Weather (game mechanic)

Weather is introduced in the The Sims 2: Seasons and The Sims 3: Seasons. There are four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. In The Sims 2: Seasons, each season is five days long, making a seasonal year twenty days long. In the The Sims 3: Seasons, each season is seven days by default, though players can adjust each length of the season from 3 to 28 days. Sims' moods will change with the weather. Each season has a slightly different color cast, (e.g., winter is more desaturated, and fall has warmer, reddish tone). Weather also affects what festival is occurring on the festival grounds.

In The Sims 2: Seasons, each neighborhood and sub-neighborhood has a separate Season Chooser, which allows the player to determine which seasons will occur there, and what order they will occur in. By default, a neighborhood will start in Summer, followed by Fall, Winter, and then Spring. Riverblossom Hills is exceptional, as it uses the order of Winter, Winter, Spring, and Fall.

In The Sims 3: Seasons, players can customize what seasons may occur in a neighborhood and how long each one lasts, but not in what order. The options can be changed in the environment options tab.

Weather also appears in The Sims 3 for Wii. The seasons work the same way and have the same characteristics as in real life. It is featured in The Urbz: Sims in the City, The Sims 2 for console, The Sims 2 Pets for console, and The Sims 2 Castaway for console. When it rains, Sims will put an umbrella or newspaper over their head.

Type of Weather
There are several types of weather (also known as precipitation). It varies in intensity, accumulation, and duration. It can be predicted by checking the weather report from the TV, newspaper, or computer.
 * Sunny
 * Rain (Light, heavy, or torrential / thunderstorms)
 * Hail (Light or heavy)
 * Snow (Light or heavy)
 * Fog

Precipitation may affect Sims and their environment in various ways, and can also affect the temperature. For example, puddles can form when rain falls or snow or hail melt. Rain may water the garden plants and cause Sims to get soaked if they don't use an umbrella. Heavy hail can be damaging to Sims.

There's also wind with varied speed, which is only featured in The Sims 3: Seasons.

The Sims
The Sims does not feature weather. While lots on Vacation Island in The Sims: Vacation have differing climates, with some lots being snow-covered, there is never any precipitation, and conditions on those lots never vary. However, the Vacation Island lots introduced the notion of Sims dressing for the conditions, as well as the idea that wearing too much or too little for the conditions could have negative effects on them.

In The Sims: Makin' Magic, the Perfect Garden charm, and Extinguish ability will summon rain clouds, but only for the limited purposes of watering plants or extinguishing a fire. Also, if Rain of Riches backfires, it will create rain which will flood the lot, and will even leave puddles. This could be considered a precursor of precipitation as it appears in later games, though it has no effect on Sims, pets, or objects.

Spring
During the Spring, it may rain, or even snow a little, but will usually be sunny. Romance is in focus in Spring, and Sims can build romantic relationships at a higher rate than usual. Sims are able to splash in puddles, grow plants, harvest fruits, and so on. Some days may be cold enough for Sims to change into their outerwear, but it will be warmer than winter.


 * Environment changes
 * Temperature ranges from slightly low in the Comfortable zone to low in the Hot zone, and starts rising
 * Snow and frozen lakes melt
 * Light takes a greyish tone


 * Probable weather
 * Rain
 * Lightning


 * Spring activities
 * Sims can splash in puddles
 * Sims can begin gardening


 * Other changes
 * At the beginning of spring, it may be cold enough for Sims to dress in outerwear when going outside
 * Plants grow, but beware of the cold
 * Interactions with romantic partners are more potent, adding more relationship points than they do in other seasons

Summer
During the Summer, Sims build relationships more quickly. Sims can have water balloon fights or splash in the pool. There is a chance that an overheated Sim will develop heatstroke; a child, toddler, or baby Sim may be taken away by the Social Worker if this happens.


 * Environment changes
 * Temperature ranges from high in the Comfortable zone to high in the Very Hot zone, and tends to rise from day to day.
 * Light takes on a neutral tone
 * Night-time appears to be lighter


 * Probable weather
 * Rain
 * Lightning
 * Hail

(Sims can perform these activities in other seasons, too, but they often develop special wants to do them when summer begins.)
 * Summer activities
 * Sims have water balloon fights
 * Sims can go fishing
 * Sims can play Marco Polo in the pool


 * Other changes
 * Chance of heatstroke and sunburn
 * Sims develop friendly relationships faster

Autumn/Fall
During the fall, the temperature begins to drop and it may begin to snow or rain. During this time, Sims learn skills easier and faster than in other seasons, students in school do homework more quickly, and college students gain more class performance. Leaves begin to fall, and Sims are able to rake them. After raking them, Sims may jump into the pile of leaves and play with them or even burn the leaves. Sims also begin to change back into outerwear once outside at the middle end of Autumn. With this comes along a chance of catching a cold, but not freezing.


 * Environment changes
 * Temperature ranges from somewhat high in the Comfortable zone to high in the Cold zone, and begins to decrease
 * Light takes on a slightly golden tone
 * Night-time appears to be darker
 * Lakes may freeze
 * Trees become colored and leaves fall on ground


 * Probable weather
 * Rain
 * Snow is more possible than probable, but will occasionally happen.


 * Activities
 * Sims can rake the fallen leaves and play in them, burn them or compost them
 * Harvest crops


 * Other changes
 * Social Need decays 14-25% slower when Sims are outdoors
 * Chance of catching a cold increased
 * During cooler periods, Sims will dress in outerwear
 * Skill building is 25% faster

Winter
During the winter, Sims can build relationships with relatives and household members at a heightened rate. It may snow onto a residential lot, covering everything outside with snow. Sims are able to freeze or catch a cold if left out in the snow too long. A child, toddler, or baby Sim may be taken away by the Social Worker after they become too cold for too long, though the player will receive a warning before this happens. Sims are also able to have snowball fights, make snow angels, and build snowmen. Toddlers can also play in the snow and both toddlers and dogs can eat the snow. On some days, if the snow is too heavy, Sim children or teenagers that attend school may be able to have a "snow day". Outdoor flowers will become dormant during the Winter, but won't die. Garden plants will become dormant unless they are in a greenhouse. Orchard trees that are in a greenhouse may not become dormant immediately, but can still become dormant. As a rule, Sims will automatically change into seasonal wear, but this may not happen consistently.

For the Sims, winter is a time for family, fun in the snow, and the warm indoors.


 * Environment changes
 * Temperature ranges from low in the Comfortable zone to low in the Very Cold zone, and tends to drop from day to day
 * Light takes on a bluish tone
 * Night-time appears to be darker
 * Lakes freeze
 * Crops die


 * Probable weather
 * Snow


 * Winter activities
 * Sims can build snowmen
 * Sims can have snowball fights
 * Dogs and toddlers can eat snow
 * Toddlers can play in the snow
 * Sims can make snow angels


 * Other changes
 * Sims dress in winter wear outside
 * No plants outside will grow (orchard trees will become dormant)
 * Chance of catching a cold increases
 * Penguins can come to a lot, and they will likely talk to snowmen, even broken ones.
 * Sims can turn blue and freeze if they become too cold (hot chocolate and other warm things can alleviate this), which may be fatal.
 * When it's snowing heavily outside, there is a small chance of getting a snow day, which means children don't go to school.

If a Sim's home doesn't have a roof it will start snowing inside! Sims will be affected by the cold temperature, if this happens.

Spring
Spring is the first season of the year, though it comes last in a game. Spring comes with a chance of rain and stormy days, although sunshine and occasional snow flurries can still occur. In spring, love is in the air, and Sims can use this time to improve on romance by doing thing such as writing love letters, sending gifts and confessing their love to other Sims.

During spring, Sims can play in the puddles, pick wildflowers or visit the activities in the Spring Festival. The Spring Festival will have objects dedicated to romance such as love tester machines, kissing booths and so on. Sims can also choose to take part in the egg hunt during Love Day, a holiday dedicated to love and romance.
 * Activities

Springtime generally remains temperate, not too hot nor too cold for Sims to be comfortable. Spring usually comes with plenty of showers, which will get Sims soaked, so it is advisable to obtain an umbrella (found in Buy Mode) to avoid the negative moodlet. Lightning is also frequent in Spring, so be careful with Sims when they are outdoors, especially if they have the unlucky trait.
 * Weather

During spring, there is a 25% chance to find wildflowers around the town. Wildflowers grow for 5 days before they wither and other plants grow there. Wildflowers can be sold for up to §600. Sims can pick these wildflowers, just like they can collect insects and metals. However, wildflowers can cause allergies, which gives the Sim a negative moodlet, so it is advisable to first go to the local hospital and get a flu shot for §200.
 * Flowers and allergies

Summer
Summer is the default first season in The Sims 3: Seasons. It is generally quite hot, with temperatures likely soaring up to over a 100F (37C), which can cause Sims to get a tan, a heat stroke, or even to spontaneously combust. To prevent this, Sims should stay indoors, wear light clothing or buy a parasol.

If the Sim in question has obtained at least 10,000 Lifetime Happiness points, they can choose to spend them to obtain the new Immune to Heat lifetime reward, which prevents them from overheating.

Popular activities during summer days include swimming in the ocean, a new ability that comes if the game is patched, playing soccer, throwing a pool party or attending the Summer Festival. At the Festival, Sims can participate in many activities, such as face painting, using tanning booths, and entering hot dog eating contests. Summer's holiday is Leisure Day, during this day children don't have to attend school and adults don't have to attend work.
 * Activities

During summer, the weather will generally be quite hot, and most of the time it will be sunny, although rain and hail might also appear. If rain does happen, it is more likely than not to be a thunderstorm, so Sims may be struck by lightning.
 * Weather

Autumn/Fall
Fall is the third season of the year in The Sims 3: Seasons. Warm weather is common in fall, but rain and sometimes snow can also occur. During fall, temperatures will drop a bit but not plummet (yet), and trees will also change their color from green to red, yellow or orange. The autumn is also very unsettled, the weather will constantly shift from sunny weather to heavy rain and thunderstorms very quickly, making autumnal weather very unpredictable.

During fall, Sims can do a variety of events such as feast parties, costume parties, pumpkin carving and attending the Fall Festival included in this season. The festival for fall is Spooky Day, somewhat similar to Halloween in that Sims can dress up in costumes and trick or treat. In the Fall Festival, Sims can bob for apples, visit the haunted house or participate in the pie eating contest.
 * Activities

During fall, trees will start to shed their leaves. Sims can choose to rake these leaves and later play in them, burn them or if the leaf pile is big enough, Woohoo in them. If a Sim happens to WooHoo in a leaf pile and get pregnant, there is a very big chance the baby will be born with the Loves the Outdoors trait.

If Sims aren't kept warm enough, there is a chance that they will get a cold. Sims that get a cold will get a negative moodlet for a few days, and they can also choose to call in sick from work on their cell phone. Sims should stay indoors which will help the cold pass more quickly, or they can go to the hospital to get a shot (note: this is different from the shot you can get in Spring, and having one does not prevent you from having the other).
 * Getting a cold

Winter
Winter appears as the last season of the year (although it is the third season in the game). Winter is possibly the most beautiful time of the year, where if it snows, zooming out to Map View will reveal the entire neighborhood covered in a blanket of white.

In winter, temperatures will often plummet to below freezing (32F or 0C). Snow will happen quite often. During this time, Sims could freeze if they get too cold. If that happens, another Sim must thaw them out quickly or they will die. Sims should dress in outerwear, a new clothing category introduced in the expansion pack, to reduce the chances of that happening. However, if the Sim has 10,000 Lifetime Points to spare, they can use them to get the Immune to Cold Lifetime Reward, which will prevent the above from happening. If enough snow accumulates on the ground, it may be declared a Snow Day, where child and teen Sims will be excused from going to school.
 * Weather

Sims can do various activities in winter such as making igloos, making snowmen and snow angels. Sims can also go to the Winter Festival, where they can participate in snowboarding, ice skating, and snowball fights. Winter's holiday is Snowflake Day, which is similar to the many holidays celebrated during December, although it is conceived to be most like Christmas. To celebrate the holiday cheer, Sims can now hang holiday lights on their roofs, though this is not strictly limited to wintertime only. Sims can also kiss under the mistletoe, an object that can be found in Buy Mode.
 * Activities

An interesting little moodlet that Sims can get only during the winter is the Polar Bear Club moodlet, where if Sims swim in the cold waters long enough, they can obtain a moodlet which gives them a 5-hour immunity to the cold.

The Sims Castaway Stories
The Sims Castaway Stories is also a game that features weather. It features normal, hot weather in one season, and rain with thunder and hail in the second one. Weather also affects a Sim's body temperature in The Sims Castaway Stories. Sims can change weather using the story reward object, the weather machine, which was initially meant for Winford Rhinehart so that he could take over the island.

Trivia

 * Lightning can kill a Sim if they are outside. This is more likely if they are in water (for example, swimming or using a hot tub) and their needs are too low.
 * Ghosts can haunt at noon if their tombstone is struck by a storm.
 * In The Sims Castaway Stories, during the story, fireballs from the erupting volcano can fall from the sky burning things. It is not known if this can happen in the free-play storyline.
 * Lightning can also damage trees in Castaway Stories.
 * With Fog Emitter from The Sims 3: Ambitions, players can create rain effects. The special effects have been present prior to The Sims 3: Seasons.
 * An EA employee has stated that developers should have included weather in The Sims 3: Late Night, but decided to postpone it to make weather a great addition to an expansion pack instead of a minor feature.
 * Weather was planned to be a part of The Sims 2 base game, but it was removed. Hovewer, using Paul's Reaction Tester, Sims can act like they see rain, even without Seasons installed.