well, apparently when someone went to buy Halo: reach, te cashier asked if they wanted to pre-order The sims 3: Outdoors... read for yourselves. :]

http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/301349.page

Hmmmm, interesting... I guess if EA is following a pattern, this should just be a stuff pack. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the releases so far have gone like this:

Base Game - WA EP - High End SP - Ambitions EP - Fast Lane SP - Late Night EP

so the next release should be an SP. If that's the case, what do you think they would include? Is this an SP to get ready for seasons/weather in the next EP? Or is there no pattern and this is going to be an EP? So many questions, so few answers... thoughts?

Could it be The garden stuff pack mentioned here: http://www.snootysims.com/index.php?id=releasedates

Ooh I love this sort of time, where people are talking and gossiping about the next ep/sp!

But whats the link between halo and sims? Why would a cashier think 'oh they've bought halo, they'll probably want sims'...?

I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that the Garden SP rumour has been around for a while, it was mentioned before the Late Night release on Snooty's site and Simprograms. Possibly?

Why would you make a gardening SP though? I mean hell lets add some plants, and cairs, and a gardening hoe or two, i really hope they make an outdoor activities EP, like tennis, volleyball, etc. :D and the town should be a lakeside town with beachfront cabins, and wakeboarding. :]

Wasn't the last SP for TS2 a gardening pack? I think it was actually quite popular although I didn't buy it. I don't think a garden pack would interest me unless it had a slide for the pool. But that's more outdoor themed, not really "garden".

you're all forgetting that stuff packs don't really include interactable/new animation objects - with a few exceptions, the fish tank, the curved stairs from M+G, etc.

Adding Volley ball, ping pong and all these other garden sports you're thinking about just won't come with a stuff pack...

I think that mansion and garden wasn't as popular as it could have been because it was just before the release of ts3, so not many people bothered with it, including myself, althoguh i have played it, and thought it was really good!

I think Hunter was referring to volleyball and ping pong being in a future EP, not SP
Mansion & Garden seemed my favourite SP for TS2, but unless it adds new features, which is highly doubtful, I couldn't really care less about a gardening SP for TS3.

Hmm.. that's interesting. Are the SP's any good? I am going out to buy some sims games Black Friday, so I might pick one up if they are any good..

You toats get me.

I only have the Hi-End Loft Stuff and it's okay but I think I could live without it. I don't use the clothes very often but I guess I use the furniture a lot.

Mansion and Garden was quite good because it included new interactions and animations!

I hope there's a Garden SP, but I would really be excited if after that they release an Outdoors EP! It would be cool trekking in the mountains, swimming and surfing in the beach and playing sports. And... that's the perfect excuse for... Including seasons and weather!

Snooty posted a picture of the alleged Stuff Pack cover: http://www.snootysims.com/newsimg/outdoors.jpg with this message:

The picture is pretty small... I see a hammock, a picnic table with an umbrella, a kiddie pool (!!!), but what is the object in the right, bottom corner? A new barbecue? So far, the objects on the cover wouldn't inspire me to buy it although the kiddie pool with a toddler in it is super cute.

Any guess at what the fourth object is? Do you think it's legit?

i think its legit, although the cover does look like its been painted.

I think it's legit but the cover looks face, the hammock render is really off center.

I think it's fake, purely because they wouldn't have a paddling pool in an SP because it would need new animations.
Unless of course they use the sprinkler animations?

Yeah the cover Snooty posted looks really fake to me. I guess I'm confused about where you all got the Garden SP idea about cause all the rumors I've seen are about a SP called Outdoor stuff. If it is just a gardening one I don't know that I'd be interested but if It's about Outdoor things in general that might be a different story. I guess we'll have to wait for some more information :)

lets not forget they gave us new animations with the high end loft stuff, in the form of the 'anniversary' items, and also in mansion and garden, with those stairs... prehaps they will give us new animations?

Didn't that show up on Amazon too? Story at SimPrograms