The game has the same concept as its predecessor, The Sims 3. Players control their Sims in various activities and can form relationships. The game, like the rest of the series, does not have a defined final goal; gameplay is nonlinear. The Create-a-Sim and Build Mode tools have been redesigned to allow more versatility when creating game content. Emotional state plays a larger role in gameplay than in previous games in the series, with effects on social interaction, user interface, and personality.[7][8]
Gameplay
The Sims 4 is a life simulation game, similar to its predecessors. Players create a Sim character and explore different personalities which change the way the game plays out. Sims can multitask such as talk while doing a task. Sims' moodlets also change the gameplay. For example, a Sim can do a task while being either angry or totally excited.[7][8][9]Similar to previous Sims games, player-created challenges abound. One of the most prevalent is the Legacy Challenge, in which players control a single Sim and try to make its family line last for ten generations.[10]
Create A Sim
One major change to the Sims 4 Create A Sim is that sliders have been obliterated and has been replaced by direct mouse click drag and pull. Through mouse click and drag and pull players may directly manipulate the facial features of a Sim. Players can also directly manipulate any body part including the abdomen, chest, legs, arms and feet. This is a new feature and was not included in previous Sims games where only the fitness and fatness can be manipulated on a Sims body. However, fitness and fatness levels may still be adjusted in Sims 4 as in previous games.The base games comes with over 40 hairstyles for both men and women
Selections of premade designs of Sims are available to choose from ranging from different body shapes to ethnicities
Six life stages are available including baby, child, teenager, young adult, adult and elder. Although the baby life stage is accessible only through the birth of a Sim and not available in Create A Sim
Traits have returned with each Sim having three traits and an aspiration containing its own hidden trait.
Compared to previous Sims games where everyday, formal, sleepwear, athletic, party and swimwear wardrobes were restricted to having their own clothing options, all clothing options are now available across all forms of wardrobe and players are allowed up to 5 outfits per category.
Buy/build mode
In The Sims 4, build and buy modes have been combined and is now treated as a single featureA detailed build-and-buy system is present along with neighborhoods and landscaping. Some locked buy mode items may be unlocked through the progression of career levels.
Entire buildings and rooms can now be moved across the lot. Wall heights can also now be adjusted.
There is now a search option to search for build and buy mode options.
The Gallery
The Sims 4 includes social features, such as importing Sims and houses other people have made from The Gallery into the player's game. This impacts the world around the player's Sims. Players may publish their creations into the Gallery for other players to download into their game instantly.Worlds
The Sims 4 base game ships with two worlds including Willow Creek and Oasis Springs. Both contain five neighborhoods, which contain five lots. Through free update, a new world Newcrest also became available which has fifteen empty lots.[11]Development
The Sims 4 was developed by The Sims Studio, a division of the Electronic Arts subsidiary Maxis, and was distributed by Electronic Arts.[12] This is similar yet different to the development of The Sims 3, which was developed by The Sims Studio standalone from the (at the time) diminished Maxis. This is the first Sims game since The Sims 2 that Maxis has been involved with since inception of the base game, having only taken over The Sims Studio's operation towards the end of The Sims 3's development life.The Sims 4 is a single-player game,[13] and does not require a constant internet connection to play. Players will however need an Origin account and internet access during the initial installation process for game activation.[14] Ilan Eshkeri serves as the composer for the game's orchestral soundtrack, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra.[15][16]
On April 25, 2013, several screenshots from mock-up flash videos of the user interface were leaked online.[17] On May 3, 2013, Electronic Arts sent out an e-mail to several fansites stating that there would be a big announcement on May 6, 2013, which many speculated would be The Sims 4.[18]
On August 20, 2013, The Sims 4 was revealed via gameplay demo and release trailer at Gamescom. Previews of the building and character creation systems debuted earlier in 2014. Additional game footage and the release date were revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 9, 2014.[1]
Gameplay was unveiled during Gamescom 2013, held at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany. Unveiled features focused on the improved Create-a-Sim with an all-new click-and-drag feature omitting the use of sliders and the addition of emotion-based gameplay.[19] Select players called Yibsims who mostly manage fan sites and YouTube videos were invited to Sims Camp to see the game before the public and press, consequently the game received minimal coverage outside fansites. Maxis stated the game would run better on lower-end PCs than The Sims 3, which was plagued with performance issues on low-end and high-end PCs.[20]
It was suspected that The Sims 4 was scheduled to be released in early 2014, but it was later revealed it would in fact be released September 2, 2014.[1][21]
On May 14, 2014, producer Ryan Vaughan unveiled another Create-a-Sim trailer on the official The Sims YouTube channel. This included a preview of what the premade Sims Bella Goth and Mortimer Goth would look like in The Sims 4.[22] The development team unveiled another trailer on May 28, 2014 that showcased the new Build Mode features. Players will now be able to choose between three different wall heights and adjust the location of a window on a wall, as well as be able to move an entire room from one position to another.[23]
EA unveiled another gameplay trailer including more gameplay footage and announced the release date of the game, September 2, 2014, during a press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 9, 2014. The Sims 4 was released on September 2 for North America and September 4 for EU, Australia and Brazil.[1]
On June 28, 2014, a video was released showing the "originality" of each sim and their emotions.[24]
In January 2015, Maxis announced Outdoor Retreat, the first paid DLC for The Sims 4.[25] The DLC focuses on outdoor activities in the national park.
Mac development
Upon first announcement, EA stated that The Sims 4 was in development for both for Mac and Windows, both to be released in 2014.[26] However, closer to release date, the company stated that they were "focused [on] Windows"[27] and had "no updates on the Mac at this time".[28] In October 2014 further information was disclosed suggesting the future release of a Mac version. Vaughn told International Business Times that the team was "working on a Mac version right now."[29] On January 13, 2015, EA confirmed the release of the Mac version as being February 2015.[30] On February 2, they announced via the official The Sims Twitter feed that the Mac version of The Sims 4 would be released on February 17.[2]Features controversy
On June 25, 2014, EA and Maxis announced the omission of several gameplay features in The Sims 4 that had been included in previous games. These omitted features include swimming pools, swimming wear, and the "toddler" life stage; this announcement also noted the lack of an open-world found in The Sims 3, stating neighborhood gameplay would be separated by loading screens.[31][32] Earlier in the development process, a fan-site interview with a producer had revealed Create-a-Style (CASt), a customization feature introduced in the previous Sims game, would not be added to The Sims 4 in lieu of other features.[33] The developers then announced through a series of tweets that the game would ship with a 'stripped-down' version of story-progression (a gameplay mechanic controlling neighborhood autonomy), and that basements, grocery stores, and school and work locations would not be featured in the game. While careers and schools would still be featured, they would be represented differently from The Sims 3, more akin to the way they were featured in The Sims 2.[34][35][36]These announcements sparked unrest among many fans who speculated that the exclusion of arguably core features were intended by the developers or parent company to be left out for later paid content, or in order to make rushed deadlines.[37][38] A petition was launched by some fans to have the features restored for the initial release, even if the release date were to be pushed back.[39]
Maxis contended that it was not possible to include every feature in the new game that had been added over time in the 6 years The Sims 3 was in development, and that these could always be added at a later date, although they did not confirm exactly how this would be done, or whether it would be free or at a cost.[38] Some have speculated that many new features would be released through paid expansion packs, but others speculate that some of the more "basic, core" content (i.e. pools, toddlers) may be released as free patch updates, similar to how some new features were patched free into The Sims 3, such as basement features.[40]
Questioned as to why some features, such as a cupcake machine, were implemented over what many viewed as key gameplay, Maxis and The Sims producer Graham Nardone attributed the sacrifice to time constraints, the workload and distribution of developers (and the comparative lack of available developers to some areas of production to other areas), as well as risk factors:[41]
"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.Maxis and The Sims producer Rachel Rubin Franklin later elaborated in an official blog post, acknowledging the concerns of fans, and explained the issue on the developer's focus on The Sims 4's new core game engine technologies, and that the sacrifices the team had to make were a "hard pill to swallow":
"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."
"It begins with new technology and systems that we built for this new base game for The Sims... the vision for The Sims 4 is a new experience... to do that, our technology base needed a major upgrade.Franklin stated new features such as Sim emotions, advanced Sim animation, interaction and behaviours, as well as the new Create-a-Sim and build mode tools as a large part of the reason that detracted focus from features such as swimming pools and the toddler life stage.[42]
"...when we sat down and looked at everything we wanted to do for this game, all the new tech we wanted to build into it, the fact was that there would be trade-offs, and these would disappoint some of our fans. Hard pill to swallow, believe me, but delivering on the vision set out for The Sims 4 required focus."
However, on October 1, 2014, Maxis confirmed that one of its missing features, swimming pools, along with other new updates and features, would be added into the game for free in November, and this happened in the form of a game patch.[43][44][45] Other features like basements have later been added in subsequent patches.
Gameplay
The Sims 4 is a life simulation game, similar to its predecessors. Players create a Sim character and explore different personalities which change the way the game plays out. Sims can multitask such as talk while doing a task. Sims' moodlets also change the gameplay. For example, a Sim can do a task while being either angry or totally excited.[7][8][9]Similar to previous Sims games, player-created challenges abound. One of the most prevalent is the Legacy Challenge, in which players control a single Sim and try to make its family line last for ten generations.[10]
Create A Sim
One major change to the Sims 4 Create A Sim is that sliders have been obliterated and has been replaced by direct mouse click drag and pull. Through mouse click and drag and pull players may directly manipulate the facial features of a Sim. Players can also directly manipulate any body part including the abdomen, chest, legs, arms and feet. This is a new feature and was not included in previous Sims games where only the fitness and fatness can be manipulated on a Sims body. However, fitness and fatness levels may still be adjusted in Sims 4 as in previous games.The base games comes with over 40 hairstyles for both men and women
Selections of premade designs of Sims are available to choose from ranging from different body shapes to ethnicities
Six life stages are available including baby, child, teenager, young adult, adult and elder. Although the baby life stage is accessible only through the birth of a Sim and not available in Create A Sim
Traits have returned with each Sim having three traits and an aspiration containing its own hidden trait.
Compared to previous Sims games where everyday, formal, sleepwear, athletic, party and swimwear wardrobes were restricted to having their own clothing options, all clothing options are now available across all forms of wardrobe and players are allowed up to 5 outfits per category.
Buy/build mode
In The Sims 4, build and buy modes have been combined and is now treated as a single featureA detailed build-and-buy system is present along with neighborhoods and landscaping. Some locked buy mode items may be unlocked through the progression of career levels.
Entire buildings and rooms can now be moved across the lot. Wall heights can also now be adjusted.
There is now a search option to search for build and buy mode options.
The Gallery
The Sims 4 includes social features, such as importing Sims and houses other people have made from The Gallery into the player's game. This impacts the world around the player's Sims. Players may publish their creations into the Gallery for other players to download into their game instantly.Worlds
The Sims 4 base game ships with two worlds including Willow Creek and Oasis Springs. Both contain five neighborhoods, which contain five lots. Through free update, a new world Newcrest also became available which has fifteen empty lots.[11]Development
The Sims 4 was developed by The Sims Studio, a division of the Electronic Arts subsidiary Maxis, and was distributed by Electronic Arts.[12] This is similar yet different to the development of The Sims 3, which was developed by The Sims Studio standalone from the (at the time) diminished Maxis. This is the first Sims game since The Sims 2 that Maxis has been involved with since inception of the base game, having only taken over The Sims Studio's operation towards the end of The Sims 3's development life.The Sims 4 is a single-player game,[13] and does not require a constant internet connection to play. Players will however need an Origin account and internet access during the initial installation process for game activation.[14] Ilan Eshkeri serves as the composer for the game's orchestral soundtrack, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra.[15][16]
On April 25, 2013, several screenshots from mock-up flash videos of the user interface were leaked online.[17] On May 3, 2013, Electronic Arts sent out an e-mail to several fansites stating that there would be a big announcement on May 6, 2013, which many speculated would be The Sims 4.[18]
On August 20, 2013, The Sims 4 was revealed via gameplay demo and release trailer at Gamescom. Previews of the building and character creation systems debuted earlier in 2014. Additional game footage and the release date were revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 9, 2014.[1]
Gameplay was unveiled during Gamescom 2013, held at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany. Unveiled features focused on the improved Create-a-Sim with an all-new click-and-drag feature omitting the use of sliders and the addition of emotion-based gameplay.[19] Select players called Yibsims who mostly manage fan sites and YouTube videos were invited to Sims Camp to see the game before the public and press, consequently the game received minimal coverage outside fansites. Maxis stated the game would run better on lower-end PCs than The Sims 3, which was plagued with performance issues on low-end and high-end PCs.[20]
It was suspected that The Sims 4 was scheduled to be released in early 2014, but it was later revealed it would in fact be released September 2, 2014.[1][21]
On May 14, 2014, producer Ryan Vaughan unveiled another Create-a-Sim trailer on the official The Sims YouTube channel. This included a preview of what the premade Sims Bella Goth and Mortimer Goth would look like in The Sims 4.[22] The development team unveiled another trailer on May 28, 2014 that showcased the new Build Mode features. Players will now be able to choose between three different wall heights and adjust the location of a window on a wall, as well as be able to move an entire room from one position to another.[23]
EA unveiled another gameplay trailer including more gameplay footage and announced the release date of the game, September 2, 2014, during a press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 9, 2014. The Sims 4 was released on September 2 for North America and September 4 for EU, Australia and Brazil.[1]
On June 28, 2014, a video was released showing the "originality" of each sim and their emotions.[24]
In January 2015, Maxis announced Outdoor Retreat, the first paid DLC for The Sims 4.[25] The DLC focuses on outdoor activities in the national park.
Mac development
Upon first announcement, EA stated that The Sims 4 was in development for both for Mac and Windows, both to be released in 2014.[26] However, closer to release date, the company stated that they were "focused [on] Windows"[27] and had "no updates on the Mac at this time".[28] In October 2014 further information was disclosed suggesting the future release of a Mac version. Vaughn told International Business Times that the team was "working on a Mac version right now."[29] On January 13, 2015, EA confirmed the release of the Mac version as being February 2015.[30] On February 2, they announced via the official The Sims Twitter feed that the Mac version of The Sims 4 would be released on February 17.[2]Features controversy
On June 25, 2014, EA and Maxis announced the omission of several gameplay features in The Sims 4 that had been included in previous games. These omitted features include swimming pools, swimming wear, and the "toddler" life stage; this announcement also noted the lack of an open-world found in The Sims 3, stating neighborhood gameplay would be separated by loading screens.[31][32] Earlier in the development process, a fan-site interview with a producer had revealed Create-a-Style (CASt), a customization feature introduced in the previous Sims game, would not be added to The Sims 4 in lieu of other features.[33] The developers then announced through a series of tweets that the game would ship with a 'stripped-down' version of story-progression (a gameplay mechanic controlling neighborhood autonomy), and that basements, grocery stores, and school and work locations would not be featured in the game. While careers and schools would still be featured, they would be represented differently from The Sims 3, more akin to the way they were featured in The Sims 2.[34][35][36]These announcements sparked unrest among many fans who speculated that the exclusion of arguably core features were intended by the developers or parent company to be left out for later paid content, or in order to make rushed deadlines.[37][38] A petition was launched by some fans to have the features restored for the initial release, even if the release date were to be pushed back.[39]
Maxis contended that it was not possible to include every feature in the new game that had been added over time in the 6 years The Sims 3 was in development, and that these could always be added at a later date, although they did not confirm exactly how this would be done, or whether it would be free or at a cost.[38] Some have speculated that many new features would be released through paid expansion packs, but others speculate that some of the more "basic, core" content (i.e. pools, toddlers) may be released as free patch updates, similar to how some new features were patched free into The Sims 3, such as basement features.[40]
Questioned as to why some features, such as a cupcake machine, were implemented over what many viewed as key gameplay, Maxis and The Sims producer Graham Nardone attributed the sacrifice to time constraints, the workload and distribution of developers (and the comparative lack of available developers to some areas of production to other areas), as well as risk factors:[41]
"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.Maxis and The Sims producer Rachel Rubin Franklin later elaborated in an official blog post, acknowledging the concerns of fans, and explained the issue on the developer's focus on The Sims 4's new core game engine technologies, and that the sacrifices the team had to make were a "hard pill to swallow":
"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."
"It begins with new technology and systems that we built for this new base game for The Sims... the vision for The Sims 4 is a new experience... to do that, our technology base needed a major upgrade.Franklin stated new features such as Sim emotions, advanced Sim animation, interaction and behaviours, as well as the new Create-a-Sim and build mode tools as a large part of the reason that detracted focus from features such as swimming pools and the toddler life stage.[42]
"...when we sat down and looked at everything we wanted to do for this game, all the new tech we wanted to build into it, the fact was that there would be trade-offs, and these would disappoint some of our fans. Hard pill to swallow, believe me, but delivering on the vision set out for The Sims 4 required focus."
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