Via TheSims.com!

Making it Your Own

We’ve featured a number of North American The Sims fans in Simmer Spotlights in the past, but this week we go global. We had a chat with Fuyaya, owner of Sims Artists – a website for French Simmers looking to learn about the art of modding and creating Custom Content* in The Sims. Want to find out more about how you can download fan-made content for The Sims 4, or create some of your own? Fuyaya has some advice for you.

How long have you been playing The Sims?

I started with The Sims 2, but I think I became an “actual Sims player” in 2009. Until then I was playing alone – but The Sims 3 allowed me to get to know The Sims’ community. It was a shock to meet so many people like me, who loved the game, and also aligned with the way I approached it. It definitely completed my training as a “Sims fan”.

Can you explain briefly what modding is for those who might not know?

The base game allows players to be a storyteller, a designer, or an architect, but with modding, the game becomes yours entirely. You can become a furniture designer, a fashion designer, a jewelry designer… in short, everything you see in the game can become yours to create. Modding can be a little overwhelming at first but there are accessible options for beginners.

What inspired you to get into modding?

When I discovered all the options available in the game, before joining the community, I had no idea Custom Content was even a thing. I then went on to discovering blogs and fansites and I was stunned. I started building using codes, and once I started to master something, I would translate the method into a tutorial in French, just because there were so little of them available. One thing leading to another, I figured I’d like to decorate my creations with my own CC. So I started looking at how I could do that. And I never stopped – I’m constantly moving from one thing to another: home staging, furniture, clothing, accessories, tattoos, posing…

What tools do you use for The Sims 4 modding?

I administrate a forum that we founded a little over five years ago. We aim to create tutorials in French to help teach each and every player how to create just about anything in The Sims. I still write tutorials and conduct classes, so I still need to test and experiment on all existing programs, but TSR Workshop has been my personal favorite since The Sims 3. It allows you to modify items in a very precise way. S4 Studio is also extremely intuitive and contributes to democratizing content creation by making it accessible to most.

What advice would you give to aspiring The Sims 4 modders?

Please come to my forum, Sims Artists, to learn and exchange ideas!

Just like about any learning process, you should be able to walk before you can run. One common point to most creations is the graphic part: it’s important to choose a tool and to learn how to use it. For content creation, there’s a lot you can do without having to go through learning 3D – recoloring alone provides plenty of options already. Once you’re comfortable with creation, you will develop reflexes and a better understanding of volumes, 3D will then become natural to you. Take your time to learn the techniques, be a perfectionist, be concerned with details. Some Custom Content may look simple, but an accomplished creation is better than a smokescreen.

What The Sims 4 mod or Custom Content took the most work to create?

I sometimes spend a lot of time on a new piece of clothing, because I need to compose with technical constraints and with the programs I use since they’re being improved (and modified) constantly.

In all I created, I think my kodoma is what took the most work to create. For some reason, decided I would only make it using Blender, a tool I had never used before! There’s also posing – it takes a lot of going back and forth in gaming to get natural-looking attitudes.

What are your favorite The Sims 4 Mods/Custom Content?

As a player, hair is no doubt my favorite. I admire hair creators a lot, I haven’t dared to give it a try just yet.

I think that the new feature that made me happiest – the feature which made me call up my friend about it –  was the option to have in-game poses for your Sims. It’s the ending point which allows to have all of your creation aspects in one image. A model with a total look, posing in a decor you created, in a picture you fully composed.

Have you made cool stuff in The Sims 4? Do you have a story you want to share about your experiences with The Sims? Show us by using the hashtag #SimSpotlight and you could be featured next!