Outdoor Retreat - First Impressions

[Carl]

Yeah I did an aging test and saw that working properly while on vacation. I don't think it should freeze time, and am glad it allows people to use the new area in Challenges, because they must decide if it's worth both paying to go there and the time they will expend.

[TheGoat]

Yeah I did an aging test and saw that working properly while on vacation. I don't think it should freeze time, and am glad it allows people to use the new area in Challenges, because they must decide if it's worth both paying to go there and the time they will expend.

It does make me wonder how they are going to do other packs. I assume, of course, that there will be a University pack, eventually. Without freezing aging, sims will likely be giving up a good chunk of their adult lives going to school. Maybe they will create a new life stage like in TS2.

[Cat_Mom]

I too am really happy about Granite Falls. It's fun to have all these new places to explore. I'm so glad about new things to collect too, as I am a collection freak-I must have everything

Have fun everyone!

[marwolfer]

I think it's really beautiful, like the other two worlds we have already. The plants can be difficult to find when you're trying to identify all 10, but overall I think it's a nice addition for $20.

[Nutella]

Collecting insects is driving me crazy.

[Playalot]

I have to admit to not really enjoying the game pack so far. The world itself is quite beautiful with lovely little touches like squirrels and woodpeckers and such. Collecting plants is frustrating me as my sim is unable to identify anything despite having a few levels of the herbalist skill. Not being able to navigate around due to lack of land features and one bunch of trees looking like the next is not particularly enjoyable. I also expected something to change the game play... but perhaps I was still thinking of World Adventures, but I found myself staring at my sims thinking 'well what do I do now'.
I like the new clothes and build items a lot, which is just as well otherwise I would have been 100% disappointed with my new purchase. Maybe I've missed the point of the game pack and a few more days play will get me more enthusiastic, if so I will edit this post, but for now it's a bit of a thumbs down. I just don't see the point of missing out on work promotions for standing around next to a tent for a few days! I think too, to be brutally honest, the high price of the game pack here in New Zealand started the whole experience with a large chunk of disappointment that might be a bit hard to overcome.


*Edited *   ok so now I have played a few more days and a few more trips to Granite Falls the things that make it worth while for me are the benefits that some of the new rewards and plants/recipes give to my sims. I particularly like the new potion Clear Mind which gives a focused moodlet in one sip. I still don't like it particularly from a 'holiday' perspective as the time away from work still bothers me but I am glad that I bought the pack even though I'm still not convinced it was value for money. (As a side note, it took until level 6 of the herbalist skill before my sim could identify all the plants.)
One thing I really like is that the more your sims sing the campfire songs the better they become. My fav sim at the moment has L10 guitar skill and so now he has these new, rather gorgeous sounding, well practised songs to sing, his skill is even more fun to play with.

[Shewolf13]

I love the look of Granite Falls immensely.  And being able to camp out, like I did when I was kid on a regular basis; there's just something nostalgic about it for me, so I'm thoroughly enjoying that, though I made the mistake of using the actual campsite and not having the bathroom closer was a bit of a pain (as it is in real life XD).  I had no issue bringing plants back home and planting them.  I did have some issues identifying plants; it wasn't until level 4 or so of herbalism that I could identify all the plants she'd found in her inventory.

Over all, I'm enjoying it, if for no other reason than the nostalgia and the look of Granite Falls.  I have yet to do a lot of exploring just because of time reasons since I only was just able to get the pack yesterday.

[dharmagoddess]

I didn't spend much time with it yet, but I was a little disappointed that I chose to "take a vacation" as a couple, but only one Sim arrived. Maybe I did something wrong, but I was able to select my Sims and yet only the one who initiated the travel arrived in Granite Falls.
For the very little time I spent there I think it's going to be a nice expansion to explore. I really like the new interactions of stargazing and going hiking. As for identifying harvestables, I bought the Herbalism guide and I'm going to have my Sims read it before returning so I don't harvest a bunch of unidentified plants.

[Stormi71]

I caved in today and bought it. I didn't get to play it for too long, but it seems fun. My sim invited her boyfriend, her teen daughter, and teen daughter's best friend. They only stayed for one night, as I didn't want to waste vacation days, so they stayed on a Saturday night. I haven't read any guides for it, so it was a little confusing at first. I sent them on vacation without buying tents etc, so I had a bit of trouble finding the rangers station to buy supplies. Plus buying tents was confusing as it doesn't actually say how many sims can sleep in a tent, so I ended up buying four (luckily my sim is rich), when in fact I think the tents I bought sleep two sims.
The non-household sims that came along seemed to hang around my sims, although they did wander off a bit. My teen sim and her friend went to the national park, and when she returned back to the campground, her friend didn't come back straight away, but eventually did and slept in the tent.
I didn't do much exploring, and when I finally did make one go for a hike, she was on her way back when the vacation ended.
What annoyed me was I planned camping outfits, and every time they travelled, it would change back to what that outfit previously was. I saved in outfit 5, and they'd travel and it would be the previous outfit 5, as when I clicked to change it (thinking they went to default outfit 1), it said they were already wearing it, so I would have to change to another outfit, then back to 5 and then it would be the camping outfit again. That is a minor issue, though.
So although I haven't played it much, it seems fun and adds some new gameplay. I'm not sure yet if it's worth the $30 au I paid, although it does have a lot of content, it's mostly camping related.

[Cheezey]

I just got the Outdoor Retreat game pack yesterday.  I think it's fun. I've deliberately not read or looked up any spoilers (other than LGR's review) so I could try to learn it and discover things on my own.

From playing it a few hours, I think it's worth the price. Those of you who purchased it when it came out and got the discount got a better deal, but even at full price, it's still a pretty good value. I know there's not a direct comparison of Sims 4 game packs to Sims 3 stuff, but to me, the closest in the amount of new game play functionality and items feels like it would be akin to one of the Sims 3 store worlds with a venue and a few items of premium content, and those were generally $20-35.  Being that Outdoor Retreat is on the low end of that cost-wise, and gives a nice new flavor to the game play with more flexibility than a lot of the Sims 3 premium content did, I'm quite happy with it.

My sim is just wrapping up a 2-day vacation and had a blast. Because she's only got 3 vacation days, I'm going to let her go home, work, and come back again for a longer stay after that so I can play with more of the features. 

Edited to add: I forgot to say before that I like how when the vacation ends, or during it, you get the option to extend it if you want to, and funds allow. It's such a nice change from World Adventures in Sims 3 where you had to earn the visa for longer stays through forced questing.  I also like that you can go right away again if you change your mind, instead of having a moodlet that keeps you from traveling for 2 days.

[Fran200034]

Im still in 2 minds whether to get this......

[beardeux]

I finally got the pack.  I was grateful to see that they can eat the fruit they collect.  If planting goes well at home, I hope they can eat it at home too.  I found the woods eye tiring looking for collectables, (too many trees) so I finally just sent my sim jogging/hiking and as he goes along I find all kinds of things.  So far, I've found all the new fish and plants.  I'm having trouble finding ground insects.  Only the mantis so far.  I've got most of the flying things though.
   I also have not figured out how to move the camping supplies (tent, chairs, fire, etc.) on his camp ground lot.  They are just haphazardly placed and not suited for anything including company.  I ended up selling the chairs and bought a two seater.  I can't put chairs around the game table.  I also don't like that other sims just use his fire pit and his tent.  He can't sleep in it when it's in use.  I saw the video from EA and they were moving furniture all over the place.  I can't remember whether it was a camp site or a cabin.  Can this only be done at the cabins?
   I found the secret cave and the hermit.  My sim is handy so with each visit he's upgrading the hermits appliances etc.  It's still a search for the brambles though.  Tough to spot.
   On the whole, I like it.  The campfire options are nice.  I forgot to set the new aspiration for nature enthusiast, so I have to go back and accomplish that.

[TheGoat]

   I also have not figured out how to move the camping supplies (tent, chairs, fire, etc.) on his camp ground lot.  They are just haphazardly placed and not suited for anything including company.  I ended up selling the chairs and bought a two seater.  I can't put chairs around the game table.  I also don't like that other sims just use his fire pit and his tent.  He can't sleep in it when it's in use.  I saw the video from EA and they were moving furniture all over the place.  I can't remember whether it was a camp site or a cabin.  Can this only be done at the cabins?

You ought to be able to drag them around with the mouse, or go into build mode, perhaps. I can't remember how I did it, but I know I did. I think instead of clicking and selecting "place in world," I just clicked and dragged the item from my Sim's inventory to where I wanted it.

[beardeux]

I tried to do that from both dragging from the inventory and build mode.  I couldn't access build mode and the items wouldn't come out of the inventory.

[coolsim9999999]

One thing I really like is that the more your sims sing the campfire songs the better they become. My fav sim at the moment has L10 guitar skill and so now he has these new, rather gorgeous sounding, well practised songs to sing, his skill is even more fun to play with.

My sims have level 10 guitar skill, too, but they really can't sing (I know that's not a skill.)  They have maxed so many skills, so I will have them sing with the guitar now.

About how many songs does it take for them to become better at singing?