Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Mad Poster
#26 Old 9th May 2017 at 1:48 AM
I agree with 99% of the above post. And I totally like the idea of the pods or hoods in the world that can be open. And give us CASt again and with these smaller hoods there should not be the lag in loading for some folks.
Advertisement
Top Secret Researcher
#27 Old 9th May 2017 at 11:17 AM
Hoods should be sims 4/ sims 3/ sims 2 hybrids. And by that I mean one big world, 10-15 lots and public area surrounding it open/loaded, and the other areas of the world are accessed trough the loading screen. No TS4 map bullshit, but real, visual, 3D representation of whole world.

That way we can have custom made worlds that actually vary in playability on different machines. People can also make different versions of their worlds to adapt it to the players (assigning playable areas). And more sims will be walking around the area of the world that is loaded, making the world and community feel more alive. There could also be special properties/traits that could be added to each part of the world, like in sims 4 city living.

Then Sims 2 part kicks in with more than one world making up the district system.

I really want to see this from EA, because it is the perfect balance both gameplay vise and optimisation vise.
Test Subject
#28 Old 18th Mar 2018 at 10:00 AM
I would love the option to be able to lay down house plans in a kind of blueprint mode and then have my actual sims build it. So you could buy a lot and live in a caravan for example while you build your house and manage your home / work life etc.... Also would be great for renovations and extensions!
Theorist
#29 Old 18th Mar 2018 at 12:15 PM Last edited by ShigemiNotoge : 18th Mar 2018 at 12:25 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by Averex
I kind of like the cartoony look. I never liked the way the sim models looked in the Sims 3, and I appreciated the Sims 4's diversion to a look reminiscent of The Sims 2. Maybe I'm in the minority with this, but I feel like photorealistic sims would just creep me out.


I kind of agree with you, but I also think there can be some middle ground. And I think the biggest problem with graphics in TS4 aren't the sims themselves, it's the objects and environment. The Sims themselves look WAY better than the objects used to build their home. When a lampshade has a total of 30 vertices in it's mesh, and a solid colour dumped on it in place of a texture there's a problem.

For sims 5 I want shape and texture back. I want things to actually physically look like things rather than just being a generic representation of something. I'm not asking for photo realism, because I agree that's creepy, but even children's cartoon shows are able to draw more realistic textures than the Sims 4 artists. It's pretty pathetic when you can say Minecraft dirt looks more like dirt than some of the terrain paints in S4 :v


EDIT: RIP I just realised this was necro'd, GJ person above me :v
Mad Poster
#30 Old 18th Mar 2018 at 12:53 PM
Perhaps the next iteration could have focus shifted onto world customization (such as ability to choose the color of the carpool, new road tool, role manager for townies and homeless), while retaining the typical things people asked (ownable vehicles, cast, (semi-)open world, basic precipitation, terrain tools, etc.). Career should actually have visible building lots that sims visit on your visit, even If the workplace and task of it are simple (such as using telescope through the whole day in the laboratory) as modders and expansion pack could come onto improving those stuff. Erhh, this is just a tip of the iceberg.
Mad Poster
#31 Old 18th Mar 2018 at 7:58 PM
I’ve always wanted better world management (since the game is an extension of Sim City). Nothing incredibly complex, but an addition of factors in the outside word that influence the lives of Sims.

Imagine if there was a create-a-world tool, and there was a little tab where we could assign world traits, Similar to lot traits. These traits would effect everyone in town. You’d have things like “Great Schools,” which means everyone is town is more likely to get good grades, or “Booming Economy,” so careers are likely to pay a little more, or “Utopia,” which makes everyone happier more often, or “Romantic Sunsets,” which makes romantic interaction strong during sunset, or “Farming Town,” which improves gardening.

Then, there are the required choice of negatives, like “High Polution,” which cause Sims to get sick or increases the occurance of bugs, or “High Crime” which forces Sims to be robbed more often, “High Taxes,” which makes the cost of living incredibly expensive, or “Earthquake Zone,” which has a chance for earthquakes that break things.

Obviously, players can modify and change these, but all worlds get a default. It would add a small level of added detail that would actually make woulda feel a little special. I’d imagine a town like Belladonna Cove would be labeled as urban, with high taxes, high crime, and a pollution problem, but has great views since it’s so close to then water and a great economy (being so close to downtown).

If they wanted to take it a step further, player would have to play as someone in the politics career to alter world traits to change the town for better or worse. Could you imagine all of the world customization we could have or the stories towns could have that influence Sims lives. “Marty moves away from Sim City to get away from the high crime rates and pollution to the sunny, and laid back Simville. The cost of living is low, but the radiation might be a problem...”

->> Check Out Checkout: Journey To Employee Of The Month! <<-

~ Just a click a day is nothing short of helpful! ~
Mad Poster
#32 Old 18th Mar 2018 at 8:39 PM
I also want to see a pack or in base game for sim to apply for service careers. Things like a pizza delivery man/woman, maid, repair(wo)man, babysitter. They would work autonomously, but If you switch to them you'll have to or choose to micromanage them through their work.
Instructor
#33 Old 6th Apr 2018 at 7:31 AM Last edited by pikeman101 : 6th Apr 2018 at 8:23 PM.
Core Game:
Above anything else, I want TS5 to get rid of some of the gimmicks of TS4, like emotions, and I absolutely want them to drop their apparent fixation on partying. We don't need more ways to party. I also want those weird niche outfits that are often included in Sims games to go away, or at least give us an option to, as individual players, turn off certain outfits in all contexts, so we never have to see them. Perhaps that would best be done in some extra CAS menu.

The life states I would like are: baby, toddler, child, teen, young adult, adult, elder (as in TS3-TS4). I want elderly Sims to be able to get pregnant, with the rate decreasing with age (young adult: likely, adult: unlikely, elder: rare). If they're willing to go there, I'd also like infertility and/or miscarriage included. I want teens to be younger than in TS4. In TS4, they appear to be around 17-18, but I'd prefer teens that are closer to 14-16.

In terms of the personality of Sims, I want Lifetime Wishes, Lifetime Aspirations, etc. (anything that has Sims working toward a clear goal with definite checkpoints) all excluded, since it makes Sims too generic. If two Sims have the same Lifetime Wish or TS4 Aspiration (esp. the latter), they'll have very similar lives. If they have some kind of vague motivation (as in TS2), there's a lot more room for different playstyles. I very much enjoyed rolling big long-term-commitment Wants in TS2 and pinning them for future completion because it made the Sims different. Two Sims with the Family aspiration, for example, might get different family Wants. Instead of necessarily having one aspiration, I'd prefer having a primary, secondary (and possibly tertiary) Motivation that can be selected. Some ideas for Motivations are:
- Family
- Romance
- Kindness (doing good things for others, helping others when they are sad, giving donations, etc.)
- Wealth
- Status (getting high up the career ladder/having a nice home)
- Friendship
- Pleasure
In this case, one Sim might have a drive toward Family, Romance, and Kindness, so they might want several children and a long-lasting close romantic relationship with their spouse. A Sim with Family, Romance, and Pleasure might want lots of kids with lots of different Sims. Another might have a drive toward Family and Kindness, so they'll opt to adopt and give children without families a home. Really, with a working system of Motivations, traits might even be unnecessary.

To get the best of both worlds in terms of customization and low-end machine performance, I would like TS5 to have preset designs for clothing, furniture, etc., but have the ability to use a hue/saturation/lightness modifier, as opposed to the ability to change textures.

A foundational change I would like to see is in the skill/career/school gain rate formula. I believe this should scale with the lifespan length the player selects, as determined by total number of days in an average life.

I agree that apartments should be a base-game feature in TS5 to match reality (because it's becoming increasingly unrealistic to, at the start of adulthood, own a house). I would prefer for an apartment to work similarly to how they did in TS2. Perhaps lot traits could be added (as in Sims 4) that determine the quality (and rent) of the apartments. That is, a cheap apartment will have one or more of: loud neighbours (wake up in the middle of the night sometimes), poor reception (TVs/radios/computers often break), infestations (things get dirty quickly, possibility of Sims getting sick), etc. Regular residential lots wouldn't have these down-sides.

I'm fine with rabbithole careers, but I want the careers to be more common careers in the base game. Politics, medicine, science, public service (firefighting, police/law/military.), retail, etc. seem like good places to start. Add more uncommon careers like astronaut or secret agent in expansions. I also want self-employment to be an option in the base game for relevant skills (painting, writing, music, etc.).

I'm also fine with TS4's mini-neighbourhoods (an open world like the one in TS3 is brutal on anything less than a gaming or brand new PC), but I would like all of the lots inside one mini-hood to be accessible without a loading screen. Like with Create-A-Style, this seems like a fair compromise.

The occult life state I would most like in base game TS5 is alien, with ghosts present, but not playable (I have plans for playable ghosts in an expansion pack). I like the aliens in TS4 being able to disguise themselves, so I want that to return.

As for genetics, I would prefer to see basic Mendelian genetics return as they were in TS2, where occult status would be treated as either dominant or recessive traits (I'd prefer dominant), where each occult status gets its own independent "gene" that can be passed down (eg. lowercase representing the absence of the occult gene, uppercase representing the presence, as Sim could be AABbcc, which would mean they appear as an A/B occult hyrbid, all of their children would be A, and half of their children would be B). While cosmetic changes to a Sim's hair colour would change their appearance, I would not want it to change their genetics.

I would also like death to be easier than in TS5 (eg. Sims have a high change of dying the first time they are electrocuted), and I want an additional disease death in the base game that can be used generically in any case where it would be reasonable for a Sim to become ill (eg. being in unclean surroundings, eating food of horrible quality). The illness would have two main cures (a medical procedure or bedrest), but would progress to death in most cases if left untreated (and would be more likely to be fatal for older or less healthy Sims).

I want some form of rudimentary story progression, as well (where certain households can be excepted or the entire progression can be turned off, so a player can play rotationally).

I would also like death to be easier than in TS5 (eg. Sims have a high change of dying the first time they are electrocuted), and I want an additional disease death in the base game that can be used generically in any case where it would be reasonable for a Sim to become ill (eg. being in unclean surroundings, eating food of horrible quality). The illness would have two main cures (a medical procedure or bed rest), but would progress to death in most cases if left untreated (and would be more likely to be fatal for older or less healthy Sims).


In Expansions:
I would prioritize the inevitable pets and seasons expansions early into the life of the game, even though I like neither.

Sims 5 - Education:
I would like the traditional school type to be in the base game, with options for home-schooling, private schooling (with an admissions process and a charge per child per day), and boarding schools (with varying charges per child per day, depending on which school is being attended) coming in the school expansion.

After graduating from university, I suggest having it increase the rate of career gain in relevant careers as opposed to having the Sim start in a higher position (just because you went to university and gained the theoretical knowledge of a career doesn't mean you have the experience to start higher up), and allow overmax pay at a certain percent per promotion past the maximum career level.

Some careers that I can see being included are: education, daycare worker, accountant, astronaut, mathematician, physicist.

Sims 5 - Afterlife:
As I previously mentioned, I would prefer to have playable aliens in the base game and non-playable ghosts. In this expansion, the ghost life state would be made playable alongside the new zombie and vampire life states. This is the pack in which the paranormal investigator career might appear that eventually unlocks the Resurrect-o-Nomitron from TS2, which would, again, be the primary way to obtain a zombie.

I want ghosts to be able to have babies, and I want the death by fright from TS2 to make a comeback. A TS3-like opportunity that might be interesting would be an opportunity that allows Sims to split themselves into a ghost and a zombie (because a zombie is a corpse and a ghost is a personality). Ghosts would never bother to use doors or stairs, instead just flying up/down levels and through walls.

I would like the zombie life state to have a division: partially-resurrected (stereotypical zombie), and fully-resurrected (a more modern take on the zombie). Using the Resurrect-o-Nomitron, the donation would determine whether a Sim is fully resurrected, partially resurrected, or not resurrected at all. Their personality would change regardless of which occurs. Ambrosia would still be the only way to bring a Sim completely back to life, instead of bringing them back as a zombie. The partially-resurrected zombies would have rotten skin, walk slowly, have a hard time gaining skills, repulse others, etc., but the fully-resurrected zombies would look almost-completely like a normal Sim. Fully-resurrected zombies would still have a stifled skill gain rate, though to a lesser extent. Both would be infertile and capable of dying again (except of old age or hunger). Neither type of zombie needs to sleep and zombies do not age. All zombies would, if their hunger became too low, attempt to bite another Sim instead of dying (which would give the target Sim the generic illness described above, with a great chance of death if untreated), so there is still a motivation to keep them fed.

For vampires, I don't have any unique ideas.
Forum Resident
#34 Old 7th Apr 2018 at 6:07 AM
Dear EA:
Forget S4. Remake TS2 and modernize it. Just re-use all those meshes and stuff from TS3. That will save you lots of time time to focus on the game-play and building innovations.
Give us at least a color wheel. Leave out any non-sense and jokes that won't survive time, or aren't funny in the first place.
Give us tons of check boxes, so we can choose what we want to see in our game.
Let us be able to create our own maps/worlds.

P.S. Maybe you can keep voices and animations from TS4. They are good.
Theorist
#35 Old 7th Apr 2018 at 4:38 PM
Quote: Originally posted by sleepyrose
Dear EA:
Forget S4. Remake TS2 and modernize it. Just re-use all those meshes and stuff from TS3. That will save you lots of time time to focus on the game-play and building innovations.
Give us at least a color wheel. Leave out any non-sense and jokes that won't survive time, or aren't funny in the first place.
Give us tons of check boxes, so we can choose what we want to see in our game.
Let us be able to create our own maps/worlds.

P.S. Maybe you can keep voices and animations from TS4. They are good.


idk, I'm iffy on the voices. if they got multiple actors who were able to make the sims sound somewhat different with different voices then sure, but it's clear they just got one guy and one girl to do three different tones of voice. Am I supposed to believe every single human in this world sounds identical? Hell, even I can sound more like three different people than what they have currently. For guys AND girls. Why can't I have a sim with a more soft spoken or breathy voice. Or someone with a rougher, more growly or raspy voice? Why's it just gotta be three different types of boisterous and obnoxious?

That being said the actors they hired did a fine job with the acting. It's the voice acting I'm less than impressed with.

But I agree with everything else you said.
Mad Poster
#36 Old 7th Apr 2018 at 5:33 PM
Inviting people to share/brainstorm concepts for a life simulator game. Not to overwhelm myself, I will be accepting first five people per max until I feel comfortable adding more: https://discord.gg/fh7B6X
Field Researcher
#37 Old 7th Apr 2018 at 10:55 PM Last edited by Liza : 7th Apr 2018 at 11:11 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by sleepyrose
Dear EA:
Forget S4. Remake TS2 and modernize it. Just re-use all those meshes and stuff from TS3. That will save you lots of time time to focus on the game-play and building innovations.
Give us at least a color wheel. Leave out any non-sense and jokes that won't survive time, or aren't funny in the first place.
Give us tons of check boxes, so we can choose what we want to see in our game.
Let us be able to create our own maps/worlds.

P.S. Maybe you can keep voices and animations from TS4. They are good.


I'm afraid that if they take on TS2 they will spoil it. The game is old and it was created by highly skilled developers who were not afraid of difficulties. This can be seen from the game itself. Developers of Sims 4 complain that it's hard for them to create a chaise lounge. They boast that they use the technology of Bump Mapping , which was used in Sims 2 and in general, this technology has been used since the late 90s games. They say that they lack the resources to create a hair movement but it was in TS2. Okay, do not need Nvidia Hairworkss to include, it really will be very hard for modern computers. But they can do at least at the level of TS2 or a little bit better.

I do not believe in the appearance of a worthy new game of The Sims in the future. But I want other developers to come to their senses and take up place - a place of a good life simulator.
Field Researcher
#38 Old 8th Apr 2018 at 12:02 AM
All of these suggestions or valid and good. You see the games we have now, with the graphics and game play... and yes The Sims needs a make over. The problem is... EA/Maxis doesn't give a shit. TS4 is proof that they don't give a shit. If they did, they would have never released TS4 and went back to the drawing board to improve it before they launched it.

There are so many threads here and on the official EA forum in the Ideas section, feedback section, general discussions section of what has been suggested here. Believe me... they know. They know what they did wrong, they know who they left out (builders) they know who they pissed off (family and colony players) and they don't care. Cause the specific kind of gamers they are now targeting don't care either. The game doesn't just need an overhaul, it needs new developers and gaming company.

The Formula has gone stale for a lot of us veteran players.... we can see where the game needs to go, we can see the potential it still has if properly re-done. But EA/Maxis only sees how much money they can get...creativity and effort be damned. I'm not holding my breath for EA/Maxis to do a Sims 5. I think they will take the game to new consoles and Mobile. TS4 will get the shelf, but will still make them money for years to come.
Instructor
#39 Old 8th Apr 2018 at 12:56 AM
Quote: Originally posted by thevogel
They know what they did wrong, they know who they left out (builders) they know who they pissed off (family and colony players) and they don't care. Cause the specific kind of gamers they are now targeting don't care either. The game doesn't just need an overhaul, it needs new developers and gaming company.

The Formula has gone stale for a lot of us veteran players.... we can see where the game needs to go, we can see the potential it still has if properly re-done. But EA/Maxis only sees how much money they can get...creativity and effort be damned. I'm not holding my breath for EA/Maxis to do a Sims 5. I think they will take the game to new consoles and Mobile. TS4 will get the shelf, but will still make them money for years to come.


One of my friends suggested that EA has an idea of what kind of game sells best, so they will inevitably try to turn every property they own into the same marketable game, killing them one by one, because they don't think about the future. This friend doesn't like the Sims games so, in his own words, "My opinion matters more to EA than yours, because I'm the audience they want, and you're the audience they already have," even though he wouldn't buy a Sims game no matter how they changed it because he's simply not interested in the genre. EA already killed one of his favourite franchises that way, apparently, although he didn't name which.
Field Researcher
#40 Old 8th Apr 2018 at 2:10 AM
Quote: Originally posted by pikeman101
One of my friends suggested that EA has an idea of what kind of game sells best, so they will inevitably try to turn every property they own into the same marketable game, killing them one by one, because they don't think about the future. This friend doesn't like the Sims games so, in his own words, "My opinion matters more to EA than yours, because I'm the audience they want, and you're the audience they already have," even though he wouldn't buy a Sims game no matter how they changed it because he's simply not interested in the genre. EA already killed one of his favourite franchises that way, apparently, although he didn't name which.


Oh well that's kinda sad. Look, I'm pissed at EA...and maybe your friend is talking about SimsCity 2013.????.. because a lot of people were pretty pissed about that.... but we got City skylines out of that disaster, so we are all good now. And with a little luck, maybe that is what will happen for The sims. People are pretty passionate about this game, especially the established fan base... and until EA kills it, or I guess just stop making anything for it, I'm pretty sure people are going to keep telling EA what they think. As much as I love the sims, I personally don't think The sims will ever be the same (not in a good way), and I would love for another company to take a crack at it. I don't think that will happen any time soon either....but it would be great if it would happen.

People like me that don't see any future for The sims, well.. not a good future...we really want to be wrong. It would be so great if EA would take all these suggestions and announce that they are going to make a new sims game based on what the simmers want and not what would be cheaper, and an easier cash grab. But based on the business tactics that they have used during the run of TS4 and other games... I just don't see them taking any suggestions other than what is already planned. It's sad really...I mean I don't want it to end...I just don't want EA to ever have anything to do with The sims ever again.
Top Secret Researcher
#41 Old 8th Apr 2018 at 3:55 AM
So, so many franchises it could be. Sim City. Ultima. Titanfall. Mass Effect. Command and Conquer. Medal of Honor. Need for Speed. Dungeon Keeper. Battlefield. That's just for a start.
Instructor
#42 Old 8th Apr 2018 at 8:04 AM
Pretty much graphics have to improve by a lot for the game to even compete with modern games. I really want the level of detail that the Unreal and Unity Engines provide. There is a game I play that manages to do cartoon characters with realistic graphics together well called Sea of Thieves. I want that for the Sims. This is a good video to show a bit of how detailed I want the Sims 5 to be:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2eXK025uC4

Life stage wise I want gradual aging. CAS wise I want a mix between the Sims 3 CAST system and Guild Wars 2 with a color wheel plus mixed with the Sims 4 CAP where I can paint directly on the skin and hair itself. Bring back the Sims 3 lashes. I really would like traits not to be repeated again, but provide something new or even the Sims 2 personality points and AI system again and the aspiration failures. I would like to see a broader family relationship system with Sims recognizing the different between adoption, step, blood, and in-law relationships. I would like to see a different height system for Sims and asymmetrical options for placement and eye color for faces on Sims. I wouldn't mind the gender options carrying over from the Sims 4 since it works well, just have to make sure the clothing and accessories looks equally appealing on all genders.

Building wise needs to be improved a lot. I mean with games like City Skylines and Planet Coaster, building has come a long way in the simulation genre. There will need to be that level of terrain editing that planet coaster provides with being able to place shapes and objects like that.

Gameplay wise they need to make the Sims 5 have longer replay value. A pack shouldn't be figured out in a few days or a week like some of Sims 4 packs, but make you think for awhile and take time to figure out. I want scripted play done away with or at least minimized quite a bit and more simulation brought back. Like I want to watch Sims travel to locations whether it is by plane, taxi, bus, car, skateboard, motorcycle, or subways system. I wouldn't mind seeing Sims work, but I would like it to be more interactive like the Sims 3 professions. Like I loved the fire fighter career traveling in the fire truck and the life guard career rescuing Sims. There should be consequences for actions and there needs to be a real sense of accomplishment and struggle while playing with Sims.

I really wouldn't mind if the Sims 5 did away with stuff packs completely and just had game packs and expansion packs. It would allow more time to be used on individual packs and would be a better bang for the buck paying for packs that allow for bigger ideas with a bigger budget. I would love to see two EPs and three to four GPs released per year. I would love to see life states return to packs again with one life state per pack. I really would love to have a hybrid system for life states where a combination of certain life states can bring up new abilities. I wouldn't mind having more grown up toddlers again, but I would like babies to be improved versions of the Sims 2 babies, children to be more active outdoors, and teens to go through the interesting aspects of growing up with shaving and acne and mood swings and peer pressure. Elders I would like to have more activities to do like they did with the Sims 3, but I would like them to have an active life as well like water exercises, playing board games, going on trips, and dancing. As far as university, I would like it to have different living arrangements, a variety of group activities, and I would like to see an active school system for all ages. As far as a pet system I would like to see a mix of domestic, farm, and exotic pets in a pack. For weather I would like to see the effects of wear and tear on houses and yards and a repair and upgrade and modifying system for objects like upgrading mattresses, upgrading cushions, changing the height of an object.
Forum Resident
#43 Old 8th Apr 2018 at 8:32 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ShigemiNotoge
idk, I'm iffy on the voices. if they got multiple actors who were able to make the sims sound somewhat different with different voices then sure, but it's clear they just got one guy and one girl to do three different tones of voice. Am I supposed to believe every single human in this world sounds identical? Hell, even I can sound more like three different people than what they have currently. For guys AND girls. Why can't I have a sim with a more soft spoken or breathy voice. Or someone with a rougher, more growly or raspy voice? Why's it just gotta be three different types of boisterous and obnoxious?

That being said the actors they hired did a fine job with the acting. It's the voice acting I'm less than impressed with.

But I agree with everything else you said.


Yeah you do have a point. But imo these voices are the best from all the sims series.... Or it could be that I notice them so much more because of all the stuff that's lacking. Yeah I think that's definitely it, and it's pretty sad.
Forum Resident
#44 Old 8th Apr 2018 at 8:42 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Liza
I'm afraid that if they take on TS2 they will spoil it. The game is old and it was created by highly skilled developers who were not afraid of difficulties. This can be seen from the game itself. Developers of Sims 4 complain that it's hard for them to create a chaise lounge. They boast that they use the technology of Bump Mapping , which was used in Sims 2 and in general, this technology has been used since the late 90s games. They say that they lack the resources to create a hair movement but it was in TS2. Okay, do not need Nvidia Hairworkss to include, it really will be very hard for modern computers. But they can do at least at the level of TS2 or a little bit better.

I do not believe in the appearance of a worthy new game of The Sims in the future. But I want other developers to come to their senses and take up place - a place of a good life simulator.


True, it's highly likely they will spoil it. Boasting about bump mapping makes you loose all faith, because it should be taken for granted. Just like so many other things in this game.
Theorist
#45 Old 8th Apr 2018 at 12:43 PM
Quote: Originally posted by sleepyrose
True, it's highly likely they will spoil it. Boasting about bump mapping makes you loose all faith, because it should be taken for granted. Just like so many other things in this game.

To be honest I don't see a single ounce of visual proof that they even use bump mapping. Everything looks like smooth, flat plastic. Nothing has any texture to it. If they do use bump mapping it isn't fucking working.
Someone link me a screenshot.
Forum Resident
#46 Old 9th Apr 2018 at 10:14 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ShigemiNotoge
To be honest I don't see a single ounce of visual proof that they even use bump mapping. Everything looks like smooth, flat plastic. Nothing has any texture to it. If they do use bump mapping it isn't fucking working.
Someone link me a screenshot.


Yes, you're right. That's because the bump mapping is very minimal. Textures, like fabric and wood (as far as they're even there to begin with) won't be bump mapped. Basically their bump mapping is this:



That's for this table and as you can see in the Blender view it's a flat surface (which of course is a very low poli cylinder).



In game the bump map would only suggest that there are some lines and and that circle at the edge. So that's not a whole lot. And on top of that the wood texture they're using is very minimal (I don't know another word to describe it) and the specular map makes the thing look plastic in game.

So yeah, I don't think this is something they should be boasting about. But if that's they look they wanted to go for then... well, I guess they nailed it.
Screenshots
Field Researcher
#47 Old 9th Apr 2018 at 11:09 AM
They used such low-detailed textures to make them fit the visual style of the game and that the game worked on the weakest computers.
Theorist
#48 Old 9th Apr 2018 at 4:43 PM
Quote: Originally posted by sleepyrose
Yes, you're right. That's because the bump mapping is very minimal. Textures, like fabric and wood (as far as they're even there to begin with) won't be bump mapped. Basically their bump mapping is this:



That's for this table and as you can see in the Blender view it's a flat surface (which of course is a very low poli cylinder).



In game the bump map would only suggest that there are some lines and and that circle at the edge. So that's not a whole lot. And on top of that the wood texture they're using is very minimal (I don't know another word to describe it) and the specular map makes the thing look plastic in game.

So yeah, I don't think this is something they should be boasting about. But if that's they look they wanted to go for then... well, I guess they nailed it.

That was a ridiculously low level of detail for 2014 and it's even more pathetic now. No wonder I never noticed it :v
Instructor
#49 Old 12th Apr 2018 at 3:05 AM
An idea:

Ghosts exist in the base game, but living Sims do not see/hear them. They're only there for the player to view, for the most part. Ghosts break the fourth wall frequently, doing things like waving at the player, dancing while looking toward the player, etc. Ghosts can interact with items, but they will never break them and living Sims never notice, and if a Sim attempt to interact with an object a ghost is already using, the ghost disappears and reappears a short distance away from the object.

Playful and mischievous ghosts can mess with Sims by doing things like tapping them on the shoulder. The Sim would then look behind them and be startled before shrugging and continuing on with what they were doing. Ghosts will only scare Sims that they disliked when they were alive, and the living Sim will never see them even when being scared. What will happen instead is things like the Sim in question waking up in the middle of the night to see goo dripping from the walls, hands coming up out of the floor, and hearing ghastly noises (that are only visible/audible when the Sim being haunted is selected). The haunting is short, so that it doesn't hurt the Sim's sleep. Another possible haunt would be a scary face appearing when they look in a mirror or the lights flickering on and off (again, only when the haunted Sim is selected).

A Sim can interact with a grave by doing the following interactions:

If the Sim was on neutral terms with the deceased:
- "Mourn" - makes the ghost more likely to come in the night.

If the Sim was a friend of the deceased:
- "Mourn" - makes the ghost more likely to come in the night.
- "Pay Respects" - increases the relationship a little bit.

If the Sim was an enemy of the deceased:
- "Deface Grave" - decreases the relationship a lot.
- "Knock Over Grave" - decreases the relationship a lot. The ghost will haunt the Sim who did this every night until someone puts it back up.
- "Destroy Grave" - decreases the relationship to the worst possible. The ghost will haunt the Sim who did this every night until someone buys a new grave.
- "Make Peace" - increases the relationship a little bit.

Anyone can:
- "Mock" - decreases the relationship a little bit.
- "Clean Grave" - removes defacement. Increases the relationship a lot ONLY IF the Sim that cleans it wasn't the Sim that defaced it.
- "Buy New Grave ($500)" - only available if the grave was destroyed. Increases the relationship a lot ONLY IF the Sim that buys it wasn't the Sim that destroyed it.
- "Leave Flowers ($15)" - increases the relationship a lot.
The Afterlife expansion will include a medium trait/ability/career/etc. that allows certain Sims to see and interact with ghosts, as well as invite them to their household by performing a ritual that allows other Sims to see and interact with them. Their grave will remain where it originally was, and it can still be defaced/destroyed/etc. for relationship boosts/deductions. Ghosts will get scared/shocked reactions from any Sim that is not a part of their household or a medium, but they can become invisible to everyone but mediums if they choose. By default, ghosts do not use stairs/doors -- they just float where they want to go. They can also teleport, like they do in the base game when a Sim tries to interact with an object they're using

For the magic expansion, I'd want the following spells to start (positive outcome listed first, then negative outcome).
- Friend spell: make the Sim of your choice a friend / the friend is obsessed with you, constantly showing up in your house and calling you for a week. Higher chance of failure the less the target Sim likes yours.
- Love spell: make the Sim of your choice fall in love with your / the Sim hates your Sim. Higher chance of failure the less the target Sim likes yours. Automatic failure if the target Sim is related to yours.
- Youth spell: return yourself to Young Adulthood / turn yourself into a baby, toddler, or child, keeping all skills. If there is no other adult Sim in the household, failure turns the Sim into a teenager.
- Promotion spell: give your Sim a promotion / your Sim gets demoted or fired. Higher chance of failure the worse your Sim's job performance is.
- Cleaning spell: everything in your house gets cleaned / everything that can be dirty in your house gets dirty, and all Sims get low Hygiene. Higher chance of failure the lower average Sim on the lot's hygiene is.
- Wealth spell: a moneybag falls from the sky / the moneybag hits and kills your Sim (like in Sims 2). Higher chance of failure each time it's cast.

The spells would require ingredients, each of which comes in a variety of qualities. The quality affects the success rate. Substitutions are also allowed for rare ingredients with a higher chance of failure.

I'd like Magic Town to return, as well.
Top Secret Researcher
#50 Old 13th Apr 2018 at 2:13 PM
It's not even a good normal map wth...



Unless they wanted like a dent or a bump there which would make no sense as the item looks completely new. And the bump would be mirrored... weird.

Also how is that table even remotely considered 2014 AAA game item. That's below Sims 2 levels please EA I dont see curvature there at all.
Page 2 of 3
Back to top