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Grant Rodiek’s and Jake Solomon's Midsummer Studios Life Simulation Game vs. Sims 5 (Rene)?
simmerorigin
Posts: 1,477 Member
https://www.midsummerstudios.com/
Jake Solomon is a gaming industry veteran responsible for Marvel's Midnight Suns and the modern XCOM franchise.
In March 2023, it was reported that he left 2K's Firaxis studio in February after 23 years. (XCOM’s Jake Solomon is forming a new studio and ‘likely won’t make a turn-based game’)
He stated:
In December 2023, Rock Paper Shotgun reported a new interview with Jake Solomon ("Jake Solomon uncut: here's our post-Firaxis GDC interview in full")
Some excerpts:
SimmerErin recently published a video on the news:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoSikTTHTBQ
What do you think? Have you played any of his games? Personally, I find his background intriguing. I like that he stated that he's been focused on systems-building; this can lend itself to the life simulation genre. In the Sims series, I've always enjoyed in-depth gameplay systems.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[UPDATE]
Grant Rodiek (formerly SimGuruGrant is joining game)
https://www.polygon.com/24155607/the-sims-midsummer-studios-jake-solomon-xcom
Details about funding and how it will be different from The Sims as well as use of AI agents for NPCs
https://variety.com/2024/gaming/news/the-sims-vets-game-developer-midsummer-studios-trevor-noah-day-zero-productions-1236001094/
Jake Solomon is a gaming industry veteran responsible for Marvel's Midnight Suns and the modern XCOM franchise.
In March 2023, it was reported that he left 2K's Firaxis studio in February after 23 years. (XCOM’s Jake Solomon is forming a new studio and ‘likely won’t make a turn-based game’)
He stated:
XCOM director said he would likely make a simulation title, rather than another turn-based strategy game.
“My intention, if anybody gives me the funding for it, is to open my own studio locally and make a new kind of game,” he said. “I can’t move too far away from what my experience is. I’m a creative director, but the truth is I’m actually a very in-the-weeds system designer.
“I make games as a creative director but I actually end up designing a lot of the systems for the games. Even on Midnight Suns, I had some amazing designers but I ended up designing individual heroes, enemies and their abilities…
“System design is important to me, so I want to make a systems-based game. I think it won’t be turn-based strategy… I want to make something that’s more of a life simulator or a simulation-style game. That’s the plan.”
In December 2023, Rock Paper Shotgun reported a new interview with Jake Solomon ("Jake Solomon uncut: here's our post-Firaxis GDC interview in full")
Some excerpts:
You mentioned that you were quite excited by the idea of a life sim game. What life sims have you played over the years? What is it about them that you enjoy?
There's a number of things that appeal. Without talking specifically about what it is I want to do, I think that the appeal of life sims is kind of manifold, but I think that, one, it's just life in miniature, right? From model train sets to doll houses to army men, there's something about life in miniature that I think is just naturally appealing. And I think the power of having the life that you want? You think like, 'Oh my gosh, simulating life, like, I already have a life and that feels like enough work!' But being able to have a different life and a life you want, I think it's really, really appealing.
Is it those stories that emerge from within the simulation that get you fired up?
Yeah, I think that everything feels original, there's a lot of procedural-ness to it, right? And then everything feels original to you because it's procedural. And when it feels original, it feels authentic. And it feels shareable. Even if it's just turning to your partner and saying, 'You're never going to believe what just happened!' Whether it's Dwarf Fortress, or whether it's The Sims or whatever it is, simulation can create some really fun experiences.
Now that you're looking more towards the live sim genre, has there been a lot of iteration in it in from your point of view, or is there still room to do something new?
Well, Paradox and Ron Humble just did a really neat [thing]. I mean, I thought that that take on that straight up life sim was unique. It's interesting to look at. There's a lot of village simulations, right? So I don't know if it's pejorative yet but cosy games, right? There's a sim-ish nature to that even down to Stardew and things like that. And then to see something like Dwarf Fortress go from ASCII to actual graphics and then seeing how popular that is, I think that there's been iteration. But definitely to me, I see an opportunity. As a designer, I see a lot of ways that I'd love to jump in and have my own take on this.
SimmerErin recently published a video on the news:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoSikTTHTBQWhat do you think? Have you played any of his games? Personally, I find his background intriguing. I like that he stated that he's been focused on systems-building; this can lend itself to the life simulation genre. In the Sims series, I've always enjoyed in-depth gameplay systems.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[UPDATE]
Grant Rodiek (formerly SimGuruGrant is joining game)
https://www.polygon.com/24155607/the-sims-midsummer-studios-jake-solomon-xcom
Details about funding and how it will be different from The Sims as well as use of AI agents for NPCs
https://variety.com/2024/gaming/news/the-sims-vets-game-developer-midsummer-studios-trevor-noah-day-zero-productions-1236001094/
He/him | Simmer since Sims 1 | Sims 2 wants-based rotational player, Sims 3 legacy player | My gameplay rules via PleasantSims | Bring back challenge and depth to the Sims: https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/17959464/#Comment_17959464
Post edited by simmerorigin on
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Comments
The bottomline is that there's a gaming audience. The proportion of the population that plays computer games only increases rather than decreases. This is probably a growing space and there's probably a lot of demand for quality games that are put out there. Games are probably more popular than movies at this point.
Anyway, for the games that he was involved in I did notice how there were some sims influences. You could design and customize your soldiers in those games. In XCOM: Enemy Unknown you could customize your soldiers, give them names and change their faces etc. In XCOM 2 and XCOM 2: War of the Chosen we could customize our soldiers even more, we could give them backgrounds and with mod support we could give the soldiers a lot of different looks, you often ended up giving your soldiers different personalities as well based on their voices. Soldiers could also form bonds with each other and after a finished mission you could take photos where your soldiers could do different poses, so the soldiers felt a bit like sims in a way.
In Marvel's Midnight Suns, which was the last game Jake worked on you did not have soldiers really since you were playing as super heroes, but you could form relationships with them and hang out with them.
Hearing that Jake wants to make a life-simulation game is both surprising and not so surprising. Surprising because I think a lot of people associate with him making turn-based combat games but not surprising because the games he have been involved in had sims-like influences so that might explain why he would like to make a life-simulation game.
https://www.polygon.com/24155607/the-sims-midsummer-studios-jake-solomon-xcom
https://variety.com/2024/gaming/news/the-sims-vets-game-developer-midsummer-studios-trevor-noah-day-zero-productions-1236001094/
It sounds like a modern attempt at making a life simulator, I wonder what the graphics will be like.
https://www.ign.com/articles/former-xcom-director-jake-solomon-making-a-next-gen-life-sim
I doubt this will be a game for me. I never decide on a story before I play, and I never play out actual stories. What happens in game happens, there are usually very few surprises in TS4, and nothing bad unless you make it so. I don't have the energy to create stories. I know a lot of other simmers do, though, so this will be great for them! Of course, depending on how they like the art style etc.
Gallery: Kathykins
AHQ - Game help and Bugs
https://www.midsummerstudios.com/
Will be made in Unreal Engine:
I feel it is so strange how there is so many life simulations popping up now
and yet none of them are taking on any kind of occult or historical elements
even just simulating different time period would be immediately more interesting
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Well I'm not particularly waiting for dragons but it does seem all the current games in development are offering a much more realistic gameplay and art style experience. (Except LBY. Those characters are just plain scary.)
No grim reaper, cow plant, money trees, ambrosia, Patchy, and occults, as you mentioned, and so much more. None of the whimsy and silliness that The Sims is known for. At least none that I'm aware of. And that's what I've come to appreciate and enjoy.
I think some these games will come with supernaturuals
I never saw these games as replacements for the sims.
Too early to tell that these games won't eventually have whimsical and supernatural elements IMO.
I played that back in the day
Gallery: Kathykins
AHQ - Game help and Bugs
Same. I'm waiting to see which new game will have the silliness, drama and mayhem I'm really craving. I know we've only seen bits and pieces of the games in development so far, but what I have seen is just normal daily life stuff, so I'm not really excited about any of them yet.
I'm losing inspiration to tell stories and I became lazy.
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The Sims 4 General Discussionhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-05-14/game-makers-at-midsummer-studios-look-to-take-on-the-sims
Some snippets:
I am glad they are joining in.
"Emergent player stories."
That is definitely my play style. I allow whatever happens in my game to roll into my scenario and allow the plot to go where it wills. But this requires a game that offers up surprises and has some cause and effect dynamics. I will be watching out for this game.