Hello everyone!
So through my conversations with some of you in a few different threads I wanted to provide you with an opportunity to ask your questions regarding development / communications that you've been wanting to ask. Please keep in mind that there are some things that we cannot talk about and if we remark that we cannot comment please respect that.
Some disclaimers:
- This thread is to allow for closer communication between the Studio and our community members for a more open dialogue. Please remember that if you ask questions on how something could be developed (like a lounge chair) and we provide an answer that it isn't confirmation it's going to be developed and if you ask a question about an idea and anyone on the team says "I love that idea" it isn't a promise that it will happen - we just love the idea.
- Questions do not have to be specific to The Sims 4, if you've had a question about something related to The Sims 3 or older and we have someone who can answer it we will try our best to get it answered
- Be respectful of your fellow community members. Do not name call or shoot down someone's question. If you see that a question similar to their's was answered previously then politely link them to the answer.
- Comments that are made that are not productive to the conversation will be removed from the thread (and depending on how severe they are will receive a warning).
- This thread will be closed from time to time to allow the team to answer questions without having new ones drown out the previous ones. Once questions have been answered the thread will be re-opened.
Now let's all work together to build a more positive community and a more open dialogue between you and Studio.
Global Community Manager for Maxis / The Sims
Comments
Is there a method for deciding what becomes free content and what becomes paid content? If so, in broad strokes, can you describe? Answered
How do you decide which object goes in which pack? Answered
What is the other 95% of SimGuruDrake's job? Answered
Will Simgurugraham say hi to me if I ask really nicely? Answered
I was wondering how long does it usually take for you to create a stuff pack / game pack / expansion pack (from concept to release)? What are the factors that influence timing? Are delays common?
Also I was wondering why developing EPs seems to take longer with Ts4 than with TS3 or TS2. Is it a matter of resources? (Perhaps the former EP team has divided into EP and GP) or is it because you work with more flexible deadlines? Is it a matter of marketing perhaps (so that Gps and EPs don't overlap)?
Finally I was wondering what kind of questions we can ask here...can we give suggestions too? Or ask about what would be technically feasible (eg. A difficulty slider)?
Questions Answered Here.
Do you have anyone who can look at Sims 3 Mac issues or is that no longer possible because the game is no longer supported by the 3rd party development team EA used to port the game using Cider?
For my question... Let's see...
For people who work on art and/or modeling, where do you draw inspiration from for the CASsets that you create? Do you look through fashion magazines? Through pictures of clothing people have modeled related to that theme? Or do you just let them develop as you work, eventually finding something that sticks and build off of that? - Answered
If you plan on adding weather (which I REALLY hope you do), how will different weather types work vis-a-vis the sky/clouds we've currently got?
(I'm guessing there would be different skies depending on what type of whether is happening, but going by how the sky/cloud system works I'd be curious to see how this would work.)
I believe the rating is still for teen gamers, but to older sims fans like myself (above 20 years old), ts4 seems slanted toward a younger audience who may not appreciate the nuanced humor, depth, and complexity prevalent in ts2 and ts3. Is this intentional? - Answered
Ooh! I like this one! I'd also like to know, are the concept artists inspired by recent trends or that of years past? - Answered
I second this.
And to add on to the question I'd like to know did the sims team want to solely focus on the present times? The past installments have always been good at keeping up with the times but incorporating some old fashion elements.
ETA: Also, why are there not smaller or sleeker versions of oversized objects like the arcade machine or the dollhouse?
Anyway, what can you elaborate on what the production team does and why they need to be a different company that handles Sims decisions?
Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8fyVopwGl0&ab_channel=LittleMissSimmer
I'm a little confused on the Expansion explanation: "Expansion packs – These are more like multiple storylines, spread broadly but not necessarily deep. Again all playstyles should be covered."
https://julyvee94.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/the-sims-panel-and-my-experience-at-gamescom-2016/
Why can't EPs be deep? Why does it seem like they omit some playstyles, when supposively all playstyles should be covered? EPs have always been my favorite so it really disappointed me that the vision and direction of GPs seemed more clearer than the EP's vision. Personally I liked having EPs more focused to flesh out a theme more. I like when they include a lifestate aka supernatural and a new world or in the Sims 4 case a new neighborhood. So far GTW and GT seem to have omitted some playstyles, so does each EP focus only on one? This is in relation to EPs as a product, not so much on future info on them. I'm just curious about further explanation on each pack type in a general sense.
Lately I noticed Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs pyramid was shared taken from this site: http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
https://www.platinumsimmers.com/articles/the-sims-4-how-we-make-the-game-panel/
I did study this in school, so it was really interesting learning this concept applied to the Sims while attending college.
So according to the pyramid, why are only sections of the pyramid represented for each iteration? Does that mean that not all the needs are met?
It shows why the Sims 1 and 2 seem to appeal to me more I've noticed, since my play styles fall under the bottom three sections. Any plans of including the needs as a whole or will it be separated? Why does it feel like transcendence wasn't included in the Sims 4 vision? Since the Sims 4 is reaching the top of the pyramid, so does that mean that the future of the Sims will use a different theory in development of future games?
Sorry I know all of my questions are quite deep and I know probably not all of them can be answered. But it was enlightening finding out with Gamescom why Sims 4 was alienating my play styles because of how Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs was being applied. I personally think it is flawed unless applied fully. Like a math equation, it doesn't work the same when divided into parts. It becomes something else completely. I do think that the Sims 1 and 2 did apply a lot of the pyramid in the game which is why those iterations worked out so well.
The Sims 2 studio fire, was that true or a hoax? I've wanted to know this answer for years and even a former Sims 2 Maxoid wasn't able to answer it.
Also, would it be possible to add an option to the game to turn off culling and allow players to choose which sims to cull themselves by manually deleting them? - I am getting an answer for this separate from this thread - SGD
Is it possible for terrain tools to be added in the future to the game with the current game engine?
I hope that I asked this in a way that it can be answered. Thanks again for this thread.
"If you build it, they will come." - Movie: Field of Dreams
Is it technically feasible to unattach babies from cribs? On the same wavelength, would they then be able to be attached or need to be to something else? Don't get too technical, it confuses me.
What changed between TS3 and TS4 that makes the communication, in regards to packs, we now have? Is it the live service? Something else?
Outside of The Sims, what is your favourite game and genre?
Where is your favourite destination?
If you play The Sims, what kind of player are you?
Through all the iterations, do you have a favourite pack? If so, what?
Do you mind non-serious questions?
Some Answers Here