Source: The Sims Facebook page

What have been the major developments since the game’s announcement almost a year ago?

Franklin: [The fans] have had pretty deep exposure when we ran the Sims Camp last year. We had about 40 people that were exposed to Build Mode (that wasn’t at Gamescom) and the purpose was to get them deeply into it. They loved the features, even the little enhancements like spandrels. It’s those details that they get very excited about. So really, we’ve been finding out how Build Mode felt, what it’s like to place a room down. We’ve been refining that experience and spending our time on making sure it feels great.

Pearson: In addition to that, it has been opening up that vibrant neighbourhood we’ve been talking about and all those opportunities out there. We’ve been looking at all the potential out there and we’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback. Pushing that forward was definitely something we’ve spent a lot of time on since the announcement.

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SimGuruGraham took some time on Mod the Sims to explain why some of the biggest features from The Sims Franchise (such as Pools and Toddlers) were not implemented in The Sims 4 (for now).

Mod the Sims Member (IfICannotLove): Graham, can you explain why there was time to add the decoration transport things (such as the tram and the boat), along with a rocket and a cupcake machine, but couldn’t manage to fit in toddlers or pools over those things? Wouldn’t a life stage or a classic element take priority over those trivial things? I understand you said you don’t have the control to add or remove things, but was the reasoning behind any of this explained to you?
Now, I know Toddlers weren’t loved a lot, but I think there was a lot of potential in the Sims 4 for Toddlers; they could’ve been improved upon, but it comes off as the team just make a quick fix and removed them because of complaints about them rather than actually making something of them.

SimGuruGraham: You can’t weigh features by how much you want them in the game, you have to consider how many development resources it takes to create them. The tram? A couple of days from one of our FX guys and it’s finished… very low risk, very low complexity (using entirely existing tech), and adds a nice visual punch to the neighborhood. I can’t recall ever scoping against FX… they always have time to be adding more stuff. Our FX folks submitted their own long list of things they wanted to work on because there wasn’t enough for them to do. Now, you can’t take the FX team and ask them to add pools to the game. They don’t have the work skills to do it; neither do I. Pools, toddlers… they’re extremely complex features that require months of man hours of work across multiple disciplines and introduce significant risk. If we were to have added one of those to the game, there would have been two choices for us… cut many small features, or cut one other significantly large feature. And again, it isn’t equivalent – you can’t just cut a large feature and expect it to line up; you have to cut enough to get all the numbers for each discipline in the green, which means cutting extra to get to the point where the hardest hit discpline has enough time to do their necessary work for it. Now you’ve created free time for other disciplines who previously had work, but are left twiddling their thumbs… so you need to find work for them to do that only impacts the areas that you have time to spend in. If you look at one weird aspect of the game and wonder why it took priority over something that seemed important to you, it’s entirely possible it was something that the right people had time to work on without disrupting the busy people. Game development is a constant puzzle where you’re matching headcount and skill sets against features, schedule, and budget, and you’re trying to make everything fit just right with as few gaps as possible. Unfortunately time isn’t like money; you can’t go into debt on time and pay it back later.

SimGuruSarah confirmed that 50×50 is the biggest lot size you can plop/build on in The Sims 4!

The biggest lots are 50×50. The Sims 4 does not have 64×64 lot at this time.

Via The Sims France!

Source: DOTSim

SimGuruGraham confirmed that Trams and Steamboats are not interactive in The Sims 4 and that they only function as decorative objects.

Tram/Steamboat are in the neighborhoods but not interactive. Decorative flavor for the atmosphere of the world.

SimGuruGrant confirmed that you can’t choose whether your Sim is left or right handed, but that such preferences happen randomly.

Wanted to clarify left versus right handed Sims. It’s not something you can choose, but there’s a chance your Sims will be left handed. This basically just means Sims will prefer to use their left hand to say, pick up a beverage. They might also be right handed. Hope that’s all clear!

With The Sims being the biggest franchise of all time, it’s no wonder that SteelSeries and The Sims Team decided to co-operate in creating Peripherals for The Sims’ brand new sequel.

SteelSeries sent us a package that includes 2x of The Sims 4 Headset, The Sims 4 Gaming Mouse and The Sims 4 QCK Mouse Pad for us to give away and enjoy in as well.

Please note:

• These Peripherals are not available for Pre-Order for now.
• They will be available for purchase once The Sims 4 comes out (September 2nd).
• They will be available worldwide (Online, no confirmation about purchasing in Retail Stores).
• Changing illumination of the Plumbob on Mouse and Headset using SteelSeries Engine 3 is not yet available. SteelSeries Engine 3 will be updated with TS4 Peripherals once we’re closer to The Sims 4’s release date.
• Gaming Headset and Gaming Mouse illumination won’t change depending on your Sim’s mood in The Sims 3. This only works with Sim’s emotions in The Sims 4. You’ll be able to change colors for different games and programs once SteelSeries Engine 3 gets an update though.

The Sims 4 Headset – $39.99/€39.99

These headsets have the best sound quality I’ve ever heard (and believe me, I’ve owned over 5 Headsets and 10 pairs of Ear Buds). They’re comfortable and adjustable for your ears (doesn’t matter if you have big or small ears). You can extend the lenght of this Headset for 3cm each (making it 6 cm).

Best way I can describe the sound is that it’s 3-dimensional. This means that sounds in a song who have small decibels will have a small volume, while sounds with bigger decibels will have a bigger volume.

Here’s a comparsion between usual Headphones and The Sims 4 Headphones:

What I also like about this Headset is that The Microphone is almost unnoticeable, and the sound of your voice can still be heard in high quality.

This is the audio I recorded using TS4 SteelSeries Headset Microphone:

Pros:

– Great Sound Quality!
– 3D Effect.
– Crystal Clear Microphone Sound!

Cons:

– Others can hear what you’re listening to if your volume is higher than 50%.

Photos

The Sims 4 Gaming Mouse – $29.99/€29.99

Simple, elegant and handy are the words I can use to describe The Sims 4 Gaming Mouse. As a person who uses Photoshop and programs that require accuracy, this Gaming Mouse fits perfectly for me.

Buttons on the left side of this Mouse function as Next (upper button) and Previous (lower button). So far they function on Google Chrome when switching through websites you browsed in 1 tab and iTunes when switching songs. I’m not sure how these Next and Previous buttons work on other softwares.

You can also click on the Plumbob as well! I’m not sure why does it perform the ”N” letter function when clicked, but you’ll be able to change that using SteelSeries Engine 3.

Pros:

– Smooth on every surface.

– Accurate.

– 6 Buttons.

Cons:

None

Photos

The Sims 4 QCK Mouse Pad ($14.99/€14.99)

This Mouse Pad is really large! It’s width is 32cm, lenght is 27cm and it’s only 2mm thick.

The upper part is smooth for any mouse you use and the bottom part has a QCK material that won’t let the Mouse Pad slip away.

Pros:

– Really Large.

– QCK Material.

Cons:

None

Photos

SimGuruGraham confirmed on Mod The Sims that Sims in The Sims 4 will get their Power and eventually Water Shut Off if they don’t pay their bills on a regular basis.

On a side note related to money stuff (and I’m going to keep this short – the spacebar on my keyboard broke today and it’s really annoying typing), the consequences of not paying your bills is more severe now. Let your bills go without paying them? First your power gets shut off. Next your water gets shut off. It’s a fun scenario to put your Sims in on occasion (they recognize it and get some unique socials about it). The bill upkeep on more expensive homes is harsher than it’s been in the past as well, so you truly better be earning enough to support living in one. I hope both those things contribute to greater challenges when you put your Sims in those situations.

Via The Sims DE!

Via SimGuruJim!

We received a very special package today from SteelSeries!  😀

When it comes to TS4 SteelSeries giveaway, we’ll be giving away 1x TS4 Mouse, 1x TS4 Gaming Headset and 1x TS4 Mouse Pad.
The giveaway will be open worldwide since only 1 person will win all of these!
Don’t worry though, we’ll have some consolation prizes as well.

Review of these Peripherals will be up on Sunday. We’ll go more into detail about Headset’s sound, Microphone clarity, Mouse’s elegant design and functionality and Mouse Pad’s softness.

The Sims 4 SteelSeries Gaming Gear is not available for Pre-Order for now. We’ll update you as soon as Pre-Orders go live!

More info about TS4 Peripherals: http://steelseries.com/blog/press/steelseries-to-create-exclusive-range-of-peripherals-for-the-sims-4

Thanks for your support! We are really looking forward to this giveaway.
– Sims Community Team

Via SimGuruJill!

Here is a list of @SimGuruGrants tweets about The Sims 4.

• Will there be houseboats in the base game, I saw a moving boat in the trailer.

o   No.

• Will there be cacti and dinosaurs in Willow Creek?

o   No.

• Are the traits shown in the CAS videos all we’ll get in the base game, or are there plans for more?

o   Many of the Traits in the game aren’t in CAS. You earn them in Live mode.

• Do Sims with the Loves Outdoors trait have advantages when it comes to gardening?

o   Somewhat. They are happier when they are outside, and therefore, they do things better.

• Are favorites included in the game? Or is that not your department?

o   We do not have favorites.

• Are sims harder to keep alive now? Like sims 1 sort of, or did you just decide to play with a dif family?

o   Our tuning is most similar to The Sims 3. I just play with different families every day.

• Will the sims be able to lean on chairs or sit on the arms of the chairs? Like they do in the renders?

o   The Sims in The Sims 4 use chairs and objects much like they have in previous games.

• Can sims be more attractive if they’re wearing different clothing?

o   In your story, yes. But, we don’t have a game feature that determines attractiveness.

• Grant, will kid and teens need a backpack to go to school?

o   No.

• So your Sims develop a more refined personality through their actions?

o   I wouldn’t say that. We’ve sorta split the notion of WHO you are (personality) versus WHAT you know.

• Are there any skill related challenges?

o   Aspirations are deeply tied to skills (well, some of them).

• Is the music directory from The Sims 2 making a return? Like, adding music to Nhood Or Build and Buy mode?

o   Not currently in the game.

• We can still listen to TS4 Music whenever we want in the Options Menu like we did in TS2 and TS3, right?

o   I’m doing just that right now.

• What other careers (except culinary) are in TheSims4?

o   Many! We can’t spoil all the fun.

• Do they have different qualities still? (Seeds, fruits, veggies, etc.)

o   It’s true, we do.

• What about a The Sims 4 Demo? EA Brazil confirmed it. Can you say something more?

o   Can’t talk about it.

• Did you have to order them? (Seeds)

o   There are multiple ways to get them.

• Create multiple families in the same town. Interacting between them. No need to start a new city for a new family.

o   You can absolutely do that.

• Will the the sims will be able to buy different cell phones?

o   No.

• So the tutorial will have you visit CAS to make a SIM? Rather than a premade?

o   You play the tutorial with YOUR Sims that YOU create.

• Can we talk about cars? How sims will interact with them?

o   No, we can’t talk about cars. Sorry.

Please Note: This list will be updated as soon as we get more tweets.