Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.
Sims 5: Online Prediction
shadownightfire
Posts: 63 Member
The sims 5 will have offline capabilities, but the true selling point and what Maxis and Electronic Arts will hope for is that people will primary play online. The Sims 5 is still several years away and as the title suggests this is just one prediction (so the entire thread isn't a novel).
====
The Sims 5 will have multiple virtual machines powered by IBM and serve as dedicated servers where up to twenty four simmers can connect to other simmers randomly. On launch only simmers will be able to play cross platform between windows and Mac and within two-three years Switch, PS5, and Xbox cross platform support will be added.
MEMBERSHIP FEES:
Like many MMORPG and similar genres the online functionality will borrow some elements from those. Specifically when it comes to owning property. The free tier will allow simmers to build on a 20 by 15 lot with support up to eight sims living on that property. The second tier will will be $4.99 and allow simmers to build on a 20x30 lot with support up to eight sims living on the property. The third tear will be $14.99 and allow simmers to build on a 40x30 lot with support up to eight sims living on that property. The last tier will be $29.99 and allow simmers to build on a 64x64 lot with support up to eight sims living on the property.
Simmers will be restricted to only one property with control over eight sims. In return for a monthly premium all future stuffed packs, game packs, expansion packs, and patches will be included at no extra cost and will be server wide. If we have the paid membership these packs will also be included at no extra cost for offline use. However if simmers have no interest in playing online they will be required to purchase said packs.
WORLD AND PLAYER LOTS
The world will have a similar open world size as The Sims 3 with 32 lots (8 will be community lots). Given how the world will be new some lots may be vacant and inaccessible until future packs come out. Alternatively (probably not) there will be a lot specifically for teleporting to different worlds (city/university/etc). Transporting will take less than twenty seconds on a good connection.
When a player first connects to the main server houses will randomly fill a slot on the residential slot (based on what member tier they have). Simmers houses will most likely shuffle around each time they login.
TIME
Time will run at the standard pace, but pausing and fast forwarding won't be available.
AGING & RELATIONSHIPS
NPCs in world will not age or have relationships progress in the world, but simmers will have the option of aging up their sims at their choosing. Friendly and romantic relationships will be possible with NPCS, but they won't move in to a simmers house (obviously). Instead all NPCs will be added to each sims contact list on their phone and can be invited over. If two simmers invite the same sim over a duplicate will be made.
With friendly and romantic interactions and relations with other simmers both have to be online and will be promoted as the sims communication (ie: so won't can force the other sim to woohoo seventeen times a minute)
FUTURE PACKS AND MICROTRANSACTIONS:
Because the game will be running on a monthly subscription service there won't be microtransactions AND more packs will come out sooner. 1-2 expansions a year, 3 game packs, 5 stuffed packs.
====
The Sims 5 will have multiple virtual machines powered by IBM and serve as dedicated servers where up to twenty four simmers can connect to other simmers randomly. On launch only simmers will be able to play cross platform between windows and Mac and within two-three years Switch, PS5, and Xbox cross platform support will be added.
MEMBERSHIP FEES:
Like many MMORPG and similar genres the online functionality will borrow some elements from those. Specifically when it comes to owning property. The free tier will allow simmers to build on a 20 by 15 lot with support up to eight sims living on that property. The second tier will will be $4.99 and allow simmers to build on a 20x30 lot with support up to eight sims living on the property. The third tear will be $14.99 and allow simmers to build on a 40x30 lot with support up to eight sims living on that property. The last tier will be $29.99 and allow simmers to build on a 64x64 lot with support up to eight sims living on the property.
Simmers will be restricted to only one property with control over eight sims. In return for a monthly premium all future stuffed packs, game packs, expansion packs, and patches will be included at no extra cost and will be server wide. If we have the paid membership these packs will also be included at no extra cost for offline use. However if simmers have no interest in playing online they will be required to purchase said packs.
WORLD AND PLAYER LOTS
The world will have a similar open world size as The Sims 3 with 32 lots (8 will be community lots). Given how the world will be new some lots may be vacant and inaccessible until future packs come out. Alternatively (probably not) there will be a lot specifically for teleporting to different worlds (city/university/etc). Transporting will take less than twenty seconds on a good connection.
When a player first connects to the main server houses will randomly fill a slot on the residential slot (based on what member tier they have). Simmers houses will most likely shuffle around each time they login.
TIME
Time will run at the standard pace, but pausing and fast forwarding won't be available.
AGING & RELATIONSHIPS
NPCs in world will not age or have relationships progress in the world, but simmers will have the option of aging up their sims at their choosing. Friendly and romantic relationships will be possible with NPCS, but they won't move in to a simmers house (obviously). Instead all NPCs will be added to each sims contact list on their phone and can be invited over. If two simmers invite the same sim over a duplicate will be made.
With friendly and romantic interactions and relations with other simmers both have to be online and will be promoted as the sims communication (ie: so won't can force the other sim to woohoo seventeen times a minute)
FUTURE PACKS AND MICROTRANSACTIONS:
Because the game will be running on a monthly subscription service there won't be microtransactions AND more packs will come out sooner. 1-2 expansions a year, 3 game packs, 5 stuffed packs.
0
Comments
I think it could be quite smart to go down the Minecraft route, online and offline experiences are distinct to fit different kind of players styles and one can easily try the other way or stick to their preference.
But if the offline part is just as lacking in many features and has weak gameplay like TS4, that won't sell well either and you'll have another several years long run where EA has to constantly deceive people about how good the game is and any of its upcoming packs. Meanwhile, people will just give up and play Paralives or whatever Paradox Tectonic comes out with (and any other game company we don't know about yet) - because they're listening to us and will give us exactly what we want.
I'm personally sick of EA trying to force this online multiplayer 🐸🐸🐸🐸 on us. That isn't what I'm waiting for all these long years.
1. Family Players won't like it, because of the obvious.
2. Deviant Players won't like it, because of the obvious.
3. Story Tellers won't like it, because of the obvious.
4. Loners who enjoy single player who never share anything and never will, will not like it.
5. Modders and Scripit Modders won't like it, because of the obvious.
Your ideas are hopeful but doubtful. If you thought they are capable of building a multiplayer that plays exactly like an older pc version that's impossible because of the obvious.
1. No one who owns 2 and3 will pay membership fees, ever. Why would they? Only to be bothered by others, I don't think they will go for it.
2. Server worlds in SC2013 is a fine example of why players won't like it. Huge decrease in world sizes that TS4 also suffers from compared to other SC worlds of the past.
3. Time (not even standard) will be real time, wait 24 hours etc. Who will enjoy that? Sim Social players? The Sims Mobile players? Sims Free Play? Certainly not Simmers of the older iterations.
4. No, I doubt player clones would exist. A notice they are not available is probably more like it.
5. Not only NPCs with no control but Sim family members in your own household as NPCs...very, very possible. I predict this one heavily. No control of your own other Sims.
6. If you think EA and Maxis will settle just for montly fees with no micro task bound transactions, then some aren't paying attention. It's the cash cow of MMOs.