Sims News

I just had the honour to attend a live conference call with a lot of other fansites and YouTubers and during that call we learned a lot about upcoming updates for The Sims 4!

Today we will get an update in our games where the Sims team is adding ghosts! Yes, you read it, ghosts! When after installing the update your Sims die, they can come out of their tombstones. If they had a good relationship with other Sims in the household prior to their death, they can eventualy move back into the household and become a playable character again! If they aren't friendly, you can befriend them and have them move in. Ghosts change into the colour of their mood. So a playful or flirty Sim would be pink, et cetera. Ghosts can woohoo with other ghosts and with living Sims, but they cannot reproduce (so they can't have any kids after they've died). Each type of death comes with special behaviour. Meaning that if a Sim has died in a fire while being angry, they can start a fire as a ghost when they're angry. Ghosts who died by emotion will have an area of effect around them that will influence other Sims's moods around them. Once a ghost has rejoined the household, they can die again, but only in a fire. Ghosts will retain their skills and traits. They won't have their career anymore but they can start over. Ghosts can hunt objects. Ghosts can also break plumbing. Sims who died from electrocution can also break electrical items. Ghosts will be "stuck" in the age they had when they died. Ghosts can do most of the things a normal Sim can do, with a few exceptions. They can still get married. They can complete all aspirations. It mostly comes with a bunch of cool new features normal Sims don't have. Ahhh I can't wait anymore!

A couple of other features in today's update are new eye colours (a variety of colours including purple, olive green hazel, some blues, hazel colours etc). And the team has also fixed a number of bugs. More details about the entire list of features will be posted later.

We are happy to announce that the Force is strong with our Sims. Because we are getting awesome Star Wars costumes for kids, teens, young adults, adults and elders. There is Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker for male teens/(young)adults/elders and a Leia for female teena/(young) adults/elders, and Yoda for kids of both genders!

The next update will be in November and will feature POOLS! YES! POOLS! AHHHHHHH! When the time comes we will post more information about this update. For now, we can only say that this will add a new way to die, which is drowning. Yay!

In December we will get a bunch of new career tracks for our games. No details on this yet, but it will add more gameplay and that's awesome. 

I should mention that ALL the game updates in this post will be free for everyone and they come in the form of a patch. So you only need to update your game (which happens automatically through Origin).

I would like to thank EA for including me in this conference call. I was SO nervous but I'm so happy to hear and share the good news with you guys! Check your games today to get the first free update.

SimGuruRiley has recently shared a new blog talking about what a day at The Sims Studio looks like for an animator.

With The Sims 4 now launched, I thought it would be fun to show you what my typical day is like as a Senior Animator at the Studio! 

Early Morning: Arrive at EA

First order of the day is to check email for any issues, concerns or requests, while I am syncing down the latest build of the game.   I look over my calendar to see if I have any meetings to review design or implementation plans.  If I don’t have any meetings that usually means I will be animating, testing or refining our work in the game.

Mid-Morning:  Stand Ups, Reviews and Prepping New Animation

The animation team usually has a quick meeting in the morning. It’s like a roll call.  When our name is called out we declare the work that we will be doing that day.  A one sentence statement about the overall feature and how much we have completed usually does the trick.  As a team it is advantageous for us to understand who is working on what assets.   Informal and quick, the meeting rarely lasts longer than 5 to 10 minutes. We return to our stations and continue work.  For the next hour our Animation Directors will meet with each of us to review our animation for quality. The team is large and the Directors have split us in half to help focus the review time. We are, affectionately, Red Team and Blue Team.  During the review with a Director we will look at the first pass of blocked out animation, shoot reference video, talk about how a feature is going to work in game,  receive feedback on animation or discuss technical issues we have. 

Lunchtime: 

I like to go out with my Animation Pod.  I mentor three animators and we try to get off campus and go out to lunch together once a week.  Each time it’s a new place – the hardest part is trying to get all four of us to decide where to go.  

READ MORE:

The SimGurus have recenlty shared a fun blog post talking about the "Top 10 Things" you will see in The Sims 4.

Be in the know when it releases! 

1. Sims with Character

With rich Emotions and quirky personality traits our all new Sims are more expressive than ever. This has a dramatic impact on the choices available to them throughout the game! We’ve said it before but it bears repeating; it’s what’s on the inside that really matters now. Storytelling with The Sims 4 is more powerful, more fun, and more entertaining.

2.  So Smart, So Believable

READ MORE:

SimGuruZephyr has recently shared a new blog post talking about the familiar faces of Willows Creek.

Last month we told you a little bit about the families of Oasis Springs, and now let’s take a look at the families of Willow Creek.

 

Back in May, we had our first look at the Goths, one of the most well-known couples residing in Willow Creek. Since learning that Mortimer and Bella have returned, many of you have been curious about the fate of their children, Cassandra and Alexander. We all know that our teenage years can be an awkward time, but Cassandra, is a stunner and has obviously followed in her Mother’s genetic footsteps! Let’s not forget about little Alexander; will the youngest child in the family have time to overcome his eerie heritage and live a normal life or will he be another macabre member of the family?

 

Despite the Goth Family’s fame, the couple with the most buzz has been Bob and Eliza Pancakes. A new couple to The Sims, it looks like they may be the most miserable couple in all of Willow Creek! As you get to know the Pancakes you will have a chance to explore just what’s keeping these two together? Eliza will have plenty of chances to drift away, whether she stays in Willow Creek or wanders over to Oasis Springs. Who knows, Bob might just be happier left alone with his pancake griddle. 

Let’s not forget Willow Creek’s love triangle. Free spirit Liberty Lee, cheerful Summer Holiday, and geeky Travis Scott make a pretty unlikely group of friends. At first, it seems like nothing can come between the bond that these three share. Will anyone be happy when this love triangle finally resolves itself?

Now on to one of our favorite and most complicated families, the Spencer-Kim-Lewis household. Keep in mind that with the new emotions that Sims exhibit in The Sims 4, relationships are more complex to manage – and the larger the family, the more challenge there is to be had. Here’s the breakdown: Dennis Kim and Lydia Spencer had a daughter named Alice Spencer-Kim, then they divorced. Their daughter Alice married Eric Lewis and they had their own little girl named Olivia Spencer-Kim-Lewis. Alice, Eric and little Olivia recently moved back in with their parents; Alice’s dad and Eric’s mom. Oh and Vivian Lewis came along too. How can Alice and Eric afford all the new additions to their household? They will definitely have to find the right career! Can they turn around some quick cash before their savings run out or will they find themselves stumbling around once their power gets cut? Hey, no one ever said having a family was easy and with this many mouths to feed, this family definitely isn’t!

We hope these tales of domestic bliss and turmoil have got you excited to jump in to the lives and stories of Willow Creek! We have no doubt you’re already creating intricate plans for these couples and families. Good luck and happy Simming!