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Height Adjustment
AFeazy
Posts: 91 Member
This has probably already been suggested, but I couldn't find anything when I searched for it and figured another mentioning of it would probably make it more likely to be noticed by the EA employees.
Height for the Sims 4 would be great. It is so awkward to attempt making someone who is 4'9" and then see them in-game the same tall height as everyone else. Even a very small height range would be better than nothing, to at least suggest difference in height. I know for me, if an expansion included height adjustment, I would buy it just for that. If a patch included it, I would be far more likely to buy future expansions because I would enjoy playing and making sims much more. Height difference isn't a small thing; it is a very big part of identity for people and really makes a big difference in the ultimate creation and look of the sim. If height continues to not be included, I honestly say I am unlikely to continue to get new expansions. Certainly, after four generations of Sims games, we should have height variation now.
Thanks to everyone who reads this and to any SimGurus who contemplate this. If you agree you'd like to see height variation, post on here so the EA people know its in demand!!! Have a good day and happy simming. =)
Height for the Sims 4 would be great. It is so awkward to attempt making someone who is 4'9" and then see them in-game the same tall height as everyone else. Even a very small height range would be better than nothing, to at least suggest difference in height. I know for me, if an expansion included height adjustment, I would buy it just for that. If a patch included it, I would be far more likely to buy future expansions because I would enjoy playing and making sims much more. Height difference isn't a small thing; it is a very big part of identity for people and really makes a big difference in the ultimate creation and look of the sim. If height continues to not be included, I honestly say I am unlikely to continue to get new expansions. Certainly, after four generations of Sims games, we should have height variation now.
Thanks to everyone who reads this and to any SimGurus who contemplate this. If you agree you'd like to see height variation, post on here so the EA people know its in demand!!! Have a good day and happy simming. =)
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Comments
― Annabeth Chase
> I was hoping for a height adjustment with TS4 as well. They added foot size but not height and if you make the feet small or overly large it looks funky.
Yes the foot adjuster is nearly useless with no height adjustment. Generally people who have tiny feet are shorter, and people with large feet are taller. Of course there are exceptions but for most cases, changing the feet size serves no purpose in the game without height differences.
@jsim said:
> Yeah I totally agree!! When I first started playing The Sims I kept on looking for the height adjustment button (I was usch a n00b XD) and I still think this would be a very good idea/concept. It would add more realism to the game and also more diversity. Also I agree that teens and adults can look very similar...
It's only natural to assume when you're playing a game to make simulated people that there would be a height option. Many other games where there is a character creation let you alter heights, even if it's just by selecting between three button choices (though some use a fluid slider). Some of these games also manage to have the people still meet-up in interactions (I'm not sure how it works, I think it's somehow programmed with pointers for signifying mouth, eyes, hands, so they will meet up when they need to). I don't understand why EA has not done this yet with the Sims.
In addition to what JPG619 said about how they could go about adjusting heights, I think there is one more way they could do it. Having options to click on could also be a way to go about it. For example, you know how you see body representations between Adult, Teen, Child, etc. when choosing age? It could be something like that. Have a little human outline depicting the different heights that you can click on. Tall, short, average, what have you. This allows for less customization about the height, but I wouldn't mind seeing them do it that way. They could just have predetermined height choices. That is better than nothing I think.
This is the truth.
Mitakuye oyasin.
To all my relations, keep dancing.
Believe or you will not see.
Very good idea I would love to be able to give Sims different heights since in my head my characters have different heights same with characters from shows I want to recreate.
I guess it might get complicated for aging up to adulthood; but if it was programmed in the genetic traits it would at least work out realistically, or, like JPG619 said, make it something you can select upon aging to adult. Since in the game teens are the same height as adults, though, maybe it would be better to make it selectable upon aging up to teen. It could be something that pops up in a window, like selecting an aspiration or when babies are born to give them names. The button method would probably work better for that than the slider. The slider probably could only work as pre-determined by genetics for sims that age up from childhood.
I also agree pulling could work, like the other body parts, but I think it would be easier to a slider next to the other two, like WolfEyes said, simply because I could imagine myself attempt to pull for height and accidentally pull something else. Lol
Anyway I hope they pay attention and realize they could make a lot of sales if they add height.
So while it's fine to dream, the time and effort it would take to make height adjustments is quite big and the end result something rather lacking.
Sometimes your creativity is limited where you use it most, but you can use those limitations to inspire new forms of creativity you may never have thought of beforehand.
> Actually, it's very, very difficult to make height adjustments in any game. When you make animation, everything is tied to a skeleton. They can put on any mesh upon that skeleton and still make it work but they can't add different heights without having to redo every single animation. For the same reason, a height slider is impossible. It would make any animation out of hack. Making games is complicated. One reason the teens are the same height as adults was to save the time and money it would have taken to redo every actions teens can do that is identical to adults. Most teens are the same height as adults anyway. Instead we got more animations and more things overall.
> So while it's fine to dream, the time and effort it would take to make height adjustments is quite big and the end result something rather lacking.
I don't doubt it would be difficult, but it shouldn't be impossible. I have played other games that allowed height differences, and in some of them there were also interactions (or animations) between people, and it worked despite the different heights. Can't animations be pinned from one to another? I mean, where a point is made on each part of the body where interactions will involve contact (hands, mouth, upper back, for example). To simplify what I'm saying, let's use some example of one sim doing some animation to touch the other sim's back. No matter what the heights are, the sim's hand will always touch the same spot on the back, because the programming is from point to point and which points will match up during the animation. This would have problems if the height differences were too big, but if they weren't too large, it should work. I don't know a lot of the technical terms, but I do know at least a little about programming be cause close family members of mine are programmers, and I know what I described is possible. Though, I imagine (and wouldn't be surprised) that the Sims 4 might have been made in such a way that that type of point-to-point interaction isn't possible to add. Although, it *looks* like it's doing that already, since no matter what size the body is or what shape, they still match up (no floating arms or hands going through the body). Maybe that's not what that is, just saying it looks like it. =)
BUT, I'm not sure how well that would work in reality. @Ikajo makes a very very good, valid point, and imagine the glitches... :o :/
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But in The Sims, everything is interaction with everything around them. I happen to know a few basics regarding animation and I've also read an interview of one of the Simgurus who explained why height is harder to do and wont be in the game anytime soon. There are also interviews that explain how they made it possible to have different shapes. However, the way they solve shape is not possible to use on height. As I said, all animations are tied to a skeleton with a mesh on top. When they solve animation on sims with different shapes they manipulate the mesh, not the skeleton. Height is a whole other matter. If a tall sim is going to kiss a shorter sim, the tall sim needs to bend down, this has to be animated. The short sim have to stretch. This has to be animated. Otherwise, the short sim will kiss the chest or the neck and the tall sim will kiss the air. No programming can solve this problem.
I don't disagree with you on it not being easy to do, I do disagree on the end results being lacking. That depends on the devs.
On the other hand, Second Life has spoiled me in a lot of ways. Height slider, thousands of anims, and all.
This is the truth.
Mitakuye oyasin.
To all my relations, keep dancing.
Believe or you will not see.
Sure it can.
:)
― Annabeth Chase
You can't solve an animation problem through programming.
That's interesting. What interviews were these? Are they still viewable someplace online? If they are, and youha ppen to remember their names or where they're at, I'd appreciate it if you told me. I'm curious. They sound very interesting.
I understand what you're saying and I suppose that means height won't be around for a while. However, I wouldn't say it is impossible, you never know what will happen twenty years from now (maybe not the Sims, maybe a different simulation game, I don't know, just sayin').
It was before the release of the game. I tried to find them but unfortunately I couldn't. If I remember correctly it was a part of a larger interview so it isn't easy to find. I wish I could remember. I know I read an explanation of how they solved shape not that long ago but long enough for me to not remember.
Well, a lot of things can happen in twenty years. I doubt we get different heights in The Sims anytime soon but theoretically it is not impossible to implement different height options. However, it would be rather expensive and time-consuming, which would force them to cut out features. That's kind of how it works...