Maxis has revealed that swimming pools are finally coming to The Sims 4, along with a host of other content in the latest patch.
There are three main patches coming for each of the remaining months of 2014. The October 1 patch came with a new Gnome, new Eye Colors, Ghosts, and Star Wars Costumes. The November patch will bring Pools. Finally, the December Patch will have Careers.
Regarding Pools, Maxis shared only one additional mechanic; Sims can drown in them. Of course, this ties in with the Ghosts update that the game got received.
Ghosts are a major addition to the game. Now, any time a Sim dies, they automatically become ghosts. If you use ‘Invite to Household’, you can then make a ghost a playable member of said household.
Ghosts literally have an afterlife in Sims now, with an ability to enter relationships, marry, get jobs, have aspirations, and earn traits, just like living Sims.
Ghosts also have interactions unique to themselves, such as “Ghost Scare,” “Pass Through,” and “Talk About Death”.
They can possess objects, and fix objects that they possess.
They do have this thing where their afterlife is determined by a fixation with the circumstances of their death.
- If they died of hunger, they will try to satiate that hunger in death.
- If they died from old age or exhaustion they take it easy in the afterlife.
- If they died emotionally, those emotions can radiate to living Sims around them.
- If they were electrocuted, they have a unique interaction to destroy electronic devices. They also like the Hand Buzzer social.
- If a Cowplant ate them, they will have an obsession with plants. When emoting negatively, they will actively get plants killed, but will try to care for them when in a positive mood.
- If they died in a fire, to put it succinctly, you do not want your living Sims near them.
Funnily enough, there are two new ways to revive Ghosts too. A Deathflower can keep the Grim Reaper at bay. Similarly, there is a new recipe called Ambrosia. Ambrosia can help revive Sims about to expire, or even bring a Ghost back to the living. Only Level 10 Gourmet cooks can cook Ambrosia.
The October patch also comes with a host of bugfixes and improvements. You can read about those details here.
