Terrain Tools patch SimGuru/Maxis-Sourced Info

Terrain Editing
https://twitter.com/SimGuruKate/status/1047287012120653824
https://twitter.com/SimGuruGrant/status/1047580256104665088

https://twitter.com/SimGuruRomeo/status/1047259112281526273
https://twitter.com/SimGuruRomeo/status/1047262949763514368

Screenshots
https://twitter.com/AndrewArcade/status/1047222921133883392

From the Terrain tools livestream:

• Finding the tools: In Build mode, the terrain tool set is where the terrain paint was (and still is, too), with a shovel in it.
  
• Tool options: Terrain tools raise, lower (including below ground level), smooth, and flatten. There are size options, a softness slider, and a speed slider.
  
• Slope textures: Slope textures were designed per world. They are not currently paintable.
  
• Guides: Grid lines and topology lines (think of the lines showing you hills and mountains on a map) help you see where the lot is flat and where it isn't. They can be used to know where objects can be placed and also to "flatten to height" to make plateaus.
  
• Foundations: The foundation slider is now accessed on a "block" itself - click on the building. There can now be separate foundation heights (including no foundation) for separate buildings on a single lot. When you drag a foundation to the same height as another one, that other one will be highlighted so you can see that they match. Re. true split level: "This is something we want to add in the future" - this is one step closer to that now. Foundation heights can be quite extreme. Get Famous will have new foundation patterns.
  
• Wall heights: "Currently," if you change the wall height on "level 1" of a building, all the level 1's of all the buildings on the lot will change.
  
• Building placement: Terrain will remove itself for a building as you place blocks, but if you delete the room, the terrain will return. The system is nondestructive.
  
• Ponds, Pools, and Fountains: There is not currently a pond tool, but they want to do one in the future. Pools cut into hills like foundations do. If you pull a fountain up, it gets terrain, not foundation.
  
• Stairs: Stairs can be built between terrain levels as well as building levels. If some blocks have foundations and others don't, ones that don't will need a little step for routing in. Stair heights are not limited to a single level. "CTRL" is a toggle for stairs to search up or down.
  
• Terrain tiles: You can place a terrain tile and drag it to flatten land.
  
• Fences: A "yard fence" conforms to the terrain (don't start it touching a building). A "block fence" starts at a building and has a fixed level. Gates need flat terrain.
  
• Windows and Doors: These cannot go into basements or foundations.
  
• Routing: There will be places Sims can't route: "If you can see these lines, the Sims probably can't route". "There was a lot of math that went into this!" You can use smoothing to create routability. "Sims can route to the end of the terrain. They will not be able to jump off, obviously."
  
• Compatibility with Seasons: "Snow works!"
  
• Plant placement: MOO allows placement on unroutable, sloped terrain.
  
• New half walls: There are even more "half-wall" heights now.
  
• Bridges: "Greg, build a bridge."
  
• Roofs: Roofs do not affect terrain.
  

Note: I've ended up missing some things for sure because I had to miss some parts.

https://twitter.com/SimGuruSteve/status/1059928493155266560
https://twitter.com/SimGuruSteve/status/1059929402639835136

https://twitter.com/SimGuruKate/status/1059930021882720259
https://twitter.com/SimGuruKate/status/1059930022637592576

Fashion Career
https://twitter.com/SimGuruKate/status/1047231397214076928
https://twitter.com/SimGuruGrant/status/1047190173165871104
https://twitter.com/SimGuruGrant/status/1047188832444067840


Name Your Own Career
Also being patched in, a variation on self-employment:

"A Name Your Own Career feature... new functionality that you can go to the phone any time and you can register with the Ministry of Labor and you can enter anything you want... You can put in a little description so that if other Sims start asking about your career that's what will be reflected." -@SimGuruNinja in this video

https://twitter.com/SimGuruGraham/status/1057713752391409665
Kudos given!
https://twitter.com/SimGuruEmory/status/1055248278097297409

First Person Camera - with many thanks to @kalaksed !

• According to @SimGuruSteve this additional new patched-in feature started out as a joke in-house, which they then worked on to make it releasable.
  
• Shift-TAB = First Person Camera mode
  
• Mouse to move the head of your Sims around
  
• use left & right to get first-person pets!
  
• right-click on a door or wall to get to the other side or on ceilings to go upstairs
  
• spacebar cycles through your playable sims and skips pets. left/right arrows or a/d keys will go through the whole household, including pets
  
• shift releases the cursor so you can cancel an already-queued interaction without having to go back to 3rd person
  

https://twitter.com/SimGuruGraham/status/1059939092044103681

The Patch Itself

Patch scheduling
https://twitter.com/SimGuruKate/status/1047204065573105664
https://twitter.com/SimGuruGrant/status/1047189006885171200

Yes, it's all a patch
https://twitter.com/SimGuruKate/status/1047204739404816384

The Python Update

The modding community will be giving lots of support to mod-using Simmers whose script mods are broken by this update, but overall it's sure to be a Good Thing, given this is an update from a 2014 version of Python. Those of us in the community who do Broken/Updated Mods threads, pages, websites, etc. will totally be covering this too, to help you find updates.

Most of all, Don't Panic! Major updates break script mods all the time. Modders update them. It'll be the same this time. Please don't make it hard on Maxis and modders. Updating software to current versions is good to do, and modders will be able to update their mods.

Announcement:
Python Upgrade Coming Soon

https://twitter.com/SimGuruGrant/status/1047637735824023552

The Python update will be part of the pre-EP patch. We haven't been told outright that the Terrain tools and Fashion career will be too, but I think that's safe to presume, given past practice:

Hi all,

Heads up that this Python upgrade will be included as part of the Base Game patch for Get Famous. That pack is released on November 16, as many of you know the Base Game patches usually arrive a few days prior to the pack release. So expect the patch to arrive around that time.

-SGMS

https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16770655/#Comment_16770655

"luthienrising;d-949033" wrote:
So, given we've got at least a month lead-up to this patch and appear to have more info incoming about it, I thought it's probably time to get a thread going to collect said info.

What's coming: patched-in Terrain Tools

When it's coming: After October 2018.

What's coming with it: a patched-in Fashion Career, and (depending on timing), a Python update

Livestreams
Maxis Monthly:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/317544173
A deeper dig: Thursday, October 2, at 11 a.m. PST
https://twitter.com/SimGuruKate/status/1047256551751221248

I'll add blog posts and like when there are some.

More below...

a Python ???? why ???

@catmando830 They're talking about the programming language/coding software used to develop and run the game, not a snake. :)

EDIT: I edited out a previously provided Wikipedia link for more information that wasn't working for some reason. Anyway, you can always look it up yourself.

Happy Simming! <3

Ooh, Python upgrade. I'm not too up-to-date on Python's evolution, but I hope this means a more optimized performance when the game runs scripts

Now Python update is actually something to be excited for, at least for me.

Found on another thread via the always awesome @catmando830 :

Terrain tools
https://twitter.com/SimGuruRomeo/status/1047259112281526273
https://twitter.com/SimGuruRomeo/status/1047262949763514368

Straight from the SimGuru's mouth -- a punny reminder of tomorrow's Terrain Tools livestream:

https://twitter.com/SimGuruSteve/status/1050141791343730688