I hope we get spiral staircase or ladder one day. Graham mentioned somewhere that build mode items can be tricky to add, because they would have to be patched in so that the gallery builds etc. also work for people without the pack. Maybe someone can link to the post if they can find it.
Sorry guys, apparently i can not post links as i have not been on the site long enough, I would like to have the effect of half half stairs leading to the second level.
1. How long can a Stuffpack take to create? Is it months/weeks ?
2. Is there any Stuffpack ideas that have been mentioned that have been to much work for Stuffpacks to take on?
3. Who comes up with the ideas for past and future Stuffpacks?
4. Whats the hardest creating area Objects or build mode?
Hi @RosiaMia_ , some interesting questions there...
1. We're following the same development schedule for this Stuff Pack that we do for all others. In our FAQ for this Stuff Pack, we mention that it's going to be releasing next year. However, that doesn't mean that we're working exclusively on this pack from now until its release date. We start thinking about packs well in advance - it's a phrase that we call pre-production. During this time we're selecting a theme, getting concept art pulled together, and brainstorming features. We're also in the middle of working on other projects... this Stuff Pack will not be the next Stuff Pack that's released, so there's plenty keeping us busy. Actual internal development of features on this pack - what we call "entering production", won't start until late Summer.
2. I see plenty of ideas discussed on the forums which would be too large for us to accomplish in a Stuff Pack. It's a difficult idea to convey what can "fit", when we haven't traditionally discussed the time/budget it takes to create a specific thing. While I can't discuss our budget while working on this pack, I hope to share a lot more about how long it takes to create certain things. I think a good example of this is a lot of people not understanding why I've said we can't create lounge chairs in a Stuff Pack. While it certainly seems like a very simple object, it would require a ton of animation work to support multitasking - more time than we have available per Stuff Pack.
3. There's no one person who comes up with the idea for a pack. We work as a team and it typically starts with a brainstorm. We consider a number of factors... what players are asking for, what areas of the game we think could use more to do, what time of the year a pack is going to release in, what's going on in culture, etc. The disciplines that get heavily involved in the really early decisions to pick a theme are design, production, art direction, and marketing.
4. Comparing the difficulty of creating objects vs build mode features is a bit of a broad question to give a good answer to. Really you'd have to pick two specific features and compare the complexity of creating them. Sometimes a feature isn't very difficult to create, but can still take a lot of time to do. Sometimes a change can be done quickly, but is very risky and requires a lot of testing and bug fixing. Every feature comes with its own unique challenges that we have to consider. The reason why we don't create build features in Stuff Packs is not a matter of difficulty, we simply don't have any Build Mode engineers dedicated to the Stuff Pack team. They're all assigned to the larger Game and Expansion packs. Partially this is because a new Build feature typically has to be patched in for all users, so that they can continue to download and share content via the Gallery and have it function in their game. Because we're only making a small number of new things per Stuff Pack, the SP team really has to use our resources to make compelling content that gets people interested in buying the pack.
In addition to the great stair/ladder ideas already mentioned, a double width staircase that sweeps out at the lower landing a tile width on either side, with various carpet/railing combinations. Sims2 has it, and it's pretty much a staple in my Titanic interiors.
If they can't do stairs in a SP I vote for a builders GP with special attention to new spiral stairs and matching colors for current and new windows and doors!
If they can't do stairs in a SP I vote for a builders GP with special attention to new spiral stairs and matching colors for current and new windows and doors!
I'm sold. Where can I get it?
Seriously though. How much work can it really be to make a ladder and a spiral staircase? I also wish we could once again set the height of a column individually with a slider, like in TS3. I want to make builds where there are two-storey columns at the entrance etc, but that's not possible right now and it's really limiting and frustrating. They don't even have to re-work columns much, because most of them work with all wall heights. They would just have to add a slider that snaps to certain heights. There could be a two-storey maximum column height. Different wall heights could complicate things a bit, but that's what the slider is for: short wall height one storey, medium wall height one storey etc, two storey short wall height, two storey tall wall height etc. It would be fair to put the limit that both walls need to be the same height for a two-storey column, though, otherwise it could be too much work.
Comments
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
Aso stairs with carpets.
I like those ideas! It would be cool too if you could have a staircase/ bookcase combo.
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
Spiral staircase with entangled vines.
Gallery ID: MarleyTheWizard
I meant not in this stuff pack. Hopefully later on!
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
Yes please! Not everyone has bare wooden stairs.
Even better, patches are free.
Grim Spooky Manor Mansion
Same!
I'm sold. Where can I get it?
Seriously though. How much work can it really be to make a ladder and a spiral staircase? I also wish we could once again set the height of a column individually with a slider, like in TS3. I want to make builds where there are two-storey columns at the entrance etc, but that's not possible right now and it's really limiting and frustrating. They don't even have to re-work columns much, because most of them work with all wall heights. They would just have to add a slider that snaps to certain heights. There could be a two-storey maximum column height. Different wall heights could complicate things a bit, but that's what the slider is for: short wall height one storey, medium wall height one storey etc, two storey short wall height, two storey tall wall height etc. It would be fair to put the limit that both walls need to be the same height for a two-storey column, though, otherwise it could be too much work.
Pirates!! http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/906481/pirate-gp-smuggling-dueling-live-on-ship-or-build-own-and-more#latest