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Ideas for next time
Cynna
Posts: 2,369 Member
I started thinking about ideas for another thread and I thought that this forum might be a more appropriate place to expand on them. For the next Sims game, I would really love to see a departure from the present way that we interact with our Sims and the Sim world.
It's time to retire the usual UI. I would love to see a Sims game with no UI at all until I click on a Sim. Then, options will appear such as career, relationships, needs, skills, family funds, etc., all with their own floating submenus. From there I can see everything that I need. Once I move the cursor away, it all disappears!
I would like to get rid of the needs graphic altogether. The Sims' behavior should tell me all that I need to know about their status. For example, a hungry Sims stomach could begin to growl, a really hungry Sim will start to rub its belly and the growling would become more insistent, a starving Sim would be very weak and bent over, clutching their belly and pointing at their mouths. Likewise, a Sim who has to go to the bathroom will start fidgeting, shifting their weight, crossing and uncrossing their legs, a Sim with bladder urgency should be unmistakable, they should look as if they're about to burst! (Other Sims should notice!) A Sim who's tired begins to yawn. A really tired Sim will prop up their head with their hand and start to nod off. Sims near exhaustion should fall asleep in the middle of a conversation, head back, mouth wide open.
With interactions between Sim, I don't need the game to tell me how the other Sim is feeling -- flirty, angry, bored, etc. I would like to be able to tell according to their behavior. That would mean using many more animations, still, it would be worth it for the sense of immersion. It would draw players in by requiring that we pay closer attention to behavioral cues instead of being told how the other Sim feels.
For build mode contextual clicking would be nice. Click on a chair, players would be given the option to order the Sim to sit, change the color/pattern of the chair, or open a catalog to pick an instant replacement that appears in its place. No dragging required, simply immediate replacement with another chair.
Right-click on any wall or floor and the build mode catalog should appear.
Anyway, those are a couple of my thoughts for the next time, inspired by something that I saw recently.
For the next game, I would love to see better, smarter Sims and a more contemporary way of interacting with them and their world. A clean slate, a clean screen.
It's time to retire the usual UI. I would love to see a Sims game with no UI at all until I click on a Sim. Then, options will appear such as career, relationships, needs, skills, family funds, etc., all with their own floating submenus. From there I can see everything that I need. Once I move the cursor away, it all disappears!
I would like to get rid of the needs graphic altogether. The Sims' behavior should tell me all that I need to know about their status. For example, a hungry Sims stomach could begin to growl, a really hungry Sim will start to rub its belly and the growling would become more insistent, a starving Sim would be very weak and bent over, clutching their belly and pointing at their mouths. Likewise, a Sim who has to go to the bathroom will start fidgeting, shifting their weight, crossing and uncrossing their legs, a Sim with bladder urgency should be unmistakable, they should look as if they're about to burst! (Other Sims should notice!) A Sim who's tired begins to yawn. A really tired Sim will prop up their head with their hand and start to nod off. Sims near exhaustion should fall asleep in the middle of a conversation, head back, mouth wide open.
With interactions between Sim, I don't need the game to tell me how the other Sim is feeling -- flirty, angry, bored, etc. I would like to be able to tell according to their behavior. That would mean using many more animations, still, it would be worth it for the sense of immersion. It would draw players in by requiring that we pay closer attention to behavioral cues instead of being told how the other Sim feels.
For build mode contextual clicking would be nice. Click on a chair, players would be given the option to order the Sim to sit, change the color/pattern of the chair, or open a catalog to pick an instant replacement that appears in its place. No dragging required, simply immediate replacement with another chair.
Right-click on any wall or floor and the build mode catalog should appear.
Anyway, those are a couple of my thoughts for the next time, inspired by something that I saw recently.
For the next game, I would love to see better, smarter Sims and a more contemporary way of interacting with them and their world. A clean slate, a clean screen.
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