The Sims 4 Official Information

[Bri]

For those who wanted more than one world, the Sims 4 Base Game is going to release with another world beside Willow Creek.

SimsEverywhere:  @SimGuruMarion Will there be more worlds apart from Willow Creek in the base game sims 4?

Marion Gothier‏@SimGuruMarion:  @SimsEveerywhere Yes, there is also a desert town.

(Source:  SimGuruMarion)


Additionally, your Sim will be able to find a job via Computer or their Phone.

@Shebc21 You use the Phone or Computer to find a job.

(Source:  SimGuruGrant)


And while not official news per se, it looks like Maxis still have a few bugs to iron out:

Moment of Truth: My favorite bugs on this project have been Sims doing weird multitasking while using the toilet.

(Source:  SimGuruGrant)

Candybandit:  @SimGuruGrant Haha! Like what sort of multitasking?
SimGuruGrant:  @Candybandit123 Well....I have a screenshot of my Sim playing the guitar...while peeing.

(Source:  SimGuruGrant)

[Bri]

There is a small bit of news on the other environment being released with the Sims 4 from Gamesradar.  As mentioned earlier, it is a desert environment, and will be called Oasis Springs.

Your Sims can build their home in the middle of a desert
The Sims 4 will have another environment to compliment the lush Willow Creek neighborhood, and this one's more on the parched side. The recently unveiled Oasis Springs district is set in the middle of an arid desert, and has the look of suburban Las Vegas. This locale is filled with desert-themed charm, complete with set-pieces like cactuses and shed-sized air conditioners (and is that a Western-motif diner I see in the background?). You can still build lovely homesteads with plenty of modern comforts. You'll likely have tons of fun in this…wellspring? Fountain? Watering hole? It's right on the tip of my tongue…

(Source:  Gamesradar)

[Bri]

For those who like their kids being able to do things, looks like they will be able to play some of the instruments:

SimGuruAzure:  Kids can gain certain skills in the game.  They can play the violin and the piano!

(Source:  SimGuruAzure Twitter)

[Bri]

For those who may still want a chance to get in early with the Sims 4 Create-A-Sim Demo, EA is now doing an early access sign-up:

First of all, I want to say thank you to the players who have been helping us test the early trial experience of The Sims 4 Create A Sim Demo over the past week. We have received lots of really useful information which is helping us to polish our game, and we have seen how much fun you have been having creating your Sims.

We have also seen how many of you want to join in and help us with the ongoing testing. I am pleased to tell you that we are now inviting anyone who is interested, to sign up for the chance to be invited into the early trial experience.

All you have to do is provide your email (the one linked to your Origin account) in The Sims 4 Create A Sim Demo box on the home page. Spots in the early trial experience are limited and not everyone will be invited in. If you are selected to participate, you will receive an email invitation with full instructions at some point in the next two weeks.

Please see our FAQ for more information on The Sims 4 Create A Sim Demo.

We look forward to getting your feedback.

- Rachel

(Source:  The Sims™ 4 Create A Sim Demo: Early Access Signup!)

The actual registration may be found on this page:
Sims 4 Create a Sim Demo Registration

Please bear in mind even if you do register, there is no guarantee you will be picked.

[Pam]

For those who may still want a chance to get in early with the Sims 4 Create-A-Sim Demo, EA is now doing an early access sign-up:
(Source:  The Sims™ 4 Create A Sim Demo: Early Access Signup!)

The actual registration may be found on this page:
Sims 4 Create a Sim Demo Registration

Please bear in mind even if you do register, there is no guarantee you will be picked.

Thanks for that information, Bri.  I registered, so now let's see if I get in!

[Bri]

Dellena beat me to putting this up, but here is an official Sims 4 Official Gameplay Trailer.  Be aware it is still in Beta stage, so what you see may still change in the final product:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN2ue9y7_2M&feature=youtu.be

[Bri]

A few more tweets, and whatnot, especially after the debut of the playthrough. 


• Some tweets after the playthrough released yesterday:

Figured I'd chat a bit about a few things I've seen people discussing about today's video...

1st up - there is a full world map, it simply wasn't in our E3 build. When traveling you choose a lot from the map, not from that list.

Party goals are optional. When you set up the party you select if you want goals to accomplish or just have fun doing whatever you want.

The interaction queue is still there and you can queue up a bunch of stuff.

The box to the left side of the Sim shows which interactions are currently happening; it can show more than one when a Sim is multitasking.

Queued interactions sit above that box and then drop down when the Sim starts doing them.

The traditional info panels are all in the bottom right corner (Aspirations, Needs, Skills, Relationship, Career, Inventory, Simology).

I just tend to play with the UI panels minimized; personal preference. We've also changed the order they're listed in since then.

A lot of the visual information that moodlets are communicating has been changed since the E3 build. For example...

Emotion strength of a moodlet will show exact numbers instead of vague dots (easier to understand why your Sim is in their current emotion).

The green plusses above the moodlets were swapped to a gradient fade (just wait until I try and explain what a chameleon moodlet is to you).

• SimGuruGraham talks of a chameleon buff:

The idea of a "chameleon buff" will be much easier to explain and understand with the game running in front of you. I'll try and give an overview though. The Happy emotion is special in that it can modify other positive emotions. If your Sim only has a +10 Happy moodlet, then they're Happy. But if they have a +10 Happy moodlet, and a +5 Playful moodlet, then they're Playful (even though the Happy moodlet is stronger). This is because the Happy emotion acts as a boost to any other positive emotions your Sim is feeling. You can see examples of this throughout the demo - the moodlets with the green plus symbols above them are actually Happy moodlets that were modified to boost another positive emotion. What we've changed since then was to make the moodlet's color a gradient, so the background would look like green fading to purple to show happy -> playful. I know that all sounds complicated and confusing - it was overwhelming when it was first explained to me as well. Once you play with it in-game though it feels totally natural and easy to understand.

(Source:  SimGuruGraham Twitlonger)

• Objects don't disappear when moving rooms

@Alourra1289: What happens to existing objects when you place a new room/house? Is there a family inventory?
SimGuruGraham:  There's a household inventory. Objects go there when you drop down stuff that requires removing objects that were in the way.

• A brief talk of Simology

@rsdworker: what is Simology?
SimGuruGraham:  Age bar, the Sim's traits, the Sim's stats, etc.

(Soure:  SimGuruGraham)

• Something a little new is the Whims you can fulfill for Sims:

@shark5432 What are thinking clouds below sims's profile? Are they whims?
SimGuruGraham:  The 3 clouds floating over the Sim's bust are their current whims to accomplish. One whim is always based on the Sim's emotion.

From a later tweet:  The colored ones indicate the emotion that generated the whim.
And another tweet:  There's a small X button when hovering over each whim if you want to remove a current whim and get a new one.

(Source:  SimGuruGraham)

• On a personal note, at least I won't have to worry about making a party:

You don't schedule parties in advance any more. They start once you call other Sims to come over to your party.

(Source:  SimGuruGraham)

• Stairs are stretchable

@djeranotjuh:  Are you able to stretch the stairs? Thought I heard something about a long time ago!
SimGuruGraham:  Yup, you can pull the width of the stairs the same way you do with rooms.

(Source:  SimGuruGraham)

• Autosave is...er...automatic.

@sharkloverplaye: Is there an option to cut the auto save off?
SimGuruGraham:  No. You can completely ignore the auto save - it runs innocuously in the background and will just be there if you need it.

(Source:  SimGuruGraham)

• The Repo Man is no longer there:

We do not have the repo man, no. We didn't really think he added much to the game. Shutting off power? Way funnier.

(Source:  SimGuruGrant)

[Bri]

EA is going to be at Gamescon in Germany from August 13th to August 14th, and one of the games they will be presenting is Sims 4 (as well as Dragon Age:  Inquisition, Dawngate, and Battlefield Inquisition).

And if you can't make it to Cologne, we have something great to offer you online: as was the case in previous years, you can visit this website for our live reports from the convention halls and the EA press conference. You can expect interviews with producers, game demos, news, videos, photos, competitions and much, much more... get ready to be amazed!

So as information and links come out, we will be sure to put them up.
(Source:  EA at Gamescon)


Additionally, there are a few more tidbits from the Twitter:

First, while the specs for the game aren't out yet, it is supposed to run well on low end machines:

Hold tight simmers - we'll talk about specs soon, just finishing up some details and getting them all locked down.

(Source:  SimGuruLyndsay)

I played on a low-end old laptop all of last week and I was really impressed with how well it worked. I stand by it!

(Source:  SimGuruLyndsay)

There are no vampires in the base game; it was included as a joke.

‏@Sims4web: Are there any vampires in Sims 4
@SimGuruGrant:  There are not. Still, Vampires make for great jokes.

(Source:  SimGuruGrant)

[Bri]

EA has posted a blog about the second world shipping out with the Sims 4, Oasis Springs.

You can find it here:
Welcome to Oasis Springs

One thing that you may especially like is it looks like you can have a Sim travel from one world to another, and without losing important information, relationships, etc.

Travel With Ease

If you remember, in The Sims 3 you couldn't take your Sim from one world to the other or have relationships with Sims living in different worlds. Now if you’re living in Willow Creek but your Sim wants to visit the mischievous Malcom in Oasis Springs you can do that just as easily as seeing your neighbor down the street. Say you like more of a dry heat and want to move to Oasis Springs? No problem! Your Sim’s relationships, skills and jobs will go along with them. It’s a completely fluid experience.

So there you have it; new worlds and wide open spaces.  With so many new possibilities you now have the power to create your own unique stories. We hope you will have as much fun exploring Oasis Springs as we had making it!

[Bri]

Another round-up of tweets from the SimGurus, though not a whole lot.

• There is going to be some kind of furniture crafting in the game (this actually excites me a bit):

And for some reason, Nikolai is really into crafting furniture now.

(Source:  SimGuruGrant)

It ties into Handiness.

(Source:  SimGuruGrant)

• Nothing fancy goes on with the loading screens (in Into the Future you could earn some Life Points that way)

Traveling between neighborhoods is a loading screen, so no animation.

(Source:  SimGuruGrant)

• Public lots clean themselves.

The public lots are auto-cleaned.

(Source:  SimGuruGrant)

• If you get another Sim pregnant (outside of your control), they won't stay in that state.

If you get another Sim in the neighborhood pregnant, they'll give birth eventually without you having to play as them.

(Source:  SimGuruGraham)

• Plumbob responds to the character's needs:

It changes color according to the Sim's needs, not their current emotion.

(Source:  SimGuruGraham)

• The Gallery only costs Simoleans, no real world currency.

Downloading things like homes/rooms from the Gallery costs your Sim's their simoleons; not real world money.

(Source:  SimGuruGraham)

• Further confirmation you don't have to be online to play:

@Maria_Orra:  @SimGuruGraham do we need to be connected to internet while playing sims 4?
@SimGuruGraham:  @Maria_Orra Not unless you want to be

(Source:  SimGuruGraham)

[Bri]

For those who are interested in such things, it is confirmed the Landgraabs are back, as well as the Caliente family =, and a few others.


Source: Familiar Faces

The Landgraabs are back, still living it up as the richest family and staking their claim in Oasis Springs. We’ve brought Malcolm back during those awful awkward teen years, complete with a dastardly snobby attitude. Though Geoffrey is trying his best to be the good natured father Malcolm needs, will Nancy’s scheming ways lead Malcolm down a darker path? Either way we’re sure this historic family will provide lots of fun and mischief in The Sims 4.

Then we have the Caliente household with our two favorite sisters Dina, Nina, and their mother, who has been re-imagined as the attractive and vivacious Katrina. Katrina has ignored her better judgment and let the infamous womanizer Don Lothario mooch his way into her house and quite possibly her heart. Don’s eyes are on Katrina for now, but how long will it be before Nina and Dina are lured in by his charm? Will Nina decide to steal Don away from her mother? Will Dina finally earn enough money to get her own place and get away from all the craziness? All we know is that it won’t be long before sparks start flying!

Johnny Zest is an ambitious new character we like to introduce. Disowned from the Landgraab family when he dropped out of school, he now hopes to find his own fame and fortune as a standup comedian. He’s learned the hard lesson that when the Landgraabs cut you off, they cut you off all the way! Living in a trailer, blessed with the Landgraab looks but without the name or the money; will he make it to the top to show mom and pop he had what it takes all along? We’ll leave the fate of this black sheep in your capable hands.

Finally we’ve got a new batch of youths known as the Roomies. Your typical sitcom setup with ‘J’ (Jameson) the body building hunk, Gavin the gentleman muser, Mitchell the couch potato bro, and Zoe, that girl next door who is actually right where she wants to be, having fun with the friend-zoned boys.

No matter which familiar face you play with, we are convinced this cast of characters will add a quirkiness to your game that only The Sims can bring!

-Sim Guru Zephyr

[Bri]

Thanks to Bubbles for finding this first.

EA has a new trailer out on their Youtube Channel about emotions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnuLPbtNqyI&feature=youtu.be

[Bri]

Some rather interesting news for anyone who registered their Sims 3 games with Origin; you will be getting some rewards in the Sims 4 (if you choose to use them)

Source:  Sims 4 Rewards

Welcome to The Sims™ 4! As our way of saying thank you for playing The Sims 3, we're introducing The Sims 4 Rewards. You'll be rewarded with in-game digital content in The Sims 4 for owning and registering The Sims 3 PC and The Sims 3 Expansion Packs. Each reward object will affect your Sims' emotions and personalities in a unique way. We hope you enjoy your rewards in The Sims 4!

You'll automatically receive your rewards in The Sims 4 the first time you jump into the game, when the game launches in September 2014. Your rewards will be waiting for you in your Build Mode catalogue when you launch The Sims 4 for the first time! To find out which rewards you've got waiting for you in The Sims 4, click the button below to get started!*

I will try to get information on what each reward does/looks like when I finish with work.

[Twinmum]

If you go to the page  Sims 4 Rewards and click to get started, it will tell you what rewards you have unlocked. It looks like different EP's you have registered will unlock different rewards. I've unlocked all 13 awards.

**additional info... You need to have the base game and all expansions registered to get the Llama /Freezer Bunny statue.

[Bri]

There is a new page about some of the music for the Sims 4 as follows:
(Source:  Knowing the Score - The Music of the Sims 4)

Making the music for The Sims 4 was such a fun and interesting process for me and the rest of the audio team at The Sims Studio. Using pictures, concept art and animations to get colors, rhythms and a sense of the new world, we wrote music to inspire creativity and make playing with life even more fun in The Sims 4.Read on to get more details about what you’ll be hearing while you play the new game; we think you’ll love it!

WHAT’S NEW

One of the best things about working on music for a game like The Sims is that each time we make a new game, we get to completely reinvent ourselves as artists. All the music in The Sims 4 is completely new, original and focused on our players. We write music to make players feel good and be inspired to be their most creative selves.

SCORING CREATIVITY

With the completely rebuilt systems of Create A Sim and Build Mode, we expect our fans to spend a lot of time creating beautiful Sims and homes. We wanted to make sure there was plenty of music to entertain our fans. There is more variety than ever in both modes, bringing you into the game in a deeper fashion. Every track of Create A Sim and Build Mode has eight levels of intensity. As your attention changes from less detailed to more detailed (or the other way around) with your creations, the music changes dynamically with you.

For instance, in Create A Sim, the closer you get to the face, the simpler the arrangement of the music becomes. When you are in the most detailed mode, perhaps hyper focused on one cheek, eye or ear, you will only hear a string trio or solo piano. If you zoom out to look at an entire outfit, you’ll hear the full orchestral arrangement. The new creative tools are very intuitive, focus-oriented and the music is designed to reflect that experience, and inspire you!

MUSIC TO PLAY WITH LIFE

Live Mode also features a bunch of new music. Haven’t you always loved those pivotal moments in in Live Mode when music suddenly comes in and adds to the drama of gameplay? You’ll love it even more in The Sims 4, because the emotion-focused gameplay doubles the amount of “emotion” music. Many fun, fresh animations are scored with music to intensify the emotional depth. You’ll find yourself in a variety of peculiar situations accompanied by musical sound bites that make moments that much better! You can be sure that in every Sim’s life, he or she will encounter music in a different way.

Even the stereo features a brand new set list written especially for The Sims 4. We have included five different musical stations including pop, electronica, blues and of course, romance. Whether you prefer to woo your Sim love interest with Latin rhythms or Southern soul, you’ll be sure to find something to fit the mood. And here is a fun fact for you: as the romance music was being created for The Sims 4, we surveyed the entire development team to see what kind of music they consider to be “romantic.”

MAESTRO

We’re also excited and honored to tell you a bit about the man who helped us create the awesome score for The Sims 4. If you’ve seen movies like Stardust, Layer Cake, Young Victoria, Johnny English Reborn and Austenland, then you’re familiar with English composer Ilan Eshkeri’s eclectic body of work.  One of Ilan’s favorite parts of composing is working with other people and he had a great time working on The Sims 4 musical score with longtime EA audio engineer Robi Kauker who has been working on Maxis games since 1997. In fact Ilan shared a little information about Robi that he might prefer we kept under wraps, “Robi is a very talented musician, even though he doesn't like to admit it! So it was really fun and easy to develop specific musical ideas with him.  I still haven't managed to get him to play on one of the pieces of music but I'm not giving up yet,” Eshkeri said. He also let us know that a number of musicians that worked on the score like Emmy the Great, Tim Wheeler and Andy Burrows are huge Simmers just like us!!

EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOADABLE TRACK

As a special treat to our fans, we have mixed an exclusive track for our fans to enjoy before the game releases in September. This track, which is an exclusive mix of our Build Mode theme, will be available for you to download for free tomorrow on The Sims 4 Soundcloud page.

We can’t wait to share all of the music with you when the game releases on September 2!

Note:  The link for the song is correct for the Sims 4 Soundcloud.  Just realize it doesn't get released until tomorrow