Sims 411 Recap

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Thanks to all that participated in our feedback session on the forums! We’ve received loads of great comments and constructive feedback - thank you for adhering to the golden rule!

We’re starting with this first batch of questions and rest assured we saved many more to address in future Inside Maxis livestreams.  

With no further ado…

When will you add pronouns?

When it comes to representation, it's not a destination, it's a journey that we are continuously working towards across the board. We've seen and read your comments regarding Non-Binary Pronouns and their availability in-game. At this time, we can't confirm anything in regards to timing, but what we can say is that for a long time our team has been evaluating ways to add gender-neutral language while considering how complex it would be to do so. Currently, we've been investigating the changes needed considering not only the size of our game, but the possibilities for all of our 18 supported languages to make sure that we do this work the best way possible. This is super important to all of us, which means we want to make sure we do it right.

Thank you all for the continued support of a truly representative environment in-game. We are hopeful for the future and look forward to sharing progress when we are able to as well as our future plans for this aspect and others across the game.

Speaking of sharing progress - here is some concept art of one current work-in-progress design we are looking to add into the game at a later patch. As you can see, we’re pretty inspired by Morocco and while we do not have a date of release for this item, we are super excited to support further representation in the base game, this year and beyond. 

Are there any plans to make new whims to add depth to Sim personality?

Although we are not currently working on whims, it is a system that we would like to revisit in the future. We’re now committing more time in our schedules to free updates than ever before, and we’re starting to see the impact of our commitment with our skin tone updates, trait improvements and bunk beds to name but a few.

What factors does the team look at when differentiating a GP from an EP?

We want to create the best new Sims experiences first and foremost. Then we determine the best size pack to deliver that experience in its best form. There’re many factors when choosing pack size. For example, if the theme is better served with a grand scope and vision, it takes a bigger, broader Expansion Pack approach. Other times a great theme and experience can be made available to players at a more affordable price point through a more focused Game Pack. And yet other times a hyper-specific, nuanced Stuff Pack or kit could be the perfect fit. It’s all about tailoring and pairing the right sized experience to the right sized offering.

When will you fix the "Hates Children" issue?

Consent isn’t something to play with, so we’re updating the trait with the upcoming patch.

Is there potential for story progression in Townies/NPCs?

For those who may not know, Story Progression is the concept of Sims beyond my active household having life moments without me initiating them. There absolutely is potential for this at some point in the future. While we can't confirm any details at this time, we are excited for the possibilities.

Summer of Sims 

For anyone who missed our tweet earlier this week or just wants to re-heat the joyful anticipation for the Hot Sims Summer that’s ahead of us all: Take a look at what to expect from May to July of this year!

Next Patch sneak peek

What’s coming

Bunkbed update

We released our first iteration of bunk beds a while ago. But we didn’t stop there - we’ve got updates for you :) In our upcoming patch, you’ll be able to place several objects below the top bunk, including loveseats, living chairs, dressers, desks, and even double beds! Objects can also be placed perpendicular to the top bunk. 

Here you can see two examples of those new functionalities:

Black Hair Color update 

We've heard your feedback on the black hair color we teased in our last Inside Maxis and you’ll see it updated in the upcoming patch! Take a sneak peek at what it will look like below. 

Oh and...

Some of you may have noticed this extra molecule on our CAS UI in our last stream…

We’re really excited about what this is and we’ll share more with you in our next livestream on May 25th!