidden treasures (like Ariel's collection).

I totally agree. Sims 2 has the best hidden lots. But the devs once said less than 10% of players have visited the existing secret lots and that’s why they didn’t add any more in, that was in cats and dogs. I don’t think that’s changed.

So what was the temple in JA? That felt like a secret lot to me.

The temple wasn’t considered a secret lot.

Really? You can't travel to it directly from the map, but must unlock it through gameplay -- sort of a cross between the tombs in WA, and a hidden lot. Anyway I will continue to wish for secret lots. Even if only 10% of players play with them (and I think the number must be higher than that in reality) that is still a lot of people.

Does finding it cause mermaids to spawn in game? What about the second secret cove the gurus talked about at 14:06 in the video?

"yupp;c-17126392" wrote:
@Writin_Reg did you find it?

No -it was just the way Jill and Geoff talked about it during the Q and A yesterday. So it sure sounds like there is more to it. Jill says there is a map on the wall that opens up a litle further each time you go in to get to another point or something like that.

"Writin_Reg;c-17128513" wrote:

"yupp;c-17126392" wrote:
@Writin_Reg did you find it?

No -it was just the way Jill and Geoff talked about it during the Q and A yesterday. So it sure sounds like there is more to it. Jill says there is a map on the wall that opens up a litle further each time you go in to get to another point or something like that.

I thought the map on the wall was by a rabbit hole that was easily accessible?

Excellent screenshot, thank you. Is there a discovered (not user-made) mermaid in your household and is the conservation level of the island maxed? The gurus said that these are requirements for unlocking it: it is an added easter egg or reward for finishing the Conservation Career, like the albino dolphin.

"simfriend1968;c-17128663" wrote:
Excellent screenshot, thank you. Is there a discovered (not user-made) mermaid in your household and is the conservation level of the island maxed? The gurus said that these are requirements for unlocking it: it is an added easter egg or reward for finishing the Conservation Career, like the albino dolphin.

I don't have any mermaids in my household, so I can't really test it out. My human sim nearly died swimming in cold water just getting there, so I didn't stay for long.