GamesRadar had a chance to interview Grant Rodiek, a producer on The Sims 4 Expansion Packs about the upcoming EP – The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs!
GamesRadar+: Have pets been something that fans have been asking to see return to Sims?
Grant Rodiek: Let me put it this way: before we even launched the base game, fans were asking for this expansion. Dogs and cats are the most requested feature in every Sims life cycle and it is our single biggest challenge as a studio, for a couple reasons:
One, we have to add two new species, and if you look ‘under the hood’, it’s actually five: puppies, kittens, small dogs, large dogs, cats. This means we have to do, in some cases, five times the animation we normally do, not to mention we need to animate every permutation of child to puppy, adult to puppy, and so forth (when you think about socials). Basically, from a technical perspective, it requires a massive update to the engine that no other expansion requires.
Two, people are very passionate about pets. Cats and dogs are so meaningful to people’s lives, and they are very focused on what they can do in our game.
GamesRadar+: How will this Sims 4 expansion build on what we saw in Sims 3?
Grant Rodiek: Firstly, the new Create a Pet tool is amazing. It is arguably the best creative tool we have ever made. It is so simple to choose a breed, create mix breeds, paint spots, use our stencil tool, and for the first time ever, add pet clothing (shark fins, helmets, and more). Secondly, we added the ability for Sims to be veterinarians; you can purchase, design, and set up a veterinarian clinic. You can hire staff, train them, and your Sims and their family can be veterinarians. As you build your skills, you’ll be able to diagnose symptoms, treat pets, and even conduct surgery. [As for the pets themselves,] we wanted them to feel, look, and act like living, breathing household pets. They have routines, quirks, and more nuanced behavior. You’ll see cats climb on almost every surface in your house and glare at dogs from the top of the refrigerator. Dogs will sneak on the couch to sleep upside down and snore at night.
If you’ve managed to play The Sims 4 Base Game on minimum, you may want to start looking at upgrading your PC if you’re looking to buy Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack.
TheSims.com website confirmed that The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs EP has a different set of minimum System Requirements from The Sims 4 Base Game. Here’s what’s new:
RAM: Now you need at least 4GB RAM instead of 2GB RAM
OS: If you have Windows 7 you can only play with 64bit OS version instead of 32bit.
There are no changes to recommended system requirements, as well as Mac system requirements.
Well who’d have thought we would be doing another our opinion so soon after the toddler stuff pack announcement? The guys over at Maxis have dropped a huge reveal at Gamescom earlier today, The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs expansion pack was shown off and teased to all who watched with a release date of November 10th, over a year after the last expansion pack. The staff here at SimsCommunity are once again going to be discussing what we think of this spectacular announcement. Please note while this article is based off the opinions and views of some of the staff it is not a reflection of the whole team.
Lady Hope – I am extremely excited for the customisation options! We can make our own pets in the game with more realism. I don’t mind that there aren’t horses or smaller animals as this gives the team more time to work on Cats and Dogs with more efficiency. Plus if we had horses etc we wouldn’t have the new career or costumes I have a feeling.
We all agree’d that this pack looks to be the best expansion pack we’ve had to date, the new world looks absolutely stunning and the cats an dogs look in keeping with the art style but still realistic and cute. The customisation is something lacking in The Sims 4 at times, you may have missed it on the trailer but it appears colour customisation and painting tools are coming to the game in a big way, you can literally paint on pets to change every single aspect of their coats, an improvement upon The Sims 3 which at times was frustrating and finicky when creating custom fur patterns.
Pet clothing is a big thing in real life, many dogs and cats are forced into costumes by enthusiastic owners and why should that be any different in The Sims? This is the first time ever we’re being blessed with clothing for our animals and it looks to have been done perfectly, hopefully there’s a train where the pets hate wearing costumes, I’d need that one for making my real dog in game!
Duwsh – I just feel like going back to just cats and dogs was the right move, there’s no place for horses in the game at the moment, I believe they will eventually arrive but with a pack more suitable like farming. Small animals are a nice addition but don’t add that much gameplay. I’m happy the team is focusing more on cats and dogs. The fact you can’t control them is a plus in my eyes, TS3 pets all felt the same because they’d do what you told them, their personalities will shine through in TS4 because they will live autonomously
It’s not all good though, as many people will be aware we’re missing two aspects, small pets and horses. It’s not fair to say that horses are a staple as they’ve only been in one game but it would have been nice to add those in. I could see the thought process though, they clearly wanted to focus their energy on dogs and cats, most people don’t just own horses and you wouldn’t take them to a vet so that would mean they’d lack the ability to use a huge portion of the pack, it makes sense really. We all agree’d that horses will eventually come, most likely in a farming pack to delve deeper into gameplay for them. The mechanics are now here for pets so who’s the say it’s limited to just cats and dogs. Small animals on the other hand are a mystery, we have no idea why they are missing but again we think they will eventually come in a different pack.
The vet career as mentioned above is a very welcomed addition, another fantastic active career to add to the list. We are all mega excited for this feature and if it’s done well think it will be the best so far, the ability to help sick animals is a great one and being able to take pets to vets as well makes it even better.
SnarkyWitch – I’m really disappointed with the lack of horses. I feel like a closed world isn’t a good excuse to exclude them because the game really isn’t a closed world; we have absolutely massive common spaces with routable paths and terrain which are perfect to gallop around on a horse. The content in the trailer looks good and I love that we can take our pets for walks and dress them up in outfits but I still find myself glossing over this one and looking ahead to a farm pack with horses which I would be much more enthusiastic about.
So that’s it, I tried to keep it short and to the point but I could have gone on for a whole lot longer, we’re all excited for this pack and think it is going to be phenomenal. We’re obviously sad that there’s no horses and small pets but that shouldn’t make the pack any less exciting. What did you think of the whole announcement, let us know in the comments.
*Requires The Sims 4 game (sold separately) and all game updates to play.
When will The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs be available?
The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs will be available globally on November 10, 2017.Is The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs available on a physical disc?There will be a boxed version of The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs available in physical retail stores worldwide. In some countries, this will include a physical PC disc – please contact your local retailer for more information. All versions will include a code that enables you to download the game on both PC and Mac through Origin™.
Where can I purchase The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs?
You can buy The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs on Origin or from participating video game retailers.
What are the minimum PC system requirements for The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs?
MINIMUM OS: 64 Bit Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10
CPU: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 Dual-Core 4000+ or equivalent (For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-62 or equivalent)
RAM: At least 4 GB RAM
DISC DRIVE: DVD ROM drive required for installation only
HARD DRIVE: At least 3 GB of free space (14 GB if installing with The Sims 4) with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
VIDEO: 128 MB of Video RAM and support for Pixel Shader 3.0. Supported Video Cards: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better, ATI Radeon X1300 or better, Intel GMA X4500 or better
DIRECTX: DirectX 9.0c compatible
SOUND CARD: DirectX 9.0c Compatible
INPUT: Keyboard and Mouse
ONLINE REQUIREMENTS: Internet connection required for product activation.
What are the Mac minimum system requirements for The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs?
MINIMUM OS: Mac OS® X 10.7.5 (Lion)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz Processor or better
RAM: At least 4 GB RAM
HARD DRIVE: At least 3 GB of free space (14 GB if installing with The Sims 4) with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, A/bTI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or better. Video RAM of 256MB or better
INPUT: Keyboard and Mouse
ONLINE REQUIREMENTS: Internet connection required for product activation.
Do I need to purchase the PC and Mac versions separately?
Just like The Sims 4, one purchase gets you both the PC and Mac versions.
The announcement you’ve been waiting for is here! It’s finally here! You knew it was coming. We knew it was coming. And with every delighted fiber of my being, I can now officially tell you that we’re in the midst of finishing the development of The SimsTM 4 Cats & Dogs* right now, and it will be available to play on PC and Mac worldwide on November 10, 2017.
We’ve been working on this expansion pack for a very long time, and my handlers had to restrain me so I wouldn’t spill all the beans. But, I’m going to spill some beans…
Create A Pet has returned, and it’s more powerful than ever. Search for a massive amount of cat and dog breeds, or mix any two breeds with just a few clicks to create the perfect mutt. But what about painting?! Whether you’re adding a few spots, adding a spot to the nose, or using Stencils to paint more complicated patterns, customizing your pets has never been simpler! Oh, and we have costumes for cats and dogs. (Which yes, means your dog can go swimming while dressed as a shark.)
Once you enter live mode, you’ll see these are the most expressive, interesting, and distinct pets we’ve ever made. Cats will hide from dogs by standing on the fridge and peering down at the lowly humans. Dedicated owners can train their dog to perform a series of increasingly complicated tricks, or walk them around the all new world of Brindleton Bay to chase birds and stretch their legs. Traits make every pet truly distinct, but only the best pet owners will recognize their pets’ fears, desires, and more.
Once you have your puppy trained and the cat feeder all programmed, have your Sims purchase the local Veterinarian practice to start work on Monday. That’s right! You can own a Vet Clinic, hire the perfect staff, diagnose illnesses and perform surgeries to improve the wellness of the neighborhood’s pets (and earn a few Simoleons).
We’ve been so eager to share this expansion pack with you, and it’s almost here. Lean over, scratch your own pet behind the ears, and start imagining the stories you’re going to tell with your Sims and their new four-legged friends. The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs will be here in just a few short months and we look forward to sharing more information with you soon.
Grant Rodiek, a producer on The Sims 4 Expansion Packs has confirmed that Cats & Dogs WON’T be playable like in The Sims 3 Pets. He basically said that Pets will have a mind of their own, like in The Sims 2 Pets.
It was a think that was debated for months by The Sims Team but Grant is confident that the team has made the right decision of making Pets not playable.
SimGuruDrake has confirmed that Foxes will make their debut in The Sims Franchise with The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack! We have yet to find out what new gameplay will they bring but for now take a look at a screencap of foxes in the game down below!
Missed the Gamescom presentation? Don’t worry! Andrew Arcade managed to capture all the new gameplay footage that was shown during the presentation. Here you can see what Create A Pet looks like as well as new gameplay shown later in the video.
Create a variety of cats and dogs, add them to your Sims’ homes to forever change their lives, and care for neighborhood pets as a veterinarian with The Sims™ 4 Cats & Dogs*. The powerful new Create A Pet tool lets you personalize cats and dogs, each with their own unique appearances, distinct behaviors, and for the first time, expressive outfits! These wonderful, lifelong companions will change your Sims’ lives in new and special ways. Treat animal ailments as a veterinarian and run your own clinic in a beautiful coastal world where there’s so much for your Sims and their pets to discover.
KEY FEATURES
Create Cats and Dogs – Use the powerful Create A Pet tool to express your creativity as you customize your Sims’ perfect cats, dogs, puppies, and kittens. Choose from a variety of breeds, give them distinct personalities, and directly manipulate their features. Easily personalize their coats with unique patterns to create your real-life pets, dream pets, or something more fanciful. For the first time, complete their looks with expressive outfits and accessories.
Bond with Your Pets – Experience the companionship and fun that furry friends bring to your Sims’ lives. Cats and dogs have minds of their own and form special relationships with Sims based on their daily interactions. Your Sims care for, train, and play games with their pets who all exhibit distinct and sometimes bizarre animal behaviors.
Become a Vet and Run a Clinic – Build a veterinary clinic, hire a dedicated staff, and further your career as the town’s most promising animal doctor. You’re in control of daily operations from the services offered to what you charge. Your Sims can diagnose and cure pets with critical surgeries or treat fleas and other afflictions with simple medications.
Explore Brindleton Bay – Discover the coastal shores of Brindleton Bay, a new world where your Sims and their pets can live and enjoy outdoor activities. Play fetch near the harbor docks, take a walk to the lighthouse, or visit a park to setup an obstacle course and meet other pet-loving locals. Be on the lookout for stray pets that your Sims can take in as their own.
Have you seen the latest The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack Trailer? If not, there is a small screen in the corner in one of the trailer’s segments which contains a color wheel, color customization, pattern selection and more!
It’s not yet known if this feature will be implemented to other The Sims 4 Base Game features as well. Still, a very nice addition to this pack!
