Snowy Escape EP - What are you most disappointed about?

"Louise_G0325;c-17727016" wrote:
Build/buy:

• No round windows/doors.
  https://i.imgur.com/7UywAeI.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/PIqOrMY.jpg
  
• Not enough zen and bamboo furniture. The pack advertises building a sanctuary but offers very few options. I was heartily looking forward to building my dream house, which has a modern zen theme with lots of curves, nature-inspired decor, warm bamboo tones and natural rock. We didn't get a whole lot of that. Also, no wooden bath...
  https://i.imgur.com/dbdOKp6.jpg
  
• Not enough patterned wallpapers. Japanese and Chinese architecture are well-known for them, but we only got a small handful.
  https://i.imgur.com/lwlHQvj.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/kaPFhaL.jpg
  
• I know this is technically more Chinese than Japanese, but I highly doubt we'd get a Chinese pack as well. So why couldn't they add some ornate, traditional build/buy?
  https://i.imgur.com/jTMOmQm.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/voJVG1z.jpg
  
• Or some cool modern zen wallpapers.
  https://i.imgur.com/iWLIwl1.jpg
  
• Where are the futons? And if it is really THAT much effort to animate sims climbing into the bed lower to the ground, why couldn't they add some beds with traditional headboards and frames?
  

Gameplay

• Literally just adding tea gameplay would have made me happy, but the only thing they added was a non-functional tea display cabinet. I do not want to be forced to use that ugly base game tea machine here. https://i.imgur.com/VjxJiHT.jpg
  
• I'm happy that we can add koi to fountains, but I'm unhappy with the implementation. It's just a spawner. I wanted to be able to add fish I caught to ponds and fountains, and have control over which fish I put in, breed etc. I'm not even aware of any new types of koi fish in this pack. This is a huge disappointment.
  
• Even though we got "martial arts" in SV, it isn't traditional. There are so many forms of traditional martial arts, so "we don't want it to be the same" isn't an excuse.
  
• No calligraphy? No wood carving? Literally no skills pertaining to Japanese culture? There are so many amazing crafts and skills they could have added, but we got none.
  
• Japanese culture historically encouraged people to focus on one craft and master it - to be the person others go to if they need that product/service. That could have been an aspiration. Mastering only one skill and crafting all possible items would be too easy for an aspiration, but it could have tied into the fact that this mastering is a lifestyle rather than simply a hobby. Mentoring, writing skill books, making a perfect quality version of each craftable item, dedicating a certain number of hours to it etc could all have been part of it. This aspiration would also have been flexible, since numerous existing and new skills and crafts would make sense for it.
  
• Why is the zen garden purely decorative? They could have reused the raking leaves animation from Seasons. The zen gardens are boring and devoid of meaning, unless you buy Spa Day to at the very least be able to meditate there.
  

THIS. I was wondering why we didn’t get any round windows but got a round mirror lmao

"bixters;c-17723591" wrote:
The fact that it's not a Gamepack.
$40 is way too expensive for what you're getting: 1 world, some winter activities that can only be done in 1 world, recycled features from other packs (festivals from City Living, rock climbing from Fitness Stuff). Lifestyles are kind of interesting but I don't feel like there are enough negative Lifestyles to balance out the positive Lifestyles.
Also, the absence of tea ceremonies, futons, Karate, snow mobiles and a culture skill.
I feel like there's more content in Jungle Adventure for half the price.

Totally agree which is why I can't get myself to buy it for that price. Just doesn't feel like you're getting enough. I thought it would at least contain the tea ceremony as I mentioned before too along with a beautiful tea tray, futons, Wok, more art work or paintings. The cemetery could at least be also something mystical and scary if they are going to add that. Otherwise, it seems unnecessary.

"MsKatieRose;c-17727655" wrote:

"bixters;c-17723591" wrote:
The fact that it's not a Gamepack.
$40 is way too expensive for what you're getting: 1 world, some winter activities that can only be done in 1 world, recycled features from other packs (festivals from City Living, rock climbing from Fitness Stuff). Lifestyles are kind of interesting but I don't feel like there are enough negative Lifestyles to balance out the positive Lifestyles.
Also, the absence of tea ceremonies, futons, Karate, snow mobiles and a culture skill.
I feel like there's more content in Jungle Adventure for half the price.

Totally agree which is why I can't get myself to buy it for that price. Just doesn't feel like you're getting enough. I thought it would at least contain the tea ceremony as I mentioned before too along with a beautiful tea tray, futons, Wok, more art work or paintings. The cemetery could at least be also something mystical and scary if they are going to add that. Otherwise, it seems unnecessary.

Exactly. And you get more NPC townies from both the JA and RoM GPs and those also effect basically every world bc they give things that effect sims once they go back to their world.

"Simmingal;c-17724267" wrote:

@Simmingal - what do you mean unusable shells?

I mean the background buildings that are there just for background and don't offer anything for the gameplay

while simultaneously

1. limiting builders options with what to build on lots if they want to keep neighborhood architecturally cohesive
2. making neighborhood feel like ghost town because the lots are not close to each other due to the fake houses in between
3. annoying the heck out of me personally

i would have much rather had at least one of the neighborhoods with less of the fake buildings and maybe more of rural vibes so i could then

1. build whatever i want without visual clash
2. pretend my households are only sims living there
3. had more of those hiking etc vibes but living in the middle of that not in a town
4. pretend its time period before those type of houses were built

As far as being limited with builds due to the "background buildings", I'm glad you brought that up, because as a builder that's what is annoying about some other packs too. Like when they don't include at least on area on the map where you can style houses nearby. This is the same issue that comes up with the recent Eco-lifestyle Expansion pack. It looks weird if you design a house that looks too different than houses on the same block in every neighborhood area on the map. Which is why I hope in the future, players can design their own neighborhoods and we can see npc's or other sims show up outside (or inside) of their homes, lol. Would at least seem more realistic.

I am a bit disappointed that it's harder to take advantage of the snow activities; there's no direct clickable option for rock climbing and snowboarding/skiing activities. I have to have my Sims go to the Onsen and then walk over to those other activities. It's also strange but my child aged sims don't seem to get any sort of skill (motor or actual snowboarding/skiing) from those snow activities so it's almost pointless to take them. I also had an issue getting my toddler to get up the ski lift to the top to go sledding. It's not fun for anyone under teenage to participate.

I feel it just lacks the heart and soul found in other Sims games where we go to cultural places. Like in TS2 and TS3 with Bon Voyage and World Adventures. It's all about the smaller details for me.

One of the things I'm probably most disappointed in are the festivals, they seem so empty and lacking. They could have done A LOT more with them. After visiting each of them I was always just left with the feeling of "oh wait, that's it?".

I'm now happy that the game doesn't lag anymore.
My concern now is that I can't get my sim to go into the cave or buy a Japanese Robe from the Festival of Lights.

I've only played for a few hours so I may have more little gripes later as I get deeper into it.

I would have liked...

Tea ceremony of some kind, even just something simple like everybody sitting down to tea together and chatting about their day.

Pretty new Tea Set.

More cabinets and matching uppers.

More kimonos, with fewer geometric patterns.

More empty lots for building. I'm afraid to delete any of the community lots for fear I'll mess something up.

Basically just more, more CAS and more BB. I was remodeling a house and was surprised to see so few new building options (paints, furniture, etc). This is an EP, I expected more of everything.


General gripes:

When I walk around in the city (lower part of the map) everything looks great but there were very few people. The rentals in the North feel very isolated, with no one around.

I looked at one of the rentals up in the north (think it was James') and was surprised to find nothing to entertain anyone other than a bookcase. There was a blizzard outside, my sim got so bored with nothing to do!

I loved the idea of my sims bowing at the shrine and was terribly disappointed when they removed that little touch. I feel they could have still included it as an action that the player could choose.

And finally, I couldn't find a fishing spot - is there one? I looked and looked, but all I found was the swimming area. If there really is no place to fish that is a huge disappointment for me.


I really like the pack but I just expected, well, more. More depth, more gameplay. And finally, I feel it was vastly over priced as an EP. It feels, plays, and looks like two small, incomplete game packs mashed together. I had that impression from the very first, and I feel it even more strongly now. I got it as a gift but I still feel it was too much money. $30 would have been ok, I guess, while for $20 it would have been amazing and totally worth it.

Random school uniforms. I hate them.